Saturday, March 16, 2013

28mm Darkest Africa AAR, 16MAR13

Some days, I just can't win.  I played Don Cox in a 28mm Darkest Africa game featuring Belgian Force Publique vs. German colonial troops.  When we started the game, I fired three different squads and missed three different times with all my troops.  Don's Germans proceeded to inflict 3-5 casualties every time he fired one of his Mauser armed infantry units.  Both Don and I lost our mountain artillery.  But I proceeded to have three different Belgian askari units reach 50% losses and rout away from the battle line.  I was able to rally one of the units.  The others ran away.  By turn 5, I called game because I only had one full unit left on the table.  The others were in the process of routing or running off the table. 

Such was a day for the Belgian Force Publique.  Not that a nicer group of European led askaris deserved it.  Historical, the Force Publique was one of the most notorious colonial armies in Africa.  I only have a company of British, Belgian, and German colonial troops for each army.  But that is all you really need for playing Darkest Africa.  Anything else is a little too large for the scale of combat The Sword in Africa/The Sword and The Flame is designed to do.

Here are some photos from the game I played with Don Cox this afternoon:


                                          Initial deployment at the beginning of the battle.


                                          Opening salvos.


                                          My left flanking is running away while the center holds.

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