SAHEL: Total War

Hi everyone. After much planning and brainstorming...

SAHEL: Total War

is underway.

SAHEL (that's the area between North Africa and tropical Africa), is a mod focusing on Medieval Africa. I think Europe and even the Middle East have been done to death and its time to show the motherland a little love (the aztecs have been included for God's sake).

The campaign map is still in development (like everything else in this mod), but I've got bookoo resources for anyone who wants to join in the fun. Sir Robin has been a big help already.

Here is a map from one of my books that is roughly the basis of the campaign map. It's gonna be huge. 30 provinces

https://img406.imageshack.us/img406/...nmapai7.th.jpg

Province list
Province (province city)
1. Morocco (Marrakech)
2. Algiers (Tlemcen)
3. Ifriqiya (Tunis)
4. Libya (Tripoli)
5. Lower Egypt (Alexandria)
6. Northwest Sahara (Tindoul)
7. Central Sahara (Ghadames)
8. Western Sahara (Teghazza)
9. Southwestern Sahara (Ghat)
10. Eastern Sahara (Zuwaylah)
11. Middle Egypt (Cairo)
12. Upper Egypt (Aswan)
13. Senegal (Tekrur)
14. Northern Wagadou (Walata)
15. Norterhn Joliba (Timbuktu)
16. Eastern Joliba (Gao)
17. Air (Agadez)
18. Southcentral Sahara (Djado)
19. Nubia (Dongola)
20. Southern Wagadou (Kumbi Saleh)
21. Manden (Niani)
22. Southern Jolbia (Jenne)
23. Mossi (Tenkodogo)
24. Hausa (Kano)
25. Bornu (Ngarzagamu)
26. Kanem (Njimi)
27. Darfur (El Fasher
28. Axum (Northern Ethiopia)
29. Southern Ethiopia (Lalibela)
30. Somalia (Harer)

The mod will have 3 playable factions
-The Mali Empire of the Keita Dynasty
-The Kanem-Bornu Empire of the Sayfawa Dynasty
-The Ethiopian Empire of the Solomonid Dynasty

There will be 15 other factions with periphery roles (barbarians) including...
-Fulani
-Berbers
-Songhai
-Mossi
-Hausa
-Tuaregs
-Bulala
-Sao
-Nubians
-Arabs
-Somalis
-Oromo

I just finished a detailed unit list last night. 15 units for each playable faction. I have 4 really good books on African warfare and i'll be uploading scans now and then to give an idea of the look of these units.

Generic Units found in all 3 factions
1. Peasant
2. Peasant Archers
3. Town Militia
4. Spear Militia
5. Bodyguard
6. Late Bodyguard
-Manden's 9 units
1. War Arm Spearmen (throw javelins before closing with double-sided spear and shield)
2. War Arm Tribemaster (same but elite)
3. War Arm Bowmen (poison/flame arrows with sword for close combat)
4. Mandinka Golden Spears (elite infantry bodyguards)
5. Mandekalu Javelins (peppers with javelins and armed with with sword for close combat)
6. Mandekalu Spears (cavalry that throw javelins before closing with double-sided spear and shield)
7. War Tribemaster (cavalry that throws javelins before closing with sword and shield)
8. Farin (chain mail cavalry that throws javelins before closing with lance and shield)
9. Farba (chain mail cavalry that throws javelins before closing with sword and shield)
-Kanem's 9 units
1. Turkish Mercenary Musketeers
2. Sao Slave Musketeers
3. Kanembu Spearmen (throw javs 1st, shield but no armor)
4. Munga Bowmen (poison arrows with a light spear for close combat)
5. Shuwa Cav (Arab javelins armed with a light spear for close combat)
6. Kanuri Hvy Cav (javelins 1st, closes with lance)
7. Berber Camely (sword cav, throw javs 1st, )
8. Baguirmi Lancer (hvy cav, doubled headed lance)
9. Sao javelins (light infantry, no armor or shield)
-Ethiopia's 9 units
1. Portuguese Merceanry Arquebusiers
2. Yifat Javelins (light infantry javelins)
3. Ethiopian Gunners (light infantry arquebus)
4. Elmaya bowmen (poison arrows)
5. Ethiopian spearmen (heavy inf, iron tipped shields; throws slender javelins before charge with short spear)
6. Ethiopian Shotel Swordsmen (hvy inf, big curved swords)
7. Balambaras Fort Commander (throws slender javelins before closes with sword)
8. Fitaurarai Advance Guard Commander (chain mail cavalry armed with slender javelins and lance)
9. Black Horse (heavy slave cav with chain mail and lifida horses armed with a pike and an axe for close combat)


