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The Boer Wars

As the ink was still drying on France's surrender to the new German Empire, a discovery of diamonds in Africa was sowing the seeds of two more wars.​

During the Napoleonic wars,  Britain took over the Dutch colony in South Africa. Decades later, many of the descendants of the original colonists decided to migrate north. The Boers (Dutch for farmers) founded Transvaal and the Orange Free State in 1852 and 1854 respectively.

 

In 1871, a rich source of diamonds was discovered near Kimberly, within Boer territory. That triggered an influx of men seeking their fortunes and of investors seeking to profit. With outside money came demands for greater freedom to exploit the new resources and greater influence by the British to the south.

 

The result, in 1880-81 was the First Boer War. The rugged and stubborn Boers would prove unexpectedly tough opponents for the mighty British Empire, but peace was restored fairly quickly.

Transvaal Spel shows the history of that first conflict. It begins with the foundation of the two states and ends with peace restored.

 

Some spaces show important buildings in Johannesburg and Pretoria and key battles of the First Boer War: Majuba Heuvel (Majuba Hill), Langsnek (Liang’s Nek) and Glencoe (Talana Hill). The last image is of the Kimberley and De Beers diamond mines.

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The former was the largest diamond mine in the world for more than a century. The final space shows the home of Transvaal President Paul Kruger.

The peace would not last. As the century came to an end, British pressure for more control over the diamond trade prodded the Boers into pre-emptive action. This time around, they were just as skilled and tenacious as well as better armed than before. They may not have had a chance of triumphing in the end, but they caught the British by surprise and humiliated their forces in South Africa. 

 

However, they then allowed themselves to forego their successful mobile tactics and settled into fixed positions besieging the cities of Ladysmith, Kimberley and Mafeking. Before the British defenders could be starved out, overwhelming reinforcements had arrived and the Boers were forced to yield.

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The conflict led to games being published on both sides. Boer en Rooineckspel was the most visually provocative. Published in Amsterdam, it clearly favored its ethnic relatives. The title itself refers to the British as “rednecks” after their uniform collars. And the illustration across the board shows a grinning Boer going eyeball to eyeball with a British soldier. The Boer looks triumphant. The British soldier is stiff upper-lipped but wide-eyed and clearly wondering what kind of a mess he has got himself into.

British players advance from Kaapstad (Cape Town) along the 144-space yellow track toward Pretoria; the Boer player starts in Pretoria and follows the white track in the other direction.

 

The game tracks are used as an element of the art, crossing and curving to frame the Briton’s helmet and straps and the Boer’s hat and beard. Landing by exact count on one of the city circles allows use of shortcuts.

 

It is a gambling game, but has two pots, one for each side. Players must reach space 144 by exact count, bouncing backwards by any excess number rolled.

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The first player on each side to reach the objective takes all in the enemy pot except 5, so that other friendly players still have an objective. Once only one player on each side remains, the winner between them takes whatever is left in both pots.

The half-way point is marked by Tugela at space 72. Before reaching that point, players are considered in friendly territory, and pay 1 to the enemy pot if landing on a space marked with either a British helmet or Boer Hat.

 

After that point, players are in enemy territory and receive 1 from the enemy pot when landing on these spaces. A player landing on a British helmet also must move back two spaces, while landing on a Boer hat grants an extra advance of three spaces. Landing on a red cross requires paying 1 to the pot no matter where it is on the track.

The Boers themselves published this deck of cards displaying

people and places within the two Boer republics. The card backs bear the coat of arms and motto of the South African Republic, which was formed in 1852 and became more commonly known as the Transvaal.

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However, the cards honor people and locations in the Orange Free State as well. The Transvaal motto Eendracht maakt macht (Unity makes strength) derives from that of the Netherlands, and also reflected the close relationship between the two Boer states.

Three King cards have portraits of Transvaal President Paul Kruger, Orange Free State President M.T. Stein and Piet Joubert, Commandant-General of the united Boer forces during the First Boer War.

The fourth is Pieter Cronje, who made his name as a military commander in the First Boer War and commanded the western theatre during the Second Boer War, including the sieges of Kimberley and Mafeking.

 

The Queen cards have portraits of women from four different African tribes.

 

The Jack cards show a range of Boer military uniforms: the standard Transvaal Boer, mounted police from Transvaal and the Orange Free State, and a Transvaal gunner.

The Aces have images of places and groups, two per card. Places include the Protestant Church and Government Building in Pretoria; President Kruger’s House in Pretoria; President Stein’s House in Bloemfontein; the central marketplace in that city; and a gold mine at Johannesburg.

 

There also are three war-related images: a trainload of Boers artillery heading for the border; a mounted Boer Commando on parade; and the siege of Ladysmith.

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Called to Arms offers a British view. Its 100-space track is more focused on the potential for personal glory than the course of the war. Players advance from recruits to Commander-in-Chief just in time to capture Pretoria. Along the way, they may win the Victoria Cross (space 42) or be labelled a Coward and ejected from the game. They also may be captured and sent to a prisoner of war camp or wounded and sent to hospital  (requiring even and odd rolls respectively to return to the game).

 

Game publishers in other countries also took note. In France, Mauclair-Dacier published this small solitaire game, Anglais et Boërs. The box  shows British troops getting the worst of an encounter with the Boers, being shot down from cover as they charge across open ground.

 

There are three wooden counters for each army, and the challenge is to move and hop over the other side's pieces to the enemy's starting spots.

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Even as the outnumbered Boers were frustrating the British Empire, a reunited America had decided to flex its military muscles by taking on the declining Spanish Empire.

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