WE COME FOR YOUR CATTLE

Transcription

1 WE COME FOR YOUR CATTLE A DEATH IN THE DARK CONTINENT BATTLE REPORT By Rick Priestley The scene is set in the 1880s, upon the fertile flood plain of the Kafhue river, a northern tributary of the Zambezi, in what would shortly become British Central Africa and latterly Zambia. This is the territory of the Ila tribe - also known as the Baila - primarily a cattle herding people like many east African tribes. And that is what this game is all about an attack by a war party of the Ila s fierce neighbours, the Matabele: a war party sent to raid Ila lands and drive away their cattle. DEATH IN THE DARK CONTINENT On this occasion I would assume the part of the Matabele Induna Mbumbulu Gwebu, whilst Nick Eyre would take to field as the Ila tribe in the guise of Chief Chonga. Whilst this was not to be my first foray into the wargaming wilds of Africa, nor my first attempt at the Death in the Dark Continent rule set by Chris Peers, I was only too aware that I ranked very much as a novice compared to my adversary. Nick not only provided all of the models for the game from his own extensive collection, but his company - North Star Military Figures - also produces the model range and publishes the Death in the Dark Continent rules. He is a man who knows his Azande from his Karamojong, so I was only too pleased to place matters in his expert hands when it came to setting up the battlefield and choosing the forces. The Death in the Dark Continent rules are solidly and reassuringly prescriptive when it comes to scenarios and troop choice - our game would be a planned attack scenario. This meant that the defenders (Ila) would have a village, in this instance protected by a boma (thornbush stockade), and the objective of the attackers (Matabele) would be to break into and occupy this within the turn limit of the game. The scenario also determined that the defenders would have 75% of the number of points to spend on their force as the attackers - obliging them to make the most of the defensible village and surrounding terrain. As to the scenery itself, this is generally set up by the defender according to a terrain type guide, as indicated in the defender s army list and described in the rules for choosing terrain. In our case the Ila are covered by army list 16 - Warrior Herdsmen - and their home terrain is grassland, although, as with many armies for Death in the Dark Continent, you will find that they have their own list (and background) avalible as a free download from the North Star website. Below: The Ila warriors take up defensive positions in their village. Figures by North Star. Buildings by Herb Gundt. 68