That's about it for now. i load up my new graphics card saturday so i'll be able to do more of this work at home. anyone who want's to join up in this endeavor needs to email me. we're pretty much covered as far as history stuff is concerned. We need modelers tho.

HOLLA

Here are some pics from a book of mine; African Arms and Armour. Has great illustrations. These are some of the inspirations for the Ethiopian faction

Ethiopian Court official with distinctive shotel sword.
https://img509.imageshack.us/img509/...ialwqo3.th.jpg

Ethiopian musketeers
https://img509.imageshack.us/img509/...iorspf8.th.jpg

Ethiopian flag (this will probably make it on the faction banner)
https://img509.imageshack.us/img509/...flagps6.th.gif

Ethiopian shield with lion's mane attached (noble shield)
https://img509.imageshack.us/img509/...ewitgf8.th.jpg

Ethiopian swords and scabbards (top) ethiopian ornamented shield (bottom)
https://img509.imageshack.us/img509/...ieldbj6.th.jpg

Ethiopian Ras (governor/general) from Italo Abyssinian War
https://img521.imageshack.us/img521/...nnennk9.th.jpg

Ethiopian knight on travel mule
https://img509.imageshack.us/img509/...rregxw7.th.jpg

Ethiopian general with shieldbearer
https://img509.imageshack.us/img509/...hsasoo3.th.jpg

Bete Georgis Church at Lalibela (this should be one of the wonders)
https://img408.imageshack.us/img408/...atopnx5.th.jpg

Ethiopian Castle at Gondar (looks very similar to european castles)
https://img526.imageshack.us/img526/...asilvj9.th.jpg

that's about it on my ethiopian resources... i'll holla back with more stuff later.

Here are drawings which I will base the Kanem-Bornu units from. Like before, most of these drawings can be found in Africans Arms and Armour.

Kanembu Spearmen (left) Munga Bowman (right)
https://img504.imageshack.us/img504/...unguza4.th.jpg

Munga Bowman (left) Bornu Bodyguard (right)
https://img405.imageshack.us/img405/...cherzk6.th.jpg

Baguirmi Lancer (notice the awesome two pronged lance!)
https://img526.imageshack.us/img526/...ncervi4.th.jpg

Kanuri Noble surrounded by Kanembu Spearman
https://img523.imageshack.us/img523/...erorox5.th.jpg

Fellatah from Timbuktu (left) Bornu traverler with long club and arm dagger
https://img237.imageshack.us/img237/...elerqf0.th.jpg

A very original take, and I like it very much. Although what time period is the mod focusing on?

About 1270 when the latest dynasty of the three factions appears (solomonid of Ethiopia) to 1645 with the end of the first dynasty of the three factions (keita of Manden)

Kanem (Sayfawa Dynasty): 1075-1846
Manden (Keita Dynasty): 1235-1645
Ethiopia (Solomonid Dynasty): 1270-1976

This looks quite good but I was wondering how would you do poison arrows?

Higher attack values. These poisons (especially among West and Central Africans) were fast acting. Just a knick is enough for paralysis and/or death. that's why the padded armor became so important aong cavalry. such armor wasn't very efficient for spears and lances, but it could stop most African arrows even at close range. African arrows in West/Central africa weren't very strong and the bows had only half the distance of European counterparts. The Ethiopian bowmen (even the non-poisoned ones) will be different with much greater range and stopping power.

Bump!

Any progress? A native African empire mod, I was hoping someone would try making one :yes: