1212 Las Navas de Tolosa

by

Draco Ideas

 The year is 1212 and El Cid has been dead for thirteen years. The deadly conflict between the Muslims and Christians for Spain is still going on. In fact, the Reconquista will continue for almost three hundred years. The tide had turned and the Muslims, commanded by their Caliph Muhammad al-Nasir, were taking a good number of Spanish fortresses. It had gotten so bad that the pope, Innocent III, had called for a crusade in Spain. I am simplifying the historical tale. Both the Christians and Muslims were a loose group of smaller states that fought each other as often as they fought against their supposed enemies. The crusaders and a number of Christian states banded together to fight against a similarly made-up army under the Caliph. This is the backdrop behind the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa.

 This is an excerpt from a written account of the time:

 "They attacked, fighting against one another, hand-to-hand, with lances, swords, and battle-axes; there was no room for archers. The Christians pressed on." – (The Latin Chronicle of The Kings of Castile)

 This is what comes with the game:

Board

54 Unit Markers

9 Combat Cards

6 help cards

12 special cards (6 from each side)

 

 This is what Draco Ideas has to say about the game:

 "1212: Las Navas de Tolosa is an asymmetric, two-player wargame in which Almohad and Christian troops face each other, reliving the emblematic battle of the Reconquista.

Fast games and a very contained deployment, in which the battle is decided in about 30 minutes, with a card engine to determine the initiative and the outcome of the combat.

Although small in size, 1212 Las Navas de Tolosa perfectly integrates the theme in a reduced number of components, placing special emphasis on the asymmetry of the sides to revive the different strategies that took place in the battle that would change the course of the Reconquista.

Among other features, Christian units receive bonuses if they are activated by cards with their King’s shield, adding a further decision to the player on when to play the cards in his hand.

For his part, the Almohad player can use a free ‘Tornafuye’ (karr wa-l-farr) action, which allows him to make a counterattack after a Christian cavalry charge, and also has special units such as the Black Guard protecting the Caliph an-Nasir, or the Jihad Volunteers, fanatical troops that will throw themselves into combat advancing if they manage to create a breach in the Christian defense."

A Muslim Counter

 I know it is a cliche, but sometimes good things do come in tiny boxes. Most of the parts of the game are small. The board is a mounted one. It measures around 11 3/4" x 8". It consists of eighteen rectangles (nine for each side). It is pretty much made up of open terrain with a few trees and the Caliph's stockade on the edge of one side. The counters are large at 18mm and come pre-rounded. Each counter comes with a very nicely done picture in the middle of it. The designer/artist (Pablo Sanz) has drawn them to look like period pieces of the battles' time. The Rulebook is small, about half the size of a normal Rulebook. It is however, done in full color. It is only twenty pages in length with the last page being a quick reference for the rules. The regular rules are fifteen pages in length. Then there is a two-page Advanced Variant for the rules. The game comes with two Rulebooks: one in English and one in Spanish. Next up are the Victory Conditions and a Historical Context. The Cards come with six cards for quick refence. On one side is English and the other is in Spanish. There are nine regular cards to be played with the normal game. A further 12 cards (six per side) are used with the Advanced Variant. That sums it up for the game's components. Draco Ideas does put a lot into the physical presentation of their games.

One of the Cards for the Regular Game

 The game was designed to take up a very small footprint and to be played in about thirty minutes. Draco Ideas has succeeded in both of these endeavors. This is a quick playing fun game that also has both strategy and tactics built into it. The addition of the Advanced Variant makes it so the game does not get stale or boring. The regular game is a good game, but it might get too repetitious for some people. The Advanced Variant Cards are either commanders in the game or units. These Cards give the player either Action Points or extra attack power when played. 

 This is the Sequence of Play:

Initiative Phase: 1 card from each player. The highest wins the initiative and ties go to the Christian player.

Action Phase: 2 cards for Action Points, playing alternative turns.

Exhaustion: Tilted units (exhausted units) can neither attack or rally. They recover at the end of the turn.

 These are a few of the rules:

Ties in the standard attacks = 1 damage per side.

If there are no cards left in the game deck, turn over the discard pile Without Shuffling.

