Instead of the predicted seventy-two-hour gap between the ¡ARRIBA ESPAÑA! INCLUDING THE PORTABLE SPANISH CIVIL WAR WARGAME rules book being submitted for publication and it actually being on sale, Amazon excelled themselves and it was listed in less than twenty-four!
It is on sale in paperback and eBook formats for £5.99 and £2.99 respectively.
The book is divided into two parts and includes eleven chapters as well as list of useful resources. The first part is a slightly revised and re-typeset version of the original 1989 text and the second part contains a new set of Spanish Civil War wargame rules from the PORTABLE WARGAME stable. It also includes a number of scenarios that wargamers can use and adapt.
- Part One: ¡Arriba España!
- General rules and playing equipment
- Pre-game organisation
- The rules for battles with 1:200 scale figures
- Amendments for battles with 1:300 scale figures
- Amendments for division-sized battles with 20mm figures
- Amendments for brigade-sized battles with 20mm figures
- Examples of unit organisation charts
- Playing hints
- Part Two: Portable Spanish Civil War wargame rules
- Some design notes
- The Portable Spanish Civil War Wargame
- Before battle commences
- Battle rules
- Scenarios
- Clash of the columns! (1936)
- Saving the garrison! (1936)
- The battle for the University City (1936)
- There’s a valley in Spain … (1937)
- On to Guadalajara! (1937)
- Turning point (1937/38)
- For Whom the Bell Tolls (1938)
- Adapting the scenarios and maps
- Useful resources
I understand that Amazon will print and post out the paperback edition in a matter of a couple of days after an order has been placed ... unless you are the author! I will have to wait for a week before my author's copies arrive, although I have bought a copy for £5.99 so that I can see what the finished product looks like! (Amazon did allow me to download the Kindle edition in order to check it, and I was very pleased with the end result.)
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Brilliant! Just bought it.
ReplyDeleteS&F
Mike
Mike C,
DeleteThanks! I hope that you enjoy using the rules and the scenarios.
S&F
Bob
Must hold the record for the first 5* review to be posted, too!
ReplyDeleteTrebian,
DeleteIt was written by someone who bought the paperback ... and then decided to buy the Kindle edition as well!
All the best,
Bob
I am in the “me too” category. I even bought your companion volume. We having a family road trip to the Astoria Peninsular in Oregon next week, so these will be welcome distractions.
DeleteSteve8,
DeleteHave a great trip … and I’m sure that you’ll enjoy your newly-acquired reading matter.
All the best,
Bob
Congratulations! What a marvelous age we live in.
ReplyDeleteRoss Mac,
DeleteIt’s amazing how easy is to publish books these days. You ought to try it!
All the best,
Bob
Ker-ching. I couldn’t help myself. I have never explored this conflict as a wargame and don’t even have any models. Dxxx you Cordery! Lol.
ReplyDeleteSteve8,
DeleteBeware! The Spanish Civil War can become addictive!
I hope that you enjoy reading the book and using the rules and scenarios.
All the best,
Bob
I am mulling over how to get started. I have a blank slate in terms of models and terrain. Choices now will affect things later. This should be an intellectually stimulating project if anything else. Darwin knows I need one.
DeleteSteve8,
DeleteThere are several 15mm and 20mm ranges available to chose from. If you want to build up a balanced force, I’d suggest the following units as a baseline to start from:
Nationalists:
Infantry:
1 x Foreign Legion
1 x Moroccan Regulares
1 x Carlist militia
1 x Falange militia
1 x Regular Army
1 x Guardia Civil
Cavalry:
1 x Regular Army
Artillery:
1 x Army of Africa
1 x Regular Army
Tanks:
1 x Pzkpfw I
Republicans:
Infantry:
1 x Communist militia
1 x Socialist militia
1 x Anarchist militia
1 x International Brigade
1 x Popular Army
Artillery:
1 x International Brigade
1 x Popular Army
Cavalry:
1 x Popular Army
Tanks:
1 x T-26
You can then add units as and when you want to.
All the best,
Bob
Did you hear my anguished cry of horror at the price of minis? This will indeed require deep thought.
DeleteSteve8,
DeleteWhen I started out wargaming the SCW, there were no figures available, and most of my earliest ones were converted from Airfix figures. Unless you are a purest, the World War II figures can be used with a bit of imaginative 'paint conversions' as the Spanish steel helmet was copied from the German one. Commandos and German Mountain infantry make very passable Popular Army infantry, and ACW figures with suitable head swops can be turned into Republican militia.
