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?  

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.