Rules for random Native attacks similar to Mammalian Mayhem ?

[bobblezbob]

Are there any rule sets useable for exploration in the Dark Continent that feature random dice or card generated attacks by Natives that is similar to, or can be incorporated into, Mammalian Mayhem rules (possibly all so adding discovering lost treasures etc along the way) ?
I like the idea of 2-3 players controlling an explorer & a bearer or two each and to have to get safely from one table edge to another but having no control over what adventures might befall them on their travels.

[Hobbit]

No but...

I was working on a system for a very different game where I wanted all of the players to be on one side and to have a degree of randomness to the opposition. The result of my musing was to place a number of cards on the playing surface; each card would have an "encounter" on the facedown side. The "encounter" can be whatever you want it to be and should ideally include some blanks. In the game I planned cards included enemy units, minefields, indirect fire and air attacks

...for a colonial style game I guess you could have traps, ambushes, unseen opponents shooting once and then running away, wild animal attacks, remnants of a previous expedition (if living these might reinforce you - if dead you might loot the remains). You can put some structure into the cards by putting aside 1/4 to 1/3 of the cards and shuffling the treasure or objectives into those and then putting the other 2/3 to 3/4 of the cards on top of those before distributing them about the playing surface (working away from the start point of course).

The game is then structured such that players have to move from card to card and can't simply bypass them.

[bobblezbob]

Hobbit, did you envisage that these random event cards would be placed on the gaming board at regular distances equel to the figures movement rate so that there was a guarenteed 'event' each turn (so you get movement - land on the card -, action/shoot, reaction etc) ?
Or is an 'event' each turn going to be too much for our intrepid explorers to endure ?

[Cory]

I wrote a jungle exploration type scenario for a pulp campaign where certain actions (firing a weapon, moving from one terrain area to another, lighting a fire, etc.) required the player to pull an encounter card.

The encounter cards allowed for buildings, clues, reinforcements, treasures, traps, ruins, and noises in the underbrush. If the noises in the underbrush card was pulled another player drew from the noises deck and played the card appropriately. The noises deck had hostile natives, various wild animals, deranged explorer gone native, cannibals, pillaging monkey troops, Tarzan, an amorous and lost Amelia Earheart, and spies. Most of the noise card results were placed as a hidden token often with the result that several tokens might follow any given group.

This let players interfere with each other without having to risk losing their own force.

[Patrice]

I wrote a jungle exploration type scenario for a pulp campaign where certain actions (firing a weapon, moving from one terrain area to another, lighting a fire, etc.) required the player to pull an encounter card.

The encounter cards allowed for buildings, clues, reinforcements, treasures, traps, ruins, and noises in the underbrush. If the noises in the underbrush card was pulled another player drew from the noises deck and played the card appropriately. The noises deck had hostile natives, various wild animals, deranged explorer gone native, cannibals, pillaging monkey troops, Tarzan, an amorous and lost Amelia Earheart, and spies. Most of the noise card results were placed as a hidden token often with the result that several tokens might follow any given group.

This let players interfere with each other without having to risk losing their own force.

This is promising... 

[Hobbit]

As I said the original was intended for something very different indeed - a night time attack on a fixed defensive position for a modern wargame. All of the attackers would be played, whereas the defence would be largely system controlled. The idea was to have several "layers" of defence (let us say 3 or 4 layers, each of 8 cards). Each layer would include a mix of blank cards and some "combat encounters" (lets say 3 blanks, 2 minefields, 2 infantry platoons and an MG post).

Cards would be placed onto the playing surface, a move would be from card to card. If the encounter was with an enemy unit then that encounter would be resolved with normal miniatures rules, but once a single turn had been played out each of the other players got their move. Putting the cards onto the playing surface creates the illusion that players have a degree of control where they go whereas drawing cards from a deck simply gives you whatever is on top. In the game I was working on it also allowed you to place cards on likely enemy defensive positions. Probably sounds much more complicated than it really is!

For a game with trails running through the jungle you could, of course, lay out trails instead of layers, but I'd include quite a few opportunities to switch trails so that players don't feel railroaded.

[Stavros]

Ahhh, memories....I used to do this sort of thing back in the days when the old lead was a lot cheaper (or appeared to be ).
Mine were just a re-hash of the old 'Pony Wars' rules published back in the 80's by Tabletop games then revamped by the late great Peter Gilder for his Sudan games.

[H.M.Stanley]

That's a point, doesn't A Good Dusting (or The Devil's Wind) operate with the Umpire controlling the Native contingent? Could that be the basis of what you have in mind?

[Yankeepedlar01]

That's a point, doesn't A Good Dusting (or The Devil's Wind) operate with the Umpire controlling the Native contingent? Could that be the basis of what you have in mind?

Yes, there are systems in place in A Good Dusting and Washing The Spears for random native appearance, movement and attacks.
David