 Action allowed per turn:

Maximum 3 units per board zone

Maximum 2 combat actions per turn

Maximum 1 archer attack per turn

Christian Counter

 The Victory Conditions are:

The Christian Player wins if Caliph al-Nasir's unit is eliminated.

The Muslim Player wins if the Christian Player is not occupying any of the nine Muslim zones and there are less than four Christian occupied zones.

Either side wins if they control twice as many zones as the other side.

 1212 Las Navas de Tolosa was designed to be a fun short game that can be setup and taken down with ease. The price point of the game is also easy on the player's wallet. This is not just a beer & pretzels game. It is certainly not as deep as some wargames but to win you have to put on your thinking cap. 

 Thank you Draco Ideas for allowing me to review this game. This game and their SCOPE series of games are built on the same premise. Please take a look at their War Storm series of games. They are tactical gems of games. Their two games on the Spanish Civil War (A las Barricadas! and Help Arrives) are two of the finest tactical games on the subject.

Robert

Draco Ideas:

Draco Ideas editorial | Boardgames publisher

1212 Las Navas de Tolosa:

1212: Las Navas de Tolosa (English) | Draco Ideas editorial

 Spanish Civil War Commander

by

Civil War Commander

 The Spanish Civil War is sometimes broken down to Republican versus Nationalists. This is a much too simplistic way of looking at it. The Republican side was a coalition of Communists, non-native fighters, and normal people who wanted a free Spain. Even the Nationalist side was splintered even though this had much more to do with personalities and jockeying for position in the post-Civil War Spain. Both sides also depended upon outside help from different countries. The Nationalists were helped by both Italy and Germany, but especially by Italy. The Republicans were helped mostly by the Soviet Union and to a much smaller amount other European countries. The Soviet Union was, however, giving aid to see a Communist Spain emerge from the Civil War. The Italians and Germans were also not helping the Nationalists out of the kindness of their hearts. They wanted to see a Fascist Spain come out of the Nationalist side winning the war. 

This is the brand new 2022 map with a turn record track for Nationalists and Republicans on each side of the map.

 The war was used and looked at by most countries as a proving ground to their different ideas of waging war. While the Germans were able to come up with the theory of combined arms and Blitzkrieg, the Soviets were not so lucky. Their idea of 'Deep Battle' (essentially Blitzkrieg) was shelved by them in exchange for turning back toward World War I tactics. This was to cost them dearly in the early years of their involvement in World War II. 

A Republican attack on the Ebro.

 Before I get into the components, I just want the reader to understand that this is a large game. The map itself is large and needs a big table. The playing pieces are numerous, as you can see above. To play the game also involves a lot of stickering, sometimes having to affix small stickers onto the plastic pieces. The game is also in the higher price range for wargames. All I can say is due to the game parts and play I believe it is fully worth it.

Closer image of the pieces.

  The Map is 48" x 35" and is made of canvas. It is a breath-taking work of beauty of the historical period of the Spanish Civil war. Pictures do not do it justice. It really has to be seen in person to get the full effects of it. The entire game comes in a large tube, so the Map is rolled up on arrival. It flattens out immediately upon it being placed upon a flat surface. It is an excellent piece of work.

 Next up, we have the list of components that come with the game:

1 set of 4 rule books

1 game board.

1 deck of game cards.

2 black pawns.

3 sand timers (red, blue, white).

1 set of tweezers.

2 transparent game trays (w/ covers).

5 sheets of labels.

7 flag poles.

10 yellow square border markers.

25 yellow wooden cubes.

20 black wooden cubes.

3 bronze metal cubes.

4 gold metal cubes.

12 silver metal cubes.

1 yellow fraction dice.

1 green victor die.

1 orange measuring stick.

6 × 100 RP tokens.

5 purple disc markers.

6 white ARMY counters

2 white AIR counters

2 white MOB counters

2 white Fleet counters

54 red ARMY counters.

25 red MIL counters.

8 red MOB counters.

6 red ART counters.

5 red AIR counters.

12 Naval counters.

5 red Fleet counters.

10 red Defense markers

10 red Attack triangle markers

12 clear red square Garrison markers

20 red transparent disc city markers

10 red transparent rectangle quality markers

35 red wooden cubes.

2 sets of red DD dice (7 dice).

1 red and black D2 die.

1 red and black D3 die (with dots).

