African Nations
An AK-47 Republic Archive
Greetings, everyone! I'm still relatively a newcomer to the world of war-gaming and miniatures, with only a couple of years under my belt. I've recently been introduced into
AK-47, and if you all have already seen my post for the Inaugural Forum Competition, you can tell I
adore any system that has role-playing elements in it. Being a historian by trade, I immediately jump on the chance to write intricate histories, backstories, and scenarios.
A good narrative can be a great addition to a superbly set up gaming table and a force of well-painted miniatures, in my opinion. That being said,
AK-47 is, I believe, a narrative driven game. Everything from the political actions chart to the "create your own nation" mechanic encourages imagination and creativity. I've seen plenty of blogs dedicated to these fake nations, and the detail in them is astounding.
So, why not keep track of all these would-be powers on a single thread (we can try, can't we)?
Enter the
African Nations Archive! Feel free to post your
AK-47 nation or faction here on the thread. I've provided a basic template, but I encourage folks to tweak it or make suggestions on how to add more detail to it. This way, we can keep track of the "geopolitical" situation ongoing in Africa. Who knows? Perhaps other players may incorporate other nations in their story, thus truly broadening the scope of our group's politics on the tabletop and beyond!
Note: The template will offer the source code, which means all one has to do is copy and paste it into their own post. I've included the United States as an example of the type of information you may wish to put in each section. Remember to erase the examples in parentheses by replacing it with your faction or country's own information.
Country Template:[b][size=14pt]INSERT COUNTRY'S NAME HERE[/size][/b]
[img]INSERT IMAGE OF COUNTRY'S FLAG HERE[/img]
[img]INSERT MAP OF COUNTRY HERE[/img]
[b]Current Status:[/b] (If you're currently playing with this nation, then state Active. If you're filling in a post for a defunct nation, state its fate: Destroyed, Conquered, Disestablished, etc.)
[b]Location:[/b] (i.e. The U.S. is in North America. In Africa, you could pick South, Central, West, East, or North Africa as a general location for your country or faction.)
[b]Country Acronyms or Nicknames:[/b] (i.e. the United States of America is referred to as the U.S., U.S.A., or America)
[b]National Motto:[/b] (i.e. the U.S. uses [i]E pluribus unum[/i]. Feel free to use English, a colonial language, Latin, or a local tribal language.)
[b]Date of Founding or Independence:[/b] (i.e. the United States celebrates its Day of Independence on the Fourth of July)
[b]Name of Leader:[/b] (i.e. President Barack Obama is the leader of the U.S.)
[b]Type of Government:[/b] (i.e. the U.S. is a federal republic)
[b]Ruling Political Party:[/b] (i.e. the Democratic v. the Republic Party)
[b]Other Political Parties or Faction:[/b] (i.e. the Green Party, Libertarians, etc. These can also be, in the context of [i]AK-47[/i], be factional groups like communist guerrillas or warlords)
[b]Population:[/b] (i.e. 324,000,000 in the United States)
[b]Capital City:[/b] (i.e. Washington D.C.)
[b]Key Cities:[/b] (i.e. Feel free to name three or so. The U.S. would have New York, Boston, and Los Angeles. Feel free to name why they're famous too!)
[b]Economic Status:[/b] (Suggestion: use words like thriving, in recession, bankrupt, etc.)
[b]Human Development Index:[/b] (The UN's HDI is a measurement of health, income, and education among the population. Use words like high, medium, low, etc.)
[b]Currency:[/b] (i.e. the US Dollar. Also, feel free to compare! For example, .75 cents to 1 British Pound)
[b]Official Language(s):[/b] (i.e. English for the U.S.)
[b]Area:[/b] (This is a tricky one. For example, the U.S. is roughly 9.8 million km[sup]2[/sup]. The smallest state in the United States, Rhode Island, is 4,000 km[sup]2[/sup].)
[b]Major Geographic Features:[/b] (i.e. the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone National Park, etc.)
[b]Military Information:[/b] (i.e. 1.3 million active personnel in the United States Armed Forces. Feel free to add as many details as you'd like, including armed forces branches, equipment available, vehicles, uniforms, key commanders, etc.)
[b]Diplomatic Allies:[/b] (i.e. the United States has Canada and the United Kingdom, to name a few. Feel free to state why your nation is friends with them!)
[b]Enemies or Rivals:[/b] (i.e. the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, for instance. Feel free to state why your nation isn't friendly with them!)
[b]History of Conflicts:[/b] (i.e. WW1, WW2, Korea, Vietnam, etc. Feel free to give a brief history of the war and who won, in list format.)
