March or Die

[Oldboy]

Good evening.
I am currently collecting foreign legion figures to fight Arabs. A search of the web shows that there is/was a set of basic rules called March or Die where the playe is the legion and the arabs are controlled (I think) by dice.
Is this still available I cannot see it for sale anywhere or can anyone recommend a similar set of rules suitable for a wargames virgin to cut his teeth on. Not really too fussed, at this stage, about historical accuracy but obviously want the game to feel right. I will be playing solo.
Many thanks
Frank

[fred]

If you can’t find March or Die it would be worth having a a look at The Men Who Would Be Kings by Dan Mersey, from Osprey. Covers FFL and Arabs (amongst many others), its a large skirmish game, around 50 figures a side, builds off the Lion Rampant rules, but with several improvements, and a focus on the Colonial era.

Also for a solo gamer it includes the Mr Babbage chapter which provides a mechanism for controlling  the native troops.

[FifteensAway]

The Men Who Would... is okay if you don't mind 'buckets' of dice.  And someone will certainly recommend The Sword and The Flame, with its wonky movement rates and too slow melee mechanism (that its fans love, though) and sit around and wait forever for a turn if there are a lot of players. 

For March or Die, check and see if anyone at Redoubt might have a source for the rules.  I think they might have also appeared in an issue of Savage & Soldier (I think that was it?).

[NickNascati]

As one of the many fans of The Sword and the Flame, I have to respond.  The game was designed as a two player game, with the European player having ideally no more than two units, and the Native four to six.  If you keep it at that level, the game moves quite quickly.
As far as movement and melee go, the mechanics are part of the game's charm.  Years ago, I played many a game with Redoubt FFL vs. Tuaregs.

[robh]

March or Die was one of the B&B Miniatures rule sets. Long OOP sadly.

B&B is now owned by Mac Warren and as far as I know still active (superb range of 20mm figures)
http://www.bandbminiatures.co.uk/index.htm

There are contact details on the site, perhaps he may be able to help you source a copy.

Closest thing to it these days would probably be "Patrols in the Sudan" from Peter Pig but you will need to create the force lists.

[Oldboy]

Thank you to everyone lots to follow up. I have the men etc but have not played it. Just liked the idea of the game driving the enemy which is similar I think to thw another game I haven't played. Sigh.

[JBaumal]

Frank, there was a game write up in an old Courier or MWAN where they used The Sword And The Flame rules but the Chinese were controlled by a chart taken from the rules Pony Wars about the America West and the Indian Wars. I'll see if I can find the write up.

[Lord Raglan]

This rule-set is awesome buddy:

The Men Who Would Be Kings

[fred]

This rule-set is awesome buddy:

The Men Who Would Be Kings

This.

I have the men etc but have not played it. Just liked the idea of the game driving the enemy...

TMWWBK does this.

[italwars]

Frank, there was a game write up in an old Courier or MWAN where they used The Sword And The Flame rules but the Chinese were controlled by a chart taken from the rules Pony Wars about the America West and the Indian Wars. I'll see if I can find the write up.

Ehm....could you include also me poor beggar of everything TSATF related into the sending of that document?

many thanks

[robh]

Frank, there was a game write up in an old Courier or MWAN where they used The Sword And The Flame rules but the Chinese were controlled by a chart taken from the rules Pony Wars about the America West and the Indian Wars. I'll see if I can find the write up.

March or Die was developed from Pony Wars (also B&B ) so that would be extremely useful in trying to develop something similar.

[Tom Reed]

What about using Howard Whitehouse's Sudan rules?

[Plynkes]

If you mean "Science vs. Pluck", they are almost the opposite of the solo play the OP is looking for, as they are designed for a bunch of players playing British officers and a GM controlling the Mahdists (and the rest of the world in general). Almost a hybrid of war game and an RPG. Very interesting concept, but perhaps not what Oldboy is after.