Port Victoria – Bossa Nova

Port Victoria – Also known as Fort Victoria, previously known as Port Philip and/or Devil’s Cove. The major modern settlement. Launching point for nearly all expeditions into the interior of Bossa Nova.

Shortly after sighting Easter Island in 1722, the Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen continued and caught sight of the new island as he sailed through the Pacific. Unable to approach because of the treacherous currents and inhospitable coast, he named the place Skull Island and sailed away.

The next recorded visitor — Spanish Captain Don Felipe Gonzales — arrived in 1770, but he too had no opportunity to land. Then came the famous Captain James Cook in 1774 who sighted it, noted it, and commented that it appeared to have no scientific or commercial interest. The French managed a landing in 1786, but Captain le Comte de La Pérouse found the land so inhospitable that he quickly left.

Successive expeditions of Peruvian slavers had patchy success. Many never returned. Those that did told of cannibals and monsters in the hinterland that defied reason. When a crude settlement was made the remnants of much earlier Spanish expeditions were uncovered. It was then that the name Port Philip was reinstituted, but of these initial explorers, thought to have landed some time in the 1400′s, no living trace was ever found.

Finding the coastline so injurious to navigation and the natives so blood thirsty, the place was left largely to its own devices. Those charts that showed any presence at all vaguely indicated a mass called variously Skull Island, after Roggeveen, or Bossa Nova, after the disasterous original Spanish (or Portugese) missions. No one wantwed it, or cared that it existed. And so it may have remained until Alexander von Humbold, in November 1802,  studied guano and its fertilizing properties. It was that that the Peruvian leaders remembered Bossa Nova and its large guano deposits, and the first serious steps were made to make a permanent foothold.

Now, In 1880(ish), guano mining for fertilisers and more specifically explosives is big business. Almost simultaneously British, French, German and American interests claimed the island, along with Peru, Chile and Bolivia. Spain’s claim, while stronger legally, was reduced during the related Chincha Islands War (1864-1866).

British commerical interest is stronger, and so is its presence. As a consequence the main canton where most of the foreigners live is now called Port Victoria. The other name used is Fort Victoria, reflecting the bizarre and as yet unexplained gigantic wall that separates the spit of land with the port from the rest of the island.

Of the original inhabitants of Devil’s Cove, few are now in evidence. Those that survived the slave raids, smallpox and other civilising events have fled into the interior, where they continue to pose a significant risk to any intruder.

An uneasy truce exists in Port Victoria between the embassys of Chile and the allies of Peru and Bolivia. Outside of the protective walls, however, the forces of these beligerants raid and counter raid each others’ mining operations and expeditions.

The island of Bossa Nova

Having slept, again, I have had some clarifying thoughts on my Victorian Science Fiction (VSF) setting.

 Just as with many successful Darkest Africa VSF stories, mine takes place on a mythical island.

This island is called Bossa Nova (Yes. I am aware that this is a Brazilian phrase and I’m thinking that the island is actually in the pacific, but get off my case already).

Bossa Nova was only recently discovered and is subject to the race for colonies just like everywhere else. This explains the European presence. Since it is in the Pacific somewhere near Easter island this also explains why there are Chilean, Peruvian and Bolivian troops present. Worked gold has been found in considerable quantities, but the source has proven illusive. Expeditions into the interior have had high mortality rates. The search for this El Dorado continues, however.

Bossa Nova is of considerable size, at least as big as Madagascar, and it is a scientific mystery as to how it could have remained undiscovered for so long. The massive anomalous magnetic effects have not yet been explained, and the counterintuitive sea currents have both worked to allow people, plants and animals to get to Bossa Nova, but then to never leave. It has only been with the recent advent of steam powered shipping that these ‘natural’ effects can be overcome and modern intercourse with the outside could begin. It has been suggested that Bossa Nova is one and the same with Skull Island of King Kong fame.

Being large, the island has a wide range of terrain and biome types, to the nitrate fields of the desert to the dense Amazon like jungles of the interior. The remains of a once great ancient civilisation litter the interior. These vast stepped pyramid structures with broad boulevards are similar to the Incan civilisation on the mainland.

The natives of Bossa Nova are primitive and have reverted to a level of savagery that appals the modern man. Whatever fate befell these people, causing them to abandon their mighty cities, was complete and sudden. In their degenerated state they can tell the explorer little of value. They are predominantly hostile and often display cannibalistic tendencies. A few stout adventurers manage to find the key to their atrophied and black hearts and forge some kind of respectful friendship (or at least survive the encounter) but these tales are rare.

