Liliburlero  | 25 Jul 2019 8:43 a.m. PST |
This isn't a poll or popularity contest but rather we're curious as to why this period is so popular with TSATF gamers in particular and Colonial gamers in general. In the past, the top three of our scenario packs were NWF, Dervish and Zulu, all close in totals. Now the NWF has moved significantly to the front. Is it because of figure availability, what your gaming group does, movies, etc.? Or is it just a "fad". As always, thanks in advance for your responses. |
 PaulCollins | 25 Jul 2019 9:04 a.m. PST |
For me it is all of the things that you mentioned, plus the variety of troop types and terrain. I game NWF in 1/72 plastics with some metals thrown in for variety and have a good size collection for a reasonable cost. Plus I didn't need quite the numbers that I would need for the Sudan or Zulus. |
| Wackmole9 | 25 Jul 2019 9:10 a.m. PST |
I think its the verticalness of the terrain. A desert is flat, Grasslands are flat. The NW frontier has mountains, cliffs, and deep valleys. Also it is the setting for most of the great movies for this era. |
 Old Contemptible | 25 Jul 2019 9:56 a.m. PST |
Books and movies. If you grew up watching these movies then it is only natural to attempt to replicate these B movies in miniature. The movie which motivated me the most is "The Man Who Would Be King" defiantly not a B movie but a very well done mainstream movie. imdb.com/title/tt0073341 imdb.com/title/tt0053126 link |
| Old Contemptible | 25 Jul 2019 10:03 a.m. PST |
Then there is the "Great Game" aspect. Two European powers each attempting to control Central Asia. |
| rmaker | 25 Jul 2019 10:26 a.m. PST |
Definitely the movies (Gunga Din, Charge of the Light Brigade, King of the Khyber Rifles, etc.) and Kipling, of course. |
| Rich Bliss | 25 Jul 2019 10:53 a.m. PST |
Smaller figure count. More even sides numerically. |
| Martian Root Canal | 25 Jul 2019 11:05 a.m. PST |
+1 to Rich Bliss. Also some nostalgia for me: Main theater of operations for my college miniature gaming back in the 80s. |
| Old Peculiar | 25 Jul 2019 11:59 a.m. PST |
Movies, and Kipling, and Churchill, and a great variety of wonderful figures! |
| Lion in the Stars | 25 Jul 2019 12:03 p.m. PST |
A pretty much continuous state of armed conflict so you can use almost any generation of minis from Indian Mutiny all the way to WW2? And if you really want to get silly, you could include the India-Pakistan wars as just a further extension of the NWF conflicts, because Pakistan is what we call the NWF today! |
| nnascati | 25 Jul 2019 2:03 p.m. PST |
I think it was what Larry had in mind when he created TSATF. |
| Nick B | 25 Jul 2019 2:09 p.m. PST |
Best NW Frontier Film…… Carry on up the Khyber! |
| ZULUPAUL | 25 Jul 2019 3:54 p.m. PST |
Well I'm still for the Zulus even though I do have a few NW frontier figs. |
| Liliburlero | 25 Jul 2019 8:08 p.m. PST |
nnascati said: I think it was what Larry had in mind when he created TSATF. And yet, all the play-test games (100+) I remember were assaulting Rorke's Drift,,,,,,,,, From the responses so far, it seems smaller numbers of troops are a big draw for the NWF gamer as well as the usual influence of films and books. And the comment about the terrain is something we had overlooked; thanks Wackmole9. |
| FearAndLoathing | 25 Jul 2019 9:30 p.m. PST |
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| coopman | 26 Jul 2019 4:47 a.m. PST |
All that plus the fact that here you had a much improved opponent for the Brits, not just spear-chucking natives. Opponents with firearms in abundance, even if they were inferior jezails. I decided long ago not to do the NWF mainly because of the vertical terrain issues. |
| SaveGordon | 26 Jul 2019 4:51 a.m. PST |
That's a very good question. There are probably as many answers as there are gamers. All of the above are thought provoking, I would agree with versatility. Meaning a NWF game can be large or medium scale with many (interesting and varied) units, or a small skirmish with minimal miniatures needed to buy in. Regarding terrain, again it's not flat like other locations, more complex terrain possibilities allow a small scenario on a small table to be very interesting, and challenging. Just my 2c. |
| coolyork | 27 Jul 2019 1:46 p.m. PST |
Its funny of all the hundreds of Colonial era 25mm figures in my collection ,I don't have any British troops . Yet ! |
| JimSelzer | 28 Jul 2019 3:19 p.m. PST |
because its not where we are from I read somewhere along time ago an article stating that ECW is popular in USA and ACW is popular in UK because you didn't have family history involved in either side. ITS NOT OUR CIVIL WAR |
| Basha Felika | 29 Jul 2019 3:38 a.m. PST |
By their very nature, I guess colonial wars are very likely to be set "not where we are from". I've never met a gamer in the UK who wouldn't play ECW because of family history – though I guess Cromwell's campaign in Ireland might be an exception – but we're 200 years (about 5 generations) further removed from that war than the ACW. |
| Au pas de Charge | 01 Aug 2019 8:54 p.m. PST |
To me the NWF was the preferred pick because it is open to so many more scenario types and it is somewhat manageable army-size-wise. I always feel the Sudan is too large and the Zulus too limited in terms of scenarios. There is also the solidarity issue. The Sudanese are all anti-British, the Zulus are all anti-British or Boer but there are many different Pathan tribes, Afghan princes etc to form coalitions with etc. |