2 ELEPHANT GRASS, BOMA AND SKULLS As the defender, Nick arranged the site of our battle as shown in the accompanying photo, with the Ila village protected by its boma leading to a clearing and paths through the tall elephant grass. This tall, thick grass with stalks up to an inch thick was and is a distinctive feature of the region, growing up to twice the height of a man and therefore offering ready concealment to ambushing warriors. These areas of thick elephant grass were represented in the game by means of a scattering of grassy clumps (in fact remodelled and painted aquarium plants, see overpage for how to make it). One of the two remaining clearings became home to a magnificent skull pile - perhaps demarking the site as that of the battle of Mbeca, where the Ila defeated the hated Barotse and piled the skulls of the defeated into a great mound by way of a memorial to their victory. As the defender Nick deployed his forces first, as shown over the page. The scenario allowed for a proportion of the defenders to be placed hidden in ambush. As such I, as the attacker, had no initial idea where ambushes might lurk - only that they lurked somewhere in the surrounding elephant grass. The scenario allowed for the attacker s force to be divided into two, with an initial group placed at the table edge at the start of the game and up to half sent as late arrivals, which would then be permitted to deploy along the adjoining table edges up to half way along. The Matabele were therefore divided into two contingents, with the initial force arranged along one narrow table edge as seen in the photo over the page. The rest would skirt round the elephant grass and come upon the Ila village from the adjoining long table edge - at least that was the idea! THE FORCES In Death in the Dark Continent forces are chosen from the army lists provided in the rulebook. There are 32 of these in total, covering combatants as diverse as Jungle Cannibals, Masai, Zulus and the various colonial types such as Boers, British, French, Germans and so forth. Opposing troops are chosen to a points total and the proportions of one side to the other vary depending on the scenario chosen. The models themselves are arranged onto bases each base having two, three or more models depending on type this being largely left to the collector as a matter of personal preference. Individual bases are arranged into groups to make larger units. The exact dimensions of bases are left to the players but a 60mm frontage is suggested in most cases and the accompanying photos serve as examples of how this is done. THE ILA The Ila are a cattle herding people from the area of Central Africa now part of Zambia. They live in the Kafue River flood plains that give rich grazing to their cattle and keep the deadly Tsetse fly away. The long grass of the Kafue plains is the reason for their distinctive tall hair styles, so members of the tribe can see each other walking through the man-high grass. The Ila were not an aggressive tribe, but surrounded by enemies who raided them constantly for their cattle, they were no push-over. They fought as skirmishers, carrying multiple long spears and no shield. They were experts in this kind of warfare, but against the Matabele with their stabbing assegai or the Bemba with their muskets, with no spears being thrown back they would find themselves weaponless. North Star Military Figures produce a small selection of miniatures for this little known but characterful tribe. THE ILA The Tribe of Chief Chonga One unit: Chonga s Senior Warriors Four bases of elite skirmishers in total, including that of Chongo himself One unit: Second Senior Warriors Four bases of elite skirmishers One unit: Neighbour s Senior Warriors Four bases of elite skirmishers Five units: Ila Warriors. Four units comprising five bases each of skirmishers with spears, plus one unit of six bases of skirmishers with spears. THE MATABELE The Matabele are a tribe whose lands are now part of modern Zimbabwe. They arrived there from South Africa, an aggressive e off-shoot from the Zulu nation, they left a trail of death and destruction all the way behind them. Matabele still has connotations of violence and fear in Southern Africa today. Once settled in Zimbabwe, they kept their neighbours for hundreds of miles around terrified by constantly raiding them for cattle and slaves. The last Matabele King, Lubengula, was defeated by a British force, armed with Maxim machine guns, funded by the Imperialist, Cecil Rhodes. The Matabele retained their Zulu identity and fighting style to the end, no doubt playing on the reputation the Zulus had for martial prowess throughout Africa. Where local materials als could no longer be found to keep their Zulu regalia intact, new designs were devised. It is these distinctive Matabele fashions North Star have drawn on to produce a range of figures that t are not just more Zulus. THE MATABELE The raiding party of Induna Mbumbulu Gwebu One base Induna Mbumbulu Gwebu One unit: Regiment Inyati (buffaloes) Six bases of elite Zansi warriors, three of which have muskets One unit: Regiment Isizinda (makers of grief) Six bases of warriors, two of which have muskets Three units: Regiments Mogoloza (smiters), Dibinhlangu (shield carriers) and InQama (ram) each comprising six bases of warriors One unit: Regiment Mngwazi (sheath) Six bases of Holi raw warriors One unit: Regiment Iliba (grave of their enemies) Five bases of Holi raw warriors One unit: Regiment Inhlambane (who use abusive language) Four bases of Holi raw skirmishers colonial conflict 69 We Come for your Cattle.indd 3 9/12/11 13:10:49

3 ILA TRIBESMEN LYING IN AMBUSH HERE ILA TRIBESMEN PREPARE TO DEFEND THEIR VILLAGE MATABELE ATTACKING FORCE THE MATABELE COMETH The game began with the Matabele advancing reasonably coherently, the Mogoloza and Inhlambane making good progress through the elephant grass, intent on flushing out any Ila who might lie in hiding to their front. The Death in the Dark Continent rules use an alternating activation system within the turn so during a turn each player alternates activating a unit and moving it, until all units that wish to do so have moved, after which all shooting is worked out and then all close combat and finally all morale. It is a fairly robust system that is especially well suited to games of the size and scope intended, where the alternating movement leads to interesting small unit tactics with troops advancing to provide cover for others, to draw out enemy units, to position themselves for a shot, and so on. The maximum distance that can be moved by individual units is not fixed, but is determined by dice throw and varies according to the terrain and type of troops. My warriors had a 2D6 inches move through the clearings, but only 1D6 inches through the elephant grass. Because they were skirmishers the Ila had 2D6+2 inches over the clear ground and 2D6 inches through the grass making it far easier for Nick s tribesmen to traverse the grass whilst my more densely packed warriors would be seriously slowed. However, I did have a single unit of skirmishers the Inhlambane who were courageously exploiting their extra mobility by beating a path ahead of my slower warriors. Above: The Ila warriors launch their ambush. THE AMBUSH IS SPRUNG In the second turn the Inyati Regiment stormed forward 11'' - approaching to within the distance required to spot the Ila hidden either side of the track. These ambushers promptly drew around my warriors and positioned themselves to shower my brave lads with spears. Meanwhile two of Nick s other Ila units began to work their way round my left flank - heading towards the ominous ELEPHANT GRASS (EVERYWHERE!) ILA VILLAGE skull pile. During the ensuing shooting the Ila scorned my guns (passing the morale check required for being shot at by muskets). To make matters worse they managed to score severe losses on the Inyati with a shower of spears - amounting to the loss of a whole base and the imposition of a disorder marker. To add insult to injury the Inyati suffered a further two disorder markers at the end of the turn, having failed their morale check for being ambushed. 70 We Come for your Cattle.indd 4 12/12/11 15:01:24

