the lion sprang --- and --- landed on me --- I scrambled round with my left arm still in his mouth --- and started pummeling him with my right fist --- he have me a final shake and then --- disappeared into the grass. --Chauncey Hugh Stigand (speared by Dinka warriors, 1919) One is just as likely to be made into sausage-meat as the poor little elephants. Several times I was nearly trampled on: and whether accidentally or malice prepense would make but little difference as to one's appreciation of being mashed-into pulp. --Arthur Neumann (shot himself, 1907) This is an entertainment, of the none-too-serious kind, where the object is fast and furious fun rather than a precise and detailed simulation of big game hunting. In this game the players are either hunters or savage beasts of the African interior, which many would contend pretty much amounts to the same thing. It is set in the 'classic' period of the late Victorian / Edwardian era, where most hunting was done on foot in rough country, under a strict code of gentlemanly conduct. The hunters can be anything from Masai el Moran with spears and shields to Europeans with expensive precision rifles by the best London gunmakers, with everything from trade muskets to Boer gas-pipe elephant guns in between. They can range in skill and enthusiasm from the Indian plate layers who provided so many satisfying meals for the famous Maneaters of Tsavo, to-the boldest Old Africa Hand (you know, the utterly loony one who the old Walruses reminisce over at the the Norfolk Hotel in Nairobi, and point to the remains of his chewed solar topee banging over the bar). On the other side we have not only the obvious lions, elephants, rhinos etc, but also the odd skulking black mamba, peckish crocodile and sex-crazed male ostrich. It's that sort of gam e. It isnt all that accurate in any way, shape or form, especially as the wildlife has a much better chance than seems to have been the case in reality, despite all the hunters' guff about it being 'kill or be killed'. What You'll Need: A) Model hunters and animals. Each player represents A) a hunter and gunbearer, or B) a cunning beast (or two or three). Actually, the player -might have a group of 'less effective but more coordinated'men, like a squad of soldiers or a party of African warriors with spears - people who can work together, but who don't have the- personal firepower of a .50 calibre double rifle from Rigby of London. An umpire is helpful to control the less interesting animals (herds of wildebeeste etc) who generally run -away from danger, though player common sense can serve for this. Umpires are very useful for making- up random nastiness, though - A vicious variant would be to allow each player both a hunting group and an ferocious animal, so that each player would get the chance to stalk his friends. Naturally it would be forbidden to use your own animal as a deliberately easy target for the hunter! B) A model landscape, representative of the wilder regions of the Dark Continent possibly rain forest for the Congo and coastal western Africa, long grass and heavy thorn scrub for east and central Africa. Marsh, streams, quicksand etc to taste. As a rule, heavy cover aids the animals, open terrain the hunters (I expect you already knew that). The table can be of any convenient size, since it is the degree of cover rather than the theoretical range of weapons that really matters; if you want to show heavy jungle, you probably don't need a lot of table space. Ground and time scales are pretty much insignificant, though if pressed I'd say that 1 is about 10 yards, sort-of-maybe, probably less close-up and more further away. That makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? An alternative would be to play a 'double-blind' game, where each player has a small table display, upon which his figures are placed together with any terrain and other figures that are directly visible from- the character's position. The umpire, using- a master table (or simply a drawn plan of the whole area) plots the movement of men and animals according to the players' wishes, then updates their individual displays according to developments. Thus the player's own figures essentially stay in place while the- terrain moves past them (like a, racing-cat simulator) as they move' This method