Congo: Adventures in the Heart of Africa
Congo: Adventures in the Heart of Africa Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Exploring the Congo
- Surviving in Africa
- Planning the Expedition
- Moving along the Track
- Big Game Hunting
- Defeating your Enemies
- Overcoming your Fears
- Running Away
- Taming the Jungle Spirits
- Believing in the Impossible
- Surviving in Dangerous Lands
- Mustering the Column
- Adventuring in Africa
- Universal Special Rules
- The White Men Expeditions
- The Sultanate of Zanzibar
- The Forest Tribes
- The African Kingdoms
- Dangerous Terrain Table: Jungle
- Dangerous Terrain Table: Savannah
- Reference Sheet
Exploring the Congo
Adventure awaits...
Congo is a miniatures based game of adventure, taking place in so-called Darkest Africa, during the second half of the 19th century. By leading a White Man's Expedition, a Forest Tribe, an African Kingdom or a caravan of the Zanzibari Sultanate, you will be able to recreate fictitious events inspired by rip-roaring tales in contemporary newspaper articles.
This game presents Africa as it was imagined in the great capitals of Europe. This is the fantasy Africa which spawned so many sensational fictions, novels and theatre pieces.
This game does not deal with the colonisation of Africa, when the European nations played their greedy games to divide the continent between them. In Congo we will speak only of exploration, mystery and the adventures of larger than life characters, be they explorers, tribal chiefs or witch-doctors. The shocking slaughter and massed battles that raged during the colonization of Africa are not the subject of this game.
Other game systems would call these the scenarios... but, thanks to Congo, you will be going on Adventures. Before each game of Congo, you have to choose one issue of the Bulletin that will set out the Adventure ahead of you. Of course, we will cover these Adventures in detail in a later chapter of this book.
The kind owner of the shop from which you acquired this publication has also handed to you a deck of cards (if it is not the case, you are facing a duplicitous Zanzibari trader, and you should denounce them to the proper authorities). This deck is made up of Action, Totem and Sorcery cards. They are used throughout the game and later we will devote a chapter to their description.
Being a miniatures based game, you will need miniatures to play Congo! The Congo range of figures (in boxes and blisters) faithfully depicts the protagonists of our stories, with plenty of detail and its share of period elegance. It will allow to muster your column from the four different available cultures: White Men Expeditions, Forest Tribes, African Kingdoms and the Zanzibar Sultanate.
These protagonists all have their own distinctive and entertaining features, making the choice of which to play a difficult one! It's a task that will be your first test of character on the journey into the Congo. The game does not requires a large number of figures and with around 30 of them, you should have enough models to play most Adventures.
It goes without saying that you can play Congo with any size of miniatures, be they 15mm or 40mm tall. In the end, you and your friends will be the only judges of your work, and you can use whatever miniatures you fancy as you delve into 19th century Africa.
Travel requirements
The rulebook that you hold in your (hopefully not too feverish) hands contains all the game rules, a list of the different available cultures, and a number of exciting adventures that will encourage you to explore the Dark Continent. To make your journey enjoyable, and because we know you to be men of action, we have kept the rules as simple as possible. They will plunge you into the adventure, and after doing a couple of games, it is likely you will no longer need to refer to the book for rules queries.
Inside this book, you will remark newspapers entitled "Le Bulletin de la Société Géographique". This once-famous publication brings to you the adventures that you are to live out.
A gaming surface will be necessary. The size of a Congo table is 72" by 48" (any similarity with another gaming system is not entirely accidental). A surface of this size will let you set up the Adventures included in this game.
You will also need some scenery elements to bring the gaming surface, and therefore your Adventures, to life. Congo Adventures take place either on the savannah or in the jungle. We recommend you start with a dedicated set of scenery elements for one of these environments, but keep in mind that most pieces of vegetation will be useful for both the jungle and the savannah.
Dice will more often than not determine your fate on the hot savannah or in the humid jungle. Congo uses different shapes of dice, such as the mundane six-sided dice (abbreviated D6), the eccentric eight-sided dice (abbreviated D8) and the stellar ten-sided dice (whose abbreviation we will let the reader guess - a small riddle that will be a welcome break from all this reading). Unless you are willing to risk repetitive strain injury during multiple die rolls, we suggest you procure yourself a handful of each type of dice.
Some measuring tools will be handy. The metric system not being in use in Africa at this time (and so as not to upset the spirit of Henry Morton Stanley), we will make use of measuring sticks in this game. You will need a set of four different sticks, each corresponding to one distance measurement used in the game: Two short sticks (abbreviated S and 4" long and 1" wide), one medium stick (abbreviated M, 8" long and 1" wide) and finally one long stick (abbreviated L, 12" long and 1" wide). For these sticks you can photocopy the ones at the back of this book, you can buy them separately or, like any true adventurer worth his salt, manufacture your own. Ivory sticks, are, however, to be frowned upon. If by any chance you travel into Bangala territory, and if they do not catch you for their breakfast, be informed that they produce the most exquisite Congo sticks ever made. The price asked for them (three muskets with enough powder) might seem excessive, but they are worth every bit of it!
(Note: the medium stick is printed as 8" long here, but as 6" long in "Measuring sticks and distances", p. 16.)
Finally, you will need tokens for different aspects of the game system: Stress tokens, the Initiative token, Special Event token and the Animal Stress token. Some cotton puffs to represent smoke will also be useful to show which models have fired their muskets.
As the Stress tokens are drawn randomly, a receptacle will be useful. It can be a cup or a bag (made of cloth, any animal hide would attract the wrath of the Forest Spirits).
A last word before departing...
Congo is a game made by gentlemen for gentlemen, even if the said gentlemen are mimicking fierce Tribal chieftains or perfidious Arab slavers. The game was born from our love of African cultures and history and our reading of the marvellous adventures of the most famous explorers. Add to this our thirst for epic and exotic gaming experiences and you get Congo.
And please, do not take us too seriously. The adventures we depict are largely inspired by the ridiculous stories told by Europeans who did not know any better, and really do not depict the reality of this pre-colonial period. If we have chosen to portray the more romantic aspects of this period, as told in countless tales and movies, it is because we feel this best conveys the spirit of our game.
We recommend that to fully appreciate the game, play it with a glass of brandy and soda or a pint of munkoyo to hand. This should ensure you play with the panache of a heroic man of action and derring-do rather than boringly calculating probabilities.
So, get ready, the boat is about to leave...
Surviving in Africa
Columns and cultures
In Congo, you will find yourselves in charge of a Column. A Column is a set of groups and characters under your leadership, which you will command throughout your Adventures. A Column is generally made up of between 20 to 40 figures.
Each Column has a budget, as dictated by the Adventure undertaken, ranging from 70 to 100 points. Each group has an associated cost in points, and the total of points spent for all your groups cannot exceed the total allocated by the Adventure.
Each column is drawn from a culture. The cultures proposed by the game should not be taken in the literal sense, and constitute a generic grouping of the myriad protagonists of our African adventures. In this book we present four such generic cultures: White Men Expeditions, Forest Tribes, African Kingdoms and the Sultanate of Zanzibar.
Each one of these cultures offers a range of different and unique groups and characters that give each culture certain advantages, certain weaknesses and a unique gameplay. They all have their own appeal and a distinct personality, and we do not doubt that you already have an idea of which culture you wish to lead across the savannah or through the middle of the African jungle. However, if doubt still persists, be sure that we will devote a chapter of our work to presenting each one of these cultures to you, by describing their customs and habits, as well as the groups and characters who compose them. There is no need to decide right away...
Groups and characters
As mentioned above, your Column will be made up of groups. A group is a number of figures which during the Adventure will act in concert, resolving the same actions and moving together, without separating. A group is initially made up from 3 to 6 figures, the exact number being determined by the nature of the group. Thus, a group of tribal archers is composed of 6 figures, while a group of Askaris gathers 5 intrepid native combatants.
Each group is defined by several characteristics.
- A Shooting value (used when shooting)
- A Combat value (used in hand-to-hand combat)
- A Bravery value (used when under stress)
- If it has any, the type of ranged weapon it can use
- Any special rules it is subject to.
The Shooting, Combat and Bravery values are represented by a type of die, ranging from D6 for the weakest to D10 for the most effective; D8 being an acceptable average for the majority of the protagonists in our Adventures.
This information is summarized in the profiles of the groups (see Mustering the column, p. 62) of which we present an example to you here:
HUNTERS (profile icons at top right; two icons) More accustomed to hunt than to fight, Hunters could if necessary accompany the tribe to war and proved to be excellent marksmen.
| Figures | Shooting (weapon) | Combat | Bravery | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | D8 (bows) | D6 | D8 | 14 |
Hunting the prey: During shooting, Hunters roll one additional D8 for each success rolled on their shooting roll (further successes on these rolls do not grant additional D8s).
The information contained in the profile of the group is as follows:
- The name of the group.
- The number of characters and auxiliaries which can accompany the group.
- The number of figures making up this group.
- The Shooting value and the type of ranged weapon.
- The Combat value.
- The Bravery value.
- The cost in points of the group.
- The special rule(s) of the group.
In addition to groups, you will choose up to two characters in order to lead your Column. Characters are larger than life men and women, sufficiently courageous, dangerous or eccentric to deserve particular treatment, and will be to some extent the heroes of your Adventures. Keep in mind that we make a rather generous use of the term "hero" because it also includes the naive botanist who has left his cosy cottage to gather miraculous berries in the territory of a cannibal tribe and the African witchdoctor who has eaten excessive amounts of the aforementioned berries and is currently experiencing their hallucinogenic effects.
Each character will join a group for the game, and will not leave it. He will undertake the same actions as the group he is included in, and will grant it some special bonuses as long as he is alive.
Of course, our characters also have profiles (see Mustering the column, p. 62) an example of which is given below:
THE EXPLORER (three stars) The brave Explorer faces any and all dangers to map the Dark Continent, fights against slavery and superstition to bring civilization to the most remote areas of Africa. Well, this is what he claims if you ask him. His motives are often more pragmatic, and related to the quest for fortune and glory. Often at the head of a small army, with no possibility of withdrawal once far from their base, Explorers are more often than not bad-tempered but driven men, and their knowledge of Africa is unequalled amongst white folk.
| Shooting | Combat | Bravery |
|---|---|---|
| D10 | D6 | D6 |
Composure: Used to facing danger, the Explorer is a cautious man and expects his men to behave in the same way. When his group decides to go to ground against shooting, he can roll one extra D10 for the cover roll, rather than the D8 usually granted, for each Stress token drawn.
The following information is contained in character profiles:
- The name of the character and his value, expressed as stars.
- A short text presentation to fire your imagination.
- The Shooting value.
- The Combat value.
- The Bravery value.
- The character's special rule(s), usually granted to the group he joins (or sometimes to the whole column).
Figures and formations
As we mentioned in the introduction, you can play Congo with figures of any size. However, our own tastes lean towards 28mm figures which combine elegance and exquisite details, at a reasonable cost.
Each figure will have to be painted, if you don't want to attract the wrath of the spirits, and stood on a suitable modelled base. The standard established is the 25 mm circular base. Thus, all figures of the Congo range are sold with the aforementioned bases. It should be possible to play with other types of bases, however, we shall not dwell on this question and leave this to your personal consideration.
The figures are gathered into groups. The integrity of a group requires that all its members stay in base to base contact with each other during the game, so as to form an uninterrupted chain, as illustrated in the picture below.
(Diagram, valid: "This is a valid formation as all figures are in base-to-base contact, and they form an uninterrupted chain." Diagram, invalid: "This is not a valid formation, as a gap exists between the two parts of the group.")
In Congo, the physical facing of the figures does not matter (other than pure aesthetics). It is considered that the figures simultaneously face all directions and so only the positioning of the base is important, and not the orientation of the figure on the base itself. Of course, if you place your models so that their backs are turned on the enemy, do not curse your misfortune with the dice, because that will be only what you deserve.
Measuring sticks and distances
In Congo, distances are measured using accessories which we call measuring sticks. There are three distinct measuring sticks.
Each measuring stick will have a length defined as follows.
- The short stick (S) is 4" long. They are also called "movement sticks" because they are used when moving your figures. You will need two copies of this stick to handle with ease the movements of your groups.
- The medium measuring stick (M) is 6" long.
- The long measuring stick (L) is 12" long.
In addition, all these measuring sticks are 1" wide, which corresponds to the diameter of a standard figure base.
Each player must, ideally, have at his disposal a set of suitable measuring sticks for his personal use during the game (two short, one medium and one long). Throughout this work, we will use only the abbreviations indicated in the brackets. Thus, we will indicate that a rifle shoots at L, which the attentive reader will instinctively translate to "a rifle uses a long measuring sticks which is equivalent of 12", when determining its shooting distance". Doing so will save some ink, paper and sweat.
In Congo, you can measure any distance that you want at any time. Thus, before declaring shooting, you are allowed to check that the target is within reach. If this form of omniscience can appear somewhat incongruous, it has the advantage of avoiding endless discussions and minutious discussions, while making it possible for the player to move their figures while indicating, as gentlemen would, that his group was deliberately placed more than L, for example, of an enemy group.
To determine if a group is within "X" ("X" being either L, M or S), you only need one figure of the group to be at "X" or less. Thus, if at least one figure is within M of a tree, the whole group is considered to be within M of this tree. Moreover, to be as concise as possible, "in X" in this book means "in X or closer".
Dice and tests
Congo uses three types of dice: six-sided dice, eight-sided dice and finally ten-sided dice. They are respectively abbreviated as D6, D8 and D10. These abbreviations will be used throughout this book.
During the use of dice, we will call on several immutable principles, so set in stone that they are impossible to break without twisting the fabric of reality.
The first of these mantras is the following.
Any die roll of 5 or more is a success.
This principle means that when you roll a die, if the result is equal to 5 or more, the roll will count as a success. If the result is lower than 5, it will be a failure. This principle will not suffer from any exception!!!
Of course, the statistician that you secretly are will not fail to note that it is easier to get a result of 5 or more with a D10 than with a D6. This is obviously one of the means by which we show which group is braver or more skilful than another.
In the rules, constantly preoccupied with elegance and simplicity, we will call the dice having obtained a result of 5 or more "successes" while the dice obtaining less than 5 will be called "failures".
The second mantra is even simpler.
A die can never be re-rolled more than once.
This second pillar of our rules means that the same die cannot be re-rolled more than a single time. Thus, if a rule allows you to re-roll your failures, each failure could be re-rolled a single time and not ad nauseam until obtaining a success (which would of course make such a rule somewhat pointless).
We encourage the reader to remember these two principles as they constitute the base of our (Congo) game system.
Cards and decks
Congo uses three types of cards during the game: Action cards, Totem cards and the Sorcery card (the latter serving to remind if sorcery was or wasn't used during the turn). There are seven different Action cards, fourteen Totem cards and one single Sorcery card.
At the beginning of the game, each player will take their own deck of Totem cards (in the deck that was part of the game package you bought, you will have noted that the Totem cards have different coloured backs for each player), shuffle them and then lay them face-down near the gaming board. The Sorcery card is only used if a witchdoctor accompanies the column (see Believing in the impossible, p. 54).
You will take the seven Action cards and keep them close to you. These cards are never shuffled nor drawn from a deck, unless mentioned otherwise, but are rather taken in hand and a selection of them chosen to be played during the turn, as we will describe later.
Travel Diary
- The figures are gathered in groups, and the models within a group must remain in base-to-base contact with each other throughout the game.
- Characters and Auxiliaries join groups which they cannot leave during the game.
- You can measure all distances during the game, at any time.
- When you roll one or more dice, each die scoring a 5 or more is a success. The other results are failures.
- Each die can be re-rolled only once.
- Each player has his own deck of Totem cards, his seven Action cards and a Sorcery card (if his column includes a witchdoctor).
Planning the Expedition
Game turn
In Congo, each turn is divided into three phases: the opening phase, the actions phase and the end phase. Rather than a turn in which a player is active while his opponent is counting sheep, each phase will see the players act in turn, leaving them little respite apart from time out dedicated to preparing the indispensable cup of tea.
When all three phases are resolved, the round ends and the turn marker on Le Bulletin de la Société Géographique is advanced (see Adventuring in Africa, p. 66) in order to keep track of the number of turns played. Every Adventure precisely indicates the number of turns to play. As soon as the number of turns indicated by the Adventure have been played, players add up their accumulated victory points, and the winner is determined.
Let us now examine carefully each phase of the turn.
Opening phase
During this phase, each player will draw and add to their hand a Totem card from the top of their deck. You then check the special conditions specific to the Adventure you have chosen (see Adventuring in Africa, p. 66).
Some characters or groups may have special rules that trigger at the beginning of the round, and players are invited to apply them at this time.
Each player then secretly chooses, from among the seven Action cards available, the three Action cards they will use during this round. You will see later how these Action cards are used. The cards that were not selected should be placed face down next to the gaming surface, to avoid any confusion between the cards selected and the ones that were not.
