An Impossible War: The First Carlist War in the North, 1834-1838

About this board game

An Impossible War: The First Carlist War in the North, 1834–1838 is a two-player wargame for an approximately 420-minute session, released in 2025. It recreates the First Carlist War in northern Spain using blocks, counters, and cards.

The game centers on a main map covering the northern theater: Navarre, the Basque Provinces, and parts of Cantabria, Burgos, and La Rioja. A secondary map represents the rest of the country, where Carlist uprisings can break out and expeditions sent from the North may operate.

This two-map structure presents the conflict across both its principal northern regions and the wider Spanish setting. The block-based system is supported by additional counters and cards, bringing together the game’s key physical elements in one historical wargame.

An Impossible War includes three scenarios covering different periods of the conflict:

• Full War: the complete 1834–1838 conflict.
• Zumalacárregui’s War: 1834–1836.
• Espartero’s War: 1836–1838.

These scenario options cover the entire war or focus on one of two shorter periods. Whether examining the full span from 1834 to 1838 or playing through a more limited chapter, the game offers a focused recreation of the First Carlist War in the North of Spain.