SNAFU Design is our wargames and History games publishing project. The aim of the company is, at least for the moment, to publish small-format wargames (ziplock, A3 or A2 maps, not more than 120 counters) covering "less wargamed" themes. 

SNAFU Team is a wargaming club created in 1992, always based near Barcelona (on the Vallès shire). After using premises in different cities, four years ago the club purchased permanent premises in the city of Sabadell and opened a wargaming-oriented shop (SNAFU Store). With a gaming experience of more than 30 years, the dream of creating and publishing our own games has always been in our collective mind, and two years ago we started the development of our first game and thus SNAFU Design was born.

So, what are our publishing aims? As we commented, in this first foray into the wargame publishing world, our aim is to publish small-footprint wargames, inspiring themes, heavily playtested and rundabout rules.

Our first release, in march 2021 was the game, Ambon: Burning Sun & Little Seagulls, the first of a series called "Snafu Small Battles". Ambon is a two player wargame designed by Marc Figueras, that simulates the battle that took place between 30th January and 3rd February 1942 in the island of Ambon, in the Moluccas, and in which a Japanese force composed of the 228th Regiment of the 38th Division of the IJA and the 1st Kure Special Naval Landing Force occupied the island against a force composed of the Dutch Molukken Brigade and the Australian "Gull Force". The aim of the Japanese player is to conquer as soon as possible the three main key locations in Ambon as well as some secondary key locations. The sooner the Japanese conquers these locations, the more victory points he will receive. So, for the Japanese it's a race against the clock, while the Allied player must slow down the Japanese advance without suffering too many losses.

The game map and counters for Ambon have been designed by Nils Johansson, a gorgeous work, trying to really innovate in the field of wargaming maps. 


Final Art Cover Version  Game components (with player aids)   


You can read more details on the game in this article by The Player's AidInterview with Marc Figueras (SNAFU design).

The Snafu Small Battles #2, released in october 2021, ''Santander '37'', a reimplementation of Javier Romero's Corpo Truppe Volontarie: Santander 1937. The reimplementation is not ust a graphical revamp, several rules have been rewritten to make the game more simple (for example, victory points and republican morale are now unified, the basque surrender is more variable, the Reinosa Factory has more effects, and some other improvements).

 Santander 37 cover (SNAFU Edition)  Santander 37 map

This Snafu Small Battles #2 is also a great job of Nils Johansson as graphical designer, and his approach to the game design brings the players to the mood of 1937.

You can read more details on the game in this article by The Player's AidInterview with Javier Romero Designer of Santander ’37 from SNAFU Design

Snafu Small Battles #3 ''Equatorial Clash'', released in june 2022, is a simulation of the Perú-Ecuador war of 1941. This small war was the most important clash in the long series of wars, skirmishes and border conflicts between these two countries for the regions that both considered rightfully theirs. The overall border conflict began right after the independence from Spain in 1822 and lasted until 1998, with the signature of a definitive peace and border delimitation set of accords. In 1941, although there were combats at many border points, the main operations took place near the coast, in the axis from Tumbes in Perú to Machala in Ecuador, so the game is centered around these combats. Operations lasted almost a month, from July 5 to July 31, when a cease-fire was signed, and although there were also small clashes afterwards, until January 1942, the game, again, is centered around those weeks of July.

 

Snafu Small Battles #4 "12 hours at Maleme" is a tactical game about the combats for Maleme aerodrome in Crete, 1941. The game is in advanced phase of playtest and not yet available! Stay tuned for first quarter of 2023!!

12 Hour at Maleme cover

In the pipeline, and to be published in no particular order we have :

  • a grand tactical game of some battles of the Equatorian War of Independence. General Sucre on the highs of Ecuador.
  • an operational game on the 30 Days War in the Orient.
  • a solitaire about the nationalist offensive against Euskadi in 1937 : Bizkaia'37.
  • a solitaire about the republican crossing of the Ebro in 1938 : The Crossing
  • A 2 player game on the aerial war over Malta in 1941-1942 :  Nothing Left To Bomb

Molt Soroll per Un Rei (Much Ado for a King). Released in December 2021 and available!

mapPortada

Molt Soroll per a un Rei is a game to be played solitaire in wich the player take the role of King Peter the Great. The game is based on the well-known States of Siege mechanism created by Darin A. Leviloff. The game has been designed by Marc Figueras and María Pitarque and developed by Oscar Oliver. The graphic design is an original idea by Jordi Roca, with the finishing touch by Mireia Girbau, who is the illustrator on the cover. This game will be available only in Catalan and Euskera at the moment.