requires more effort than the conventional 'open table' game, but is rewarding in that it is much more nerve-- wracking, for the players and puts a premium on stalking the opponent. C). A lot of six-sided dice, tape-measures and the cards needed for the movement deck. Each player has 1-6 index cards, inscribed with his or her name, description or whatever, shuffled into a deck, along with three cards marked 'herds wandering' and one marked 'wind change'. When this last card comes up, not only does the wind, er, change, but- the deck is reshufffled whether everyone has had their turn or not. Now, hunters and wild beasties vary a great deal in skill and general dangerousness, Let's divide the humans into five classes, each having a factor known as 'Bushcraft', (1-5), which determines, well, a lot, like morale and shooting and fistfighting with crocodiles etc. THE HUNTERS 5) Extremely skilled and courageous hunters of almost legendary status - Frederick Selous, Walter Karamoja Bell etc, and their African counterparts (that fella that the Masai lion hunters really look up to!). And, of course, Tarzan. 4) Skilled hunters and warriors, veteran types who know what they are about. 3) Most African warriors, bearers, askaris and the like, and the kind of European who is new to Africa but generally knows the outdoors. 2) Recruits, porters, neophytes and the kind of hopeless imbecile who has paid a fortune to come out and murder the wildlife. 1) Absolutely bloody useless characters who are just asking to be somebody's breakfast. Now, according to how things go over the course of the game, players can get promoted or demoted. The object is to build a reputation as a great hunter, by successful kills, bravery in face of danger, and generally not fouling- things up. This last consists of missing the target altogether, wounding dangerous animals without killing them so they are simply angrier and less good company than before, running away (especially when seen to do so) and generally failing to live up to gentlemanly standards. You are trying to gain Reputation Points (RPs), which may give you more cards to move on, improve your Bushcraft, and generally instill manly confidence in you as you sit around the campfire lying about your exploits. Of course, losing RPs has the precise opposite effect. Interestingly enough, the same mechanism applies to the animals, though with different expectations as to what makes you, say, a widely admired hippopotamus. Each player starts with a number of cards equal* to their Bushcraft factor, which may go up or down. Gain a card for each 100 RPs earned, and vice versa - limit being six cards for Allan Quatermain on a good day. THE SAVAGE BEASTS TYPE SPEED ATTACK HITS BUSHCRAFT Lion 1/3/5 6 dice 10 5 Elephant 1/3/5 12 dice 20 4 Rhino 1/3/5 8 dice 15 2 Hippo 1/2/3 6 dice 10 2 Leopard 1/3/6 4 dice 8 5 Cheetah 1/3/8 3 dice 6 5 Buffalo 1/3/5 8 dice 15 4 CARD SEQUENCE When your card comes up, state your intentions to move, aim, shoot etc, and do so. All humans must be placed on the board, but animals may be concealed, and only revealed when detected by stalking, accidental showing themselves, or deliberately revealing themselves- in all their splendour. MOVEMENT You can creep, you can walk and you can run. For most humans this is marked , "1 / 2 / 3", which means 1 D6- stalking carefully, 2 D6- walking normally, and 3 D6- running like. a. maniac Animals- usually get. more dice- in. the walking and,. especially,. running department - see that cheetah go 8 D6-! Half speed in very rough country, or shallow water. Deep water is impassible for armed men, and can only be crossed at fords, by boat, or desperate swimming (1 D6- per turn, and watch for crocodiles). If any of those dice for movement come up a '6', roll 1 D6 against your Bushcraft; equal or less and you are fine, but exceed it and you've had an accident of some kind while moving through the dense bush/ sultry rainforest / perfectly open clearing. Roll a D6: 1: Fell in a pit, trap or hole - take 1 D6 hits damage, lose 20 RPs 2: Disturbed a scorpion - roll against Bushcraft - fail, lose 1 D6 hits damage, and 10RPs. 3: Twisted ankle. Half speed through current deck of cards. Lose 10 RPs. 4: Stepped on a snake! 1-3 it's harmless, no damage; 4-6 it's lethal. 