Granada: Last Stand of the Moors 1482-1492
by
Compass games
The Moors at one time had conquered the whole of the Iberian Peninsula and were on their way to taking France before they met Charles the Hammer of the Franks in 732. After the Moors lost that battle they kept most of Spain and Portugal except for some pieces that Charlemagne had recovered for Christendom. The fighting in Spain has given us El Cid. Once a famed Christian hero, he now seems to be just a mercenary who fought for both sides. The Moors made Spain the center of learning and culture during the early Middle Ages. Their architecture is still a site to behold. The battles for Spain waxed and waned for a few hundred years until only the area around Granada was left to the Moors. At that time Ferdinand and Isabella (yes, those two) by their marriage brought all of Spain except Granada under their rule. So, this game would be about one of the last Crusades ever to occur. Oh, and Ferdinand and Isabella had a daughter who married a Hapsburg prince, and their son became Charles V, the first ruler to have an empire that the sun never set on. They also gave some cash to Christopher Columbus. As an aside, their daughter was called Juana the Mad. Her Hapsburg prince had died young and she had this slightly odd obsession of carrying him in his coffin everywhere she went. One wonders if the Nose Gays were enough. But I digress, the game takes us back to Spain before Columbus and the last 10 years of any Moorish holdings there. So, what comes in the box:
22” x 34” mounted map
137 Rectangular wooden blocks in various colors
2 Sheets of stickers (for blocks)
2 Draw bags
20 Wooden Castle shape (10 white, 10 black)
20 Wooden Cylinders (10 white, 10 black)
20 Wooden cubes (10 white, 10 black)
7 Wooden markers (various sizes and colors)
3 Decks of cards (72 Christians, 66 Muslims, 17 Naval)
1 Victory Point track
2 Reference cards (identical)
1 Rules booklet
This is Compass Games Product Information:
Complexity: Low to Medium (4 out of 10)
Solitaire suitability: Low (3 out of 10)
Time Scale: 1 Year per turn
Map Scale: Point-to-point map
Unit Scale: Units vary from 500-1500 men
Players: 2
Playing Time: 3½ to 4 hours per game
They have written up a very well done and concise history and game description. I could not best it so here it is:
"Anno Domini 1482. For the past few centuries, the Iberian Peninsula has been a complex battlefield of crossed interests, kings’ ambitions and noblemen’s intrigues. The Muslim power, once uncontested under Cordoba’s Caliphate banners, lies languidly in the last Moor stronghold in Al-Andalus, the marvellous city of Granada.
The last rulers of the Alhambra (“The Red One”) have been buying peace from the powerful Christian kingdoms for decades. Weakened by internal family divisions, they now face their darkest nightmare: a nuptial union between Castille and Aragón in the figures of Isabel I of Castille and Ferdinand II of Aragon, the Catholic Monarchs.
Through cunning diplomacy and negotiations, large armies are congregating to push to the sea the last Muslim presence in Western Europe. The Pope promulgates the last Crusade and military orders join the mixed army of Castille and Aragon, along with mercenaries all over Europe. The Nasrid Kingdom tries to gather its men and garrisons, sending messengers to North Africa for military support and reinforcing the numerous castles and watchtowers all over its lands.
But deception and treason will play their part (Ferdinand II will be the main inspiration for Machiavelli’s ”The Prince”). Boabdil is conspiring to reach the throne in the city of the pomegranates whereas his uncle, el Zagal, is well known for his hit-and-run ambushes and guerrilla warfare. Will Catholic Monarchs be able to consolidate their dream of a united Iberian realm to continue towards world-wide domination? Will the Nasrid Kingdom accept the challenge and fight in a stubborn resistance until it breaks its enemies’ will to continue the fight?
Granada: The Last Stand of the Moors, 1482-1492 is a game for two players in which they will decide the outcome of this decisive historical episode in less than 4 hours.
Units are represented by blocks depicting their strength but also their origin: Castilians, Aragoneses, Leoneses and mercenaries for the Catholic player, and different clans like Banu Sarray, ZegrÃes, Banu Bannigas and proper Nasrids for the Muslim player.
The map is point-to-point, covering the ancient Nasrid Kingdom in southeast Iberia (present-day Spain). Granada, the capital, is the jewel of the realm: the game ends if it falls into the Catholic player’s hands.
Each season, players receive a predetermined number of cards which they can use to move their armies and fleets or rally new units. When a battle occurs, each regiment is summoned by the play of one card of its nationality, so as Tamerlan said: ”It is better to be present with 100 soldiers than absent with 1.000.” In other words, be sure you have the right cards to send your troops into battle.
As an almost Renaissance war, different weapons will also be present. Cavalry charges and crossbows will be extremely dangerous if well combined, whereas artillery will have a significant value when maintaining or defending sieges. Your fleets will fight for sea control, enabling the transport of North African reinforcements, Catholic naval movements or blocking sieged ports.
Balanced and historically accurate, the game is easy to learn but difficult to master. The Catholic player will have to decide which invasion route to choose and whether he will create a massive army, leaving the Muslim player time to reinforce his strongholds, or go for a quick campaign where losses will be difficult to replace. The Nasrid player, on the other hand, will enjoy a central position but he will need to be cautious about the internal problems that can arise— the Boabdil revolt is almost an inevitable danger to face and crush.
As the Catholic player, will you gain fame and glory accomplishing the Reconquista and enlarging your kingdoms in one unified powerful state? And as the Muslim player, will you resist and save Granada or will you become the last King of the Nasrid dynasty?"
The writer made a reference to Tamerlane(Timur) so I had to add it.
