The Age of Discovery
1400 – 1800 AD
The era where sea lanes start mattering as much as borders: fleets turn a distant coast into a neighbour, and a colonial position far from home can be reinforced faster than the land route suggests. The Iberian powers are strongest early and hardest to hold late, which is roughly how it went.
The era at a glance
- Period
- 1400 – 1800 AD
- Factions
- 6
- Board
- Age of Discovery (1600 AD) — 34 territories
- Grows to
- 41 territories as the eras advance
- Regions
- 8
- Players
- 2–8, any mix of people and AI
- Price
- Free. No download, no account required.
Who you can play
Each faction has its own passive strengths and one ability that changes how it fights. They are asymmetric on purpose — the same board plays differently depending on who you take.
- Spanish Empire
-
Silver fleets pay for the war — a fresh tercio lands every turn.
Silver fleets, crusading zeal, and hard-edged conquistadors make Spain a transoceanic empire hungry for rapid expansion.
Ability: Silver Fleet: once per turn during draft, place 1 extra unit on a territory you hold.
- Portuguese Empire
-
Masters of the sea — sea-lane connections allow 3 attack dice (normally 2) and free sea-lane fortify moves.
Portugal lives by charts, caravels, and coastal strongpoints, turning sea lanes into a private imperial network.
Ability: Naval Charts: your sea-lane attacks use the full 3 dice cap instead of the era-limited 2.
- Ottoman Empire
-
Straddling east and west — +2 reinforcements per turn, and an extra attack die on every assault.
From the Balkans to Arabia, Ottoman rule merges disciplined corps and strategic chokepoints into a continental hinge.
Ability: Janissaries: once per turn, defend with 3 dice regardless of garrison size.
- English Crown
-
Privateers and merchant adventurers — +1 tech point per sea territory owned.
A rising maritime kingdom, England weaponizes chartered companies, private raids, and coastal footholds into empire.
Ability: Privateer: once per turn, steal 1 production unit from an adjacent enemy coastal territory.
- Ming Dynasty
-
Vast population and the Great Wall — +1 reinforcement per turn, and one assault each turn breaks on the stonework.
The Ming command enormous manpower and monumental defenses, preferring layered stability over reckless overreach.
Ability: Great Wall: once per turn, the first attack against you is met with +2 defence dice.
- Mughal Empire
-
Rich subcontinent — the spice caravans fund two extra reinforcements each turn, and gunpowder armies press with an extra attack die.
Courtly wealth, gunpowder armies, and a mosaic of provinces make the Mughals formidable when prosperity is protected.
Ability: Spice Trade: once per turn, the caravans deliver 2 extra reinforcements.
Regions and what they pay
- Europe
- 6 territories · +6 per turn
- Ottoman Empire
- 7 territories · +6 per turn
- North America
- 3 territories · +3 per turn
- South America
- 4 territories · +3 per turn
- Africa
- 5 territories · +5 per turn
- Mughal India
- 3 territories · +5 per turn
- Ming China
- 4 territories · +3 per turn
- Sea Routes
- 2 territories · +4 per turn
Play this era
Start a game and pick the era in the lobby, or let a full campaign carry you through the whole arc — a single game can begin with legions and end in orbit. Guest play needs no account.