1 D6 - Bushcraft damage (because the old hand can suck out the poison). Lose that number of RPs x 2 unless you sucked it all out, then gain 20 RPs. Lose same damage again on next card as poison spreads. If still alive, find doctor now -- 5: Stepped on a branch - roll against Bushcraft, fail & everyone within 10' knows you are there. Lose 5 RPs. 6: Boot comes off. Europeans only. 50% of recovering it if move less than 3" this turn. Otherwise, half speed from now half until you get back-to camp. Lose 10 RPs. None of this applies to animals, who are assumed to have more sense, except for my cat Cameo who sets her tail alight and falls in the toilet -- EXAMPLE: Colonel Sanders and his party - two porters and a gunbearer are moving at a walk through long grass, not difficult enough to halve their speed. The good colonel rolls a '6' and a '1', totalling 7, so the group moves 7-. Since he rolled a '6' he has a chance of an accident. He rolls against his Bushcraft of 4, and - by rolling a '6' fails it. He rolls again - a 2, which means a scorpion appears perilously close. He rolls once again against Bushcraft, passing with a '3' and so averts the danger by stepping around it. CONCEALMENT & STALKING "No African beast can smell worth a damn -- more rubbish written about animals' sense of smell than anything else." --Archibald Dunbar Brander Look at your movement dice, comparing each of them to the figure's Bushcraft rating. f all of them are equal or less than the Bushcraft, the figure is aware of anyone or anything moving within 6- of himself if either he or it are in cover, 24- otherwise. Half that distance for animals sitting quietly (!) So, if you are stalking you need to pass on only one die, but all three if running. Animals who fail this test are revealed and placed on the board for this turn, but may 'disappear' again next card. EXAMPLE: Since the Colonel's movement dice were '1' and '6- the latter- being more than his Bushcraft rating - he is oblivious to the fact that Big Simba, a lion of considerable size and appetite, is lurking a mere 4" from his track. Oh, well! Even were he to pass, he would be unaware that Big Simba's mate, Doris is hunkered in the rocks 8" from his own position because she is too far away to spot in cover. FOLLOWING SPOOR Or 'Don't step in the hippo poop!' This- part is, hard to write rules for in an open-table kind of game, though it would be easier for an umpire-run double-blind kind of game. Basically, the hunter tries to follow the animal's trail, which requires a certain talent, ideally without the animal knowing it. If the animal is wounded, there would be 'blood- spoor' along its path. If you have really honest players, you might. require- the. animal players inform each. hunter that passes his Bushcraft role not only if there are animals nearby, but if there is a trail, and which way it goes. The hunter can then follow it f Feely -until next turn, when. he gets the chance to lose the trail completely once again. Blood spoor can essentially be spotted by anyone who isn't a complete idiot - maybe roll 3 D6 vs Bushcraft, and if the hunter passes any of them at all, he spots the trail -- SHOOTING Sighting carefully, I saw the bullet strike an ant-heap about two hundred yard beyond the lioness, but in a good line, perhaps two or three inches too high. --John Gulle Millais A character may shoot once or more on his own turn, and possibly fire again on someone else's turn if that someone is trying to, say, maul them to death. The object is to get as good clear a shot as possible, which means getting as many dice as you are entitled to in search of Sixes. You want as many of them as you can get. If, when you've checked the range, cover etc the umpire (or other players, own honesty etc) declares the shot to be less good than you'd hoped, you can elect not to fire - I know, this is different from all those other games - because you will be penalised for bad shooting, but not for not shooting at all! RANGES SHORT LONG SHOTS/TURN Spear 3 6 1 Arrow 5 10 2 impact x [Omega] at long range Pistol 3 6 3 Trade musket 5 10 1 Matchlock 5 12 1/2 Military Rifle 10 20 3 Express Rifle 20 40 2 Shotgun 4 8 2 impact x 2 at close range* Compare the skill of the shooter with the target quality; this is the number of dice you get, for the first shot of the turn- - second and subsequent shots are a grade lower. A