Training Game -- NWF

Yesterday we played a "Training Game" using "The Sword and the Flame" rules.

Unfortunately Pete had to cancel, but Alex's friend Ian was able to join us, so along with Murdock and myself we had the four players we needed to tackle our training scenario.

Murdock has posted a nice account of the game with numerous photos on his blog.

The photo above shows the rescue force setting out . . . click on it or any other photos for a better view.)

We are saddened to report the loss in action of the following soldiers of the Queen during a recent action (May 29th, 1875) on India's Northwest Frontier:

• Lt. Ian Hawkwood of the 88th Regt of Foot (Connaught Rangers)
• Lt. Kenneth Chisholm of the 88th, seconded to 45th Bengal Native Infantry (Rattray's Sikhs)
• Lt. Hugh Stewart of the 78th Regt of Foot (Ross-shire Buffs)
• Pvt. Morgan Ross, 78th
• Pvt. Clyde Sutherland, 78th
• Pvt. Douglas Gordon, 78th
• Pvt. Hugh Jones, 24th Regt. of Foot (South Wales Borderers)
  
• Pvt. Evan Williams, 24th
  
• Pvt. Tristan Jones, 24th
• Pvt. Gavin Blayney, 24th
• Pvt. Vaughn Thomas, 24th

Note that the following does not include the casualties (other than British) of the45th BNI (Rattray's Sikhs), 3rd Gurkha and 2nd PFF (Punjabi Frontier Force). The first of which suffered a great many dead, while the latter two had numerous wounded as well as a few fatalities.

In addition to a number of minor wounds amongst his Scots, Sgt. Hamish Murray of the 78th is credited with saving the lives of the following severely wounded men; although it is not yet known if they will recover from their wounds:

• Pvt. Robert Innes, 78th
• Pvt. Donald MacDonald, 78th

One of the men under Sgt. Murray managed to sketch some of the action (to the left) before the surviving members of their unit withdrew.

============

Both Alex and Ian were wanting to play again next weekend . . . so we will see if something can be arranged as long as our womenfolk have no other plans for us . . . a sometimes doubtful supposition.

-- Jeff

Painting Status -- Mid May

I thought that I would list what I have painted and based, partially painted; and bare lead. The vast bulk of these figures are Ral Partha figures although I do have some London War Room (sadly defunct) and a few Frontier (also unavailable) figures.

I am ignoring officers and artillery for the moment and concentrating only on basic units. The painted and based figures will be in red; partially painted in green; and bare lead will be in italic text. (note: totals include some figures in transit from Ral Partha).

"BRITISH" TROOPS:

• Mounted -- 12
• Infantry --- 90, 40

SEPOY TROOPS:

• Mounted -- 10, 12, 26
  
• Infantry --- 90, 70

EGYPTIAN TROOPS:

• Mounted -- none yet
• Infantry --- 10, 40

PATHAN TROOPS:

• Mounted -- 35
• Infantry --- 140, 16

ANSAR TROOPS:

• Mounted -- 24, 12
  
• Infantry --- 80, 60
  

ZULU TROOPS:

• Infantry --- 120

BOER (i.e., "Civilian") TROOPS:

• Mounted -- 4
  
• Infantry --- 10

BAGGAGE:

• Wagons -- 1
• Pack Mules -- 6
• Pack Camels -- 2, 1

And, yes, I will need to get more lead . . . but this lets me know what I currently have.

-- Jeff

British Name Generator

As frequent readers might have noticed, all British troops in the various units destined to take part in my Afristan Campaign have names. While some I just made up, I also used a "name generator" that I've created to fill out the units.

You can, of course, just pick names that appeal to you from the following lists. Or you can roll dice to generate names randomly. All you will need are d6s.

Roll 2d6 for the first name; then 2d6 for the family name. Should you, for example, roll a 5 and a 2, that would read as "52", which would give you a choice of "Donald, Trevor or Ralph". Then for the family name, you might roll a "63", which would give you a choice of "Russell, Graham or Brooks" -- combine them as you choose.

