El Camino Español Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• 1. Game Description
• 2. Set Up
• Phases of Game
  • 3.1 Diplomacy
  • 3.2 Event
  • 3.3 Operations
    • Reinforcements
    • Move
    • Battle
    • Siege Warfare
    • Prepare the Route to Flanders
  • 3.4 Enemy Movement
  • 3.5 Victory Check
  • 3.6 "TE DEUM"
• Spanish Army Strength and Spanish Leaders
• Momento de Tercio – Tercio Momentum

1. Game Description

'El Camino Español' is a solo wargame. Your objective is to reach Flanders and then evaluate your result.

2. Set Up

• Select one of the three Spanish leaders and place him in Lombardy. Place the Spanish Army strength marker on space 7 in the Registro de Fuerza (Strength Track). Place the Momento de Tercio marker on space 3 in the Registro de Juego (Game Track) – or in space 4 if you select Cardinal Infante Fernando.
• Choose the difficulty level for the game. This is the number of weeks you have to reach Flanders: Easy at 14 weeks, Medium at 12 or Hard at 10. Place the turn marker on space 0 in the Registro de Juego.
• Roll a dice to choose the region that corresponds to the number of the region that will be empty of enemy armies. Place the five enemy armies face down and mix them up, and place in the armies randomly, a single army in each region, and flip them. Regions and number indicating the region that will be empty of enemy armies: 1 Alsace, 2 Baden, 3 Lorraine, 4 Savoy, 5 Württemberg, 6 Lower Palatinate.

Phases of Game

During each turn, the following phases occur in order. Use six-sided dice for all rolls.

3.1 Diplomacy

On turns 2 – 6 the 'Burgundy Loyalty' is checked. Roll one die. If a 6 is rolled in any of those turns, this phase is not checked again for the rest of the game.

• 1-3: No effect
• 4-5: If enemy armies have been removed from the game, place one in Franco Condado. If more than one army has been removed, choose one at random – except for Ejército Coaligado (Allied Army). Remove the Camino Español marker, if any, from the region.
• 6: Franco Condado revolts! (Probably with French support…) Block movement through the region for the rest of the turn, and remove the Camino Español marker, if any, from the region. If you are already in Franco Condado, go to the TE DEUM phase (3.6), or you can continue playing this turn by rolling one die: 1 to 3 there is no effect, 4 to 6 reduce the Spanish Army strength by 1. Place the Revolt marker in Franco Condado as a reminder that the revolt has occurred. However, there is no effect on subsequent turns once the revolt has occurred.

3.2 Event

Roll one die to determine an event for the current turn.

• 1: Bad weather in the Alps. If the Spanish Army is in the Swiss Confederation, it can only use one Operation this turn. If you want to enter this region, it will cost you two Operations.
• 2: France interferes with the Spanish. -1 on the Logistics roll (during the Move Operation) if you move to Lorraine, Alsace or Savoy.
• 3: The Grisons League supports Spain. -1 on the Attrition roll (during the Move Operation) if you move through the routes in the Alps (yellow dashed lines).
• 4: Spanish engineers led by Gabriel Rebellón work efficiently. +1 on the roll for the Prepare the Route to Flanders Operation.
• 5: Revolt in the Holy Roman Empire. Roll one die for each Protestant enemy army or Ejército Coaligado that is in Lower Palatinate, Württemberg and Baden. Reduce the Spanish Army strength by 1 for each 6 that is rolled.
• 6: Reinforcements arrive. Increase the Spanish Army's strength by 1 (to a maximum value of 7).

3.3 Operations

You can perform up to two Operations during a turn. Choose from the following:

Reinforcements

1. Increase the Spanish Army strength by 1 if you are in Lombardy.

   OR

2. If you are not in Lombardy, roll one die. Subtract 1 for each region between you and Lombardy (including Lombardy) following the shortest route without enemy armies. On a result of 3 or more, increase the Spanish Army strength by 1. The Camino Español facilitates the arrival of reinforcements: If you have 3 Camino Español markers built, modify the roll +1. If you have 4 Camino Español markers built, modify the roll +2. If there is no route without enemy armies, reinforcements cannot be received.