54 blue ARMY counters.

15 blue MIL counters.

9 blue MOB counters

7 blue ART counters

8 blue AIR counters

18 blue Naval counters

5 blue Fleet counters

10 blue Defense markers

10 blue Attack triangle markers

12 clear blue square Garrison markers

20 blue transparent disc city markers

10 blue transparent rectangle quality markers

35 blue wooden cubes.

2 sets of blue DD dice (7 dice).

1 blue and black D2 die.

1 blue and black D3 die (with dots).

 And a partridge in a pear tree.

A Republican defense of Madrid and the surrounding area.

  The Republican pieces are red, and the Nationalist are blue. If you were looking closely at the list, you saw three sand timers included. I do not think I have ever seen a timer used with any game other than chess. More to come on these later. The wooden cubes are done perfectly no mismatch in size or extra hanging material on them. The five sheets of labels need to be placed on some of the red and blue plastic pieces/counters. Some of the smaller triangle and square pieces need to have labels on them, and so do the ship markers. These were the hardest pieces for me to put their respective labels on. Luckily, the glue on the labels is very forgiving and will still stick to the plastic even after being attached and removed several times. Unless you are very adroit it will take a while to finish all of the labelling. I know it seems like a lot to set up a game, but it is nowhere near as hard as a wargame with over 1000 pieces on the board at the beginning of a game. 

 All of the above comes in a large cylinder. This does help to keep the map in perfect condition. However, everything but the map and the four booklets come in two long plastic containers. These are fine for the original shipment, but they are not the sturdiest. Do yourself a favor and pick up a divided tray to put the pieces in as I did. Out of all the components, that is my only small gripe. Other than that, and the small size of some of the labels, these components are awesome. They really went out of their way to make the visuals of the game match the stellar map.

Some Republican counters

 There are four booklets that come with the game. These are:

Game Setup at eleven pages

Events at nineteen pages

Quick Reference at fifteen pages

Main Rules at nineteen pages

 The last is pretty amazing at its size. The reason I say this is that this is a full simulation of the Spanish Civil War, unlike almost every other game you need to keep track of your resources. I do not mean just your supply to your troops, although that is also in here. You have mines, agriculture, and gold reserves to worry about, along with much more. 

 The booklets themselves are made from thicker hard stock and are not glossy. They do come with some illustrations to help the reader understand how the game works. All four are printed in large enough type to make for easy reading. 

 The deck of cards is set up just like a normal deck of cards. They come in the four suits from king to ace. They have a picture on them that shows either a person in the war or a historical event. The cards match the other components in being well designed.

 This is an amazing piece to find at the start of a wargame rulebook. I know at least two other designers that add something like this to their rules. I just really like how this is written. Plus, the designer actually sends you his email address (redacted) if you buy the game. Here it is:

"The first and most important statement that the game

designer would like to make is: “have fun and do not let

the rules get the better of you”. What we mean by this is

that the game does have a substantial number of rules but

half of these are not crucial for gameplay; rather, they

exist to add realism and historical accuracy. Half of the

content is strict, but the other half is more in the spirit of

directions rather than rules. The rules are made in such a

way that, most times, if you were to forget to apply an

instruction, the repercussion might be very small. Also,

since all aspects of war are not certain, you can attribute

small imperfections in following the rules to the normal

course of events anyway. A few mistakes in playing may

not change the outcome too much and will certainly not

keep you from an enjoyable game play; so don’t stress!

Have fun.

If you have questions about the rules email the

designer directly:"

 That is a wonderful way to think when designing games.

Example of a Nationalist attack toward Madrid.

 This is the Sequence of Play:

LAND phase

Initiative player is first player to go. Players may study map for 1 min. before beginning turn.

1. Land Movement: roll D12+pay 1; start your timer; use rolled points actions; pause timer when done. 

Second player follows.

2. Land Combat: initiative player can attack any forces in range (one battle at a time) his timer runs while he

decides which attack to make or until he passes the round to the opponent; use combat/commander cards;

follow combat table on the board.

Initiative player will decide the next attack. When both do not want to attack further, they go back to step 1.

Repeat steps 1-2 alternating between players until color timer runs out or both are finished attacking.

