President Fred's Funeral - part 1 - Setting the scene

This game, played on 9 April at Sheffield Wargames Society followed on from our last outing to Darkest Africa.  See the earlier post for an outline of the game mechanisms.  Here are the player briefings.  Next time we'll see the action unfolding.  Or just unravelling......
To recap on what happened last time: 

President Fred was - dead!  After over a decade of surviving various assassination attempts and battlefield fire the great Fred - blessed be his name - was gone.
Captain D'eath made it to the Capital and featured in some very positive news footage.  He hasn't become the new president.  Yet....
The P.O.O.F.S. - Managed to find a few bits of new kit and are well placed to take power (with L.A.D.A. support).
Col. Incognito - Was militarily successful and expects to be able to manipulate the future government of Ph'tang.
Roger Mellie - Got some great footage on prime time TV and took full advantage of Capt. D'eath's well stocked drinks cabinet.
Hertz Van Rental - successfully evacuated the wounded from the airport - but didn't feature in any TV coverage.

Personal briefing – Mrs Fred

You are the widow of the late President Fred (blessed be his name), the democratically elected and benign ruler of the small African state of Ph’tang, his party P.O.N.G. (the Ph’tangi Organisation for National Glorification) having swept to victory at the last election.  And the one before that.  

Under your direct command is your devoted (and well remunerated) bodyguard, The Purple Helmets.

Objectives:

1. Ensure Fred has an honourable and dignified send off.
2. Position yourself as his successor.
3. Use the advantages that nature has conferred to advance your cause.

Personal briefing – Captain D’eath

            You were until recently are the loyal and trusted sidekick to President Fred of Ph’tang.  In the aftermath of Fred’s death you featured in some very positive TV news coverage, having saved the life (or so you say) of ace reporter, the rather tipsy Roger Mellie.

Objectives:

1. Develop your media career.
2. Emerge as a lifelong supporter of whichever faction looks most likely to control Ph’tang.
3. Quietly commit an atrocity, preferable one involving an endangered species of wildlife.

Personal briefing – The Limp Wrist

            You are the shadowy and mysterious leader of a popular (well not that popular) uprising against the evil dictatorship of President Fred. Your organisation, The Peoples Organisation For Socialism (P.O.O.F.S.) is covertly backed by the Cuban sponsored Leftist Army of Darkest Africa (L.A.D.A.) which has invaded Ph’tang in support of your cause.

Objectives:

1. Position yourself as Fred’s successor.
2. Include a load of Marxist claptrap in every argument.
3. Retain the support of L.A.D.A.

Personal briefing – Colonel Incognito

            You are the Cuban ‘adviser’ to and thus de facto commander of L.A.D.A. (the Leftist Army of Darkest Africa). Having assembled your forces in nearby Zoone, you have invaded Ph’tang and put the country to the fire and sword in the interests of peace and stability.  You have orders ‘from the highest level’ that the P.O.O.F.S. must not gain power in Ph’tang.

Objectives:

1. Keep the peace during the funeral.
2. Give the P.O.O.F.S. plenty of verbal support but no material help at all.
3. Eliminate any remaining Fredist support.
4. Include a load of Marxist claptrap in every argument.

We also had two 'non player' roles:

Personal briefing – Roger Mellie (the man on the telly…)

            You are a hard-drinking veteran journalist and were in Ph’tang a few months ago to cover the election (and the subsequent unrest).  You have recenty flown back to cover the expected invasion of the country by the Cuban-backed Leftist Army of Darkest Africa.  Then you got a bit pissed.  In the aftermath of President Fred’s death you were ‘rescued’ by Captain D’eath and said a load of nice stuff about him on TV.  But you really can’t remember what happened…

Objectives:

1. Secure an exclusive interview with Mrs Fred, the late President’s grieving widow.
2. Present a dramatic 30-60 second report each turn.
3. Avoid Captain D’eath.
4. Emerge alive (and preferably drunk) with your reputation enhanced.

Personal briefing – Captain Hertz Van Rental

            You are a young officer of the Royal Dutch Marines currently on UN peacekeeping duty in Ph’tang.   

Objectives:

1. Keep the peace during the late President’s funeral.
2. Avoid becoming involved in any factional fighting in Ph’tang.
3. Ensure you feature prominently and positively in any TV coverage.