Renaissance Traders (2001)

A shareware game designed by Herman O'Brien. Players assume the roles of merchant empires like Genoa or Venice in a struggle to dominate trade in Europe. The map, showing Europe from Scotland and the Black Sea to Cadiz and Alexandria, is divided into coastal spaces called Harbors and open sea spaces, Oceans, on which ships sail, bringing cargo to various ports. The game started as a variant on Serenissima (Euro-Descartes) but has many unique features, especially Merchants, which are the primary means of scoring victory points.