España 1936
España 1936 Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- A Brief History of the Conflict
- Components
- Introduction
- Game Setup
- Initial Deployment (1936)
- Game Elements
- Game Counters
- Game Play
- 1 - Draw Cards
- 2 - Movement
- 3 - Assignment of Generals
- 4 - Fight Battles
- 5 - Events
- 6 - Maintenance
- Replacements
- End of the War — Conditions for Victory
- Optional Rules and Variants for the Basic Game
- Scenario 1938
- La Armada · Advanced Rules
- Timeline of the War
- Turn 1 – July/August/September 1936
- Turn 2 – October/November/December 1936
- Turn 3 – January/February/March/April 1937
- Turn 4 – May/June/July/August 1937
- Turn 5 – September/October/November/December 1937
- Turn 6 – January/February/March/April 1938
- Turn 7 – May/June/July/August 1938
- Turn 8 – September/October/November/December 1938
- Turn 9 – January/February/March/April 1939
- Designer's Notes
- Credits
A Brief History of the Conflict
The most ruthless, violent confrontation that ever occurred in Spain began with the uprising of the Army of Africa on the 17th day of July in 1936. This coup led to a period of turbulent political fighting in a country that had been polarized into two opposing sides: one that believed in a republic as a form of government and leftist ideals, and another that believed in monarchy as a form of government and right-wing ideas. It was a clash whose roots ran deep into history, back to the Spanish War of Independence (1808), but the slowly rising temperature of the confrontation reached the boiling point after the proclamation of the Second Republic (April 14, 1931) and the electoral victory of the Popular Front (February 16, 1936), a coalition of progressive parties that was opposed by a coalition of the opposite side.
The African uprising spread to units on the peninsula over July 18 and 19. The movement took over in traditionally conservative areas, but failed in those that were marked by a working class culture, where quickly assembled leftist militias were able to quell the uprisings. Spain ended up split into two halves: one called republicana (Republican), which was more industrial and densely populated, and included the regions of Asturias, Cantabria, the Basque Country, Catalonia, Valencia, Menorca, and Castilla la Mancha along with the eastern territories of Aragon, Andalusia, and Extremadura; and another part called nacional (Nationalists), that was agricultural and traditional, and was made up of the regions of Galicia, Castilla y León, Navarra, Mallorca, the Canary Islands, Morocco, and the western parts of the regions above.
The first phase of the war was characterized by movements of improvised ad hoc columns that quickly tried to take control of as many parts of the country as they could. The bloodiest fighting took place in Andalusia and Extremadura, when the Nationalist side concentrated its forces in uniting the two segments of the peninsula that it held which were separated by a band of territory held by the Republicans. The taking of Irun in September of 1936 was also extremely important, as it denied the Republicans a direct border with France in the north.
The Nationalists started the conflict in a disadvantageous position, since the Republicans were able to maintain control of the industrial production zones as well as most of the Navy and the Airforce. However, the Nationalists proved more capable in organization and discipline, while the Republicans fell victim to infighting between different political ideologies and a lack of centralized military leadership. The material support provided by Nazi Germany and the fascisti of Italy played a decisive role in the success of the Nationalists. The fact that these fascist powers' political concepts and aims were aligned with the Spanish rebels facilitated their quick transfer of troops from North Africa to Andalusia in the earliest period of the war.
The second phase of the war began with the Nationalist assault on Madrid, which was a key site in the conflict. With the military support that they began to receive from Stalin's USSR and the volunteers that came to enroll in the International Brigades, the Republicans were able to resist the enemy's attempt to take the capital from the end of 1936 to February 1937.
The contribution to the war from the Soviets, the Germans, and the Italians made the skies above Spain the site of air combat that was on par with and harbingers of the vicious dogfights and bombings of World War II. Democratic nations opted for isolationism and a policy of non-intervention, as Spain became the proving grounds for new technologies in airplanes, tanks, and other modern military materials and tactics for the totalitarian powers of the world.
From that point on, the Republicans made the grave mistake of allowing the Nationalists to take the initiative with regards to strategy. General Franco has often been criticized for his slow advancement of the war (some arguing that it was incompetence, while others claiming it was a power play, since drawing out the fighting cemented his place as the sole leader), but even so, the Republicans constantly remained on the defensive throughout the struggle, and thereby renounced the chance to decide when and where they would engage the enemy.
Beyond that, the few counterattacks that the Republicans made (such as those in Brunete and Belchite) were handicapped by the ineffective leadership of the officers, many of whom had been designated by Moscow for their ideological views rather than their military experience. There was no way to hide the lack of skill and knowledge of the figures chosen to serve propaganda purposes—such as Líster and El Campesino—from professional military men in the Republican army. Even once all the various militias were brought together into a unified People's Army, the best weapons and equipment were only provided to the communist units and the International Brigade, who acted as a mobile strike force, while the masses of the Republican forces stagnated in fixed positions without even the authorization to launch small local raids.
The scales tipped when the Nationalists took the industrial area in the north of the country, granting them access to the large factories and mining areas, between March and September of 1937. In January and February of 1938, there was an immense battle for Teruel that solidified the failure of the Republican side and the possibility for the Nationalists to divide their enemy in two. They broke through the lines as they advanced toward the Mediterranean in April of 1938, and Catalonia was cut off from the rest of the Republic.
At that point, it could be said that the war transformed into a phase of intense movement that emulated the tactics that would become the Blitzkrieg that the Germans would employ in World War II. Only four days after completing their campaign to take Aragon, the Nationalists marched south to attack and take Valencia (on April 23). Castellón de la Plana fell on June 14. The Republicans then decided to react and gather their strength for a last stand.
The last hopes for Republican victory relied on the difficult political scene in the rest of Europe. This period coincided with the Munich Crisis that overshadowed the entire continent on September 30, 1938, when Great Britain and France accepted Germany's annexation of the Czechoslovak Sudetenland territory. On July 25, 1938, the Republicans began their offensive along the River Ebro, with the objectives of stopping the Nationalist advance towards Valencia, uniting the two separate territories on their side, and also to hand a significant defeat to Franco. They believed the crisis would have ended in a war and the Western powers would have joined with them.
The Battle of the Ebro lasted until November 16, 1938. Those in charge of the People's Army miscalculated their chances and were quickly stopped short by the large reserves of the Nationalists. A series of small attacks on the line were unleashed, but they were all stopped by the fire and steel that rained down from the Nationalist artillery. The situation in the air was even worse, since the fighters made in Germany and Italy were vastly superior to those held by the Republic. Having been dragged into a battle of attrition, the Republicans were unable to create a fluidity of movement that would allow them the mobility they so desperately needed. When the battle was over, their army in Catalonia had bled out, and from that point on the only thing they could do was to retreat back towards France.
The last of the ammunition had run out. Barcelona fell in January of 1939, and with it the factory that had backed the war effort on their side. The rest of the Republican territory was unable to hold out for much longer: its commanders, soldiers, and citizens had all lost their will to fight. The Republic had been defeated. On March 28, the Nationalists took Madrid without a shot fired, and on March 30 they also captured Valencia. The Spanish Civil War ended on April 1, 1939, with the Red Army captured and disarmed. After years of fighting, the Civil War had given the country its sad legacy: more than half a million killed between soldiers and civilians, the nation ravaged and broken, and in the hands of totalitarianism.
— Ramon Sarobe, historian
Components
- A game board that shows a map of Spain
- A combat zone board
- A player board for each side
- 54 military unit counters for the Republican player
- 54 military unit counters for the Nationalist player
- 7 airplane unit counters for the Republican player
- 8 airplane unit counters for the Nationalist player
- 4 tank unit counters for the Republican player
- 7 tank unit counters for the Nationalist player
- 5 general counters for the Republican player
- 5 general counters for the Nationalist player
- 1 Replacement Points counter for each player
- 28 (reversible) territory control counters
- 1 territory in combat marker
- 10 dice (5 red and 5 blue)
- One deck of 48 cards (44 basic cards + 4 cards for Greater Initiative and Uncertainty that are marked with an "E") for each player
- 1 sheet of stickers for the wooden markers
- This rulebook
- 1 wooden marker for the Objective Territories controlled by the Nationalist player
- 1 wooden marker for the Objective Territories controlled by the Republican player
- 1 wooden disputed territories marker
- 1 wooden turn marker
Components of "La Armada" Expansion, Included in This Box
- 7 counters for the naval units of the Republican player
- 6 counters for the naval units of the Nationalist player
- 4 naval operations tiles
- 1 counter for the "Nyon Conference" card
- 3 port counters for the San Sebastián variant (see page 24) and for "La Armada"
- 20 naval cards (10 for each player) marked with the letter A
- 3 naval base tiles
- 8 naval control markers
Introduction
ESPAÑA 1936 is a simulation game for two players that recreates the events that occurred in Spain between July 1936 and April 1939, which saw the conflict between two different ways of conceiving Spain at that moment. The goal of each side is to win the war by taking control of territories. One of the players leads the troops loyal to the government of the Republic (Republicans) and the other takes charge of the rebels (who call themselves nacionalistes or the Nationalists).