If the player's Column includes a witchdoctor, the Sorcery card should also be added to their hand.
Actions phase
The Action Phase is sub-divided into three distinct Action steps. During each step, each player will secretly select one of the three Action cards that they have chosen during the opening phase and place it face down in front of them. The selected cards of both players are then revealed simultaneously. Each Action card will then be resolved, starting with the one with the highest initiative and then discarded.
Before detailing this process which may look intimidating at first glance (but that will unveil in due time its primitive simplicity), we will look more closely at Action cards.
(Diagram: an Action card with initiative 2, one shooting action (number 1) and one movement action (number 1), with numbered callouts.)
This is the anatomy of an Action card:
- The Initiative value of the action card, ranging from one to seven. The higher the initiative of the card, the better your chances of seeing it resolved before your opponent (in this case, the card has an initiative of two, which is relatively low). Often we name the cards simply by their initiative value. Thus, the above card is card "Two", which is more simple and concise than "the card that has one shooting icon and one movement icon."
- The number of actions to perform, each represented by a circle (in our example, two separate actions are possible with this card).
- The type of action authorized by this card. Each circle has a distinct symbol: moving, shooting and influence (the example card provides two different actions: movement and shooting).
- Finally, for each action, the number indicates the number of your groups that will perform the action with which this value is associated (using our example card, you will be able to shoot with a group and move with another one).
(Diagram: card "Five", initiative 5, a single movement action with the number 2.)
This example card has a single available action: moving, but will enable two groups to move. In comparison, the initiative value is higher than the previous card.
The three possible actions granted by the Action cards are:
- The movement icon (footprints) is used for movement. It will allow one or more groups to move.
- The shooting icon (bow) is used for shooting. It will allow one or more groups to use their ranged weapons.
- The influence icon is used for influence. It will positively affect morale for your groups (rally) or negatively for your opponent's (terror).
We will discuss in detail the specifics of each of these actions in their respective chapter.
Now that you know how an Action card is read, you are starting to perceive the bigger picture, and how an Action Phase is resolved. This phase can be summarized as:
- First Action step: each player secretly chooses an Action card. They are revealed simultaneously. The card with the highest Initiative value is resolved first. Then, the other player's card is resolved. Action cards are discarded after being played.
- Second Action step: repeat the process above.
- Third and last Action step: repeat the same process again.
Hence, during an Action phase, the three cards selected at the start of the turn will be played one after the other in the order decided by each player. The situation on the gaming table is likely to dictate your selection of Action cards, and the order in which you play them will be crucial. We do not doubt that players will make full use of bluff, double-guessing and other, devious methods to outwit their opponent.
Initiative token
It will regularly happen that both players' cards will have the same initiative value. In this case, one of the cards must be resolved first lest it be pistols at dawn.
At the start of the Adventure, one side will have the Initiative token, as dictated by the Adventure itself. When two cards with the same initiative are revealed during an Action step, the player with the Initiative token has a choice:
Either he decides to give the initiative to his opponent. He retains the Initiative token but his opponent resolves his Action card first.
Or, he decides to resolve his Action card first, but will have to give the Initiative token to his opponent.
Now that you have read the ins and outs of the Action phase, it is our duty to highlight an important and indispensable rule that you should not forget during the chaos and excitement to come, and which constitutes our third mantra.
During an Action step, a group can only perform one action
In practice this means that regardless of the number of actions that the Action card in play grants, a group may only perform a single action during the same Action step. So with the same Action card, a group can not move and shoot, or move twice, or be influenced and perform another action. However, this group may act during each Action step (i.e. upon play of each Action card) and may, during the turn, move three times, or shoot twice and move once, etc ... as long as you have selected the right Action cards!
During the resolution of an Action card, you may resolve the different actions in any order, and with the groups of your choice. Taking the example of the card "Two" above, you could start by resolving the shooting action of one group, then the movement of another, or vice versa. The order in which you do it is left to your discretion.
End phase
The final phase of the turn is as simple as the one that started it. On the table all Panic Stress tokens are returned to the bag of Stress tokens (see Overcoming your fears, p. 44).
Then, it must be ascertained whether certain effects or endgame conditions as described by the Adventure occur and if necessary, resolve them.
Finally, if the Adventure is not over (i.e. the number of turns indicated is not yet reached), the round marker is moved, and a new turn starts, following the same procedure as outlined above.
Travel Diary
- At the beginning of the turn, draw a Totem card and if necessary, add the Sorcery card to your hand.
- During a turn, you will play three Action cards in the order of your choice, chosen from the seven available at the beginning of the round.
- In each Action step, one of these cards is played.
- Your and your opponent's cards are resolved in order of their initiative value. In case of a tie, the player with the Initiative token can choose to act first and hand the token to his opponent, or act after his opponent and keep the token.
- During an Action step, a group can only perform one action.
- At the end of the turn, all Panic Stress tokens are removed from the table and returned to the bag of Stress tokens.
(The facing page contains a narrative example of a turn in the author's journal; it is in-character fiction and is omitted here. It illustrates: each side draws a Totem card and selects three Action cards; the card with the higher initiative resolves first; a tie on initiative is resolved with the Initiative token as described above.)
Moving along the Track
The movement of your groups is one of the essential aspects of Congo. Many Adventures invite you to go to specific locations on the gaming table, to transport supply crates, or to escape an ambush. For all this, you will need to move your groups, and the rules governing these movements are the subject of this chapter.
Movement actions
Apart from the Flee or Retreat moves that we will delicately cover later, all other moves are part of a move action (symbol footprints on the Action cards).
When a group benefits from a move action, its figures can be moved on the table.
The standard movement of a group is S.
Choosing the leading figure
When you want to move a group, start by choosing a figure in the group (or a character or an auxiliary accompanying it) who will act as the leading figure. Place the S measuring stick on the table, with one point in contact with this figure's base, in the direction you want to move, without the stick touching any other figure's base.
(Two diagrams, both marked valid: "You can choose this model as leading figure..." and "...or this one. Both are permitted.")
(Diagrams, both marked invalid: "However, you may not put the stick this way, as it overlaps another figure's base." and "...or even like this as the stick is touching another figure. Even if the figure belongs to the same group as the leading figure it is not permitted to lay the measuring stick in such a way that it overlaps another figure's base.")
Once this is done and if you wish, you can check whether it is possible to pick up the pace as described below.
Picking up the pace
After placing the movement stick, you may be able to pick up the pace, which will increase the movement of the group by another S stick.
To do this, make sure that no enemy figure or animal is within S of the end of the first stick (even if this enemy is not visible to your group or if friendly models are between your leading model and the enemy). Simply place the second stick at the end of the first, and trace an arc. If the second stick does not touch an enemy or animal model, then it is possible to pick up the pace.
(Diagrams: "Here, the enemy archers are more than S away from the end of the first stick (as shown by the circle), permitting the leading figure to pick up the pace." and, marked invalid, "...which is not the case in this situation.")
An important exception ... Engaging in melee
It is always possible to pick up the pace if you engage the enemy in hand-to-hand combat (or melee). So if your second stick touches the base of an enemy model, you can pick up the pace if - and only if - you use this second movement to contact the enemy group, engaging it in melee.
(Diagram: "Here, the archers are within S of the end of the first measuring stick (as shown by the highlighted circle). The leading figure may not pick up the pace, unless he decides to engage the warriors in melee.")
Move the leading figure
After the movement sticks have been placed, move your leading figure to the end of the stick (the first or second, depending if the group has picked up the pace or not). If your leading figure has moved to engage in melee with an enemy group, simply place it in base-to-base contact with the enemy model engaged.
(Diagram: "The model A is the leading figure and is moved to the end of the second measuring stick.")
Gather the group together
As soon as the leading figure is placed in its final position, the other models of the group are moved. No need to measure their movement, simply observe the following process.
- Choose a model in your group and place it in base contact with the leading figure, but without moving any further in the direction of the stick (in other words, it can not move more than the leading figure).
- Repeat the process with each of the other figures in the group. If there is no space left in base-to-base contact with the leading figure (and this regardless of the cause: blocking terrain, dangerous ground, table edge, friendly or enemy group, animal), then place the model as close as possible to the leading figure and in base-to-base contact with another figure of the group.
- Remember that a group cannot end movement with some of its figures within a terrain area and some outside (see Movement constraints, page 28).
- No model following the leading figure may end in base-to-base contact with an enemy model unless that enemy model belongs to the group the leading figure has already engaged in melee (put more simply, you may only end up in contact with the enemy group your leading figure has contacted).
(Diagrams: "Here, the Zanzibaris are penetrating into a dangerous terrain... To do so, select and move the leading figure then gather the group together. As a group cannot end a movement with some models in a terrain area and some outside, the model labelled A cannot be placed as shown in the picture. However, you may place it in spot 1 or 2." / "...as in this situation, with two blocking terrains that add an additional constraint when gathering the group together." / "Here, model A is the leading figure and next to a blocking terrain. You'll have to adapt your formation when it comes to gathering the group together." / "Our Zanzibari friends are moving out of the terrain, despite the two hostile enemy groups outside (who, by the way prevent them from picking up the pace). A is once again the leading figure. When gathering the group together you may not have some figures inside the terrain and some outside, forcing you to gather your group in a way very similar to the picture above.")
Engaging in melee
If, following your group's movement, the leading figure is in base contact with an enemy model, this will immediately initiate a Melee, before continuing with any other actions available to you on your Action card. Remember that to engage in melee, it is necessary for your measuring stick (the first or second) to contact the base of a model in the targeted enemy group.
We invite our intrepid readers to remain patient, as the manly exchange of machete cuts, spear thrusts and musket butts will be the subject of a separate chapter a little further on in this book.
Movement constraints
Of course, in hostile environments such as those of Africa, we must consider the difficulties that will weigh heavily on men as they try to move around. Since most of these restrictions arise from the terrain features that are enhancing your gaming table, they are best studied in detail in the chapter covering terrain that you will find later on in this book.
However, that our valued audience wait not with overly bated breath, the basic principles will be outlined here.
On the good usage of movement sticks
The movement sticks being essential tools in Congo, they should be handled with all the deference and attention beholden to them. In particular, it is forbidden to bend the sticks. However, it is quite acceptable for a model to move less than the length of this utensil.
Please note, if a model's movement is stopped before the end of the first stick, it is impossible to pick up the pace, hence preventing the use of the second stick.
- A group may move voluntary only once during an Action step.
- During a single Movement action, a group can not both enter and leave a terrain area (i.e. move through a terrain area, or move out of one terrain area and enter another terrain area.)
- A group may not end a Movement action with some of its figures within a terrain area and some outside. In these situations your group simply cannot enter this terrain area (or exit it if already in the terrain). This rule is however superseded by the Melee rules (see Fight the Enemy, Special Case, p. 40).
- You cannot place a measuring stick so that it crosses a linear obstacle unless the leading figure of the group begins the Movement action in contact with said linear obstacle.
- A group with four Stress tokens may move but can not engage the enemy in melee.
- A group may not leave the gaming surface unless specifically authorized by the Adventure being played.
(Diagrams: a group may not both enter and leave a terrain area in one Movement action; a group may not end a Movement action partly inside and partly outside a terrain area.)
Travel Diary
- The Movement of figures is S.
- You can pick up the pace if no enemy or animal is within S of the end of your first stick.
- It is always possible to pick up the pace if it means engaging an enemy in melee.
- You may not enter a terrain area and move out of it during the same Movement.
- You may not leave one terrain area and enter another terrain area in the same Movement.
- All figures in a group must either be in the open or within the same terrain area.
- A group can only move once during an Action step.
- Groups with four Stress tokens can not engage the enemy in melee.
Big Game Hunting
Africa is full of dangers, and on many an occasion, you will have to use your weapons to get you out of a desperate situation. To our knowledge, there has never been a game of Congo which neither heard exchanges of gunfire nor witnessed the hasty throwing of spears at a threatening enemy. How to express your hostility with your ranged weapons is the subject of this chapter. The use of bayonets, choppers, swords and sharp canines will be the subject of a chapter to come, no offense meant to the wilder elements amongst our readers.
Shooting action
Shooting is always initiated through a Shooting action (symbol bow on the Action cards). To be able to resolve a Shooting action, a group must have less than four Stress tokens.
When a group initiates a Shooting action, it must follow the sequence described below, which can be easily summarized in these few simple steps.
- Designate the figure that will lead the shooting.
- Designate the target.
- Roll your Attack dice.
- The target rolls its Cover dice.
- Remove casualties.
Characters shooting
See Characters, p. 62.
Let us now take a detailed look at each step.
Designation of the figure leading the shooting action
Choose a figure in the group to lead the shooting action. Any model can be chosen, even if it does not itself have a shooting capability.
Target designation
To designate an enemy group as the target of your Shooting action, two requirements must be met.
- The target must be within range of the figure who is leading the shooting.
- The target must be in line of sight of the figure who is leading the shooting.
It is useful at this point to remind the reader that the orientation of figures is irrelevant in Congo. Indeed, in the hazardous environments such as those we portray in our game, constant danger encourages our protagonists to, in all circumstances, keep a weather eye on their surroundings. Gentleman be assured that you would do the same, were you faced with such hazards.
For an enemy group to be considered to be within range of your group, it is necessary that the distance between the figure leading the shooting and a figure in the targeted group is equal to or less than the range of the weapon used.
Said ranges are detailed in the table below.
| Weapons | Range |
|---|---|
| Assegais / Pygmies bows | M |
| Bows / Muskets / Rifles | L |
| Jezail muskets | Unlimited |
The second constraint is that the target should be in line of sight of the figure who is leading the shooting action. Line of sight is an imaginary line from the center of one figure's base (in this case the figure that is leading the shooting) to the centre of another figure's base (in this case, a figure in the targeted enemy group). To successfully shoot at the target, the target must be visible along this line. Hold a measuring stick above the figures to represent this imaginary line. If a model from another group (friend or foe), an area terrain or an obstacle is under the stick, even partially, the line of sight is blocked and not valid.
A line of sight is blocked by:
- A model from another group (friend or foe) - models in the group that is shooting or the target group do not count;
- A high terrain area located between the shooter and the target (see Surviving in Hostile Environments, p 58.).
(Diagram, valid: "Here the L stick is used to check the range. The line of sight is not blocked, making shooting possible. Model A is the leading shooting model, but we could have chosen B or C or any other model from behind the group." Diagram, invalid: "In this example, the archer group entirely blocks the line of sight. Hence, you will notice that the target is in range but not in line of sight. No enemy figure is entirely visible (i.e. you can not draw a line from the centre of A to the centre of a target figure) making the shot impossible." Diagram, valid: "In this example, shooting is possible. A is the figure directing the shooting and has a model of the targeted group in range. Furthermore the stick placed above the models entirely encompasses one base of the target group. Shooting is permitted.")
Partial shooting
When only the model directing the shooting has a line of sight to the target, only half of the models of your group (rounded up) will be able to shoot. To do this, check the theoretical number of Shooting dice (i.e. the number of dice that would be rolled if all the group could shoot) and then divide by two (rounded up). This result indicates the number of dice that you will be able to roll. The type of dice (D6, D8 or D10) depends on the abilities of your group (figures and / or characters) and your choices.
(Diagram: "In this situation, the leading model is A. The target is in range and in line of sight. However, only A has a line of sight to the target, so this is a case of partial shooting. Only half the models of A's group will be able to shoot. The group is made of four models with a Shooting value of D8 and one character with a D6. You can only shoot with three models (5/2, rounded up). You can choose which three models participate in this partial shooting so, in this example, you get to choose between 3D8, and 2D8 plus 1D6. Choose wisely...")
Roll your Attack dice
To determine how many dice you are going to roll to try and inflict casualties to your target, take one die per figure in your group. The die type is determined by the figure's Shooting value.
As mentioned above, if the figure leading the shooting is the only one that has a line of sight to the target, only half the group will shoot (rounded up).
Some characters do not have a shooting value. They just cannot shoot (they may not be equipped with a ranged weapon, be too afraid to use it or simply they don't give a damn about the enemy). You do not roll any dice for these characters.
Furthermore, and as we will expand on later (see Overcoming your fears, p. 44), you must subtract one die from this total for each Shooting Stress token your group has.
You might be able to benefit from an extra die or dice by playing a relevant Totem card from your hand (see Taming the jungle spirits, p. 52). To do this, you discard the Totem card and gain the appropriate die or dice.
Now that you have all the dice available to you for this Shot, roll them. Each result of five or more is a success and represents a hit. The other results are failures. If you inflicted at least one success, continue the Shooting sequence. If this is not the case, the Shooting action ends immediately.
Cover rolls
If your target suffered one or more hits, this does not necessarily mean that as many corpses will soon be rotting under the hot African sun. The target is entitled to roll some Cover dice which may allow it to cancel one or more of these hits.
The type of die rolled for cover depends on the terrain occupied by the target group. By default, unless otherwise specified by the Adventure, open terrain (i.e. any part of the gaming surface not covered by specific scenery) generates D6 Cover dice, while specific terrain areas grant either a D8 or D10. The Adventure you are on will usually inform you what type of dice specific terrain areas offer and also if open terrain provides a better cover than D6 (if nothing is specified, a D6 is the rule of thumb).
