Home Thoughts from Madasahatta and 1891

Bob Cordery’s updated version of the map of Madasahatta - it looks a whole lot more legible than the original version!

The original Madasahatta campaign organised by the late Eric Knowles was set in the early years of the Great War. As you can see from the map above - expertly updated by Bob Cordery and available from the The Madasahatta Campaign book available as a download from the Wargames Vault - the main breakdown of the nationalities involved consisted of the Germans in Hansaland and the British in New Surrey. There is of course the Arab concession as well as numerous local tribal types. 

According the ‘official history’ of the island it was primarily populated with various local tribal groups and an Arab trading concession granted by treaty between the Sultan of Zanzibar and the Whoppituppas (one of the indigenous tribes) in 1784. Gold was discovered in 1891 which led to European interest with the Germans arriving in 1894 under the auspices of the Hansa Ost Afrika company followed by the British two years later. The boundary between the two European powers was defined by the Treaty of Badlikortout in 1898 and ran along the centreline of the Bloeminstip Mounains, effectively cutting the island in two. The British came out worse from this treaty as the bulk of the gold deposits were in fact on the German side of the boundary - a fact that displeased Her Majesty Queen Victoria considerably - and so since then a succession of governors have looked to extend the northern boundary as far as possible where able to. That was the situation at the outbreak of the Great War.

This is where things get a little complicated, or not depending on how you view these things.

Bob Cordery’s map of Africa taken from his ‘Imagi-World of 1891’. Note the island of Madasahatta bottom right - with New Surrey, Hansaland and Fezian Madasahatta.

Bob Cordery’s outstanding ‘Imagi World of 1891’ shows the island of Madasahatta split between three blocks - Hansaland, New Surrey and Fezian Madasahatta located primarily where the Arab Concession is located. The implication is that the island featured a German and British presence earlier than mentioned in the ‘official history’. I have no problem with this as all three nationalities being in situ earlier than expected makes my plans a little easier to formalise.

My plan would be take things back to the mid 1880s with the forces already attempting to ‘stake a claim’ on the island - initially mercantile but supported by troops for local protection etc. Look upon it as being a kind of mini scramble for Africa. Ironically it means that the Fezian presence is the most established one although given the precarious state of the Fezian Empire at the time is probably the most tenuous. 

So what exactly is all this leading to?

I rather like the idea of the earlier period but with a small difference from the 1891 set up. The Fezian/Arab Concession will feature a small French enclave - I have written about this previously - that the Germans are keen to oust by any means short of all out war. 

Soon (actually not that soon but you get my point!) to be seen in British, German and French forces with a suitable paint job

The figures I shall be using for the French, Germans and British infantry will be those from the War in the Age of Imperialism board game. The overall cut of the uniform and the distinctive pith helmet will stand up to my efforts at paint conversion readily enough and there is an absolute wealth of other figures available for native tribal groupings, volunteers and locally raised Sepoy/Askari types.

The key thing behind all of this is of course the naval dimension as I will be able to deploy British, German, Turkish and French ships - all of which will need building. 

I have previously toyed with this idea but until now have never really ‘drilled down’ into the feasibility of it. At one point I planned to use the block armies for the land side but to be honest using something like the Portable Wargame as the basis for such a set up means that actually using figures is a lot more attractive and best of all can be done at my own pace. 

For sure liberties will be taken over uniform details and the ships being used will probably span a decade or so either side of the planned timeline but you know what? Who cares? It is the fun that matters!

More Thoughts on War in the Age of Imperialism

A frontal close up of the standard infantry figure….

….and the rear.

Trying out a base size - in this case 40mm by 20mm which is probably a little on the small side so I will try 50mm by 25mm next.

Whilst work has resumed on the ACW project (both the rules and the ship models) I have still found some time to further consider the whole ‘Colonial/Imagi-nations’ set up planned with the figures from the War in the Age of Imperialism board game.

My first thought was to look at other nationalities that used a close approximation of the uniform depicted by the infantry firing figure - a pith helmet, tunic, trousers with ankle boots and minimal equipment. If one is not too picky about fine detail then there are a number of choices on offer. France and Italy to start with but I am sure there are others and it is actually quite good fun researching them. It has given me a number of ideas to explore and naturally these will need to tie in with some naval activity.