The game begins just after the military uprising of July 18, 1936 and the earliest military movements. The game is divided into ten turns. The board represents a map of Spain. The most important territories of conflict have small spaces, each of which is split into two smaller zones where the counters of each side can be placed. These spaces are connected to one another by lines of movement. The counters are military units, and their value is an abstract measurement of their combat strength. The cards represent the events that happened during the war that can affect the normal progression of the game. The dice are used to decide the results of the battles.
The game can either be won by obtaining control of a greater number of Objective Territories (which are indicated by targets at the top of those territories and black nameplates) than your rival player at the end of the game, or it can be won earlier by fulfilling the conditions for automatic victory.
Symbology on the Cards and Units
Nationalist: Nationalist Shield, Italian volunteers (CTV), Carlist volunteers, La Legión, Falangist volunteers, Condor Legion, The Army of Africa, Nationalist naval.
Republican: Republican Shield, Communist Militias, Basque Army, Anarchist Militias, Soviet Army, International Brigades, Republican Navy.
Game Setup
A. The turn marker is placed in the "1" space. Place the combat zone board to the side, along with the territory control markers and the territory in conflict marker.
B. The controlled Objective Territories markers for each side are placed in the "4" space. The "contested" marker is also placed in the "4" space. This set up of the markers reflects the situation at the start of the game.
C. Each player takes the player board for their side, their Replacement Points counter, the five dice of their color, their two decks of cards, and the unit counters that match their side: red for the Republican player and blue and green for the Nationalist side.
D. Each player places their units on the board so that they match the set up shown in the picture on the following page. The rest of the units (airplanes, tanks, and generals) are left near each side's player board until they can enter the game by means of the event cards.
E. Each player splits their cards into two decks: one with the 1936-1937 event cards and the other with the 1938-1939 event cards. Remove the four cards marked with an "E" next to the number in the lower left corner from the game, since they are only used in the "Greater Initiative and Uncertainty" variant (see page 25). Also, remove the cards marked with an "A", since they are only for the advanced "La Armada" mode of play (see page 28). Players then shuffle each of their two decks separately and place the 1936-1937 deck near their own playing area.
F. Each player draws 6 cards from their 1936-1937 deck, as indicated in the first Turn Track space.
Initial Deployment (1936)
Nationalists
| Counter | Territories |
|---|---|
| Nationalist Army, value 1 (basic unit) | Madrid (x2), Zaragoza (x2), Oviedo, Pamplona, Burgos, Huesca, Salamanca, Toledo, Sevilla, Córdoba, and Cádiz |
| Nationalist unit, value 1 (-1) | Lugo, León, Madrid, and Teruel |
| Nationalist unit, value 2 (-1) | Guadalajara and Pamplona |
| African troops (green), value 2 | Marruecos (x3) and Cádiz |
| African troops (green), value 2 (-1) | Marruecos and Sevilla |
| Airplane B-XIX, value 1 (-1) | Sevilla |
| Nationalist control marker (shield) | Orense, La Coruña and Segovia |
| General Franco, and General Yagüe (+1) | Marruecos |
| General Mola (+1) | Guadalajara |
| General Varela (+1) | Cádiz |
Republican
| Counter | Territories |
|---|---|
| Republican Army, value 1 (-1) | Oviedo (x2), Santander, Huesca, Teruel, Ciudad Real, Madrid and Toledo |
| Airplane B-XIX, value 1 (-1) | Toledo |
| Republican unit, value 2 (-1) | Zaragoza |
| Basque Army, value 1 | Bilbao (x2) and San Sebastián |
| Anarchist militia, value 2 (-1) | Madrid |
| Communist militia, value 1 (-1) | Guadalajara (x2), Málaga and Toledo |
| Republican unit, value 1 | Badajoz, Córdoba, Ciudad Real, Valencia and Murcia |
| Republican control marker (shield) | Lérida, Barcelona, Tarragona, Albacete, Castellón and Almería |
| General Miaja (+1) | Madrid |
| General Rojo (+2) | Toledo |
| General Durruti (-1) | Zaragoza |
"La Armada" Advanced Rules 1936
Ignore the pieces marked with a blue border if you are playing the normal mode (see "La Armada", p. 28).
Nationalists
| Counter | Location |
|---|---|
| ESPAÑA, value 2 (-1) | Naval Base El Ferrol |
| CERVERA, value 1 | Cantabrial Sea Naval Base |
| Nationalist naval control marker | Naval Territory: the Balearic Islands, Cadiz Naval Base |
| Airplane JU-52, value 1 | The Strait of Gibralter |
Republican
| Counter | Location |
|---|---|
| JAIME I, value 2 (-1) | Málaga |
| Airplane NI-52, value 1 (-1) | Madrid |
| DESTRUCTOR 2 (-1/+1) and the four remaining Republican naval counters | Cartagena Naval Base |
Movement from Morocco is not allowed in the normal game; with "La Armada" in play, movement from Morocco is allowed.
Game Elements
Game Board
The board shows a map of Spain with the territories marked by spaces that are each split into two zones, which are used to hold counters from each side. The blue side is for the Nationalists and the red side is for the Republicans. The areas are connected by lines of movement to other regions. These show where the counters can be moved from one territory to another. A territory space can be occupied by both sides, but each side must be placed in its own zone in that territory. The Objective Territories are marked in black with a target symbol in the upper part of the space.
In this rulebook, when reference is made to an Objective Territory, it only refers to those spaces. When it refers to a space, it refers to any space representing a territory, whether it is an objective or not.
A space is "controlled" when there are only counters from one side in it. If there are counters from both sides, it is "contested." If, during movement, a space is left with no combat counters in it, then control over that space remains with the side that last had units there. In that case, a control marker must be placed in it to show which side it belongs to.
Some coastal territories show an anchor icon, which indicates this area is a port. This status is taken into account for the effects of some of the cards.
In the lower part of the board, you will find the Turn Track, which indicates the year currently in play, the number of cards that are drawn at the start of the turn, and the turns during which replacements of units can be obtained (marked with a flag, see page 22).
On the lower right is the Objective Territories Track, which is used to keep track of how many Objective Territories each side controls and how many of them are contested.
Marruecos (Morocco) is a special territory on the board, whose rules are specified in the movement section (see page 15).
Dice
Each player has five dice that are used to decide the result of battles. The red dice are for the Republican player and the blue dice for the Nationalist side. As a general rule, a result of 5 or 6 on a die is considered a successful strike.
Combat Zone Board
This is an auxiliary board used to resolve combat. When a battle is fought in a territory, the players may move the unit counters to this board in order to carry out the battle with greater clarity. In such a case, the players place the territory in combat marker in the space to remind themselves where the troops came from.
Player Boards
Each player has their own player board that includes a Replacement Points Track, spaces to hold airplane and general counters when they are not on the main board, and a summary of the game sequence. The lines of text in blue colors are used for the advanced game mode (see "La Armada" on page 28).
Game Counters
Combat Counters
The combat counters are as follows:
- Small military units, with a value of 1 on the front and 2 on the back.
- Large military units, with a value of 3 on the front and 5 on the back.
- Airplanes, tanks, and generals.
- Naval units, for the advanced game (see "La Armada" on page 28).
The larger number on the combat counter is its combat value, which indicates the number of dice it rolls during battle. The smaller number in the circle is a die modifier, which can be negative or positive, and is applied to the results of the unit's dice roll. The combat value also represents the capacity the counter has to receive damage.
Values on the counters: dice value in combat, die modifier, and airplane combat modifier.
The counters represent different military troops, units, and columns that took part in the war. The Republican counters have a red background. The Nationalist counters have a blue background or a green background (Army of Africa). Some units also have an insignia (a symbol or a flag). For the Nationalist units, it is purely decorative. However, it is taken into account for the Republican units when playing with the optional Republican Generals rules (see "The Republican Generals" on page 23).
Republican units: Republican Army (basic unit) 1; Basque Army 1; Anarchist militia 1; Communist militia 1; International Brigades 3 (+1).
Nationalist units: Nationalist Army (basic unit) 1; Carlists 1; Falangists 1; African troops 2; Spanish Legion 2; Italian C.T.V. Volunteers 3 (+1).
Control Markers
The players have several reversible control markers (one side marked with the Republican color and the other with the Nationalist color) available. They are used to indicate which spaces are under the control of a particular side, but that side does not have any combat counters located in the territory.
Objective Territory Markers
The players use the Objective Territory markers to show how many of these objectives are under each side's control at any given time (A). The "contested" marker is used for Objective Territories that neither side has control over (B). The black wooden marker is used to show which turn of the game is being played (C).
