PICKING WHAT TO CARRY ON THE MULES
I have three players for the game: Tom, Mike and Craig. Great players who have all played Matrix Games before. Their first task was to decide who to take on the expedition and what supplies they would carry on their eight mules. They opted to take the following characters (each players choosing which one he would personally run).
Colonel Parker – Mike (a British officer working for the Sultan, sort
of)
Captain Smith
Safari Jack
Doctor Pendershot
Papadopolous – Tom (the Greek merchant anti-Ottoman agent)
Ibn Yusef (a beduin from the Hamas tribe)
Daud Pasha (a Turkish soldier)
Slattin
Von Heiderger – Craig (the German scientist and colonial agent)
I told them they could carry 40 rounds of small arms ammo or 20 round of artillery per mule. They ended up taking 120 rounds of ammo, 40 shells, a mule of trade goods, one of medical supplies, and one of scientific equipment.
All the while they were deciding this I have the figures set up on a flat board next to the city. I invited them to make matrix arguments to acquire things (which would likely be found in the city). All they while I had them thronged with civilians and camel riders. This I did so they would have that experience of safety that all expeditions are to start with. Soon enough it would be dispelled!
The players set up their standard march order and night watch order (very D+D like) and we set off.
EARLY ENCOUNTERS
This first couple of encounters were meant to be peaceful. I used them to teach the player how the sighting rules worked and allowed them to change their marching order accordingly. The player's figures were on a flat board. They did not move. Instead I moved blank counters towards them. Each counter count include any number of figures. So any hidden movement stand had to be considered dangerous!
Once a turn players roll to sight the enemy. This roll is effectively a matrix argument "I see the most easily seen enemy." I use a combat results like table to tell me what the success roll is. Then I place the spotted enemy on the table.
First the expedition met a group of fellahin/peasant women taking their goods to the city. The expedition did not see them till they were 6" away (Max gun range 24")! The players adjusted by putting their scouts out further. I had the women walk right through their formation, totally ignoring them, to see if the players would shoot at them. Wisely they didn't. Next they encountered a caravan moving north, coming out of the desert. This time they spotted them at 20". Again the natives walked right by them, brazenly daring them to shoot. Again the players resisted temptation.
Already the game has differed from standard miniatures games. They players have been given targets they were not supposed to shoot and they didn't. GOOD SHOW!
I used Howard's intentions idea to determine if the players thought they were entering combat. The native had no guns so I never had to announce my intentions till they were on top of the players. If the players decided to not fight then each one got a matrix argument to describe how the encounter played out. They were able to determine who the beduin were (Fata as it turned out – though Ibn Yusef tried to get them to attack them because as he put it they were Satan's own spawn. I decided that the Fata and the Hamas were neighbors and thus enemies.)
The next encounter tested the players learning. I asked them to change their set up to the night watch positions. Then I surrounded them with hidden movement markers and started infiltrating them into camp. The players spotted enemy only to have me use my one matrix argument a turn to make them slip back into cover. Sadly for the natives, the players were alert and they stopped the raiders from getting closer than 6" from the camp. They captured a few of them (arguments allow players to do things like this) and drove the rest off. The raiders turned out to be Fata (alerted by a single rider who had pealed off from the caravan.)
So far, so good.
THE FATA TRIBE
The first tribe encountered were the Fata. I told the players that they pay tribute to the Turkish Sultan. Ibn Yusef told of their treachery so the players were ready to meet them.
This time I had the enemy appear on the board at maximum range. The Fata made no attempt to conceal their presence. At 24" I asked the players if they wished to open fire. Due in part to the lessons of the previous encounters and a quick look at the rules (which show how useless long rang fire is) they opted to not shoot. The Fata came to within 12" and stopped. A single stand moved forward. Looks like they want to talk.
Now the players had to decide what to do. They realized for the first time that they had only two characters who they knew spoke Arabic, Daud the Turk and Ibn Yusef of the Hamas. Consequently they took Daud out to be their translator. They shielded themselves from the beduin by sending the prisoners out first.
The prisoners didn't stop at their sheik's stand but kept on going to join their friends. Inadvertently they had let them go!
The player made matrix arguments about how the negotiation went and succeeded in making peace with the Fata. Who then invited them back to their camp for a feast (ala Lawrence of Arabia). Of course the Fata told the players of the duplicity of the Hamas tribe and to not trust Ibn Yusef. They even offered to hold/kill/or sell into slavery (Daud's translations was a little vague here) Ibn Yusef and his two fellow riders, should the players wish. The players were divided on the point so they settled it using matrix arguments. Ibn Yusef survived.
I used a combination of matrix arguments and role playing to run this encounter. The players had to say their intentions at the start of the encounter (role playing), then they used movement to go up and negotiate with the sheik (miniatures and role playing – especially the prisoners running off). The players made arguments about how they wanted the negotiations to turn out (a Matrix Game). The sheik invited them to a feast, they accepted and he told them about the Hamas (role playing). The sheik offered to kill Ibn Yusef (role playing) and the players argued about whether to take him up on it (Matrix Game). At the end of the encounter the sheik provided the players with a guide (per their treaty) so a Fata camel rider, a civilian and a small herd of goats joined the party.
More Sands of the Sahara
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© Copyright 2000 by Chris Engle.
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