Modern architecture is of the Spanish Colonial style, as is the governing style. Peru, Chile and Bolivia vie for dominance on the island and have set up rival enclaves and governing structures. The European influence there is limited to embassies of the governments and companies. These provide support for adventuring expeditions and maintain their own security with just a very few companies of regular troops. Britain, naturally, has a presence, as does France, Germany and Italy. As with Africa, European colonial rivalry is repeated on Bossa Nova.

On the mainland, the Guerra del Pacifico is raging on the West coast and on the East the Paraguayan war is still going on, but is probably in its stuttering final phases. Such mainland conflicts are probably being echoed on Bossa Nova and we can expect battles between the Chileans and Peruvians, along with the amphibious landings typical of the main event. However, since the forces on the island are even smaller than the mainland, these actions will be raid-strength.

The date is sometime around the 1870′s to 1880′s.

GdP Campaign progress

Rather than liberate and republish, here are some nice links to uniforms of the Guerra del Pacifico:

• Uniforms of Peru
• Uniforms of Chile
• Uniforms of Bolivia

These are gross simplifications. There are details such as the beautiful oversized Bolivian cuffs that are missing. Similarly are the on campaign details of the kepi cover and neck protector – just like the French Foreign Legion. Boot colour, and even the reality that many wore sandals are also not visible. Another missing element is the loose flaps tied around the calf to cover the sandalled feet from the sun. Some units wore pickelhaubs. Uniforms changed over the course of the four campaigns, too.

However, having listed the missing details, these links give the general impression. And the general impression is that American Civil War figures will be close enough, and if painted in these colours will provide some pleasing visual appeal on the tabletop.

And at the end of the day, I am not a button counting war gamer that wants to recreate the exact battles with the exact forces and relive the specific command decisions. I’m not trying to be an ACW gamer, in other words. What I want is the feel of late 1800 Latin America. And into this mix I will be inserting Steampunk/VSF/magic-realism elements in due course. This is a fantasy exercise, not a recreationist exercise.

On the Workbench – Colonial British

Here are some Harlequin British infantry. Lovely sculpts, they are. A pleasure to paint.

I undercoated white, and then block painted the main elements in this order:

• skin
• red jacket, leaving the white piping and belts untouched
• blue trousers and caps
• black boots
• metal
• wood
• leather rifle sling
• hair

I then painted them with Army Painter (or Wattyl walnut Stain and Varnish for me). When dry I dry brushed white over the basing material, added some irregular patches of desert kind of flock, and painted the sides of the bases in Nato Chocolate. Then I matt varnished them with Tamiya Flat.

Finally, I ran a line of pure white over the exposed belts just to bring them into sharp focus. I left the helmets dull to simulate the practice of dyeing them with tea, as they did.

And so I have my first group for my new Colonial VSF period. This, once I get some officers, will be three platoons (or a company and a half). Since my VSF campaign will be happening in South America, these first troops represent Imperial military ‘advisors’ or troops sent to protect particular assets.

That Fantastic Guerra del Pacifico

I found myself asking an odd question while in hospital. If I were to lose my collection of models and books suddenly say, in a house fire, what would I start again with? Because, though I have lived and breathed the Thirty Years War for a long time, I don’t know that I’d want to paint all the same figures again.

World War Two is becoming a core period for me, and this is probably because now that my father and everyone in his battalion are dead it does not feel like morbid warmongering. It’s just a game.

There are drawers and boxes full of painted and unpainted models covering all sorts of periods. Skirmish gaming lets me have the freedom to indulge most of these but even so, there are a lot that will never be used. They are a weight to me, as if they demand attention before I can move on.

The start of any clean up is to let go. Spying some 15mm colonial that have not been used in a decade or more I passed them on to Andrew, who had expressed an interest. In a surprise move that undermined my goal of simplifying my collection, he gave me some 28mm British and Zulu.

Strangely, this turned out to be a great weight off my mind. Even though I had decided that it would be stupid to start a new period (because the house had definitely not burnt down), clearly my subconscious was still processing the question. The choice had been bouncing around tricorne (Age of Reason – the Baron Munchausen adventure), shako (Revolution or Napoleonics – the Richard Sharp adventure), or kepi and pith helmet (the Victorian period, and even Victorian Science Fiction. VSF). When Andrew handed me the figures, it was decided.

