OK, so prime me on this whole BoB racket

[Rhoderic]

I love what I'm seeing of the Triumph & Tragedy previews, but I just realized I don't actually know the first thing about Back of Beyond gaming. So, basically... tell me what kind of armies and conflicts would be good for a beginner to game.

To put it another way: If you had to make a "starter box" containing everything a beginner needs to start gaming BoB (miniatures, and maybe a very limited number of reference books), what would you put in it?

[Will Bailie]

For starters, I would recommend reading Peter Hopkirk's "Setting the East Ablaze", which provides a great summary of events in Central Asia during and following the Russian Revolution.  It provides a great introduction to the parties involved in the conflict.  Chris Peers' "Back of Beyond" supplement for Contemptible Little Armies provides a much shorter introduction to the potential participants in a BoB campaign.  Although the lists are designed for CLA, it should be easy to convert them for other gaming systems.

As for figures, check out the extensive Back of Beyond list at Copplestone Castings:  http://www.copplestonecastings.co.uk/
Keep an eye on the monthly specials, as Mark will occasionally put up an entire BoB army set.

Bob Murch's Pulp Figures can also be used to build armies for a BoB campaign:  http://pulpfigures.com/

Another great source of figures is Brigade Games, especially the new "Storm in the East" range:  http://brigadegames.com/

Hope that is helpful for starters.

Will

[Will Bailie]

Possible armies for a BoB campaign include (but are not limited to):

Central Asian tribesmen and Basmachis (Tajiks, Khazaks, and others)
Armies of the Central Asian khanates (such as Bokhara)
Tibetans
Chinese Bandits
Chinese Warlord (sometimes there is little to choose between the warlords and the bandits!)
Afghan army - somewhat better organised than their neighbouring Khazaks, Tajiks and the like, though that isn't saying much!
Bolsheviks (ie, Reds)
White armies (which generally encompasses all Russian opponents of the Bolos, not just the "official" Whites)
The rather bizarre White Russian army of Mad Baron von Ungern-Sternberg
Interventionists (both real and theoretical), including British and British Indian armies, Japanese, Americans, Turks and Canadians (no, really!)
The Czech Legion, who ran several armoured trains on various sections of the Trans-Siberian Railway.

There are opportunities for including Cossacks, Mongols, religious fanatics, tanks, armoured cars, armoured trains, aircraft, and more.  Lots of fun for everyone!

[Hammers]

Another suitable if lesser played area is US imperialism in the Banana Wars of Central America in the '20ies and '30ies. You can use US Marines, United Fruit goons and US Naval Troops against Cuban regular army, Haitian militia, carribean indians, Mexican Federales etc.

Brigade has an excellent range, Carribean Empires, for it this to:

Jivaro headhunters


Haitian zombies


Sandinistas:


And these lovely parrots and idols (do you recognize the idol to the far right?)


And Pulp has a few marines and naval troops:



Also, Copplestone ahs a few Amazon Indians which with a bit of anthroplological disrespect will do as Carribeans:


Here are a few books on the topic:
The Banana Wars: United States Intervention in the Caribbean, 1898-1934 by Lester D. Langley
The Banana Men: American Mercenaries and Entrepreneurs in Central America, 1880-1930 by Lester D. Langley and Thomas David Schoonover

[Poliorketes]

The Basic BoB-theatre is central asia in the early twenties, where you can field nearly every army active in asia imaginable. But there are lots of toher areas you could expand to (not only the banana wars).

For starters, use Chris Peers BoB-Rulebook, it has a huge list of armies acitve in central asia. Theses theatres of war are playable with the lists included (though you have to convert them for other rules systems, which shouldn't be so hard to do):
- RCW in Siberia
- bolshewik reconquest of the central asian muslim khanates
- fighting in Mongolia
- chinese civil war
- 3rd anglo-afghan war
- british thrust through persia in late WW1

For most armies involved there are really good minis available from the companies mentioned above, though japanese are scarce and basmachis (the mulsim khanates) are missing. A starter box could be done with OSPREY MAA 293 & 305 the russian civil war 1+2 (red & white armies) and a bunch of copplestone red and white units.

