20mm SCW - The Struggle for the Crossroads

 I googled "small scw wargame scenario" and the following was first out of the traps:

AI Overview

Wargame scenarios for the Spanish Civil War (SCW) are often designed for small-scale, infantry-centric battles, reflecting the nature of the conflict, which evolved from colonial-style actions and militia columns to a more proto-WWII conflict. 

Here is a general structure for a small SCW wargame scenario:

Scenario: The Struggle for the Crossroads

This scenario is ideal for skirmish or company-level rules systems (e.g., a Crossfire variant, Bolt Action modified for SCW, or Peter Pig's Bayonets and Ideology rules). The game can typically be played on a 3x5 foot table with objectives being the primary victory condition. 

Objectives

The goal is to control the vital crossroads which links several nearby villages and provides the only reliable route for resupply in the area. Control is determined by which side has more units within a specified radius of the crossroads at the end of the game. 

Republicans (Attackers): Must seize and hold the crossroads by the end of turn 8. They win if they control the crossroads objective.

Nationalists (Defenders): Must prevent the Republicans from securing the crossroads. They win if the Republicans do not control the objective at the end of turn 8. 

Forces

Forces should be small, perhaps a reinforced platoon or company per side, reflecting the ad-hoc nature of early war engagements. 

Republican Forces (Militia/International Brigade):

One Command Unit

3-4 Infantry Squads/Sections (often less trained, perhaps with lower morale)

Optional: One light machine gun (LMG) team

Optional: One light mortar team

Nationalist Forces (Rebels/Moroccan Regulares/Carlists):

One Command Unit

2-3 Infantry Squads/Sections (often more professional)

One HMG team

One Armored Car (e.g., an UNL-35 or Lancia IZM, if available in miniatures) 

Terrain and Setup

A 3' x 5' (or similar small size) table works well. The terrain should be simple: 

The center of the table features the main crossroads.

The road runs through a mixture of open fields and light woods.

A small, low hill or plateau is located near the crossroads, providing a key vantage point (similar to the terrain features in historical battles like Jarama).

Some buildings or a small village can be placed near the intersection for cover and line-of-sight blocking.

Use model breastworks or stacked logs for cover, reflecting improvised defenses common in the war. 

Special Rules & Conditions

Militia Morale (Republicans): Republican militia units might be subject to special morale rules, reflecting their enthusiastic but sometimes undisciplined nature.

Early War Imbalance: The war quickly evolved; this scenario can reflect an early engagement where one side might have slightly better equipment or training in specific areas (e.g., the Nationalists having more professional troops like the Foreign Legion).

Limited Assets: The lack of heavy armor or significant air support keeps the focus on infantry tactics and the specific character of the SCW.

Variable Forces: Allow players to "purchase" forces using a points system or "spend money" (representing foreign aid or local funds) to add a unit, as suggested in some existing scenarios. This allows for a unique composition each time. 

For more detailed scenarios, rules, and figure ideas, the Steven's Balagan blog and Yarkshire Gamer blog are excellent resources for SCW wargaming content. 

So, let's give that a try, shall we? First up, an AI generated "Commando" style image that will appear as the "header" for this post

I set up a twenty-turn game using our home brew AS9 rules. Numbers and supports were more or less as suggested by the AI - the Republicans were attacking the village with a 4:3 advantage.

Overview of the table, Republicans on the bottom edge, Nationalists defending the village and crossroads

Milicianas and FAI militia on the Republican left flank, plus MMG.

Republican Civil Guards and Assaltos on the right of the attack

Foreign Legionnaires holding the Nationalist left

Moorish MMG and an armoured car in the centre of the village

Moorish infantry backed up by Carlists Requeté militia.

Not sure what happened to turn one - but the Republicans got it and moved forward. The mortar had put a hit on the MMG

The firing phase of turn two, and the Republican mortar struck gold! They should have been firing at the armoured car, but I had mentally designated the MMG again.

On turn three, the Republicans advanced

The mortar targeted the armoured car but to no effect.

