The NWFP Connection

[DungeonDevil]

I've recently been doing a great amount of study of the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) for wargaming purposes and was surprised to see the terms "Afridhi" and "Peshwa" with regard to people and/or places of Blackmoor. In RL, the Afridi were one of the more commonly-encountered tribes of Afghans in and around the famed Khyber (aka Khaibar) Pass (along with the Orakzais, Ghilzais, Mohmands, etc.), and Peshwa sounds very much like the well-known city Peshawar (lying just north of Kohat). Does this mean that DA and/or his colleagues were familiar with that part of the world and the Anglo-Afghan Wars, and if so, did they wargame that region's 19th c. conflicts?

[Havard]

I've recently been doing a great amount of study of the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) for wargaming purposes and was surprised to see the terms "Afridhi" and "Peshwa" with regard to people and/or places of Blackmoor. In RL, the Afridi were one of the more commonly-encountered tribes of Afghans in and around the famed Khyber (aka Khaibar) Pass (along with the Orakzais, Ghilzais, Mohmands, etc.), and Peshwa sounds very much like the well-known city Peshawar (lying just north of Kohat). Does this mean that DA and/or his colleagues were familiar with that part of the world and the Anglo-Afghan Wars, and if so, did they wargame that region's 19th c. conflicts?

Pretty interesting finds there DD!
To add another detail, the realm of the Afridhi is just beyond Goblin Kunsh, an obvious reference to Hindu Kush, also in Afghanistan.

I can't answer your question, but Blackmoor is filled with references to battle sites, military units etc.

-Havard

[DungeonDevil]

I've also seen that reference to "Goblin Ku(n)sh" -- however it's spelled -- and, yes, I'd bet that's also a nod to the "Hindu Kush" which forms a natural barrier in that quarter of the world. Blackmoor Archaeology is proving fruitful thus far.

[Havard]

Keep it up!

BTW, Kunsh was a typo on my part. It should be spelled Goblin Kush.

-Havard

[gsvenson]

Yes, I am sure that Dave Arneson and most of the original group was aware of the NW frontier and the Kyber Pass. I remember reading stories about the area, but I don't recall the titles anymore.

[aldarron]

It's a fairly safe bet that DA was familiar with Kiplings "The Man who would be King" and British imperial warfare in general. I think, though, that the word "Afridi" was introduced to Blackmoor by David Ritchie.

[Rafael]

Give me a few days. I think I found the book that this was based upon.

hock:

[gsvenson]

It's a fairly safe bet that DA was familiar with Kiplings "The Man who would be King" and British imperial warfare in general. I think, though, that the word "Afridi" was introduced to Blackmoor by David Ritchie.

No, we had Toska Rusa and the Afridhi as enemies in 1974 give or take a year...

[Rafael]

I think there was one more book but "The Man Who Would Be King" that dealt with similar scenarios and warfare.

Something equally classic, but more medieval. Something by Verne, maybe?

[gsvenson]

Dave was a history major and interested in India in the 18th and 19th C because of it's place in the relations between Britian and France and later Russia, so I am sure that he read about the NW Frontier as history. He probably read historical fiction on it, too. When he chose sides in a historical game he prefered to play Russians up to the 20th C where he switched his preference to Japanese.

I personally never read Kipling (I have seen the movie), but remember reading at least one novel set on the NW Frontier. It may have been part of a series of stories, because I think I read another novel where the same hero was in the Boar War. I just can't remember the name, Ogalvie or something like that, perhaps.