Cards
Each player has a deck of 44 cards (plus 14 more cards to use with the advanced rules). These cards are divided in two decks, for the periods of 1936-1937 and 1938-1939 (sleeved in the sleeves presented in the game).
Each card has four zones containing information:
- A. Title, historical description, and date of the event.
- B. Effect of the event on the game if used in the Events Phase.
- C. A location number: Alongside this number, the advanced cards have a letter—either an E (see "Greater Initiative and Uncertainty" on page 25) or an A (see "La Armada" on page 28).
- D. Modifiers to support and defend if used during battle.
All the events on the cards are based on real life occurrences, except those indicated as "Historical Supposition", which are fictitious events that might have occurred during the course of the struggle.
Game Play
The game is played over ten turns, each of which is divided into several phases. Once all the phases in a turn are completed, the turn marker is moved forward to the next space and the sequence begins again. The spaces of the Turn Track that bear a flag indicate that there is a Replacements Phase during that turn (see page 22).
Game Sequence
In each turn of the game, the players follow this game sequence, made up of these phases:
- Draw cards. Players draw cards from their deck as indicated for the turn in play.
- Movement. The Nationalist player moves first, then the Republican player does. Military units and tanks are moved (page 13). Airplanes are assigned (page 14).
- Assignment of Generals. Players alternate assigning their generals (starting with the Nationalist side). Page 15.
- Fight Battles. Players alternate in resolving battles (starting with the Nationalist side). Page 16. Battle: I. Determine attackers and defenders. II. Commit support units and play cards (if you choose to). III. Resolve Dogfights (if applicable). IV. Roll dice to resolve combat. V. Apply hits. VI. End of the combat.
- Events. Players can alternate playing up to 3 event cards each. The Nationalist side starts. Page 21.
- Maintenance. At the same time, the victory conditions for each side are checked. If one of the two sides fulfills them, the game is over. Page 21. Replacements. Carried out alternately, and only in those turns marked with a flag on the Turn Track. Page 22.
1 - Draw Cards
Each player draws 3 cards from their own deck, except in turns 1 and 6, when they draw 6 cards.
When starting turn 6, the players must discard all cards in their hands and put them back in the 1936-1937 deck. From that moment on, they start using their 1938-1939 decks. Just like at the beginning of the game, each player draws 6 cards from their deck.
2 - Movement
During this phase, the combat counters are moved across the board along the lines that connect the spaces to one another. First, the Nationalist player makes all of their moves and, once that player is finished, the Republican player makes their moves.
The movement rules are different depending on the kind of counter (military units, tanks, or airplanes), and there is a special case that affects the units that begin the game in Marruecos.
The control markers are not combat counters and therefore cannot be moved.
Movement of Military Units
Each unit may only move once during the Movement Phase. Units cannot be split or switched with other units. For example, a unit with a value of 3 cannot be replaced with one unit with a value of 2 and one unit with a value of 1.
If, in carrying out the movements, any controlled space is left empty (that is, there are no units there), the player must place a control marker to show that, despite having no units in it, that territory is under that player's control. When a player moves their units into a space that has one of their control markers, the player may remove the marker since it is no longer necessary.
Once the movements have been completed, there cannot be more than 4 military units in each zone of any space. Generals, airplanes, and tanks do not count towards this limit in any phase of the game. If you wish, at any time, you may inspect the movements and the units of the other player that are present in all spaces.
If, at any point during its movement, a unit enters a contested space or a space controlled by the enemy, it must immediately end its movement in that space. If that space only contains the enemy's control marker, the unit must still end its movement in that space, but the control marker is immediately removed from the board. The player may move other units through that space from that point on without stopping, since it is now considered controlled by the player who moved into it.
Units that start the movement phase in a space under that side's control may freely move across the board, without any limit to their movement (unless it enters an enemy-occupied space as described above), between any territories that are connected to one another by movement lines.
Units that start the movement phase in a space that is contested can only move to an adjacent space (meaning, a space separated from the starting space by just one line of movement), and only if that player has units or one of their control markers in the destination space. In this case, it is obligatory to leave at least one unit in the starting space, since it is not possible to abandon it completely.
If all spaces adjacent to a unit's starting space are controlled by the enemy (the player has none of their side's units and no control markers in any of them), the units in that space are considered surrounded and cannot move or attack (even if a general is assigned to them), they cannot receive replacements, and cannot receive reinforcements from an event card either, unless it is specifically stated otherwise in a card.
Example: The Carlist unit can move to any territory it wants following the board's lines of movement, but it must stop when it enters a space with Republican units or a Republican control marker. The military unit in Madrid can move to any adjacent space that contains its side's units or control marker, and thereby complete its movement.
Movement of Tanks
Tanks move across the board following the movement lines between spaces under their side's control, and can only pass through or end their movement in spaces that contain units or control markers belonging to their side. When moving away from a space that is contested, they are not limited to moving only to an adjacent space. However, if they are completely surrounded by spaces controlled by the enemy, they cannot move, just as if they were military units.
To avoid mistakes in the movement over land by military units and tanks, players must turn the units that have moved 45° to show that they have already been moved this turn.
Movement of Airplanes
Airplanes are taken from the player board and assigned to whatever spaces the player wishes, with the sole limitation that it must be a space that contains that player's own units. Since they move through the air, these units can move directly from any territory to any other, even if they are not connected by lines of movement or if there are spaces under the control of the enemy along the route.
Once the Fight Battles Phase is completed, all airplanes are removed from their spaces and put back on their side's player board.
Exception: In the initial deployment, some airplanes begin the game assigned to specific spaces rather than on their side's player board. In these cases, for the first turn, these airplanes can only remain in the space they have been assigned to or move to spaces that are connected to them by lines of movement, following the same rules as for the movement of standard military units.
Movement from Marruecos
The units and generals that start the game in Marruecos are a special case. They can only move at the beginning of the Events Phase, prior to any events being applied. The Nationalist player can move a maximum of 3 counters out of Marruecos (including generals) per turn: 1 counter up to Sevilla and 2 to Cádiz. Historically, these locations were connected by an airlift and maritime route. The naval rules of "La Armada" modify these special rules (see page 28).
If the Nationalist player does not have any units or a control marker in those destination spaces (Sevilla or Cádiz), they cannot carry out this movement and those counters must remain in Marruecos. The generals cannot be assigned to battles until they move onto the Iberian Peninsula from Marruecos.
Marruecos is a port, so units that can be placed in ports by event cards can be placed there.
Once all the movements have been completed, the players rotate their counters back to straight.
3 - Assignment of Generals
After all movements have been carried out, the players take the generals available on their player boards and assign them to the spaces they choose on the main board. It is important to take into account that during the Fight Battles Phase, only those spaces to which a general has been assigned can launch an attack.
Starting with the Nationalist player, the players will alternate assigning their generals to spaces where they have counters on their own side. Only one general per side can be assigned to each space. Both players can assign generals to the same space, but each to their own side's zone.
If a player has assigned all of their generals and the other player still has some, the player with generals may place them all one after another without the need to alternate with the other side.
Exception: In the initial deployment, some generals begin the game assigned to specific spaces, rather than on their side's player board. In these cases, for the first turn, these generals can only be assigned to the space they have been placed in or to spaces that are connected to them by means of lines of movement, according to the same rules as for the movement of tanks.
The Republican Generals Líster and Ulibarri enter the game by means of their corresponding event cards and cannot be assigned until those cards are used. The same thing happens with the Nationalist General Dávila, who also enters the game by means of an event card.
4 - Fight Battles
Once the generals are assigned, battles are fought. Starting with the Nationalist side, and alternating actions, each player chooses one of their available generals on the map and declares his action:
- If he attacks, fight the battle and resolve it in this space (see below).
- If he does not attack, nothing happens.
As soon as a general carries out his action, whether he attacked or not, he, along with all the counters involved in that action, are returned to the board from the combat zone board (if needed) and the general's counter is turned over to show that he has been used.
It is then the other player's turn to use a general. This process repeats until all the generals of both players have carried out their actions. If a player has used all of their generals and the other player still has generals available, the player with generals may use them one after another without the need to alternate with the other side.
When a player declares an attack, that side is considered the attacker throughout the battle in progress. A general can only attack with the counters that are in the same space and can only target the enemy counters in the same space. Each counter can only attack once per turn. The player can decide to attack with one, several, or all of the units of their side that are in that single space. The attacker has no obligation to attack with all the units in the space, so the attacker can stop the attack whenever they want.
Battles are never required and can only be started using a general, so it is possible that a space will contain counters and generals from both sides and, nevertheless, no battle ever occurs there.
In order for a general to be able to launch an attack, it is required that the space in question be connected to at least one other space under control of that side, or at least one other space with friendly units from the general's side. Otherwise, the general is considered surrounded and cannot launch an attack in his space.
The only possible action in this case is to turn over the general without performing any attack. In any case, the general's combat modifiers can be applied if that space is attacked by the other side.
