Return to the Green Nile - Play Test

On Saturday, Sep. 17, I ran a play test of my scenario for November's Colonial Barracks.  This is a convention held in the New Orleans area that only uses rules written by Larry Brom or derived from those rules.  This year's theme is The Queen's Wars, 1837-1901.  My scenario falls about 1895.  It uses the 20th edition of "The Sword and the Flame" rules.  Infantry are organized into 20 figure units, cavalry into 12 figure units, and guns with 4 figure crews.

In 2001 and 2002, we played a five game quasi-campaign that started off with an Imperial advance up the Green Nile branch of the Nile River.  This game posits that an Egyptian/Sudanese force was sent east towards the Red Sea to occupy a strategic oasis.  They were almost immediately besieged by the Emir Tubeir and a motley force of Dervishes, Beja, Tuaregs, Arabs, and others (basically almost all of the painted native troops I have).  An Anglo-Indian relief column under Leftenant Colonel Manly-Jones has been sent to relieve the garrison and destroy the Emir's forces.

The Egyptian/Sudanese garrison of the oasis had one Egyptian infantry platoon, one Sudanese platoon, one Egyptian gun, an infantry company commander and senior sergeant, and a senior Egyptian commander (who was killed almost as soon as the attacks started).

The Emir's forces had 12 infantry units, 4 horse units, 2 camel units, and 2 guns, organized into four individual commands and a reserve.  Each command had a senior leader plus there was a figurer for the Emir.

The Imperial relief column had two Highland infantry platoons with a company commander and senior sergeant, two Punjabi (Indian) infantry platoons with a company commander and senior sergeant, a Bengal lancer cavalry troop, an Indian mountain battery with 3 guns, and a 2 gun Royal Navy Gatling gun detachment, plus a command figure (plus 2 man escort) for Lt Col Manly-Jones.

Now on to the action!

The battlefield showing the oasis being besieged by the forces of Emir Tubeir - Arabs, Tuaregs, Beja,

Dervishes, and others.

A close-up of the Tuareg camelry. Although impressive they didn't do much damage to the Imperials during the battle.

A close-up of the Arab command's cavalry also showing where some of the native force was hidden and the Imperial entry area.

 

Initial advance of Indian command gets hit by previously hidden Baluchi and Sudanese forces while the Arab cavalry watches for an opportunity to charge.

The Dervish command lines up to attack the Sudanese and Egyptian defenders who were protected by a thorn zariba. The Dervish commander on the far left was quickly picked off by a lucky Egyptian shot (an Ace was drawn and he was in the fire cone.).

The Arab command's infantry line up to attack the oasis. They are to the right of the Dervish in the preceding picture. The one Egyptian gun can barely be seen on the far right curve of the oasis.

Initial Arab, Tuareg, and Dervish attacks on the oasis tried to overwhelm the garrison before the Imperial relief column could reach them. But the plucky Sudanese and Egyptians were able to hold them off.

Another picture of the Dervish and Arab attackers closing the zariba.

A little further around to the left another Dervish unit closes the zariba.

The Indian command moves further forward but exposes its guns to attacking Sudanese infantry while an Indian platoon beats off the Baluchis with rifle fire. In the background the Arab cavalry and Bengal lancers tangle while one of the Highlander platoons awaits to pour fire into the Tuareg camelry.

Another shot of the native force attacks on the Indians. The Sudanese were able to kill most of the Indian gunners and capture two guns, but later the Indian infantry forced them off with rifle fire and recaptured the guns.

Here is a picture of the victorious Sudanese capering around the newly captured guns. The Bengal lancers and one of the Arab cavalry units fight in the foreground but for some reason the other Arab cavalry unit (green coats) never joined the melee.

Another view of the cavalry battle showing the reserve Tuareg cavalry and the location of the Royal Navy Gatling guns. While one gun initially jammed, both were able to shoot up the Tuareg camelry and cavalry.

The two Dervish guns, captured Egyptian Krupp pieces. The left gun was singularly mismanaged during the attack and kept trying to load the shells backwards (through a 6 meaning they couldn't fire). Eventually both were able to fire at the oasis but didn't do too much damage.

