THE HAMAS TRIBE
Was it a mistake to not kill Ibn Yusef? YES!
I had built into the script that the reactions of the next tribe encountered would depend on how they handled the first tribe. Make peace with them and you must fight the next. Which meant, Ibn Yusef would turn on them as soon as possible!
The players chose to have the Fata and one of the Hamas camel riders ride together on point. I decided this was doomed to failure. I had the Fata attack and kill the Hamas, in plan sight of the expedition. Something about settling an old blood feud. (A role play element). The players opted to do nothing. Ibn Yusef fumed!
Soon they noticed a force of six camel riders shadowing them. The Fata told them they were Hamas. Ibn Yusef rode out to talk with them and said they weren't. When the Fata rode out to double check, Ibn Yusef chanced him down and killed him before he could report to the players. Again it all happened in plan sight of the players.
I asked the players their intentions. Finally they decided they had to get rid of Ibn Yusef. They asked him to come over to talk to them at which pointed they started the battle. They had to use vital rounds of ammo assassinating their own guide, in plan sight of his desert brethren! Oh the treachery!
I had them go into night watch positions again and did a Hamas night raid. It too failed but I almost got off with a mule! We did get the flock of sheep and made it away with not native prisoners taken.
THE BIG BATTLE
The shadowing force grew to twelve camels. Then another shadowing force appeared on their other flank. I set a line of hills in front of them with two flat boards on either side. There were no hidden movement stands in this encounter. All the Hamas troops (all 70 of them!) were behind the hills.
The players started moving for the high ground – right into the native ambush. They knew they were there but they had to cross the hills anyway of have the expedition end in failure. Without scouts, they marched right into the waiting native infantry before they knew they were there.
The native swarmed out, surrounding two character stands. I rolled melee and wounded Colonel Parker. I gave the players one argument per character to extricate themselves from being surrounded. Miraculously they got out and fell back into a square. MUCH FIRING ENSUED! The players fired 1/3rd of the ammo in this battle.
The native infantry swarmed the square and was withered by fire. They fell into disorder but so did the players. The native rallied first and attacked again. Again they were shot down and this time decided to run. As they fled many died.
Next came the camel's. Unfortunately for them they did not make in closer than 6" before they were disordered and driven back.
The Hamas fled (having lost 20% of their figures). The players were able to proceed on their way...well a few of them anyway!
At the start of the battle, Tom's character, the Greek merchant, ran away from the battle. Von Heiderger shot at him and wounded him but the wily Greek made off into the desert. Why? You wonder. I had no idea!!!
LOST IN THE DESERT
My script called for the next two encounters to be peaceful. First the players had to avoid dying of thirst.
It didn't help much that by this point they had shot their own guide and lost all native support!
The players made arguments about how they survived. I made all the players do this, even Tom, whose character had deserted. The expedition survived by sacrificing one of their mules (the mule called "Stupid" as it turned out – yes I name my figures!). Tom failed but since he did not go into the deep desert I opted to (in role play manner) have him meet some Hamas hunters.
Next the expedtition had to not get lost. Hummmm…a native guide would have been helpful...too bad they shot him! They got lost. Faced thirst again and survived by losing another two mules. This meant abandoning something. Ammunition? NO! Trade goods? Yes.
Meanwhile Toms character was captured by the Hamas. He tried to negotiate a deal but failed. He was help prisoner.
AMBUSHING THE HEZBULLAH TRIBE FOLLOWED BY NEGOTIATIONS
My script called for the players to make the rest of the way across the desert unmolested. Which also meant, unobserved. This allowed them to make it to the last tribes oasis camp unseen. They would have the option of making a surprise attack (where they could use hidden movement if they pleased).
The players role played the decision, with the terrible head of peace mongering rearing it's ugly head. "We should talk to them first!" True to movie form, the sentiment was expressed, but true to gamer form it was ignored!
The players opted to not try sneaking. Instead they set up on the hill overlooking the camp in a strong battle line. They used their superior range and fire power to kill the natives from a distance. The native soldiers rushed to meet the, only to be quickly cut down. The native civilians fled. The sheep went everywhere – only to be captured by the players. The cost in ammunition was another third gone.
This was all part of my cleaver script. Having taken the expedition through the desert they had to subdue the last tribe. Economy of ammunition was critical. They had enough for one last battle. Their decision to decisively defeat the small defense force at the oasis was a calculated risk to subdue the whole tribe. Would it be successful?
I decided as a role play game referee that the Hezbullah sheik would be impressed by the foreigners with massive fire power. He would correctly assess that they could defeat him if he attacked. So I created the potential that they could negotiate.
The expedition set up a perimeter at the oasis. The Hezbullah made no attempt to hide their approach. They appeared on the top of the hill looking very much like the Zulu's in the movie Zulu right at the end. "Oh my God! There must be a hundred of them!"
A detachment of a camel and a few footmen approached them. The players opted to not fire. Instead they sent out Daud and the Colonel to negotiate. Arguments ensued and the players succeeded in making a peace treaty with the Hezbullah.
During the negotiation the players missed their first round of arguments. In this case I has Tom make an argument for the anti-expedition Hezbullah while I argued for the pro-expedition natives. The pro-natives won and peace was made. The players defined what the treaty included in their next arguments. So the players made up this bit of the story as it happened!
TRADING POST AND GERMAN COLONIALISM
The expedition treaty called for them to establish a trading post at the oasis and for the Hezbullah to protect the trade route and work with other tribes in the compact (at this point, the Fata). But who would stay behind to man the post?
The players role played this. First opinion favored Slattin. "He's nobody. Leave him!" But then Craig volunteered his character. "After all I'm a scientist. I came here to study this area."
They settled on Craig and gave him a mule, 1 rounds of ammunition, a cannon but no shells. Then the headed back north with a strong Hezbullah escort.
As soon as they were gone, Craig laughed and began preparing the area for German colonialism!
More Sands of the Sahara
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© Copyright 2000 by Chris Engle.
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