NAVAL phase

1. Naval Movement: roll D12+pay; 1 min timer; use rolled points for actions.

2. Naval Combat: battle enemy units in same sea zone (one zone at a time); surviving units go to missions

(disrupt/escort convoys, disembark troops).

ECONOMY phase

Each player:

1. Waste: (a) remove 1 in 5 cubes from map, or (b) 1 cube min., or (c) place Supply log at 0 (in that order).

2. Receive resources:

GDP = Industry + Agriculture ÷ 10. 

Income points: GDP + Foreign Aid – Depreciation – Convoys disrupted 

Resource points: Income Points roll dice × 10. Receive in points Resource box. 

3. Country cards (that you hold): roll aid; roll war; exchange gold or mines; sell mines.

STRATEGY phase

1. Events: roll all four D12 dice; follow events.

2. Draw 5 cards from “New Cards”; give to players; study map 1 min; place in “Drawn Cards”.

3. Ships to bases: return all ships on missions to naval bases; leave any that are in sea areas.

4. Calendar: pick units to deploy from all or any of (a) current turn, (b) past turns and (c) “Any Turn”.

Pay with tokens and cubes in Resources box. Pick also fortifications (max 10 for all) and garrisons.

Subtract points from Men log (1 per Spanish army or reinforcement). Use credit if running low on

resources.

5. Deploy units selected above and supply cubes from Resources box.

6. Roll for war for countries with a yellow cube on the Foreign Aid log; remove cube as you roll.

7. Victory conditions check; move calendar markers to next turn.

The war at sea.

 Now you see where the timers come into play. The game comes with two scenarios but the second one is really a plethora of scenarios. The first is the historical scenario. The second is called the 'Probable Scenario'. This is because you roll a D4 to see which side all of the different cities start on. So, you can see you can have a ton of different starting points for this one scenario. They do lean historically to the side that they actually were on, but the die roll can change that.

 The game seems like it should be vastly complicated by the size of the map and the multitude of components. Luckily for us, it really isn't at all. It goes deep enough to satisfy any grognard, but it is still easy to play. I am really impressed at how the rules make it so easy to play. For a game that uses a measuring stick for combat, these rules are not that hard to learn either. Other countries can get involved due to various reasons. Each country that can intervene has a scale to show where they are in considering open war. The USSR for the Republicans and Germany and Italy for the Nationalists have certain forces in Spain without committing to a full war. However, the Republicans do have to pay to use the USSR help. The Nationalists do not have any cost associated with the different 'volunteer' groups from Italy and Germany. 

 Just because of the type of wargamer I am, I have always played the historical scenario. When dealing with an entire country's civil war there is enough variation for me to keep playing that way for a good long time. Just as it was historically, Madrid is a magnet for both sides in the beginning of each game. Most of the larger battles took place around it during the war. So, you as the Republican must make sure that you hold it with a good solid defense. The historical infighting of the Republicans is also taken into account during the game.

 I haven't even delved into the naval war aspect of the game. It takes on a much greater importance than I have seen in any other game. You have to keep your ports free to be able to receive aid, but also to bolster your economy. There are rules for submarines, air attacks on ships, and destroyers hunting submarines among others.

 

 So, if you were ever looking to put a toe into the miniature side of wargaming I believe this game is a perfect place to start. It definitely has a miniature feel to it. With its time constraints, if you use them, I can see where this would be a great game for a convention.

 

An example of a Republican attack.

 Thank you very much Civil War Commander, for allowing me to review this great and beautiful game. I might be a bit biased because the Spanish Civil War has always intrigued me. I am especially waiting, actually drooling, over one of your next releases: Roman Civil War Commander 49 BC to 30 BC. Their website says that American Civil War Commander will be the next release. 