Dervish riflemen reveal themselves by firing at the Egyptian defenders while the Dervish and Arab attacks continue.

A final shot of the attack on the zariba. Finally one of the Dervish units was able to fight its way inside. In the background are the two Beja infantry units finally joining the assault.

So, how did the fight end? Well we judged that although the native force infantry would have been able to take the oasis, the Imperial relief column was just too strong to be defeated by what native forces were left.

Taps for Sergeant Larry Brom, USMC

We have just learned that my friend and comrade-in-arms Larry Brom, Sergeant, USMC, has died of a heart attack after a long illness.  Larry is the author of The Sword and the Flame colonial rules and many other rules that have provided many, many fun games for all of us over the years.  He is survived by two daughters, Lori and Christy.

I first met Larry when he was living here in Jackson in the 1970s and developing his TSATF rules.  I enjoyed a couple of games at his house while I was home on leave from the Army.  Larry and I always joked about the merits of our respective services and I had the utmost respect for his service with the Marines in the Korean War where he was awarded a Purple Heart.

Larry wrote that his father took him to see the premier showing of "Gunga Din" in Chicago in 1939 and he became enthralled with it.  It influenced the development of his wargaming rules.  So this is for you, Larry:

’E carried me away

To where a dooli lay,

An’ a bullet come an’ drilled the beggar clean.   

’E put me safe inside,

An’ just before ’e died,

'I ’ope you liked your drink,’ sez Gunga Din.   

So I’ll meet ’im later on

At the place where ’e is gone—

Where it’s always double drill and no canteen.   

’E’ll be squattin’ on the coals

Givin’ drink to poor damned souls,

An’ I’ll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!   

      Yes, Din! Din! Din!

   You Lazarushian-leather Gunga Din!   

   Though I’ve belted you and flayed you,   

      By the livin’ Gawd that made you,

   You’re a better man than I am, Gunga Din!

(from Rudyard Kipling's poem "Gunga Din")

Good job, bugler!  We will miss you.

Seizing the Supplies

After a fairly austere winter, the various forces in the Essex/Suffolk border area are looking to replenish their supplies.  News has reached both sides that a goods wagon (box car) from the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) has derailed in the Stour River valley.  There are also rumors that additional supplies, including petrol (gasoline), may be found in the vicinity.  So the race is on to see who can get there the quickest - the Royalists and their BUF allies or the Anglican League coalition.

We fought this battle back on May 17 and I'm just now finding time to post the report.  Pictures were taken by my friend "Electric" Ed and yours truly.

The Royalists had a company of the 2nd Battalion Essex Regiment, a company of BUF fencibles (the Bolton Rifles), a BUF special assault section, a troop of the Essex Yeomanry with a light tank and two armored scout cars, and a number of trucks with which to haul away the loot.  Two players controlled these forces.

The Anglican coalition had a company of the Cambridge Fencibles, a local defense company from the East Bergholt area, a company of American volunteers (Liberty Bell Legion), and a special combat section, plus trucks.  In addition, their erstwhile allies from the Harwich Maritime Defence Force ("red" sailors) had sent a company with a truck mounted gun to get their share.  Three players controlled these forces.

I was the game master.  We used the "Sword to Adventure" variant, with modifications, of Larry Brom's masterpiece "The Sword and the Flame" rules.  This was a play test for the game I will run at our regional convention, Bayou Wars, on June 14.

Now to the action.  Please click on the photos for enlargements.

Col Campbell himself, center, giving introductory remarks to several of the players.  The derailed goods wagon lies in the lower right corner while the buildings in the background are a petrol station and a house.

The initial moves.  On the left are the Royalists (Russ S. - near) and the BUF (Sean P. - back).  On the right are the Harwich sailors (Alex K. - near), Anglicans and American volunteers (Ed S. - middle), and East Bergholt LDF (John M. - back).  In the foreground are the movement card deck (on the right) and the casualty card double deck (on the left) which the game master controls.  TSTA and its daddy, TSATF, use a card deck to govern movement and to distinguish casualties.

