The scenario involved a small Egyptian force protecting a supply base at Wadi Zoum-Zoum along the Green Nile River (the least well-known and explored branch of the river in the Soudan). The Agandar of Karres decided that raiding and destroying this base would garner him much support from the scattered remnants of the Madhi's and Khalifa's armies. But he had Egyptian spies in his camp who passed along his plans. The British immediately sent a riverine force to aid the Egyptian garrison repel the Agandar's attack.
As usual, please click on the pictures for larger images.
Photo by "Electric" Ed
Here we have yours truely, Col Campbell, giving pre-game instructions to the players. The zariba enclosing the supply base is in the center, manned by its garrison, and part of the native attacking force is on the right.
The mighty native players (from left): "Beja" Clay, "Dervish" Paul, "Agandar" Mark, and "Arab" Michael. This was Michael's third Bayou Wars convention. During the first he had the "misfortune" to be a British player in my massive and ill-conceived Zulu game. I think his role in this game was more to his liking.
The stalwart Imperialists (from left): "Egyptian" Martha (actually "Agandar" Mark's wife), "Lord Sterling" Jay (who gave up his position as Egyptian cavalry commander to "Cavalry" Rick after a couple of turns), "Steam Launch" Jeff, and "Gunboat" Phil.
The action commences in the distance as "Cavalry" Rick (right) enters with three troops of Egyptian and allied cavalry. "Arab" Michael begins to maneuver against him.
"Beja" Clay and "Dervish" Paul launch their ansars against the walls of the zariba and the artillery emplacements. The zariba is a tangled mass of thorn bushes that can only be penetrated after it has been burned. The attackers will begin that process at the end of this turn. In the distance are part of the skirmishing riflemen of "Agandar" Mark's command.
The troop transports of the British relief column arrive with "Steam Launch" Jeff's two Gatling armed launches on their shoreward side.
The Beja warriors succeed in lighting the zariba which the Egyptian irregular tribal levies cannot extinguish.
The HMS Shilleleigh of "Gunboat" Phil's command begins to fire its Nordenfelt machineguns against the Arab attackers. In the background, "Arab" Michael's and "Cavalry" Rick's forces meet in some furious cavalry/infantry melees. Rick was successful and defeated Michael's troops although it was a hard-fought series of engagements.
With part of the zariba burned and another part burning, the Beja warriors are ready to close with and destroy the tribal irregulars. But unfortunately, "Egyptian" Martha's die rolls were much better than "Beja" Clay's and she repulsed several of his attacks. "Dervish" Paul couldn't persuade his ansars to close with the Eyptian gun in the the emplacement just beyond the Beja since a lucky ball had taken his leader's head off. Without the leader's encouragement, the ansars just wouldn't continue.
Photo by "Electric" Ed
The final actions with the British Naval infantry and Royal Marine Light Infantry, accompanied by Gatling guns, advancing through the base toward the luckless native attackers. Even though they penetrated the gate and overran one artillery emplacement, the Agandar's force just didn't have the punch left to deal with the British.
I called the game at this point. There was no hope that the native attackers could succeed in their mission, not with two platoons of British infantry and two Gatling guns, backed up by four naval machineguns. Also it was drawing close to the end of game time and I still had to drive back to Jackson to see my wife who had broken her leg the preceding Friday night and was having a pin installed about the time we started the game. (By the way, she is doing fine but still cannot put any weight on that leg for another almost two weeks.)
