Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Colonial Adventures => Topic started by: discok3 on 04 December 2010, 12:19:34 PM
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Hello Gents,
Further to the recent Boer chat on this forum along with the new Empress line in the same genre I am leaning towards this theatre of conflict but rather than simply get the right type of Brit soldier I have a desire to have the Boers fight a slightly more ragtag/militia type of foe and with that thought in mind could any of you learned gentlemen give me your appraisal of these rather attractive fellows
http://wargamesfoundry.com/historical_ranges/single_packs/darkest_africa/british/british_dismounted_volunteer_frontier_light_horse_da257/?sector_id=12
They also come mounted and since having a look deeper into the website I have discovered Australian infantry and other volunteer forces that appear to have been on the British side so perhaps I am answering my own questions as I type!!
Anyway does anyone game this period and could you confirm that there are plenty of scenarios out ther using Boers vs alternative Brit troops...simple question ,complicatedly put,
Ta
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During the siege of Pretoria (First Boar War) two units of volunteer mounted infantry were raised to fight alongside the British regular troops, they were: The Pretoria Carabineers, and Nourse's Horse. They wore slouch hats, civilian clothes, and were distinguished by a red or blue pugaree respectively. FLH types would fit. They took part in all the major engagements around Pretoria, as well as many more patrol skirmishes.
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During the siege of Pretoria (First Boar War) two units of volunteer mounted infantry were raised to fight alongside the British regular troops
And most of the regulars looked quite ragtag too, so you can put many civilian items on your redcoats. It's a very nice period for little skirmishes.
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Have you ever seen or heard of the movie "Breaker Morant"?
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Rings a bell..will look it up on Amazon.
Thanks for the input fellas...looks like I'm in then...should have a ball with scenarios having found out a little more with some book buying
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There seems to be some confusion here, we are talking across two different wars, twenty years apart. The appearance of British troops was vastly different in the two wars. Which conflict were you interested in, Discok3?
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Plynkes old fella...enlighten some more with a precis and I'll tell ya ;)
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"1st Boer War" AKA "The Transvaal War" 1880-81. In 1877 Britain had annexed the Transvaal, against the wishes of many of its inhabitants. In 1880 the Boers decided they didn't want to be annexed any more and so started shooting. Brits in this one wore Zulu War-style gear and scarlet uniforms (apart from the ones who didn't) and had a rough time of it at the battles of Laing's Nek (the last time the British Army was foolish enough to carry their colours into battle) and Majuba. Boers were victorious in this war, securing their independence for twenty years or so.
"2nd Boer War" AKA "The South African War" 1899-1902. The more famous one, and the one people usually mean when they say "Boer War." Yet another attempt to seize the Boer resource-rich lands (for the sake of, er, Democracy). Sieges of Ladysmith, Kimberley and Mafeking. Spion Kop, Black Week, guerrilla warfare. Concentration camps and blockhouses. Breaker Morant. Fought entirely in khaki on the British side, with magazine rifles. After an exhausting effort and many reverses, the Brits emerge victorious and the Boer republics are absorbed into the British Empire. The Brits and Boers patch things up, in 1910 merge the South African colonies into the Union of South Africa, and start their happy march towards the broad sunlit uplands of Apartheid.
The whole "1st and 2nd" business is downright confusing, as the First Boer War wasn't actually the first. It wasn't even the second. There had been two conflicts with the Boers in the 1840s over the Orange Free State and Natal.
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Cheers for that...reckon I was referring to the 1899 one as most of my reference books start from that premise...either way I would most likely consider a smaller skirmish effort based on time to paint figs and play...furthermore I will have to provide both sides so more effort required again...so to summarise sounds like lots of different attire/uniform choice and plenty of scenario based action...love the Brits in khaki too and it lends itself to a quicker paintjob too
Cheers everyone for all your input
Regards
Kev
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Boers' weapons and appearance had changed too, so the new Empress' are correct for 1899 but not representative.
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Those Frontier Horse types you linked to in your original post aren't particularly suitable for the 1899 war either, unfortunately. :( The Mounted Yeomanry would be a better bet, but they don't seem to do a dismounted version.
Jesus, that new Foundry site is a mess. Everything just chucked in together with no thought to period, conflict or place. Zulu War, Boer War, Darkest Africa. It's all the same thing, right? >:(
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Who'd have thought 20yrs could make such a difference to combat fashion lol
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Don't forget, you could always have a go at the various wars the Boers fought against the Zulu et al. More chance here for a small skirmish game, I would have thought.
Or am I just complicating things further? ::)
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More ideas the merrier...although if you tell me the Zulu outfits were different in these 2 conflicts then I'm giving up altogether and switching to rolling marbles at Airfix 1/72's again :? o_o
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I think the 1899 war has great potential for skirmish gaming. Farmhouse raids, cavalry patrols, Boers getting caught trying to cross a wire line, an attack on a blockhouse, Duffer's Drift, etc., etc.
Now, if only someone would make some half-decent figures to game it with.
Incidentally, the Zulus of Bambatha's 1906 rebellion did differ in appearance from those who took part in the earlier Zulu War. Time to get the marbles out! ;) ;D
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:o :'( lol