Example: General Rojo is surrounded in Barcelona, so the only thing he can do is use his modifier to defend if General Yagüe attacks.
When a battle begins, the counters can be moved to the combat zone board and placed in the corresponding spaces in order to help you carry out the fighting. This is recommended when there is a large number of counters. If that is the case, the players should leave the territory in combat marker on the board as a reminder of where the battle is being fought.
Battle
Each battle is made up of a series of steps. Apply them in order, for all military units that take part in the battle:
- Determine attackers and defenders
- Commit support units and play cards (if you choose to do so)
- Resolve Dogfights (if applicable)
- Roll dice to resolve combat
- Apply hits
- End of the combat
Steps 2–6 are repeated for every pair of attacker and defender, one at a time, until the attacker decides to stop or runs out of units to attack with.
Combat Modifiers
Numbers appear in these spaces on the unit counters and on the cards that will add to or subtract from the results of the dice rolls. The standard rules are:
- Negative modifiers: apply to the highest die of the roll.
- Positive modifiers: the player chooses which die to apply it to after rolling the dice.
Modifiers cannot be divided. For example, a +2 modifier from a tank or a card must be applied to a single die. It cannot be split into two +1 modifiers and applied to two different dice. However, it is possible to apply multiple modifiers to a single die (for example, one from a tank and one from a general) and thereby turn it into a successful hit.
The modifiers that are shown on the airplane counters only affect dogfights.
I. Determine Attackers and Defenders
Combats are fought individually, unit against unit. In each combat, one unit attacks and the other unit defends. The attacking player decides which of its counters will be the attacker and which unit shall be the defender.
Each of the attacker units can only attack one time during the battle, but the same defender unit can receive several attacks and face off against multiple units in the same battle.
No unit can be split up or exchanged with other units. A unit with a value of 5 cannot be switched before the battle for one unit with a value of 2 and another with a value of 3, for example.
II. Commit Support Units and Play Cards
The unit that attacks and the unit that defends can be supported by generals, tanks, and/or airplanes that are in the same space. Event cards may also be played in order to affect one's own roll or the roll of the other side.
The first combat in each battle must be supported by the general who started the battle, who applies his modifier whether it is positive or negative.
The attacker decides if they want to support the attacking unit first, and if so, declares which units will provide the support. Once the attacker has committed their support units, the defender commits theirs.
A unit can be supported by as many counters as you wish, but each counter can only be used in a single individual combat, and therefore cannot be used in other combats during the same battle in that space (as a reminder of this, turn over the support units once they have been used).
Generals and tanks apply their modifier to the result on one of the dice that is rolled for the unit that they are supporting. Airplanes support a unit by adding a number of dice to the roll for that unit equal to the airplane's combat value (the airplane modifier is only used in dogfights).
If the defender has a general in the same space, they may use him to support one single defending unit, but in this case, he is not considered "used" and the player may still use him to start an attack on their own side's turn (this means that he will not be turned over after the support action). They may still support their own units with their general, tanks, and airplanes.
All the event cards include a section that is split into two parts: support (A) and defense (B). The support part is used to modify the roll of one's own side during combat, by adding dice to the roll or modifying the result of the roll. The defense part has the same effect, but is used in regard to the opponent's dice roll.
For each combat, starting with the attacker, each player may choose to use one of the cards they have in their hand and play it face down to indicate that they will use it as support (to improve their roll) or as defense (to penalize the other side's roll). Once the cards are played, they are revealed at the same time and their effect is determined. Cards used in this way are discarded from the game after the roll and cannot be used for an event.
III. Resolve Dogfights
If both players on that space have airplanes supporting the same battle, dogfights between them are fought first. If there are only airplanes on one side, then there will be no dogfights.
If there is only one airplane on each side, the dogfight is resolved immediately. If there is more than one airplane on one or both sides, first they must be paired up, because dogfights are always fought between one airplane on each side. The defender decides the pairs and the attacker chooses the order in which the dogfights are fought and resolved.
Any airplanes that do not have a pair do not take part in the dogfights and will use their dice to support the ground fighting of the battle (they can be placed in the airplane space on the combat zone board).
The airborne combat of dogfights is resolved separately for each pair of airplanes that duel in the skies. Each player rolls as many dice as their airplane's combat value (1 or 2). The player can always choose the result that is most favorable, and which of the two dice to apply the modifiers. Dogfights cannot be modified with event cards or the modifiers from generals.
- If the end result of one of the dice, be it that of the attacker or the defender, is 6 or more, the enemy plane is permanently eliminated from the game and cannot support the ground fighting (eliminated airplanes are left in your playing area, next to your player mat). It is possible that both airplanes are eliminated in the same dogfight.
- If the end result of one of the dice is 5, the enemy airplane cannot support the ground fighting and is considered used (turn it over) for the rest of the battle in that space.
- Any other result indicates that the enemy airplane can support the ground battle with its dice. To show this, place it in the airplane space on the combat zone board.
IV. Roll Dice to Resolve Combat
The attacker rolls as many dice as are shown for their combat unit's combat value plus the combat value of any airplanes that are supporting the attack. If the attacker has played a card to support the battle which adds dice to their roll, those are counted as well. If the event card played by the opposing side subtracts dice from the roll, this too must be taken into account.
The defender calculates the dice to be rolled for their side in the same manner as the attacker, but uses the combat value of the unit that is defending against the attack and any airplanes that may be supporting it.
Once the count for all the dice—both the attacker's and the defender's—have been made, the two sides roll their dice: Each result of 5 or 6 (after applying any modifiers from the units themselves, their support units, and any cards played) is a successful hit.
If, because of the cards played, the number of dice a player is supposed to roll is reduced to zero (or less than zero), that side simply does not roll and cannot cause any hits on the enemy.
Example of a Battle
- The Nationalist player decides to attack in a space that holds General Varela and a Spanish Legion unit with a value of 2 supported by an Italian tank (+1), against an Anarchist militia with a value of 2.
- The Republican player decides to support the militia with General Rojo (+2), an I-15 airplane (1 die), and a T-26 tank (+2).
- The Nationalist player decides to support the Italian tank with a card that adds 2 dice to its roll, and the Republican player uses a card for defense to subtract 1 from the results of the 2 dice rolled by the enemy.
The attack roll and modifiers are added up:
Republican player — 3 dice: 2 dice for the unit with a value of 2, 1 die for the I-15 airplane. Positive modifiers: +2 from the T-26 tank, +2 from General Rojo (+2 to 2 dice, the same die or different ones). Penalties: -1 from the militia unit (-1 to the highest die result).
Nationalist player — 4 dice: 2 dice for the unit with a value of 2, + 2 dice for the support card. Positive modifiers: +1 from the unit (Spanish Legion), +1 from the Italian CV 33 tank, +1 from General Varela (+1 to 3 dice, the same die or different ones). Penalties: -1 to 2 dice (different ones) from the Republican card.
Then, the dice are rolled and the modifiers applied:
- Republican player 6-3-1 (-1, +2, +2) — Final result: 2 hits to the Spanish Legion.
- Nationalist player 4-4-3-2 (+1 +1 -1, +1 -1) — Final result: 1 hit to the militia.
The Nationalist player's Spanish Legion counter is eliminated and the Republican player applies 1 hit to the militia, lowering its combat value to 1. The rest of the units are considered used for the remaining combats in that space during this battle.
V. Apply Hits
All hits from the rolls are applied to the units on the other side, and those units are either eliminated or replaced depending on the number of hits received. A unit with a value of 5 that receives a hit becomes a unit with a value of 3 (the counter is turned over). A unit with a value of 3 that receives a hit becomes a unit with a value of 2 (the counter is exchanged for the corresponding one with a value of 2). A unit with a value of 2 that receives a hit becomes a unit with a value of 1 (the counter is turned over). Finally, a unit with a value of 1 that receives a hit is removed from the board.
A unit can receive more than one hit at the same time, and will lose value according to the total number of hits. For example, a unit with a value of 5 that receives 4 hits would be eliminated; a unit with a value of 3 that receives 2 hits would drop to a value of 1, etc.
When it is necessary to exchange one unit counter for another because it has suffered hits (for example, a unit with a value of 3 receives 1 hit or a unit with a value of 5 receives 3 hits), it must be replaced with a counter of the same type. If there are no more counters of the same type with the required value (as may happen, for instance, with the Italian Volunteers or the International Brigades) or if they are all being used, the damaged unit is replaced with a regular army unit with the appropriate combat value. If there are none of those either, then with a militia unit for the Republicans and Falangists or Carlists for the Nationalist side.
Tanks are eliminated if the unit they were supporting is eliminated (leave them in your playing area, next to your player board).
Airplanes that are left alone in a space without any ground units are still used to determine the control of the space just like any other unit, they are turned when used and turned back over once the combats are finished.
If, after all hits are applied, both players lose all of their combat units, tanks, and airplanes, and the space is now empty, the attacker places their side's control marker in that territory.