shooter who halts one turn to aim gets 50% more dice (for the first shot only) if he fires next turn, but gets no extra bonus for aiming two or more turns at one target. *But only against light targets such as leopard, antelope, humans etc. And no effect at all on elephants, rhino or hippo! A hunter or gunbearer can reload a breechloading weapon while standing or walking at no cost, but not when running. However, if he fires both barrels and reaches out for a second rifle, he cannot use it until his next card - unless he passes an emergency reaction test. OPTIONAL RULE Most hunters used two weapons, a heavy rifle (.450 or bigger) for large animals, and a light rifle (.275 or .303) for smaller game. A gunbearer would carry the weapon not in use, and be responsible for reloading. Heavy rifles count as military rifles as per range (10-/20') but get double dice for wound effectiveness - e.g a single '6' scored would cause 2D6 damage rather than one. Light rifles are as per the normal 'express rifle' rule. No, you can't carry two heavy rifles at once. BUSHCRAFT firer is moving A+/A/B/C firer is standing A+/A/B/C 5 8/5/4/3 15/10/8/6 4 6/ 4 / 3 / 2 12/ 8/ 6/4 3 4/3/ 2/1 8 /6/ 4/2 2 -/2/1/- - / 4/-2/ 1 1 -/ 1 / -/- -/2/ 1/ - A+ = a really wonderful shot, in the open at close range, with a really accurate weapon. Those of Bushcraft 2 or less get no benefit from such weapons, and only 4 & 5 can really use them well. A = a really wonderful shot at close range, but without the magnificent gun, or a grade B shot using the aforesaid weapon. B= open clear shot at long range or close shot partially obscured by cover, or grade C shot with precision toy. C= close shot but significant cover or long shot partially obscured. D does not exist for our purposes. A running or other difficult target takes the shot down one category An emergency shot against a 'charging target is always a grade C shot, because even the coollest marksman can flinch --- What you want is SIXES! '6'= WOUND, D6 points damage '66'= SERIOUS WOUND, 2 D6 damage, will kill most things. '666'= AUTOMATIC PERFECT KILL, as well as being the number of the beast, as it saith in Revelation. Whatever it was, it falls over dead. If the number of '1's rolled exceeds the number of '6's, it's a misfire, which does not count as a miss as regards your esteemed reputation. EXAMPLE: Colonel Sanders, though oblivious of the two lions, sees Derek the rhino going about his business in a clearing about 21" away. Without moving, he draws the proverbial bead on the animal with his trusty large bore Holland & Holland. It is a grade B shot, improved to A by virtue of his expensive precision firearm, for which he receives 8 dice. If he chooses to simply aim this turn, he will get 50% more dice -- hat's 12 -- when he fires on his next card. He fires, scoring only one '6' on the rhino. This hit scores 1D6 damage, in this case 3 points, which gets Derek's attention, but not much else. ANIMAL REACTION Herd type animals essentially run away at anything that frightens them. The ones we are interested in - lions, bull elephants, rhinos etc - don't feel this way about it at all. A wounded beast rolls a D6 1,2) Move away from the shooter, towards cover, and lie up there. 3,4) either halt or move around the shooter 5,6) immediately charge. Deduct 1 if the animal has lost 50% damage points - it's hurt and it knows it. EXAMPLE: Derek the rhino rolls a '6', which makes him immediately attack the monkey with the firestick which just stung him. He rolls 5 D6, rolling a total of 24. He rushes 24" towards Colonel Sanders, who is only 21" away. Thus, if nothing happens probably in the form of a large calibre bullet - the rhino will reach the Colonel and his party and - possibly - continue straight on after indicating his feelings on the matter at hand. MORALE If something is coming at you right now, roll against Bushcraft. Pass, and you are free to -what? See 'Emergency reaction' if you need to be suddenly active. If you don't, carry on like a gentleman. Fail by one - freeze this turn and stare aghast as the beast rushes onward to discuss the matter (see 'melee'). Fail by two or more, bolt like a bunny 3D6 towards cover, no defence if it outpaces you. Lions can't get up trees, or not very far. Or can they? Umpire can demand a morale check whenever it seems