Sunday 5 March 2017

Zanzibari Slavers: the Characters

Introduction

One of the four columns (i.e. "Army Lists") in the Congo rule book is for a trading group from the Sultanate of Zanzibar.  Long before Europeans became interested in the interior of Africa, expeditions from Zanzibar had been travelling there in search of riches.  Often, this involved slave trading; it seems that the Zanzibaris weren't particularly interested in increasing the wider world's scientific or geographical knowledge.

Of course, not all Zanzibaris were greedy traders in human misery, just as not all white men were morally pure.  But this lot are...



The Boss


The leader of my Zanzibari slavers is a cunning, ruthless, old fox.  Yussuf al-Omani is not a nice person: he's sly and devious and you'd have to be very sharp indeed to get the better of him.  He runs his band with ruthless efficiency, but he's feeling his age now and has considered retiring when (if!) he deems his succession is secure.

The Son


Abdulrahman ibn Yussuf is the boss's son and heir apparent.  He still clings to sheds of his youthful idealism and has a lot to learn about the realities of the family business.  However, he is fiercely loyal to his father and won't tolerate any criticism of him.

The Executioner


Othman al-Tammar does what he's told, which often involves cutting the heads off those who have failed the boss.  He has no imagination or feelings about this; it's just a job...

The Slaver


Omar ibn Khaldun is the expedition's slave master.  He is very good at cowing spirits; he can recognise incipient rebellion from a person's body language - often before the slave realises that they about to fight back him/herself.  Omar is a brutal sadist who takes out his anger on all "the goods" for the scar that was once given to him by a Bantu farmer.

The Brute


Mussa al-Rasheed is the expedition's enforcer, responsible for discipline.  He ensures personally that the boss's orders are followed and that there is no trace of dissent.  His beard is stained red with henna, though it seems unlikely that he has indeed been on a pilgrimage to Mecca.

The monkey is evil too...


Conclusion

This group forms the core of my Zanzibari column for Congo.  They're a rough bunch of really nasty people.  I've probably depicted them as rather cliched stereotypes, but this doesn't worry me much.  I'll look forward to seeing them thrashed in a game - unless I'm playing the Zanzibaris, of course!

26 comments:

  1. Nice work C6 some interesting characters

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    1. Thanks, Frank. The sculptor should take all the credit, really.

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  2. What a great selection, wonderful work.

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    1. Thanks, Michael. I don't think they're my best painting ever, but they'll do.

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  3. An ugly bunch to be sure. Nice work!

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    1. Right enough, A.J. -there are no square-jawed, clean-cut heroes here!

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    1. So do I, Scott. He'd be a worthy opponent for any hero from Tarzan to Indiana Jones :-) .

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  5. What a nasty bunch. Villains one and all! So good to see the bad guys make an appearance. And these ARE bad guys!

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    1. Indeed, Clint. Rotten to the core! Or maybe they're just misunderstood :-) ...

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  6. a nasty bunch of curs C6 and very characterful particularly the Boss!

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    1. Thanks, dGG. I definitely wouldn't want to cross paths with any of these!

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  7. Terrific stuff, Colgar6. Your paintjobs on them all are tip-top, though the Brute is my fave of the lot. They'll look awesome on the tabletop imho.

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    1. I don't think they're my best paint jobs ever, but thanks anyway.

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  8. Nothing wrong with cliched villains imo and a bit of booing and hissing whenever they move, shoot etc. will do wonders for the morale of their opposition!
    Are the figures Foundry ?

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    1. There is something of the caricature about these figures, isn't there?

      Yes, they're Foundry models.

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  9. What an unpleasant bunch. Makes you thankful that we have the Maxim gun.

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    1. I'm sure that the Zanzibaris can get their hands on modern rifles and/or small cannons if they want. A Maxim gun might not give you as much of an edge as you hope...

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  10. These are great so full of character I can almost imagine them on the big screen!

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    1. That would be a grim, dark movie, I think!

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  11. Amazing figures, love this wicked and cruel slaver, very impressive!

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    1. Thanks, Phil. Yes, these guys are very cruel, I think.

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  12. They are all done well but my favourite has to be 'The Son'. Everything about him seems just right.

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    1. Thanks! It seems that everyone has their own favourite :-) .

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