Move

Move to an adjacent region following a path indicated on the map.

1. Attrition Roll: Move to an adjacent region following a route indicated on the map, with possible attrition if you cross the Alps (yellow dashed line). Roll one dice, and add the value indicated with + in yellow on the Alps route.

   • 1-2: No effect
   • 3-5: Reduce the Spanish Army strength by 1
   • 6 or more: Reduce the Spanish Army strength by 2

2. Logistics Roll: Some regions have a Logistics value shown in a smaller castle icon to the left of the main fortress icon (example: Baden's value is 1 and Alsacia's is 3). This value reflects the region's resistance to provide support and supplies to the Spanish Army. When moving from a region with a Logistics value, roll one die and reduce the result by the value. For each Camino Español marker on the map, modify your Logistics roll +1.

   • 1-2: Don't move
   • 3-6: Move successfully

   When moving from a region where you control the fortress and which has a Camino Español marker, do not make a Logistics roll.

NOTE: If you make a move that includes both an Alps route and a Logistics value, make both rolls.

Battle

If you and the enemy are in the same region, you must fight.

1. Both the Spanish Army and the enemy roll X dice simultaneously.
   • X dice for the Spanish Army: Spanish Army strength value plus Leader Battle modifier (B+).
   • X dice for the enemy: four dice for Italianos-Italians, five for Suizos-Swiss and six for the three Protestant armies – or seven dice if it is an Ejército Coaligado.
   • Hits: Each side scores one hit for every two results of 5 and 6 it rolls. This can be two 5s, two 6s, or one 5 and one 6.
2. The winner is the side that scores the most hits. In case of a tie, the enemy wins.
3. Reduce the Spanish Army's strength by 1 for each hit received from the enemy. If it reaches 0, you lose the game immediately.
4. Outcome of the battle:
   • If you survive and win the battle, remove the enemy army from the map.
   • If you survive and lose the battle, go to the TE DEUM phase (3.6). Both armies remain in the region.

Siege Warfare

A region's fortress must be under your control in order for the Spanish Army to move through it towards Flanders. You have two options below. Also, if there is an enemy army and a fortress in the same region, you cannot perform Siege Warfare until you have removed the enemy army.

1. Lay Siege: Force the fortress to surrender through attrition. But doing this will also reduce the strength of the Spanish Army. Reduce the strength by the number shown in the region's main fortress icon (example: Baden is 2 and Lower Palatinate is 3). You can follow a siege with another Operation, if you still have an operation available.

   OR

2. Assault the Fortress

   • Both the Spanish Army and the fortress roll X dice simultaneously.
     • X dice for the Spanish Army: Spanish Army strength value plus the Leader's Siege modifier (S+).
     • X dice for the enemy: Two dice for each level of the fortress's value (example: the Baden fortress rolls four dice). Franco Condado and Tyrol have no fortification value to show that they are part of Spain or Austria (which supported Spain).
     • Hits: Each side scores one hit for every two results of 5 and 6 it rolls. This can be two 5s, two 6s, or one 5 and one 6.
   • The winner is the player with the most hits. In the case of a tie, the enemy wins.
   • Reduce the Spanish Army's strength by 1 for each hit received from the enemy. If it reaches 0, you lose the game immediately.
     • If you survive and win the assault, you can carry out another Operation if you still have one available.
     • If you survive and lose the assault, you remain in the region. Go to the "TE DEUM" phase (3.6).

Prepare the Route to Flanders

If you find yourself in a region with no enemy army and whose fortress has been controlled, you can try to build a section of 'Camino Español' (Spanish Road). If you are in the Swiss Confederation subtract 2 from the roll; in Franche-Comté, Lorraine and Alsace subtract 1; in Tyrol add 1 to the roll.

• 1-2: the attempt fails
• 3 or more: place a Camino Español marker in the region.

