"British Camel Corps on Mars / Venus ?" Topic

Is there a possibility that British Camel Corps could be deployed in VSF setting on Mars ?

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Additionally, could the Egyptian Camel Corps be deployed alongside as allies ?

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Your opinions will greatly appreciated gentlemen.

I wouldn't likr be the one loading up the transports to Mars! as I usderstand it Carmels can be upppity bad tempered beasts.
But if you whant a VSF slant on them and with plastic it should be easy to covert, how about adding horns extra legs or a longer neck? or just a slight variation to the colour of course thats if you don't need them to be "redeployed" in a "proper" historical context.
Its a big Solar system the Empire needs all the help it can get(and big guns)

Like horses you could,not legal or liked in todays fluffy world but you could drug them for the flight over.I don't mean knock them out but keep them calm.It was done for long shipping travel.By putting it in the feed.

since the camel were indigineous to the the area of combat operations, wouldn't a martian beast of burden be in line with the historical precedant?

instead of the egyptian camel corps, the unit could be the martian quiggmon corps (quiggmon is a made up beast of burden name--but hopefully you catch my drift). this way you can have a very exotic type creature for a truly other world experience.

Just my 2 pence.

The British took camels across to Australia, thinking it suitable for the terrain. I see no reason for them not to take them to Mars for the same reason.

x42

The camel was taken to BOTH Australia and the American West-it didn't fare well in either case. They were apparently very bad travelers, and even worse at adapting to other climes. Other than in Zoos-you don't see too many wild camels in either locale.

Repiqueone
I know nothing of the American west but there are thousands of feral camels in Australia. link Even if they didn't do well they took them there. I see nothing to stop them doing the same to Mars.

x42

There were also some elephants used to haul artillery (disassembled mountain guns), so you may consider that option. Possibly for Venus, what with the scarcity of fodder on Mars…

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The camels in the american west faired badly I do recall. There are still occasional claims to feral camels but have not read of such a sighting in some years.

I think it would be a case that at the start they would take horses,camels,elephants etc but as humans learnt from Martians more local animals would be used.So earth animals in smaller numbers (stud farms could be set up to save on the expense of continued shipping) and a growing number of civilian and military use of Martian creatures?

The feral camels love it in Oz. In fact the largest population of wild camels in the world is Australian. link

Australians used the camels in teams hitched to wagons to move cargo around the Outback. I got a great book on the subject while I was there. I must admit to being totally crushed when I inquired on a gaming forum and was told Australian troops never took camel drawn wagons overseas, so I wouldn't be able to use them in my colonial campaigns <sniff>
With the exception of the Aussie wagoneers, Europeans don't seem to have developed much of an understanding for camels, so there would probably be a noticeable mortality rate for transit.
Which brings up the significant question: What do you do with a camel if it dies halfway to Mars? Leave it on board, and it stinks up the entire ship. Chuck it out the air lock, and the next ship to some along may have a camel splat on its windshield.
Grelber

To get back to the original question, I think the British might deploy a camel corps to Mars--it is at least worth experimenting with, like the US Army camel corps. Even if it works out, Egypt is more doubtful, in part because you get into Imperial finances: who is going to pay for this, Egypt or Britain? Then too, Britain might have seen fit to fund Egyptian units if an emergency arose, creating a short term need for additional camel forces, something that would be resolved before Britain could buy a new batch of camels, train them, and train men in their use (i.e., if you already have them, you can probably justify using them, if you don't, you may want to give the situation some more thought).
Grelber

What do you if a human dies on the trip.Same problem?Do we know enough about the inner workings of ships to answer this?

I know the cost of carrying people and equipment to other planet is generally no more taken into account in VSF than in, say, WH40K, but to transport *animals* sounds a little… excessive.
For the same weight, steam- or clockwork-powered contraptions would be far more convenient, being *inert*: while horses, camels, elephants or whatever breathe, eat, drink, excrete, defecate… during the whole journey. Which, I suppose (I'm unfamiliar with the detail of VSF sets / settings), take a *lot* of time? Unless passengers of all kinds are put in some hyper-sleep and quasi-frozen?