Robert

Civil War Commander:

Home | Civil War Commander

Spanish Civil War Commander:

Spanish Civil War Game (civilwarcommander.com)

 Almoravid

Reconquista and Riposte in Spain, 1085-1086

Levy & Campaign Series - Volume II

by

GMT Games

  His name was Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, we know him as El Cid. He was given the moniker Al-Sid by the Spanish Moors. It morphed into El Cid, meaning 'The Lord'. The Spanish knew him as 'El Campeador 'The Champion'. What I knew about him for a long time was derived from the 1961 movie El Cid. First things first, he did not resemble Charlton Heston in any way. I must admit to be sorely lacking in Spanish history during the Moors or the Reconquista. I was under the impression that he was from a later century than the Almoravid game is based in. So, I was a little bummed out to find the actual time the game portrays. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the mighty El Cid was actually in the game, and my timeline for his life was completely wrong. I have tried to play the game using a profile look like Heston, much like John Barrymore, but my attempts were futile. You cannot really see the board and my nose was not meant for it. So, just like any good wargamer, at least I hope, my job was to read as much as I could about the times portrayed in the game. As usual fiction beats the cold light of history by a mile, although it is not always the case.

 This is GMT's writeup about the game:

"Al-Andalus, 1085. The western jewel of Islam had broken into pieces. The petty Taifa emirs who inherited the once-mighty Caliphate squabbled and fought, then paid the Christian lords Parias in gold to avoid fighting at all. Alfonso VI, Christian king of a unified León and Castilla, could now put his extorted dinars to work. He would muster a great feudal host—not merely for plunder but to rip out the heart of Muslim Spain. He would seize the ancient Visigothic capital of Toledo and with it the great central plain to declare himself imperator of all Iberia.

But Alfonso would find there was fight left in al-Andalus, as Christian strikes radiating from Toledo were too much for even the emirs in their pleasure palaces to bear. Al‑Mutamid of Sevilla, the strongest among them, would risk the Taifa dynasties’ independence and call to arms a Muslim force unlike any that the Christian Kings had faced. Granada and Badajoz would join him to invite the Almoravid fundamentalists in to save the Muslim faithful. Yusuf, Sultan al‑Murabitun, had secured his Berber empire in Africa and seized a port and fleet just across the Mediterranean strait from al-Mutamid's Algeciras. A titanic campaign for Spain was set to unfold."

This was a promo picture that I just love

 This is what comes with the game:

A mounted game board 22" x 25 1/2" 

• Sixteen Lord cylinders (7 yellow, 9 green) 

• A Lords sticker sheet (apply to cylinders) 

• Sixteen Lord mats 

• One Battle/Storm mat 

• 78 Horse wedges (26 silver [Knights], 23 steel [Sergeants], 10 

blue [African Horse], 19 brown [Light Horse])

• 83 Foot bars (30 steel [Men-at-Arms], 14 blue [African Foot], 

33 brown [Militia], 6 tan [Serfs])

• Three sheets of markers and counters. 

• Four decks of playing cards (26 Christian and 26 Muslim Arts 

of War cards, 27 Christian and 33 Muslim Command cards)

• Two player aid foldouts (summarizing Sequence of Play, 

Commands, Forces, and Battles) 

• A Taifa Politics and Orientation Map reference sheet 

• Two screens 

• Six 6-sided dice (three yellow, three green) 

• A background booklet (not needed for play) 

• This rules booklet. 

Lord Mat

 This game was designed by Volko Ruhnke, who also designed Nevsky: Teutons and Rus in Collision, 1240-1242. That game took the wargaming world by storm when it was released. Sadly, I have not had the chance to play it. However, Almoravid is the second game in the 'Levy and Campaign Series'. It uses much of the same rules and playing as its older brother, but naturally has been fine tuned for this time period in the Iberian Peninsula.

One of many of the Player's Aids

 As mentioned, the map is mounted. However, that is just like saying the Mona Lisa has a frame around it. It is a beautiful pseudo-medieval map of some of the Iberian Peninsula. Movement on it is from point to point, but the points are mostly cities that are done in an elegant style. It looks like a map that might have come from an early edition of Lord of the Rings. The Lord Maps are like army holding boxes from other games. They look like oversized square coasters. They are not overly adorned, but work well with the other components. The four Decks of Cards do not have much art on them, but again work with the rest of the game parts. They are very easy to read and follow. There are three hard stock Player Aids. They are also in full color. Two are a four-page foldout for each player. One page is for Commands, and the others are for Forces, Strongholds, Battle & Storm, and the Sequence of Play. The third Player Aid has a map of the game to see where the Lords from both sides start on the map. The other side is for the Taifa Politics. The Rulebook is in full color and large type. It comes in at thirty-five pages. However, the rules themselves are only 23 pages long with the rest being the scenarios. There are five scenarios and the Campaign Game. The Background Book is worth its weight in gold. The first eighteen pages are filled with Examples of Play. From there until page forty-eight is a history of how the events came to pass. It also has small biographies of each of the Lords in the game. This part of the booklet is worth the price of admission alone. Then comes a separate write up for every one of the Arts of War Card deck. The counters are large sized and easy to read. They also seem tough enough to take a lot of game play. You do have to put sixteen stickers on their respective round Lord wooden pieces. GMT Games was very nice in adding another sixteen stickers as spares. The piece de resistance is the two-fold out screens for each player. The outside of the screens looks like a medieval tapestry. The inside has all of the different Lords on each side and their flags. The separate pieces are excellent, but the entire ensemble is wonderful to behold. You will be playing this game in style.