appropriate. EMERGENCY REACTION Still he came on and was fifteen yards of me, when I pulled back the bolt of my rifle -only to discover to my horror that the magazine was empty. -- James Sutherland You've passed your morale roll. What now? If a fierce animal is coming at you in an unfriendly fashion you may want to Take a gun from your bearer Reload in a real hurry! Shoot once at the enemy! Shoot once again at the angry beastiel Dodge 1 D6- to left or right- really only good against rhinos. Run 2D6- away! Climb a tree You can attempt up to three of these, naming each action in succession and rolling vs. Bushcraft. However, if you fail one, that's it, You are stuck in position until your next card. EXAMPLE: Seeing the rhino charge, the Colonel and his men each roll a D6 against Bushcraft. The Colonel and his gunbearer are both rated at 4, the two porters are rated at 3. The Colonel rolls a 7, passing. He decides to shoot twice, but only passes the first 'Bushcraft' roll for his emergency reaction. The gunbearer rolls a 3, passing also. One porter fails by 1, standing there goggle- eyed, while the second rolls a '6', drops his load and runs like a particularly nervous rabbit for the rear. Since the rhino will reach him this turn, the colonel gets an emergency shot. This is a grade C shot, at short range, so the Colonel gets 4 dice. He scores one '6' but two '1's - a missfire at a crucial moment. The rhino is on him! MELEE Chances are, you shouldn't be deliberately wrestling with wild animals, but, hey, they are more than willing in this game. Roll 1-5 D6 according to your Bushcraft. The animal rolls, what might be a lot more dice. Look for sixes. First six on either side counteracts one, and one only, on the other. Roll each six again and total points as damage hits. Again, people can only take their Bushcraft number (it doesn't take a lot to kill a Hindu platelayer, I tell you). Surviving humans have their bushcraft reduced by the damage inflicted for melee but not for other activities, but wounded animals continue to fight with all dice until killed or choosing to break off an ongoing melee. Fights are one-on - one unless the figures are in base-to base contact, in which case the dice can be combined. A man who is running away due to morale failure cannot fight back on the first turn of combat, but, if not killed, will fight more determinedly from then on. EXAMPLE 1: The rhino gets 8 dice to attack against the Colonel's 4. Since the gun bearer passed morale he can fight too if he's in base-to-base contact with his employer. Drat, he's not. Derek the irritated rhino rolls two 'sixes' and the Colonel rolls one. The first two balance one another out, so it's just one hit on our Great White Hunter. Rolling again, it's a '1', so Colonel Sanders takes a glancing blow and lands in the tall grass, winded but only slightly shop-worn. Derek, being a rhino and not one of those intelligent animals who stick around to finish off their antagonists, completes his movement with another 3" straight ahead. Should some poor beggar be in his way, it's another melee. He may turn round on his next card, or he may not, depending on the inclinations of the player controlling his massive rhino intellect. EXAMPLE 2: The Colonel's porter takes off down the track through the long grass ahead of the rhino and safely out his line of charge, so when the next 'lion' card comes up. Big Simba, seeing a snack pass so conveniently close by, uses his 3 D6" movement to leap out and seize the poor devil. The porter does not get a shot off at him because A) he's already failed morale and is running, and B) has no suitable weapon. He only gets one D6 to fight with, against the lion's six. It's not a fair fight, but he rolls a '6', getting a lucky blow in with his dagger / stick I knee, and the lion gets one '6' also. These counteract one another, and the turn ends with the lion and the porter tussling in a way that most of us would find discouraging for the latter's prospects - but maybe the Colonel will come to the rescue --- if he's not tied up dealing with the enraged rhino. WIND DIRECTION Twirl a pencil or something to determine initial wind direction. Whenever the 'wind changes' card comes up, roll a D6: 1 = 90 left 2,3 = 45 left 4,5 = 45 right 6 = 90 left. All animals downwind of the humans know of