4 MAKING ELEPHANT GRASS VERSION ONE (Thanks to James Morris for this technique) We created the Elephant Grass you can see in the article using aquarium plant by Betta, purchased from ebay. Above: The Ila ambushers lauch their spears from the cover of the grass. The individual bunches of grass were glued onto thin wood, which had been pre-cut into random, rounded, shapes. The base was then built up using a PVA glue and sand mix, before being painted and drybrushed in light browns. To tone down the bright green plastic we gave the whole thing a quick spray of Army Painter brown. Above: The view from behind the advancing Matabele. To finish the whole thing off we added some Gale Force Nine clump and a few little stones. Above: The Ila flanking move takes then past the skull pile. 71 We Come for your Cattle.indd 5 9/12/11 13:12:39

5 Shooting is resolved for each base using a D20, with results of 14 or more scoring a hit and landing one disorder marker on the target unit. Results of 19 and 20 remove one base from the target unit in addition. This means there is a 7 in 20 probability (or 35%) of scoring a hit and 2 in 20 probability of a kill (10%) but this chance is modified by a fairly hefty list of shooting modifiers ranging from +3 for shooters employing repeating weapons at effective (i.e. short) range, to -4 where targets are sheltering behind stone or mud walls. The D20 roll does allow for a varied range of modifiers (5% increments) and makes a lot of sense in a skirmish level game in which shooting resolution is reliant upon a single dice roll. The only drawback is that it does take beginners a while to accustom themselves to finding the pertinent modifiers, as the temptation is just to start at the top of the list and work down. Fortunately, our opposing forces were relatively homogenous, and so I found it was not too long before I was able to quickly identify the potential bonuses and penalties on the chart. INTO CLOSE COMBAT The third turn of the game began with a frantic bout of rallying - all units that have disorder markers are allowed to rally at the start of each turn. This is a simple matter of rolling 2D6 (one dice for Raw units) with each roll of a 6 removing one disorder marker. Chieftains are also allowed a single dice and can use it on behalf of any unit within 4''. Thanks to a little luck - and the contribution of Mbumbulu Gwebu - the Inyati managed to shed two of their three disorder markers. This was just as well, as a unit suffering two or more markers is disallowed from advancing to within 6'' of the enemy, whilst those with four markers are destroyed - sent packing and dispersed beyond all hope of recovery. Freed from such a burden the Inyati charged the Ila to their right and engaged them in combat. The Isizinda attempted to do the same to the Ila upon the left, but failed to roll sufficient distance (a miserable 3''!) and therefore ended up prime targets for Ila spearmen (sowing disorder amongst their ranks as a result). Meanwhile, I was all too aware that the Ila skirmishers were working there way round my left flank. By keeping to the grassland the Ila would be hard to engage in close combat, as the Matabele warriors would be reduced to a move of a single D6 - making any attempted charge a stumbling and unpredictable affair. But unpredictable or not - the Inyati had managed to pin down at least one of the enemy units, which meant we would face our first close combat of the game. Whilst the rules for shooting allow for some subtlety with modifiers and results, the rules for close combat are brutality incarnate. The attacker rolls a single D6 and applies any relevant bonuses or penalties before reading the result from a chart. As with shooting, there are quite a lot of modifiers, and it does take a while to recognise the significant bonuses and penalties that apply. In our case I was pleased to see that warriors add two (+2), whilst fighting against skirmishing defenders adds a further two (+2), giving my chaps a fairly massive bonus of +4. Being elite they claimed another +1, having their chief nearby added +1 more. However they suffered a penalty of -1 on all this due to carrying a disorder marker. Even so the weight of modifiers (+5 in total) added to the dice roll was enough to give me a result of 7 or more - defenders destroyed. The results table Above: The Matabele begin to inflict damage on their foes. does allow for the defenders to drive off their attackers, or for draws where both sides fall back, as well as prolonged combats where they remain engaged, but any attackers carrying a bonus of +3 or more cannot be defeated. This was good news for the close fighting Matabele who, aside from a few ill-aimed muskets, were armed with short stabbing spears identical to those carried by Zulus. As luck would have it the sight of the defeated Ila running in terror was sufficient to trigger a morale check and result in two disorder markers on the elite Ila who were blocking the track. This was quite lucky as morale checks are fairly simply affairs - a single roll of a D6 with a score required to pass of five or more for raw troops, three or more for elites, and otherwise four or more. A failed test results in two disorder markers - so it Above: The Matabele try, and fail, to meet the threat of the flanking Ila. 72 We Come for your Cattle.indd 6 12/12/11 15:03:02

