Bolt Action Espana

Looking back over the blog it was March when we last played a Spanish Civil War game, time to have another run out I thought. We would be using Bolt Action again but with the new edition plus the modifications for small squads from the last outing and again anarchist units would have to take an order test to change move orders.

The objective of the game is have possession of the crossroads at the end of the game, turn 6 or 7 if an additional turn is rolled, to have possession means that you have to have a unit within three inches of it and no enemy within three inches of it, the buildings have been positioned so that they are more than three inches away.

The Republican forces will based on a die roll enter the table at one of the two roads on the left, on a 1 to 3 the top one and 4 to 6 the centre one. 

The Republican forces consisted of -

2 10 man Anarchist squads all with rifles, inexperienced

2 10 man International Brigade squads, both with a LMG, regular

1 HQ 2nd Lt. and two assistants, regular

1 T26B, regular

1 Armoured truck with a turret mounted LMG, regular. It could not move off road.

The Nationalist forces must enter on the right hand middle road, their force consisted of -

3 6 man Foreign Legion squads, one with a LMG, veteran

3 6 man Carlist Militia squads, one with a LMG, regular

1 10 man Falange Militia squad, inexperienced

1 Foreign Legion 50mm mortar team, veteran

1 Foreign Legion37mm Anti-tank gun, veteran

1 HQ 2nd Lt. and two assistants

Both sides start off table, the Anarchists would need an order test to enter, the Nationalists could leave squads off table to enter on turn two, but if they did so the unit would then have to take an order test to enter.

The Republicans would have a tough time achieving the objective given the Nationalists flexibility with their squads, this however would be alleviated a little with having the only armour on the table.

  

 Despite the disparity it was to be a very close fought game, although in the first turn the Nationalist dice came out one after the other, they had no enemy to react to and a bottle neck at the entrance point ensued, forcing the Nationalist to leave the Carlist militia off table till turn two. The Republicans were also hampered by having to dice which road to enter on, which left the truck and a Anarchist squad on the high road.

The Nationalist really needed to knock out the T26, a task in which it failed miserably, leaving it in possession of the crossroads, the flanks were side shows really, with the Falange playing cat and mouse with the truck and the Carlists and International Brigade jockeying for position on the other flank. A last gasp attempt by a Legion squad to assault the tank failed, no turn 7 was rolled which left honours even at the crossroads and both sides having lost two units,

An honourable draw.

We thought the new version of the rules worked well in the game, the officer actually having a command role is a big plus in our opinion and the templates were not as bad has I thought they would be.

With regard to forces I just threw everything except the Nationalist Panzer 1 and the Republican Anti-tank gun on the table that I have painted, just out of interest I again worked out the points after the game, the Nationalists coming in at around 740 and the Republicans 550.

Not balanced? Well neither was the last weeks game and the Russians with less points won, this week, were it not for some dire dice rolls by Dave so could the Republicans I think, Dave may disagree of course.

So a question - Equal points games, balanced or bollocks? ;-)

TTFN