their presence, and will act accordingly, usually by moving away. REPUTATION, (this being the main point for the hunters, though of less interest to the animals.) GOOD THINGS ( if you are not the animal) Killing an animal with a rifle = animal's hit points = RPs Killing an animal with a rifle with One shot = animal's hit points x 2 = RPs Killing an animal with a rifle, one perfect shot (666) = animal's hit points x 4 = RPs Killing an animal with a spear, bow or in melee= animal's hit points x 3 = RPs Saving a native / foreigner / member of working classes from death = 10 RPs Saving an English gentleman, really rich foreigner, or Teddy Roosevelt = 30 RPs General acts of heroism = umpire's or player groups choice RPs Telling good story about it afterwards over brandy & cigars = umpire's or player groups choice RPs BAD THINGS Being killed or wounded in unheroic circumstances = lose your current RPs Missing the target = -10 RPs per miss Wounding an animal and failing to track it personally = -20 RPs Shooting baby animals / fellow hunters / self = - 50 RPs Running away from charging animal = 30- animal's hit pts RPs (because it's more excusable to run from an elephant than a zebra) General acts of cowardice = umpire's or player groups choice RPs Unconvincing storytelling around camp fire = umpire's or player groups choice RPs EXAMPLE: Our friend Colonel Sanders has slightly wounded but not killed an animal, one Derek the Rhino. We may be generous to the Colonel and not demand that he track the injured Derek, since the wound was so minor - on the other hand, we may not - cost 20 RPs. He has not been cowardly, nor was his own wound unheroic. On the other hand, he has not exactly covered himself with glory. He comes out of the affair a possible -20 RPs. ANIMAL VICTORIES I think we can assume that the beasts of the field do not operate on the same code of conduct as those chaps in the solar topees, but is it just too anthropomorphic to think that maybe big Simba sunning himself on a rock knows that he did well by eating the little human with the loud stick and the chewy cloth covering, especially compared with the usual morsels that just run off screaming? Well, why not? Gain the victim's Bushcraft x 20 RPs for each kill, Or 30 if you actually carry them off to your lair for later snacking. This only applies to carnivores of course; no rhino will desert his or her vegetarian diet for a few extra points. No rhino would have the slightest idea what we were talking about -- FIGURES ETC My hunters, bearers and porters are from the Foundry Darkest Africa range, with a few of the western 'townsmen'- the fellows with rifles and shotguns but no chaps or ten gallon hats - painted in tans and drabs rather than Victorian black. British colonial officer types , and suitable westerners from other manufacturers have been added - I especially like the Redoubt Fred Burnaby figure. The Honourable Lead Boiler Suit Company makes a line of hunters, some armed with very heavy weapons for dinosaur shooting, and some excellent African animals. Irreular Miniatures make nice animals, though a bit on the small side, as do Rai Partha. My own menagerie consists very largely of plastic zoo animals of appropriate size, found variously in high quality toy shops, cheap discount places (always sold in bulk with animals of different sizes) and 'nature' shops. They are all made in China and have generic names that vary wildly. My most successful hauls were in an 'everything's a dollar' place in Atlanta - wonderful elephants for the price of a chocolate bar - and a Chinese dime store in Toronto, where kudu, zebra and wildebeeste each cost 25 cents Canadian - a veritable cornucopia of cheap plastic stuff. So, wherever you live, check the nasty plastic toys. My best bull elephants glow in the dark under their coats of paint! Do beware though; plastic animals will take paint (wash 'em in dishwashing liquid first, spray black, drybrush, varnish) but some of the rubber / vinyl toys are very unwilling to take allow paint to ever dry. Code of the Gentleman Hunter Back to Dispatch August 2001 Table of Contents Back to Dispatch List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2001 by HMGS Mid-South This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. 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