3.4 Enemy Movement

For each enemy army that is not in the same region as you, roll one die and move it to an adjacent region following the values shown on the region's various routes (example: On a roll of 5 in Baden, the enemy army moves to Alsacia). You can roll for the armies in any order you want. If an enemy army moves into a region where there is already another enemy army, remove both armies and place one of the two Ejército Coaligado markers in the region. An 'Ejército Coaligado (Coalition Army) is formed by combining two single enemy armies that converge in the same region. If an Ejército Coaligado would have to move to where there is already an allied army, cancel the move.

3.5 Victory Check

1. If you reach Flanders, evaluate your accomplishment by counting the victory points as follows:

   • For each level of the Spanish Army's strength, you gain 2 Victory Points.
   • For each Camino Español marker on the map, you gain 2 Victory Points. You also gain 2 additional Victory Points if you have 3 or more markers placed in a row built, or 5 additional Victory Points if you have 4 or more markers in a row built.
   • For each successful Battle or Siege, you gain 1 Victory Point.
   • For each enemy army still on the map, you lose 2 Victory Points, or 4 points for each Ejército Coaligado. Total Victory Points can never be less than 0.
   • How victorious is your accomplishment?
     • Between 0 and 5 Victory Points (Pyrrhic Victory). The United Provinces offensive has been successful, and they have already conquered Flanders when your hungry soldiers arrive. You are too late to change the fate of Flanders!
     • Between 6 and 14 (Minor Victory). Your soldiers have arrived barely in time to support the war effort against the United Provinces offensive. But is it enough? Due to your laziness and delay, the conflict is still unresolved!
     • Between 15 and 24 (Medium Victory). Your soldiers have shown that they are prepared to withstand the challenges of the march and are ready to face the United Provinces offensive. But will it be enough? You're going to have a lot of work to do but you're on the right path (road) – ¡the Spanish Road!
     • Between 25 and 34 Victory Points (Major Victory). Your soldiers are the terror of Central European Protestants. The Rebel Provinces are humiliated and request peace. The king thanks you for reinstating Flanders to the crown!
     • 35 or more Victory Points (Epic Victory). The year is 2023. Spanish is spoken in Flanders. Wargamers from the Autonomous Community of the Netherlands and Belgium attend the 6th edition of Bellota Con, reuniting with their Spanish peninsular countrymen at the airport. There are only hugs and laughs.

   OR

3.6 "TE DEUM"

The churches announce a "TE DEUM" to support your goal to reach Flanders! Advance the turn marker one space. If it reaches the difficulty level/number of weeks chosen during setup and you have not arrived in Flanders, you and your troops have failed the Spanish monarchy. Suffer the dishonor of defeat!

Spanish Army Strength and Spanish Leaders

The Spanish Army strength goes from 0 (immediate defeat) to 7 (it can never exceed this value). Each value level represents approximately 2,000 soldiers – infantry, cavalry and artillery. Historically, the Spanish soldiers that marched from Lombardy to Flanders did not exceed 14,000 to 15,000 men. They lost units throughout the march due to suppressing revolts, fighting small battles and skirmishes, sieges, hunger and desertion. All Spanish Leaders have the same objective to reach Flanders, but they have some unique game play characteristics and modifiers that are indicated on their markers: B+ for Battle, S+ for Siege, and TM for Momento de Tercio.

Momento de Tercio – Tercio Momentum

Momento de Tercio is a game abstraction that reflects the Tercios soldiers' seniority, and their high skills as elite soldiers.

Momento de Tercio can only be used ONE time during each turn in one of the following ways:

• Re-roll one of the dice from a Reinforcement, Move, Battle or Siege Operation, keeping the best result of the initial die roll or re-roll.
• Perform one additional Move Operation.
• In a Battle or Siege, reduce the hits taken from the enemy by 1, or increase the hits the enemy takes by 1.
• +1 on the Logistics roll.

After using Momento de Tercio, move the marker one space towards 0. If it reaches 0, Momento de Tercio can't be used anymore. However, if you are in the Tyrol region move the marker one space towards 3 (or 4 if your leader is Cardinal Infante Fernando) but not beyond that space, reflecting the support of your Austrian ally.