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| Some of the Cards |
The map is mounted and is done as a very nice period piece. You get the feeling that you are maneuvering around Medieval Spain. The small period illustrations on the map for castles etc. really add to the players' immersion. There are three main victory point illustrations on the map. These are: Castle, Watchtower, and Resource Location. The blocks, and there are a lot of blocks, are all uniform in their different shapes. Most of them come in black and white. There are also white and black square castle pieces, and round Watchtower ones. Their colors denote which side has control. These pieces really caught my eye when I opened the box. They are just an extra little thought to bring even more immersion to the game. There are two sheets of stickers; remember, a lot of blocks. They are most definitely little pieces of artwork. The stickers are also large enough to actually enjoy the large amount of work put into them. Again, they are done in period artwork. The two Player Aids are made of hard stock and are in color. They fold out to give you two pages of information, and a full mini map on the inside. This has the block setup and placement shown as illustrations instead of saying "put x amount of y in Granada". This speeds up setting up the game tremendously. Next, we have two Battle Reference Cards. These are hard stock and are in the same color as the Player Aids. The writing on the sheets is somewhat small. However, there is so much information on them I understand why. Either that or you would be faced with shuffling through a few different Player Aid Sheets. You are given one white and one black draw bags. Once again just another nice touch instead of having to use a paper cup etc. The Rules Booklet is twenty-eight pages long. The rules take up the first twenty pages. Then comes Design Notes, and a great four page history of the facts behind the game. Now we come to the three decks of cards. These are of the larger variety that you find inside games. As you can see above, each one is its own small piece of beautiful Medieval art. Each time I look at one of the cards I see another excellent detail that escaped me the first time. Kudos to the artist and Compass Games for these. So that it about it. In the box you have an array of extremely well done components that are obviously a mixture of a 'normal' wargame and a Euro game. I am extremely impressed with the level of detail included in them.
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| Love the rats |
There are no scenarios in the game. This is just about the campaign in its entirety. The Instant Victory conditions are:
The Christian Player must capture the Alhambra Castle in Granada.
The Muslim Player must eliminate both the Ferdinand II of Aragon, and the Isabella I of Castile blocks in combat.
If the game runs its course both sides add up their Victory Points at the end of the first turn of the year 1491-1492. The higher total wins, and if there is a tie the Muslim player wins.
"6.1 Sequence of Play Outline
A. Turn Order Step [6.2].
B. Turns I and II [6.3].
C. Reinforcement Step [6.4].
D. Turn Marker Step [6.5].
6.2 Turn Order Step
At the beginning of any year, each player bids for turn order by placing a card from their hand (any card with a number in its bottom right corner) face down on the table; then they are simultaneously revealed. The player whose card has the higher number chooses who will move first for both turns in the current year. Place the Initiative Marker on the “I” space (“II” space if year 1482) of the current year on the Turn track, with the first player’s coat of arms face up. Both players must discard the card they played.
6.3 Turns I and II
There is only one turn during the first year (year 1482, which starts in turn II) and the last year (year 1491-1492, which ends after turn I).
Each other yearly cycle consists of two turns: turn I and turn II. Each turn consists of the first player conducting movement and combat, followed by the second player conducting movement and combat.
When turn I ends, move the Turn Marker to II and play the turn II. The player who was first in turn I is also first in turn II.
After turn II, advance the Turn Marker to next year and begin the Sequence of Play again. After 7 years, at the end of the year 1491-1492, the game is over.
Turn I: Turn II:
1. First player Movement Phase 1. First player Movement Phase
2. First player Combat Phase 2. First player Combat Phase
3. Second player Movement Phase 3. Second player Movement Phase
4. Second player Combat Phase 4. Second player Combat Phase"
So, what is like to command armies in late Medieval Spain? With the backdrop of the game, and the components being so good, does the game play also deliver? In a word, it is a resounding yes! The rules are easy to learn and remember, but the play is deep enough for the player to get lost in. Everything about the game screams immersion. You do not feel like you are just pushing tanks around a beautiful medieval landscape. You would think that the game would be very tilted on the Spanish monarchy side. In actuality, there is enough backroom politics for both sides to help tip the scales in their favor. Playing as the Moors, you will have to judge when is the right time to defend or go on the offensive. There are more Spanish forces than you have, but not incredibly so. Playing as 'Their Catholic Majesty's' you need to be aware that you cannot attack everywhere, or you will get your nose rapped. This is not 1941, it is medieval warfare with sieges as one of the most important parts. The cards and rules make sure that all good plans will go awry. So, there is a bit of luck involved, but in reality luck has always been a part of warfare.
The game designer, Jose Antonio Rivero, says that Granada took a lot from the classic Sekigahara game. The latter had 'Loyalty Challenge Cards', where Granada has 'Morale Challenge Cards'. In Granada, units do not switch sides with a Morale Challenge Card. They just cannot participate in in that given combat. There is the possibility of the Christian player using the Boabdil Mixed Army to start a Civil War for the Muslim player. The use of siege guns by the Christians is a very powerful weapon. This is one of the wars that show the military changes being brought by the use of gunpowder.
The game does come with one sheet of 'Clarifications'. There is a small bit of information about the stickers and blocks. It also spells out some Setup information, although it was clearly plain to me. Next is a change in one of the rule's small paragraphs. It ends with a Siege Example. This is actually more than half the page.
Thank you Compass Games for allowing me to review this beautiful and great playing game. I have come a long way from just being able to play, and enjoy, hex and counter games. Block wargames like this one have also stolen a piece of my heart. I know it is still May, but Compass Games Expo will be coming up on November 10-14 and will take place in the great State of Connecticut. For those of you who do not live in New England increase the zoom on the map to the right of New York State and you will find us. The only one I missed was last year's Expo. They are well worth the trip.
Robert
Granada: Last Stand of the Moors 1482-1492:
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