Expeditions: Conquistador



Expeditions: Conquistador is a squad-based Tactical RPG developed by Danish studio Logic Artists (Which includes several veterans of The Nameless Mod's team) and released by BitComposer for Windows, Linux and Macintosh on 30 May 2013. The player takes the role of a Spanish conquistador leading an expedition to Hispaniola and the New World, more specifically where Mexico is today. The game features resource management, a branching storyline, and interactive fiction elements. It has also been partially supported by crowdfunding, via Kickstarter.

The game is set during the Age of Exploration. The player's goal is to mount an expedition from Spain to Hispaniola and Mexico, amassing gold and influence while building and sustaining a strong expedition force. During the course of said expedition, the player has the opportunity to influence the fate of the explored lands, be it the natives or the colonists. The player character does not participate in combat, however, with a squad fighting in your - and Spain's - stead through turn-based hex combat. The game also includes text and dialogue driven quests with branching storylines.

It can can be found on Steam and on GOG.com. A sequel, Expeditions: Vikings has also been announced.


 * Alternate History: Subtle, at least initially. Your expedition is stated as arriving on Hispaniola in 1518, beating Hernan Cortes to the New World. From there on, changes from history start getting more pronounced, depending on your actions.
 * Artistic Licence History: Aside from the Alternate History angle, there are certain liberties taken with actual history that the developers acknowledge.
 * Authority Equals Asskicking: The titular conquistador can be from a noble family, although said conquistador doesn't actually fight in combat personally. Many of your initial followers are mentioned as having been in your family's service or gratitude in one way or another.
 * Badass Native: You can eventually bring in natives into your party.
 * Big Bad: The Aztec Empire is framed as this, though depending on your choices and affiliations, it's possible to align with them.
 * Big Freaking Gun: You can eventually field cannon into the field, which serve as the 16th Century equivalent of this trope.
 * Commanding Officer Powers: In Expeditions: Conquistador, as well as its prequels Viking and Rome, this kind of ability can be found both unobfuscated (such as the Lieutenant's "rally" ability to grant free movement) and (since the series is pure Historical Fiction) obfuscated in the form of various religion/superstition-themed abilities that are described as actually being a result of confidence and morale.
 * Dawn of an Era/End of an Age: Depending on which perspective you take at least, given that it's still the Age of Exploration and the dawn of Spain's rise to a world power.
 * Deliberate Values Dissonance: The main character may avert this, but NPCs and party members have all manner of views that wouldn't remotely fly today.
 * Early Game Hell: Coming into the New World unprepared or ill-equipped is a guaranteed way of making the start of the game even more difficult than it already is.
 * Gender Is No Object: There are quite a few female characters who can be recruited into the expedition (from medics to soldiers) and otherwise join your squad. It is lampshaded however in-game how this is rather unusual and contrary to the usual expectations of women in Spanish society at the time.
 * Grey and Gray Morality: The game neither demonizes or glamorises the Spanish and natives (with certain exceptions like the Aztecs), leaving it up to the player to make sense of it.
 * Guns Are Worthless: Subverted. Firearms are powerful and rather useful, but the ammunition isn't limitless. And while muskets and cannons can turn the tide of a battle against natives, there are a lot more of them than you.
 * Men Use Violence, Women Use Communication: Averted, given how female characters can be as aggressive and brutal as they can be pacifistic and compassionate. Same goes for the men.
 * Morale Event Horizon: Keeping up morale is a crucial aspect of your whole expedition. Lose too much of it and members of your party will start deserting if not start up a mutiny.
 * Multiple Endings: The game has various branching paths and endings, depending on your choices.
 * Multinational Team: Of sorts. As you gain in fame and fortune, you can not only recruit more Spaniards into your expedition but also a variety of natives.
 * Noble Bigot: The conquistador may or may not be this. Other NPCs and party members can definitely be this, however, depending on their traits and personalities.
 * Noble Savage: Subverted. Some native tribes give this impression. While other factions like the Aztecs thoroughly avert it altogether.
 * Only in It For the Money: Some travelling to the New World are mentioned as only being in it for the fortune and glory.
 * Political Correctness Gone Mad: Not the game itself, but it was close to being banned in Argentina due to a local politician claiming that its depiction of natives and Spanish colonialism was racist and xenophobic.
 * Relationship Upgrade: It's possible to romance various NPCs.
 * The Revolution Will Not Be Vilified: Subverted. The rebellious elements in Hispaniola are comprised of various Spaniards and integrated natives with many grievances against the ruling governor in Santo Domingo. But while some are sincere, others are in it out of opportunism, greed or power, being little better than the governor.
 * Rule of Cool: Word of God is that this is partially the reason why the developers chose Spanish exploration and colonialism as a major theme, at least compared to other European colonial attempts in the New World.
 * Screw This, I'm Outta Here: It's perfectly doable for you to simply high-tail it back to Spain, which also ends the game.
 * Screwed by the Network: The publisher delayed the Spanish release for a long time. The inability of Spaniards to play a game based on Spanish history was a noted irony by the developers.
 * Self-Imposed Challenge: It is very much possible to play the game as closely to the historical exploits of Cortes and other Spanish conquistadors as possible.
 * Shown Their Work: An in-game encyclopedia explains the historical basis for some things and what liberties were taken.
 * To Win Without Fighting: It's possible for your expedition to win over the natives this way.
 * What Could Have Been: While the game was successfully crowdfunded, the developers unfortunately were unable to meet their more ambitious targets. Which would have allowed them to include various features such as an entirely new area to explore (the Andes) and the Incas.
 * What the Hell Hero: Certain characters won't hesitate to call you and your party out for any particularly cruel actions.
 * Wretched Hive: Santo Domingo, the colonial capital on Hispaniola isn't in the best of shape. Justified in that it's still a relatively "new" settlement at the fringes of Spanish rule and that the ruling governor is corrupt. And none too pleased with your expedition on his doorstep.
 * X Meets Y: The game could be described as Sid Meier's Pirates meets Heroes of Might and Magic in terms of gameplay.
 * Zerg Rush: Native enemies tend to overwhelm with numbers.