All three columns can be used for any British soldier; but the center (blue) names are more heavily Scottish in nature. Also, feel free to shorten names such as "William", "Robert" (and so forth) to "Bill" and "Bob" (and so forth) if you prefer.

Here are the charts:

First Name

11 -- Edgar -- or -- Robert -- or -- Howard
12 -- Owen -- or -- Gordon -- or -- Frank
13 -- James -- or -- Andrew -- or -- John
14 -- Ronald -- or -- Neil -- or -- William
15 -- Brian -- or -- Angus -- or -- Charles
16 -- Paul -- or -- Malcolm -- or -- George

21 -- Matthew -- or -- Ross -- or -- Victor
22 -- William -- or -- Owen -- or -- Nigel
23 -- Stephen -- or -- Alan -- or -- Robert
24 -- George -- or -- Clyde -- or -- Elliot
25 -- Stanley -- or -- James -- or -- Douglas
26 -- Charles -- or -- Hugh -- or -- Joseph

31 -- Brandon -- or -- Connor -- or -- Carl
32 -- Reginald -- or -- Derrick -- or -- Neil
33 -- Geoffrey -- or -- Charles -- or -- Jack
34 -- Christopher -- or -- Ian -- or -- James
35 -- Edward -- or -- Hamish -- or -- Peter
36 -- Gordon -- or -- Fergus -- or -- Daniel

41 -- Colin -- or -- Keith -- or -- Leonard
42 -- Simon -- or -- Douglas -- or -- Ian
43 -- Hugh -- or -- George -- or -- Clayton
44 -- Cedric -- or -- Gavin -- or -- David
45 -- Sam -- or -- Kendrick -- or -- Gary
46 -- John -- or -- Donald -- or -- Eugene

51 -- Kenneth -- or -- Gerald -- or -- Toby
52 -- Donald -- or -- Trevor -- or -- Ralph
53 -- Arthur -- or -- Graham -- or -- Basil
54 -- Harold -- or -- David -- or -- Neville
55 -- Wilfred -- or -- Lewis -- or -- Henry
56 -- Thomas -- or -- Ethan -- or -- Barry

61 -- Albert -- or -- Leslie -- or -- Andrew
62 -- Roger -- or -- Patrick -- or -- Lloyd
63 -- Gerald -- or -- Scott -- or -- Michael
64 -- Percy -- or -- Brody -- or -- Orville
65 -- Herbert -- or -- Liam -- or -- Alfred
66 -- Alan -- or -- Kenneth -- or -- Dylan

Family Name

11 -- Lincoln -- or -- McNeil -- or -- Porter
12 -- Thompson -- or -- Ross -- or -- Vernon
13 -- Richardson -- or -- Gunn -- or -- Fletcher
14 -- Buckley -- or -- MacLeod -- or -- Wallace
15 -- Young -- or -- Sinclair -- or -- Anderson
16 -- Sharpe -- or -- MacDonald -- or -- Lee

21 -- Clay -- or -- Douglas -- or -- O'Connor
22 -- Ball -- or -- Sutherland -- or -- Russell
23 -- White -- or -- Morgan -- or -- Stanton
24 -- Jones -- or -- MacKay -- or -- Hamilton
25 -- Baker -- or -- MacTavish -- or -- Knotts
26 -- Smith -- or -- MacKenzie -- or -- Hays

31 -- Armstrong -- or -- Forbes -- or -- Barrie
32 -- Thackery -- or -- McGavin -- or -- Milne
33 -- Weston -- or -- Murray -- or -- Guthrie
34 -- Reese -- or -- Gordon -- or -- Cranbrook
35 -- Forrest -- or -- Urquhart -- or -- Putnam
36 -- Mills -- or -- Drummond -- or -- Holden

41 -- Barker -- or -- Keith -- or -- Greenwood
42 -- Evans -- or -- Chisholm -- or -- Hunter
43 -- Lewis -- or -- MacIntosh -- or -- Cook
44 -- Gray -- or -- Robertson -- or -- Tucker
45 -- Rose -- or -- Campbell -- or -- O'Neill
46 -- Hawker -- or -- Fraser -- or -- Eddington

