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Arriba Espana!Play By Email Support Page |
This is a great two person desktop published microgame depicting the Spanish Civil War on the strategic level. The designer is Brian Train, an excellent game designer with Freikorps, Land of the Free, Shining Path and an upcoming Chinese Civil War game to his credit. True to the nature of his own prefrences, Arriba Espana is loaded with a political element.
NOTICE: This Gamebox is created using Dale Larson's excellent Play By Email utility, Cyberboard (the poor man's Aide De Camp!)
ARRIBA ESPANA is copyright, Brian Train, 1997.
Designer: Brian Train
Developer:John Kula
Graphics: Kerry Anderson
I'd like to give additional credit to Mark Johnson, who created a VMAP file for this game about a year ago or so. I took advantage of his hard work by utilizing his counter art (with his permission).
The original VMAP file is included below. Normally I don't recreate VMAP/SMS files as Cyberboard, but I wanted to add some charts that were missing and didn't have the patience (or skill) to add to Mark's set.
TURN SEQUENCE:
3.1 RANDOM EVENTS PHASE (One Player Rolls 2D6 Using the Die Roller for either Program)
3.2 REBEL (NATIONALIST) PLAYER TURN (PBeM/Game actions in Red)
3.2.1 Political Phase (Nationalist Player moves his PS marker on the Political Support Track if there are changes)
3.2.2 Strategic Phase (Nationalist Player moves new Assets or Units on the map from the counter trays, Performs Transport)
3.2.3 Organization Phase (Nationalist Player organizes his Units into stacks (Battlegroups) by moving pieces on the map using the click and drag method)
3.2.4 Movement Phase (Nationalist Player moves Battlegroups from Area to Area on the map using click and drag method)
3.2.5 Combat Phase (Nationalist Player engage enemy BGs with his own BGs)
3.2.6 Counterattack Phase (Nationalist Player marks all battles with markers, sends GMV to Republican Player. Republican Player resolves any counterattacks. The Nationalist Player may wish to just email the Republican Player in advance to see if he/she wishes to counterattack before taking this step-- the Republican players sends GMV back marked "Counterattack")
3.2.7 Recovery Phase (Nationalist Player attempts to recover his/her units)
3.3 GOVERNMENT (REPUBLICAN) PLAYER TURN (Republican repeats the sequence above, swapping "Republican Player" for "Nationalist Player").
3.4 TURN INTERPHASE (Republican Player places control markers on the map, emails turn to the Nationalist player, and the next turn starts).
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The graphic above illustrates some of the features of this gamebox. This is the situation at the very start of a game of Arriba Espana. The Gubernitos (red) and some Government Troops (yellow) hold the North and Madrid. Anarchist Militia (black) and some Government Troops hold Valencia. The Nationalist Rebels (pale blue) are strong in the center of the country and are assisted by the Carlists Requettes (grey) in Navarre. On the left, you can see the political status track included in the game, with all the foreign aid markers (national flags) starting at neutral.
Political Support Point (PSP) Track
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This graphic shows some of the PSP chart, which is basically just a grid with numbers on it. |
TURN TRACK
| This is a bit of the turn track, depicting the Winter turns in pale blue. |  |
Download Cyberboard Gamebox:
Download Greg Hunter's "Slightly less garish" version of the same gamebox (his words):
Download VMAP Gamefile
Game Availability:
Excellent. Still in print at the Microgame Co-op. Email Kerry Anderson right NOW to pick up a copy.
Related Links/Resources:
Designer Brian Train's Wargame Home Page
The Spanish Revolution and Civil War
Spanish Civil War Oral History Project
Visual Index to Spanish Civil War Era Propoganda Posters
Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives
Warships of the Spanish Civil War
Does anyone know of a good site about the NATIONALIST side during the SCW? Email me.
This page content copyright, Walter O'Hara 1999