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iain_a_wilson

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Apr 1, 2003
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001.png

Hello everyone. Long time Victoria players will probably be familiar with the little flag above. For those of you who don't know what it represents (or haven't guessed from the title of the AAR!) let me introduce you to the Oranje-Vrystaat (or Orange Free state if you're not a hardy Afrikaaner)!

A tiny republic in the far south of Africa, Oranje managed to become a bit of a political and economic success (if you were an Afrikaaner - I'm sure there were a few maltreated natives that weren't exactly over the moon with the new republic's policies) and would probably have carried on being wonderful were it not for it's dastardly neighbours in the South African Republic (also known as the Transvaal - please feel free to "boo" on cue).

Like hyperactive children with the collective attention span of a gnat, the Transvaal Boers couldn't decide if they wanted to fight with the good people of the Vrystaat or get into bed with them (politically speaking of course). Sadly for the people of Oranje, the pen was to prove to be more deadly to them than the sword, for no sooner had they said "Yes, yes. Let's put all this fighting behind us and have a nice alliance with the view to creating a prosperous federal union between our two peoples!" than the Transvaal Boers said "Er...excellent! By the way, you know the British? Yeah... Er...we're kind of at war with them."

It all went down hill after this.

(try entering "Boer War" in Wikipedia for an idea of just how downhill)

Anyway, this AAR is a retelling of a recent game in which I attempted to guide the good people of the Oranje-Vrystaat to a glorious future. I should mention that it's been a good while since I've played Victoria properly, so that should hopefully set expections as to how "happily ever after" this little tale is going to finish...

This is also an attempt to do comedy - after the recent ACAs some people were bemoaning the fact that not a single person nominated a Vicky AAR for it's comedic value. I think a lot of people assume that Vicky players are all history beards and that we like nothing more than sitting around in high-backed arm chairs, with glasses of brandy, engadged in extremely sombre discussion about the economic decline of the Ottoman Empire (although that's almost given me an idea for another AAR...).

Sooooo...

Stay tuned and the first update will follow soon.

DISCLAIMER

In case anyone IS a serious history beard and is utterly outraged with my somewhat free and easy *coughs* retelling of southern African history please be assured that I am well aware that there were lots and lots of factors contributing toward what became the Boer War, but this is meant to be a light, airy-fairy AAR so I'm choosing to go for a more simplistic approach. Don't fire-bomb my house out of disgust at my seeming glossing over of history, ok? Please?

Obviously, if you're a hard-core Transvaalian* nationalist this goes double for you! I could really do without finding a scorpion in my bed.

Thank you for your co-operation!

* if you're a Transalvanian nationalist I keep garlic and a stake by my bed at all times.
 
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This does look amusing. I shall lay aside my holy and righteous anger towards you and subscribe.
 
IN!

As if I wouldnt be
 
my favorite vicky game was with transvaal (the mighty african empire which welcomes all). Now I have mixed feelings.
 
Ahh starting a new AAR . Love to be in the ground floor of this one , Mr. Wilson !
 
Looks promising, I'll keep an eye on this one.
 
Part 1

001.png

The two slaves cowered behind a mish-mash of barrels and cargo crates as the night around them exploded with the sounds of small-arms fire. Occasionally one of them would pop his head over the top of the makeshift barricade and get a good view of the campsite that had rapidly devolved into a battlefield.

Just ahead of them lay the ringed wagons of the Oranje Vrystaat Commando, where the outnumbered Boers were putting up a stubborn - yet futile - resistance against the advancing soldiers of the British Empire. In the flickering torchlight the Redcoats' white pith-helmets and webbing shone with a luster that gave them an eerie, ethereal appearance - like murderous ghosts stalking out of the bush.

Suddenly there was an almighty explosion and the central wagon was torn apart from within. Flames from the wreckage rose high into the sky and started to dance across the surrounding wagons - their wooden bodies and canvas coverings being greedily devoured by the rapidly expanding inferno. Screams and shouts went up from the defenders and some abandoned their posts to fetch water while others simply fled into the night.

The taller slave, a thin, wiry man with a look of sharp intelligence in his eyes who went by the name of Seepo, turned to his companion - a shorter, stockier lad who could be no older than fifteen and whose perpetual grin suggested a mind accustomed to good humour and mischief.

"Did you SEE that? Did you HEAR that? They've hit the magazine!"

His companion grinned and responded by making a series of clicking and whistling sounds with his mouth. Unlike Seepo, who was a Tswana, Teetoo hailed from the smaller Wana-Wunga tribe from the Vaal river who had the curious distinction of "speaking" a language the solely consisted of dental clicks and whistled sounds*. He stood up, patted the small satchel across his shoulders and loped off into the night. Seepo went to shout something but was cut off as something exploded to his left, hurling him to the ground. Dusty, bruised and slightly deaf in one ear he picked himself up, shook his head and made off after his friend.

~~~

The two British scouts crouched in the undergrowth, rifles trained on the figures fleeing the burning camp. Although the light was bad they had managed to pick off quite a few soldiers of the Oranje Commando who had chosen discretion as the better part of valour and now the ground itself seemed alive as the wounded Afrikaaners writhed and twisted in agony, awaiting the British stretcher bearers who would carry them off to prison camps.

The scouts' orders had been very specific - immobilise, don't kill. Apparently Lieutenant Colonel Marius Van Moordenaar wanted prisoners. Van Moordenaar was infamous amongst the Boer people - a former resident of the Transvaal who joined the British army, he was now obsessed with stamping out what he described as the "unlawful insurgency" of the Boers.

Two more figures ran from the camp and one of the scouts raised his rifle, but as he did so his companion raised his hand.

"Hold your fire."

The other scout looked quizzically at his companion but didn't lower his gun.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Don't bother shooting - they're just slaves. What use would the Colonel have for them?"

The wannabee-shooter peered through the gloom at the two disappearing figures and smiled wryly.

"Good point - why waste ammo, eh? The poor bastards will probably be picked up by slavers before the morning."

The soldier's words were to prove to be prophetic.


*Seepo, who had a flair for languages, was one of the few outsiders able to understand this tongue and had learned it to keep a rather miserable Teetoo company during their years of captivity. Teetoo, on the other hand, understood what most people were saying perfectly, but was either unable or too lazy to attempt to emulate their speech.
 
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Oi, missing an "a" in "van Moordenaar". Moordenaar means killer in dutch, and also in Afrikaans I think. But since they dropped lots of good vowels and stuff from their mother tongue, since they fled the english in 1830 or thereabouts, I wouldn't be surprised that it is written with only one a now.
But an intrigueing start non the less.
 
Oi, missing an "a" in "van Moordenaar".

Ah! My apologies! You are, of course, correct. I got the word from a South African colleague - the spelling mistake is purely me not being used to typing vowls so close to each other!
 
Sounds promising. Count me in! And, could you be so nice to post something about Vicky, as I'm clueless.
 
A rather serious bout to begin with ! But shouldn't mercy be rewarded in the long run ? XD
 
Looking good so far, I wonder what will happen next?:confused: