What’s This Game All About?
The Spanish Inquisition Was Still Centuries Away—This Is a Game About What Came Before
Forget everything you think you know about the Reconquista. This game is not just about knights in shining armor and holy crusades fighting it out over epic battlefields in the name of God. Though, that might happen within the game, this is about what was happening before that story took over the history—when the Iberian Peninsula was a swirling, messy epicenter of culture, knowledge, and tolerance between the Christian, Muslim, and Jewish faiths, commonly considered cousins under the umbrella term: “Abrahamic Faiths.”
The game starts after the powerful Caliphate of Cordoba collapsed in 1031, with its palaces destroyed, and its incredible court scattered to the winds. The peninsula is now a political chessboard, and the pieces are yours to command. You can become an ambitious Christian king pushing south, or a Muslim Emir trying to rebuild the wonders of the Caliphate. Either way, you'll be navigating a world that set the stage for the European Renaissance and the Age of Exploration.
The game is centered around a map of the Iberian Peninsula with 23 regions, each with different combinations of the demographics of the three faiths. Players begin the game in city regions of their choosing, and will place their flags, buildings, castles, and city walls on the board as they expand and develop their kingdom.
In front of each player is their own kingdom board, which tracks each of the three populations and tax income. It also shows the projects available to spend money on.
Each player manages their turn through their kingdom board.
On your turn, you'll follow a simple four-step process:
Collect Income: Fund your ambitions.
Spend it: Develop projects, build wonders, hire mercenaries, or attract advisors to your court.
Move Armies: Send your forces across the map.
Resolve Battles: The strongest army wins. Subdue the populations of any newly conquered regions and add them to your kingdom board.
But here’s the catch: you're not just conquering land. You must balance your own political stance with the diverse demands of your kingdom, as the peoples you’ve conquered have their own political preference. Your realm is home to Christians, Muslims, and Jews, meaning your king's faith doesn't matter as much as your ability to navigate the delicate political web of your kingdom and whether the politics you develop in the game, match those of your population.
So, will you seek the support of the Pope in Rome? Align with the growing Almoravid power in North Africa? Or will you pursue a neutral, commerce-focused path? Failing to align your politics with your people can cost you both income each round and precious victory points.
Who will you gain support from?
The game ends when a player controls a certain number of regions or two wonders. But here’s the most important part: the player with the most victory points wins, not just the one with the biggest kingdom. This means a different path to victory opens up with every game, forcing you to balance shrewd expansionism, internal development, and a powerful court.
Winning this game isn't necessarily about crushing your opponents; it's about mastering the "holiday dinner" problem. You might start with a grand strategy to hang with the family members you enjoy most, but when that chaotic uncle unexpectedly joins your table, you have to pivot. Suddenly, the goal isn't to have the most profound conversations, but to get your hands on the most succulent food—and ensuring you have one really good conversation. In Iberia, as courtiers with different political preferences may join your kingdom, or as you may have to shift from conquering to defending; consistently balancing your ambitions with the unpredictable realities at the table is critical to success.
In this nuanced game of politics and faith, you get to create your own dynasty and lead at a critical, and often hidden juncture in human history.
