Colonial Supplement for Darkest Africa

[Zopenco]

I have just received the T&T Colonial Supplement. As I haven't got a single redcoated miniature in my collection, but I am busily painting Darkest Africa figures, I would like to adapt the rules for the exploration and early colonization period in East and Central Africa .

Bearing in mind that there are some experts in the period in this forum, I would appreciate comments and advice on the following rules:

1) Formation. I assume the ad hoc askari units recruited by white explorers and adventurers won´t benefit from this rule. Or not?

2) Volley fire. The T&T rules don't differentiate between single-shot breech-loader rifles like the Snider and repeaters like the Lee-Metford or the Mauser M71/84. Volley Fire  rules as written sound rather like "mad minute" rules, and I wonder if a way of differentiating both types of rifle (if both are present in the same army and it is deemed neccessary) would be to restrict volley fire to repeaters.

3) Single-shot muzzle-loader rules like the Minie aren't covered in the rules either. What about using the current rifle ranges and the Reload rule? What would be the points value of such a weapon? Or it would be better to lump them with the muskets?

4) Rules for pack trains of human porters will be needed.  Will handlers and guards be compulsory? A foreman and an escort sound reasonable, but the current "at least four handlers" rule looks excessive to me.

5) I think the Advanced Deployment rule should be allowed to any native unit, not only those armed with firearms. Are there any tribe which shouldn't benefit from this rule?

6) Should High Mobility be allowed to any cattle-raising/cattle-thieving tribe? Or should be restricted to Mirambo's Nyamwezi, the Masai and ... who else?

7) Nimble. Only for those tribes that Chris Peers' early rules dubbed "Agile Warrios" and "Agile Spearmen"?

8 ) Bad Shots. Most African with firearms should be, apparently. But what about double armed troops who were supposed to be bad shots but proficient hand-to-hand fighters, like the Arab Baluchi mercenaries and (perhaps) the Ruga-Ruga?

9) Hidden Foe. Only for Pygmies? Or extensive to most jugle tribes? Applicable also to those tribes what shadowed invading armies picking off stragglers but refusing to offer battle, like the Kikuyu?

10) Thrown Spears. Did any of the East Africa hand-to-hand fighters like the Masai, the Ngoni, the Wahehe, the Nandi, etc. used to throw spears while charging? I have no idea - Congo tribes apparently did.

11) Aggresive. Limited to the tribes mentioned in #10 and the Azande?

12) Brave. Ruga-Ruga teenage soldiers?

13) Faith, Fanatics, Fatalists. Not applicable?

14) Extended Coherency. Allowed to any dedicated skirmishers?

Thanks in advance, and apologies for the stiffness of my English

[Plynkes]

Hi, I'm in the same boat, actually. Some thoughts, I think I need to mull over some of the other points:

1) I wouldn't give the kind of wangwana typically hired on the coast as expedition guards formation or volley fire abilities. But later company troops and colonial askari ought to benefit from it.


2) In the 1890s armies rarely let individual soldiers use up rounds willy-nilly from their magazines, and not many troops in the "Darkest Africa" setting would have magazine rifles anyway. The Brits actually reloaded their Lee-Metfords in between shots and kept the magazine as an emergency reserve (it was always assumed that left to their own devices, troops will waste ammo like there is no tomorrow, and it took a long time to get away from this idea). Perhaps you could keep that as an extra "emergency volley" that each unit can use once irrespective of the supply situation of the force.


3) I suppose the game could do with a distinction here, but personally I'm keen to keep things simple and not change anything. I'm quite happy with musket vs. modern rifle, and don't think further distinction would add much to play. But that's purely personal taste.


6) I would give high mobility to any of the northern herdsmen types, not just the Masai. The Kalenjin (which includes such folks as the Nandi and Kipsigis and others) are famous for their fleetness of foot, and regularly rival the Ethiopians in long distance running events to this day. I'd give it to Ngoni too: Zulus get it, after all. And Mirambo's boys too, as you say.


