These lists are designed for use with the 2nd Edition of “In The Heart Of Africa”. They are intended mainly for armies in the size range which we recommend for campaign and single player games with “In The Heart Of Africa” – in other words, between 300 to 720 points, depending on the army and the scenario.

The chronological scope of the rules is approximately from 1860 to 1899, although many of the armies included could still be used into the early years of the 20th century. Geographically, they are intended to cover what might be thought of as the classic “Darkest Africa” of the explorers – the region in which European influence followed the pattern of rapidly accelerating exploration from about 1860 onwards, followed by an equally rapid phase of military conquest from 1885 to around 1900. The southern boundary of this region follows the Zambezi, Cubango and Cunene Rivers. In the north it is roughly demarcated by a line running from the mouth of the Tana to the northern end of Lake Rudolf, across to the Nile to take in the far south of the Sudan, then following the hills that mark the watershed of the Congo Basin, and finally south-west to the Muni River on the Atlantic coast. Of course, the lists do not include every possible fighting force to be found within this vast region. Many of them we know too little about, while others were just variants on the ubiquitous “Spearmen and Archers” type represented by the Generic Villager list (number 21). But we have covered all of the most historically significant of the native peoples and the foreign invaders, plus a few other armies which seem particularly interesting, or for which figures happen to be available.

Each list specifies the minimum and maximum number of permitted units (not figures) of each troop-type. If there are any additional restrictions on the number of figures allowed these will be listed under the notes. Many of these apply to the dates at which particular options are permitted. This is especially useful in a campaign, in which armies can evolve realistically with time, but players in friendly games may either agree on a notional year for their encounter or alternatively, if they prefer, ignore all date restrictions.

Each army should normally consist of between 3 and 8 units, plus baggage and independent figures such as Leaders, Witchdoctors, Scouts etc. Each unit may contain up to a maximum of 30 figures (points totals permitting). This means that the range of permitted figure strengths for a unit will vary according to the type of troops which it contains.

The Forces presented are:

The East Africans
Masai
Nandi, Kikuyu, Chaga, & Nyaturu
Kamba
Baganda
Banyoro
Bahima
Ngoni
HeHe
Northern Herdsmen
Ruga Ruga
Kavirondo

The Central Africans
Azande
Jungle Cannibals
Pygmies
Congo Archers
Southern Congo Kingdoms
Elephant Hunters
Bena Riamba
Ovambo
West Coast Chiefdoms
Generic Villagers

The Invaders
Arabs and Swahilis
Zanzibari Regular Army
Turkish Slavers
Bornu & Adamawa
Portuguese Settlers and Prazeiros
Egyptians
White Explorers

The Conquerers
Naval Landing Party (1875 – 1899)
French Colonial (1883 – 1899)
Portuguese Colonial (1885 – 1899)
German Colonial (1885 – 1899)
Belgian Colonial (1886 – 1899)
British Colonial (1888 – 1899)