"The Alamo or Zulu" Topic

Two of the most influential films in the lives of many a wargamer are Zulu and The Alamo.

Which one is the one that inspired you most ?

For me personally it's Zulu. Recreating it with Airfix Waterloo British proxies …

Zulu for me too

I played more games as a kid of The Alamo all with proxies. I've never done Rourkes Drift but do have some Ral Partha Zulu War figures.

Tough choice but I'll go with Zulu.

Alamo. Thanks to MARX. I wonder why MARX never did a Zulu set?

I've watched both, but I've seen Zulu many more times simply because it is a better movie. Neither one has inspired me to game either conflict.

ZULU!

As with 79thPA, seen Zulu way more times (several) than The Alamo (twice), but neither has inspired me to put on a game. Played many more Zulu games (several) than Alamo ones (once) though.

Now, if were talking about 'A Bridge Too Far' vs 'Waterloo'…

I had the Marx Alamo set. The only Marx set I ever had. But I saw Zulu at the movie theatre when it came out. Definitely Zulu. Still one of my favorite movies of all time.

The Alamo hands down.

Zulu, by an enormous margin.

Zulu. But then I'm from the UK…

Zulu. I bought over 200 Ral Partha and Minifigs Zulus. I never bought any Mexicans or Texicans.

You mean John waynes personal propaganda movie?
The 3 hour movie that is 2 hours of John Wayne monologe about freedom ect. Sorry it to much for me to stomach.

Now The alamo 2004 is alot better and has the best battle scenes I know of.

But between Proaganda Alamo and Zulu it's by far Zulu, it's a better movie just from a movie stand point, and 100% less John Wayne.

Zulu. I never saw the Wayne Alamo until some 20 years later.

Just to throw some accelerant on the fire, I can never see the point of gaming The Alamo.
If you survive for 7 turns when the originals died after 5, what have you accomplished? You're still dead. Give me no nonsense about showing more skill by lasting longer than blah blah blah. YOU STE STILL DEAD, and to be "realistic", you should die every single time.
In Zulu, the British have a good chance to survive, and a good chance to die. That's a "game".

I Loved the Alamo and also the Zulu movie. Saw both to many times to count. Have done both with miniatures. They are from different periods and can be expanded into other battles that took place in their perspective periods. Very different in battles than just the actions in the movies. so I rank them side by side for myself.

Zulu, I don't think I've ever seen the John Wayne version of The Alamo. No desire to either.

Zulu

I have seen both and although I am a big fan of The Duke Zulu is hands-down a better movie

Which version of The Alamo…… I have seen three.

The Blue Max. Then Zulu.

The Alamo, definitely.

As far as gaming goes, a well done Alamo game might be more visually impressive than a well done Rorkes Drift game. But I'd still rather play the latter.

Wasn't there an Alamo miniseries back in the 80s/90s? I remember liking it when I saw it as a kid.

I couldn't identify with Zulu. The heros were all British in that film, and it happened in Africa somewhere…

John Wayne's The Alamo *was* the United States in 1960 – over-the-top, bombastic, in Technicolor, in stereo, THIS wide and THAT tall and THREE HOURS long, with an overture and an intermission and an interlude and a rock-n-roll guest star and a blonde female lead with GINORMOUS bazongas, and copious amounts of John Wayne. And a stereo LP of the sound track that you could play on your hi-fi. And a 45 record of "Ballad of the Alamo". And a Marx playset. Yeah, I loved it. That was the Kennedy era.

The 2004 Alamo was a product of the dawn of the 21st century and a fine film, but totally different in mood.

OFM, didn't you ever play Space Invaders? It's the same thrill as an Alamo game. You pop the foe, faster and faster, but they keep stomping closer and closer. You know eventually you'll be over-run, but keep shooting as fast as you can until the…last…minute.

And then, GAME OVER. But you're not really dead. You can pop another quarter into the machine and doitagain, doitagain.

Of the two choices, Zulu.

The Alamo for me. However Zulu VERY close second. I still remember seeing Zulu on the big screen when I was a kid. I was terrified thinking how is that handful of men going to survive against thousands of warriors? Left an impression indeed.

I like the Wayne version for entertainment and music score.
I really like the 2004 Alamo film also. But wish they had a better conclusion. If you know nothing about the Alamo, and saw the film for the first time, you would think all the civilians were killed. You would not know that Mrs. Dickinson or anyone else survived. A big flaw. But guess we will never see an accurate version of that story.

Zulu…although I have gamed the TWI much more often.

Bob

Did an Alamo scenario at Advance the Colors last October. 11 turns,and it was done. My Mexican units took a lot of the hits,though.

Zulu's vs. John Wayne et al, at the Alamo!

My family took me to see both Zulu and the Alamo at the Tower Drive-In (for my Raleigh peeps). Definitely Zulu! I could not believe that the Americans died at the Alamo – kind of heart breaking for a wee coon-skin capped lad. But who prefers the haunting "Green Leaves of Summer" to the rousing "Men of Harlech"?

OFM is right – furthermore, even if you had the relatively rare figures you have to come up with the iconic chapel.

Too many hurdles to contemplate further but nobody wants to build/store all that for basically a single game.

In Texas, those concerns would be jettisoned post-haste I imagine.

Zulu. Though I love the John Wayne Alamo movie.

Zulu. But I also love John Wayne, and had read kids bios of Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie over and over. I even had a coonskin cap, a long rifle cap gun (that shot cork bullets), and a real Bowie knife (well, just a small hunting knife with a similar shape, but I thought it was the real deal at age 10). And I love freedom. So in my eyes, The Alamo was and remains an awesome movie. And anyone who disparages the Duke to me can meet me at high noon, pardner. "Fill yer hand, you blankety-blank."

I want to see Zulus storming the Alamo.

I want to see Zulus storming the Alamo.

Coelacanth wins.

Bugs Mr. Rico. Zillions of 'em!

Zulu. Usuthu!

Didn't see either until many years after I started gaming.

Zulu.

Zulu

Zulu even though the references to the regiment being Welsh and that most of the men were Welsh are incorrect

Alamo was my favorite until I saw Zulu.

Which has the better soundtrack? Any mention of Zulu gets people humming the soundtrack to themselves. And it's a better movie with better acting, script and set pieces.

I couldn't get into The Alamo: The heroes were all American and it happened in Texas…somewhere. ;)

Definitely Zulu.

Zulu for me too

ZULU!

Zulu – it had better songs.

Battle of the River Plate.

Zulu. Alamo never really caught my interest.

Zulu

Zulu