"Why Colonial gaming?" Topic

As we've been getting all the orders processed and shipped from our recent new releases, many of you have contacted us. Whether by email or phone, we've had some very good discussions on gaming the Colonial period.

I personally think this is a Golden Age for all miniature historical gaming. The availability of figures, rules and ancillary products seem to be at an all time high. Granted I remember a time of only "several" options of each of these; SAE's were the first Colonial and ACW figures (25mm) I ever saw as well as Scruby Napoleonics. Most rules were typed or mimeographed in digest size and availed by mail-order. Later they were in magazines for free.

Which got me thinking about the Colonial period. Dad always referred to it as a "niche within a niche (hobby)". Back in the day, it was Zulu vs. British followed by the British and Egyptians vs. the Mahdi. I feel both of these periods owed a bit of their popularity to the release of the films "Zulu" in 1963 and "Khartoum" in 1966. The Colonial period has a wealth of options, many obscure to all but the devoted gamer. As we were updating our website and price list, we found we now have over 45 available rules that all, fortunately for us, continue to sell. And that's just Sergeants 3; many other designers and manufactures have a large inventory, just there for the taking.

So to get back to my original question, why does someone game the Colonial period?

Romance with a big R. Boy's Own Adventure derring-do in exotic locales.
Some over the top characters and incidents and that's before you start making stuff up!
It appeals to the kid in me that liked watching Sunday morning movies.
When I want to be serious it's time to play WW2 or SYW.

It's one of the few pre-mosern periods where Japanese forces battle against enemies besides each other.

I think I speak for many in my Boomer generation that it was the popularity of several colonial themed movies in the 1960's. Larry Brom was just ahead of the curve! Also, for me, it's the exotic locations and the juxtaposition of modern 19th Century technology vs. iron age technology where the iron age warriors sometimes won.

Flashman. Kipling. Beau Geste. Four Feathers. As James says, Boy's Own Adventure stuff, filling in the blank parts of the map, with room for Tarzan, Professor Challenger and more!

But is colonial gaming any fun for those who play "the natives"?

Pan Marek: ABSOLUTELY ! Unless the GM designs a
scenario to take the Natives' better points and
negate them.

As to why I play: I was bitten by the Kipling bug in
Junior High (Middle-school now, I guess) and the
adventures of Privates Mulvaney, Learoyd and Ortheris,
the Drums of the Fore and Aft (Jakin and Lew) and
a host of other memorable fictional and real folks…

But is colonial gaming any fun for those who play "the natives"?

In real life, very rarely – Isandlwana and Maiwand type battles are very much the exception (much as with Little Big Horn!). However the scenarios and army lists for most colonial wargames tend to be balanced to give either side a reasonable chance to win.

And as the Native player, it can be great fun when your warriors, armed with nothing more than a sharp piece of kiwi fruit and guavo halves, triumph over the Martini-Henry rifles of your redcoated enemies!

I can sum it up with 2 words: Gunga Din

But is colonial gaming any fun for those who play "the natives"?

I've played or run a number of games where the "natives" have clobbered the Imperials.

Jim

Movies

Because it's fun.

And, yes, I've had just as much fun playing the natives as playing the imperialists.

But is colonial gaming any fun for those who play "the natives"?

I have my own Colonial skirmish rules with a solo system which doesn't give a hoot if it loses!
Colonial games are only fun if you feel as the non native player, that you have a good chance of losing!

Does figure and rules availability affect how far into the Colonial period "niche" one goes, i.e. Nicaragua 1920 or French in Indo-China 1880s? Or do you stick with the better known Colonial periods?

And of course fun is a great part of it. Some of the best games I've ever had were when the "natives" pulled out a victory by a single die roll in hand-to-hand.

What Nick Stern said! And as for the Natives winning, it happens about a third of the time we play, or it seems like it! Which I love!

Does figure and rules availability affect how far into the Colonial period "niche" one goes, i.e. Nicaragua 1920 or French in Indo-China 1880s? Or do you stick with the better known Colonial periods?