[list]
[li]WW1 - Entente v. Central Powers. Entente won.[/li]
[li]WW2- Allies v. Axis. Allies won.[/li]
[/list]
[b]Summary of History:[/b] (Provide a summary of your faction or nation's history here. Include whatever details you'd like!)You may also add or omit, as aforementioned, any section you'd like -- it's all up to
you!
The Free People's Democratic Republic of Nurumbiland(https://s21.postimg.io/et1s6ddjr/DRN_Flag.png)
(https://s22.postimg.io/5uozlpf1t/Map_of_Nurumbi.png)
Current Status: Active
Location: West Africa
Country Acronyms or Nicknames: The Democratic Republic of Nurumbi, Nurumbi, Nurumbiland, the D.R.N.
National Motto: "Force dans l'Unité" - "Strength in Unity"
Date of Founding or Independence: 1958 (Independence from France) and 1963 (Successful Coup to Install New Government)
Name of Leader: President Stephen Angali
Type of Government: Dictatorship
Ruling Political Party: The Northern Liberation Front, now the Nurumbian Democratic Party
Other Political Parties or Faction: The Armed Forces for National Liberation (Communist-backed Guerrillas) and the Free Nurumbian Army (Government-in-Exile)
Population: 1.5 million
Capital City: Kalumbo
Key Cities: Lonagoa (Key Port City), Ikeja (Oil Production), Kohane (Copper Mining), Koyes (Manufacturing Center)
Economic Status: Slowly Recovering
Human Development Index: Medium
Currency: The Numba. Current exchange rate is roughly 10 Nurumbian Numba for 1 U.S. Dollar.
Official Language(s): French (Official), Nurunga (Local Vernacular), English (Unofficial)
Area: 5,600 km
2Major Geographic Features: Lake Latanga, Iyaz Forest National Park, Kangali Mountains
Military Information: Officially known as the Nurumbian Defense Force, the NDF is composed of multiple branches and sports a variety of equipment of varying quality.
- The Republican Guard (2,500 troops)
- The National Army (10,000 troops)
- The People's Militia (6,000 troops)
- Equipment: Typically armed with weapons and vehicles left over from the French and the United States, with whom the D.R.N. struck a treaty with in 1962. After successful anti-communist operations were undertaken, American advisers sold to the D.R.N. large shipments of WW2 and Korean-era American uniforms and weapons. These also included M4 Shermans, M3 Halftracks, Jeeps, and transport trucks. After the dissolution of American-Nurumbian relations in 1968, most weapons were obtained from battles, the black market, or private contractors. This included shipments or acquisitions of T-55s and Panhard AML-245s. The NDF can also support three Curtiss P-36 Hawks, and a motley assortment of helicopters for transport or air support purposes.
Diplomatic Allies: Unofficial relations with the United States (typically through involvement via the Central Intelligence Agency)
Enemies or Rivals: The Soviet Union, the AFNL, and the FNA. Nurumbi is staunchly anti-communist and anti-imperialist, thus they also come into tension with the French. There are also brewing tensions with their neighbors, the nation of Zumisia.
History of Conflicts:
- Northern Uprising (1960 -1963) - Northern Liberation Front v. Government Army. NLF won, installed as new government.
- Operation Cobra (1964 -1966) - U.S. and D.R.N. v. AFNL. U.S. Coalition won. Communist guerrillas driven to the borders and the bush.
- Nurumbi-Zumisian War (1973 - . . .) D.R.N. v. Zumisia. Tensions are currently spiraling out of control, and war between these two nations may be imminent.
Summary of History: Based on a period of history ranging from 1885 to 1973:
Ever since colonization began in 1885 under the French government, two regional tribal groups, the Northern Ingiyab and the Southern Gabadi, have been locked in a state of ethnic tension in Nurumbiland. Northerners regard the Southerners as overly decadent, claiming that they relinquished their sovereignty the moment the French arrived on their shores. The Southerners feel the Northerners are far too isolated and backwards, claiming that the only way towards progress is cooperation with the outside world beyond the reaches of Africa. Ethnic tensions came to a head during World War One, as Southern Nurumbians fought on behalf of the French Army, while the Northern tribes allied together under the Ingiyab confederacy and pledged themselves to the Imperial German government, situated in German Southwest Africa. Multiple offensives were launched beginning in 1915, with the fighting carrying on well after the war’s end in 1918.
By 1920, tensions had died down, with hundreds of thousands of Nurumbians dead, wounded, or left homeless as refugees. The French government were able to strike an uneasy peace between the Ingiyab and the Gabadi tribes, managing to stabilize the turbulent situation in French Nurumbiland. However, after the end of World War Two in 1945, the French government found they could no longer invest resources into the continued security and economic future of Nurumbiland. A decade passed without any progress towards independence, but tensions rose up once more when protests began in the mid-1950s. This, coupled with the revolt in French Algeria beginning in 1954, left the French in a difficult position.