In a roundabout way (roundabout as in via Bob Cordery’s World of 1891) I have been looking long and hard at the prospect of something Madasahatta based only set earlier than the famous campaign of 1914 that Eric Knowles ran. I am thinking about the mid 1880s and the period just after the invasion of Egypt and the fall of Khartoum. At this stage it is very much an idea rather than anything tangible but certainly there is plenty of scope to do this.

For now though the ACW project takes priority but it is always could to have a plan B or in my case a plan B, C, D, E and so on!

Back in the ACW Groove….Almost!

A rather splendid model of the C.S.S. Baltic - rest assured that my version will not be quite so aesthetically pleasing!

After a few weeks of, how shall I put it, distraction, it was good to finally get back to looking at the ACW ships once again. So I sat down and picked up the models, got the paint and glue out, stuck a few bits and pieces in place and readied myself for some brushwork when I remembered that I needed to seal the MDF on two of them.

That is when the problem occurred - my trusty tin of Rustin’s MDF sealer had dried up! To be fair there was on only a small amount left at the bottom of the tin but I thought there would be enough for the task in hand. It was mildly irritating for sure but a replacement has been ordered but in any event the other models could be worked on in the interim. I was able to get a reasonable amount done in the time available but more importantly it felt great to be back in the ship building business!

One of the things that struck me whilst doing this is that some of my earlier Confederate casemate ironclads are no longer up to the build standard of the later models. With this in mind I have decided to retire them - actually they will probably get repurposed into something else although I am unsure at this stage as to what. Ironically this means that I will need to build a couple of additional ships for the rebels to make up their numbers.

When I first started the ACW project the models were intended to be generic ‘based upon’ representations of typical ships of the period. For the most part I have stuck to this but for the Confederates the ironclads morphed into more historical types as evidenced but the models of the C.S.S. Virginia, Manassas, Georgia, Arkansas, Louisiana and Missouri. I plan to add another two or three models for this part of the Confederate fleet and aside from the one you see above I have yet to decide on the others.

Meanwhile, aside from the examples of play that I need to finalise, the final draft of the rules is pretty much complete. I hope to get these dialled in over the next week or so and the end result will then be sent off to the trusty playtesting dynamic duo - assuming they have not dies of boredom waiting on me that is!

In Other News….

We had a family day out shopping today during which I was able to make a brief visit to our nearest branch of Hobbycraft. I will not go into details but suffice it to say some bits and pieces were obtained that will be used in the future….literally, that is….

Thoughts on War in the Age of Imperialism

The above represent one of the forces from the game - note the 30 (5 x 6 figures) infantry and the selection of mounted types. There are horses for them as well!

Close ups of the figures - front and back. They are not the greatest plastics you will ever see but they have one significant advantage - there is a lot of them! 

The rather lurid looking box lid for War in the Age of Imperialism.

Sometime ago I acquired a copy of the Eagle Games Age of Imperialism - a strategic level Colonial board game. As is usual with this type of game it was always about the components rather than the game itself, in this case rather a lot of 1:72nd scale generic plastic figures - a selection of which you can see above, and that is just one of the coloured sets available, there being five in all.

The figures are quite basic but are fine for what I have in mind. The infantry are solely available in the standing firing pose which would probably put some gamers off but I can live with it and besides, the command box will certainly add some diversity. They need some additional bits and pieces to make then viable as an army so a swift look at Hat Industries has furnished me with the aforementioned command set (40 figures in all including four mounted officers), a box of artillery and a box of Gatling guns. This will flesh out the choices available when it comes to making up the various forces I am thinking about. In the short term though, they will need some opposition. So what would be best suited to face some Zulu War looking British Infantry? Well, after a lot of careful consideration for all of several minutes I did the only sane thing I could think of. 

Ordered a box of Unmarried Zulus…

In all seriousness, the idea is to use the ‘British” infantry figure as the basis for other European style pith helmet wearing Colonial forces - there would certainly be a degree of artistic licence in terms of fine detail but then if I wanted that I would probably be using better quality figures. The set up will be firmly Portable Colonial Wargame based meaning the forces will be small in terms of the number figures - small enough that even I could manage to slap some paint on them!

In the fullness of time there will be competing European Colonial forces - forces that will inevitably require naval support - alongside numerous indigenous tribal types of various sorts.

Something to think about anyway - and with the possibility of a VSF spin on things as well!

Wargaming Campaigns and a Logical Extension

This is truly a magnificent volume and with his earlier title - The Wargaming Compendium - form a duo that will the cornerstone of many a war games library I am sure.

