SGS Battle For: Madrid

SGS Battle for Madrid is the second game in the new SGS Battle series, featuring intense battles and engagements in well-known (or not so well-known) small but intense locations; a “large tactical” scale for regiment, battalion, company and even platoon (depending on the game) and game turns that represent a very short real-world period of time (one or two days, half a day, a few hours…).

One of the many unique features of the Battle series compared to other SGS is the unit activation system, which means that not all units can move and fight in one turn. This will only be possible if they have been activated. And depending on the battles or episodes that take place during them, the activation restrictions will be more or less important.

Madrid is a symbol of the Spanish Civil War, one of the most intense battles of that conflict, which could have ended earlier for the Nationalists if they had won it. In this game you can play for both sides, Nationalists or Republicans, against another player in PBEM or in hot seat mode, against the AI.

Scale

In this particular game the units are mostly battalion-sized. The fighting takes place in the hills and plains west and south of the Spanish capital, as well as on the immediate approaches to the city. The game also includes “off-map boxes” to represent more remote areas (where nearby strategic points such as air bases are located)”.

Each turn of the game is equivalent to three days.

The game elements consist mainly of ground and some air units. The game features many types of troops and equipment available at the end of 1936. The political aspects of the battle are governed by events and maps.

SGS Battle for Madrid covers the period from October 9, 1936 to January 15, 1937, when the direct offensive was actively conducted, and then the battle turned to a siege at a distance until the subsequent fall of the city in 1939.

At the beginning of the battle, the forces of both sides are small in number, and the superiority in quality and strength is clearly in favor of the Nationalists. However, time is on the side of the Republicans: they receive more and more units every day, allowing them to strengthen their defenses and hold the city core.

The game will contain a grand campaign scenario covering the battle from October to January, as well as other (intermediate or shorter – see below) scenarios based on different starting days or limited to certain areas (Harama, University, etc.) of the battle.

We also plan to provide players with interesting options to explore possible “what-if” situations”.

The game will also feature historical events.

These can be either strictly historical or random, depending on their nature and/or depending on the game’s setting (historical scenario or “what if”). More effective Republican command? More troops for the Nationalists? More or less Soviet intervention or Axis support? Leadership on both sides can play a decisive role, as can the Republicans’ will to fight, represented by the “No Pasaran!” (They Shall Not Pass!) index, which will strengthen them when it grows, provided their defense holds out long enough.

Most events add to the immersion of the game by sticking to historical reality. All of them are carefully designed with extensive historical research to go beyond the game and bring its gameplay dimension closer to what could be an interactive history book.