A group always benefit from the Cover dice generated by the terrain it occupies, even if the shooter is also in this area. To benefit from any cover provided by an obstacle, the line of sight of the shooter must cross the obstacle.
Roll the same number of dice as the number of hits inflicted by the shooter, the type of dice (we are repeating ourselves here, no doubt the consequences of advanced age) depending on the terrain occupied by your group.
Before rolling its Cover dice, the target has an option: it can go to ground. We use the term 'go to ground' as a general expression. It could mean that members of the group run in all directions at once in blind panic, or fall into a mystical trance born from tribal superstitions or come as one to their knees, offering a last prayer to the Almighty. Or it could just mean the group dives to the ground... In all cases, the group hopes to protect itself against casualties at the cost of its cohesion.
In more prosaic game terms, this option means drawing some Stress tokens from the bag in order to gain extra Cover dice.
For this you draw a Stress token that is put next to your targeted group. In exchange, you will receive a D8 (regardless of the actual terrain occupied by your group) and add it to your pool of Cover dice.
If you wish, you may draw a new Stress token and gain an additionnal D8 to add to your Cover dice. You can repeat this process until your group has four Stress tokens. A group can never have more than four Stress tokens, so you will not be able to draw any more once this limit is reached. At this point, the group is close to fainting!
Following this, you might possibly benefit from one or more additional Cover die (dice) by playing a Totem card (see Taming the jungle spirits, p. 52).
Finally, you roll all Cover dice in your pool (ie one die per hit suffered, any additional D8 gained by going to ground plus any extra die or dice granted by a Totem card you have played).
Every success rolled (remember that results of five or more are successful) cancels a hit. If all hits have been canceled, the Shooting sequence ends immediately. Otherwise, the group suffers losses.
Casualty removal
The target group now has to remove as many models as hits that have not been cancelled.
If this group includes at least one character or auxiliary, he will have to suffer the frightening ordeal of the terrifying death roll. This is a traumatic experience for most players of Congo; roll a D10, and pray to any god or spirit you like to not to get a "1", as if a "1" is rolled, one of the characters will be one of the models eliminated (i.e. amongst the casualties, one figure removed must be a character or an auxiliary). However many characters there are in a group, you will only have to undergo a single terrifying death roll.
Independent figures (see Independent Character, p. 71) are not subject to this rule. If the target is an Independent character, you do not have to pass the terrifying death roll. Also, if you rolled a '1' on a terrifying death roll for a group with an Independent character, you may not satisfy its requirements by removing an Independent character.
Beyond the requirements of a failed terrifying death roll and the need to keep the integrity of your formation (see Figures and Formations, p. 16), the owner of the target group is free to choose which miniature(s) to remove.
A character may be chosen as one of the casualties even if fate has chosen to spare him (i.e. you did not roll a 1 on the terrifying death roll). Congo players are often more cruel than the forest spirits!
Muskets
Muskets are a particularly popular weapon in Africa, used by expeditions or by the lucky natives who have been able to acquire them. Simple to use, they are surprisingly reliable in humid climates (more so than rifles) and may be loaded with almost everything and anything. In addition, they produce quantity of noise and smoke which impresses men and animals alike and which gives them a magical aura.
After having shot with muskets, you must place a smoke marker near the group. The group cannot fire again until it has removed its muskets! To remove the marker, the group must be activated for a Shooting action (obviously not actually firing).
Furthermore, any group targeted by a musket shot must, after removing its casualties, draw one Stress token. If the target already has four Stress tokens, it will flee instead (see Running away, p. 48).
These rules equally apply to jezail muskets.
(Wording as printed: "The group cannot fire again until it has removed its muskets!" - presumably "reloaded".)
(The facing column is a narrative example of a shooting action by Askaris against cannibals in the author's journal; omitted. Its illustrated rules: 5 Askaris shoot 5D8; cannibals in open terrain get 4D6 Cover dice plus D8 for each Stress token drawn when going to ground; after casualties, targets of a musket shot draw a Stress token, and the shooters receive a smoke marker and must use a Shooting action to reload before shooting again.)
Travel diary
- To shoot, the target must be in line of sight and within range.
- If only a single figure in your group has a line of sight to the target, only half of the group's figures will shoot.
- For each non-character or auxiliary in your group, take a die of the type indicated by the Shooting value of the group.
- Add any relevant character and/or auxiliary Shooting dice.
- For each Shooting Stress token your group has, discard one die.
- Each success inflicts a hit.
- To cancel the hits, the target rolls as many Cover dice as the number of hits sustained.
- The target can get additional D8 Cover dice by drawing Stress tokens.
- The hits that are not canceled become casualties.
- When at least one casualty is suffered, the target rolls 1D10. On a score of "1", a character or an auxiliary attached to the group must be removed as a casualty.
Defeating your Enemies
Sometimes the enemy will prove to be so determined that it is next to impossible to stop him by use of ranged weapons. In such a case, you'll have to put your faith in your determination, your knife or your spear.
We will describe below the mechanisms governing these bloody and barbaric confrontations, revealing them without any gratuitous sensationalism, in the manner to which we have accustomed our esteemed reader.
Engaging in melee
Engaging in melee is not a separate action, but will be done as part of a Move action. However, during a Move action triggered by a red footprint symbol you may not engage the enemy in melee. Only movement resulting from a black footprint symbol can end with your models in base-to-base contact with the enemy, this indeed being the only difference between the red and black symbols.
To engage in hand-to-hand combat with an enemy group, one of your movement sticks must touch at least one figure of the target group. Thus, unlike many other games, it is not enough that the base of a figure in the moving group ends in contact with the enemy, but that one of the movement sticks can actually touch this enemy.
Keep in mind that the restrictions governing the use of the sticks during movement (see Moving along the track p. 24), also apply here. For example, it is prohibited to overlap another figure with the stick, or put it across a terrain area. Also you can't engage the enemy with a group that has four stress tokens.
(Diagrams: invalid - a stick path that crosses a terrain area to reach the enemy; valid - a path that goes around it.)
However, a group can always pick up the pace to engage in melee. Their eyes riveted on their target, your men ignore other hostiles in the area.
(Diagram, valid: "The Askaris pick up the pace to boldly engage the warriors, despite the presence of the nearby archers.")
Check the validity of your movement, place your leading figure in base-to-base contact with the enemy model that your movement stick touched, and then gather your group together (see Gather the group together, p. 26). It is not necessary to ensure that other figures in your group could actually get into contact with an enemy model as all the figures in your group will take part in the melee, as long as the leading figure has contacted the enemy.
Seeing as you are careful and attentive readers, you will not have failed to notice that in this game, it is impossible to simultaneously engage two enemy groups in melee. In Congo, a melee can only ever occur between two rival groups, with no third party being involved.
Melee and characters
See Characters, p. 62.
(Diagrams: valid - "The second stick touches a figure of the group you want to engage. You can engage them in melee."; invalid - "This is not the case here. You may not engage the group in melee. You can pick up the pace, but your figures will not be able to end their movement in base-to-base contact with an enemy." Further diagrams: "When you engage the enemy, move the leading figure then gather your group in the standard way. Here most of the figures are not in base-to-base contact with an enemy, but that is of no consequence: all will take part in the melee." and "In this situation, you cannot when placing B have him end in base-to-base combat with an enemy model that does not belong to the group you're engaging. Hence B is placed at the back of his group.")
It is now time to show your strength and determination by seizing the dice in the most aggressive way possible while throwing the most belligerent look you can muster...
Special case
Sometimes you want to engage an enemy located in a terrain area, but you are unable to put all your models in this terrain. Under these circumstances it is permissible to have figures from your group both in the terrain and outside it, this being an exception to the standard rules. However, after resolution of the melee, if your group is still partly in the open and partly in the terrain, you must move all the figures that are outside the terrain, moving only the minimum distances necessary, and gather the whole group in the terrain area.
Resolving the melee
Once the group's movement has been made, the melee is immediately resolved, even if the Action card still has other actions to play. The remaining actions will be taken once the melee has been resolved.
During the resolution of the melee, we will distinguish between the attackers (the group that initiated the melee) and the defenders (the group that has been engaged).
First, the attackers calculate their Combat dice. For this, take one die for each figure in the attacking group, the type of die to pick for each figure depending of the Combat value of the model. As will be discussed later in detail (see Overcoming your fears, p. 44), you must then discard one die for each Stress token on your group.
You may benefit from an additional die (or dice) by playing a Totem card (see Taming the jungle spirits, p. 52). To do this, you discard the Totem card and gain the appropriate die or dice.
Now that you have in hand all the dice your group is entitled to roll, let them roll! Each result of five or more is a success and is converted into a hit scored on the defender. Any other results are failures. The attacker will take care to note the number of hits obtained, either by setting the dice aside or memorizing the number of hits
The defender then proceeds in exactly the same way, each of the figures in his group participating in the melee; disregard the actual distance separating defending models from an attacking model. A melee, as experts will attest, is a dynamic business, and a good hand-to-hand combat requires movement and vigour that our sadly immobile figures cannot represent perfectly.
If either group has scored more hits than its opponent, that group is considered the winner of the melee. You'll have deduced from this statement that the other group becomes the loser. The table below shows you the consequences of the melee.
| Result | Consequences |
|---|---|
| Both groups scored the same number of hits | The defender retreats, and both groups draw a Stress token. |
| The winner scored one more hit than the loser | The loser removes one figure, retreats and both groups draw a Stress token. |
| The winner scored two more hits than the loser | The loser removes two figures, retreats and both groups draws a Stress token. |
| The winner scored three more hits than the loser | The loser removes two figures, retreats and draws a Stress token. |
| The winner scored at least four more hits than the loser | The loser removes three figures, retreats and draws a Stress token. |
Casualty removal
If the losing group has to remove one or more figures (casualties in technical terms), it will have to suffer the ordeal of the terrifying death roll in the same way as during a Shooting resolution. Our readers will excuse us for not repeating here the details of this spine-chilling procedure, and we invite him to go back to page 34 for the original explanation. Again the player controlling the group can choose freely which model(s) to remove, unless forced to remove a character thanks to a bad result on the terrifying death roll.
(Diagram: "The warriors have lost the melee and taken two casualties. You have to remove two figures as losses. You can choose them as you think best, whilst respecting the integrity of the group (see Figures and formations, p. 16).")
Retreating after a lost melee
After a melee, the losing side (or the defender in the case of a draw) will have to retreat. As the rules for running away after a lost melee are similar to the ones governing any flight, they are all gathered in the Running away chapter, page 48.
Drawing Stress tokens
Depending on the result of the melee, the loser (and sometimes the winner) will have to draw a Stress token. If the group already has four Stress tokens, it must flee (see Running away, p. 48).
(The adjacent column is a narrative example of a melee in the author's journal; omitted. It illustrates: cannibals with Combat D8 roll 5D8 and score four hits; Askaris with Combat D6 play a Totem card for an extra D8, roll 5D6 and a D8, and score two successes; the winner scored two more hits, so the loser removes two figures, retreats, and both groups draw a Stress token.)
Travel Diary
- To engage in melee, your movement stick must touch a figure's base in the group you want to fight.
- The melee is resolved immediately after your group's movement is completed.
- The result of the melee is determined by the difference between the number of hits scored by the winner and the number of hits scored by the loser.
- One group will retreat (Loser or defender depending on the result of the melee).
Overcoming your Fears
Since the opening chapter if this book, we have been constantly reminding you that Africa is a continent as wonderful as it is dangerous. There are mysteries and unknown forces at work in this Dark Continent, and natives still tremble when approaching sacred sites or places where a supposed evil lies dormant. Whether legitimate or born from archaic superstitions, such fear is real and all consuming. Any adventurer set on exploring the banks of the Congo must learn to deal with this terrible mistress.
In this chapter, we will describe in detail the perilous effect of Africa on individuals who venture off the beaten paths, into the mysterious unknown.
Stress
In Congo, fears, tensions and the concerns mentioned above are manifested by Stress tokens. These are drawn during the game under certain circumstances and placed near the group affected.
At the start of the game, prepare a bag (or other suitable opaque container) containing all the Stress tokens which were included with this book.
During the game, every time a group suffers stress, it will be necessary to draw a random token from the bag and place it face-up near the affected group. Once a group has a Stress token by it, it will begin to suffer penalties, the exact nature of which depends upon the kind of Stress token(s) drawn. These penalties will remain effective until that Stress token is placed back in the bag, as we shall see later.
Causes of Stress
The main causes of stress are listed below.
- When a group being shot at decides to go to ground to gain an additional cover die, the group has to draw a Stress token.
- After a melee, the winner and / or the loser draw Stress token(s) as indicated by the Melee chart.
- When a group uses a special rule. For example, the Adventurer's special rule cancels a casualty by drawing two Stress tokens. Whereas the Kirangozi rule can increase the movement of his group by drawing a Stress token.
- When the Dangerous Terrain chart indicates it.
- Or as dictated by the special rules of the Adventure being played.
Stress Limit
Even the bravest warrior will fold if the pressure is too great and when fear drives his heart into his mouth. Therefore, no group can have more than four Stress tokens.
When the limit of four Stress tokens is reached, the group can no longer draw additional Stress tokens, and will not be able to trigger any action or special rules that would require drawing additional Stress tokens (for example, they cannot go to ground).
A group with four Stress tokens suffers certain limitations, which are immediately lifted when the group drops below the threshold.
- The group cannot shoot.
- The group cannot engage the enemy in melee.
- If the group has to draw another Stress token, the group will flee instead of drawing a token.
- The group is immediately removed from the game if reduced to a single figure.
An unfortunate group that has to take an additional Stress token when it already has four tokens has to flee instead (see Running away, p. 48). However, a group cannot flee more than once per Action step. So, after the first flight of an Action step, if the group is again required to draw a Stress token they neither flee nor take a token but rather they suffer a casualty. You will have to remove the model of your choice from the group (the terrifying death roll does not apply in these circumstances).
Effects of Stress tokens
Let us take a look at the different types of Stress tokens and their effects. Each Stress token has a different icon and you will soon remember what each does without the need to refer to this table.
- Shooting Stress token (bow icon): For each of these tokens your group has, you have to discard one Shooting die when your group is targeting an enemy with ranged weapons. You may choose which die to remove for each Shooting Stress.
- Combat Stress token (sword icon): For each of these tokens your group has, you have to discard one Combat die when your group is fighting an enemy in melee. You may choose which die to remove for each Shooting Stress. (sic - as printed)
- Movement Stress token (footprint icon): If your group has one of these tokens, it can no longer pick up the pace. If your group has two or more of these tokens, it can no longer take Movement actions (it can still retreat or flee however).
- Terror Stress token (face icon): For each of these tokens the group will suffer an additional hit when targeted by a Terror action (see Terror, p. 47).
- Panic Stress token (red hand icon): A group with one or more of these tokens may not take Shooting or Movement actions. The only action allowed to that group is Rally (see below). The distinctive red colour of the token reminds you that the token is automatically discarded and placed back in the bag at the end of the turn (see End phase, page 20).
Influence
The Influence action is the action that allows you, the player, to interact with the Stress tokens, either by removing them from one of your groups (Rally) or by trying to put them on an enemy group (Terror).
Influence actions are triggered using Action cards with the icon (influence icon) and this allows you to either Rally or to cause Terror. The icon (red influence icon), meanwhile, only allows you to perform a Rally action and cannot be used to cause Terror.
Rally
The purpose of the Rally action is to allow a group to discard Stress tokens it has accumulated.
To do this, take a number of dice equal to the number of the Stress tokens the group currently has. The type of die matches that of the Bravery value of your group. If a character accompanies this group, add the character's Bravery die, and eventually any additional die or dice granted by playing a Totem card (see Taming the jungle spirits, p. 52).
Roll all these dice. For each success, remove a Stress token of your choice from your group and put it back in the bag of Stress tokens.
Terror
The Terror action is special in that it is the only action that targets an enemy group rather than one of your own groups.
As noted above, the red influence icon may not be used for a Terror action.
When one of your groups is targeted by Terror, it automatically suffers one Terror hit.
In addition, the group takes an additional Terror hit for each Terror Stress token it currently has.
Cancelling these hits requires a Bravery roll.
In practice, this means picking up one die (of the type corresponding to the Bravery value of your group) for each Terror hit suffered.
If a character accompanies this group, you will add the character's Bravery die, and possibly an additional die (or dice) granted by any Totem card being played (see Taming the jungle spirits, p. 52).
Roll all these dice. Each success cancels a Terror hit.
You then draw and add to your group a number of Stress tokens equal to the number of uncancelled Terror hits.
