Finally back at the Pine Cone Lodge, and have spent the past few days setting up projects for the Fall gaming season.

My IPad locked up over the trip and required drastic measures to return to operational condition.  And yes, I had not backed it up.  Stupid.  In a flash, I lost all my back issues of Miniature Wargaming and lots of other stuff.

Stung and motivated, decided to plow ahead with my Renaissance East Africa campaign game without notes and resources.  Set up a solo-decision making chain for the initial scenario.

The overarching concept is that the Ming Dynasty continued their ocean going voyages when proposed in 1477.  They encounter the Portuguese as far north as Malindi, Kenya circa 1510.  The Chinese had visited this city back in 1417, with the Portuguese arriving in 1498.  I don’t have Kenyan native figures, but I’ll make my other Sub-Saharan forces do.

The rough/beta decision making chain shown here involves the reaction of Inland Native and Coastal Arab Zanj trading cities.  Will they ally themselves with one group, cooperate, or remain strictly neutral?  OK, it’s backwards, but the scanner is cranky.

Other considerations to be worked on are levels of government support, and reactions of groups that might lead to a civil war.

More to follow.