Last weekend game, this one under a Portuguese Colonial Wars theme…
Some intro on this one….
On the next year, Portugal will commemorate the 50 years of the Colonial Wars start (Angola 1961) and it seems that at last, Portugal is searching reconciliation with its past, with former soldiers taking part on the usual Military Parade of the 10th June, already this year…… a good sign indeed.
Also for the first time, the wargamers were invited to be on the lead.
While in the past, we have voluntarily participated in some historical events, our participation was never asked, as we were only a “bunch of grow up guys playing with toys/figurines”, so we were just some curiosity, on the large picture…
Now, they want us to organize scenarios under the Portuguese Colonial Wars, do some investigation, build some stuff especially for the event, and we even going to be pay for the job…… OK! Payment not directly, but any stuff done for the events are going to be pay….
After some consideration, as some of us were already doing things on this theme (wonder why they want us to be there….) we start some brainstorming on possible scenarios, setup and stuff need…during this process one of our players, remember to use some info from his father – a former Portuguese military that was there – and designed a scenario, set in 1968, on Lake Niassa.
The story…..so far…
The Portuguese Intel services – PIDE/DGS – got an info that an important FRELIMO member (indeed a political Commissar) was hiding in a small lake island on the Malawi shore of the Niassa, preparing a base for future actions against the Portuguese (Mozambique) shore of the lake.
A special detachment of the Portuguese Marines (Destacamento de Fusileiros Especiais) was send to grab the Kommissar and bring them back to the Portuguese colony of Mozambique, to get questioned… and being in a foreign country, a couple of Malawi gendarmes were to be with them.
It was to be a night operation, and the table setup has clear resemblance with our former game The Hostages (go wonder why…..).
Players: I GM; Artur and Jorge Correia played the DFE, and Miguel Mata the Frelimo.
All figures from Liberation Minis. Portuguese converted from Rhodesian and Modern Germans figures, by KingCarbine/Nuno.
Huts from Hovels, Hootches from Monolith, Pig’s pen – or pig’shit – scratch. Palm Trees, bushes from several sources, ranging from cheap cake Palms to plastic plants for the aquariums…
The table affair – Basic, but enough for the Job
Being a night operation, this means limited visibility…..
The Portuguese special forces simply try to sneak into the village, having 3 teams (Alpha, Bravo and Charlie) with two trying to go the left (west) way and Charlie on the right (east) side.
But the Frelimo wasn’t sleaping – well at least not all, and a small patrol of Frelimo forces was also on the bushes, trying to spring an ambush on the DFE. But….none manage ID the others (the DFE thanks to their Stealth skill, manage to pass undetected).
While that, team Charlie try to go on the other side, with the mission of getting into the village
After some observation, team Bravo tried to go into the village…
No problems whatsoever…
Team Charlie, keeps on the bushes, looking at the wonderful wildlive -------- what wildlife? it was night …
Teams Alpha and Bravo start to search the village huts, but no luck for now….
Well at least team Bravo manages to get some pigs, for the barbecue…
Team Charlie, finally go on the village, suffering some fire from an hidden Frelimo group, easily disposed….
Alerted by the gunfire, the bush patrol just come out….. and eat lead from team Alpha…
And the search keeps going on….. were’s the Kommissar?...
After searching most of the huts, the Portuguese players have a hint that on the last hut, the Kommissar could be there (clearly genius these players…) so a short exchange of fire, some casualties on the Frelimo side, and a close assault to grab the POI…..
Now time to escape… luckily the villagers decided it was too dangerous to get out of the huts, so no reinforcements for Frelimo….
Back to the landing craft, and up they go back to the Portuguese shore of the Niassa lake, to have a pig’s barbecue and drink some cold beers….
Clearly a Portuguese victory on this one.
The AAR seems to indicate to the players that this makes an excellent participation game, or even solo scenario. If participation the Game Master must control the Frelimo, and the players the DFE teams.
In the future, we will reduce the DFE teams to 3 or 4 elements, while raising the Frelimo to two of 5 teams and a patrol of 2 elements….
Thanks for looking, comments welcome
Faustnik