(Example: "Let's look at the way Terror works with an example. Your Soldiers group is targeted by a Terror action. It suffers one Terror hit, plus one extra Terror hit due to its Terror Stress token (A). You will have to roll 2D10 (as the Soldiers are strong-hearted fellows, with a Bravery value of D10) to try to cancel these hits. In addition, a character (an Explorer, B on the picture) is part of your group. He gives them an additional D6 (as his Bravery is D6). To make sure you will not suffer from any additional Stress (remember that a group with four Stress tokens cannot take a Shooting or Movement action, and it would be a shame for these heavily armed lads to be out of action) you play a Totem card, the crocodile that adds a D6 to your pool (C). You therefore have 2D10+1D6+1D8 with which to try and cancel the two Terror hits. Unfortunately, after rolling the dice with but one success, you must admit that the Forest spirits are against you. You must draw one Stress token from the bag and add it to your group, as one Terror hit remains uncancelled.") (Sic: the text says the Totem card adds a D6, but the sum is printed as 1D8.)
A group can only be targeted by Terror once during each Action step. You can not, therefore, during the resolution of the same Action card, use two Terror actions against the same enemy group.
Remember that your group cannot have more than four Stress tokens. If that were the case, this group will have to flee instead of taking an additional Stress token (see Running away, p. 48).
(The adjacent journal column is narrative: auxiliaries with three Stress tokens take a Rally action with 3D8 plus 1D6 from an Explorer, score two successes, and discard a Movement Stress token and a Shooting Stress token. Omitted as flavour.)
Travel Diary
- Each Stress token has a specific effect.
- No group can have more than four Stress tokens.
- The Influence action allows you to either Rally one of your groups or cause Terror to an enemy group.
- Rallying removes Stress tokens from a group.
- Terror places Stress tokens on an enemy group.
- Panic Stress tokens are put back in the pool of Stress tokens during the end phase.
Running Away
Under excessive pressure or stress and far more frequently than you would like, your groups may be forced to run away in the face of the enemy. Such inappropriate behaviour is known as a Retreat (after a melee) or Flight (in other circumstances).
Retreating after a melee
Invariably, after a melee, one group will retreat. It will often be the loser, but if both sides have scored the same number of hits, it will be the defender.
Retreat is a movement of S in the direction that will allow the retreating group to move the greatest possible distance away from its opponent (i.e. to move as far away as possible from the unsporting chaps that bloodied their noses).
To do this, choose freely the leading figure for this retreat and place the measuring stick so that this figure moves away as far as possible from the group he faced. The group then gathers following the usual rules.
Movement restrictions and constraints related to terrain areas and other features remain applicable (see Movement constraints, p. 28 and Surviving in dangerous countries, p. 58).
In contrast, Stress tokens have no effect on the retreat movement.
Generally speaking, the retreat will be strictly in the opposite direction away from the opponent. However, it may happen that certain elements of the immediate environment (for example terrain areas or enemy or friendly groups) block this movement. If this is the case, you can rotate the stick by the the minimum distance required to avoid the obstacle whilst ensuring that this movement allows you to be as move away as far as possible from the group you faced.
(Diagrams: "The warriors have lost the melee and have to retreat." and "Here the retreat is blocked by a blocking terrain area. The warriors have to pivot their measuring stick to avoid this feature. They resolve a movement of S to end with their leading figure as far away as possible from the enemy. Only by pivoting the stick to the right is this condition met. A pivot on the left would end with the leading figure closer to the enemy, so is not permitted.")
Note that the table edge is a notable exception to this rule (see Table edge, below).
After the retreat, the group draws a Stress token. If the group already has four tokens, then it must flee. In this case, the group will first have retreated and then fled. Not a worthy group of men in my humble opinion...
Flight
At some point during your game, one of your groups will be forced to flee. This typically results from the attempted allocation of a Stress token to a group that already has four, but can also be the result of an event determined by the Adventure, by an unfortunate encounter in dangerous terrain or a multitude of other unpleasant reasons.
A group can never flee more than once per Action step. If required to flee for a second time, the group does not flee but automatically loses a figure instead (the figure removed is selected by the owning player).
Before explaining further how to resolve flight movement, we need to identify two distinct scenarios: threatened flight and unthreatened flight.
Threatened flight
Being under threat means that your group has an enemy group or animal within M. If this is the case, your group is under threat and your flight is a movement of S which should move the group as far away as possible from the threat. Flight is almost identical to retreat, except that your group will not have started its movement with a figure in contact with the enemy.
If there are several threats (ie several groups and / or animals within M), the threat to consider is the one closest to your group. You will need to move your group as far away as possible from the aforementioned threat.
Never ashamed of repeating ourselves, the table edge is a notable exception to this rule (see The table edge, p.51).
(Diagram: "In this example, the warriors are threatened by the Zanzibaris (i.e. the closest enemy group). Their flight should bring them as far away as possible from this threat. However, the blocking terrain area stands in the way, so the measuring stick is pivoted by the minimal distance to avoid this obstacle. They make a movement of S and find themselves, in these conditions, as far away as possible from the threat. Note that only a pivot on the right, as illustrated, satisfies this double condition.")
Unthreatened flight
If your group is unthreatened, then move the group S in a manner which should enable the group to get as close as possible to the closest table edge.
Flight is almost identical to retreat, except that your group will not have started its movement with a figure in contact with the enemy.
However, it may happen that the surrounding features (ie blocking terrain area, friendly groups) block this movement. If this is the case, you can rotate the stick by the minimum distance required to avoid this obstacle, ensuring this movement allows you to end up as close as possible the closest table edge.
(continued) Flight and retreat
Note: the measuring stick lengths are shown in the rulebook as icons; they are written here as S (short) and M (medium) movement/distance.
(Diagram captions: Here the warriors, without any immediate threat (i.e. no enemy or animal within M) must flee in the direction of the closest table edge (in red). However, the blocking terrain area stands in the way, so the measuring stick is pivoted by the minimal distance to avoid this obstacle. They make a movement of S and find themselves, in these conditions, as close as possible to the table edge. Note that a flight towards the left would be possible in this case. In both these situations, the group of warriors must flee, and will gather near the table edge (with their leading figure in contact with the said edge) and lose a figure... as shown here. The groups are in a delicate situation. Any additional flight movement will likely end with the group not moving at all, losing another figure and being removed from the game (because a group made up of a single figure with four Stress tokens is immediately eliminated).)
Now, a scoop: the table edge is a notable exception to this rule (see The table edge)!
Limited flight or retreat
If the group that has to retreat cannot fully perform its S movement (due to the table edge, friendly or enemy groups blocking every route, for example), the group must move as far as possible and then loses a figure of its owner's choice.
If the group cannot move at all, whatever the chosen direction (a highly unlikely scenario but anything can happen in Congo!), the group loses a figure of its owner's choice. If the group in question was meant to retreat, the enemy in contact with it must retreat instead.
The table edge
A retreat or a flight can never move a group off the gaming table.
In addition, the table edge cannot be used to change the direction of the retreat or flight. So when a measuring stick has to be placed, ignore the table edge and place it as if the gaming surface were not delimited by the table edges.
Then if the end of the S measuring stick is outside the gaming area, move the leading figure along the path of the stick until it is in contact with the table edge, gather the group together and then lose a figure, as you would when you cannot perform a complete S movement.
Travel Diary (summary)
- Retreat or flight is a movement of S.
- The retreat should allow the group to move as far away as possible from its opponent.
- A group is under the threat of an enemy if it has an enemy group or animal within M.
- A threatened flight should move the group as far away as possible from the closest threat.
- An unthreatened flight should allow the group to move as close as possible to the nearest table edge.
- If a group cannot move the full retreat or flight distance, it loses a figure of its owner's choice.
- A retreat or flight move may never take a group out of the gaming area.
Taming the Jungle Spirits
During your travels into the heart of Africa, many a turn of events awaits you... Some are predictable, like the inevitable downpour following heavy clouds, others as unexpected as a boa surreptitiously slipping into your tent. At other times, individual bravery (or lack thereof!) will save the day or stand against you...
Some men call it 'destiny', some 'luck' and some 'fate'. In Congo, these vagaries are represented by the Totem cards. These cards are drawn from a Totem deck available to each player at the start of the game; these decks have the same composition for all players. At the start of the game, each player will shuffle his Totem cards, and place the deck so that the cards remain face-down. When instructed to draw a Totem card, the player will take the top card of this deck and add it to his hand.
The use of these cards is the subject of this chapter, which details the special relationship that our players weave with destiny.
Drawing Totem cards
Totem cards are drawn in the following circumstances.
- At the beginning of each turn, each player draws a Totem card from his deck.
- Under particular circumstances dictated by the current Adventure.
- Some events in the Dangerous Terrain Table will grant you one or more Totem cards (see Surviving in dangerous countries).
- Special rules also allow characters to draw Totem cards.
There is no maximum number to the number of Totem cards a player can have in his hand. If a player must draw a card, and his deck is exhausted, he shuffles his discard pile to form a new deck, before drawing the top card from this deck.
Playing Totem cards
The description on each Totem card clearly indicates when it can be played and what it does. To play a Totem card, just take this card from your hand, place it on the game table and resolve the effects. When this is done, the card is put in Totem discard pile.
Totem cards effects
The following list describes each of the six types of Totem cards. For ease of use, each card is linked to an animal, which has little effect in game terms unless the Adventure refers to it.
Crocodile: +1 die (4 cards)
When you have to roll dice that use one of the values of your group (shooting, combat, bravery); or during a cover roll; or during a ritual.
Add the die (or dice) to the dice you will roll.
In the deck there are three different crocodile cards: two granting 1D8, one granting 2D6, and one granting 1D10. During a single shooting, melee, influence or ritual roll you may only use a single crocodile card.
Lion: +1 Action (2 cards)
Before or after the resolution of one of your Action cards.
Add and resolve any one action (movement, shooting or influence) to the Actions of your card.
Only one of these cards may be played during each Action step.
Buffalo: -1 Stress (3 cards)
During the resolution of one of your Action cards.
Choose and put back in the bag one Stress token from one of your groups. You may never remove a Panic Stress token in this way.
Only one of these cards may be played during each Action step.
Gorilla: +2 movements (2 cards)
Before or after the resolution of one of your Action cards.
Resolve two additional movement actions in addition to the actions offered by your Action card. Note as these are red moves, you may not engage melee with any of these 2 movements.
Only one of these cards may be played during each Action step.
Giraffe: +1 S (2 cards)
During the resolution of a movement, shooting or a ritual.
Increase your movement distance; or your shooting range; or your ritual range by S. For example a rifle using this card would have a range of L+S.
If used during a movement, this extra distance is not impacted by enemy proximity and may always be used if the group is able to move.
You may only use one of these cards during each movement, shooting action or ritual.
Cheetah: Initiative (1 card)
Just after both players have revealed their Action card for this Action step.
The Initiative value of your card becomes "8". If both players use this card, it is an Initiative tie, as explained on page 20.
Travel Diary (summary)
- Each player draws one Totem card at the start of each turn.
- Some game effects or Adventure special rules will allow players to draw more cards.
Believing in the Impossible
African witchcraft is a favored and heated discussion topic in most European capitals, and is the subject of a multitude of articles and essays with varying degrees of scholarship. The general consensus in these circles is that the power of this witchcraft starts and stops with the credulity of the indigninents. ... Your trust accorded, let us examine in more detail the strange and unknown arts as practiced across the Dark Continent.
Example (from the journal): The witchdoctor started with a D8 to cast his ritual. He however decided to draw a Stress token to gain an additional D8. He drew a Movement Stress token which had no immediate effect and was put near the witchdoctor. He decided to draw a second token. Another Movement stress token meant that he would stay on the road, unable to move. Deciding not to tempt fate further, he stopped there and thus rolled 3D8 (the initial die, plus two dice gained by drawing Stress tokens). Rolling two successes, the group targeted by this ritual had to draw a Stress token and take a Terror test.
African sorcery
Sorcery (or witchcraft) is the prerogative of a few specific characters, who benefit from the special rule "Sorcery (X)" as indicated in their profile. This rule allows them to cast rituals according to the rules listed below. The 'X' in brackets is the type of dice used by the witchdoctor to cast his rituals. All witchdoctors in this book have a Sorcery of D8, but later, it is possible that we will introduce more competent witchdoctors (with a D10) or less efficient ones (with a D6).
Each culture able to practice sorcery (in this book, the Tribe Forest and African Kingdoms witchdoctors) has their own rituals, which are described in their profile.
Each witchdoctor will use the same mechanisms to perform their rituals, but the effects of these depend on the rituals themselves.
Casting rituals
If their column has a witchdoctor in its ranks, a player adds the Sorcery card to their hand at the start of each turn. This card is used to cast a ritual and is kept in hand alongside the Action cards.
Once per turn, after the resolution of one of their Action cards, a player can decide that their witchdoctor will perform a ritual.
Performing a ritual is not an action and as long as your witchdoctor is alive (you'll soon find that their life span can be very short), he can appeal to the spirits. Even if the witchdoctor's group has already been activated, he can still use sorcery. In addition, all groups can be targeted by the effects of sorcery, even if they have already been activated. For example, a group that has already moved can be the target of the "Ritual of the mad hyena" which can grant it an extra move.
To appeal to the spirits (i.e. to use sorcery), the player takes the Sorcery card from their hand, and puts it on the table. They then carry out the chosen ritual. When this is done, the card joins the Action card discard pile (in this way, a player without a Sorcery card in their hand will be reminded that they have already cast a ritual this turn).
For a ritual to be successful, you must obtain at least one success with a ritual roll. Each witchdoctor starts a ritual with a single die (of the type shown in parentheses after the special rule of sorcery - in this book, it's a D8).
However, in order to increase your chances of success or to try to strengthen the effects of the ritual, you can receive extra dice by playing a crocodile card or by drawing Stress tokens. Each Stress token drawn from the bag and added to the witchdoctor's group will reward you with an extra die of the same type as your Sorcery value (i.e. a D8 for all witchdoctors in this book). As usual, you can not draw Stress tokens if the witchdoctor's group already has four Stress tokens.
You may draw as many Stress tokens as you want but may not exceed the maximum number of four.
The Stress tokens are placed next to the witchdoctor's group and, as with all Stress tokens, affect the whole group.
Once you no longer want to (or no longer can) draw Stress tokens, roll your die (or dice) and determine the effects of the ritual based on the number of successes obtained (for details, see the description of witchdoctors, pages for the Tribe Forest and African Kingdoms).
The dangers of witchcraft
If, during the incantation, a Panic Stress token is drawn, it means that the spirits have been angered by the meddling of your poor witchdoctor. He is hit by lightning, consumed by madness or devoured from within by a multitude of scorpions (delete as appropriate depending on your personal inclinations).
This means that the ritual failed miserably and the witchdoctor is removed from play and counts as eliminated.
Such are the risks of the job!
Travel Diary (summary)
- Performing a ritual is not an action and is not therefore subject to its limitations.
- Once per turn, a witchdoctor can perform one of his rituals after the resolution of a player's Action card by discarding the Sorcery card.
- Roll 1D8, plus an extra 1D8 for each Stress token you decide to draw, plus any die or dice related to the use of a Crocodile card.
- The effects of the ritual are described in the profile of each witchdoctor and are based on the number of successes obtained during the ritual roll.
- If a Panic Stress token is drawn, the ritual fails and the witchdoctor is eliminated.
Surviving in Dangerous Lands
Since the outset of this work, we have been warning you about the dangers that await you as soon as your feet touch the ground of the Dark Continent. ... The purpose of this chapter is to present the different types of terrain you will come across on the Congo tables and explain how your groups will interact with them.
Classification
We should first define what we call a "terrain area" in Congo. Terrain areas are zones on the table-top, variable in size but with clearly defined borders. These areas will affect groups as they move within and through them.
Within the clearly defined borders of the terrain area, features are generally best removable, allowing the models moving in the terrain area to be placed with little problem.
In contrast, any surface of the gaming surface not covered by a terrain area is considered to be "open terrain".
Terrain areas are defined according to four characteristics: their height, their accessibility, their dangerousness and their cover.
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Height defines whether the terrain blocks the line of sight or not.
Line of sight cannot pass through a high terrain area. It can extend as far as desired within the terrain, but once the line of sight has entered the area, any point on the perimeter blocks it. In other less technical terms, you can see into high terrain, but not through it.
A low terrain area does not affect line of sight.
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Accessibility determines how groups can move in the area. By default, movement is always possible in any terrain, except if the terrain area is defined as blocking. In which case, no model may enter this terrain area.
Blocking terrain is typically modelled with fixed features built into the base of the area, to reinforce the impracticality of placing figures in the terrain area.
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The dangerousness of a terrain area indicates, as its name suggests, how perilous it might be moving through this area. Groups moving into a dangerous terrain will have to explore it, which involves rolling exploration dice to see what happens.
To do this, you will refer to the Dangerous Terrain Table. We will see later what that means, but until then, know that unless otherwise stated, a terrain area is by default not considered dangerous. Most of the time, the Adventure will dictate whether a terrain area is dangerous or harmless.