An alternative is to try to find figures manufactured by the Spanish firm BUM. They sell plastic and resin SCW figures.
all the best,
Bob
Steve8:
DeleteYou could try a smaller scale. Irregular Miniatures do a pretty comprehensive range for the SCW in 6mm.
Barry Carter,
DeleteMy first SCW armies were all ‘paint converted’ 6mm figures from the World War II and Colonial ranges produced by Heroics and Ross.
All the best,
Bob
PS. Don’t forget that the Junior General website has paper SCW figures. http://45.40.183.63/index.php/figure/figureList/early20th#48
@Steve8: I'd say that Bob's list of units is much more than you need for a game, depending upon the level of resolution. If the units Bob lists are battalion size, then then you probably only need 3-6 infantry units a side, with an artillery Grupo in support, especially in the early war. I wouldn't bother with the cavalry as they normally dismount to fight, and the armour isn't essential either. The early war period which was fought by "columns" is really attractive, as the armies are small and mobile. There's some sample orbats based on actual fighting formations you can download for free from my "Wargaming for Grown Ups" blog for use with "For Whom The Dice Rolls" which will give you an idea of the sort of thing you can get away with.
DeleteTrebian,
DeleteIn PSCWW each unit is a single base with a number of figures on it, so my list represents an outlay of less than sixty 15/20mm figures, four guns, and two AFVs, and should allow Steve8 to have the beginnings of a pair of armies he can use with the scenarios in the book.
All the best,
Bob
That would explain it. My recollection of AE is that the units are a bit bigger. I still wouldn't bother with cavalry. Especially for the Republicans!
DeleteTrebian,
DeleteI used the excuse of republishing ARRIBA ESPANA! to publish a SCW version of the PORTABLE WARGAME and some associated scenarios.
I added cavalry just to add a bit of variety to the two sides.
All the best,
Bob
Plus Arriba Espana is a great name.
DeleteTrebian,
DeleteI’ve had one or two comments on Facebook that would disagree! Someone pointed out that it was - and is - used by Franco’s supporters, especially the Falange.
All the best,
Bob
Yes, but it has great name recognition.
DeleteTrebian,
DeleteVery true!
All the best,
Bob
Ordered a copy this morning. I will see if the rules work for my 6mm VBCW set up - with a little tweaking of course!
ReplyDeleteBarry Carter,
DeleteGreat! The political co-operation system should work well with VBCW units.
All the best,
Bob
Well done mate! This is on the (SCW) list of future projects .. will look forward to getting it!
ReplyDeleteGeordie an Exiled FoG,
DeleteCheers! I hope I manage to persuade you to move it up your list of projects.
All the best,
Bob
Ordered! (...and I splashed out the extra £3 for the paperback copy!). It should spur me into getting my 15mm armies back on the table.
ReplyDeleteAlastair,
DeleteA great decision! I tried to keep the price of the paperback edition as low as possible to make it attract to purchasers who would otherwise have opted for the Kindle edition.
All the best,
Bob
Ordered my paperback on Sunday and it arrived yesterday (Tuesday). The rules look good and I look forward to trying the PSCW. I like the period flavour with squabbling Republican factions! One question I have is the speed of tanks. MG tanks look faster than gun tanks so this makes a BT5 slower than a WW1 Renault? Time to get my abandoned 20mm RH and Irregular miniatures out of their box. Cheers Simon
ReplyDeleteSimon,
DeleteI am pleased that you’ve bought the book and are enjoying reading it.
In theory, the BT-5 should move as fast as the MG-armed tanks, but I couldn’t find much evidence that their speed was used in battle. I suspect this is due to the difficulty of using its armament whilst moving.
All the best,
Bob
Are International Brigade units Communist or Socialist for cooperation rolls?
ReplyDeleteJust Jeff,
DeleteI count them as Communists.
All the best,
Bob
Thank you, sir!
ReplyDeleteJust Jeff,
DeleteIt was my pleasure to be of help.
All the best,
Bob
Are there errata for the scenarios in TPSCWW? My digital copy seems to be missing some info?
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jeff
Just Jeff,
DeleteI have not issued any errata, so I am not sure what might be missing from your digital copy.
All the best,
Bob