On top of this I have had a bizarre fascination with the Atacama desert (now) in Chile. The driest place in the world, jammed up against the mighty Andes, it was the object of a war of possession between Chile and the allied powers of Bolivia and Peru. Why? Bird shit. Piles of it: perfect for extracting nitrates for the international munitions industry. Running from 1879 to 1884 it is perfect for the wargamer. Beautiful uniforms inspired by the French (and therefore ACW models can be used, but in a far more attractive range of colours), small numbers of combatants, and plenty of naval action and amphibious landings. Breach loading rifles, but still linear tactics guided by European advisors. Moreover, I recall one of my father’s last pieces of advice about war: that it was better fought in a desert, where there are fewer children to suffer.

While it is relatively unknown to most people outside of South America, it appears I am not alone in seeing the wargaming possibilities. See Andean Tragedy. Partizan Press have now in English translation a book covering the uniforms.

It seems to me that South America is every bit as ripe for Victorian Science Fiction as is Africa. You have the tallest mountains, the biggest rivers, the mightiest jungles. You have head hunting tribes, terrible monsters and ancient civilisations. The have (just) post colonial nations intent on flexing their nationalistic muscle against each other. Finally, you have the rich natural resources that the European world (including rapacious America) wants to get their hands on.

It’s ripe for games, campaigns and great stories, baby.

That’s where I’m going next. Next purchase: Perry plastic ACW. Next decision: set of rules. I’m vacillating between Space 1889 Soldier’s Companion (comprehensive, simple resolution, but boring turn structure), The Sword And The Flame (TSATF – it has pedigree, I admit, but does it capture this atmosphere?), and Ganesha Games 6165. I like the Ganesha three dice activation – in fact I love it and have difficulty playing anything else. But 6165 squads seem too small, and I’d have to graft all the VSF stuff on myself.

There are other rules out there such as GASLIGHT and I will need to investigate them as well. I know I can depend on Greg to provide a dozen alternate resolution mechanisms – and then ignore them all on the night.

The final piece of this puzzle is to find a worthy home to get rid of an awful lot of miscellaneous figures.

Planet of the Apes scenario development

Hundreds of years after the devastating Atomic Wars of the 1950′s, the mutated survivors battle for survival.

This is the development of a war-game scenario using Ganesha Games’ Mutants and Death Ray Guns.

A group of Apes under General Urko (Q3 C3, Leader, Mounted, Pistol C+1) has learned that a flock of giant intelligent flightless birds (cassowarys) have a walled compound in which they cultivate nourishing fruits and nuts.

The apes consist of two squads of five men each. All but one ape (Q4 C3, assault rifle C+2) are the same. The single specialist ape (Q4 C3) is armed with an electric lance (short range reach, C+1, lethal to robots).

The cassowarys have similar statistics but are armed with sonic cannon (C+0, transfix) that double as pole arms in close combat (C+2). In their orchard they have two rusting but still functioning horticultural CD-food-8 robots (Q4 C4) that move only short, but are armed with saws (C+0). In addition, a mutated plant called a Stranglebob (Q5 C3, entangle short range) has taken root. The cassowary defender adds a red marker to the base of one of the trees and may reveal it whenever an ape comes within one short distance.

That’s the set up. This scenario has already had one run through with Richard, where his inventive destructiveness nearly wiped out my righteous apes with self destructive robots. It was a bloody encounter: General Urko himself had to fight for his life, kicking a bird in the face to survive. He then squandered the next turn by rising in his saddle and shouting, ‘Oo oo oo.’

Only time prevented us from finding a clear winner. As it was, both parties were battling it out within the orchard, using available cover to best advantage. It could have gone either way. A failed morale test on either side would have finished it.

Stargate and haystacks

I felt the need to make haystacks. Here is my method:

1. Using a foam ball cut in half
2. adding uneven layers of air dry modelling clay
3. stroking the still wet clay with a plastic comb
4. when dry, painted with bright yellow
5. painted with Wattyl Stain and Varnish (or Army Painter)
6. Dry brushed with lightened yellow and then white.

Here are the haystacks on the table in a recent Stargate game I played with Greg. What is lacking is the fields in which such stacks could exist, but I’ve yet to make them.

The game consisted of two squads of troopers (Eureka French Foreign Legion) exiting the gate on an alien planet with the intention of liberating the ‘crown’ of the local tribe. In other words a kidnap of the local chief. Opposing them were two squads of (old Eureka) Goa-uld.

We used Ganesha’s Flying Lead as the default rules.

On the first few turns the legionnaires rolled well, one squad going prone and putting a lively fire into the enemy while the other made a brisk pace toward the target. With the leader of one goa-uld down, the rest of the team fled behind a shack and played no further part in the game. The other squad continued to annoy the advancing legionnaires.

