Spanish Civil War

The Spanish Civil War (La Guerra Civil Española) of 1936-39 pitted the Republican government backed by the Soviet Union against the Nationalist rebels backed by German and Italy. So far I’ve restricted my efforts to the Nationalist March on Madrid in late 1936.

Rapier Offensive – A Multiplayer Operational Game

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Martin Rapier has created a simple set of rules to allow a group of players to play operational level games. His rules are embedded within the context of Operation Uranus (19 Nov 1942). I’ve abstracted his rules so I can then apply them to different settings (and tweaked them a bit as I did so).

These rules are ideal for a typical offensive where the attackers have three to one odds against the defenders – something that is not possible in most rule systems. One of the beauties of this system is that it is a cooperative effort more than competitive; the players are the attacking team, and fight against the umpire who runs the defenders. Given the odds the attacking Division is going to beat the defending Division. The question is, will they beat them fast enough and well enough.

This isn’t a long game to play, taking a couple of hours at most. You’ll also need stands of miniatures (~65), counters (~16), a small table, some way of marking off a grid on the table, a map, and 5-6 people. An intercom and telescope are optional.

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No-Mans Land Mini-Campaign

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This is a skirmish level mini-campaign set in no-mans land on a fairly static front. It is applicable to any period (see the possible settings). Each player is a junior commander whose job is the patrol and control the area between the opposing forces. Over three game days and nights each player must plan and execute 6 missions from a predetermined list. The interest lies in the fact that each player is picking from a different list to that of his opponent. The key problem being addressed is “How does a commander react when faced with events not covered by his orders?”

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Political Commissar Rule for Crossfire

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The Political Commissar Special Rule for Crossfire. Standard Crossfire doesn’t cover this but it is described in Hit the Dirt (p. 8). The rule is optional but is applicable to Soviets in WWII – in particular between July 1941 and November 1942 – and communists in any number of civil wars and insurgencies, e.g. the Spanish Civil War and the Portuguese Colonial War.

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Cavalry and Mounted Infantry in Crossfire

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Stevens Soviet Cavalry 2 - Banner

Some musing on Cavalry and Mounted Infantry in Crossfire. Standard Crossfire doesn’t cover this. My musings are primarily based on ideas by Daniele Varelli on the Crossfire Discussion Forum. Cavalry is divided into Charging Cavalry – who fight mounted – and/or Mounted Infantry – who dismount to fight. Usually a player must choose at deployment whether his Cavalry is “dismounted” or “mounted”; normally they cannot mount/dismount during the game.

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