- BGG rank
- BGG #2,753
- BGG rating
- 8.6
Crusade and Revolution: The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939
2013
Rules assistance for Crusade and Revolution: The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 180–480 min
- 14+
- Complexity 3.3/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Crusade and Revolution: The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939
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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Crusade and Revolution: The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939 is a board game released in 2013 for 2 players, 180–480 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by David Gómez Relloso and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Dice Rolling, and Point to Point Movement.
About the game
(from the designer:) "CRUSADE AND REVOLUTION: The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939" (C&R) is a card-driven point-to-point movement strategic-operational wargame that covers all the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). Its rules are based on Ted Raicer’s "Paths of Glory". Each player takes command of one of the sides (Nationalist or Republican), and looks after all the aspects that involve a war: mobilization, recruitment, movement of troops, offensives, construction of defences… There are also historical events that must be taken into consideration, as the foreign military aid, international policy, change of Republican Government, etc. [en Español:] "CRUZADA Y REVOLUCIÓN. La Guerra Civil Española, 1936-1939" (CyR) es un juego de guerra (wargame) a nivel estratégico-operacional con cartas y movimiento por zonas que simula la Guerra Civil Española (1936-1939). Sus reglas se basan en "Paths of Glory" de Ted Raicer. Cada jugador se pone al frente de uno de los dos bandos (Nacional o Republicano), y atiende todos los aspectos que implican una guerra: movilización, reclutamiento, movimiento de tropas, ofensivas, construcción de defensas… También hay eventos históricos que se deben tener en cuenta, como la ayuda militar extranjera, política internacional, cambio del gobierno republicano, etc. (from Compass Games website:) Crusade and Revolution (C&R) pulls together enjoyment, playability and historical simulation. It uses the traditional card-driven system, adapting it to the specific circumstances of the Spanish Civil War. Each player has his own deck of strategic cards, which are the heart of the game, and must make difficult choices on their use through-out the game. Each card has four possible uses, but only one of them can be chosen each time the card is played! The possibilities are: Recreate a Historical Event: Each card shows a historical event that affected the course of the war. They include political, military, economic and even social events, as well as the reinforcements that flowed to both sides through-out the war both from within Spain, and from foreign powers Germany, Italy and Russia. Conduct Operations: Each card has an operations value that is used for activating units on the game map for movement, preparing fortifications, or attacking. Strategic Redeployment (SR) of Troops: Each card has a Strategic Redeployment value that is used to move units great distances on the game map, or to bring units out of Reserve to shore up a threatened flank. Replacement Points for Reforming Your Army: Each card has a Replacement Point value which is recorded and used for repairing damaged or rebuilding destroyed units at the end of the turn. The greater impact the historical event of a card has on the game, the greater its Operations, SR and Replacements value. As such, a player is often faced with a dilemma while playing each card: use an important event, launch an offensive in a vulnerable zone, move units from one front to other, or accumulate replacements to recover from losses? Combine this with "Combat cards" that bring tactical benefits, and a player faces has a myriad of choices with each and every card. A complete C&R game is divided into three phases, which illustrate the evolution of the Spanish Civil War and introduce new strategic cards: The War of the Columns phase begins with the outbreak of war and finishes in February 1937. During this phase only “small units” are used, because both sides had limited combatants, almost all grouped in irregular units - called “columns”- that operated across large, poorly garrisoned fronts. The best of these “small units” are the Nationalist African Army regular army units – brought to the Spanish mainland from Morocco by Franco at the outbreak of the war. These units are strong, but brittle, as they cannot be replaced or replenished with Replacement Points. The Mobilization phase lasts from March 1937 to February 1938. During this period the two sides realized that the war would not be over quickly, and began to mobilize their human and material resources to form regular armies. The players deploy their first “large units” (army corps) and large battles erupt across Spain. The War of the Armies phase begins in March 1938 and lasts until the end of the war, in April 1939. During this time, the Nationalists tried to force the enemy’s unconditional surrender, while the Republic fought desperately to resist and prolong the Spanish Civil War so that it might merge with the threatening Second World War, which could be seen looming in the horizon. Take command of your forces! Marshall international aid and intervention to your side! But take care...for your opponent is doing the same, and while you may be planning on achieving a quick victory, you never know what a game of Crusade and Revolution may bring! Time Scale: 1 turn = Two months (1 month during the first 4 turns of the game) Map Scale: 1 space = approximately 60 kilometres (37 miles) Unit Scale: (Small Units) from Irregular columns to divisions. (Large Units) From reinforced divisions to army corps. Players: 2 Playing Time: Small Scenarios: 3-4 hours, Full Campaign: 8+ hours Components: One 22" by 34" map 110 Strategy Cards 176 5/8" diecut counters 280 1/2" diecut counters One Rulebook One Playbook Four Player Aid Cards Two six-sided dice Designer: David Gómez Relloso Developer: Kevin Bernatz Artist: Nicolás Eskubi Ugalde
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Compass Games
- 4Dados
Questions and answers
Crusade and Revolution: The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939 supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Crusade and Revolution: The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939 is 180–480 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Crusade and Revolution: The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939 for ages 14 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Crusade and Revolution: The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939 has a complexity rating of 3.3 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Crusade and Revolution: The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939 belongs to these categories: Wargame and Civil War. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Dice Rolling, and Point to Point Movement. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Crusade and Revolution: The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939 are: David Gómez Relloso. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Crusade and Revolution: The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939 as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.