We received the following press release. --RL Markham Designs is proud to announce its latest release, Guadalajara, 1937 on August 20th. Covering the battle north of Madrid, Guadalajara 1937 will kick off a new series of games that will cover some of the most significant battles of the Spanish Civil War. Units will be at battalion/regiment level and hexes will be .75 kilometers wide. The Battles of the Spanish Civil War System continues the philosophy of Markham Designs - keep it simple and make it elegant. The only work the gamer should have to do is have fun. Guadalajara, 1937 is a big game by DTP standards. It comes with 10 11" by 17" maps and 300 die cut counters, as well as rules and charts. While big, the game is highly playable. It is suitable for two-player, solitaire, or multi-player play. The counters are as near to professional quality as any DTP game has come. For those unfamiliar with the battle, it pits the Nationalist forces of Franco (represented by the Moroccan forces) and the "volunteers" from fascist Italy (including the Black Arrow and Black Flame Divisions). The use of the Italian forces in the battle would, once and for all, lift the artifice of an all-Spanish fight for all the world to see. In an attack from the north of Madrid, the Nationalists attempted to complete the circle around Madrid, while the Republicans desperately fought to hold open the line of communications from Madrid. The battle was a wild, see-saw affair with the initial surge of the Nationalists countered by an aggressive counter-attack by the Republicans. The game system includes rules for artillery, armor, air superiority, armored trains, supply, and morale. The basic rules set is only 7 pages in length and the exclusive rules are another two pages. Simple, but not simple-minded, the learning curve is so quick that 30 minutes after opening the package you should be setting up counters and preparing for play. Playtesting for this game has been a lot of fun, as both sides get their chances for automatic victories. While big, measuring 34" by 48", the campaign game can be played in a long afternoon, with the initial 'Nationalist Assault' scenario taking 2 to 3 hours to play. Currently, Guadalajara, 1937 is available for the prepublication price of $45, plus $3.50 shipping domestically (overseas costs $8 shipping). After September 20, 2001, the price will rise to $50. Send checks or money orders to: Rob Markham, 30 Erickson Road, New Milford, CT 06776. Back to 3rd Quarter 2001 List of News Items Back to Master List of News Items Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 2001 by Coalition Web, Inc. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com