General Sir Alexander Wesley Royal Army middle age, respectable, well off Dash glad to see you sir! Dash glad to be here. My own command! No horse guards Johnny's knocking about trying to tell me what to do. Have no fear sir. My lads will have this lot taken care of in a fortnight. No Antique hand cannons will stop me from bringing civilization to these savages. Major Edwin Fitzgerald middle age, respected, respectable I wonder how many more jibs I'll have to put up with because I went to Dublin University rather than Oxford. I mean really! Its simply ages since I left Ireland. I know my stuff. I've served in India. Which is probably why I'm here. Got to have someone competent to keep "Alexander the Great" out of trouble. Captain Harold Graham young, respected, respectable Attention! Officer on parade! Shouts the color sergeant. What is this? You have dirt on your sleeve! Put him on report sergeant. Look at this rifle, private. It's filthy. It'll be of no use to you when the Fuzzies attack. Genkins! Drunk again. That's a flogging offence. Lieutenant George Bell Royal Engineers young, weak, respectable I've come here to build a bridge and I'll get it done on schedule! Don't worry about the fleas or leeches. They can't hurt you. I'll keep an eye out for lions. Lost five worker in Bengal last year. Sir Wendel Hardy Royal Navy old, respectable, well off Oh, ah, hummm...Want a landing do you? Well we'll just see about that. Humm, ah yes. The beech would be fine. I can even run gun boats up the river if you like. That'll put the fear of God into the buggers! Sir John Forsyth The British Resident middle age, respected, well off After Oxford I did a stint in India. Now I'm in Dar as Salaam keeping an eye on Johnny Turk. I must say they are not cooperating recently. The Bey won't even see me anymore. Probably because I snuck a peek at his wife! Silly old cow. Rev. Rory Davis young, respected, poor Yea verily, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. I come here to bring the light of Jesus Christ to these poor sinners. I will lead them to God and away from their demonic thinking. I will teach them how to sing as only a Welshman can! Rudyard Kipling young, weak, poor I am a journalist. I've come to tell the story of this glorious chapter of our Queen's imperial majesty. I'm certain to write a few good poems, maybe a book and certainly a hundred articles before I go back to India. Richard Cook young, weak, well off You don't know me but I represent several London banking houses. I understand that there are gold mines inland and that the cotton grown here is of superior quality. I'm certain that we can do business on both these accounts...General! I demand that you assign troops to guard our mine. Our interests are her majesties interests. I've just had a letter from Mr. Rhodes in Cape Town commending me to you. Pierre DuPrey The French Resident old, respected, well off Mon Deu! L'Anglais they are everywhere! But they know nothing about L'Oriental mind. We French know the Arabs. Have we not ruled them in Algeria. I myself fought a campaign there. They are like children who become frightened by loud noises. But they can be deadly as well. Still, my good friend the Bey will surely protect French interests. Captain Jean Turrene young, respected, respectable If the British come, no European will be safe. The Arabs have a tradition of assassination and will not think twice about butchering as many of us as they can find when the time comes. M. DuPrey has a naive trust in the Bey. The old fool. It's not the Turks I'm afraid of. It's the peasants. M. Jacque Lebo middle age, respected, rich The villages and land lords know me well. I buy all the cotton they grow and most of their hand crafts as well. Salaamite cloth is all the rage in Paris this year. But I am not here to die. These people know that I will pay them a fair wage - unlike the English. If my business is more successful it is for this reason. That and I do not interfere in local beliefs or customs. Moses Schwartz old, respected, respectable Allow me to help you sir. I speak all the languages of this land and more than a few European ones. I serve the Bey as a Dragoman, a translator. As my Uncle, Rabbi Schwartz used to say "There is a prayer for everything – even the Czar." Juan Abraham middle age, weak, well off, Jewish I think I can arrange for what you want. We have agents in Istanbul, Cairo, Aleppo, and Marseille. My family is wide spread. We have been in the Empire since 1600. But in our hearts we are still Spanish. Diego Moses old, weak, respectable, Jewish When I was young I studied medicine in Venice. I served a while at the Sultan's palace in Istanbul and then came here to serve the Bey. This is a fascinating land. Do you know that some of the monuments up country date back to the time of the enslavement of the Hebrews? You will have to come with me to see. Muhammad Ali Bey of Dar as Salaam middle age, powerful, wealthy My grandfather was born in Rumelia/Albania and was sent to Dar al Salaam to rule as Bey. He was a great man. He rebuilt the army, established the peace and brought justice to the land. My father ruled after him