8 ) I agree that troops who are good fighters but hopeless shots like Baluchis and Ruga Ruga need something other than the "Bad Shots" rule to represent them. I'm inclined to simply put a minus modifier to their shooting on their unit card as a special "ability."


10) Masai threw their knobkerries as they charged (so throwing sticks rule would seem appropriate), and the Ngoni employed fletched javelins, so I will be giving them use of the throwing spears rule in my games.


12) Good idea.


13) Hmmm. Maji-Maji anyone? I guess once enough of them have been mown down then these powers are going to fall away as they realise that it doesn't actually work. Morale tests and perhaps heaps of extra suppressions might be in order as they lose their faith?

[Plynkes]

11) Aggresive. Limited to the tribes mentioned in #10 and the Azande?

If you are converting from Chris Peers lists, or just using them as inspiration as I do, I'd be inclined to give that ability to any troop type that is counted as a "warrior" rather than the more timid "spearmen."

[Driscoles]

Hi,

1. the colonial rules give an example who can volley fire.
you should adept this for Darkest Africa.

2. I didnt want to make the game too complicated so there is no difference between rifles made. But anyway if you think that fast firing rifles should be more effective I would suggest to increase the number of Suppression Marker !

3. as Plynkes said.

4. We played our darkest africa game with 4 to 6 porters and a few escort men. The units were not larger than 8 to 10 men.

5. Yep, that is a good idea. I would do the same.

6. Dont know who else, but I would say that lots of natives are better on foot than the european adversaries.

7. I would use the nimble trait for all tribes fighting on difficult but familiar ground.

8. Those units usually have a sword for close combat and so a +1 modifier in close combat. If you want them more effective give them the aggressive trait too.

9. like 7 I suggest.

10.  like Plynkes

11. If you want your tribe to be aggressive use that trait. On the other hand use it as a scenario feature for a particular battle or encounter.

12. like Plynkes

13. maybe applicable as a scenario feature.

14. yes, why not or to very experienced troops.

Sorry for my late answer to this post. I was busy. Thank you for the very good questions they inspired me !

Cheers
Björn

[H.M.Stanley]

Hi. Has anyone got more thoughts for gaming Darkest Africa with T&T?
Thanks
James

[H.M.Stanley]

Maybe start another thread James? I would guess you'll get a long (or short!) answer  .

Darrell.

Oui mon ami, c'est moi [grin]

[Atheling]

Oui mon ami, c'est moi [grin]

Just deleted my last post..... must have been having a bad day as I didn't notice the title of the thread  .

Darrell.

[Remington]

Point number 2 is quite interesting. Having just watched Zulu lately I could imagine that one could also limit the amount of shots fired after a volley shot to emulate the fact that some soldiers are still reloading? Maybe with Sniders only half the amount of models in a unit get to fire after having fired a volley.

[Plynkes]

I'm not sure about that. As noted in my post above, during this period there really was no difference in how single-shot and magazine rifles were used tactically. If we're talking about the Great War and later it's different, but not in 19th Century colonial games.

I wouldn't penalise single-shot rifles. If you must have a difference between them and magazine rifles in the colonial era I would give a unit with magazine rifles one or two extra shooting dice.

[Driscoles]

I see it as Plynkes does.

[Remington]

I was basing my suggestion on the Reload rule of the musket, but after re-reading your first comment I would see it as you do.

And yet in essence you can either give the magazine rifles extra shooting dice or remove dice from the single loaders, depending on the setting you are playing in. In a colonial setting I'd definitely follow your suggestion, whereas I might penalise the single loaders in a setting where the magazine rifles are the norm and in which those magazines are used as intended. Obviously that can only work if you don't have muskets in such a setting or else you're in all sorts of trouble trying to keep your house rules simple and comprehensible.

PS: And to be honest, I like the rule as it stands in the book.