By 1958, the French government chose to pull out and focus on North Africa instead, setting up a basic framework for the Nurumbians to host their first democratic elections. Quietly, they backed the Nurumbian Democratic Party, composed mostly of Southern Nurumbians who were friendly towards the French government. However, the NDP was not the only party running. The Northerners managed to raise two parties to compete in opposition: The Nurumbian Populist Party and the Free Northern Coalition. Later reports revealed that the NPP was backed by Soviet agents operating in the country, while the FNC appealed to the concept of “northern Ingiyabi nationalism” which sought to end the perceived marginalization of the Northern tribes by the predominantly led Gabadi Southerners of Nurumbiland.
The end of the election year resulted in a victory for the NDP. Most voters came from the lowlands and coastal settlements in the South, where a majority of the urban centers resided. The Northerners were largely disconnected from the nation due to poor infrastructure. This left them feeling as if they were unable to pose a serious challenge to what they called “Southern dominance” over the country. As a result, a popular figure by the name of Stephen Angali came to prominence and established a rebel guerrilla group, named the NLF (Northern Liberation Front), in the northern highlands of Nurumbiland. Factional warfare began in 1960, two years after the election of President Kumeni. Angali managed first to oust the NPP, stating that the “communist had no place in a unified Nurumbi”. Since Angali took on an anti-communist stance, the United States sent agents to assist the NLF. The U.S. believed that they needed a more aggressive force committed to the containment of communist forces operating in West Africa.
After securing the North, Angali marched a newly unified front southward, taking the capital of Kalumbo by 1963. In November 1963, Angali declared the civil war over, forcing President Kumeni and much of the NDP into exile. That same month, he declared himself “President for Life” and promised to “uphold the democratic values” of the DRN and to “unify North and South”.
What followed was yet another string of bloody conflicts, revolving around the ethnic tensions and political turmoil ongoing within the country. Two rebel groups of note operating within the borders of the DRN, The Armed Forces for National Liberation (AFNL) and Kumeni’s government-in-exile, known as the Free Nurumbian Army (FNA), posed the most serious threat to the newly established dictatorship. The AFNL and the FNA also did not necessarily see eye to eye, as the AFNL led a strictly communist agenda, while the FNA sought to reinstall President Kumeni as the leader of the nation. Seeing he could not go at it alone, President Angali appealed to the international community, with special attention being given once again by the U.S.
Beginning in 1965, American advisers assisted President Angali and his government. It was concluded that the communist-backed AFNL was quickly gaining momentum, and that Angali’s government could provide a suitable launching point for future anti-communist operations on the African continent. The armies of the DRN received aide in the way of money, humanitarian aid, and, most importantly for them, instruments of war. Most equipment provided were leftovers from World War Two and Korea, predominantly traded from Israel, the Americans, or the black market. This included roughly 25 M4 Shermans, 40 M3 Halftracks, and 5 Curtiss P-36 Hawks. Weapons and equipment, predominantly of American origin, were also sent, which earned Angali’s troops the nickname “Greenbacks” from the rebel groups operating in the country. This was due to their distinctive appearance, as Angali’s troops sported a similar appearance to those worn by America G.I.s in the 1940s and 50s. With these new armaments, President Angali was able to secure large swathes of the country in a matter of months, beating back the forces of the AFNL and the FNA.
By 1967, relations between the United States and the Democratic Republic of Nurumbi soured. With the conflicts in Nurumbiland coming to a close, President Angali felt that the United States were overstaying their welcome in the country. Tensions only further escalated, as a squad of American advisers was ambushed suddenly on the road to the capital in Kalumbo. Two were killed, and one was critically wounded. The DRN declared that it was a friendly-fire incident, stating that the advisers failed to identify themselves clearly. With continued escalation in Vietnam and other operations elsewhere, the decision was made in July 1968 by President Johnson to withdraw support to the DRN. Unfavorable polls and Johnson’s decision to not run for reelection perhaps led to his administration choosing to not seek further retaliation through violence, as he chose to opt for peace talks with North Vietnam that same year.
As of 1973, the United Nations is still voting as to whether or not they should also withdraw their aid to the country, considering that the DRN still suffers from periods of starvation and economic decline. If one matter is clear, however, it is that President Angali’s government is unfriendly to direct American intervention, but friendly to the aims of our government on the continent. Yet, as it stands, an increasingly pro-nationalist sentiment has led to the DRN being incredibly apprehensive of outside aid, for President Angali believes foreign powers will steer the nation away from his control.
I normally field a UN intervention force with Kate Addie and her news team
I shall participate once my life comes my own again at 1:01pm on Tuesday 4th October. Which is a week tomorrow. Until then (other than reading on here) my head is in the books!