Sea & Steel: Columbus’ Voyages is published by Neva Game Press and designed by Antonio Vaquera. It is a compact strategic game for one or two players covering the years from 1492 to 1505, so the four voyages of Columbus and the Spanish colonization that followed. One side commands the expanding Spanish presence, the other leads the Taino and Carib peoples resisting the newcomers across fifteen distinct Caribbean land zones. Event cards drive the action, and the historical texture is all there: building palisades, mining gold, keeping the Spanish ships in working order. It is an unusual theme, one I had never expected to see on a wargame table, and that alone made it worth a closer look.

The game comes with a Basic Mode for a faster session and an Advanced Mode for a deeper simulation, and both support solitaire play with the Spanish player facing an AI-controlled indigenous faction. Playing time sits in the 60 to 90 minute range, and the small footprint is very much part of the appeal. Some time ago I already presented the box and walked through the rules and victory conditions in my Sea & Steel: Columbus’ Voyages – Game Overview, so if you have not seen that one yet, it is a good place to start before the material below.

This time I am going one step further and showing the game in action, playing through the turns and explaining the decisions as they come:

Hope it will give you a good insight into the game. Enjoy the material!