Sean, the BUF commander (and my son), advances his forces towards a well-established farm house.  "There should be plenty of supplies there," he thinks.  On the right, the East Bergholt LDF are advancing there as well.  The derailed goods wagon is in the lower left corner.

Led by an armoured scout car, a Royalist section advances up the main road towards the petrol station.

Another view of the BUF advance towards the farm house.  The special assault section in their distinctive red coats are on the road while the Bolton Rifles are advancing over the fields.

The Anglican special combat section (left) and two Cambridge Fencible sections advance towards the derailed goods wagon.

John M., playing the Squire of East Bergholt, contemplates his troops advance towards the farm house.

The Anglicans continue to approach the goods wagon but there appear to be no Royalists troops contesting their advance.

The Harwich Maritime Defence Force advances along and on both sides of the road.  Their steam truck conceals a naval gun dismounted from one of the ships at the Harwich Royal Navy base.

The Anglicans arrive at the goods wagon.  The special combat section, on the left, fords the stream to advance on the farm house from a different axis.  In the distance, the Anglican trucks slowly creep over the fields.

Meanwhile the main Royalist column, led by a tank, enters along a side road with their truck convoy and approaches the petrol station.

The fighting around the farm house intensifies as both sides attempt to gain the upper hand.  A few BUF SAS get into the house and hand supplies out a window since the door is interdicted by LDF fire.

The Harwich "red" sailors unveil their surprise for the Royalists - the naval gun in the back of the steam truck!  The sailors in the middle are carrying cases of supplies from the house and the fuel drums from the petrol station are by the truck.

The Cambridge Fencibles secure the supplies from the derailed goods wagon while the American volunteers advance acroos the stream to the right.

A Royalist section tries to outflank the petrol station but runs into fire from the sailors who are withdrawing.

The Cambridge Fencibles decide they can carry and roll the supplies to the trucks quicker than the trucks can get to them through the soft fields, so away they go.

The East Bergholt LDF and the American volunteers close on the farm house from one direction while the BUF try to hold them off to get what little supplies they could recover away in the other direction.

The game went fairly well.  The Anglicans and "red"sailors were the big winners, getting all of the supplies from the goods wagon and half the petrol and all of the supplies from the station and house.  The Royalists and BUF got the rest of the petrol and a small part of the supplies from the farmhouse.  The BUF had very heavy casualties in their special assault section and their machinegun team, while the East Bergholt LDF took heavy casualties, including the squire's retainers being almost wiped out and the squire himself being wounded.

For the convention game, I will tighten up the terrain so things aren't spread out quite so much.  In addition, I' working on some more hedges to "congest" the terrain a big more.  You can catch my progress on the hedges here in the previous post to this one and in subsequent posts.

See you in St. Francisville on the 14th!

Colonial Barracks - Part 2

This is the second and final part of the pictures I took at the Colonial Barracks convention over the November 8-10 weekend in New Orleans.

The first game I will cover took place Saturday night.  Titled "The Colonel's Got to Know," it was run by Gerry Webb of Castaway Arts in Australia using troops provided by Mark Stevens.  It was based on the final scenes of the movie Gunga Din where Gunga Din and the Sergeants 3 are trapped in the Thugee temple and the British column is marching into an ambush.  Can Gunga warn the Colonel before the trap is sprung?

We had four British players and six Thugee players with each having command of a single unit.  I commanded a Thugee unit of riflemen and waited with my troops hidden among the rocks while the British marched singing merrily into our trap.

The unsuspecting British column with a unit of Highlanders, followed by a Gatling carried by an elephant, then another unit of Highlanders, and a unit of Indian cavalry.

Martha, the Thugee commander, sits behind the temple carefully watching and gauging the progress of the British column.  If you look closely you can see Gunga Din with his bugle and the Sergeants 3 on the roof of the temple.  Gunga had to roll a D6 every turn but couldn't sound his bugle until he had reached the "magic number," which I think was 10.  Martha had the Thugee cannon concealed on the platform at the temple entrance, loaded and ready to fire.