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Finally, cover determines the type of cover dice that will benefit groups that are shot at while deployed within the terrain. Typically, the cover will be D8 or D10, but we can imagine a zone offering only very little protection, such as a swamp or a simple elevation with no noticeable vegetation, which would grant a cover of D6 (the same as open terrain).
The cover is shown in brackets after the characteristics defining the terrain.
Note that blocking terrain does not provide any cover, as it cannot be entered!
Terrain area size
In some Adventures, we may indicate a specific size for a given terrain area. For simplicity, we only ever refer to two sizes: small and large. Small terrain areas must be fully contained within a square of 15 cm by 15 cm.
Large terrain areas should not be able to be contained within a square of 15 cm by 15 cm, and the two points of their circumference that are the farthest away should not be separated by more than 30 cm (i.e. a L measuring stick).
When setting up the table for Congo, take care to put enough terrain areas on the table in order to block lines of sight while leaving at least a gap of 2" between those areas.
Examples of terrain types (captions): This rocky ground is defined as a low terrain area (D8). These tall grasses are defined as a high and dangerous terrain area (D8). These copses are defined as high blocking area terrains. This imposing mass of vegetation is defined as a high dangerous area terrain (D10).
Constraints related to terrain areas
Terrain areas and their effects on moving or shooting have already been addressed within the appropriate chapters. However, it is appropriate to summarize them briefly here.
- A group cannot enter and leave a terrain area in the same movement.
- A group cannot leave one terrain area and move into another area in the same movement.
- Apart from these constraints, terrain never reduces movement.
- All models in a group must, at the end of their movement, be either in a terrain area or out of it. Consequently you may not have some models outside an area and some within it.
- When a group is targeted by a Shooting action while in a terrain area, it will roll cover dice dictated by the classification of the terrain in which it is deployed.
The environment
Invariably, Congo adventures take place in the jungle or on the savannah. Naturally, the geographical wealth of the Congolese basin may leave the reader skeptical about the use of such a strict and rigid classification, but it allows us to clearly define the scenery density on the gaming table, tailor the types of events on the Dangerous Terrain table and determine the animals that you will be likely to face in each environment.
The introduction to each Adventure will indicate if the action takes place either on the savannah or in the jungle.
Dangerous terrain
Dangerous terrain in Congo offers us the opportunity to spice up the game and throw in a few twists.
When all figures from a group have moved into any terrain classed as dangerous, the group must, at the end of its movement, roll on the appropriate Dangerous Terrain table if this terrain area is not yet explored.
A dangerous area is considered to be explored if at least one figure (be it friend, enemy or animal) is already in the feature. Therefore, if there are no figures in that terrain when the group enters it, a roll on the Dangerous Terrain table must be made at the end of movement.
Note that the explored status of a terrain area is checked only when the group enters the area. Thus, the terrain may have been occupied during a previous turn, but if at the time the group enters the terrain, it is not occupied, then the group will suffer the vagaries of fortune on the Dangerous Terrain table!
At the end of this book, you will find two Dangerous Terrain tables: one for the savannah and one for the jungle. The chosen Adventure clearly indicates the environment in which it takes place, and by extension which table to use.
To determine what happens to the group, grab a die whose type is the same as the cover of the terrain your group has just entered. Roll the die once, and check the first column of the table. Reroll the same die, and read the result on the second column corresponding to the possibilities of the first die.
Example (caption): You obtain a 5 on the first die and then a 2 on the second roll. It appears that your group discovers a huge ant-hill! Your group should draw a Stress token.
Loot
Some events on the Dangerous Terrain table present the group with a piece of Loot. A Loot token is placed in contact with the group and counts as a carried object (See Objects).
When counting victory points at the end of the game, you roll 3D6 for each Loot token in your possession. Each success adds one victory point representing valuable assets you have recovered while trying to accomplish your main goal in the adventure.
Other types of terrain
In the majority of Adventures, you will not come across peculiar terrain features, but a few deserve your attention. Do not worry too much about remembering these special rules, as the majority of Adventures do not use them. Simply check the relevant ones before starting an Adventure that features them.
Houses
These may be tents, huts, shacks and other similar structures.
By default, all count as high blocking terrain areas.
Given the type of adventures you are going to live out, it is unlikely that the action will take place inside a hut. However, should this happen, the Adventure will clearly and simply describe how it works!
Therefore, the default rule is that groups do not enter houses, which, incidentally, spares us all a lot of complex and esoteric rulings!
Obstacles
Obstacles can take the form of fences, barriers, or, in the most urbanized areas (and the rarest examples,) walls.
Obstacles all follow the same rules described below.
- Obstacles can be high or low. Lines of sight cannot cross high obstacles but are not affected by low ones.
- Low obstacles do not restrict movement. To get across a high obstacle, a group must start its movement with his leading figure in contact with the obstacle, and cannot pick up the pace during this movement, even to engage in melees.
- During shooting, if the shooter's line of sight crosses a low obstacle, the target will have a cover of D10 whatever the nature of the obstacle.
- You can engage in hand-to-hand combat with an enemy group positionned behind an obstacle, by moving the leading figure of your group into contact with said obstacle, directly facing the target model. If the attacking group wins the combat, it may immediately cross the obstacle.
- During a combat, the defender of the obstacle may re-roll all his unsuccessful save rolls.
Streams & Rivers
Streams are numerous in Africa, ranging from small streams to the majestic Congo River. They are still considered open ground, but are subject to the following special rules.
- A group cannot pick up the pace if the end of the first movement stick is in the river.
- A group must be either entirely in the river or out of the river, as with all terrain areas.
- A group in a river only gets a cover of D6.
- If a bridge or ford crosses the river, it is not subject to the rules mentioned above.
- Special rules may be added by specific Adventures ...
Paths & Tracks
You will certainly be following tracks or paths in your adventures. These are not terrain as such. However, all figures of a group must still either be on the track or off it. Tracks offer only a D6 cover.
Travel Diary (summary)
- Terrain areas may be high or low. High terrains block the lines of sight.
- There must be a gap of at least 2" of open terrain between two terrain areas.
- Groups may never move into a blocking terrain area.
- A group entering a dangerous terrain area must roll on the Dangerous Terrain table if the terrain is currently unexplored (i.e. if no model is already within that area).
- The cover of a terrain determines which type of cover die to roll when shot at (D8 or D10 usually).
Mustering the Column
To our knowledge, there is no adventurer's or explorer's party journeying into the heart of Africa that is not backed up by a teeming column of guards, handlers, carriers and other necessary auxiliaries. Those who have traveled without taking these precautions are marching to their doom.
It is the same for Congo players. Even if they have found a character to become their alter-ego during their adventures, this character won't venture very far by himself in such hostile environment as the deepest jungle or the hot savannah.
"Forming a column" is to decide what figures you will lead during your adventures, and is precisely the subject of this chapter.
The culture
The first step is to decide which culture you will embody.
Congo has 4 distinct cultures, which were the main protagonists of the historical period that our book covers.
- White Men Expeditions
- Forest Tribes
- African Kingdoms
- Sultanate of Zanzibar
Each of these cultures will be presented in the following pages with a brief history, motivations, and finally the groups and characters of that culture.
The choice of culture is purely a matter of affinity, be it historical, aesthetic or simply because you expect it to be fun to play. Each offers a wide range of groups and freedom in its composition. It is all a matter of taste!
The column
A Column consists of characters and groups. The adventure will indicate the budget you have available, expressed in points, to recruit your Column. You will use it to "buy" groups (and possibly auxiliaries). A typical Congo adventure will mobilize Columns of 70 to 100 points worth of models, which will generally result in 20 to 40 figures.
In the section dedicated to the cultures, each chapter presents six characters, the auxiliaries and the various groups that you can recruit for each culture.
A column can never field more than two characters (including characters imposed by the Adventure, but excluding however Independant Characters) and can be composed of any number of groups.
Characters
To lead your force, you must select one or two different characters from your chosen culture's list (you cannot take the same character twice). Each character is assigned a value, shown in stars, to illustrate their importance, value and talent. This value varies from one to three stars.
As we will see below, the column that has the lowest total of stars spent on characters benefits from additional Totem cards at the start of the adventure.
During deployment each character will have to join a group and will not leave it throughout the game, unless of course he succumbs, either as the result of a terrible death roll or through the cruel choice of a controlling player.
Each group, unless specifically stated otherwise, can only be joined by a single character. Your column must start with at least as many groups as required to integrate your characters.
Characters have the same values as groups:
- a shooting die
- a combat die
- a bravery die
The first two dice are added to those of their group when the group fights, either by shooting at the enemy or by facing it during a melee. The bravery die is a bonus die that will always be added to dice rolled by the group during an Influence action (Rally or Terror).
Each character also has an individual special rule, either for its own use (such as witchcraft) or which acts to improve the effectiveness of the group accompanying the character.
All characters are subject to a set of special rules, which we summarize below.
- When a character has a shooting die, he is considered to be armed with the same ranged weapon as the group he accompanies.
- A character benefits from the special rules of the group being accompanied.
- A character finding himself alone after the elimination of all models of his group becomes a separate group. When passing a test as part of an Influence action (Rally or Terror), he will use his bravery die as the value for the test and will also add that very same die as a bonus die. If he has none, the test will fail automatically.
- A character alone engaged in melee but who has no combat value (i.e. no combat die) will always be considered to have rolled no successes. It is therefore the number of enemy successes which will determine the outcome of the melee.
- A character alone who shoots is considered to have a range of M irrespective of whatever weapon is actually depicted on the character model.
Choosing the characters
It has been stated above that you can freely choose your characters. For a pleasant change, you may, with the agreement of your opponent, decide to randomly determine the characters accompanying you in your adventure. To do this, roll 1D6 for each Characters and consult the list of your characters. They are placed in ascending order. The usual rules continue to apply: hence you may not, for example, recruit two identical characters.
Auxiliaries
Auxiliaries are a rather special part of your Column. These are minor characters, the supporting roles of literature, the kind of men who die when the author of the book wishes to emphasize to his reader that the hero is facing terrible dangers. Have you ever noticed that in popular litterature, or fictionalized film, it is always the native bearer that falls into the trap and never the bold explorer?
This book presents two types of auxiliaries: bearers (for White Men Expeditions and the Sultanate of Zanzibar) and the Sacred Warriors (for the Forest Tribes and the African Kingdoms).
With the budget allocated to your Column, you can purchase up to four auxiliaries. These assistants will join groups when forming up your Column, with a maximum of one or two auxiliary in most groups (some groups cannot be joined by any auxiliary, while the majority are limited to a single one).
An auxiliary will give some special abilities and bonuses to their group and these are listed in their description.
Auxiliaries are subject to the following special rules.
- Just like characters, they are subject to the terrible death roll. This signifies that when a group including at least one auxiliary suffers a loss, a result of "1" on the 1D10 die roll means that a character or an auxiliary has to be removed as a casualty.
- An Auxiliary that would end up as the only figure of his group is immediately eliminated and will count as a loss.
- An Auxiliary has no star value but does have a points cost, which is deducted from the points allocated for the recruitment of groups to your Column.
Groups
Congo groups are usually composed of between three and six figures. The nature of the group (soldiers, cannibals, Zanzibari, etc.) determines the number of figures making up the group. The player has no choice on that matter. As we have seen, this number of figures will increase by adding a character and / or one (or more) auxiliary model(s).
A little further on in this book, in the section devoted to the cultures, you will find a detailed description of each group.
If "0-1" is indicated next to the name of the group, it means that you're limited to a single group of this type in your Column. If there is no such limitation you can select as many of this type of group as you want within the limits of your budget.
The pictogram (character icon) indicates that your group can be joined by a character.
The pictogram (auxiliary icon) indicates that your group can be joined by an auxiliary. If there are two icons, it means that the group can be joined by two auxiliaries.
Travel Diary (summary)
- You must choose one of four cultures available, and select your characters, auxiliary and groups from the list of that culture.
- Each Column must have one or two characters to lead it.
- Any Characters that the Adventure imposes on you are counted towards the maximum limit of two.
- Each character has a value expressed in stars. At the beginning of the game, this value is compared to that of the opposite Column. The Column with the lowest value, draws a Totem card for each star of difference.
- Characters must join a group and cannot leave it at any time during the Adventure.
- Auxiliaries also join groups and give them special abilities. Their cost is deducted from the points allocated to the mustering of the Column.
Adventuring in Africa
Any amateur scholar of exotic adventures should take time to peruse the infamous Bulletin de la Société Géographique. ... In this chapter, we will provide our readers with the techniques to gain a better understanding of the newsletter's articles, and by reading them, to be ready to enjoy their own adventures in the Dark Continent.
The Adventures
As we mentioned in the introduction, Adventures are really the heart of Congo. In our game, they come in the form of issues of Le Bulletin de la Société Géographique, eight of which accompany this book. Each of these issues presents a distinct adventure, offering its own challenges, its own special environment and often some specific special rules.
Before beginning a game of Congo, you will need to choose an Adventure to play. Being of an educational bent we have numbered the issues in order of difficulty, so that the early issues include few special rules or special situations, later issues increasing the challenges on the assumption that after a couple of games, players will be familiar enough with the game system to easily integrate these special rules and tricky situations.
The Bulletin
Although the editorial team of Le Bulletin de la Société Géographique is not known for their constancy, most issues follow the same template as shown in the following example.
The information that each issue presents is listed below.
- The issue of the newsletter: This number indicates the order of publication of the particular Bulletin, and, with regard to those included in this book, gives an indication of the difficulty of the Adventure presented.
- The title of the Adventure and a clue to what players can expect from it.
- The narrative: each Adventure is based on a first-hand account. Here you can read the report of the Geographical Society correspondent who submitted this article.
- Rules for the Adventure: This section shows all the Universal Special rules applicable to the chosen Adventure (see below).
- The set-up: this part presents a map and information about the way the table and the scenery should be set-up for the game. The size of the table, unless otherwise stated is 72" by 48".
- The protagonists: In this paragraph we detail the protagonists historically involved in the Adventure, and the number of points each player will dispose of to form his Column. In many scenarios, one or more characters will be imposed upon the player, and will appear in the description of the protagonists. It is quite possible to substitute the culture of a protagonist for a culture of your choice (see Mustering the column). The symbol (initiative icon) indicates which Column has the Initiative token at the beginning of the adventure.
- Deployment: This section describes how the two Columns will be positioned at the start of the Adventure.
- Special rules: Detailed in this section are any special rules that apply to the Adventure. They can appear as a single paragraph, or several of them when circumstances require.
- The objectives: these indicate how to win the Adventure, detailing the means by which the players will gain victory points. At the end of the game, consult this section to determine who has won. Naturally, you should consider studying the objectives before setting out on the Adventure unless you just plan to take your Column for a nice walk around the table top!
Forming a column for an Adventure
The majority of Adventures give precise information on the nature of the forces involved.
Example (Bulletin excerpt): "The Hunters: 90 points from the White Men Expeditions list. They include Georges Keylies (Journalist). They are divided into 2 detachments." With this information, the player will know that he has 90 points to muster his Column, and must include at least one journalist among the characters (leaving only the choice of a possible second character).
Example (Bulletin excerpt): "The Protagonists: This adventure is played with both sides having the same number of points to spend on their column. Choose a budget between 70 and 100 points. The Babongo emissaries." In this example, the players will have to define the maximum number of points of their column (between 70 and 100 points) then one of the two players can freely select one or two characters as well as the number of points agreed on groups to be chosen from the Forest Tribes list.
It is quite possible to substitute the culture presented in the Adventure with the one you wish to play.
In this case you will need to choose new characters or draw them at random (see Choosing the characters).
Setting up the table
The Adventure will give you tips on how to set up the scenery needed for the game. The directions are deliberately broad enough, that if you have a restricted collection of scenery features you should still be able to recreate a harmonious representation of the African landscapes which serve as the stage to our stories.
Example (Bulletin excerpt): "The clearing is situated in the middle of the jungle, in gorilla territory. Place from 4 to 6 large high dangerous (D10) terrain areas. Take the 4 tokens numbered 1 to 4 (the Event tokens) and put them randomly face down in 4 different terrain areas. Then, place in the center of the table a small low (D8) area terrain in the center of which stands a totem. A treasure, represented by any revelant marker or token, is placed in contact with the totem. Last of all, also in contact with the totem, place a group..."
Thus, to set up this table, you'll need a totem placed in a small terrain area (being a small area, its base should fit in a square of 15 cm by 15 cm) and six other scenery features (terrain areas), all high (see Surviving in dangerous countries).
Note that a map will appear in the Bulletin and will help set up the gaming surface.
Once the table is ready, players refer to the paragraph dealing with deployment to place their groups on the table. Each Adventure has its own rules governing deployment and arrival of the opposing Columns, so this paragraph should be read carefully.
The player beginning the Adventure with the initiative gets the Initiative token (see Initiative token). Each player then announces to his opponent the total value in stars of his characters. Whoever has the lowest value can - before the game - draw a Totem card for each star of difference between the two totals.
Once this is done, you are ready to embark on the Adventure!