51 -- Carpenter -- or -- Shaw -- or -- Sykes
52 -- Williams -- or -- Grant -- or -- Ralston
53 -- Atkinson -- or -- Stewart -- or -- Decker
54 -- Norton -- or -- Menzies -- or -- Lindsay
55 -- Vance -- or -- Cameron -- or -- Wright
56 -- Nash -- or -- Matheson -- or -- Johnson

61 -- Bishop -- or -- Ogilvy -- or -- Peterson
62 -- Simpson -- or -- Duncan -- or -- Terry
63 -- Russell -- or -- Graham -- or -- Brooks
64 -- Peters -- or -- Buchanan -- or -- Locke
65 -- Turner -- or -- Leslie -- or -- MacArthur
66 -- Appleby -- or -- Innes -- or -- Sterling


Hopefully you will find the above charts useful.

-- Jeff

Movement in Afristan

The much-hated ruler of Afristan, Pasha Omar Mustapha, has levied new taxes and fees in December, 1875 . . . coincidentally the arrival date of British forces (i.e., the player's "Field Forces" -- as detailed in the last four posts) in their "home districts".

Hence I feel the need to explain movement during the campaign.

(note: click on map to left for larger image; click twice for even larger image . . . and you might wish to open the map into a separate tab so that you can toggle back and forth.)

As of December, 1875, all players will be in their "home" districts (Tewfiq, Nukar, Urabbi, Kamel), which will mean that these Districts will remain "peaceful" (rebellion index of 2), while the other Districts will begin to react to Mustapha's new taxes.

Every month (yes, turns are a month long), each "Field Force" may move one of two ways:

• move to any other district sharing a hex-side with the district you began in.
  
• spend the month "on the river".

Districts directly across the river or a lake count as sharing a hex-side. Thus, for example, a Force could not only move from Nukar to either Dendoa or Umma (both obvious); but also across the river to M'wez or Afridi; or even across the lake to Ta'ish.

If a Field Force spends the month "on the river", they can drop off wounded (and pick up replacement troops if available) and then start the next month in any one District that touches the blue (i.e., navigable) portions of their river. However, if they are "on the river", they cannot attempt to "pacify" any district including their own, even if they dropped troops off there.

While in a district, you pacify it by either successfully fighting or by visiting various villages and other settlements within the district and so can end in any hex you choose.

By the way, the "reddish" Mountains are to be considered impassible at this time.

So, to summarize . . . you can spend a month in a district adjacent to the one you were last in (and attempt to pacify it); OR you can spend a month traveling on the river to get to a distant district but you won't pacify anything that month.

Travel across or on the river, by the way, is via boats . . . but we won't be worrying about that until later in the Campaign. For now we will just assume that it happens.

-- Jeff

Wazu River Command

The Wazu River forces (run by Jeff) are as follows . . . officers are in blue and all "British leaders" are in boldface . . . and officers will have the dates of their commission listed.

(note: no image yet because I do not yet have the figures & thus they are not yet painted nor had their picture taken):

Headquarters Contingent:

• Capt Jeff Ellis -- (Jun. 1870) -- commanding officer
• Lt. Hugh Jeffers -- (Mar. 1871) -- adjutant, 2nd-in-command

Platoon of the 42nd Regiment of Foot -- (The Black Watch)

1. Lt. Geoffrey McWilliams -- (May. 1872) -- platoon commander
   
2. Sgt. Owen Duncan -- platoon sergeant
3. Pvt. Kenneth Gunn
   
4. Pvt. Ross Sutherland
   
5. Pvt. Andrew Morgan
   
6. Pvt. Robert MacKay
   
7. Pvt. Clyde Forbes
   
8. Pvt. Trevor Shaw
   
9. Pvt. Neil McNab
   
10. Pvt. Ethan Innes
    
11. Pvt. Gordon Murray
    
12. Pvt. Robert Stewart
    
13. Pvt. Hamish Ross
    
14. Pvt. Wallace Sinclair
    
15. Pvt. Graham McPherson
    
16. Pvt. Leslie Gordon
    
17. Pvt. Angus Morgan
    
18. Pvt. Donald Keith
    
19. Pvt. Scott Buchanon
    
20. Pvt. Alan Urquhart
    

Squad of 72nd Regiment of Foot -- (Duke of Albanys Own Highlanders = later Seaforth Highlanders):

