A new Belle Époque army: The Kingdom of the Obele

I recently bought a small 15mm Zulu army via eBay and I have begun the process of renovating, varnishing, and basing it so that it can become part of my Belle Époque collection.

I decided to select a name for the army's country that I had previously used for a tribe in the colonial imagi-nations project that featured British Dammallia, German Mankanika, and the Sultanate of Marzibar ... and thus the Kingdom of the Obele was created.

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The Kingdom of the Obele

A history of the Obele

The Obele originated in what is now part of the Sultanate of Sahel but migrated south many centuries ago. Small groups spread out over the fertile grasslands, and these groups gradually developed individual tribal cultures. Fighting between these tribes was rare and was usually about the ownership of cattle or the use of grazing land.

A century ago, the chief of one of these tribes – Kasha – gradually began consolidating control over the other tribes and eventually became their paramount chief or king. He named his confederation of tribes the Obele … ‘the people of the grasslands’. The current king of the Obele is Mopande, the grandson of Kasha.

The economy of Obeleland

The economy of Obeleland is almost entirely agrarian. They grow millet, sorghum, maize, and vegetables as well as raising cattle. The latter are a measure of wealth – the more cattle a man owns, the wealthier he is – as well as being a vital source of protein and leather. In addition, the Obele supplement their diet by hunting and foraging.

The Obele also undertake a degree of trade with outsiders. They exchange precious stones and metal – particularly diamonds and gold – for cloth, iron goods, and firearms.

The armed forces of the Obele

The army of the Obele has the following units:

• Infantry
• 1/1st ‘Thunder Sticks’ Regiment
• 2/1st ‘Thunder Sticks’ Regiment
• 1/2nd ‘Lions’ Regiment
• 2/2nd ‘Lions’ Regiment
• 1/3rd ‘Leopard’ Regiment
• 2/3rd ‘Leopard’ Regiment
• 1/4th ‘Scorpions’ Regiment
• 2/4th ‘Scorpions’ Regiment
• 1/5th ‘Hunters’ Regiment
• 2/5th ‘Hunters’ Regiment

(NB. The 'Thunder Sticks' Regiment is armed with single-shot rifles and muskets.)

The army is organised into the following formations:

• Obele Tribal Army
• 1st ‘Thunder Sticks’ Regiment
• 2nd ‘Lions’ Regiment
• 3rd ‘Leopard’ Regiment
• 4th ‘Scorpions’ Regiment
• 5th ‘Hunters’ Regiment
• Total bases = 10; Total SPs = 40 SPs