Ending the Adventure
At the end of the last turn allowed for by the Adventure (or before if the Adventure has a premature end condition that has been met), it is time to determine the winner. To do this, the players will have to refer to the "objectives" of the Adventure.
Each Adventure details the special conditions by which both sides can gain victory points. In addition you always score victory points for enemy characters/auxiliaries that have been eliminated and for any Loot tokens in your possession at the end of the game.
General victory points are awarded as follows:
- For each Character eliminated, roll a D8 per star that Character was worth. Each success rolled gives you two victory points.
- For each Loot token in your possession, roll 3D6. Each success rolled rewards you one victory point.
- For each of your auxiliaries that has been eliminated, subtract two victory points from your total. These men are valuable, and we penalize those who sacrifice them blindly!
These points are added to those earned on the Adventure. The player who scored the most points is the winner. In case of equal scores it is time to plan another game to settle this draw!
Universal Special Rules
The Adventures use a number of recurring special rules. Before the game, we invite players to refer to the following pages for an explanation of each of the rules used by the Adventure.
Exhausted
At the start of the game after deployment, the player controlling the Column noted as exhausted (this can actually be both Columns!) must roll 1D8 for each of its groups. On a success, the group suffers no penalty. On a failure, the group must draw a Stress token. On a score of "1", the group starts the game with a Stress token and has lost a figure, chosen by the player controlling the group.
Confusion
As long as the confusion reigns (the duration is specified by the Adventure) each player draws his three Actions cards for the turn randomly from the seven cards available. After looking at the cards drawn, each player may, if they wish, discard one card and replace it with another randomly drawn Action card. Any player who does not use this option and keeps the three cards initially drawn may draw a Totem card as a reward.
Savannah
The Adventure takes place in the savannah so use the savannah Dangerous Terrain table.
Jungle
The Adventure takes place in the jungle... use the jungle Dangerous Terrain table.
Dense cover
This rule indicates that open terrain offers a D8 cover rather than the usual D6. Area terrain still offers the level of cover indicated in its description.
Downpour
During all turns affected by the downpour (by default, if nothing is specified, it will last the whole game), the maximum range of all ranged weapons is reduced to M. In addition, each group using ranged weapons will have to deduct two dice for each Shooting Stress token it has (rather than the usual one die).
Traps
The player benefitting from the Traps rule may, once per turn, before resolving one of his Action cards, discard a Totem card to trap an enemy group that is currently in a dangerous area terrain. The group thus trapped rolls 1D6. If a success is rolled, the trap has misfired and the Totem card is lost. If a failure is rolled, the group must draw one Stress token. Moreover, if a "1" is rolled, in addition to the Stress token, the group loses a figure chosen by the controlling player.
Enter on the table
In some Adventures, one or several groups will enter the table at a determined location.
This entry point may be decided during deployment, or in the course of adventure by rolling a die. As soon as the entry point is known, the group or groups are placed in front of it (i.e. off table) and may enter only if you use a Move action. When you play a Move action, place the end of the movement stick on the defined entry point and apply the normal movement rules.
Exiting the table
In some Adventures, it is stated that you must leave the table. For a group to leave the table, the end of one of their movement sticks must be placed off the table. Obviously, all standard movement rules apply. In Congo you are only allowed to leave the table if this rule applies, and only where and when this rule indicates it is possible.
Independent Character
Sometimes the Adventure calls for the presence of one or more characters not directly controlled by the Columns. However, such Independent characters can join player's groups, if indicated by the Adventure.
An Independent character has no profile, and will usually be one of the objectives of the Adventure. They do not provide any extra dice to the group they join (unless otherwise stated) and they move with this group in accordance with the standard rules. An Independent character cannot be eliminated (except as specified by the Adventure). They are considered to be exactly the same as any other model in the group (for lines of sight, movement etc.). Usually, Independent characters are subject to other, Adventure specific rules.
If an Independent character finds themselves alone after all the figures in their group have been eliminated, the character does not move or act in any way.
To make an Independent Character join one of your groups, one of the group's movement sticks must touch the base of the Independent character. Your leading figure takes the place of the Independent character (i.e. the Independent character becomes part of the group) and then the group is gathered around the leading figure in accordance with the usual rules.
If a group including an Independent character retreats or is wiped out after a melee, the Independent character joins the winning group. The character is simply 'gathered' with the winning group. If the group is retreating from or wiped out by an animal, the Independent character just stays where they are.
It may happen that an Independent Character flees from the group they have joined (always, as a result of Adventure specific rules). If this happens, the opposing player handles this movement as if it was a movement by the group (i.e. the opposing player chooses a leading figure, places the movement sticks etc) but only the Independent character actually moves. The usual rules of movement apply except that the group from which the character flees does not prevent him from picking up the pace. In addition, the fleeing Independent character cannot, under any circumstances, join a group during this movement and they cannot leave the table.
Independent Characters that have not joined a group are not considered to be enemies, except by other Independent Characters. They however consider all other models as enemies.
Cattle
This rule indicates the presence of one or more herds of animals, as described in the Adventure. These animals are subject to the following rules.
- No player controls them as long as they have not joined a group.
- They do not count as enemies to groups who want to pick up the pace.
- If a group comes into contact with a livestock animal, they resolve a melee against this animal (which always rolls 3D6). If the group wins the melee, the animal joins the group or is removed (depending on what is specified in the Adventure). Otherwise, the animal performs an M movement getting as far away from the attacker as possible, and avoiding as far as possible blocking terrain and other groups. If that movement is impossible, the animal joins the group or is eliminated.
- At the end of each turn, all livestock animals that are not in an enclosure or with a group make an S movement away from the closest enemy group or the nearest wild animal while avoiding as far as possible all blocking terrain and other groups.
Special Events
If special events appear as special rules used in the Adventure, you must add the Event tokens, as indicated by the Adventure, into the Stress token bag. When such a numbered token is drawn, refer to the Adventure to see what happens.
After drawing such a token and after the appropriate event has been resolved, draw a further Stress token.
Night
This rule indicates that the Adventure takes place in darkness, or the table is covered with fog that dramatically reduces visibility. The following rules apply for the duration of the night (often the whole Adventure).
-
The ranges of all weapons and lines of sight are reduced to M.
-
If a group picks up the pace, it must draw a Stress token at the end of its movement (the night is dark and full of terrors....)
-
If a group starts a move action with no friendly groups within M, it must draw a Stress token before resolving its movement.
Objects
When this rule is used, the Columns will have to retrieve, carry or steal some specified Objects. "Objects" is a generic term used for anything that can be carried, and the Adventures will describe the actual object we are talking about. However, they are all subject to the same generic rules, described below.
Conveniently, these rules also apply to Loot tokens (see Loot).
To pick up an Object, a group simply has to touch it with one of its movement sticks during a move action. Place the group's leading figure where the Object was, gather your group according to the standard rules, and then put the Object in contact with a figure in the group as a reminder that the group carries this Object from now on. Once a group is carrying an Object, it keeps it until it retreats after a melee, is eliminated by shooting or is forced to flee.
If the group retreats after a melee, the winning group automatically retrieves the Object (if retreating after fighting an animal, leave the Object where it is, the group has dropped it). If the group is eliminated by shooting or must flee, leave the Object where it is allowing it to be picked up anew.
Some Objects are noted as bulky which means they have the same effect on the movement of a group carrying them as a Movement Stress token.
Plunder
Sometimes during your Adventures, your groups will be able to plunder houses.
Houses are high blocking terrain areas (see Houses) that cannot normally be entered by any group.
A group can plunder a house (tents, huts, cabins or other) when
- It starts a movement with one or more figures in contact with the building
- It ends a movement (without having picked up the pace) with one of its models in base to base contact with the building.
To plunder the building, roll 1D6 and consult the table below.
| D6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | You disturbed someone! Your opponent draws a Totem card |
| 3-4 | Nothing shiny, but the food was good. You draw a Totem card |
| 5 | Hurrah! You find something (your group immediately gets a Plunder token) |
| 6 | Burn it down! You find something (your group immediately gets a Plunder token) and then set the building on fire. |
After plundering, a group that started its movement in contact with the building can make a movement of S without being able to pick up the pace.
You can loot the same building as many times as you want. However, you can ever only get a single Plunder token from each building, and only until the house catches fire, which seems sensible!
In the case of a dwelling with several rooms (a tembe for example), each part is treated as a separate building.
The Plunder token must not be confused with the Loot token.
The shape, type and effects of Plunder tokens are detailed in the Adventure being played.
Wild Animals
This rule indicates the possible presence of wild animals in the vicinity. When the Wild Animals special rule is used by an Adventure, the Animal Stress tokens must be added to the bag of Stress tokens before the game starts.
When such a token is drawn, the player who drew the Animal token deploys a lion (for an Adventure in the savannah) or a gorilla (for an Adventure in the jungle) in any dangerous terrain zone that is not currently occupied by any groups (the model is placed anywhere within the selected area). If there is no dangerous terrain zone that meets these constraints, the animal is not placed and the token goes back in the bag. The original group then draws a replacement Stress token.
Once the animal is placed, discard the token (do not put it in the bag) and draw a new Stress token for the group. When the animal is killed, put the token back in the bag, making an appearance of such a beast possible again.
Animals ignore Independant Characters.
Lion
The lion model counts as an enemy for both sides, and may prevent any groups from picking up the pace. At the end of each Action step (after both players have resolved their Action Cards) roll 1D8 for the lion. On a success, he comes out of his lethargy and moves. The lion always moves M towards the closest group, which is not affected by non-blocking terrain and will engage the closest group in melee if possible. If blocking terrain hinders its movement, he will bypass it if possible. In melee, the lion rolls 2D8 plus one extra D8 for each Stress token on the group he is fighting. If the group scores at least two more hits than the lion, the animal is killed and the group retreives his carcass, which counts as a bulky Loot token (Loot and Objects).
The lion never takes Stress tokens, ignores the effects of sorcery rituals and is never affected by the rules of Special characters and groups. Furthermore, it never flees. A lion can be the target of a shooting action. In this case, he always rolls D10 for cover whatever terrain he occupies. In addition, he can re-roll once on every failure. On the other hand, any uncancelled hit will kill him. In this case, his miniature is replaced by a bulky Loot token (See Loot and Objects) that can be picked up in the same way as any object.
The gorilla
The gorilla model counts as an enemy for both sides, and may prevent any groups from picking up the pace. At the end of each Action step (after both players have resolved their Action Cards) if one or more groups are in the same terrain zone as the gorilla or within S [icon unclear in the scan] of this area, the gorilla will engage the closest group in melee. In melee the gorilla rolls 4D6. For each "6" rolled, the gorilla gains an extra combat die to roll (and continues to gain extra dice if further "6"s are rolled). If the group scores at least two more hits than the gorilla, the animal is killed and the group retreives his carcass, which counts as a bulky Loot token (Loot and Objects).
At the end of the melee, if the gorilla is still alive, he is returned to his original terrain area (i.e. to his starting point).
The gorilla never takes Stress tokens, ignores the effects of sorcery rituals and is never affected by the rules of Special characters and groups. Furthermore, it never flees. A gorilla can be targeted by a shooting action. In this case, he always rolls D10 for cover whatever terrain he occupies. If the gorilla takes only one uncancelled hit from shooting, he becomes enraged. Henceforth, it will roll two additional D6s in melee (note that the gorilla may be enraged multiple times!!!). Two uncancelled hits inflicted during the same shot kill the gorilla. In this case, his miniature is replaced by a bulky Loot token (See Loot and Objects) that can be picked up in the same way as any object.
The White Men Expeditions
In 1870, the discovery of the vast wealth of the Congo basin attracted new explorers. The best known amongst them is probably Henry Morton Stanley. He was quickly followed by missionaries, scientists, writers, eccentrics, dandies, ambitious soldiers and ivory and slave traders. As any expedition into the heart of Africa will last several months (and sometimes years) it must be thoroughly prepared. ... The so called "white men expeditions" can be portrayed as a handful of arrogant Europeans, their escort and a good hundred of native bearers. To avoid attracting the attention of tribal chieftains, the long caravan is generally divided into several smaller Columns of 30 to 40 men. ...
Your Characters
The Explorer (3 stars)
| Shooting | Combat | Bravery |
|---|---|---|
| D10 | D6 | D6 |
Composure: Used to facing danger, the Explorer is a cautious man and expects his men to behave in the same way. When his group decides to go to ground against shooting, he can roll one extra D10 for the cover roll, rather than the D8 usually granted, for each Stress token drawn.
The Kirangozi (2 stars)
| Shooting | Combat | Bravery |
|---|---|---|
| D6 | D6 | D6 |
Shortcuts: The Kirangozi knows the fastest routes, the most practical paths and leads his group through these shortcuts. The group led by the Kirangozi may add an S measuring stick to its movement, but cannot move more than three movement sticks with this special rule. After this additional movement, the group must draw a Stress token.
The Retired Officer (2 stars)
| Shooting | Combat | Bravery |
|---|---|---|
| D8 | D6 | D6 |
Training: The Retired Officer has instilled in his group the basics of firepower and the use of the bayonet. A group led by the Retired Officer can reroll all "1s" rolled when shooting or when fighting in melee.
The Flag Bearer (1 star)
| Shooting | Combat | Bravery |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | D10 |
The colours: Any group located within M of the Flag Bearer's group may use the Bravery bonus die of the Flag Bearer when rolling a Rally or a Terror test.
The Reporter (1 star)
| Shooting | Combat | Bravery |
|---|---|---|
| D6 | - | D6 |
Telling a story: At the end of the game, if the Reporter is still alive, roll 1D6 for each full three Victory Points you have scored, including any for Loot tokens. Each success gives you one additional victory point.
The Scientist (2 stars)
| Shooting | Combat | Bravery |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | D8 |
I found it!: As soon as the group accompanied by the Scientist enters an unexplored dangerous terrain zone, roll 1D8. On a success, place a Loot token in the zone, out of contact with any model.
Your Auxiliaries
(Pictograms: C = group can be joined by a character; A = group can be joined by one auxiliary; AA = by two auxiliaries.)
Bearers (up to 4 bearers per Column)
| Figures | Shooting (weapon) | Combat | Bravery | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | - | - | - | 2 per bearer (printed "2 par porteur") |
Every bearer in a group allows it to ignore the effects of a Movement Stress token or the penalties of a bulky object. This token still counts as a Stress token but does not have any other effects on the group.
Your Groups
| Group | Joins | Figures | Shooting (weapon) | Combat | Bravery | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-1 Soldiers | C, A | 4 | D10 (rifles) | D8 | D10 | 21 |
| Trained Askaris | C, A | 4 | D8 (rifles) | D8 | D8 | 16 |
| 0-1 Adventurers | A, A | 3 | D10 (rifles) | D6 | D8 | 11 |
| Ruga-Ruga | A | 5 |
0-1 Soldiers
Soldiers are among the most effective fighting men that an expedition can field. Often mercenaries or former military men, they make their skills available to the leader of the caravan. Equipped with the best weapons and tightly disciplined there is little that can scare them in either the jungle or the savannah.
We know our business: Soldiers ignore the effects of Shooting Stress tokens. These tokens still count as Stress tokens, but do not otherwise penalize the group.
Trained Askaris
To increase the strength of an expedition, an Explorer often trained Askaris in the use of modern rifles. These men became formidable by African standards and would ensure the survival and success of the caravan when meeting hostile tribes.
0-1 Adventurers
Adventurers are European settlers who arrived in Africa many years ago and have been living in contact with the natives. Whether gold miners, big game hunters or men who have left Europe to be forgotten, they put their experience and knowledge of Africa at the service of those expeditions which can afford their talents.
Reckless: When this group takes one or more casualties, whether by shooting, melee, by an event or in fact for any reason whatsoever, the group may decide to draw two Stress tokens to cancel one of these losses. This is only possible if the group has less than three Stress tokens.
Ruga-Ruga
Ruga-Rugas are young orphans who have been separated from their tribes by war or the slave trade. Wild in dress and manners, they are typically bandits, smugglers and slave-traders and offer themselves as mercenaries to unscrupulous white men. Armed with muskets, they compensate for their lack of formal training by their courage and cruelty.
Superstitious: Ruga-Rugas have a Bravery value of D8 except when rolling for Terror, when it is reduced to D6.
Askaris
"Askaris" is an Arabic word meaning 'soldiers'. They constitute the main body of exploratory expeditions. They are usually local natives armed with old muskets and receiving only short periods of training, tasked with protecting the bearers from animal and native attacks. Luckier ones have a uniform, provided by an expedition leader who focuses on the elegance of his men.
Young Warriors
To strengthen their ranks, expeditions often made use of young indigenous warriors, enthusiastic about the idea of leaving their village to join the white men, and hoping to be rewarded with beautiful gifts if they served loyally.
Archers
Expeditions could recruit tribal Archers, who make up for their lack of courage by skill with the use of native bows.
Scouts
Scouts are responsible for leading the expedition into enemy territory and roaming ahead to detect obstacles and dangers.
