TANTO MONTA
The Rise of Ferdinand &
Isabella 1470-1516
Original
Retail $95.00COMPONENTS
Published: 2023
Designer: Carlos Diaz Narvaez
Series Design and Development: Ed Beach
Graphics: Iván Cáceres Cruz
Art Director: Justin Martinez
This is a new MINT copy in the original
shrinkwrap. Buyer will pay $16.00 for priority mail. I will ship
internationally, but check for cost. I will combine shipping of like
items, again check for costs. Deliveries within the state of California
are subject to state sales tax.
BACKGROUND: 1469—The Iberian Peninsula
has been splintered into numerous caliphates and kingdoms over the last 700
years. Warfare—part of the desperate competition
between Christian and Muslim faiths often referred to as the Reconquista—has been the one constant. Now age 18, Isabella of Castile
has already been offered in marriage alliances to both Portugal and France.
Against the wishes of her brother, King Henry IV, she refuses both deals and
instead elopes to marry her original betrothed, Ferdinand II of Aragon. Within
five years, her brother is dead, and Isabella is named Queen of Castile. But
can this fragile alliance between Castile and Aragon hope to prosper facing
threats from all sides?
Tanto Monta: The Rise of Ferdinand and
Isabella covers the period
from 1470 to 1516, the height of the Age of Discovery and the years leading
immediately into the period covered by Here I Stand: Wars of the
Reformation, 1517-1555. The game opens with Isabella’s disputed
ascension to the throne of Castile, a position contested by a Portuguese-backed
faction supporting Joanna La Beltraneja. Ferdinand’s possessions are similarly
threatened by Aragon’s ongoing civil war against forces from the Principality
of Catalonia, a faction often supported by France. How can these young Catholic
Monarchs possibly deal with both these crises while still pursuing their
agendas to unite their two kingdoms into a single Spanish realm, subjugate the
Canary Islands, and finish the reconquest of Granada?
Opposing the Spanish player are three
more emerging powers. Portugal has been immersed in the exploration of West
Africa under the guidance of Prince Henry the Navigator. Can they push further
around the coasts of Africa and establish direct trade with the spice merchants
of India? Meanwhile the French, initially led by Louis XI the Prudent, are
trying to emerge out of the Hundred Years' War against England and consolidate
the power of the crown over the nobles of that land. Once ready to push south,
the French nation will compete against Spain for lands from Navarre in the west
to the city states of Italy in the east. And the Muslim forces are still
roadblocks to all these ambitions. The Nasrid Kingdom of Granada will fiercely
defend against further incursions against their highland strongholds. The
Kingdom of Fez in North Africa opposes the Portuguese attempts to deny their
monopoly over the spice trade. And additional Muslim forces from the Ottoman
Empire and the Berber lands along the North African coast are sure to assist in
the years to come.
And thus the stage is set for these four powers to compete
on the battlefield, at the diplomatic tables, and across the oceans of the
world. Can one of these powers unite their homeland and set the stage for a
truly global empire? THE GAME: In Tanto Monta: The Rise of Ferdinand and Isabella,
each of the four players rules one major power and another secondary power as
follows:
· Spain (Kingdom of Castile;
Kingdom of Aragon)
· Muslim (Nasrid Kingdom of Granada; North African Powers:
Sultanates of Fez and Tremencén)
· Portugal (Kingdom of Portugal; Beltranejos Faction)
· France (Kingdom of France; Principality of Catalonia).
This is a 4-player game, no more and
no less.
Game Length: A game of Tanto Monta lasts up to 7 turns with a
duration of about 45 minutes per turn. The winner is the first player to 45 VP
with automatic and domination victories also possible.
Map: The main map represents the western Mediterranean region
including the Iberian Peninsula, Southern and Central France, the Italian
Peninsula, and the Maghreb in North Africa. The Canary Islands are also
included. A supplemental Exploration Map depicts Africa, the Indian Ocean, and
the New World, locations where voyages of exploration and colonization take
place.
Basic Flow: Retaining many of the game systems
from Here I Stand and Virgin Queen, turns start with each player being dealt a
hand of cards from the shared deck to supplement their Home Cards (which
provide unique actions for each major and secondary power). After diplomatic
negotiations and spring preparations have concluded, players play these cards
as events or operations to conduct military, political, or exploration actions
to maximize their victory point gains. At the end of each turn, armies winter,
royal marriages take place, and—unless there is a winner—the game resets in preparation for the start of the next
turn.
Minor Powers: The Kingdom of Navarre and the
Italian states of Genoa, Florence, Naples, and the Papacy each play significant
roles in the diplomatic landscape of the game. Important independent cities and
the Guanche population on the Canary Islands also field defensive military
forces. Other political entities are indirectly represented in the game through
events and foreign wars, including England, Burgundy, Brittany, and the Ottoman
and Holy Roman Empires.
New Features: Tanto Monta introduces
several innovations to the game series. The land combat system is enriched with
the addition of explicit siege artillery units and cavalry units for all major
powers, which can try to turn the tide in battle by making a dedicated cavalry
charge. The spring phase is also extended to include play of Headline Events,
chances to use a powerful hand to score bonus VP and sneak in an extra event
card play before the turn is fully underway. Finally, the enhanced Exploration
Map systems depict the arrival of Vasco Da Gama in India and Christopher
Columbus in America and include explicit rolls to try and navigate into the
Terra Incognita.