Spain and Portugal

GDW's Europa Series

Review by David Pope

Designed by John M. Astel
Game Designers' Workshop P.O. Box 1646, Bloomington, IL 61702-1646
Released: September, 1984
Catalog No. 827
Price: $12.00
Complexity: Experienced
Solitaire Suitability: Good

Somehow, the Spanish Civil War is not very well explored in the historical gaming hobby. I suppose it's due to the obvious lack of flashy tank columns and huge battles, but I get the feeling that something valuable has been missed as a result.

Spain and Portugal is Game Designers' Workshop's latest addition to their Europa series, and it is just that -- an addition. The box specifically states that it is only an expansion module for Europa, not a separately playable game. This brings us to the point in the story when I begin to sound like Andy Rooney... "Did you ever wonder why some games aren't really games, but just add-on items? They call them 'expansion modules' or 'gamettes' but it's really all the same thing. They're games you need other games to play."

Part of Europa's original charm was that the games could be played separately, and off in the hazy future gamers could look forward to and fantasize about putting it all together and redoing the Second World War at division/ regiment level. But in the mantime you could play the individual and be entertained. Well, with respect due GDW's research and development team, it wouldn't have been a bad idea to capitalize on a virtually unexplored aspect of World War II.

Spain and Portugal's components are nice, compared to the other games in the series. The map includes the Iberian Peninsula as well as a piece of Morocco which goes inland as far as Fez. The counters are also nicely done, and include the Gibraltar garrison as well as Portuguese forces. And of course, the rules come in their standard format, ready for the three-ring binder. S&P is ready for the arrival of the rest of the system. Last, the rules make interesting reading, for they include the usual studied content, but they also include a by othetical German invasion scenario which is played in conjunction with GDW's Fall of France game.

But, I'm disappointed because all this time I hoped that GDW would do S&P with the Spanish Civil War as a feature. It is explained in the rules that the financial aspect was a determining factor in the decision not to cover the Spanish Civil War, and that's understandable. The added expense required to turn out such a game might not be offset by the quality of the product or the response it receives by the gamers. Still, I feel that GDW missed a good opportunity to bring to light a little-explored and almost untouched, but nonetheless important, facet of the ordeal of total war.

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