Colonial Barracks Report -- Part 1

This past weekend, November 4, 5, and 6, close to one hundred The Sword and the Flame fanatics gathered in Metarie, Louisiana for the first TSATF gaming convention run by the Brom family - Larry, Lori, and Christy.  The following pictures portray over half of the games that were played.  All pictures are by Col Campbell himself unless otherwise indicated.  Also unless otherwise indicated, all games were played with 25/28mm size figures and with the 20th Anniversary edition of The Sword and the Flame rules.

General Pictures:

Sergeant Brom, himself, the author of The Sword and the Flame.

The "Old Guard" -- Tim Chadwick and Larry Brom (front) and Jim Pitts, Mark Stevens, and Jay Stribling (rear).  Picture by Bobbie Chadwick.

Jay, Tim, and I are charter members of the "Jackson Gamers."  We were joined by Mark at a later date.  Jay and Mark were the heroic play testers as Larry developed The Sword and the Flame.

"The Cabal" throwing around ideas for the next Colonial Barracks.

Lori and Christy are seated behind the table.  Arrayed around them are Ed Sansing, Jay Stribling (smiling), Bill Hamilton and Mark and Martha (in "scooter" behind Mark) Stevens.

A Great Queen Is Hard to Find -- was run by Lori Brom on Friday afternoon using The Sword in Africa rules. 

Africa, 1895:  A European archaeological party is surveying ground for a dig to find the lost mines of Queen Esme.  They are threatened by unfriendly tribes led by the Great Mamou, a queen who wants her ancestor's treasure left undisturbed.  Wil the archaeologists make it back to the British Museum or will the lost mines stay hidden?

Lori reads from the "holy writ" as the players listen intently.  Christy seems to be catching a few winks along the back wall.

The Prisoner -- was run by Tom Anderson on Friday evening. 

Friendly Soudanese tribesmen have notified the Anglo-Egyptian headquarters that a gathering of Dervishes encamped some miles distant appear to have a white captive with them.  It is suspected that the prisoner might be Lieutenant Hamilton who was reported missing last week from a surveying party.  High command has stated that Lt. Hamilton will be rescued at all costs - dead or alive!  If not, the mission has failed.

Martha and Mark Stevens maneuver their forces to rescue Lt. Hamilton.

Soudanese askari advance across the desert.

Find the Gun -- was run by Jay Stribling on Friday evening. This game was played with 15mm figures but used the 25mm movement and gunfire range distances.

The British players search for a Boer gun that has been annoying traffic on a vital rail line.  Do they find it? 

Game Master Jay consults the rules as the game begins.

Tim Chadwick awaits his chance to move his troops.

The Train -- was run by Mark Stevens on Saturday morning. 

A train carrying ammunition to a British outpost has derailed.  A platoon of Post Office Rifles and a Gatling Gun must defend the valuable supplies until a relief column arrives.  This is a scenario from the "Scenario Portfolio 2000" published by Larry Brom.

This game was a real "train wreck!"

The scattered ammunition and supply boxes are paper constructs.

March and/or Die! -- was run by "Old School Gamer" Paul Arceneaux on Saturday morning using 54mm figures some of which are older than many of the gamers present. 

The French Foreign Legion takes on various desert tribes.

Paul Arceneaux (right) shuffles the movement deck as Clay Cooper awaits the start of the turn.

Aren't Paul's 54mm figures great looking!!

The Battle of Maiwand: 1880 -- was run Saturday morning and afternoon by Ethan Reiff using a modified 800 Fighting Englishmen.  Ethan drove (!!) all the way  from Los Angeles with the game boards, troops, and buildings loaded in his wife's car.  [Ethan -- she is a definite keeper, letting you borrow her nice car to come half way across the continent to play with little toy soldiers.]  Ethan's game was the highlight of the convention.  Please visit Ethan's blog -- Maiwand Day -- to read more about his reconstruction of the game and the terrain.

A fuzzy (unfortunately) picture of the 6' x 12' game table with home made terrain boards.

A father and son examine the massed Afghan army.

Ethan even had water bhistis and stretcher bearers!

The game's afoot!  Jeff Baumal (Sgt Guinnes on TMP) is on left in green shirt with Ethan directly behind him in the white TSATF shirt.  Chick Lewis is right rear with black shirt next to Bill Hamilton of the Jackson Gamers.

British artillery withdraws in the center while a British unit fires down into an Afghan unit in a gulley.

Save the Ladies!: Indian Mutiny, 1857 -- was run by Marc Fluitt and Mark Stevens on Friday afternoon using the Sword in India rules. 

Ladies Martha and Carolyn are protected from the mutineers by a loyal Indian merchant in his city compound.  This infuriates the mutineers and they rush to assault the compound to take the ladies hostage before the compound can be evacuated by a relief column.  Can the ladies be saved?

The magnificent table set-up with a mix of paper and resin buildings.  Jay Stribling (left rear) and Ed Sansing (right rear) await their turns to move.

The merchant's compound being assaulted by the mutineers.

A detail of the "slums" surrounding the merchant's compound.

The Wind and the Lion -- was run by Nick Zizo and Jeff Baumal on Saturday night. 

The Berber Chieftain El Rasuli is angered that the Sultan is entertaining foreign governments and weakening to their manipulations.  In an attempt to embarrass the Sultan, El Raisuli has kidnapped the expatriate Mrs. Eden Pedecaris and her two children and taken them to his stronghold in the Riff Mountains.  He then traveled to this small village southwest of Rabat to effect the exchange of his prisoners for gold and rifles.  But is has been captured by the German infidels and their lackey dogs.  El Raisuli must be freed .... it will please Allah!

With Jeff Baumal (on right in green shirt) watching, Tim Chadwick moves his troops to rescue his chieftain.

The fantastic city scape with a great many Miniature Building Authority buildings.  It looked magnificent!!

Close-up of action along part of the front wall.

Another close-up of the city.

I was planning on playing in this game, but a late supper with my wife (who came with me to the convention) coupled with some shopping time with her got me back too late to join in the game.  But I did watch for a short time and also took part in "the Cabal" discussions (see picture at start of post).  By this time I was almost played out, having run a game Saturday morning and played in three others, two on Friday and one Saturday afternoon (with a record of 0 wins and 3 losses - how "perfect" can you get!).

These were just the games in which I didn't play or run.  Those five will be posted later.  Please visit Flashcove's Cay and the Nomadic Old School Gamer blogs for additional pictures.