Lords of the Spanish Main
Lords of the Spanish Main is a board game designed by Phil Eklund and published by Sierra Madre Games in 2006. It is designed for two to eight players.[1] Set in the seventeenth-century Caribbean, it combines trade, colonial development and piracy.[2]
Play
Each player represents a historical individual. Fleets can operate as merchant ships or privateers, while colonies generate trading opportunities. Players acquire cards through auctions and may negotiate exchanges and agreements with one another.[2]
Play begins in 1600, with turns representing years. A personal calendar tracks both the current year and the completion of construction. Players seek to accumulate gold; treasure markers also contribute to the final score. The game can end by agreement, at the end of 1649, or when an event card appears from 1620 onwards.[2]
Critical discussion
Games writer Michael Barnes discussed the design in an essay about abstraction and simulation. He used its Mordida cards as an example of rules condensing political and economic activity. Although he found the game interesting, he argued that the combination of detailed rules and open-ended play could leave players confused or disengaged.[3]
References
- ↑ “Lords of the Spanish Main (2006)”. BoardGameGeek. Game information and credits. Accessed 9 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lords of the Spanish Main: rules with errata. Version marked 2018, parts A–D.
- ↑ Barnes, Michael. “Abstraction”. There Will Be Games. Updated 28 January 2015.