The Nationalists fired on the advancing Republicans and put a second hit on the Guardia Civile.

After another turn, the Guards were starting to waver 

The mortar crew got their eye back in and halted the Nationalist AC.

The Assaltos descended from the height on the right flank as the Civil Guards recovered somewhat and headed to occupy part of the village

The FAI and Moors exchanged fire, with the Republicans coming off second. Meanwhile, the milicianas moved left to try and get around the Moors flank

The armoured car crew rallied and then sustained fire from the Nationalists put the Civil Guards up to 4 hits and a retreat next time, if they failed to rally at least one hit off.

They duly failed and fell back towards the Republican start line. The armoured car put a hit on the Republican MMG.

The Assaltos (Assault Guards) lived up to their name - and assaulted the Foreign Legionnaires - a bit rash perhaps?

Yip - the Nationalists prevailed and the Assaltos bounced back

The Civil Guards failed to rally again and continued to fall back as the Republican MMG took a second hit and was wiped out!

The Guards succeeded in rallying in the nick of time - ¡Hurra!

The armoured car advanced, planning to move to a position where it could bring the pesky mortar crew under fire. Meanwhile, the Moors small arms had put the FAI militia under pressure.

The mortar responded in fine style, by halting the Nationalist vehicles advance!

The milicianas crept forward through the shelter of the woods

Next turn, having failed to rally, the armoured car crew nonetheless brought the FAI to the brink of collapse. Seizing the opportunity, the Moors officer waved his fierce tribal warriors forwards

Unsurprisingly, the Republican militia collapsed and fled in the face of the aggressive assault!

Seeing the Civil Guards again under pressure, the Foreign Legion abandoned their safe defensive position and advanced boldly

The Republican mortar struck again - and the Nationalist armoured car was destroyed.

The Milicianas, having seen the destruction of their FAI comrades, charged back to engage the despised Moors. In no hold barred close combat, they expelled the North Africans from their recently gained position, driving them back whence they came!

But the clock was ticking, and the Nationalists were still in full control of the crossroads

The Civil Guards and Legionnaires clashed 

With a plus one for being La Legion, the result was a draw!

The mortar now targeted the Moorish infantry!

With the deadline to secure the crossroads almost reached, the Miliciana commander led an do or die charge against the Moors occupying the buildings in front of them....

But there was to be no fairy tale ending - the Moors easily overcame the spirited attack and the Milicianas were forced to retire.

On the other flank, against the odds, the Civil Guards bested the Legionnaires.

By this stage, every unit (with the exception of the Carlist Requeté militia) was carrying at least two hits.

 

And that's how it ended - the Nationalists held the crossroads relatively easily in the end, despite losing the armoured car and MMG.

Well, that worked pretty well, I thought (although I would, of course, have preferred the Republican "good guys" to win!). It was nice to get the SCW figures out on the table again, too.

And just cos I am obsessed with AI at the moment - I typed this into Gemini now - "create a small skirmish level wargame scenario for the spanish civil war using 20mm individually based figures on a 3 feet by 3 feet table"

And this is what it did in about three seconds:

That sounds like a great, manageable scenario! A small, bloody encounter typical of the early months of the war would be perfect for a 3' x 3' table and individual 20mm figures.

Here is a scenario for a Spanish Civil War skirmish called "The Assault on the Casa del Pueblo".

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🇪🇸 The Assault on the Casa del Pueblo 🇪🇸

Scenario Overview

Detail	Description
Conflict	Spanish Civil War (July-August 1936)
Setting	A small, working-class district on the outskirts of a provincial town.
Forces	Nationalist/Rebel (Moroccan Regulares, Falangists) vs. Republican/Loyalist (CNT-FAI Anarchist Militia, Assault Guards).
Objective	The Nationalists must seize the Casa del Pueblo (Workers' House) held by the Republican militia before reinforcements arrive.
Table Size	3 feet x 3 feet (approx. 90cm x 90cm)
Scale	20mm individually based figures (one figure = one man)

Table Setup (3' x 3')

1. The Casa del Pueblo: The centerpiece should be a large, two-story building in one corner or along one edge of the table. This is the objective. It should have removable floors/roof for interior combat.