6 MAKING ELEPHANT GRASS VERSION TWO (Thanks to Karl Tebbutt for this technique) Here s another way of making elephant grass using sweeping brush bristles. To make the base, cut balsa wood into random shapes. Above: The new arrivals move towards the boma. Then glue the bristles onto the balsa wood base, using a hot glue gun. The base is then built up using a PVA glue and sand mix. Above: In the background the Inyati and Isizinda clear the way for an advance on the village. results in two disorder markers - so it is quite significant in terms of affecting what a unit can do in the following turn. MORE MATABELE At the start of the fourth turn the usual opportunity to rally saw the Isizinda lose the disorder markers they had taken from shooting in the previous turn freeing them up to make a charge against their tormentors. With Isizinda engaged, Inyati charged straight ahead into the elite Ila defending the track. Meanwhile the remaining unit of Ila skirmishers made its way past the skull pile, threatening to come upon the rear of the advancing column. To try and meet this threat I desperately tried to transfer the Mogoloza over to the left flank, but my lads found it hard going through grassland at only D6 inches a turn! Meanwhile the remaining Ila gathered into their village, whilst the Inhamblane skirmishers advanced almost to the edge of the grassland facing the boma. More importantly, with the start of turn four my flanking force showed up at last and deployed along the long table edge along the edge of the grassland overlooking the Ila village. Although we had agreed that the entire flanking force would arrive on turn four, in fact the scenario rules normally demand that units are diced for individually each turn and so could show up over a succession of turns or not at all. However, given the size of our table and the pre-requisite victory conditions, we decided to bring the whole force on in turn four to give the Matabele a chance of occupying the village before the game s end. Finally finish off by painting, drybrushing and adding some small stones. 73 We Come for your Cattle.indd 7 9/12/11 13:14:11

7 THE FIGHT STILL RAGES ALONG THE TRACK (BUT NOT FOR MUCH LONGER, THE MATABELE WARRIORS BREAK THROUGH THE FOLLOWING TURN) THE MATABELE INHAMBLANE SKIRMISHERS HAVE ALREADY BROKEN THROUGH CHIEF CHONGA PREPARES TO MAKE HIS LAST STAND MAKE HIS LAST S THE MATABELE TURN THE SCREW During close combat I was pleased to see the Inyati and Isizinda finally overcome their opponents and drive them from the field, at last clearing the way for an advance upon the boma through the grassland tracks. The fifth turn therefore began with the first of my reserve regiments, the Dibinhlangu, mounting a successful charge through the grassland onto the boma. At the same time the Inhlambane emerged from their cover to pelt the Ila village with spears. Meanwhile, back on the track, the Mogoloza attempted to charge the Ila skirmishers who gathered at the edge of the grassland around the skull mound clearing. This failed to contact, but Nick s skirmishers very obligingly decided to charge me in their turn, so we would come to blows after all! The resultant combat ended in a draw, leaving both sides disordered. Meanwhile my leading regiments, Inyati and Isizinda, barely moved thanks to poor dice rolls. By way of recompense, at last we came to the attack upon the village - the very objective of the battle after all - where the cunning Ila had rounded up their precious cattle behind the protection of the thornbush boma. Now the Ila chieftain threw his own bonus in amongst the combat modifiers. He had reserved his best elite troops for the defence of the boma, and the boma itself reduced my combat score by a whacking 3. Worse, I had managed the charge badly - inadvertently contacting two different Ila units within Above: The Matabele push the Ila back into the long elephant grass. the constricted space between the grassland and the boma edge. In such situations combats are fought separately, with the worse result counting for the attackers. An indifferent dice throw sent my boys packing, driven back 2D6'' and cursed with two disorder markers! ILA ON THE ROPES Turn six therefore opened with my attack stalled. None of the Matabele warriors were able to charge into contact, although the InQama, Mngwazi and Iliba all pressed forward in preparation for a THE MATABELE RESERVES CLOSE IN ON THE VILLAGE hoped for attack in the following turn. With all his remaining units crammed into the village Nick hurled a succession of spears upon my advancing units, sowing disorder amongst the ranks of Isizinda. In turn seven I was able to charge the boma with the Dibinhlangu and InQama whilst Isizinda once more failed to reach the village and Inyati came under a barrage of spears from behind the boma. Thus began the final battle for the village. The ensuing fight saw the InQama beaten back with two disorder markers, whilst 74 We Come for your Cattle.indd 8 12/12/11 15:04:07

