From Wyndham Productions
PDF – $10.00 USD
When the First World War broke out in August 1914, the conflict quickly spread beyond Europe to the colonies of the great powers. In West Africa, the small German colony of Togoland became one of the first theaters of war, as British and French forces advanced from the neighboring Gold Coast and French Dahomey to defeat the German colonial administration and seize the strategically important wireless station at Kamina.
Unlike the great armies fighting on the Western Front, the campaign in Togoland was fought by relatively small forces operating across difficult terrain. British troops of the Gold Coast Regiment, French colonial soldiers, German colonial police and African troops clashed along roads, railway lines, streams and forested approaches. The campaign included rapid advances, determined rearguard actions, machine-gun fire, prepared defensive positions and the destruction of key infrastructure.
The fighting at Bafilo, Agbeluvoe and, most notably, Khra (Chra) demonstrated that even a small colonial force could use terrain, field fortifications, and machineguns to delay a larger opponent. At Khra on 22 August 1914, the German defenders successfully repulsed the Allied attacks before withdrawing during the night. The Allies continued their advance, and the campaign concluded with the destruction of the Kamina wireless station and the surrender of German Togoland later that month.
The Great War in Togoland 1914 is a tabletop wargame designed to recreate these lesser-known actions of the opening weeks of the First World War. Using 20mm to 28mm scale miniatures, players take command of British, French and German colonial forces and fight a series of linked scenarios based on the campaign. Each battle presents different tactical challenges, from advancing through bush and villages to attacking trenches, crossing streams, protecting railway lines and securing vital objectives.
The rules are designed to be accessible, tactical and suitable for a campaign played across several linked engagements. Command decisions, movement, rifle and machine-gun fire, artillery, morale, terrain and the actions of individual units all play an important role. Success will depend not simply on destroying the enemy, but on managing casualties, maintaining unit cohesion and achieving the objectives necessary to influence the wider campaign.
Although the scenarios are grounded in the historical events of August 1914, players are free to change the course of history. A determined German defense may delay the Allied advance, while skillful British and French coordination may bring about an earlier breakthrough. Each engagement contributes to the campaign, allowing victories, defeats and losses to shape the battles that follow.
These rules are intended to provide an engaging introduction to the Togoland campaign while encouraging an appreciation of the soldiers who fought in this often-overlooked theater of the First World War.
The campaign is yours to command. History provides the setting; the decisions made on the tabletop will determine the outcome.