"Has anyone gamed the Fashoda Incident?" Topic

Inspired by the new Artizan Design figures.

I once thought about how to do it. The weird thing is that if fighting breaks out, both sides lose. Marchand and Kitchener have to work out a way to stop anything bad happening, because – while Kitchener's force is overwhelmingly superior in numbers – the risk is an early outbreak of WWI over a patch of swamp in Africa. They both know this.

The chances of a drunken Sudanese private getting into a fight with a drunken Tirailleur Senegalais are far too good, of course. There's your problem.

I've never run this game because I don't know any wargamers willing and able to play a game where Not Fighting gets all the victory points.

Or you can play it as a normal wargame, and Kitchener's forces win on turn two, because they have a points superiority of 347 to 1.

I've thought about it for TSATF. Patrols of Sudanese & Senegalais clashing away from the town. Maybe with locals supporting the French side for balance. MJS is right that that any action at the town would be a victory for the Egyptian army. The French are out-numbered, out-gunned and low on ammo.

But Senor Squint, we have the figures, and if not, they are easy to get!

I've given the idea some thought. I found myself magnifying things into a larger fight for the same reasons already mentioned. Although I don't see it as really starting WW1.
One would have to keep it down to a small skirmish to make it work as is. Or as could have been with the resources already present.

There is always Marchand's fight with the Sudanese gunboat before Kitchener turned up.

And if it does end up starting WWI… what are the sides?

I don't see it starting WWI either. What's in it for Germany or Russia or Austria?
"Pass the popcorn please, Wilhelm."
Not that they won't take advantage of it.

I built units of French for TSATF in Sudan inspired by the incident.

They have never seen action. :(

British and French fleets were mobilized and readied before cooler heads prevailed. So possible war between the two at sea and in the colonies. Then no British support come 1914. Without British propaganda machine no USA entry into the war. Russian Revolution and France loses war. Without the post war recarving of the maps. The world turns out to be a nicer place for everyone. Millions who died in the 1940s don't.

Would you more learned chaps about this fasinating period be willing to direct this interest soul as to reading resources for the era? The new models from Artizan tempt me I am afraid.

Look for David L. Lewis, 'The Race to Fashoda' 1995:

link

The Lewis book is the only one you need. As far as gaming it goes, I think there are only two good choices:

1). The French and British against some rump Mahdists

Or

2). A matrix/campaign game where the players compete to get the largest territorial claim without starting a major war. You could add Germans and Leopoldo in to make it a 4 way contest.

As the Kaiser was hot of African colonies I could see where Germany may have allied with Great Britain against France. The, Russia could have jumped on Germany and…

What kind of noise WAS Kaiser Bill making at the time?

The Kaiser emitted a high pitched squeal if you squeezed his tummy.

John;
As a matter of fact…

It's why I bought my Senegaleses…..

I even have a book on the subject.

Eric

Oh, that's just you and the French, Eric. We all know how much you love them.

Well, somebody has to be a target for my Gyypoes…

Eric

No, no, no. This is ripe for gaming. I plan on doing many a game based on this and calling them all collectively The Faux-Shoda Incidents. There is no reason we cannot 'adjust' history when there is a great opportunity for a game lying about. I've built my Slightly Cracked Colonial collection on this very concept – lots of figures, tons (well, quite a few pounds of figures – and that is a lot in 15 mm!) And in my variation there are more than just the French and the British and the local yokels about.

Looking for imaginary options?

Replace commandant Marchand by two mad officers, capitaine Voulet and lieutenant Chanoine, who were in command of a small force (spahis, tirailleurs, and auxiliaries) in French Sudan in 1899; they went crazy, they murdered people in villages along their way, and when a French superior officer lt-colonel Klobb was sent to recall them, they murdered him too.

If these two mad guys had been in charge of the French column at Fachoda instead of Marchand – what could have happened?

link

"Capitaine des Ténèbres", French TV film (2005) about the Voulet-Chanoine column:

In an old issue of French wargame magazine VAE VICTIS this scenario was offered together with the French Vs Mahdists coming along on captured Egyptian steamer and bardges..this last clash really happened in the same place..they where conceived to be played with speficic colonial rules published by this magazine and in 15mm..but i easily converted Toes for TSATF, recruited the minis and wait to play it when i'll do some boats

If you want to game something with the French versus a Mahdist like army I suggest researching The French versus Rabih's slaver army in Chad. Some of his followers also adopted the patched jibbeh so there could be some cross over of miniatures.