The Peninsular War 1808-1814 in Britain is usually seen through the eyes of the English Army and its many successful battles and sieges with a footnote that "guerrilla" means "small war" in Spanish. The Spanish and indeed Portuguese contribution is often neglected or only mentioned when their forces are under the direct command of Wellington. The French are seen as capable of beating anything in a white coat, but as soon as they face anything in red they are automatically beaten.

This is all good stuff as far as it goes, but it was to be the Spanish rising in Madrid in May 1808, followed by the brilliant victory at Bailen, the bloody sieges of Gerona and Saragossa and the constant ability of the Spanish to rise, get beat and rise again that made the war such a drain on Napoleon’s Empire.

In Spanish Ulcers: 3rd Referral we return after more than a decade to this fascinating and bloody conflict that makes an excellent Megagame topic.

The overall game structure will be seasonal turns of half an hour starting from Spring 1809 during which teams will recruit, manoeuvre and fight their way across the Iberian Peninsula. There will be roles for French, Spanish and Anglo-Portuguese generals. As befits the split between the Spanish Junta and the “Josefinos” of Frenchified Spanish there will be political roles as well.

Game Roles

Spanish Military	Spanish Political
French Military	"Josefinos"
Anglo-Portuguese	Umpire