Application of hits (to a value-5 unit):
- 1 hit: Turn the counter over (value 5 becomes 3).
- 2 hits: Exchange the counter for another of the same type with a value of 2.
- 3 hits: Exchange the counter for another of the same type with a value of 1.
- 4 hits: Eliminated from the game.
VI. End of the Combat
Once the hits received by either player have been applied, the generals, airplanes, and tanks that served as support for that combat are turned over and moved to the used units space.
The combat unit used by the attacker cannot be used in any other combats in that battle (it is placed in the used units space). The defender's combat unit can be attacked by another unit if the attacker wants, and it will defend with the new value it has at that time.
Then, if the attacker wishes to continue the battle, they return to Step 2 and select a new attacker and defender for the next combat. Continue fighting combats, one pair at a time, until the attacker chooses to stop or runs out of units to attack with.
Once all the combats in that space have been resolved, the players can fight another battle in any other space, started by an opposing general, by following the steps above.
If the opposing side also decides to launch an attack in the same space, all the units there (including airplanes, tanks, and generals) can be used again, with the new value they have at that time.
5 - Events
The event cards represent things that actually happened during the war, or fictional historical creations that might have happened. This allows all the cards to be located within their real historical context.
Starting with the Nationalist player and alternating one card at a time, each player may play up to 3 event cards and apply their effects. If a player does not want to (or cannot) play 3 event cards, the other player can decide to play all the cards they have left to play that turn, one after another, without the need for alternating turns.
In the advanced rules for "La Armada", the effects of the Mediterranean space are applied at this time.
The Events Phase is the only time in the game that cards can be played as events. Unless otherwise specifically indicated, the effect of the event is applied immediately after the card is played, and then the card is discarded and cannot be played again. Once an event card is played, even if the effect indicated cannot happen or be applied (for example, due to a player's mistake); the card is still discarded and is considered played (and must be counted toward the player's 3 card limit for the turn).
The event cards explain themselves, but in some cases it is necessary to take into account the following things:
- Some event cards have effects that are not immediate, as they apply to future phases or turns (such as the "Draft" cards). In these cases, the card must be played in the Events Phase and counts toward the 3 card limit. It is recommended that you leave these cards in sight on the table to remind you until their effects are applied, and then immediately discard them.
- In the case of the "Military Academies" and "Provisional Alférez Promotions" cards, it is recommended that you leave them in sight on the table after playing them and not discard them, so that they can act as a reminder of their effects, which are applied for the remainder of the game after they have been played.
- The "Republican espionage" and "Nationalist espionage" cards can only be played to cancel a card that is played by the opposing side, immediately after the opposing card was played but before its effects are applied. These cards count toward the limit of cards that can be played by each player per turn. They cannot be played to cancel or reverse the effect of cards played at any other time or phase.
Unless specifically indicated otherwise, any units that appear due to the effect of a card must be placed in spaces under the control of the side that played the card or in contested spaces, according to what is stated on the card itself.
6 - Maintenance
Both players can resolve this phase simultaneously.
The players remove all their airplane and general counters from the board and return them to the corresponding spaces on their player boards. Tank counters remain on the board and those that were used are arranged so that they are ready to move in the next turn. If all the combat tokens in a space belong to one side only, this space is controlled by that player. If there are only planes and/or tanks belonging to both sides, this would be considered Contested.
Each player checks how many cards they have in their hand. If they have more than 8 cards, they choose which extra cards to discard until they have 8. The discarded cards are removed from play and cannot be used in that game again.
The Objective Territories Track is updated: Each player counts the number of Objective Territories they control and makes sure their marker shows the right number. The count of the Contested Objective Territories must also be checked to ensure it is in the right place. The sum of the positions of the 3 markers must always be 12.
Then, check if either player has fulfilled the conditions for automatic victory (see page 23). If they have, the game is immediately over and that player is proclaimed the winner! If not, the Turn Track is updated and the next turn begins (or the Replacements Phase is carried out, if applicable).
Replacements
The Replacements Phase takes place at the end of the turns that show a flag on the Turn Track. Each player receives 1 Replacement Point for each Objective Territory they control plus 1 point for each Contested Objective Territory, according to what is shown on the board's Objective Territories Track.
Once the Replacement Points are counted, in order to keep track of the spending of those points, each player places a marker in the corresponding space of their own player board. As a norm, it is recommended that players leave their new and improved units next to their spaces to show that those Replacement Points have already been spent.
In this case, the Nationalist player has 6 Replacement Points and the Republican player has 4, plus 5 each for the contested spaces.
When it is time to spend Replacement Points, there are 3 possible actions, which are affected by which year is currently being played:
- A. Place new units on the board.
- B. Improve the combat value of a unit by flipping that counter over.
- C. Exchange a unit for another of a greater value.
Starting with the player who has fewer Replacement Points, and alternating between players, the players can spend points 1 at a time until one of them runs out of points and then the other player can spend all of their remaining points. If both players have the same number of Replacement Points, the Nationalist spends first.
The actions for which Replacement Points can be spent are limited depending on which year corresponds to the turn being played at that moment. The cost of each action is 1 Replacement Point:
In 1936 (turn 1)
- A. Place a new unit with a combat value of 1 on the board.
- B. Improve the combat value of a unit from 1 to 2.
In 1937 (turns 3 and 5)
- A. Place a new unit with a combat value of 2 on the board; these counters enter the game with a value of 2 but only cost 1 Replacement Point.
- B. Improve the combat value of a unit from 1 to 2.
- C. Exchange a counter with a combat value of 2 for a counter with a value of 3.
In 1938 (turn 7) and 1939 (turn 9)
- A. Place a new unit with a combat value of 2 on the board; these counters enter the game with a value of 2 but only cost 1 Replacement Point.
- B. Improve the combat value of a unit from 1 to 2 or improve the combat value of a unit from 3 to 5.
- C. Exchange a counter with a combat value of 2 for a counter with a value of 3.
Replacement Points can only be spent in spaces that have your side's units in them and that are not surrounded by the enemy. You cannot spend more than 1 Replacement Point per space. This means that there can only be one new unit or one improvement or exchange of a unit that was there, in each single space.
When a counter with a value of 2 is exchanged for a counter with a value of 3, it must be the same type of counter. It is only if there is no counter of the same type available that it becomes possible to replace it with a unit of value 3 that is a different type, to be selected by the player, with some exceptions (as indicated below).
Only the available counters can be used. If there are no more units of the desired type, the Replacement Points are lost.
Each side can spend its Replacement Points on the following units:
- Republican: Regular and Basque army, Communist and Anarchist militias. Basque units can only appear in Bilbao and San Sebastián.
- Nationalist: Regular Army and Falangists.
The International Brigades, Italian volunteers, Spanish Legion, Army of Africa, and Carlist units can only improve their combat value in this phase. They may appear on the board because of the effects of event cards, but they cannot enter the game by means of replacements.
End of the War — Conditions for Victory
The game can be won in two different ways: by conquering sufficient territory or by fulfilling the conditions for automatic victory. You must remember that a space is considered "under control" when it only contains counters from one side or when it has a control marker for the territory.
At the end of each turn, check to see if the following conditions for victory have been met:
Victory by Conquest
The game ends with a victory by conquest at the end of any turn if the following conditions have been fulfilled:
- Either side wins if, in the Maintenance Phase of the turn, that side controls at least 8 Objective Territories.
- Either side loses if, in the Maintenance Phase of the turn, that side does not have any of its own units or control markers in at least 8 spaces that are connected to one another (regardless of whether or not they are Objective Territories, and whether or not those spaces are under their control).
Automatic Victory
The game ends in an automatic victory at the end of any turn if one or more of the following conditions are fulfilled:
- The Nationalist side wins if it is able to achieve control of Madrid before the end of turn 3.
- Either side wins if, at the end of the turn, that side controls the Madrid, Barcelona, and Sevilla Objective Territories.
- The Republican side wins if, at the end of turn 10, it has combat units in 4 or more Objective Territories and also has units in 8 or more spaces that are connected to one another. Historically, this is justified on the presupposition that World War II would have started and the Republican side would have joined the Allies.
If, at the end of turn 10, none of the conditions for victory have been achieved, the calculation of Replacement Points is made and the player with the higher count is the winner. In any case, if the players decide to end the game at any time before the conditions for victory have been met, then the winner will be the player who has more Replacement Points at that time. If both sides have the same number of points, the game ends in a tie.
Optional Rules and Variants for the Basic Game
This section details optional rules that players can choose to include in their games to make them even more thrilling. It is possible to include them all, or just a selection, depending on the preference of the players.
The Republican Generals
3 out of the 5 Republican generals have special rules to reflect the special roles they played in the war:
General Líster (Communist) and General Durruti (Anarchist) have a badge to show their political affiliation. If one of these generals is used to initiate battle in a space where there are no units bearing the same badge, the first attack is subject to a –1 modifier from the general, applied to the highest die of the roll. If the same space has at least 1 unit with the same badge as the general, this negative modifier is ignored.