Taking part or running a war games campaign can be an immensely rewarding experience. Revisiting such  an undertaking with those that took part serves to cement a shared experience in the best possible way - reminiscing over battles large and small as well as the more colourful incidents that inevitably occur in my opinion transcends the actuality of the campaign. In truth it assumes a life and identity of its own, to be spoken of in terms of endearment and enjoyment, usually in spite of any problems along the way.

It is true to say that there are no limits on how large or small a war games campaign should be and indeed, one of the attractions is tailoring the project to suit one’s own ideas and available collection(s). It can be quite an undertaking to organise and maintain and so proper planning of the undertaking is essential. 

Henry Hyde has written what I believe will become the standard ‘go to’ work for organising and running a war games campaign regardless of size, period or genre. So far I have merely scraped the surface of this truly epic work but one thought above all has struck me. This work should be viewed as the logical successor to the classic works of Featherstone, Grant and Bath but for the current digital and internet age. In short, it brings the concept of the war games campaign bang up to date and to use a Simon Cowell X Factor phrase, makes it ‘relevant’ for todays gaming audience.

The picture below will do the talking in respect of the contents of this work.

I am thinking that the contents list ticks most of the boxes!

The book is a goldmine of ideas and practical suggestions for pretty much every facet of organising and running a war games campaign, regardless of period, scale or genre. When I say scale I mean the size of the campaign rather than that of the figures or models being used. From stringing some scenarios together right up to the full on creation of an imagi-nation, complete with terrain, government, economic and social background this book has it all and much more besides. It really is a treasure trove of material.

Flicking through the pages I could not help musing over how those stalwarts of yesterday - Featherstone, Grant, Bath and inevitably Eric Knowles - would have viewed this work. I like to think they would have been hugely impressed.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough - well done Mr Hyde, an absolutely outstanding effort!

Personal Note

I mentioned about taking part in war games campaigns and how the memory and shared experiences can provide a rich seam of enjoyment over the years for those that took part. In this particular case the shared experience was of course the legendary Madasahatta campaign organised by the late Eric Knowles and in which many of my life long war gaming friends took a part in.

Looking back over the forty plus years since the campaign was fought I have been truly blessed in the friends that I made from that shared experience and that still form my own, dare I say it, ‘band of brothers’ so to speak. 

My copy of the book was a present from Bob Cordery in memory of both Eric Knowles and of the Madasahatta campaign ‘In Which We Served’ that proved to be such a defining moment in our respective war gaming journeys. I have few words to say (blimey, that must be a first!) other than extending my sincerest and grateful thanks to Bob - not only for his incredibly generous gift but more importantly for his continued and unstinting friendship, advice, encouragement and support extended

 to me over the course of my various gaming projects.

It is also once again a mental thank you to Eric for Madasahatta and the many other spectacular war games he organised and allowed this skinny young man (I was then….) to take part in. Not to mention planting the seed for my lifelong interest in the Ottoman Turks!

The Logical Extension

Yes it does include the naval dimension and no, I do not have any plans to buy figures for it BUT, I could give the block armies a spin with ‘It’s Getting a Bit Chile’ by the redoubtable Trebian….

The final part of my Father’s Day Amazon gift card arrived along with Wargaming Campaigns - a great start to a Monday morning I can tell you! - and you can see above it is the new release from Helion covering the War in the Pacific. I am looking long and hard at this from the naval perspective as it small enough to be practical as a solo endeavour - certainly from the gaming perspective - and in terms of the ships involved easy enough for me to model myself. Besides, there is the Huascar….

An excellent set of rules and with plenty of background material to kick off an army or two. From the pen of that well known Bon vivant, wit and raconteur Graham Evans aka Trebian

At this stage I have no plans around figures for the land side of the war but this would be ideal block army territory and aside from the Portable Wargame there is also the excellent rules produced by Trebian which have languished for far too long in the rules section of my library (and that actually came very close to being disposed of at one point - I am now glad I hung on to them!) and so need a run out at some point.

All in all then, what with England completing a clean sweep against New Zealand in the cricket, it has not been a bad couple of days!

A Wargaming Smorgasbord of Sorts

A period of global impact - not one I am hugely familiar with but needless to say there is cunning plan of sorts….

….and it may be something like this! Available from the Wargames Vault, David Manley’s supplement covering the Russian Civil war to go with his excellent Steamer Wars rules. 