and I after him. No matter who the Sultan is, I will be Bey. The Europeans are another matter. For Salaam to remain independent the state must modernize. That means European help. French help. Muhammad Khan The Aga middle age, respected, respectable Effendi, you army is at the ready. The regulars are good. I trained them myself. The mamlukes have spirit but are no match for the Europeans. We could call on the fellahin to serve as Bashi Bazouks but I would not recommend it. In my experience armed peasants are worse than the enemy in battle! Abdul ibn Yacob (aka Pierre Jacobin) young, respected, respectable I come from Marseille but my travels brought me to Dar as Salaam. I traveled up country with the Dervishes and learned their language. Along the way I converted toIslam. Now I am a teacher and a official of the Bey. I'm sorry I can't drink with you but it is Ramadan and I may not eat or drink till sun down. As-salamu Alaykum wa rahmatullah (Peace be unto thee in the mercy of Allah.) Pasha Ibrahim old, important, wealthy I am a slave of Allah. When I was young I was a slave in fact. I grew up in the Caucuses but was sold to the Sultan to be trained as a Mamluke/soldier. I came to Dar as Salaam with Muhammad Ali's Grandfather. Oh, such a man the world has not seen, just, cruel, intelligent. We his loyal followers have been well rewarded. Naturally we wish to maintain our position in society. Are not my gardens sweet with the smell of flowers? Osman ibn Uthman young, important, wealthy By the beard of the Prophet, peace be unto him, I read in this book that the British allow their peasants to chose who rules them. This most strange indeed. When I studied French in Istanbul, my tutor M. Latrek, told me his people even killed their king. I for one did not notice this in Montey Carlo last year! Oh but I am rude. Would you care for a glass of sheri? Abdullah ibn Almani (aka Carl Saltzman) middle age, respected, well off Gutten morgen, mine herr. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon you. I am from Austria but I moved to Istanbul as a young man. I taught soldiers for a while then after I embraced the true faith I came here as an officer. I can never go back to Europe - after all I am worse than a heretic aren't I? Pardon me but I hear the call to prayer. Yahya Ibn Muad The Mufti of Dar as Salaam middle age, important, wealthy I will not speak to infidels. Eaters of unclean meat, drinkers of alcohol, degenerates. These men are not rightly guided. They laud their ships and weapons over us like Firon did to Moses as related in the Koran. They come to destroy us. Allah demands that we resist them. Mullah Amad middle age, weak, impoverished Repeat after me children "There is no God but Allah and Muhammad was is his servant and his messenger." Good! Study hard and you to can memorize the holy word. Turning to the older Medrassa students. What part of holy law shall we discuss today? Daud, recite the teachings of our lord Muhammad swas concerning the care of orphans. Ali Baba An Arab Bandit young, powerless, poor Wait Mustapha, let them get a little bit closer. Then you can slit their throats without their making a sound. Sheik Mamud old, powerless, impoverished My tribe, the Banu al Malik, are fellahin (peasants). We grow cotton and tobacco in the delta of the river. They come to me with their problems. Conflicts over goats and family honor. They are a proud people. They fear Allah. Sheik Daud middle age, powerless, impoverished The Banu al Hadi, will never submit to the Ferengi! The Bey may consort with the foreign devils but we will not. We grow wheat and raise goats. Just like our ancestors have done back to the time of the Prophet swas. If called on, I will lead the men in the struggle against the infidels. Sheik Jallaludin young, powerless, impoverished, a poet My father recently died leaving me to lead the Banu al Batin. I regret that I will no longer be able to study the sublime poets of Arabic and Persian anymore. There is much wisdom in their words. In this coming time of crisis we must be like water carried by desert winds. Unseen, until we reach the safety of the mountains. I fear it will be a long dry sirocco before then. Sheik Hassan young, powerless, impoverished The young men of the Banu al Qadir are restless. They want to leave their farms and go on a raid. Perhaps we should go south to take slaves in the land of the blacks. Or maybe north, to steal guns from the Turks. Either way we will fight. Sheik Husein middle age, powerless, well off The Banu al Hakim live at the far south of Dar as Salaam. We and not the Turks stand as the first line of defense against the pagans of the south. Our saints have done the work of conversion, our merchants done the business of gold and salt mining, our warriors who take black slaves in raids. Events on the coast mean little to us. Few Ferengi ever come this far up river. More Dar as Salaam Introduction The Invasion Example of Play Characters Back to Table of Contents -- Matrix Gamer #10 To Matrix Gamer List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1999 by Chris Engle. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com