Additionally, this supposes (but it's generally implied in most SF settings) that biological forms, plants as animals, on Mars are *edible*. Of abysmal unlikelihood, but where would be the fun otherwise?

DLIinVSF: I suppose the KGB solution would work best. Burn them… After all what other use could they find for those great fiery boilers…

They could well be used on Venus…a different skin colour or even a bit of conversion and they would do fine
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Cheers
Paul

There are some very good reasons to transport critters (assuming ships at all for you Stargate fans), and it was done historically. Long term, if you can set up a breeding population you get a pretty good freight savings on replacements. Short term, if they can survive on local fodder you get a freight savings in fuel for mechanical contraptions. There are downsides, such as feral ones getting loose. The wild zitidar population in the Rio Grande Valley means that the farmers there have to keep harpoon guns mounted on their wagon beds to protect the crops…

I plan on using some Camel Corps on Mars in MVSF. One of these days. I have the dismounted men already from Peter Pig.

Transfer of the animals would not be terribly difficult. The trip is only about six to eight weeks. The Royal Livestock Farms outside of Victoria Landing (capital of the Crown Colony of Mars) has already brought over a few dozen pigs, sheep, horses and cows for stock breeding purposes. Camels would be a logical next step, considering the climate.

The cows, by the way, have fared poorly, and the horses have been marginal. Pigs and sheep are doing well enough. Pigs are also flourishing on Venus.

I'm sure the desert's of Mars would spark this idea somewhere inn the war office…

it's a great idea, I'll be pinching it for later use !

"Which brings up the significant question: What do you do with a camel if it dies halfway to Mars? Leave it on board, and it stinks up the entire ship. Chuck it out the air lock, and the next ship to some along may have a camel splat on its windshield."

You stick a rocket up it's backside, Grelber, and fire it out of the regular ether spaceways, preferaby at the Sun.

Not so sure burning it on board a ship would work unless the doors to the furnaces were really quite big…

Mind you, I guess they could cut the bodies up and feed them in a piece at a time but that all sounds a bit ghastly…

John T

I would say that Venus and Mars wouldh ave plenty of their own native beasties to serve all the needs of the earthlings that came to those worlds.

Mars would likely be an easier time of it, as most settings give Mars a civilization with their own domesticated creatures.

Venus could be a bit more problematic. Most gaming versions of Venus seem to make it a savage world, populated by nothing but savage reptiles. Earthlings might be able to find local beasts to break and train.

-Eli

Do Camels taste good with enough curry sauce.

In which case an enterprising chap could eat any that expire on the journey[assuming natural non toxic causes etc]

Well I wouldn't put it past the British Army to try ;)

Use, use native camel like beasts.

I think the camels would melt on Venus.

Lots of indigenous animals on Venus….

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@xLAVAx – Those flea riders are simply awesome!

I have to get me some of those fleas before they get scarce. I play in 15mm and bet they would look good with a small howdah.

-Eli

Those fleas are pretty large actually. You might want to think about a large howdah with a couple turrets to boot!

The fleas are awesome, I agree. What make are the riders? Heck, what make are the fleas, for that matter?

The fleas are Mustafarian Flea Riders from the Star Wars collectible miniatures game. I think they are from the Bounty Hunters release.

-Eli

The riders are Perry sudan minis. And yep, the flees are Mustafarian Flea Riders.

If you can carry camels to Mars and have then thriving there, what would prevent a country from having a plorse picture corps on Earth?

Abdul: nothing.

IIRC, GDW had the Camel Corps on Mars in their Space:1889 game.

Some time ago a friend of mine cast duplicates of the Martian gashant miniature from the old Grenadier 1889 set. I have a unit of 25mm British cavalry mounted on them, and they look pretty impressive.
I think the British would have been more likely to try native beasts before importing others from Earth, but who knows what would have happened. I would explore all of the options and try them out to see how they look, then go with whatever gives you the best flavor.
Patrick

I have an officer on a RAFM Gashant which lead a mercenary force for the Brits.

dliworkshopinspace.blogspot.com

What we have to remember when humans go to Mars they can't just get hold of and use native breeds.They have to take what they are already using with them.

Over time if the native breeds were found to be better they would become more common with human areas of control.But that doesn't mean that commanders would just give up on units from earth that worked.