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Miniatures Adventure => Colonial Adventures => Topic started by: miltiades on 30 December 2015, 11:43:02 AM

Title: LOOKING FOR COLONIAL INSPIRATION
Post by: miltiades on 30 December 2015, 11:43:02 AM
Hi guys.
I love colonial wargaming but it seems I am out of inspiration. I am looking for "realistic" scenarios [especially in Sudan or India, or any oriental place] with many troops involved and rich terain. Some friends gave me ideas and a few links but I still need some more... Has anybody anything in mind?
Thank you
Miltiades
Title: Re: LOOKING FOR COLONIAL INSPIRATION
Post by: General_Pettygree on 30 December 2015, 12:15:10 PM
http://generalpettygree.blogspot.com/
***
Lots of scenery, battles and stories.
***
Good Luck,
Bill P.
Title: Re: LOOKING FOR COLONIAL INSPIRATION
Post by: Dr DeAth on 30 December 2015, 12:52:30 PM
Great blog! lots of inspiration there.
Title: Re: LOOKING FOR COLONIAL INSPIRATION
Post by: Kommando_J on 30 December 2015, 11:03:29 PM
Try some colonial literature Rudyard Kipling springs to  mind as do the writings of Samuel Baker and the collected letters of Charles Gordon.
Title: Re: LOOKING FOR COLONIAL INSPIRATION
Post by: Rob Herrick on 31 December 2015, 01:51:56 AM
Any of Colonel Snook's books are good, especially if you want the British to lose.

Lives of a Bengal Lancer is a good one for some fictional inspiration, as is that rogue Flashman.
Title: Re: LOOKING FOR COLONIAL INSPIRATION
Post by: Mad Guru on 31 December 2015, 05:08:58 AM
Miltiades,

Not sure if you've ever visited my Maiwand Day blog, which is mostly focused on terrain and gaming for the Second Afghan War of 1878-1880.

Here's a sample pic & link to an AAR of the first play-test of my 1879 Battle of Charasiab scenario, from a few months ago:

http://maiwandday.blogspot.com/2015/09/charasiab-play-test-10.html (http://maiwandday.blogspot.com/2015/09/charasiab-play-test-10.html)

(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DwjFyt-GuHo/VfaBiYcbWFI/AAAAAAAAM3I/34EH8bjGZOw/s1600/IMG_0599.JPG)

And here's the same for a more recent blog entry with pics of my terrain set-up and brief army lists for a "What If?" version of the First Afghan War 1841-'42 Christmas/New Years retreat of the Anglo-Indian army from Kabul, in which the British commanders choose to try and fight their way from their Cantonments to the Bala Hissar fortress, 1.5 miles away, rather than accepting an Afghan gaurantee of "Safe Conduct," as they actually did, and attempting to march 90 miles South to the border of British India, which sadly led to the complete destruction of the Anglo-Indian army of 4,500 and its 12,000 camp followers:

http://maiwandday.blogspot.com/2015/12/bala-hissar-or-bust-preliminaries.html (http://maiwandday.blogspot.com/2015/12/bala-hissar-or-bust-preliminaries.html)

(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--mSt8iR5suw/Vnn1umFNodI/AAAAAAAAOoo/n_qTNKzyzB4/s1600/IMG_4337.JPG)

And finally here's a sample pic & link to the first of a somewhat epic 7-part AAR on an 1880 Battle of Maiwand game I ran at the first "Colonial Barracks" convention back in November 2011.  It's long, but has a ton of pics of troops and terrain, taken by a good photographer with a good camera (not me!):

http://maiwandday.blogspot.com/2012/01/maiwand-saturday-colonial-barracks-1-of_22.html

(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QwyVV9C_i6E/TxURGYw6LDI/AAAAAAAADXw/a3_nMfQPTss/s1600/MaiwandGame_260.jpg)

Hope you find them to be of some use!
Title: Re: LOOKING FOR COLONIAL INSPIRATION
Post by: miltiades on 31 December 2015, 08:43:47 AM
Thank you all so much for your replies !
I am  a fan of General Pettygree's blog and it is really very very inspiring. But I was  looking for something suitable for very big battles  since it is the beginning of the Year and since I am the only one who plays Colonials in Athens ... all my friends ask me to prepare them the BIG game of the New Year[...meaning a BIG BATTLE with lots of killings and many players involved]. Therefore I am looking for a scenario including a big City [like Khartum, Khabul, or something like that] and perhaps 2 or 3 "oriental" armies . One or two may be the attackers, while the other one may try to delay the reinforcements. On the other side there will be the defenders and the reinforcements. I do have many terain features [including a fort and a city, even a small steamboat, and a table of 2,40 X2,00 meters]. The problem is that I am not sure how this whole thing may work... Up to now we played smaller actions [with simple house rules] and had a lot of fun... General Pettygree is very very inspiring.
Unfortunately I have not read the books you mentioned [except Kipling of course], but I will order them -that's for sure. Thanks. But Bob, I don't want the British to lose [I actually want them to win !]  so I don't think I would buy  Colonel Snook's books [is it a rule set? does it have any scenarios?]
Maiwand Day Blog is a Fantastic Blog, very inspiring, amazing terain and of course I will get much inspiration from it.
Well, if any of you have a scenario [tested?] that fits my standards, or any ideas, that would be very much appreciated
 :)
May all we have a really HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!
Title: Re: LOOKING FOR COLONIAL INSPIRATION
Post by: Pijlie on 31 December 2015, 09:13:21 AM
A few golden oldies you really should not miss:

Major-General Tremorden-Rederring page http://web.archive.org/web/20101130162708/http://zeitcom.com/majgen/index.html (http://web.archive.org/web/20101130162708/http://zeitcom.com/majgen/index.html)

The Colonial Angle
http://web.archive.org/web/20100804024140/http://home.comcast.net/~theangle/ (http://web.archive.org/web/20100804024140/http://home.comcast.net/~theangle/)

The Red Shadow
http://warflag.com/shadow/index.html (http://warflag.com/shadow/index.html)
Title: Re: LOOKING FOR COLONIAL INSPIRATION
Post by: Atheling on 31 December 2015, 09:20:55 AM
More NWF Action:

(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aIbAJ5LQVnk/VZt6sT8hvSI/AAAAAAAAhTA/kL3J1_sYxI0/s1600/P1050375.JPG)

(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X3M7qmoa78Q/VcN_OwKQb4I/AAAAAAAAibw/0Egj-vsUOLE/s1600/NWF%2BPERRY%2BHUT%2BBRITS%2B1A.JPG)

(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sHgihVZ1zHA/VZrZyudYKRI/AAAAAAAAgyc/7WsaDK7F3GA/s1600/P1050384.JPG)

Cheers,
Darrell.