Now it is usual to say what the reviewer thought of the rules at the end of the article but my conclusion since playing with them is that they are the BEST set of rules for the SCW that I have ever used. Since you know where I stand I will now describe the rules in detail.

The rules have a ground scale of 1mm = 1 metre only one sort of dice is used, the good old D6. The figure ratio is up to the wargamer. Although conventional in many ways they are rather less so in others.

ORDERS

Depending on what figure ratio you use you must write down orders for each formation on the table, i.e. Platoon, Company or Battalion. Once an order is carried out it will take 3 moves to replace it. Thinking ahead is important here to make sure the original orders are the ones you want the troops to obey.

To represent the orders lower down the chain of command a sheet of order markers is included in the rules. These are placed by the sub-unit of the formation. In some cases the unit may not obey a new order and an unmodified dice is thrown the result depends on the quality of the troops involved. Troop quality is as follows Elite, Veteran, Hard, Standard, Green and Volunteer. Failure means the unit goes on to No Orders.

The orders are divided into Voluntary orders(: Manoeuvre, Control, Attack, Fallback, Hold and No Order) Compulsory orders (Pinned, Retreat and Panic)

RALLYING

is no dice throw. You just add and subtract the factors. The usual factors are there but there are some unusual ones, for a commissar you get +3 or if you are desperate you can shoot a figure. This will give you +5 but you need to throw 4, 5 Or 6 if not the men shoot the unit C.O.!

A rallied unit goes onto Control Orders and can fire at half rate.

MOVEMENT

This is a conventional mm = 1 metre. The moves of the troops is varied by their morale level. Armoured vehicles are covered on a separate chart which details their speed, armour, armament and breakdown value. There are the usual deductions for terrain and man made features.

SPOTTING

This done in conjunction with a table and modifiers. No dice throw is needed. All you do is find the unit to be spotted on the left hand side of the chart. The spotter is found across the top of the chart the two are crossed referenced to give the distance at which the target can be spotted. The distance is then modified by moving up or down the chart according to the modifiers. Its quick and easy to use.

ANTI-TANK FIRE

This is done by spotting the target and then cross referencing the range with the type of gun used. This gives the dice throw needed to score a hit. There are few modifiers. The dice is thrown the permitted number of times. If a hit is scored another dice is thrown to determine where the projectile hits. The penetration is then cross referenced with the target if it can penetrate another dice is thrown to assess the damage. This can vary from scratched paint through broken tracks engine fires to explosions.

Also covered are mines and anti-tank rifles.

SMALL ARMS FIRE

This is simplicity itself. A chart shows how many potential hits a weapon can make at various ranges. A dice is then thrown for each potential hit. This is the casualty and saving throw combined. The saving modifiers are for the usual things i.e. Soft and Hard cover, Snipers, Target attacking uphill and firing from a moving vehicle. Depending what order the unit has been given they may fire in the movement or controlled fire sections. Controlled fire is more effective as you get in a full number of shots.

Troops in bunkers or not firing in deep trenches cannot be hit by small arms fire. Grenades, Molotov Cocktails and Mines are also covered. Although most small arms is direct fire H.M.G.s and M.M.G.s can fire indirect in the movement phase allowing movement to be covered by fire.

HIGH EXPLOSIVE FIRE

Direct fire is simple dice throw a 5 or 6 is a hit anything else is a miss. When a hit is scored consult the artillery chart for the size of the burst circle and its destructive power. Casualties are then diced for.

Constructions have a value once that value has been eroded by hits it no longer counts as cover.

Indirect fire is divided into three types.

1) Barrage fire, when you want to bombard a target for a good length of time.
2) Request fire, this is controlled by the unit the guns are supporting.
3) Support fire, this is controlled by the guns forward observation officer.

Request and support fire need a dice throw to see if the transmission of the grid references have been received. If the transmission is successful a cruciform device is centred over the target and a dice thrown to determine the fall of shot. If using support fire 1 is deducted each move from the score needed to score a hit. Effects are as for direct fire. Smoke may also be used.

CLOSE COMBAT

Infantry and cavalry use the Close Combat Chart. Infantry on attack orders may fire one round as they go in. After that just add up the factors for both sides the highest score is the winner. Divide the difference between the winners and losers scores by two, the result is the number of losers casualties. Other rules include capturing A.F.Vs and boarding stationary armoured trains.

AIRCRAFT

There are only two missions allowed Air Superiority and Ground Attack.

Air Superiority allows any fighter plane to neutralise an enemy bomber. If the bomber is escorted by a fighter the two fighters cancel one another out. Ground attack is carried out by Strafing, using the H.M.G. chart for the purpose. Dive Bombing is carried out as per direct H.E. fire. Bombing is done using the indirect fire device.

Anti-Aircraft is straight forward with automatic weapons get a better chance of a hit. When a hit is scored total the hits on a target up and check the total against the damage assessment chart.

CONCLUSION

Well there it is then a nicely presented and straightforward set of rules for the Spanish Civil War. They have plenty of flavour and excitement and give a good game. My mob have had some interesting set to's with them. One of these was at "Warfare" at Halesowen this year. This was our first try out for our "Land and Freedom" game. A town was in the centre of the table held by "Green" Anarchist Militia. The left of the town was held by "Green" Communist Militia. In support were a few guns and a unit of Asaltos with a Renault FT 17. The right of the town was held by Anarchists and their armoured lorries.

The "Fascists" had a Regular Army battalion of "Standard" morale, a Falange Battalion of "Hard" morale and Requete Battalion with "Veteran" morale. In support were Italian tanks, German Aircraft and artillery. It should have been a walkover for the fascists. Although they pushed back the Militia in the town it was only at the cost of heavy casualties. They were not helped by someone not bringing the matches for an Italian Flame-thrower tank. The fascists Regular Battalion was decimated by the fire of the Anarchists who died to a man amid their burning vehicles. Good stuff eh what! The Communists and Requetes suffered few casualties as being hit on the head by a copy of the bible or Carl Marx is rarely fatal!

Editors note : these rules are currently out of print, a second edition will be available in the middle of 1998 - hopefully accompanied with versions for other 20th century conflicts.