Today Axabrax and I finally managed to meet up at the local shop and play our first colonial Africa game using the "In the Heart of Africa" rules, with 600 points allotted to each side. Steve fielded a Ruga-Ruga force, while I had a German force.
Our table consisted of a lost trading outpost on the edge of swamp.
A local German commander was tasked with reclaiming the outpost. For this dangerous mission, he was given a detachment of crack naval troops, with help from some Azande natives and a Boer settler acting as scout. As they approach the outpost, things look quiet.
Little do they know, a force of Ruga-Ruga and local tribesmen are waiting in the jungle for them.
The Germans station a machine gun on the hillside to cover their advance. One naval unit heads towards the tall grass, while another moves towards the outpost. Azande are hidden in the jungle on their right flank in case there are surprises.
The naval troops headed towards the outpost are suddenly hit by artillery, instantly killing two of the five sailors.
A sinister witchdoctor explores around the outpost, attempting to flush out any hidden troops.
The surviving sailors from the outpost attack run to join their colleagues in the underbrush, hoping to hide from additional artillery fire.
A group of Masai warriors in the employ of the Ruga-Ruga follow behind the witchdoctor, while additional Ruga-Ruga move around the outpost and head for the stream.
The witchdoctor finally succeeds in flushing out the Azande, who manage to kill him before he can place a curse on them.
Meanwhile, the advancing unit of Ruga-Ruga reach the stream. After loosing a few members to crocodile attacks, the Germans open up on them with machine gun and rifle fire, eventually doing enough damage to drive them away.
The Masai now engage the Azande. The Azande manage to hold their ground for a while, but they are fewer in number and are slowly being killed off by the swarm of Masai.
The commander and his forces take cover in the undergrowth, hiding while the machine gun does its best to dominate the field. The Ruga-Ruga artillery attempts to pound the machine gun into silence, but is unable to hit its target.
The Ruga-Ruga take a significant amount of punishment from the machine gun, but manage to hold their ground.
The Ruga-Ruga artillery switches targets to the Germans in the grass, wiping out one of the Naval units. Native archers emerge from out of the jungle to engage the remaining Germans.
German forces sweep right out of the undergrowth, eliminating the archers. The machine gun continues its attack on the Ruga-Ruga at the jungle's edge, further reducing their numbers. The Ruga-Ruga artillery is still unable to silence the machine gun.
The Masai finish their slaughter of the Azande warriors.
From the hilltop, the Germans spot the advancing Masai, knowing they bring certain death if they can reach the remaining sailors.
The sailors reposition the machine gun, mowing down the advancing Masai, until the losses are so severe that the Masai must flee.
With the machine gun occupied, the Ruga-Ruga artillery finally manages to dial in on it and destroy it. The remaining Ruga-Ruga infantry pour through the undergrowth towards the Germans.
Finally it comes down to hand to hand combat, with both sides nearly equal in numbers. It's anyone's victory!
It's looking bad for the Germans; everyone has been killed except the command group. Doom seems certain!
Little did the Ruga-Ruga leader know that the commanding officer was a devil with pistol and knife, reducing them all to bloody corpses.
The outpost may still be lost, but one lone German commander survives to journey back to civilization and share this tale of bravery and death.
It was a great afternoon and both of us were happy to finally have someone local interested in African games. As our schedules allow, more African adventures will be forthcoming.
