German East Africa: Battle or Skirmish scale?

[FifteensAway]

I have plenty of 15 mm figures, from QRF, to do GEA in battle scale.  However, in keeping with downsizing from crazy numbers to mildly over the top numbers of figures owned, I'm considering converting to more of a skirmish level for gaming the theater. 

So, how do those of you with an interest in the period feel about going the skirmish route?  Or is battle scale the main way to go?

Rules will almost certainly be Fistful of Lead, probably the Bigger Battles variant, because I think of the period as a last gasp of colonialism just with a lot more machine guns.  However, if going battle scale, then Rank and File - again pushing a bit beyond their intended time frame for the same reason.

Thanks for your input.

(And I have no problem doing skirmish gaming in 15 mm - and I have no intention of buying more figures when I have so many already so, please, no recommendations for larger scale figures for skirmishing, however nice they might be.)

[flatpack]

We’ve played plenty of East African games posted here on LAF in the past.
Not in 15mm but 28mm.
We’ve always used FOL BB.
We’ve always had great fun.
Definitely the route to take.

[FifteensAway]

flatpack, tried searching for those game reports but didn't find much - mostly BBB reports.  Can you provide a few links, please?

Thanks.

[Inkpaduta]

I think the East Africa front would be great for skirmish. The German kept up a
hit and run sort of warfare. Raids on the British, ambushes and small skirmished would
be very much in line with the conflict there.

[flatpack]

flatpack, tried searching for those game reports but didn't find much - mostly BBB reports.  Can you provide a few links, please?

Thanks.

https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=114149.msg1788395#msg1788395

[FifteensAway]

flatpack, thanks for that link, really enjoyed reviewing that wonderful thread - and posted a reply which shall bring back to the top for a bit and hopefully new folk will discover, or rediscover, the adventures. 

However, MWWBK is not FOL - probably why I didn't find it, different set of rules. 

Have you tried Fistful of Lead yet with this collection?  Might offer some different flavor to the games. 

[carlos marighela]

I think the bigger question is what figure ratio are you planning on using?

We did the Tanga battles back in the day using CD Over The Top. Command Decison has 2-3 figures per stand representing a platoon, so a German company would have been around 8-12 figures, a British battalion 30 +.

To me skirmish implies basically a one to one figure scale. The lowest level of tactical organisation for the Germans is really going to be the Zug (platoon) and you are looking at around 60 askaris. That feldkompanie, the basic tactical unit, will number around 200-240 not including the MG section and all the hangers on. I doubt you would want to do that at 1:1.

Naturally enough, you could go for another ratio like 1:5 or 1:2, that would still give a visually attractive game without going overboard on the figures.

[FifteensAway]

Carlos,

Any links to battle reports from your games, please?  LAF or other places?

Figure scale is always, except at 1:1, a stylization but I could very easily go with a 1:4 figure ratio for a zug and still field several feldcompangnies. 

But might be better to increase the ratio to reduce the painting load.  I suppose the biggest challenge in my collection is the British really don't have massiviely larger units.  I figured they are at 'field strength' given the extreme attrition the British suffered during the campaign.  Only in the later stages, once they started fielding Africa populated units (even if from overseas in a case or two, not counting the shifting around of units within Africa) that there was less loss of personnel.

A good question to consider.  Originally went with 18 figure units but can easily drop to 12 (which would be 1:5 for a zug).  And have fewer overall units.

I'm finding downsizing both painless and freeing - seeing a smaller number to paint helps.

[carlos marighela]

Sorry, we were playing OTT in the last century. Not quite pre-interwebbies but certainly pre blogs and pre LAF.

[carlos marighela]

The Tanga scenario is in the rulebook btw.

[joekano]

I play in skirmish scale as well, though in 28mm. We've had a lot of fun at that smaller scale and would recommend it. We like the beer and pretzels style of gameplay, so  mostly used the various Chris Peer's rules over the years (Contemptible Little Armies, In the Heart of Africa).  Here are some of our old games (note: we had to use some ahistorical figures in some cases due to what people had in their collections)

https://majorthomasfoolery.blogspot.com/2024/04/outskirts-of-tanga-1914-ww1-skirmish.html

https://majorthomasfoolery.blogspot.com/2015/03/boma-raid.html

https://majorthomasfoolery.blogspot.com/2014/08/german-east-africa-outpost-attack-aar.html

[flatpack]

Fifteens, I do remember play FOL with these figures, ironically it was a skirmish game during lockdown.
Here you go…..
https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=128982.msg1633068#msg1633068

[FifteensAway]

Gentlemen, thank you both for those links, spent a bit of time enjoying them and likely will revisit again soon.

Two take aways: One - skirmishing will work just fine.  Two - can go beyond 'history' and twist the 'tiger's' tail and have over the top scenarios that might lean heavily towards pulpish sort of games.  And that works for me.

So, again, thanks, gents.  Or miscreants if you prefer or if being referred to as gents is offensive. 

[flatpack]

Gents fine….gent 

[Deflatermouse]

GEA I have gamed with Over the Top from Greg Novak in 15mm.
So 2 figures on 3/4” or 20mm stand = platoon.
Finding the bigger battles worked well. Play a quick game of Tsarvo (turned into a historical disaster for the SAians) and Tanga using that scale.
A lot of other actions would be better in skirmish scale but don’t have a specific set of rules for such. Honestly haven’t gamed such yet .