General Ulibarri can only initiate an attack if there is at least 1 unit bearing his badge in the space in question.
Republican Tanks
If a Republican tank is eliminated as a consequence of a battle, the Republican player rolls 1 die: If the die shows a result of 4, 5, or 6, then the tank is captured by the Nationalist player and it is replaced by a Nationalist tank counter that can be used as normal by the Nationalist player. This tank enters the game in any space under Nationalist control during that turn.
San Sebastián
As long as the Republican player controls the San Sebastián territory, it is considered to be a port and can be used to disembark military units and tanks. This is because the northern border and the mountain passes into France remain open while under Republican control. To show this status, place the marker with the port icon next to that territory.
Non-Intervention by Foreign Powers
Here an alternate history is supposed, in which the "Non-Intervention Committee" was successful in forcing the application of the Non-Intervention Agreement, and neither side in the war received help from foreign powers. The decks therefore are made up only of the following cards:
Nationalist
- 1936-1937: 1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 11, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 20.
- 1938-1939: 23, 28, 29, 30, 32, 38, 39, 40 and 41.
Republican
- 1936-1937: 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 15, 16, 18, 19 and 20.
- 1938-1939: 27, 28, 29, 31, 32, 38, 39, 40 and 41.
The cards are only played as events and in no case can they be used to influence or affect battles in any way. The rest of the rules are applied as normal.
In the Events Phase, the following event cards can be played alternately (starting with the Nationalist player), depending on which turn is in play:
- Turn 1: 4 cards each
- Turns 2, 3, 4, and 5: 2 cards each
- Turn 6: 3 cards each
- Turns 7, 8, and 9: 2 cards each
- Turn 10: 0 cards
Historical Fact
If you wish to play a game that more strictly respects the facts of history, first remove the following cards:
- Nationalist: 11, 22, 35, 36, 37, 42, 43 and 44.
- Republican: 11, 22, 35, 36, 37, 42, 43 and 44.
Each player will then put the cards in their decks in numerical order, from lowest to highest, and draw them in that order during the game. Cards will only be played as events, players won't be able to use them to affect combats.
Greater Initiative and Uncertainty
Both players agree to remove the same number of cards from each of their decks, substituting those for as many cards marked with an E next to their number. This variant can also be used when playing with the advanced rules for "La Armada" (see page 28).
Scenario 1938
You may want to start the game in the middle of the war, in 1938. In that case deploy the troops as follows.
Nationalists
| Counter | Territories |
|---|---|
| Nationalist unit, value 2 (-1) | Toledo and Córdoba |
| Carlist unit, value 2 (-1) | Badajoz |
| Nationalist Army, value 2 | Zaragoza (x2), Guadalajara (x2), Madrid (x2), Almería (x2), Huesca, Badajoz, Córdoba and Toledo |
| Nationalist unit, value 1 (-1) | La Coruña, San Sebastián and Cádiz |
| African troops, value 3, with tank PZ-1 (+2) | Zaragoza |
| Nationalist unit, value 3 (-1) | Pamplona and Sevilla |
| Spanish Legion value 5, African troops value 2, African troops value 2 (+1), with tank T-26 (+2) | Teruel |
| Spanish Legion value 5, African troops value 3, with tank CV-33 (+1) | Pamplona |
| Nationalist control marker (shield) | Lugo, Oviedo, Orense, Santander, Bilbao, León, Burgos, Salamanca, Segovia and Málaga |
| Nationalist Army, value 3 | Huesca and Madrid |
| Generals Franco, Yagüe (+1), Dávila, Varela (+1); airplanes CR-32 (+1) value 1, CR-32 (+1) value 2, JU-52 (+1) value 2, ME-109 (+2) value 2 | Available on the player board |
Republicans
| Counter | Territories |
|---|---|
| Republican unit, value 1 (-1) | Barcelona, Valencia and Murcia |
| Republican unit, value 2 (-1) | Guadalajara, Toledo, Castellón, Almería, Madrid and Badajoz |
| Republican Army, value 2 | Huesca, Zaragoza, Almería, Madrid, Badajoz, Córdoba and Guadalajara |
| Republican Army, value 3 | Zaragoza and Lérida |
| Republican unit value 3 (+1) with tank T-26 (+2) | Tarragona |
| Republican unit value 5 (+1) | Albacete |
| Communist militia, value 2 (-1) | Toledo, Huesca, Castellón and Córdoba |
| Republican control marker (shield) | Ciudad Real |
| Communist militia value 3 (-1) with tank T-26 (+2) | Madrid |
| Generals Rojo (+2), Miaja (+1), Líster (-1); airplanes SB-2 (+1) value 2, I-16 (+2) value 2, I-15 (+1) value 1 | Available on the player board |
"La Armada" Advanced Rules 1938
Ignore the pieces marked with a blue border if you are playing the normal mode (see "La Armada", p. 28).
Nationalists
| Counter | Location |
|---|---|
| CERVERA value 1, CANARIAS value 1 (+1), BALEARES value 1 (+1) | Cadiz Naval Base |
| Airplane SM-79 value 1, and the Italian SUB | The Balearic Islands |
| Nationalist naval control marker | Naval Territory: The Strait of Gibraltar and the Cantabrian sea and El Ferrol |
Republican
| Counter | Location |
|---|---|
| DESTRUCTOR 2 (-1/+1), MÉNDEZ NÚÑEZ value 1 (-2), LIBERTAD value 1, and the remaining Republican naval counters | Cartagena Naval Base |
In the 1938 "La Armada" deployment, movement from Morocco is allowed.
La Armada · Advanced Rules
These advanced rules for naval battles are designed to add greater depth of strategy to the basic game and to simulate the importance of naval combat and all that was related to it during the war. It is recommended that you become very familiar with the basic game before you begin using these advanced rules.
The Naval Operations Spaces
The spaces located on the sea are used to control naval operations. The spaces that have just one zone are naval bases (A) and their color shows which side they belong to (El Ferrol and Cadiz are for the Nationalists and Cartagena is for the Republic). The spaces with two areas (the Balearic Islands, the Mediterranean Sea, the Strait of Gibraltar, and the Cantabrian Sea) are naval operations spaces (B), which have an effect on the phases of the game depending on which player controls them.
Counters
The counters that are added to the game are those for the naval units of the two sides. They represent all the important vessels that took part in the war, whether they were large ships or groups of smaller boats that operated together. The Nationalist counters are either blue or green (the Italian submarine) and the Republican counters are red. All naval units have no name on the other side, which shows their status as damaged or otherwise unavailable for use.
Just like for ground troops and airplanes, the larger number on the counter shows the ship-to-air combat value for the unit. The smaller number in a diamond is the modifier for ship-to-air battles. The smaller number in the black circle on the right is the modifier for ship and land battles.
- Like ground troops and aircraft, the large number on the counter indicates the combat value of the unit.
- The small number next to the target is the modifier for ship-to-air combat.
- The small number next to the ship symbol is the unit's modifier for ship and land battles.
Naval unit counter values: ship-to-air combat modifier; naval combat value and land battle support (dice); damaged unit (reverse side); die modifier for land battle support and ship-to-ship battle.
Cards
20 new event cards (10 per player) are added in this variant. These cards are indicated with an "A" next to the card number. Each set of cards must be put into the corresponding deck at the beginning of the game.
Setup
Prepare the game in the same way as you would the basic game, with the additional steps indicated in the maps:
- Initial Deployment Map 1936 (page 8)
- Deployment Map 1938 (page 26)
Place the naval base tiles and the naval operations spaces alongside the territories indicated for each of them.
In a game with "La Armada" advanced rules, the Oviedo and Bilbao spaces are considered ports for the purposes of receiving replacements. Place the anchor tokens alongside those spaces.
Each player places their additional ships and airplanes in these naval operations spaces (see page 31). The rest of the naval counters are available to enter the game when the corresponding event cards are played.
Taking into account which historical period they belong to, each player adds their "A" cards to their basic game cards and shuffles them into their decks.
Game Sequence
The game is played in the same way as the basic game, but this variant also includes some aspects related to naval units in the game sequence:
- The ships are always the first to move in the Movement Phase: first those belonging to the Nationalist player and then the Republican ships.
- Naval battles are resolved at the end of the Fight Battles Phase (that is, after the land battles), and always in this order: The Balearic Islands, The Mediterranean Sea, The Strait of Gibraltar, The Cantabrian Sea, then battles for blockades of port spaces.
- The effect of the naval operations spaces are applied at the start of the Events Phase. They have effects over the use of cards, movement of troops from Marruecos, the following Replacements Phase and the number of cards to be drawn on the following turn.
These changes in the game sequence are shown in blue on each player's sequence of play summary.
