Crusade and Revolution 2nd Edition (Spanish version)

Designer: David Gómez Relloso

 

Editor: 4 Dados

 

Topic and setting: The game covers the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939).

 

Scale: Grand Strategy. Counters depict units from division to corps size.

 

System: Card driven mechanic, adapted from Paths of Glory from Ted S. Racier and GMT. 

 

Map: Large two-piece mounted map depicting the Iberian peninsula plus various tracks and boxes.  

 

Players: Two but can be played well solitaire by playing both factions to the best of one’s capabilities. Some fog of war is lost.

 

Complexity: moderate. 32-page rulebook

 

Footprint: all components barely fit a 120cmx60cm table (47.2"x27.6") (the mapboard is deeper at 70cm)

 

Production quality: outstanding (map, counters, cards, rulebook)

 

Fitting sleeves for cards: Standard Card Size (Magic): 63.5mmx88mm

MyScore: 9/10

 

 

Unstructured, high level review, with a history intro:

 

The Spanish Civil War was fought between July 1936 and April 1939 by the loyalist Republican army and the so-calledNational army that made a coup against the Republican government. The Republican side during the war consisted of a heterogeneous mix of factions that included liberals, socialists, communists of various flavors, revolutionary anarchists, Basque and Catalan independentists, and others. The Republic received help from the Soviet Union, but also from Mexico, Uruguay and some other countries. The famous International Brigades composed of antifascist volunteers from all over the world fought on the Republican side; among them, famous figures such as André Malraux, George Orwell, or Josip Broz Tito. The National side, on the other hand, was composed of the traditional Spanish ruling classes, including most of the professional army, the majority of the catholic clergy, landowners, the majority of Conservatives (including Basque and Catalan traditionalists) as well as the Italian-inspired Fascist party (la Falange). The Nationals received massive help from Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. The war was a savage carnage with up to 500,000 dead, massive civilian bombings, rearguard terror practices, hunger, and fear. It is well known that all major powers took valuable lessons for the upcoming WWII. For the loosing Republican side, the coming years were a dark time of death, exile, prison, and repression. A number of Republican soldiers ended up serving alongside the Maquis guerrilla in Nazi occupied France, in the Leclerc division that liberated Paris in 1944, or even with the Soviet Army.  Thousands were sent to the Nazi concentration camps. I feel a personal attachment to this war as my grandparents fought it and lost it. 

 

All and all, this is one of my favorite wargames, both because the game system is great and, obviously, because of the topic. The version I own is the 2^nd edition in Spanish, by 4 Dados. It is an outstanding production. The equivalent English version by Compass Games, is, from what I know, of the same excellent quality.

The game during the first months of the war. Republicans (in red) are trying to entrench in Andalusia and Extremadura to resist the might of the Army of Africa: the Spanish foreign legion and Moorish troops, the best of the early game.

 

The system is a close adaptation of the mechanics that are used in Paths of Glory (GMT) to simulate WWI. It is a card-driven game where cards can be played for operation points, for an event, as troop replacements, or as strategic redeployment across long distances. The decks of cards change as the war progresses, reflecting the historical events and evolving capacities of the armies. The game develops over 18 turns, each covering two months of real time (one month for the initial turns). The events on the cards cover military as well as political aspects, both national and international in scope that had an impact on the conduct of the conflict. One of the great things about card-driven games is the feeling that there are always more brilliant ideas and perfect plans than actual resources to execute them; a situation that, I suspect, closely mimics the reality of the high commands of armies in conflict. Recently, the great Brotherhood and Unity wargame (Compass games) has adapted the system to the Bosnia-Herzegovina war. 

 

Two cards of the early phases of the war. There are three decks per faction, one for each period of the war. Each can be played for the Operation points (5 and 4 here), as the event (following the instructions provided by the text in the card), as troop replacements (left card: 4 points for the Republican army and 3 for the Soviet volunteers) or as strategic redeployment points (same number as the operation points). 

 

Chrome-wise, the game does a good job of reflecting the heterogeneity of the armies involved. The Republican side has troops for the regular army and four National entities (Catalonia, Basque country, Santander, and Asturias). Within the Catalan troops, early in war there are columns for all the main political parties that sent volunteers to the front of Aragon, wishfully thinking to capture Saragossa. The game also cleverly covers the conversion of these initial forces to a more professionalized and efficient army.

 

 

The Catalan and Valencian front, showing a mix of Catalan political columns, police derived units, more or less regular Republican army units, and various National units, including Basque traditionalists, Guardia Civil, Fascist militias, cavalry units, and regular conscript army. 

 

Several National corps-size units that enter play mid-game and substitute the smaller initial division-sized units. Two full strength and two reduced units. The increased stats reflect not just the size of the units but the availability of support artillery and auxiliary forces.

 

I think it is safe to say that the Nationals were bound to win the war thanks to the more professional and better led army (most NCOs joined the coup), the massive foreign help they enjoyed, and the internal dissent and political tensions within the Republican side. As such, it is nearly impossible for the Republic to claim a decisive territorial victory in the game. However, a dual victory point system (National victory points and Republican morale) allows for the Republic to achieve victory by a combination of a generally defensive play with well-thought targeted offensives. The National side enjoys more powerful troops but needs to move quickly and aggressively to win the game. Indeed, the real-world strategy of the Republican government was to prolong the war as much as possible until the looming world conflict would erupt and natural alliances would be formed: the Republic with the Allies and the Nationals with the Axis. According to the plan, France would then intervene and save the Republic. It didn’t work; but it could in the game.

 

This is an excellent game with fantastic components that I enjoy playing over and over. It is only moderately complex and my 9-year old son competently plays it rule-wise.