sjwalker38 | 14 Oct 2012 12:51 p.m. PST |
Inspired by the Blue Moon range (and the old Airfix Fort Sahara) but how many different games can you play? Any suggestions for suitable scenarios out there that capture the flavour of the period? I can adapt existing British colonial games (so why buy new figures?) and I have seen the excellent 'Red Shadow' blog, but what else (like a mini-campaign maybe) is there to persuade me to take the plunge? |
rvandusen | 14 Oct 2012 1:00 p.m. PST |
All sorts of scenarios can be played with classic FFL figures. If you don't have it, try and find Douglas Porch's Conquest of Morocco and his Conquest of the Sahara. Both have interesting actions including pitched battles where the Legion formed square against hordes of Moroccan horsemen, the ambush of supply convoys, defense of forts, and the reverse where the French are attacking native held towns. Not all these battles include FFL troops, but you can swap the Turcos or "Batts. de Af" for Legionaires. |
Frederick | 14 Oct 2012 1:19 p.m. PST |
Fort with high walls, a few desperate legionnnaires, tough Sergeant, hordes of Bedouin on the outside – that does it for me! |
The Gray Ghost | 14 Oct 2012 1:36 p.m. PST |
Conquest of the Sahara is a must read for gaming North Africa |
tinned fruit | 14 Oct 2012 2:02 p.m. PST |
Take a look at The Red Shadow site for inspiration:- link Hope this helps. phil |
Rudysnelson | 14 Oct 2012 2:42 p.m. PST |
Madagascar, Vietnam 1880s, the Sahara (morocco, Algeria) as mentioned. West Africa in the Saheal had several skirmishes. A almost conflict with the Britsh during the fasoda incident. |
sjwalker38 | 14 Oct 2012 2:43 p.m. PST |
There are some great ideas on the Red Shadow site, I've got a couple of Ospreys on the subject and Windrow's "Our friends beneath the sands" (and will now investigate Porch as well for more ideas). I'm thinking of adapting an old NWF campaign of mine (expeditionary force marching to relieve a fort, and make a punitive raid on the recalcitrant local village) but why should I buy new figures to play essentially the same game? I intend to adapt the 'Sharp Practice' skirmish rules to allow for several companies against several hundred arabs per side but any other suggestions? I never ' got' TSATF and its supplements (rare over here and now quite dated, sorry) but I do have the rules and the TVAG event cards for inspiration. |
Flashman14 | 14 Oct 2012 3:12 p.m. PST |
Sands of Death was a good read though it didn't involve the Legion it could have. link It's about a scouting mission to map a railway through the Sahara with disastrous consequences. Tons of good scenarios. March or Die's climax has the Legion defending an archeological dig in Berber territory. The Porch books are also excellent. |
Thorfin11 | 14 Oct 2012 3:52 p.m. PST |
Might be a bit "off the wall" this , but I've used a lot of the scenarios available for Ambush Alley/Force on Force modern rules for my colonial actions on the North west Frontier. I find them very transferable and I really like the nature of the asymmetric warfare with staunch imperial troops outnumbered by the wily but untrained tribesmen. |
Grelber | 14 Oct 2012 5:17 p.m. PST |
I found a book on Moroccan costume written and illustrated by a guy who designed theatre costumes in Paris back in the 1920s or so. He actually came out to Morocco to research the book. One can imagine the Legion having to rescue him after he asked one too many times, "And what does your wife wear under that, sir?" Aside from that, the three books of P.C. Wren's Beau Geste trilogy have a number of great ideas, aside from the defense of Fort Zinderneuf. Grelber |
John Leahy | 14 Oct 2012 9:48 p.m. PST |
Actually, the Old Glory rules by Steph Lawrence for the FFL have some very good scenarios in them. All his rule books do. I personally don't prefer his rules. But the scenarios are first rate and there are several in each set. I think Larry Brom has some in his TSATF scenario portfolio too. Thanks, John |
Rrobbyrobot | 14 Oct 2012 11:59 p.m. PST |
Lots of great ideas already mentioned. The what might have happened at Fashoda thing has been on my mind lately. |
Askari Minis | 15 Oct 2012 10:45 a.m. PST |
There were also several French expeditions into the Sahara. Camel caravans ambushed by Tuareg. If you recall ther opening sequence of Beau Geste, the relief column was made up of Turcos: it was more often these native troops who garrisoned the remote outposts in the Sahara. |
Old Slow Trot | 16 Oct 2012 6:59 a.m. PST |
And the tribals were Tauregs,Rifs,and such. |
Rudysnelson | 16 Oct 2012 12:05 p.m. PST |
The Rifs were mainly Moroccan. The Tauregs were mainly a Sub-Saharan threat in the Timbuktu area. Some would venture into Algeria due to guarding the trans-Saharan trade routes from the south. Even today Libya still has many tribal groups. many of these were raiders in the desert. |
Old Contemptibles | 30 Apr 2013 3:17 p.m. PST |
"Sons of the Desert" rules has scenarios. I also adapt TS&TF scenarios for North Afica. link |