Saturday morning saw the arrival of the second part of my Father’s Day haul - the latest book from the renowned military historian, Antony Beevor (see the first picture). I must confess to having a very limited knowledge of this particular period but hope that this book will fill that gap or at the very least give me a nudge along yet another project….

I know of several good rule sets that cover this period as well as figure ranges so who knows? I may have a Portable Wargame sized dabble at some point.

Laurel and I had an impromptu day out to the Promenade Park in Maldon for the Armed Forces Day. I took a few pictures and picked up a dash of sunburn as well fed some very enthusiastic ducks! The picnic with friends was great fun and it was nice to get out for the day. A selection of the items on display are below:

A wise wargamer once said “you can never have too many trucks!”

Lovely looking and with a Bren mounted

I always remember the Matador from the Airfix kit with a 5.5” gun

I was rather taken by this heavily armed jeep - just the thing for securing a parking space!

The first in a selection of display pieces

Paratrooper attire - note the Bangalore Torpedoes bottom left

The unmistakeable Bren LMG

Typing up orders, requisition forms or leave requests!

There were rather a lot of jeeps in evidence but the armed version caught my eye for sure - sporting weapons galore!

Sadly time was against me in respect of any progress with the Portable Charge! Wargame but I was able to spend some time earlier this evening messing about with turrets in advance of the great pre dreadnought model build. The first examples are based on a circular design typical of early turrets - for example on the U.S.S. Monitor. The model for this style of turret was originally designed to use standard bamboo skewers for the gun barrels - for smaller calibres, say 6” or smaller, I will use cocktail sticks. Ironically the turret you see in the picture below is actually the first I have built that features gun barrels - all the ACW and Russo Turkish types merely have the gun ports. Given that the weapons were muzzle loaded I merely assumed that the guns were inboard being loaded!

Examples of large calibre main gun turrets - these are 20mm across with the bottom ‘slice’ 3mm thick as is the middle ‘notched slice’ whilst the turret roof is 2mm thick. The gun barrels are a little on the thick side but not overly so and besides, they fit in well with the overall simplistic building style I will be using.

I have looked at many turret styles and it would be easy enough to reflect national differences but that kind of flies in the face of what I want to do. I have a design for a more ‘modern’ looking turret in hand and have decided that I will stick with the above circular type and the new version for simplicity. 

I built the above just to see how it would work out and more importantly, how it would look on one of my standard large hull templates. The answer is fine!

All in all then, it was a rewarding weekend although not quite in the way I had planned it and so hopefully next weekend I will be able to catch up!

Castles in the Air

Gotta love a flying battleship!

As part of my Father’s Day haul I picked up a copy of the newly released rules from Osprey - Castles in the Air by Eric Farrington. I have enjoyed Victorian Science Fiction based games for many years and ‘back in the day’ scratch built fleets of dirigibles for the Ottomans, Greeks and Bulgarians to use with Wessex Games Aeronef rules, I even co authored a campaign supplement for them - my counterpart hails from the Antipodes - featuring the Turks which was huge fun.

Available on the Wargames Vault I believe - it was a great collaborative effort!

I had a quick run through the rules and have to say they look pretty good. The mechanics are straightforward and one of the things I am intrigued about is the whole 3D aspect. Yes, you can climb and dive a battleship!

The background is OK although to me seems a little overextended in respect of the timeline. The ‘history’ picks up after the Martian ‘War of the Worlds’ invasion in 1872 and assumes that the alien technology used by the invading forces had been extensively picked apart and adapted for use by humanity culminating in the use of the Air Screw as a means of of power and lift. This is then run up to 1914. From a personal choice I would have preferred to have stuck with the pre dreadnought era but them that is just me!

I am certainly keen to try these out although initially it did present rather a dilemma. I want to build pre dreadnoughts but I also want to tackle similar on a VSF style footing. I am not keen on building two sets of models though - yes, I shall be making some for this - so will stick with the planned pre dreadnoughts in due course, but with a twist.

Lightbulb Moment….

When I get to the pre dreadnoughts I plan to also build some flying bases to go with the models. These bases will consist of the stand itself and an entire lower deck assembly featuring lift/steering vanes and the air screw. The idea is that when I want to take to the skies all I will need to do will be to place the ship model on such a base and Voila! An instant flying battleship!

It is with this in mind that I am accelerating my plans for the design of the bits and pieces I shall need from Warbases to include some sabot lower hull assemblies.

I reckon that is two gaming experiences for the price of one which is pretty damned clever in my book!