Naval Unit Movement and Battles
Each player has one or more naval bases shown on the map as square spaces in their side's color.
The naval bases are used to hold ships damaged in combat or that have been withdrawn after combat. A damaged ship cannot move or provide support to any space on the board.
The movement of ships to naval spaces is carried out as the first part of the Movement Phase, before moving any other units. The Nationalist player may assign any of their (undamaged) ships to any naval operations spaces or to any port or coastal territory on the board, regardless of where it was at the end of the previous turn. Once the Nationalist player has completed their side's naval movement, the Republican player makes their moves. If a player wishes, that side's naval units can remain in the same location that they were in at the end of the previous turn. The Republican player cannot assign naval units to the Cantabrian Sea territory if there are no Republican military units in a port in that territory. There is no limit to the number of naval units that can be placed in a single space.
Ships do not have any restrictions on being placed in naval spaces, whether for blockade or for support. If the Nationalist player wishes, during the Airplane Step, they may assign the Ju-52 airplane they have to the Strait of Gibraltar, Cádiz, Sevilla, or Málaga.
Each player may assign a maximum of two airplanes per naval operations space during the Movement Phase, whether or not there are ships in the space.
Exception: It is impossible to assign airplanes to the Mediterranean Sea space.
Usually, in a port, coastal space, or naval territory:
- A battle between ships is fought as a ship-to-ship, even in coastal spaces.
- A battle between airplanes is fought as a dogfight battle.
- A battle between airplanes and ships is a ship-to-air battle.
NOTE: The Republican cards that change the movement order also affect naval movement.
If the space in a territory adjacent to a naval base is controlled by enemy military units, it is no longer a naval base for that side (turn the corresponding tile over on the board). If a ship is damaged (or removed after a battle) and there is no naval base controlled by that ship's side, then the ship is moved to any enemy port. In this case, the ship can only be repaired by using an event card (but not by using Replacement Points as if it was in a friendly naval base; see "Status and Repair of Naval Units" on page 32).
Coastal Spaces
A coastal space is one that has part of its territory touching the sea. In a coastal space with friendly units, naval units serve to support land battles that break out there, providing extra dice or modifiers to those battles in the same manner as an airplane or tank (they act as a support unit, just like those other units do in normal battles).
The territories with spaces that are considered coastal are: Barcelona (port), Tarragona, Castellón, Valencia (port), Murcia (port), Almería, Málaga, Cádiz, La Coruña (port), Oviedo (port), Santander, Bilbao (port), and San Sebastián.
Ship-to-Ship Battles in Coastal Spaces
If there are naval units on both sides, it is handled in a way much like that for airplanes. The ship-to-ship naval battles are fought prior to the land battles to decide which ships can provide support to the land units (see "Ship-to-Ship Battles" below). The unit's ship-to-air combat modifier is applied to the unit.
A result of 6 or more damages the other ship, which is turned over to show the neutral side and it is immediately moved to a friendly naval base. A result of 5 means the ship cannot support the land battle and must be moved to a friendly naval base, and they can be used normally the next turn.
Note: A destroyer squadron cannot damage a ship with a combat value, but it can receive damage. If it is not paired against an enemy ship, it can be used to support another ship in ship-to-ship combat. In that case, it would provide a +1 modifier to the fighting ship's combat value.
Note: A submarine cannot be used to support a land battle, but it can receive damage during a ship-to-ship battle.
Important: An airplane and a ship that are supporting a land battle can NEVER fight a ship-to-air battle against each other.
Port Blockades
During the Movement Phase, naval units and/or airplanes can be assigned to spaces with a port that do not have any friendly counters there (this represents that the planes are carrying out blockade missions so the space cannot be used as a port). However, this blockade does not mean that the other side has obtained control of the space, nor can the airplane battle any of the troops present in that space. The only thing the airplane does is prevent the arrival of reinforcements by means of event cards.
On the other hand, naval units and airplanes can be assigned to one's own ports to battle enemy ships or airplanes attempting blockades.
If a ship or airplane is placed in a port and remains there after having fought any battle, and is not forced to withdraw due to the naval bases permanent defensive fortifications (with a result of 5 or 6), then the blockade is effective and that port cannot be used to receive reinforcements by means of event cards that turn.
Defensive Fortifications of Naval Bases
The naval bases of Murcia (B.N. Cartagena), Cádiz (B.N. Cádiz) and La Coruña (B.N. El Ferrol) have permanent defensive fortifications that provide 3 dice (+1 modifier for ship-to-air battle) against ships or airplanes that attempt to block those ports. These defensive installations cannot be eliminated by naval combat or ship-to-air combat. Blocking these ports does impede the movement of ships to and from those naval bases, but it does block the arrival of reinforcements coming via event cards.
Airplanes in Naval Operations
Airplanes can be assigned to naval operations spaces, port spaces, or to naval blockades, with a maximum of 2 airplanes per side per space.
In the first turn of the game, it is not possible to assign airplanes to the naval operations spaces, except for the Nationalist Ju-52 that is already deployed in the Strait of Gibraltar (if you are using the advanced rules).
Battles in Naval Operations Spaces
The naval operations spaces have two zones to place the naval units of each side. Each zone has an effect that is applied in the Maintenance Phase if one of the two sides does not have any counters in it.
If a naval operations space has naval units from both sides in it, a ship-to-ship battle will break out only if both players want it to. If either of the 2 sides declines the battle, they must withdraw their ships to one of their naval bases and their airplanes to their player board until the next turn. The opposing side leaves their units in place and keeps control of the space, with the effects thereof being applied from the Maintenance Phase through to the naval movement phase in the next turn.
Ship-to-Ship Battles
Only units with naval combat values fight in ship-to-ship battles. Those that do not have a naval combat value can only provide support to the main battle. At maximum, only one ship-to-ship battle can be fought per turn in each naval operations space. No general needs to be present in the space to initiate a naval battle. For a ship-to-ship battle, the following steps are carried out:
- If both sides have airplanes, a dogfight is carried out beforehand, according to the basic game rules (see page 17). The airplanes that lose the dogfight are withdrawn to their player board.
- Any airplanes that survive the dogfight attack a ship of the enemy fleet as the first action of the naval combat.
- Each submarine carries out an attack on a ship of its choice. Roll one die and apply its ship-to-air combat modifier to it. Any destroyer squadrons can apply their +1 modifier to support the attack. If the ship that was attacked does not suffer any damage, it can carry out a free attack against the submarine and apply its modifiers to that attack. From that moment on, the submarines are ignored for the rest of the battle under way, but remain in the zone for the purposes of determining control of the space.
- Ships are paired one to one against ships from the other side and the side with more ships decides the order that the pairs will fight (if there is a tie in the number of ships, it is the Nationalist player who decides the order). If there are excess ships, they are placed to provide support for the one-on-one battles. Once the ships are paired up, the combats are resolved.
Ship-to-ship battles are resolved in the same way as dogfights in the basic game, by applying the ship-to-air modifier to each roll of the dice (see page 18):
- A result of 6 or more damages the ship, which is then flipped over to show the damaged side and is moved to a friendly naval base. If a ship is damaged twice in the same ship-to-ship battle, it is sunk and is removed from the game.
- A result of 5 means that the ship is immediately moved from that space to a friendly naval base.
A destroyer squadron cannot damage a ship that has a combat value, but it can receive damage if it is paired against another ship. A destroyer squadron can be used to support a ship with a combat value or a submarine in battle, by applying its +1 modifier.
Cards cannot be played to affect ship-to-ship battles.
Ship-to-Air Battle
If one side only has airplanes in a port or naval operations space, and the other side only has ships, a ship-to-air battle breaks out. The player with airplanes rolls a number of dice equal to their planes' combat values and applies their dogfighting modifiers. The player with naval units rolls one die per naval unit (regardless of the combat value of each of the individual naval units) and applies the ship-to-air combat modifier.
- When an airplane attacks a ship, a result of 6 or more damages the ship and sends it to a naval base of its own side, while a result of 5 just forces the ship to retreat to its naval base. If a ship is damaged twice during the same battle, it is sunk and removed from the game.
- When a ship attacks an airplane, a result of 6 or more shoots the plane down and it is eliminated from the game, while a result of 5 only forces the airplane to retreat back to its side's player board.
Naval Operations Control and Map Effects
After resolving all the naval battles, right at the start of the Events Phase, check what effects are applied in the naval spaces.
If one side withdraws its units from a naval space that is not contested, it leaves a naval control marker in its zone in such a way that the text in their opponent's zone is still visible.
Each zone of a space has an effect. Those that are visible (that is, those that are not covered by unit counters or naval control markers) are applied in the following phases of the game sequence, including the Draw Cards Phase of the next turn.
If no player moves any naval units into a given naval operations space in a turn, the naval control markers that are in place there are not changed.
If there is no control marker in the Mediterranean Sea space, both effects are applied ("The Republican side draws 1 more card and can use 1 more card as an event" / "The Nationalist side draws 1 more card and can use 1 more card as an event").