Figure availability, yes. Rules availability: not so much. There are plenty of rules available right now, and if the rules don't officially cover a particular locale or time period, then it is usually straightforward to tweak a few things to make them fit (TSATF is very adaptable in this regard).

But it's much easier to tweak the rules to fit than miniatures! I focus on the NWF circa 1880 (Second Anglo-Afghan War) as there is a good selection of appropriate figures (my collection includes Foundry, Perry, Old Glory, Castaway Arts, and more (including a theoretical Russian Central Asian army with figures from Eureka, Outpost, Askari and Copplestone)). Gaming the First Anglo-Afghan War is a bit more problematic as the right figures are harder to source (easier now than a few years ago of course!). I'm sure there are plenty of other campaigns that don't get as much attention simply because it's hard to find the right figures, although that's getting to be a weaker and weaker excuse as new, high-quality figures are appearing for more and more exotic locales. I'm thinking here of Perry Miniatures new Cape Wars line, for example. I'm sure there are many others as well.

Walk wide o' the Widow at Windsor,
For 'alf o' Creation she owns:
We 'ave bought 'er the same with the sword an' the flame,
An' we've salted it down with our bones.

Four Feathers , Zulu, Gunga Din, 55 Days at Peking…

Games with exotic locations and colorful characters.

" Ancients " ( at least iron age) vs. " Moderns " ( 19th century).

Since many powers had colonial ambitions, chances are you can find your niche within this niche.

Because I like to, I don't need to justify it.

The Major Generals page is what got me interested. I loved the battler reports and all the scratchbuilt scenery.

Colonials are one of the first things I did when I got into gaming back in the late 60s, early 70s. Back that it was Scruby and plastic conversions A college friend and I played huge battles and campaigns, that even included gunboat actions. Rules then were home brewed. But when TSATF appeared, I was fully hooked.

One of my earliest memories is being 7 years old at a huge Indian mutiny game. I was small enough to crawl up the river to the tables centre to move those hard to reach models in the middle. In my mind the din of battle mixed with the sound of my uncle yelling at me to "get that @$&!+%!! cavalry up there!" and I was hooked forever (although I'm still cautious with my cavalry). Movies like Zulu and the man who would be king helped fuel the fire, and the reading of history (particularly the works of Winston Churchill) keeps it burning. Theres no period quite like colonials, they're historical but seem like a fantasy, lots of room for imagination and creativity but with enough grounding in fact to keep me interested – and TSATF captures the flavour perfectly.

Movies and novels, in my case.

Because Zulu…

But is colonial gaming any fun for those who play "the natives"?

In real life, very rarely

Now If I recall correctly during the zulu war the score was actuallly 4-4 , and Thesigers chaps only scored the decider in extra time…good thing it didnt go to penalties really as we have an awful track record there…

When I was attending primary school my mother would often stop at the town library on our way home and let me choose a book to read. On one occasion I picked out a book which was about a small boy who had a large collection of lead soldiers and he used to play with them in a large sandpit in the garden. The sandpit represented either the Sudan or the North West Frontier. There were b/w line illustrations to add to the excitement, and I was hooked by this book, in fact I borrowed it more than once. Ever since then I've always wanted to game the Colonial battles, and I'm lucky enough now to have a very large Sudan collection in 28mm. Every time I play it brings back the memories of that book. I've no idea what it was called unfortunately.

Because all the cool gamers are playing Colonials.

Congo.

Zulu.

Fuzzy Wuzzies.

Movies, books, all that adventurous stuff!

Just put on a 1920's Nicaragua game using "With Ole Gimlet Eye;" Tiger and Pulp minis!

Movies and uniforms.

Why Colonial Gaming? Well, I personally blame The Mad Guru and General Pettygree.

I ended up going with the Pathan Revolt of 1897, aided and abetted by a book by a certain Churchill fellow. Lots of Brits and Raj troops, bloody thousands of Pathans, and the Pathans are more closely armed like the Raj. It's only the British troops with Lee-Enfield magazine rifles that really wipe the floor with the Pathans in shooting.

I just played in two games where the colonials lost, once on the British side, and once with the Mahdi. It was enjoyable either way.