After this, however, we had a long series of quick turnovers, making the action more staccato, and fairly evoking the atmosphere of a firefight out of control. A legionnaire trooper managed to take the chief into custody and escorted him at the run, but the rest of his squad came under devastating laser-lance fire. An accurate shot from the lieutenant managed to penetrate the armour of goa-uld leader of the second squad, resulting in that team failing a morale test as well.

In the end the legionnaires escorted their prisoner out of the gate unmolested, leaving five dead and carrying a wounded man. The goa-uld suffered just three deaths, but two of them were leaders, so this is a double blow on top of the loss of objective.

A good and simple game in the end. Just what I needed.

Tha Last Valley – Week 4

Apologies for the gap that has occured in this story. A bout of pneumonia took the wind out of my sails, and explains why there have not been enough battles yet…

So, what happened in week 4 of the campaign?

The weather turned colder, delivering sleet and a dusting of snow. The wind dropped as well, and the whole village underwent an invisible change. A different mood an attitude settled on them. The with the coming of snow the inevitability of winter and of the continued occupation of the troops everyone seemed to become more calm and resigned.

Following the loss of Eduare and his three men, the Captain was deeply concerned about the reduction in horse power. For the rest of the week, the men and any spare villagers were sent to recapture any horses that had survived the battle from both sides. Armour and saddles from the defeated invading cuirassier troop were retrieved and stored. Dides’ men used the parts to replace or repair their own kit, placing the rest into reserve.

Two horses were found and placed into the stables with the others. Three others were never found. The remaning three had been killed in the battle. They were quickly butchered and preserved, a welcome addition to the Winter stockpile.

And so all seemed well in the valley, until the fifth week arrived…

Flashing Steel is out now

After a long journey, the Flashing Steel rules are out and available for sale. These are the rules for skirmish level war-games for the Late Renaissance: the 30 Years War, 80 Years War, English Civil War, French Wars of Religion, Swedish-Polish Wars, Holy Roman Empire – Turkish Wars, and the Gold Age of Pirates. It is man-on-man skirmish with an emphasis on dramatic actions. The result is a set of rules that are less about historical accuracy (though they are) than in capturing period flavour.

Thanks to everyone who I ever bored by talking at them about this topic. Special mention to Simon and Paul, who were always peripheral to the main event, but who provided some valuable insights.

The Last Valley – week 3

Last time, you will recall, Dide confronted his mutinous men. Rather than play this out and write it blow by blow here, I made a few rolls against the Enquiry table and came to a conclusion. Dide put the men in their place.

On the following week, however, Eduare and his scouts were passing through Lansby Vale when they spotted a group of marauders. Word was hastily sent back for help, and he engaged them.

The marauders were clearly on a foraging mission and made straight for the fields to capture some pigs. Their leader with his group of Cuirassiers barrelled straight down the road at Eduare and quickly slaughtered them all (one character and group gone from the protagonist force). However, The following body of pikemen under Gari formed up and bloodily repelled the invaders.

By this time reinforcements had arrived. Ernat and his picked musketeers swept around the side of the hamlet and provided enfilading fire, smashing the cuirassiers and killing the leader. They then took the time to pour fire at a lone sneaky marksman. On the other side of the table some of the marauders had been successful in capturing some livestock and were retiring. Another group moved into the middle of a field while Dide and his cuirassiers bore down on them from the hills. In desperation, the marauders formed up to repeal the cavalry, only to be caught in withering fire by Jurisco and his men. Ranks broken, Dide’s cavalry swept into them. Few survived.

This called for several morale checks and individual groups dissolved, giving way to a general retreat.

The three men from Eduare’s group (Redmond Strohkirch, Kellen Esser, Dieter Seidel) and Eduare himself were killed. But apart from that the only other casualty was a single man from Albergio’s mixed group (Leopold Sauber).

In the opposing company the Captain was killed, along with all their cavalry. Two entire groups were destroyed, along with a marksman: approaching 50% casualties. This bunch are extremely unlikely to return, I think.

From a campaign point of view it was a great outcome for the protagonist company. They stamped out a rival force with great effectiveness. The loss of a cavalry group is a tough blow as the horses will be hard, if not impossible, to replace. However, overall the casualties were extremely light.

This game was played by myself and Andrew S, using the developing Flashing Steel – Forged in Blood rules. Andrew is primarily a Napoleonics player, so his insights into combined arms in this earlier period were valuable. Overall the rules seemed to hold up. There were several tweaks that were thrown up that need to be incorporated. Overall, the variable turn mechanism and the period specifics allowed Andrew to pull a classic manoeuvre on me: lure a group into forming up in the open under under threat from cavalry, then pouring shot in to the flanks to cause disruption, and then charging home the cavalry to sweep them away.