Once the Republican "Nyon Conference" (A6) event card is played, its effects remain applicable for the rest of the game (both effects, permanently).
The Strait of Gibraltar space: If, at the start of the turn, the Strait of Gibraltar space is occupied by units from both sides, the Nationalist player can only move 2 units out of Marruecos in the Movement Phase: 1 to Cádiz and the other to Sevilla. At any other moment of the game, this effect is applied only if it is not covered by any units. (The two zone effects are "Movement from Morocco is not allowed" and "Movement from Morocco is allowed".)
Status and Repair of Naval Units
Any naval units that were damaged in a naval battle (and subsequently retreated and returned to base) cannot move and cannot take part in battles during the following turn. They must remain in the naval base until they are repaired.
A damaged naval unit can be repaired by spending 1 Replacement Point during the Replacements Phase or by means of event cards. An eliminated unit is removed from the game and can only be recovered by using event cards.
Naval Battle Example
Two fleets meet in a naval operations space and decide to battle. If there are aircraft there, they are addressed first with a dogfight between them. Any airplanes that survive can carry out an attack on an enemy ship. The second step is to resolve the submarine attacks. Then the remaining ships are paired against each other and any ships that have no pair on the other side can be used as support.
Ships that have received hits retreat to friendly naval bases (after being flipped over to the damaged side). Ships that retreated without suffering damage may carry out actions in the next turn.
Those ships and airplanes that survive the battle are placed in the space again before the effects of the Maintenance Phase are verified.
- Ship against ship: 6 or more — the ship is damaged (2 hits, ship eliminated); 5 — the ship returns to base.
- Submarine against ship: 6 or more — the ship is damaged (2 hits, ship eliminated); 5 — the ship returns to base.
- Airplanes against ships: 6 or more — the ship is damaged / the airplane is shot down; 5 — the ship retreats / the airplane retreats. A ship that receives 2 hits is eliminated in all cases.
Order of resolution: first, airplane attack; second, submarines; third, ships.
Timeline of the War
This basic timeline is organized according to the turns used in the game. It indicates the events that are represented on the cards in each of the periods as they align with the turns, so that they follow the order they really happened.
Turn 1 – July/August/September 1936
- July 18: Uprising of the Army against the Republic.
- July: Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, and Bilbao remain with the Republic.
- August: Yagüe heads for Badajoz. Battle of Córdoba.
- September: Attack on San Sebastián. Battle of Talavera and the Siege of the Alcázar.
Events on cards: Nationalist – 1, 2, 3 and 4. Republican – 1, 2 and 3.
Turn 2 – October/November/December 1936
- October: Nationalist March on Madrid.
- November: The Condor Legion arrives from Germany. No pasarán! (They shall not pass) Fortification of Madrid.
- December: Fighting around Madrid.
Events on cards: Nationalist – 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. Republican – 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10.
Turn 3 – January/February/March/April 1937
- January: The Italians occupy Málaga.
- February: The Republic strikes in el Jarama and in Asturias.
- March: Nationalist attack in Córdoba and Biscay. Battle of Guadalajara.
- April: Bombing of Guernica. The Republic counterattacks in Madrid.
Events on cards: Nationalist – 12, 13 and 14. Republican – 12, 13 and 14.
Turn 4 – May/June/July/August 1937
- May: Republican offensive in La Granja (Segovia).
- June: Republican offensive in Huesca. Bilbao Falls.
- July: Battle of Brunete. The Republic attacks in Jaén, Cáceres, and Teruel.
- August: Occupation of Santander. Republican offensive in Belchite.
Events on cards: Nationalist – 15, 16 and 17. Republican – 15, 16 and 17.
Turn 5 – September/October/November/December 1937
- September: Occupation of Asturias. Republican offensive in Aragon.
- October: Fall of Gijón. End of the war in the North.
- November: Republican offensive in Huesca.
- December: The Republic takes Teruel.
Events on cards: Nationalist – 18, 19 and 20. Republican – 18, 19 and 20.
Turn 6 – January/February/March/April 1938
- January: Battle of Teruel.
- February: The Nationalists take back Teruel.
- March: Nationalist offensive in Huesca.
- April: Conquest of Lérida. Nationalist Advance to the Mediterranean.
Events on cards: Nationalist – 23, 24, 25 and 26. Republican – 23, 24, 25 and 26.
Turn 7 – May/June/July/August 1938
- May: Republican offensive in Aragon.
- June: Nationalist offensive on Valencia. Fighting in Extremadura.
- July: The Republicans cross the Ebro.
- August: A war of attrition begins along the Ebro.
Events on cards: Nationalist – 27, 28, 29 and 30. Republican – 27, 28, 29 and 30.
Turn 8 – September/October/November/December 1938
- September: The Battle of the Ebro continues. Republican counterattacks in Lérida.
- October: Nationalist offensive along the Ebro.
- November: The Republicans fall back behind the Ebro.
- December: Nationalist offensive on Catalonia.
Events on cards: Nationalist – 31, 32, 33 and 34. Republican – 31, 32, 33 and 34.
Turn 9 – January/February/March/April 1939
- January: Republican offensive in Peñarroya and Brunete. Fall of Barcelona.
- February: The Battle for Catalonia ends.
- March: Insurrection in Cartagena. Casado's coup.
- April: On April 1, Franco declares that the war is over.
Events on cards: Nationalist – 38, 39, 40 and 41. Republican – 38, 39, 40 and 41.
Designer's Notes
Republishing a game, more than 15 years after it was first released, is not something you usually do, especially in these days of continual new releases in the world of modern board games (however, updating a historical simulation game is something more common, especially in English). At the time it was first published in 2007, ESPAÑA 1936 received nominations for the CSR Awards, IGA, and Origins Awards, which both surprised and pleased me.
This game was designed with three main premises that still remain applicable. First, to achieve a realistic simulation of the Spanish Civil War, in which the player's skill and chance allow the war to take paths different from those that actually occurred, but without losing historical verisimilitude. Second, to make a simple game that is accessible to all kinds of players, and that does not necessarily require an investment of too much time to read the rules and play it. And third, to fill the gap that existed at that time in the world of simulations, with a simple but realistic strategy game suited to all kinds of players.
The game was designed based on its strategic and simulation aspects, and as such, decision making took the forefront rather than the need to carry out too many actions in each turn to reflect the details of the game.
The counters represent abstract values for men and materials, and are not specific units, but rather groups capable of attacking and defending on the front. The use of cards as combat modifiers symbolizes the use of resources in the battles that the game is based on.
The cards reflect the most important military milestones that occurred during the war and provide some uncertainty to the game regarding what might happen in upcoming turns. The idea is to provide the game with high replayability and introduce events that could have happened, or simulate those events that did happen in another order.
In this new edition, there has been no substantial change to the rules, simply, because I did not find it was necessary. The game is still simple and works very well. Furthermore, it adapts well to the experience of the players, making it ideal for getting started in the world of historical simulation games. I suggest taking it easy while playing your first game, so you can learn the game's strategy, which may not be so clear to see during its first play.
Basically, the original game and the "La Armada" expansion have been published in this edition. The expansion is new for the Spanish language version, but had already been included in the English version, along with the 1938 scenario. The only substantial change is the addition of 8 optional cards (marked with an "E") to add uncertainty to the events. In essence, it is the same games.
Perhaps the main change was modernizing its design to adapt it to a new audience, with the work of a great illustrator like Joan Guardiet, and leaving the design to Meeple Foundry and the production in the hands of David Esbrí, who always gives a special flavor to his publications, just like a great director always leaves his mark on the best movies.
This game is dedicated to all those who asked for it after so many years. Enjoy it.
Barcelona, fall of 2023 — Antonio Catalán
Credits
- Author: Antonio Catalán
- Illustrations: Joan Guardiet
- Translation: Andrew Campbell
- Proofreading: William Niebling
- Graphic Design: Meeple Foundry
- Editor: David Esbrí
- Development assistance: Ramón Pardellas Luis, Francisco Franco Garea
- Game testing: Mónica de la Torre Lozano, Ramón "Lonewolf" Pardellas, Francisco Franco Garea, Juan "Bascu" Bascuñana, Pedro Pablo "Ppglaf" González, Jordi "Fifth Element" Ciprés, Óscar "Barcino" Alcalde, Antonio "Pensator" Roldán, Miquel "Hanoc" Adell, Jordi "Elroca" Roca, Xavier "Bié" Carrasco, Iñaki "Lev Mishkin" Rodríguez, Alfred "Blackbear" Garcia, Alfons Barba, Antonio Aroca, Antón Muntañola, Jaime Gascón, Rafael Martín, Xavi Garriga, Albert Sanvicens, and Jofre Guash
Copyright 2007/2024 - Antonio Catalán. Published by Devir Contenidos S.L. All rights reserved.