8 It was a disheartening sight to see my warriors plucked so eagerly from the table. But the defeat of their comrades seemed only to drive Dibinhlangu and Isizinda onwards - with both decisively winning their combats against the tribesmen in the Ila village. Each of the Ila units was destroyed and scattered one after the other until all the Ila within the boma had been slain, together with their chieftain. At last the Matabele claimed possession of the village and the Ila s precious cattle. After a hard fight the Ila had crumbled at the final moment and merciless slaughter ensued! FINAL THOUGHTS Above: The Matabele reserves race towards the Ila village. Above: The last stand of Chief Chonga of the Ila. Dibinhlangu finally broke into the thornbush defences, driving the opposing Ila back into the village. This was a pivotal victory - for once across the boma my warriors would have a huge advantage over the skirmishing Ila. THE VILLAGE IS OURS! And so we came to turn eight. At the start we had settled upon this as the turn limit for the game, so it was all down to the fight inside the village to decide matters once and for all. Generally speaking, Death in the Dark Continent does not impose a set time or turn limit, but ends once one side either achieves its objective or when it becomes impossible for it to do so. However, we had agreed to set a limit of eight turns for the Matabele to achieve their objective to keep things within a reasonable time frame. Most of Nick s games are played at his local club (Nottingham-based White Hart Wargamers) and so have to fit within the time available, so this is a pragmatic approach that he and his fellows have arrived at over the course of play. At last Isizinda managed to charge the Ila defenders behind their boma, whilst Dibinhlangu - having broken into the village in the previous turn - charged the last remaining Ila together with Chief Chonga. Meanwhile, back on the track the Ila skirmishers finally committed themselves to battle against the weary Mogolaza. Although it would normally be suicidal for skirmishers such as the Ila to charge warriors like the Matabele, in this case the warriors had been brought to a halt with three disorder markers, thanks to relentless missile-fire and the earlier bout of combat. To my undisguised horror these Ila skirmishers not only managed to defeat Mogoloza, but also send it routing - the entire unit destroyed. It had been an enjoyable game and quite a tense one, with the matter undecided up to the final moments. Of course, Nick had given me an easy task with the straightforward combat-oriented Matabele. Trying to stop the raiders with the skirmishing Ila would have been a nightmare for a relatively inexperienced player like myself. I enjoyed the tight format and prescriptive structure of the game, enabling a battle to get going in no time using the scenarios and terrain rules provided. This seems ideally suited to club gatherings where players might typically meet and fight over the course of an evening. However, I don t doubt that the rules would prove equally satisfying with specially crafted or historic scenarios if players wanted to make the effort. The smallish size of the forces is an appealing aspect of the game, being the sort of number of models it is easy to get together and paint fairly quickly. The strength of play lays in the clever interaction between the alternating activation system and the use of disorder markers which serve both as a hit limit (four markers and the unit is destroyed) and a progressive morale system (affecting a unit s ability to charge as described - but also limiting the scoring of critical hits and obliging units to retreat in some instances). In my view the rulebook itself is not presented in the most accessible manner. Rarely does the text expand upon the implications of a rule or seek to explain how it fits into the broader game. But the rules themselves are clearly written in an unfussy manner and are plainly based upon a depth of knowledge, genuine enthusiasm for the subject and a great deal of practical gaming experience. Note: Since our re-fight, Death in the Dark Continent author Chris Peers has elevated the Ila to Elite Skirmishers - it looks like my Matabele raided their village at just the right time! 75 We Come for your Cattle.indd 9 12/12/11 15:05:58