The theatres above could be easily expanded into (with new armie lists needed):
- greek-turkish war (greek, italian & french army)
- russo-polish war (polish forces)
- RCW in the West (free corps, german army, baltic & finnish armies)
- German intervention in the Caucasus 1918 (german army)
- free corps vs. reds in Germany
- sand pebbles / Yangste Kiang (USMC)
- japanese-chinese war (1930s weapons)
- 'What if' scenario with the germans having won WW1
- Rif War (available from Iron Ivan)
- Italians in Lybia and Abbessinia
- Mad Mullah in Somalia

Other theatres not connected to the original setting are
- banana wars
- chaco war

[Grimm]

ok but why Canadians

and what are the The Czech Legion???

[xeoran]

ok but why Canadians

and what are the The Czech Legion???

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czech_Legion

Canadians served with the interventionist Entente troops.

[Poliorketes]

and what are the The Czech Legion???

In WW1, many Czechs of the Austro-Hungarian Army defected to the Russians. They formed the Czech Legion to fight against the Central Powers. After the war, they where stranded in russia and by coincidence where the only real fighting force in Siberia - and took control of the transsiberean railway. At first neutral in the russian civil war, they took sides with the whites and allies, but later took Admiral Koltschak captive and delivered him to the reds (and his dead) for free passage to Czechia via Wladiwostik.

[white knight]

Another suitable if lesser played area is US imperialism in the Banana Wars of Central America in the '20ies and '30ies. You can use US Marines, United Fruit goons and US Naval Troops against Cuban regular army, Haitian militia, carribean indians, Mexican Federales etc.

Monday Knight Productions has a range for the Banana Wars too: http://www.mondayknight.com/mkpindex-Banana.htm

Maybe not as nice as some of the others, but could fill some gaps.

[Hammers]

Maybe not as nice as some of the others, but could fill some gaps.

Right. Still cool. I did not know the Phillipine muslim tribesmen were called "moros" to. That would explain the confusion when I did a post on Anglian SCW Moros.

[Rhoderic]

Lots of great stuff, thanks guys.

Your alternative campaigns are very tempting, but in the end I think I'll go for the "core" BoB setting. I suddenly find myself very intrigued by Chinese warlords/bandits.

No good miniatures for stuff like the khanates, Afghans, Tajiks, Khazaks etc, then? Those were the second most intriguing choice. If there were miniatures, how big a stretch would it have been to pit them and the Chinese against each other? And perhaps also to have included some Mongol tribesmen (just 'cause I like the Copplestone minis so much)?

[Poliorketes]

Chinese vs. turkish central asian people would be no problem, think of Sinkiang. The only suitable Miniatures I know are pre-WW1 with old muzzle loaders, I use the Foundry Baluchis for afghan bandits.

[Will Bailie]

[/quote]ok but why Canadians

The Canadian Expeditionary Force (Siberia), aka CEF(S) consisted of a brigade sent to Vladivostok in 1918-1919.  No one really knew what to do with them, and they became the subject of a tug of war between the British War Office, which wanted to send them up the Trans-Siberian Railway to support the Whites, and Canadian government in Ottawa, which wanted them to be returned to Canada.  Ultimately, they returned to Canada, having done little besides wait in Vladivostok for the better part of a year. In an alternate history (as seems common with the Back of Beyond mythology), they could join their US and Japanese counterparts in aggressive military action along the Trans-Siberian.  (Note that in the real world, the Yanks also stayed in Vladivostok)

Canadians and Americans were both more active interventionists in North Russia (Murmansk and Archangel), but that is more "core" Russian Civil War than the actions out in the back of beyond.

No good miniatures for stuff like the khanates, Afghans, Tajiks, Khazaks etc, then?

Askari Miniatures has a nice range of Pathans, suitable for various Central Asian parts:  http://www.askari-minis.com/oscommerce/index.php?cPath=37

Foundry's NorthWest Frontier range will also provide good Central Asians.  The range has been archived, but is still available if you phone it in.

Old Glory Pathans will also be useful:  http://www.oldgloryminiatures.com/products.asp?cat=236

Cheers

Will

[Poliorketes]

As mentioned above, all of these is that they are slightly outdated for BoB.

[Admiral Benbow]

And these lovely parrots and idols (do you recognize the idol to the far right?)


Hammershield, where are those lovely parrots from? Need to get them for my pirates! Can't identify the idol - my eyesight, you know ...

Thanks,