Popular Front: Escalation

Popular Front: Escalation Rulebook

Table of Contents

Expansion Rules
Faction Abilities and Escalation Cards

Expansion Rules

The base Popular Front rules apply unchanged. In addition, the following rule changes may be used.

Commanders

Each player uses the abilities of their commander card. The faction abilities are listed under "Faction Abilities and Escalation Cards" below.

Turn Order

In the first round, turn order depends on the total value of the cities each player controls. The player with the lowest total value goes first, and the player with the highest total value goes last.

In each later round, turn order is determined by the total Political value each player has played over the whole game. This is tracked on a separate track. If several players are tied, their order among themselves is determined as in the base game.

Sea Routes

Cities connected by sea routes do not count as neighbouring cities for the purposes of muster and isolation.

New units in such cities can always be mustered, regardless of the number of neighbouring cities. However, the muster cost increases to 2 points per 1 unit.

Uncontested Captures and Retreat

If a city is taken without a battle, the attacking player draws 1 card immediately, as usual. The player does not receive the extra card for that city at the end of the turn.

Any units that have nowhere to retreat are removed from the board.

A player may also surrender a city without a battle if the player's units have nowhere to retreat.

Faction Abilities and Escalation Cards

Each faction's ability is listed first, followed by its card list as printed on the source card sheet. Values in parentheses are copied from the sheet; the sheet does not explain the "n/nE" notation, so it is reproduced as printed. Cards marked with an E suffix are Escalation cards.

Spanish Falange (Fascists)

Ability: Industry. After drawing cards for winning the Political phase, the player may shuffle any number of Production cards from the discard pile back into the deck.

5th Column (1) — hire two units in any friendly cities.
Aircraft (1/1E) — destroy one card of your choice from the enemy reserve.
AirliftE (1) — move one group of units across three (or fewer) connections. The group may pass through enemy cities but may not stop in them.
Armor (1/1E) — destroy one deployed enemy card of your choice.
Artillery (1) — destroy one random card in the enemy reserve.
Coup (1) — has value 4 if played for Political.
Election (2) — has value 3 if played for Political.
Elite (1) — cannot be destroyed while deployed.
FortificationE (1) — while deployed, may be destroyed by you instead of the card the opponent chooses (even a reserve card).
Infantry (3) — destroy one deployed enemy card chosen by the opponent.
Leader (1) — cannot be destroyed while deployed.
March (2) — has value 3 if played for Muster.
Mobilize (2) — has value 4 if played for Muster.

Requetés (Carlist militia)

Ability: Good Training and Motivation. Each round, after turn order is determined (and after the Socialists' ability is activated), the player may discard a card to move their marker to first place, shifting the others down. If this is the last card, the player does not draw a new one.

5th Column (1) — hire two units in any friendly cities.
Aircraft (1) — destroy one card of your choice from the enemy reserve.
Armor (1) — destroy one deployed enemy card of your choice.
Artillery (1) — destroy one random card in the enemy reserve.
ChurchE (2) — until the end of this round, the Nationalists win all battles that end in a tie.
Coup (1) — has value 4 if played for Political.
Election (2) — has value 3 if played for Political.
Elite (1) — cannot be destroyed while deployed.
GuerillaE (1) — destroy one enemy unit in a city containing at least two.
Infantry (3) — destroy one deployed enemy card chosen by the opponent.
Leader (1) — cannot be destroyed while deployed.
LegionnairesE (3) — cannot be destroyed in reserve.
March (2/2E) — has value 3 if played for Muster.

Carlists (Monarchists)

Ability: Ideological Indoctrination. Once per turn, after winning an attack, the player may add one of the cards played in that battle to Political instead of discarding it.

5th Column (1) — hire two units in any friendly cities.
Aircraft (1) — destroy one card of your choice from the enemy reserve.
Armor (1) — destroy one deployed enemy card of your choice.
Artillery (1) — destroy one random card in the enemy reserve.
Coup (1) — has value 4 if played for Political.
Election (2/2E) — has value 3 if played for Political.
Elite (1) — cannot be destroyed while deployed.
GuerillaE (1) — destroy one enemy unit in a city containing at least two.
Infantry (3) — destroy one deployed enemy card chosen by the opponent.
Leader (1) — cannot be destroyed while deployed.
March (2) — has value 3 if played for Muster.
Mobilize (2) — has value 4 if played for Muster.
NavyE (1) — has value 3 in battles in cities with at least one naval connection.

Communists (Popular Front)

Ability: Proletarian Supremacy. At the end of each turn, after drawing cards, the player may discard the top card of the deck to find a Partisan card in the deck or the discard pile. If the deck was searched, it is shuffled.

5th Column (1) — hire two units in any friendly cities.
5th RegimentE (1) — cannot be destroyed.
Aircraft (1/1E) — destroy one card of your choice from the enemy reserve.
Armor (1/1E) — destroy one deployed enemy card of your choice.
Artillery (1) — destroy one random card in the enemy reserve.
CominternE (3) — shuffle any number of cards from the discard pile into the deck, excluding Comintern cards.
Coup (1) — has value 4 if played for Political.
Election (2) — has value 3 if played for Political.
Elite (1) — cannot be destroyed while deployed.
GuerillaE (1) — destroy one enemy unit in a city containing at least two.
Infantry (3) — destroy one deployed enemy card chosen by the opponent.
Leader (1) — cannot be destroyed while deployed.
March (2) — has value 3 if played for Muster.

Anarchists (National Confederation of Labour / Federation of Anarchists of Iberia)

Ability: Separate Goals. Once per turn, the player may discard a pair of identical cards to draw three cards from the deck.

5th Column (1) — hire two units in any friendly cities.
Aircraft (1) — destroy one card of your choice from the enemy reserve.
Armor (1) — destroy one deployed enemy card of your choice.
Artillery (1) — destroy one random card in the enemy reserve.
Coup (1) — has value 4 if played for Political.
Election (2) — has value 3 if played for Political.
Elite (1) — cannot be destroyed while deployed.
FortificationE (1) — while deployed, may be destroyed by you instead of the card the opponent chooses (even a reserve card).
GuerillaE (1) — destroy one enemy unit in a city containing at least two.
Infantry (3) — destroy one deployed enemy card chosen by the opponent.
Leader (1) — cannot be destroyed while deployed.
March (2/2E) — has value 3 if played for Muster.
Mobilize (2) — has value 4 if played for Muster.

Socialists (General Union of Workers)

Ability: Coordination. After winning the Political phase (but before the Requetés' ability is activated), the player may choose a position in the turn order.

5th Column (1) — hire two units in any friendly cities.
Aircraft (1) — destroy one card of your choice from the enemy reserve.
Armor (1) — destroy one deployed enemy card of your choice.
Artillery (1) — destroy one random card in the enemy reserve.
Coup (1) — has value 4 if played for Political.
Election (2/2E) — has value 3 if played for Political.
Elite (1) — cannot be destroyed while deployed.
FortificationE (1) — while deployed, may be destroyed by you instead of the card the opponent chooses (even a reserve card).
Infantry (3) — destroy one deployed enemy card chosen by the opponent.
International BrigadeE (3) — has value +1 for each friendly card in Political, if deployed.
Leader (1) — cannot be destroyed while deployed.
March (2) — has value 3 if played for Muster.
Mobilize (2) — has value 4 if played for Muster.