2 de Mayo is an abstract game of the terrible incidents that took place in Madrid on May 2, 1808. On that date, civilians in Madrid — and a few Spanish army units — rebelled against the French occupation troops of Napoleon.

2 de Mayo is a bilingual (English and Spanish) boardgame for two players, in which each player controls the forces of one side, either Spanish or French. The game lasts 10 turns and takes about 20-30 minutes to play.

Each turn is divided into four phases:

1. Preparation
2. Orders
3. Movement
4. Resolution

At the end of Turn 10, the French player achieves victory if all the Spanish forces have been eliminated, all the access areas to Madrid are French garrisoned and has not lost four or more cubes. If a French victory does not apply, the Spanish player wins.

The game includes:

• board showing the old map of Madrid, divided in 21 areas or zones
• 41 wooden cubes: 30 blue (representing the French troops), 10 red (representing the Spanish civilians and troops), and 1 unpainted used as the turn marker.
• 22 event cards, 11 French (blue back); and 11 Spanish (red back)
• 2 player aid cards
• 1 turn track card
• rulebook, including historical commentaries and a full example of play