Congo! Creamy Beatrix is Grabbed by the Zanzibaris (ouch!)

[TWD]

We played a game of Congo.
The noble Arab slavers set out to rescue the beautiful noblewoman Lady Mingella Beatrice Quimm from the tents of the Evil European Explorers who had snatched her in a previous adventure.
The resultant fight was brutal and furious. And plenty of fun.


You can read some words and look at more pictures over on my blog:
http://tomstoysoldiers.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/a-return-to-congo.html

[Plynkes]

Interesting that you and your gaming mate are a little like Jack Sprat and his wife regarding Congo. What is it about the setting that he dislikes, and what is it about the game mechanics that you don't like? Quite curious about the latter in particular, as I am hoping to start a Congo campaign myself quite soon. I think I like the look of it from reading the rules, but you never quite know until you've actually played them.

[TWD]

He doesn't like Colonial gaming in general. I understand that. I think he's wrong,  but I understand that some people don't like certain periods and settings.

I have two concerns really with the rules.
One is that they're quite "gamey" - by which I mean they're a clever set of mechanics first and foremost. The game mechanics are more the focus than the miniatures. It's not quite as pronounced as SAGA - which I always felt involved far more staring at the boards and dice than it did pushing soldiers and shouting hurrah! - but it's still a game that requires quite a lot of "meta" thought and planning. So each turn begins with some lengthy decision making about cards and the order and the bonuses. I understand some people like that sort of thing, but I'm a simpleton so for me it comes between me and the enjoyment of the game and soldiers. 
Related to that is the feeling that there's nothing actually African about the game mechanics. It's a clever set of skirmish rules. But the Congo bit is just a skin, you could use the engine for Vikings, Goblins or Moonmen games. I realise that's true to an extent of most skirmish games, but this one in particular just feels more like a game with a skin overlayed than, say, Frostgrave. Such flavour as there is comes from the scenarios, but there's not many of them (so far) so re-play value may be an issue.
These two things together mean I just feel a bit disengaged, rather than immersed in the game. I'm definitely "playing a game" rather than "telling the story" of our African Adventures.

All that said I'm happy enough playing it and will play it some more. After all I had issues with SAGA but played tons of games of that a few years ago. 

[Plynkes]

Ah, I get you. The mechanics are what I haphazardly and inelegantly describe as "board-gamey" (in a Eurogame sense I suppose, rather than harking after some old Avalon Hill monster with massive stacks of counters moving around a hex map). But actually that is the thing I find appealing about them, as a change of pace from our usual tabletop affairs.

They seem like they would be suited to smaller, story-driven affairs rather than epic battles. Like small scenes from various Rider Haggard stories. I hope so, anyway.

Thanks for posting the report, by the way. I enjoyed it. I think I forgot to say that, earlier.

[SteveBurt]

I think the 'terror' mechanic and the encounter tables for dangerous terrain are definitely 'African' (and so are the scenarios of course).
It's certainly a game that makes you think a bit - but I like having interesting tactical decisions.

[Sir Rodney Ffing]

I think the rules need a proper campaign setting to get the most out of the African setting.  By that i mean an open ended campaign built around an expedition, be it white man exploration, or Zanzibari slavers doing what they did, with the player taking decisions about how to get from A to B, how the column should be organised, say trading off more bearers carrying food and hongo against armed askari, decisions on how to interact with village chiefs (pay the hongo, take what you want buy force, or do without, perhaps hire more natives), random encounters with hostile locals and animals, and an objective etc etc. Probably not everyone's cup of tea I realise, but much as i have enjoyed getting the figures on the table and appreciate the neat system, the unconnected nature of the scenarios leaves me wanting more. 

[Calumma]

I agree the rules are boardgamey and it does sometimes feel like there's too many tokens on the table. The existing scenarios do feel a bit disconnected and would definitely benefit from a campaign system that links stories and allows development of all the columns. I do enjoy the game though and its quirks make it a very different beast to play.