Turn Thirteen, 1978
The Rhodesia Herald Phase
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Chitepo, who had been collaborating, arranges the kidnapping of black children to discredit the regime. The terror level increases by one, and Chitepo is kicked out of the collaborator box. This is a tough blow for efforts to unify Rhodesia.
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Communist suberversion increases the terror level again, pushing it to the maximum (+7).
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The local tribal governments in Victoria and Matabeleland reopen negotiations with the Rhodesian government, after being the target of Chitepo and the Mashona tribes predations.
Terror level to 7 is hard, but now I have 4 of 5 regions in handshake mode. That at least gives me a chance.
The Politics Phase
- No events.
Commercial Phase
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Funding is still tight. Income this turn remains at $7, which puts the coffers back to $9. I will need to pay $2 to redeploy units in Mashonaland and $1 for the airforce, leaving me with $6 to spend.
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I can attempt to bribe Chitepo, but I need to try and pass the Quenet commission this turn, and I’ll need to spend on popularity to make sure my government survives.
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I will pay $1 to refuel the Rhodesian Airforce.
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I will spend $4 on popularity leaving me with $4. I roll well enough to put me up to +5.
Policy Review Phase
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Up for debate this year is the Quenet Commission, which allows me to attempt to form Zimbabwe Rhodesia, a precondition to winning the game. To enact the policy, I need to roll a 2 (due to an RF party split), and then call an immediate election…
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I roll a one, which results in new elections. I get a net +10 on new elections, but I decline to spend to support the government, which reduces the total to a +6 (I now need a 3 or higher to pass the bill). I also lose 1 RF popularity.
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The Quenet Commission passes the second time. The snap election results in a 9, which is a landslide victory for the RF. It increases RF popularity back to +5. I will pay the $2 to keep the result, leaving me with $2.
Chimurenga Phase
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I need to pay to deploy $2 worth of Rhodesian and Portuguese forces. I do, keeping the same deployment as last turn.
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The terror level is now at 7! I roll 7 dice. It results in 3 ZANU each in Mozambique and Tete, and 1 ZAPU in Botswana.
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The two Renamo units attempt to stop a terr in Mozambique and Tete. Both Renamo units are eliminated.
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The ZAPU Terr attempts to move to Matabeleland, but is repulsed by the local collaborators.
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The three ZANU terrs in Tete move to Mashonaland. The ZANU in Mozambique move to Mashonaland, flip the handshake in Victoria, and are repulsed from Manica land.
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The Victoria battle (4 factors vs. one terr) results in retreat to Mozambique for the ZANU Terr.
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There are two battles in Mashona land, at 3 factors and 2 factors. The 3 factor unit is eliminated, and the 2 factor unit forces a retreat (to Tete). There are 3 terrs left in Mashonaland.
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I will do a fireforce raid, which allows me to designate a unit in Rhodeis and move it, wiht the airforce unit, to a single surviving terr. I will move the 3 strength unit in Matabeleland to Mashonaland and hit one of the ZANU terrs with 5 factors total. That blows up one of the ZANU terrorists, leaving 2 remaining.
Cosmopolitics Phase
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US midterm elections bring some good news, as Jimmy Carter loses support in Congress. The terror level goes down by one, and I get +$2 more in resources next turn.
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Unfortunately, the terror level goes back up because, for the first time, there are terrs in Rhodesia at the end of the year.
Zimbabwe Rhodesia Phase
- I now attempt to establish Zimbabwe Rhodesia. I roll 1d6, and add the number of collaborators (1 now). If I get a 5 or better, Zimbabwe Rhodesia is formed. I roll a 5 (total of 6), so ZR is established. Unfortunately, apathetic voters mean that the government is not well respected at home or abroad. The US congress turns against the new state of Zimbabwe Rhodesia, flipping the marker back to Democratic and increasing the terror level by one. That puts it past 7, which generates a new terr. I roll a ZANU terr in Tete, so there are now two there.
The state of the board at the end of turn thirteen:
Turn Thirteen was a mixed bag. If the game ends at the beginning of next turn (if I roll a 4+ on the event die roll), I will be at 19VPs. I get to roll a d6 to add to that, with a high roll giving me a victory and a low roll bringing me defeat. We will see how it goes!
Turn Fourteen, 1979
The Rhodesia Herald Phase
I roll the 4, which triggers the Lancaster House Peace Talks. My VPs are as follows: +3 for Handshake Markers, +5 for RF Popularity, -2 for falling population, +2 for “Green Bar” political units on the map (Tories and Kaunda), +6 for the ZR election result, +3 for Liberal Constitution, +2 for Land Tenure Amendment, +1 for Integration, +1 for collaborators, and -2 for terrorists in Rhodesia. That totals to 19VP. I roll a d6 and get a 6, which results in a total of 25 VP.
The Lancaster House conference went as well as could be expected for Prime Minister Kane. With international opinion against him, he could not maintain power for himself or the Rhodesian Front, and was forced to call for new elections. His best hope was for a victory by the moderate United African National Council. A win by Robert Mugabe’s ZANU, or a ZANU-ZAPU coalition, would likely prove disaterous for Rhodesia. Mugabe was a tyrant in the making, who threatened pogroms against minority tribal groups like the Ndebele.
Three factions fielded candidates: ZANU, fielding Robert Mugabe, ZAPU, fielding Rev. Ndabaningi Sithole, and the United African National Council, fielding Bishop Abel Tendekayi Muzorewa. Muzorewa ran an excellent campaign, appealing to the more moderate votesrs in Matabeleland, Manicaland, and the Midlands, while ZANU and ZAPU split voters in the dissident strongholds of Mashonaland and Victoria.
When the new parliament convened in the Assembly House, Bishop Muzorewa held a slim majority over the ZANU/ZAPU Marxist coalition. Under Muzorewa, Zimbabwe Rhodesia had a chance at a bright future.
Substantial Victory
This game came right down to the wire. While some would say that victory or defeat came down to a die roll at the end, things would not have been that close had I not focused on passing important liberal policies and holding the RF together. A small stumble could have resulted in a sitaution where no kind of victory was attainable.
If you can’t tell from this playthrough, I highly recommend The White Tribe. There is a real feeling of tension, which is often missing from solitaire games. Every die roll feels like a dramatic moment. The game’s political simulation forces the player to balance short term benefits of conservative policies (and inaction on liberal policies), which can keep the RF government alive, with the short term losses of liberal policies, which pay off if you can survive to the end game.
Thanks for following along with the AAR. I liked the White Tribe so much that I ordered some of Ben Madison’s other designs for White Dog Games. Hopefully my copy of his British Wars trilogy will arrive this week. I will probably play one of those and post an AAR as well, if there is any interest. I’ll probably play chronologically, starting with Don’t Tread on Me, covering the American Revolution.
