A return to 1930's Espana for this weeks game. The scenario saw the Guardia Civil holding an important rail crossing held up in the adjacent station building with an approaching Republican popular army force.
Coming up in support was a platoon of Foreign Legion with two squads of Moors in advance of them.
This was a most unusual game using Bolt Action rules which are usually blood baths over such relatively open terrain both sides causing few casualties to each other. The game ran to a seventh turn with no clear winner a winning draw for the Republicans being decided upon.
Photos from the action follow below.
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| The Republicans Advance |
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| La Legion Advance Through The Copse To Counter The Advance On The Right |
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| The Moors Hold The Centre |
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| A Squad Of Carabineros Advance In Support Of The Republican Advance |
An enjoyable game, but still lacking the feel for the conflict I get from reading accounts. I am still unable to put my finger on what is missing, food for thought, perhaps the late Robin Hunt nailed it when he wrote in his Military Modelling article, "to really understand you have to be Spanish"
Until next time continue to be careful out there and KBO.
Very nice Phil.no doubt you will get there.
ReplyDeleteThank you George. After nearly three decades, perhaps I am looking for something that cannot be replicated in a game of you soldiers.
DeleteToy soldiers, bloody fat thumbs I need a bigger phone.
DeleteSuperb looking action, Phil! Keep posting your thoughts on why BA may not be modeling your impressions of fighting during the SCW. Was the result dice driven this time or something else?
ReplyDeleteThank you Jonathan. I think I have come to conclusion that using WWII rules is never going to be a solution and will have to just play the period in the head rather than on the table.
DeleteAn excellent looking game. Perhaps racking up the central heating and getting a bigger wattage light bulb may solve the feelings issue?
ReplyDeleteThank you Matt. Not a bad suggestion with winter coming on too, add in some San Miguel, manchego, serrano ham and olives too. But can I afford it with energy prices set to rocket?
DeleteI like the light bulb suggestion! It was indeed a very atypical BA game, clearly we both need new dice.
ReplyDeleteSee above. Very tempted to buy some new ones Sunday🙂
DeleteA great looking game
ReplyDeleteThank you Neil.It was certainly interesting.
DeleteGreat looking game Phil. Especially like the look of the cornfield👍 As to rules I wonder if some gentle/more modifications to BA is the answer. I have found the mechanics and the approach in BA really good, one of the elements for feel may be the equality of the unit sizes I suspect in SCW units were actually very random in size. They would also have been pretty poorly armed so reducing their firepower is an obvious option ? But these will reduce rather than increase casualties 🤔
ReplyDeleteThank you Matt. Both sides had squads of 5 or 6 and I used my 3man small team hose rule, the Legion and Moors were classed veteran and the Republican Popular army regular. Perhaps at this stage in the war both sides were looking and acting akin to WWII forces anyway? So I maybe there or there abouts regards "flavour"
DeleteLovely table, visually it does give SCW, so perhaps some tweaking of Bolt Action is needed to do the flavour thing. There is a blogger (S. Bagalan) who is a big fan of Crossfire WWII rules and he has done a SCW variant that may hold some flavour that you could use.
ReplyDeleteHere is a link to his relevant page;
https://balagan.info/fuego-cruzado-crossfire-house-rules-for-spains-wars#more-2077
Thank you Norm. I have looked at Steve's site when I was considering getting Crossfire, I shall have to revisit. I have a couple of SCW mods for Bolt Action, which I do use problem is remembering to do so, always a problem with "special rules" looking at Bolt Action reports it's amazing how many forget Tiger Fear, but that isn't a bad thing🙂
DeleteLovely looking game, the dry stone walls are ace! I wonder what it is you're missing, can you put your finger on it?
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
Thank you Iain. I can't, I think that is a big part of my problem, perhaps what I am looking for isn't relevant in such low level encounters.
DeleteA lovely looking game Phil…as always.
ReplyDeleteI think the problem with finding suitable rules for the Spanish Civil War is trying to find its wargaming historical place… it’s not WW1 and it’s not quite WW2.
I wonder if using Back of Beyond might be an option…
All the best. Aly
Thank you Aly. I think you have the root of the issue there.
DeleteI will dig out my copy of Setting the East Ablaze and check them out.
Great looking game Phil. Trying to capture the essence of the conflict is tricky, even at Battalion level using the supplement for BKC. As with all civil wars, it was nasty and vicious, with little quarter shown by either side. Early on units were very much 'grab a gun and go to the front', with digging in not seen as 'manly'. Very quickly after the obvious casualties from fighting in the open and experience gained, it turned more into early WWII IMHO.
ReplyDeleteThank you Steve. I think you may be right there Steve, I find the early period is certainly where I feel more at ease with how the games play out.
DeleteLovely looking game Phil. Might I suggest a glass or two of good Rioja and perhaps some authentic Spanish tapas?
ReplyDeleteCheers
Matt
Thank you Matt. I did have Rioja and a paella one time.
DeleteGreat looking - figures and terrain. We used BA a few times for SCW but in the end actually settled on A World Aflame by Osprey as our rules of choice for the period. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you John. I do have a copy, must dig it out and give them a try too.
DeleteAnother splendid game Phil.
ReplyDeleteThank you Jon.
DeleteA lovely looking game Phil.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Helen
Thank you Helen.
Delete