"Wargaming Modern "Narco-Terrorism" " Topic

Hi, I've been following the pathetic narco-terrorism campaign down in Mexico. The Federal government of Mexico City is now using its military to fight the drug cartels (that range the entire gambit from informal criminal enterprises to a cult-like atmosphere such as La Familia).

The tally has been pretty gruesome (with bullet ridden bodies and severed heads strewn in local discos). Now, the cartels are not only killing police and law enforcement officials, but they're wiping out entire families of those slain in the line of duty!

Has anyone thought about wargaming this? I guess you could use Chain Reaction or Force on Force. And does anyone have a line of figures made for this "conflict"? I know of several companies that make gang-bangers and police miniatures (besides terrorists) like Thugz Miniatures, The Assault Group, Copplestone Castings, and Foundry. But where would you get figures for Mexican or Columbian military?

It's not something I'd want to game, but some obscure modern conflicts come up on my radar screen like Angola, Chad, or the Congo and I sometimes wonder if it might be worth doing…

Blake

I've been considering it, in 28mm
I was thinking along the lines of Jungla raids to bust labs in the jungle.
they use m-4's and M60's so SWATfigures with headswops, (berets or jungle hats) should be close
link

Chain reaction or maybe Dogs of war for rules, keeping it small.

dont forget Mongrel's Lebanesefor gangs either :)

Apparently, some of that is going on, on this side of the border as well, but it is under-reported.

A few channels have shows on the issue, like National Geographic of late. The gang shows on the History/Discovery Channel are pretty good too.

For gaming, the NT's get 50% or more in terms of points to play with than the government troops, and they get to choose the initiative 80% – 90% of the time.

It will be very hard to win against such a well-funded, and corrupt organization, which has tentacles in all branches of governmental service, e.g. law enforcement, judiciary, military, and the executive branches.

Honest people will never know who they can trust, and bribes/threats from the NT's have a huge impact on many.

We've skirmish gamed U.S. spec ops operating against cartels in Central and South America. Check out "Clear and Present Danger."

This is right along the lines of one my 2010 projects. (You know, things we hope to get around to ) Still tinkering on the actual background story, so far it will center on the idea that domestic terrorism takes root in America along with drug cartel turf wars. As the situation worsens and local law enforcement is overwhelmed, the Federal government steps in and before long the US is edging toward a "Police State". This in turn gives rise to Militias.

Can't say any of it is remotely possible, but it is a good excuse to roll dice and push minis across the table.

I have decided to run it with Savage Worlds Showdown using 1/72 scale figures.

There have been a number of incidents/kidnappings, etc. in border towns on this side of the Rio Grande.

They don't get covered much, since the press and the government don't want to talk about it, but I suspect it is a lot worse than anyone realizes.

Apparently, the drug cartels have a presence through their gang affiliations, in most of the major cities throughout the USA, and not just in the border towns/cities, or even the states bordering with Mexico.

Every once in a while, a news story surfaces, but then is quickly forgotten.

In 20mm Liberation Miniatures have a developing range of "Banana Wars" minis. Plus an an enourmous range of US military that are ideal for the Federales.

Los Zetas give an impression of pretty competent military unit with both excellent training, technical know-how and financial backup. Must be really tough for Mexican law enforcement agencies to fight those guys, but it could give inspiration for some interesting scenarios.

It would be a good topic to run as a Matrix game – with miniatures used to fight any important battles that come up.

link

"Check out "Clear and Present Danger."

No way to verify it but some of the stories I heard at Fort Bragg claim just about every time there is a major military operation American troops and DEA are responsible. Local law enforcement shows up for the photos and interview after the shooting has stopped.

Dragon Gunner

Thanks for the article. It was interesting.

I am reading through some of the William W. Johnstone books, ‘Vengeance is Mine' is the current one; Texas ranchers vs. drug runners. In the forward, Johnstone discusses the same issues of how the Mexican Cartel violence is spilling over the border and is, for the most part, going unnoticed by the rest of the country.