Friday afternoon (morning) in Spain

 The development of my Spanish Civil War rules carries on apace, with the writing up going hand in hand with me plugging the holes I spot as I go along, and some dialogue with one of my play-testers (mostly Jon F). After the game a week last Tuesday, there was some discussion about the long sequences of activations that one side or the other was able to put together, during which time the opponent was unable to respond. I've been kicking a few ideas around, and it was time to give them a go. I decided I needed to squeeze in another game in addition to my regular Monday Night slot, and also run a simple two player game where I got to push the toys around to try out things I wanted to see, rather than what the players wanted to do.

So on Friday afternoon for me and Friday morning for Jon I got some more toys out, loaded the most recent rules up on my temperamental tablet and ran off a copy of the latest QRS.

In an attempt to use as many different units and armies as possible during the testing I moved the action up to Euzkadi, and fielded some Basques (supported by the Popular Army), and the Carlists, supported by the Italians. I took the Basques and their allies, and set them up to defend a town, and gave Jon the attackers.

The Basques are to the left, holding the town. The Popular Army occupied the Casa Don Enrico near the river, and the furthest olive grove, securing the flanks.

Here are the Basques in the town, protected by barbed wire too. The Observer for the artillery is on the top of the buildings on the right. Behind the town is a battery of 152mm howitzers.

A close up of my brave fellows in the Casa. When I put them out I found some heavy mortars I'd forgotten I'd painted skulking on the box, so I put them out too.

Here we see the Carlists entering, behind their crucifixes, and led proudly by their Lancia armoured car, borrowed from the Italians.

The Italians, or course, had some armour and a battery of field guns (plus off table heavy howitzers too).

Jon as the attacker went first. He opened up by unlimbering his guns and shelling the town.

Made aware of his guns, my observer called down the 152mm howitzers down on them.

On my left flank Jon (or should it be "Juan")  sent his armour on a flanking manoeuvre, and supported it be infiltrating a battalion of infantry into the other olive grove. 

In the background you can see the other Italians entering the newly harvested corn fields.

Time to switch fire (we're in turn two now, I think), and call down my heavy guns on them.

Throwing caution to the winds, Jon drove his CV35s into the olive grove as a close assault attack on the infantry occupying it. They took a Tank Terror test, which they promptly failed, and fled the olive grove in blind panic (they were rated "reluctant").

Spurred by this success, the Carlists ordered forwards their armoured car. It drove up to the Casa and opened fire (I say "armoured car" - the model represents 3 actual vehicles).

The Carlists also occupy the Convent building, to check it hasn't been defiled by the Godless Republicans. Jon is pressing forwards everywhere, and I'm not taking enough photos.

Airstrike!! Some pesky Fiat Fighters buzz the town, machine-gunning the defenders.

Jon's gamble with the armoured car fails dismally. After some ranging shots, the MG company concentrates its fire, and with successive rolls of 6,5 and 5,6 from the two bases of MGs, destroy it utterly. 

The Italian armour continued through the olive grove, machine gunning as they went, and crashed into my infantry this time. Already badly rattled, they took to their heels and fled. That opened up my flank quite badly.

Meanwhile my howitzers zeroed in on the other unit in the corn field....

...and the mortars at the Casa found a good target with the Carlists behind the armoured car taking some stick. I don't have a picture, but previously they'd been shellacking the Carlists in the convent. I quite like these mortars. They're good.

Oh no! More aircraft, this time some Heinkel 111s. The bombing run is quite painful.

I have to lift the howitzer fire in the centre, so I can direct them on more pressing targets. In the meantime I've been able to direct a lot of small arms on the Carlists in the central olive grove, and  troop, and inflict a lot of damage.

Jon finally calls in his off table artillery fire, and manages to plaster a field.

We had to call it time there, as it was coming up on evening, UK time. I'd held all the objectives, and given the Carlists quite a bloody nose. The Italian armour, however, has played a blinder, and looks like they'll overrun my heavy guns. If Jon does that then I've got very little that can pin his advancing troops, and he can get up close and soften me up for an assault on the town. He hasn't really used them yet, but one of those central Italian units has a heavy mortar battery embedded in it.

So, how did it go? The rule changes worked well, and I got outcomes I liked, and Jon thought they improved things too. I picked up some other things I can tweak as well, so a really satisfactory afternoon's testing.

I've got quite a long road to go still, I think, to get the final version looking like I want it, but the rule mechanisms are looking good, and giving me the look and feel of the game I want.

A good place to pause the testing ahead of Christmas.