Natives: Scouts never roll on the Dangerous Terrain table. They treat all dangerous terrain as explored in all circumstances.
The Sultanate of Zanzibar
In the seventeenth century, the Arab Sultanate of Oman took control of the island of Zanzibar, once ruled by a Swahili king. ... Throughout the nineteenth century, the Sultanate of Zanzibar developed control over the supply of native bearers and no expedition can depart from the East Coast without the approval of the Sultan.
Your Characters
The Emir (3 stars)
| Shooting | Combat | Bravery |
|---|---|---|
| - | D6 | 2D8 |
Zamara: Before rallying, this group can take any number of Stress tokens from friendly groups within M, so long as it does not exceed the limit of four Stress tokens.
Slavers (2 stars)
| Shooting | Combat | Bravery |
|---|---|---|
| - | D6 | D8 |
Ruthless: During a melee, the group of Slavers automatically adds one success to the number of successes rolled.
The Sheikh (1 star)
| Shooting | Combat | Bravery |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | D8 |
Spiritual Guidance: When the Sheikh's group must take a Stress token, it gives it instead to any friendly group within M. If a Panic Stress token is drawn, it may instead be given to an enemy group within M.
The Trader (1 star)
| Shooting | Combat | Bravery |
|---|---|---|
| D6 | D6 | - |
Bribe: Before you start a melee involving a group of Traders, roll 1D8. If a success is rolled, the group of Traders can retreat instead, without the melee actually taking place. This ability cannot be used against wild animals.
The Brute (1 star)
| Shooting | Combat | Bravery |
|---|---|---|
| - | D8 | D6 |
Bodyguard: The Brute can join any group even if that group already has the maximum number of characters with it. Before each melee involving the Brute's group, roll 1D10. If a success is rolled, eliminate one model in the enemy group (the owner of the group chooses the figure). If a failure is rolled, remove the Brute.
The Diplomat (2 stars)
| Shooting | Combat | Bravery |
|---|---|---|
| D6 | D6 | - |
Inspiring presence: Any group of young warriors or bundukis joined by the Diplomat gets a D8 bravery value instead of D6.
Your Auxiliaries
Bearers (up to 4 bearers per Column)
| Figures | Shooting (weapon) | Combat | Bravery | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | - | - | - | 2 per bearer (printed "2 par porteur") |
Every bearer in a group allows it to ignore the effects of a Movement Stress token or the penalties of a bulky object. This token still counts as a Stress token but does not have any other effects on the group.
Your Groups
| Group | Joins | Figures | Shooting (weapon) | Combat | Bravery | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zanzibaris | C, A | 5 | D8 (muskets) | D6 | D8 | 16 |
| Trained Troops | C, A | 4 | D8 (rifles) | D8 | D8 | 16 |
| 0-1 Baluchis | A | 5 | - | special | special | 23 |
| 0-1 Baluchis Sharpshooters | C, A |
0-1 Baluchis
Baluchis were mercenaries from India and the Arabian Peninsula, much sought after by the Sultan of Zanzibar. Forsaking modern weapons, they preferred their traditional matchlock muskets, curved swords and small round shields. This profile covers Baluchis armed exclusively with melee weapons.
Warrior tradition: The values of the Baluchis depend on the number of Stress tokens their group has. If the group has no Stress tokens, the Baluchis roll D10s for all their values. If they have one or two tokens, they roll D8s. If they have three or more Stress tokens they roll D6s.
0-1 Baluchis Sharpshooters
Some Baluchis used particularly powerful muskets, originating from Central Asia, and known as a Jezail musket (or Jezzail). This impressive musket was heavy but had both a long range and impressive power.
Jezzails: If the target is more than L away, the Baluchis Shooting value is reduced to D6.
Ruga-Ruga
Superstitious: The Ruga-Rugas have a Bravery value of D8 except when rolling for Terror, when it is reduced to D6.
Scouts
Natives: The Scouts group never roll on the Dangerous Terrain table. They consider all dangerous terrain to be explored in all circumstances.
The Forest Tribes
The Congo Basin is almost entirely covered with impassable and dangerous jungle. At the heart of this dense forest are concealed the descendants of the Kongo Empire. ... The military organization of the Forest tribes is built around warriors and archers, even if the latter are gradually being replaced by muskets. ... Deep in the jungle you'll find an older and more mysterious population: the pygmies. Small elusive fighters, they use poisoned arrows to hunt and to defend their territory. They have commercial relationships with a few villages of the so-called "Talls". If facing a common enemy, you could find yourself fighting alongside them.
Your Characters
The Chieftain (3 stars)
| Shooting | Combat | Bravery |
|---|---|---|
| D6 | D6 | D10 |
Big Chief: At the beginning of each turn, draw two Totem cards instead of one. Add one of these two cards to your hand and discard the other.
Talking Drums (1 star)
| Shooting | Combat | Bravery |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | D6 |
Drums: After the Talking Drums' group has resolved an action, you can choose another friendly group within L. That group can resolve the same action. In return, the Talking Drums group draws a Stress token. Remember that a group can only perform one action per Action step.
The Champion (2 stars)
| Shooting | Combat | Bravery |
|---|---|---|
| - | D10 | D6 |
Inspiration: Whenever the Champion's group performs a move action, two Young Warriors units who are within M of the Champion's group at the start of its movement, can also perform a move action. Remember that a group can only perform one action per Action step.
Pygmy King (2 stars)
| Shooting | Combat | Bravery |
|---|---|---|
| - | D10 | D10 |
Great is the King!: The Pygmy King can only join a group of pygmies. As long as the Pygmy King is in play, all your pygmies have a D10 Bravery value instead of D8.
The Healer (2 stars)
| Shooting | Combat | Bravery |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | D6 |
Power of Spirits: When the Healer's group is the target of shooting and is in a terrain area, the shooting group must re-roll once each of its hits (this re-roll is resolved after any of the shooter's re-rolls).
The Witchdoctor (2 stars)
| Shooting | Combat | Bravery |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | D8 |
Sorcery (D8): Three rituals are accessible to the tribal Witchdoctor, and you will find these below (Witchdoctor rituals).
Your Auxiliaries
Sacred Warriors (up to 2 per Column)
| Figures | Shooting (weapon) | Combat | Bravery | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | special | special | - | 2 per warrior |
Mystical Trance: During a melee, the Sacred Warrior rolls 1D6 per Stress token on the engaged enemy group. During shooting, the Sacred Warrior rolls 1D6 per Stress token on the targeted enemy group.
Your Groups
| Group | Joins | Figures | Shooting (weapon) | Combat | Bravery | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannibals | A | 5 | - | D8 | D8 | 20 |
| Warriors | C, A | 5 | D6 (assegais) | D8 | D8 | 17 |
| Young Warriors | C, A | 5 | D6 (assegais) | D8 | D6 | 12 |
| Bundukis | C, A | 5 |
Cannibals
Some tribes are actually cannibals while others play on this reputation to terrify their enemies. In either case it gives them a clear psychological edge in combat.
Meat!: When Cannibals win a melee against an enemy group, all other enemy groups within M roll 1D8. Each group that fails this roll takes one Stress token.
Warriors
They are the best fighters of the tribe; experienced men who have known many battles. Even though they can harass the enemy with their spears, they prefer to engage in hand-to-hand combat, using their large shield to knock their enemies down before delivering the killing blow.
Hunters
Hunting the prey: During shooting, Hunters roll one additional D8 for each success rolled on their shooting roll (further successes on these rolls do not grant additional D8s).
Scouts
Natives: The Scouts group never roll on the Dangerous Terrain table. They consider all dangerous terrain to be explored in all circumstances.
Pygmy Archers (only with the Pygmy King)
The Pygmy Archers are a unique type of group. Rather than buying a single group with your points, you will buy two groups of three models each. These two groups are linked by the "Bond" special rule explained below. Except for the "Bond" special rule, these two groups operate independently, and are considered to be distinct groups on the table during the game.
Poison: Pygmies may never roll more dice during shooting than the number of figures in the group. If the Pygmies get two or three success with the same dice value (e.g. two "5s" or three "6s") they cause as many automatic losses to the target group as the number of dice with the same result. The figures are removed from the targeted group with no opportunity to cancel the hits with a Cover roll.
Tiny: A group of pygmies in a dangerous high terrain zone area cannot be shot at if the group shooting is beyond M. However, if they cannot be targeted, the shooter can ignore them when it comes to determining line of sight to another group.
Bond: When a group of Pygmy Archers resolves an action (movement, rallying or shooting), you can activate the second group of Pygmy Archers (which shares the bond with the activated unit) irrespective of where that group of archers is on the table.
Pygmy Warriors (only with the Pygmy King)
Harassment: Before they make a move action or immediately thereafter, Pygmy Warriors can resolve a shooting action. This constitutes an exception to the rule that a group can only resolve one single action during an Action step.
Tiny: A group of pygmies in a dangerous high terrain zone area cannot be shot at if the shooting group is beyond M. However, if they cannot be targeted, the shooter can ignore them when it comes to determining a line of sight to another group.
Forest Tribe Rituals
Bull's Breath Ritual
The Witchdoctor bends over, presenting his backside before noisily breaking wind in the direction of the enemy whilst summoning the ancestral spirits. If the Witchdoctor gets...
- One success: One enemy group within L of the Witchdoctor's group must take a Terror test.
- Two successes: One enemy group within L of the Witchdoctor's group must draw one Stress token then take a Terror test.
- At least three successes: One enemy group within L of the Witchdoctor's group must lose a figure of its owner's choice, draw one Stress token then take a Terror test.
Ritual of the Mandrill's Dance
The Witchdoctor enters into communion with the Mandrill spirit his eyes bulging, casting about himself offerings to the spirits. If the Witchdoctor gets...
- One success: Draw a Totem card.
- Two successes: Draw three Totem cards, choose one of them to add to your hand, and shuffle the other two back into your Totem deck.
- At least three successes: Choose two Totem cards in your Totem deck, add them to your hand then shuffle your Totem deck.
Ritual of the Wild Hunt
The Witchdoctor screams, imitating the cry of an animal, while pointing his fingers towards the enemy. Quickly, wild animals respond to the call of the Witchdoctor. If the Witchdoctor gets...
- One success: Choose an enemy group in line of sight of the Witchdoctor's group and within a dangerous terrain zone. Some angry monkeys starts to rain down coconuts and their droppings upon the enemy. Resolve a shooting action against the group, rolling 4D6.
- Two successes: Choose an enemy group in line of sight of the Witchdoctor's group and within a dangerous terrain zone. A black shape jumps from a nearby tree and dashes through the group, raking them with its claws. The group must draw a Stress token, then resolve a shooting action against it, rolling 2D8 plus one extra D8 for each Stress token that the group has.
- At least three successes: Choose an enemy group in line of sight of the Witchdoctor's group and within a dangerous terrain zone. They are attacked by giant ants! That group must draw enough Stress tokens to bring the group up to the four Stress token limit, then resolve a shooting action against that group, rolling 6D8.
The African Kingdoms
North of the tropical forests, on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, or over the Katanga plateau, extend the homelands of the Warrior kingdoms that refuse to submit to any and all invaders. ... Their organization is fully committed to war and they are able at the first sound of drums and war horns, to raise an army in a few days. ...
Your Characters
The King (3 stars)
| Shooting | Combat | Bravery |
|---|---|---|
| D8 | D10 | D8 |
Authority: When the King's group engages in melee, roll 2D8. For each success, remove a Stress token from any friendly group within M (including the King's group).
The Prince (2 stars)
| Shooting | Combat | Bravery |
|---|---|---|
| - | D10 | D8 |
Frenzy: You can eliminate a figure in this group before resolving a melee. If you do, gain three Combat dice for this melee, the type of dice rolled being the same as the Combat value of the eliminated model.
The War Drum (2 stars)
| Shooting | Combat | Bravery |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | D6 |
Litany: At the beginning of each turn, you can exchange two Stress tokens between two groups (friendly and/or enemies).
The War Chief (1 star)
| Shooting | Combat | Bravery |
|---|---|---|
| - | D8 | - |
Fear my wrath: If the War Chief's group wins a melee, the defeated group, after having retreated, must take a Terror test.
The War Horn (1 star)
| Shooting | Combat | Bravery |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | D6 |
Charge: This group ignores the effects of Movement Stress tokens during a movement that engages in melee with an enemy group.
The Witchdoctor (2 stars)
| Shooting | Combat | Bravery |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | D8 |
Sorcery (D8): There are three rituals available to the African Kingdoms Witchdoctor, to be found below (African Kingdoms Rituals).
Your Auxiliaries
Sacred Warriors (up to 2 per Column)
| Figures | Shooting (weapon) | Combat | Bravery | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | special | special | - | 2 per warrior |
Mystical Trance: During a melee, the Sacred Warrior rolls 1D6 per Stress token on the engaged enemy group. During shooting, the Sacred Warrior rolls 1D6 per Stress token on the targeted enemy group.
Your Groups
| Group | Joins | Figures | Shooting (weapon) | Combat | Bravery | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Married Warriors | C, A | 5 | D6 (assegais) | D10 | D8 | 22 |
| Fanatical Warriors | A | 4 | - | D10 | D10 | 22 |
| Askaris | C, A | 5 | D8 (muskets) | D6 | D6 | 11 |
| Young Warriors | C, A | 5 |
Fanatical Warriors
Insensible: This group ignores the special effects of Stress tokens. They still count as Stress tokens, but the pictogram on the token has no effect on the Fanatical Warriors.
0-1 Bodyguards
Elite: This group can only be included if the King is part of your Column. In this case, the King will have to join this group.
Ruga-Ruga
Superstitious: The Ruga-Rugas have a Bravery value of D8 except when rolling for Terror, when it is reduced to D6.
Scouts
Natives: A group of Scouts never rolls on the Dangerous Terrain table. They treat all dangerous terrain as explored in all circumstances.
African Kingdoms Rituals
Ritual of the Bloody Hand
The Witchdoctor spits in his hands, cuts his palm with a knife and then rubs his face with blood, all the while staring at the enemy. If the Witchdoctor gets...
- One success: Choose a character in a group in line of sight of the Witchdoctor's group and roll 1D6. On a success, the character is eliminated unless their group draws two Stress tokens.
- Two successes: Choose a character in a group in line of sight of the Witchdoctor's group and roll 1D8. On a success, the character is eliminated unless their group draws two Stress tokens. On a failure, the targeted character's group draws one Stress token.
- At least three successes: Choose a character in a group in line of sight of the Witchdoctor's group and roll 1D10. On a success, the character is eliminated and his group draws one Stress token. On a failure, the targeted character's group draws one Stress token.
Ritual of the Mad Hyena
The Witchdoctor in his ritual mask begins his incantation in a voice that does not seem his own, and weaves elaborate patterns in the air with small dolls and statuettes. If the Witchdoctor gets...
- One success: Choose a group (friendly or enemy) in line of sight of the Witchdoctor's group. Move that group S. If that group engages an enemy group in melee with this movement, it gets an extra D8 to roll in the ensuing melee.
- Two successes: Choose a group (friendly or enemy) in line of sight of the Witchdoctor's group. Move that group normally. If that group engages an enemy group in melee, it gets two extra D8s to roll in the ensuing melee.
- At least three successes: Choose a group (friendly or enemy) in line of sight of the Witchdoctor's group. Move that group normally or give it a Panic Stress token. If that group engages an enemy group in melee with this movement, it gets four extra D6s to roll in the ensuing melee.
Ritual of the Macabre Blessing
The Witchdoctor squats on the ground, concentrating hard as he communes with the spirits. Muttering incomprehensibly he scatters handfuls of dirt in all directions. If the Witchdoctor gets...
- One success: Choose a group within M of the Witchdoctor's group and remove one of its Stress tokens.
- Two successes: Choose up to three groups within L of the Witchdoctor's group and remove one Stress token from each of these groups.
- At least three successes: Remove all Stress tokens from all groups in your Column.
Dangerous Terrain Table: Jungle
Roll the die once for the first column (first die), then roll again and read the second column (second die). Both dice are rolled as a 0-9 result.