2. Supporting Buildings: 2-3 smaller buildings (shacks, stores, tenement houses) scattered across the table, providing cover and line-of-sight blocks.

3. Street/Plaza: A central street or dusty plaza connecting the main deployment areas.

4. Cover: Scatter plenty of low walls, rubble piles, sandbag barricades, and parked vehicles (a truck or bus) for cover.

5. Deployment:

   • Republicans: Deploy all figures inside the Casa del Pueblo and the immediately adjacent building.

   • Nationalists: Deploy all figures along the opposite edge of the table (at least 20" from the Casa del Pueblo).

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Forces

Use 10-12 figures per side. Unit composition should reflect the early war period.

I. Nationalist/Rebel Force (12 Figures)

Unit	Figures	Role	Notes
Command	1 Officer (Pistol)	Leader, rallying	+1 Morale bonus to nearby troops.
Regulares	4 Figures (Rifles)	Elite shock troops	High Morale, disciplined.
Falangists	4 Figures (Rifles)	Fanatics, close assault	Low Morale, but a bonus in hand-to-hand combat.
Fire Support	2 Figures (LMG Team)	Medium Machine Gun (LMG)	Deployed on the flank for suppression.
Special	1 Figure (Grenades)	Assaulter	Carries 2-3 hand grenades (for assaulting buildings).

II. Republican/Loyalist Force (10 Figures)

Unit	Figures	Role	Notes
Command	1 Militia Leader (Rifle/Pistol)	Leader, rallying	+1 Morale bonus to nearby troops.
CNT-FAI Militia	5 Figures (Rifles/Shotguns)	Experienced workers	Mediocre Morale, but excellent in close defense/H2H.
Assault Guards	2 Figures (Rifles)	Trained police	Better shots, reliable.
Fire Support	1 Figure (LMG)	Light Machine Gun (LMG)	Inside the objective building for overwatch.
Special	1 Figure (Molotov Cocktails)	Anti-vehicle/Anti-door	Carries 2-3 Molotov Cocktails (treat as grenades with a small fire effect).

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Special Rules & Victory Conditions

Special Rules

1. Improvised Fortifications: The Casa del Pueblo has one main entrance barricaded (requiring a successful close combat action or a grenade/Molotov to breach) and a few small firing holes cut into the walls. Only figures inside can shoot out of the objective building.

2. Fanaticism vs. Resolve:

   • Falangists: Always pass Morale checks when moving towards the objective or charging into close combat.

   • Militia: Treat close combat defending the Casa del Pueblo as a Tie Result on the first turn regardless of rolls (they fight harder on home ground).

3. Nationalist Time Limit: The Nationalists are under a time constraint to secure the area before Republican reinforcements arrive. The game lasts for a maximum of 8 turns.

Victory Conditions

The game ends after 8 turns or when one side is completely eliminated/routed.

Nationalist/Rebel Victory:

• Major Victory: Control the Casa del Pueblo (have at least one figure in the building and no Republican figures inside) and have suffered less than 50% casualties (6 figures).

• Minor Victory: Control the Casa del Pueblo at the end of Turn 8.

• Draw: Neither side achieves their primary objective.

Republican/Loyalist Victory:

• Major Victory: Hold control of the Casa del Pueblo at the end of Turn 8 AND the Nationalist force has suffered 7 or more casualties.

• Minor Victory: Hold control of the Casa del Pueblo at the end of Turn 8 (any surviving figures inside).

• Draw: Neither side achieves their primary objective.

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This scenario offers a great mix of close-quarters combat, suppression fire, and an urgent objective, which is perfect for a fast-paced skirmish game!

Would you like some recommendations for generic stat lines for the different unit types (e.g., Regulares, Militia) based on a common skirmish ruleset?