The British column plods along, deeper and deeper into the valley.  They had to roll distance dice every turn and move that full distance.

The British column from the viewpoint of my Thugee riflemen.  The column has been warned by Gunga's bugle and the lead unit has faced to either side of the trail, guns ready.

As the Indian cavalry attempt a complicated reverse wheel, the Thugee cavalry charge into their flank.  Only a few Indian cavalrymen could fight so in the ensuing melee, the Thugee cavalry defeated the Indians and sent them reeling.  But they rallied the next turn and came back at the Thugees.

Ross, one of the Thugee commanders, and Gerry Webb, look over the battlefield.  You can see my Thugee riflemen lining the top of the rocky ridge.  The two Highlander units and the Gatling gun have deployed  right in the middle of the "kill zone."

Tim, a British commander if I remember correctly, looks on the dread as the Highlanders start to fall to accurate Thugee rifle fire.

Even though the Thugee cavalry won initially, the rallied Indian cavalry came back and slaughtered the Thugees, forcing them to race away to safety.

Freed of the threat of Thugee cavalry, the Indian cavalry turns to ride to the aid of their Highland infantry who are being attacked by Thugees down in the valley.  Sometime during these initial turns, the British Gatling shot down the Thugee gunners, rendering their gun useless.

John, the British commander in his red "coatee," watches stoically as his men fight for their lives against the Thugee attackers.

Riding over the sabered and bayoneted bodies of the Thugees, the Indian cavalry heads towards my riflemen who have too eagerly come out of the rocks.  Seeing the cavalry, they quickly scampered back and resumed their fire from the safety of the rocky hill.

The Indian cavalry then turned away and headed back into the fray around the Gatling gun.  Another Thugee spear unit has appeared after moving stealthily around the rear of the British.  Trapped in the dusty valley with no cover, the British and Indians died a slow and bloody death underneath the rifles of the "expert" Thugees (our die rolls were really good during this game).

The second game was played Sunday morning.  Titled "The Real Glory," it was run by Mark Stevens and was based on the movie by the same name that starred Gary Cooper.

The Philippine constabulary compound with its walls manned and ready.

The Catholic nun and her orphan charges, escorted by a couple of American freebooters, dash down the trail towards the constabulary compound.

Martha controlled the nun and her detachment (on the trail to the center right).  Several Moro units have appeared and are trying to cut the little band of refugees off while a constabulary patrol advances out of the compound to their succor.

A panorama of the battlefield.  The Moros came into the battlefield from the sides of the table.  John (dark shirt on left) and Ken were constabulary commanders while Walt and Ross (on left) and Bill (standing with camera) and I were the Moro commanders.

John makes a grans gesture as Moros close around the compound entrance.  The nun and her detachment have already gained the shelter of Ken's constabulary patrol who form a battle line, facing the Moro attack.

Suddenly the Moros hear the sounds of boats coming up the river.  The constabulary reinforcements, American Marines and Filipino regulars, are coming to the rescue.  While some Moros head towards the landing, others redouble their efforts to get into the compound.  Unfortunately the constabulary riflemen and Gatling gunners are very accurate and Moro commanders fall right and left.

A few Moros make it to the top of the wall but their ladder was pushed away behind them.  At the compound entrance, the nun and her charges scoot in closely pursued by a Moro juramentado (fanatic).

While the nun and the orphans run into the chapel (lower right), the compound commander and a soldier try to stop the juramentado.  The soldier is killed but the officer puts a .45 caliber slug between the Moro's eyes, ending that threat.  With most of their commanders dead and the Marines and Filipino regulars slowly but steadily advancing, the remaining Moros slip away into the surrounding jungle.  "He who runs away, lives to fight another day."

I hope that you enjoyed the pictures of the various games I posted.  Remember, Colonial Barracks is scheduled next year (2014), tentatively for the second weekend in November.  If you are close enough to New Orleans, please come and join our fun.  Watch for future announcements on www.sergeants3.com and on the Miniatures Page.