Picture of some of the Cards

 So as I mentioned, I had some reading to do before actually getting down to playing this game. It is absolutely essential for me to know the history behind the times/campaigns of the games I play. I want wargames to not only play well, but also to put the player into the shoes of the adversaries as much as possible. Nothing turns me off on a game more than feeling that you could put Cataphracts or Tanks on the map and it would feel the same. With this game we have nothing to worry about in that sense.

The Lords that play in the game

  This is the 'General Course of Play':

"In Almoravid, two players (or teams) take the roles of Christians (yellow) and Muslims (green), respectively. The Christian and Muslim sides are Enemy to one another. The Christians represent the rising kingdoms of northern Spain and their allies. The Muslims comprise the dynasties ruling a patchwork of Andalusian emirates and their allies, including an Islamic Berber army from Africa. 

In turns covering 40 days (a traditional period of military service), Christian and Muslim players will levy lords and vassal forces, gather transport, and recruit capabilities. Each lord’s forces and assets are laid out on a mat. The players then plan and command a 40-day campaign with their mustered lords. A cylinder on the map represents each lord, while markers on a calendar show how much time remains in the lords’ service, influenced by hunger, pay, and success or failure on campaign.

DESIGN NOTE: Christians and Muslims in medieval Iberia warred not only on each other but on their co-religionists. 

“Christian” and “Muslim” in this game refer to the player sides, even though each side features adherents of either religion."

Counters

 You will find a Sequence of Play on two of the Player Aid Cards:

 I never had the chance to play Nevsky, so I was a total tyro to the Levy & Campaign Series. I did not have any problem in learning the rules. It does have some rather simple game concepts. The problem I think people will have with the game is its adherence to history. This is a game where you have to think and play the long game. Getting your different Lords to do what you want is chief among your worries. The game is based on the medieval realities. You will need wagons and mules, and then sometimes when you have them your plan goes poof. The Taifa (Muslim Lord) Politics will also make you lose some hair. Do not get me wrong, these are all good if not excellent points in the games favor. If you are looking for a game that puts you in the shoes of a Lord in medieval times, look no further than this series. If you are looking for a game where you can do what you want with your pieces at any time, then look away. 

These are from the Vassal Module, but the game pieces look the same

 This game is another in a growing line of games that are a cross between a Euro game and a wargame. This does not mean that you get the worst of both parents. The DNA in these types of games seem to mesh only the good parts of both. So, you not only get a 'real' stimulating wargame. The game and its components are a sight to behold to old grognards eyes. Thank you very much GMT Games for letting me review this excellent game. Of course, I also have to thank you for once more giving me another chapter of history to read about. By the way, in reality El Cid was a mercenary who fought for both sides, and this is in the game.

 For those of you who are not aware these two Deluxe Editions of older games have been released by GMT Games:

Great Battles of Julius Caesar - This contains both 'Caesar: The Civil Wars, and 'Caesar: Conquest of Gaul'

Musket & Pike Dual Pack - This contains both 'This Accursed Civil War', and 'Sweden Fights On'

Robert

GMT Games:

GMT Games

Almoravid: Reconquista and Riposte in Spain, 1085-1086:

 GMT Games - Almoravid: Reconquista and Riposte in Spain, 1085-1086

 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, Zegríes, 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.

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.

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:

Granada: Last Stand of the Moors, 1482-1492 – Compass Games

Compass Games:

Compass Games – New Directions In Gaming

Compass Games Expo:

Compass Games Expo 2022 – Compass Games