Fictional ancient wargaming: gaming The Sunbird

[Pijlie]

Recently I have been re-reading The Sunbird, a 1972 novel by Wilbur Smith. It is probably the only Wilbur Smith novel I really like and have read more than once, despite its obvious sexism, racism and dodgy political views, which would even in the 70ies have been rather wobbly. But you may think a lot of things about mr Smith, but my point of interest here is the subject of the novel and its possibilities for war gaming.

The novel is a two-part story in which the first modern storyline about an archaeological discovery of an ancient Punic city in South Africa, intrigue, violence and terrorism in 1970ies South Africa is mirrored in the second story of the King and High priest of the fictional city of Opet around its fall in 500 AD.

The novel is based on the premise that survivors of the sack of Carthage fled the city in a small fleet of ships, sailed south along the African coast and founded the city of Opet on the shores of an inland sea near the border of modern South Africa and Zimbabwe. Opet was based on the Carthaginian model of slave labour and trade and flourished in the 600 years of its existence. Opet came under pressure from the southward Bantu migrations and was finally destroyed when a former slave united the tribes that had been raided for slaves by Opet for centuries, triggered a massive slave revolt and overran the city, eventually utterly destroying it in a similar way as the complete destruction of Carthage 600 years earlier. The second storyline ends with the fall of Opet and ties up with the first story again.

The book has wonderfully exotic battle scenes with small Carthage-style armies, complete with elephants against the massive regiments of the black tribes attacking Opet. Its tribal enemies are clearly based on the Zulu and the Matabele of the 19th century. There are some quirky bits, like the "Carthaginian axeman", of whom I have no historical knowledge at all and the fact that the Opetians domesticated African elephants, but the whole fluff is very inspiring.

Now I own a Carthaginian army (and elephants), surely there must be a lot of 28mm Zulus aroundin the world so my question is, has anyone done this and what rules were used?

[georgec]

Rob Broom, late of Warhammer Historical and now Scarab Miniatures and War and Conquest impresario, used his Masai army as a Warhammer Historical Battles Warband.  Very nice they looked too but this was all I could find Googling...

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/warandconquest/conversations/messages/1429

Edit: Doh! Remembered 30 seconds after hitting save that they were on the Scarab forum (er obviously...)

http://scarabminiatures.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=1803&hilit=masai

[Steam Flunky]

That sounds fun!
If you do play a game, post us some pics.

[rumacara]

Nothing should stops you from doing this.
I dont think there is any historical mistake in it and i think would look great on a gaming table.
About rules i cannot help you in that for i only play squirmish games.

[Storm Wolf]

My fav Wilbur Smith, definitely a book of two halves.

The only problem I see is sourcing the "Spider"

Good luck and I will want to see piccies ok

Glen

[Andrew_McGuire]

I read your account rather hurriedly, so may have missed something vital, but a potential pachydermous anomaly springs to mind, i.e. what kind of elephants are the 'Carthaginians' using? If they brought their own with them in their retreat and and continued breeding them, then the use of Carthaginian war elephants would be appropriate, but if they're supposed to have used bush elephants - which is intrinsically unlikely, as no-one has ever manage to use them even for transport - then your historical miniatures would simply be too...miniature.

Edit: On subsequent re-reading I see you include the Carthaginians' / Opetians' domestication of  elephants from southern Africa as among the novel's questionable assumptions, but that doesn't alter my point that models of Carthaginian war elephants would not be suitable for these. You're perfectly within your rights to adapt the more ludicrous aspects of an intrinsically credulity-stretching story to your own ends, of course, so that you can use what you have, and rationalise this if you feel the need: perhaps Smith forgot to mention that the retreating Carthaginians brought a breeding pair with them, and in a triumph of cross-breeding and proto / pseudo-pachyderm eugenics, managed to create a race of super-elephants. Maybe rhinos could get a look-in too?