Saturday 15 July 2017

African Bush Wars

Some guys at my club (NWA) decided earlier in the year to start doing a low-spend, budget type of wargaming. The idea was to each create an imagi-nations type African country and make a 20mm / 1:72 scale army using polyurethane plastic figures and various vehicles. There was no rules system to start with, just a build up of forces.

As a result various countries were invented and, as more people joined in, the idea grew. Countries ranged from tin-pot dictatorships to Soviet backed insurgent forces and established post colonial nations. All set to a mid 70's to early 80's background.

Expanding on my other Imagi-Nation: The Hemmingsaetic League, I decided that the League expanded into Africa sometime in the mid 19th Century prior to German unification. I had a box of British Parra's (Revell/Matchbox) figures so I decided that the colony became a British protectorate following WWI so that I could use these obvious later day British troops.

So was born the Democratic Republic of Hembabwe, following a civil war for independence in the 1950's - 60's. It's a very conservative, right wing place with many blonde haired, blue eyed folk of Germanic origin. Think: German Rhodesia. They use NATO equipment mostly of British and U.S. origin.

Anyway a couple of guys decided to use Force on Force as a set of rules and played a few games. And today, I taken through my first game by my friend Mike - totally, 100% ignorant of the rules. At first I was less than impressed with the rules as they seemed a bit 40k-ish with the IGO-UGO thing. But as things were shaken out and the "Reaction" system was worked out, I started to enjoy them and I think they'll work well.

My troops are the Special Hembabwean Independent Territorial Emergency Force (SHITE FORCE). Small mobile units designed for quick deployment and tasked with defending the countries' borders.

So, here are a few photo's of today's game by me and a whole bunch by other NWA members. I look forward to more games and escalating to vehicles and air support.

You'll note that the figures are painted in a very basic style. This is intentional in order to represent the cheap & easy, early wargaming flavour. Even mold lines have not really been totally expunged and stand proud in all their polyurethanic glory!

Note the compulsory 1970's moustache on the officer.


The enemy. Mike's troops from neighboring Umgawaland.
Made from ye olde Airfix British Paratroops.







SHITE FORCE - How they appear in 2017

And how they would have appeared in a 1970's wargaming magazine.

Unexpected observers arrived... Unexpectedly.


The figure laying down in the top left was the first ever Hembabwean casualty.



More of those pesky Umgawalandian's.


The only good Umgawalandian is a dead one!



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