First die 0, 1 or 2
| Second die | Event | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 0-9 | Everything is fine. | No effects. |
First die 3
| Second die | Event | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1 | You discover a fetish decorated with gems. | Place a Loot token with the group. |
| 2-3 | You see a sacred tree or a bush surrounded by offerings. | Draw one Totem card. |
| 4-5 | The vegetation is dense. You can shelter here. | Remove 1 Stress token of your choice from the group. If it has no Stress tokens, draw a Totem card instead. |
| 6-7 | You discover a mask of great value. | Place a Loot token with the group. |
| 8-9 | Hidden from the enemy, you take a breather. | If the group has one or more Stress tokens, it can immediately perform a Rally influence action. Otherwise, draw a Totem card. |
First die 4
| Second die | Event | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1 | You discover a trail. | The group can immediately move again and can move out of the terrain area (but not to penetrate into another terrain area). |
| 2-3 | Luck or divine intervention, a heavy downpour falls on the jungle. | All groups equipped with firearms (rifles and muskets) receive one smoke marker (unless they already have one). In addition, all shooting ranges are reduced to M until end of turn. |
| 4-5 | You discover a haggard man slumped on the ground, with bulging eyes. He mumbles incomprehensible things. | Before disappearing, the man asks you for some water. If you give him some, he gets excited and casts the ritual of the Mandrill's dance (see Forest Tribe Rituals). Resolve the ritual by rolling 3D8 without receiving Stress tokens and without any possibility to increase that number of dice. If you get a double dice result, discard all your Totem cards. If you do not give him water, you anger the spirits of the forest: discard one of your Totem cards. |
| 6-7 | You awake a panther hidden in the bushes! | The animal attacks your men ... Resolve a shooting action against this group, rolling 3D8. If you suffer no losses, your group may collect a bulky Loot token. |
| 8-9 | One of your men found his lost pet! | Place an animal with the group (dog, leopard, tapir or other). It counts as a character with a Combat value of D8. |
First die 5
| Second die | Event | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1 | You discover the remains of a former sacred site. | Your group can loot the place, and roll 3D8. For each success, this blasphemous group receives one Loot token but must draw one Stress token. |
| 2-3 | You discover an anthill of gigantic proportions. | The group draws a Stress token. |
| 4-5 | You disturb a nest of flying insects... | Your group and all other groups within S of the dangerous terrain area must flee. |
| 6-7 | You come across a strange berries. Are they tasty? | If you decide not to taste them, nothing happens. If you decide to taste, draw a Totem card and your groups receives 1D3 Loot tokens. Then roll 1D8. If a failure is rolled, remove a model from your group. |
| 8-9 | You get lost in the vegetation. | Randomly determine a table edge. The group makes a movement with a S measuring stick toward this table edge, stopping only when it comes into contact with a blocking terrain area or friendly models. This movement might bring the group out of the area. If it ends in contact with an enemy group, it engages in melee. |
First die 6
| Second die | Event | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1 | This place is scary... | The group stops before entering the dangerous terrain. The men are too scared to venture there! |
| 2-3 | A family of gorillas is living here. | You can either stop without displaying hostile intentions by drawing a Panic Stress token from the bag OR try to scare the gorillas which counts as being targeted by a shooting action resolved by rolling 4D8. If there are no more Panic Stress tokens in the bag, you must choose the second option (lucky boy!). |
| 4-5 | You hear someone screaming... You're overwhelmed with fear. | All groups in dangerous terrain areas immediately resolve a shooting action against the nearest visible group (friend or foe). If resolving a shooting action is not possible for a group (groups without ranged weapons, without line of sight, etc.), the group must flee instead. |
| 6-7 | A swarm of tsetse flies is in motion! | Place a marker in the center of the terrain area. Move this marker L toward a randomly determined table edge. Any group contacted by the moving marker picks a Movement Stress token (or a Terror Stress token if no Movement Stress token is available). Repeat this movement twice, upon which the swarm disperses. |
| 8-9 | Unbearably humid! | All groups located in a terrain area draw 1 Stress token. Any group that already has 4 Stress tokens must eliminate a model of his choice. |
First die 7
| Second die | Event | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1 | You frighten a warthog. | A warthog attacks your men ... Your group suffers a shooting action resolved by rolling 3D6. |
| 2-3 | The place is infested with mosquitoes. | The group immediately suffers a Terror influence action. |
| 4-5 | The ground is soft, before long you are knee-deep in quicksand! | The group must immediately make a movement with an S measuring stick. If this allows to get out of the dangerous terrain, all is fine. Otherwise, the group rolls 1D8. If a failure is rolled, a model of your choice of the group is eliminated. The operation is renewed until the group manages to move out of the area. |
| 6-7 | The zone is full of venimous plants and their contact is extremely irritating! | The group either draws a Panic Stress token OR draws a Movement Stress token and rolls a D10. If a failure is rolled, one model in the group is eliminated. |
| 8-9 | The spirits of the jungle league against you. | Your opponent draws a Totem card. |
First die 8
| Second die | Event | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1 | Your presence upsets the spirits of the jungle. | You discard 1 Totem card at random. If you do not have any, nothing happens. |
| 2-3 | You are attacked by a band of aggressive monkeys. | Aggressive monkeys engage your group in melee rolling 3D8. If you lose the melee, you take one Stress token for each casualty inflicted rather than losing models. If you win the melee, nothing happens. At the end of the fight, the monkeys disappear. |
| 4-5 | A python tries to stifle one of your men. | Roll 1D8. If a success is rolled, the victim is released and kills the python. Your group gains a Loot token. If a failure is rolled, remove 1 model from the group and the python disappears. |
| 6-7 | You discover a sanctuary... with human skulls. | The group takes a Panic Stress token. If no Panic Stress token is available, nothing happens. |
| 8-9 | You flee at the sight of a hideous and huge spider. | The group must flee OR draw 2 Stress tokens. |
First die 9
| Second die | Event | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1 | Your men are hopelessly lost in the tangled jungle. | Put this group in the nearest unoccupied area terrain without rolling on the dangerous terrain table. You choose where your models are placed in this area. If no terrain area meets these criteria, the group must draw 2 Stress tokens. |
| 2-3 | The place is filled with traps and the slightest misstep can cost you your life. | Roll 1D10. If the result is equal to or less than the number of models in the group, one of them falls into a trap and is eliminated. |
| 4-5 | You have apparently entered the territory of a tribe of cannibal pygmies. | Mark this terrain area (with small skulls, for example). Until the end of the game, each time a group enters this area, it is shot at by a group of Pygmy Archers (Forest Tribes list). If a group suffers at least one casualty, it must flee. |
| 6-7 | The ground is covered with a thick mist. You cannot even see your own feet! | Place a smoke marker in the area. Groups in this area are out of line of sight of all other groups. Remove the smoke marker as soon as the area becomes unoccupied. |
| 8-9 | This place is really sinister! | Roll 3D10. Your opponent chooses two dice to determine the outcome to read on this table. Your opponent chooses which one determines the first column, and which one the second. |
Dangerous Terrain Table: Savannah
Roll the die once for the first column (first die), then roll again and read the second column (second die).
First die 0, 1 or 2
| Second die | Event | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 0-9 | Everything is fine. | No effects. |
First die 3
| Second die | Event | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1 | This place is quiet and peaceful. Take time to rest and enjoy your journey. | Draw a Totem card. |
| 2-3 | You find strange stones set in an occult pattern on the ground. A good omen? | Take back a Totem card from your discard pile. If your discard pile is empty, draw a Totem card. |
| 4-5 | You discover a trail. | The group can immediately move again and can move out of the terrain area (but not to penetrate into another terrain area). |
| 6-7 | You discover an abandoned crate. It certainly has some value. | Place a Loot token with the group. |
| 8-9 | You find, amidst the tall grass, a couple of strange drums. Dare you use them? | The group can immediately initiate the Ritual of the Mad Hyena by rolling 3D6 (see African Kingdoms Rituals). You can not draw Stress tokens to enhance your ritual. If the ritual fails (i.e. you did not roll any successes), discard a random Totem card, and draw a Stress token for your group. |
First die 4
| Second die | Event | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1 | You stumble on something. Elephants bones ... Look at that ivory! | Place 2 bulky Loot tokens in the area, neither of them in contact with a model. |
| 2-3 | You can easily hide here. | Place a smoke marker in the area. Groups in this area are out of line of sight of all other groups except other groups also in the terrain. |
| 4-5 | The wind rises in the savannah throwing dust into your eyes. | Each player discards the Action cards he selected at the start of the turn and that have not yet been played. These are replaced randomly by as many Action cards, from those that were not chosen at the beginning of the turn. |
| 6-7 | You are on sacred ground, where natives perform their rituals. Cult objects are scattered everywhere. | Each player places 2 Loot tokens in non-blocking terrain areas. These Loot tokens can not be placed in contact with a model. There can be only one token in each terrain area. |
| 8-9 | You find the bloated corpses of some Askaris ... Their muskets are loaded. | If your group has less than 4 Stress tokens, you may draw a Stress token and immediately perform a shooting action as if you were equipped with muskets. Any model without a Shooting value, can still roll 1D6 when shooting the muskets. |
First die 5
| Second die | Event | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1 | In the distance, drums are playing ... A war party approaches. | Any group within M of a table edge suffers a Terror influence action. |
| 2-3 | You get lost in the tall grass ... | Randomly determine a table edge. The group makes a movement with a S measuring stick toward this table edge stopping only when it comes into contact with a blocking terrain area or friendly models. This movement might bring the group out of the area. If it ends in contact with an enemy group, it engages the melee. |
| 4-5 | Shouts begin to resonate. Panic overcomes you. | All groups in dangerous terrain areas, immediately resolve a shooting action against the nearest visible group (friend or foe). If resolving a shooting action is not possible for a group (groups without ranged weapons, without line of sight, etc.), the group must flee instead. |
| 6-7 | A herd of antelope passes. | Pick a point of any table edge. Your opponent chooses a point anywhere on the opposite edge. Any group with a model on the line connecting the two points must either draw a Stress token OR flee. |
| 8-9 | Sacred objects are arranged on the floor. Their value is certain, but will you anger the spirits if you take them? | If you discard, at random, one of your Totem cards your group receives a Loot token. If you do not have any Totem card to discard, your opponent draws one. |
First die 6
| Second die | Event | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1 | A strange looking man seems lost here. Perhaps a member of an expedition that went wrong? | Place with your group an independent character model (see Independent Character). As long as this model is with a group, the owner of the group draws a Totem card at the end of each turn. In return, the group he joins must draw a Stress token at the end of each turn as a result of listening to the man's horrifying tales. |
| 2-3 | You had not realized it was so late ... | Roll 1D6. On a success, night falls, and the night rules (see Night) apply until the end of the game. If a failure is rolled, nothing happens. |
| 4-5 | A Zanzibari expedition hid its merchandise here. Why did it never come back for them ? | Place 3 bulky Loot tokens in this terrain without any of them being in contact with a model. |
| 6-7 | It seldom rains in the savannah. But when it rains, it pours. | Apply the downpour rules (see Downpour) until the end of the game |
| 8-9 | A lion is sleeping peacefully. Be careful and avoid waking him. | The group may move back to where it started this movement. If it does not, roll 1D8. On a failure, the group suffers a shooting action resolved by rolling 2D8 plus one extra D8 for each Stress token the group has. |
First die 7
| Second die | Event | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1 | The heat begins to be overwhelming ... | From now on, until the end of the game, when a group picks up the pace, it must draw a Stress token at the end of its movement. |
| 2-3 | You lose all sense of direction. You cannot find a way out of this tall grass. | Your group must make a new movement, picking up the pace if possible, in the direction chosen by your opponent. |
| 4-5 | You disturb a warthog. He is really angry... | Roll 4D6. Lose one figure in your group if the dice show one or more of the same result. |
| 6-7 | You realize that you are in the territory of a hostile tribe, who does not appreciate foreigners trampling his land. | From now on, until the end of the game, the Traps rule (See Traps) benefits all Columns. |
| 8-9 | You are attacked by baboons living here. | The baboons engage your group in melee rolling 3D8. If you lose the melee, you take one Stress token for each casualty inflicted rather than losing models. If you win the melee, nothing happens. At the end of the fight, the baboons disappear. |
First die 8
| Second die | Event | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1 | You find a native dying native warrior. | You can help him (your group takes a bulky Loot token that may not be abandonned) OR leave him here thus attracting the wrath of his ancestors (randomly discard one of your Totem cards). If you do not have a Totem card, you must help him. |
| 2-3 | You have disturbed feasting vultures... | They pounce on you. Resolve a shooting action against your group, rolling 5D6. |
| 4-5 | Vultures are perched on a nearby tree. The way they look at you gives you a taste of the things to come... | The group must take a Terror Stress token from the bag. If no Terror token is available, you lose a model of your choice. |
| 6-7 | You fall into a trap set by local hunters. | Roll 1D6, 1D8 and 1D10. For each failure, lose a model of your choice from your group. |
| 8-9 | Powerful magic permeates this place. Show devotion to calm the angry spirits. | You may discard up to 3 Totem cards. For each Totem card you do not want to discard (or cannot) your group draws one Stress token. |
First die 9
| Second die | Event | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1 | You have disturbed a rhinoceros. | The group must flee then draw a Stress token. |
| 2-3 | The ground is covered with the corpses of fallen warriors. | The group takes a Panic Stress token. If no Panic token is available, nothing happens. |
| 4-5 | A bush fire starts... | Mark the ground with smoke to remind you that it is on fire until the end of the game. At the end of each turn, any group occupying this terrain must roll 1D6 and lose a model if a failure is rolled. |
| 6-7 | You walk on consecrated ground... | Discard one of your Totem cards at random. Your opponent then draws a Totem card. If you do not have any card to discard, your opponent draws 2 Totem cards. |
| 8-9 | This place is really strange! | Roll 3D10. Your opponent chooses two dice to determine the outcome to read on this table. Your opponent chooses which one determines the first column, and which one the second. |
Reference Sheet
Sacred Rule
Any die roll of 5 or more is a success.
Game Turn
Opening phase: Draw a Totem card and add the Sorcery card to your hand.
Actions phase: This phase is sub-divided into 3 Action steps. During each step, each player will secretly select one of 3 Action cards. Each Action card will then be resolved, starting with the one with the highest initiative.
End phase: On the table all Panic Stress tokens are returned to the bag of Stress tokens. If certain effects or endgame conditions occur, resolve them.
Movement
- The Movement of figures is S.
- You can pick up the pace if no enemy or animal is within S of the end of your first stick.
- It is always possible to pick up the pace if it means engaging an enemy in melee.
- You may not enter a terrain area and move out of it during the same Movement. You may not leave one terrain area and enter another terrain area in the same Movement.
- A group can only move once during an Action step.
- Groups with four Stress tokens can not engage the enemy in melee.
- If a group move into a dangerous terrain areas that is not yet explored, you must roll on the appropriate Dangerous Terrain table.
- The (movement) symbol does not allow you to engage the enemy in melee.
Shooting Action
- To shoot, the target must be in line of sight and within range. If only a single figure in your group has a line of sight to the target, only half of the group's figures will shoot.
- For each non-character or auxiliary, take a die of the type indicated by the Shooting value of the group. Add any relevant character and/or auxiliary Shooting dice. For each Shooting Stress token, discard one die. Each success inflicts a hit.
- To cancel the hits, the target rolls as many Cover dice as the number of hits sustained.
- Go to ground: The target can get additional D8 Cover dice by drawing Stress tokens. The hits that are not canceled become casualties.
- When at least one casualty is suffered, the target rolls 1D10. On a score of "1", a character or an auxiliary attached to the group must be removed as a casualty.
| Weapon | Range |
|---|---|
| Assegais / Pygmies bows | M |
| Bows / Muskets / Rifles | L |
| Jezail muskets | Unlimited |
Influence
Rally
- Take a number of dice equal to the number of the Stress tokens the group currently has. Add the character's Bravery die, and eventually any additional die or dice granted by playing a Totem card. For each success, remove a Stress token of your choice.
Terror
- Take one die + one extra die per Terror Stress token. This is the number of Terror hits. If a character accompanies this group, you will add the character's Bravery die, and possibly an additional die (or dice) granted by any Totem card being played. You then must draw and add to your group a number of Stress tokens equal to the number of uncancelled Terror hits.
- The (influence-restricted) symbol does not allow a Terror action.
Melee
- To engage in melee, your movement stick must touch a figure's base in the group you want to fight.
- Take one die for each figure. Add any relevant character and/or auxiliary Combat dice. For each Combat Stress token, discard one die.
- The result of the melee is determined by the difference between the number of hits scored by the winner and the number of hits scored by the loser.
| Result | Consequences |
|---|---|
| Equality | The defender retreats, and both groups draw a Stress token. |
| 1 more hit | The loser removes 1 figure, retreats and both groups draw a Stress token. |
| 2 more hit | The loser removes 2 figures, retreats and both groups draws a Stress token. |
| 3 more hit | The loser removes 2 figures, retreats and draws a Stress token. |
| 4 more hit | The loser removes 3 figures, retreats and draws a Stress token. |
Stress Tokens
- Shooting Stress token: -1 Shooting die
- Combat Stress token: -1 Combat die
- Movement Stress token: -1 S stick
- Terror Stress token: +1 Terror hit
- Panic Stress token (hand icon): Only Rally action
A group with four Stress tokens:
- cannot shoot.
- cannot engage the enemy in melee.
- must flee instead of drawing another Stress token. After the first flight, any Stress token is transformed into a casualty.
- is immediately removed from the game if reduced to a single figure.
Column Sheet
The Column Sheet (page 103 of the rulebook) is a blank form for recording a Column: culture, characters (with Shooting, Combat and Bravery dice, weapons, points, stars and special rules), an auxiliary, and up to seven groups. It repeats the Forest Tribe Rituals and African Kingdoms Rituals given above.