"The Appeal of the Dark Continent, what are you looking for? " Topic

I am finally beginning to run some Colonial games set in German East Africa as well as some games that have a slight VSF or Pulp flare to them. It seems to me the late Colonial period is perhaps one of the most user friendly eras/periods/genres to collect and war game and has a vast scope of levels of play. As an example you can run a small skirmish with less than 30 figures if you are say doing an African safari or small action up to some pretty large battles.

The scope of the genre has something for just about everyone. Safaris as I mentioned to lost civilizations,to marching through the desert fighting all the way, to defending a fort against impossible odds. The troop types are varied, colorful in their own way and there is just something compelling about these conflicts. I am sure that such excellent and accessible rules such as The Sword and the Flame have much to do with this as well as all the movies, books, and other media that have depicted the time.

So what is your approach to this subject? What size or scale do you play? Are your games small, medium or huge? How do you depict the terrain and other scenery?

Thanks,

Kim

All my games so far have used Chris Peers Darkest Africa rules and use sides of about forty figures each. For scenery I just use my generic European scenery with the odd added palm tree. When I first got to Africa (Zambia)a few years ago I found that the landscape looked pretty much like Surrey where I live! No jungle, no palm trees. The landscape varies hugely depending on the region of course.

I have a blog where I occasionally log my slow attempts to build more forces. I agree that it is a fascinating setting for wargames!

link

I use the Chris Peers rules as well. Mine is very much centered around German Colonialism. Various wars in Southeast Africa like the He-He War, Maji-Maji ect. and just recently getting into the German Southwest Africa stuff. Really surprised that more people don't do the Southeast prior to WWI. Numerous small actions, ambushes, sieges and variety in who the Germans fought. I do it in 28mm.

TSATF and Gaslight.
28mm
sometimes we safari/hunt the dreaded Aroo Garoo/Kuri Puri
The Lost city of Opar
or the source of the PoPoZambo river.
YMMV
RC

I have been to Opar in one of those games. Very deadly place old chap!

Its the mystery, and the fact that you can really justify just about anything if you keep the game pre-1930. It is for some reason one genre that lends itself to solo gaming particularly well.

I use The Sword In Africa variant to TSATF for such games. I have small numbers of miniatures as the fights I reproduce were small. Generally I set my games in Nyasaland anywhere from the late 1880s to early 1900s. I play these games in 15mm.
I'm working on a Pulp game project. Just something to add variety to my more historical ventures. Two imaginary European colonies, one British, the other French. Set between the World Wars. So far lots of fun…

I'm using "Mars Needs Steam" rules at 28mm figures. I try to keep the SF elements to a minimum but since we are dealing with a time frame before Gorillas were discovered for example, there's a lot of latitude in what I throw out on the table.

legatushedlius I love your blog. I have used The Sword in Africa and currently I am using Valor and Steel and Flesh for a game I am running at Historicon titled Jungle Gods. It is kind of a pulp game with a giant gorilla and a T-Rex tossed in for fun. I will have to purchase and check out the Chris Peers rules. I have both his Saurian Safari and Tooth and Claw and enjoyed running both. So I will give Darkest Africa a look. Of course I run my games in 28 mm but have considered going with 15/18mm for other setting such as the French Foreign Legion.

Here is TMP link to comments on the first playtest.

TMP link

Settled on TSATF years ago and usually play about 6-9 units per side.

I started playing it using the Chris Peers rules "Saurian Safari", my daughter was the humans, in 28mm. The goal was to reach the end of the table (8x5) and investigate if lost civilization structures exist, all while avoiding creatures. It was more pulp than real africa but future games will involve tribes (Foundry, OG, Copplestone) and some explorers with a support unit (Brit or US mid war infantry) against hostile tribes. I haven't settled on a ruleset for the human-human action but it will be small scale (no more than 30 for the anglos, probaly double for natives). Maybe Triumph & Tragedy or the Darkest Africa set as I like his rules.

We are just starting this theatre. So far we have had a couple of games using IHMN, and one with GASLIGHT.

It's turning into an 'Undeclared VSF War' between the Brits and Germans with added complications provided by natives and eventually the land itself.

I just downloaded the Chris Peers rules and I can see that even if we don't use the rules, the map will be very useful.

I run historical scenarios from the Herero War of 1904, which took place in German South-West Africa. The scenarios are derived from the original German sources: the official histories of the Schutztruppen, the Marines, and the sailors of the Naval Landing Party; first-person accounts from participants in the battles; and original maps.

I run the scenarios using the basic game mechanics of "The Sword and the Flame". However, my friend Eric Alvarado and I have created additional rules and modifications designed to capture the unique characteristics of the combatants in German South-West Africa in 1904. The rules are historically derived, from the same German sources as the scenarios. The scenarios and rules have been thoroughly playtested, over several years and dozens of games.

The Hereros were sophisticated native fighters. Here's a first-person account of Herero tactics from Maximilian Bayer, who fought in the Herero War:

"Simultaneously the Hereros burst forth; they left the protective thorn abatis and trenches and ran towards [the Germans]; but not in a wild, thick mass, like the Dervishes at Omdurman, but on the contrary in a long skirmishing line, crouching down and bounding, with great skill and exploitation of all cover." (Translation by Roy Jones)

Here's the original German:

"Gleichzeitig brachen die Hereros schon hervor; sie verließen den sicheren Dornverhau und die Schützengräben und liefen heran; doch nicht als eine wilde, dichte Masse, wie die Derwische bei Omdurman, sondern in langer Schützenlinie, geduckt und in Sprüngen, mit großer Geschicklichkeit und unter Ausnutzung jeder Deckung." (Bayer, pg. 38)

(The quote is from Bayer, Maximilian "Mit dem Hauptquartier in Südwestafrika"; Berlin, Wilhelm Weicher, 1909).

As the quote above shows, the Hereros fought as riflemen using open-order skirmish tactics. They were masters at ambush and concealment, using smokeless powder to remain unseen. They would fight from the bush, from trench fortifications, or hillside boulder fighting-positions.

In addition to fighting as skirmishers, the Hereros were also ferocious in close combat. The Hereros would alternate rifle fire with close assault: firing from concealment, then close assaulting (usually trying to outflank the Germans), then returning to concealment and firing anew, etc. When engaging in hand-to-hand combat, the Hereros used a club called a kirri (similar to the Zulu knobkierie).

For more details, you can go to my website: hererowars.com

Roy Jones