1. Sgt. Keith McLeod -- squad leader
2. Pvt. Paul McArthur
   
3. Pvt. Ralph Wallace
   
4. Pvt. Elliot Cook
   
5. Pvt. Charles MacKenzie
   
6. Pvt. Ian MacLean
   
7. Pvt. Derrick Sinclair
   
8. Pvt. Gordon Ogilvy
   
9. Pvt. Gavin Grant
   
10. Pvt. Patrick Graham
    

Platoon of Sepoys (15th BNI -- Ludhiana Sikhs) commanded by Lt. Jack Worthington -- (Nov, 1873).

Squad of 2nd Gurkha Regiment

Reserves -- commanded by Lt. Ethan Terry -- (Sep, 1873) -- stationed in port of Azol in the Kamel District.

The Wazu River System districts are:

• Kamel -- veldt -- (Egyptians) -- note: port & fort
• Baqqar -- farmland -- (Dervish) -- note: mission
• Fuziwa -- hilly -- (Fuzzy Wuzzy) -- note: trading post
• Shluk -- wooded -- (Dervish) -- note: trading post
• Dwari -- hilly -- (Pathan)
• Likaz -- farmland -- (Zulu)
• Mazood -- badlands -- (Pathan)
• Ngoon -- wooded -- (Zulu)
• Wazri -- veldt -- (Pathan)

(note -- the other district forces have appeared over the past few days)

==================== ##### ====================

Note -- I have provided names for all of the "British" because these forces are for a campaign. I want the players to become attached to their men so that they become "attached" to their forces . . . and don't throw troops away in fruitless efforts . . . in other words, to behave as field commanders would.

-- Jeff

Vile River Command

The Vile River forces (run by Murdock) are as follows . . . officers are in purple and all "British leaders" are in boldface . . . and officers will have the dates of their commission listed.

(note: click on photo below for larger image; click again for even larger image):


Headquarters Contingent:

• Capt. David McMurdock -- (Nov, 1868) -- commanding officer
• Lt. Dave Sharpe -- (Sep, 1872) -- adjutant, 2nd-in-command

Platoon of the 92th Regiment of Foot -- (Gordon Highlanders)

1. Lt. Kenneth MacDavid -- (Oct, 1873) -- platoon commander
   
2. Sgt. Malcolm MacKenzie -- platoon sergeant
3. Pvt. James Sutherland
   
4. Pvt. Donald Keith
   
5. Pvt. Hugh Stewart
   
6. Pvt. Derrick Matheson
   
7. Pvt. Clyde Munro
   
8. Pvt. Liam Murray
   
9. Pvt. Kirk McNab
   
10. Pvt. Ian Morgan
    
11. Pvt. Graham Leslie
    
12. Pvt. Hamish MacNeil
    
13. Pvt. James Graham
    
14. Pvt. David Sinclair
    
15. Pvt. Trevor MacKenzie
    
16. Pvt. Robert Lewis
    
17. Pvt. Angus Grant
    
18. Pvt. Wallace MacLean
    
19. Pvt. Gordon Fraser
    
20. Pvt. Andrew Ross
    

Squad of 58th Regiment of Foot -- (Rutlandshire):

1. Sgt. Roger Woodley -- squad leader
2. Pvt. Stanley Turner
   
3. Pvt. John Hawker
   
4. Pvt. Arther Milne
   
5. Pvt. Gerald Russell
   
6. Pvt. Frank Sharpe
   
7. Pvt. Michael Lewis
   
8. Pvt. George Hayes
   
9. Pvt. Paul Terry
   
10. Pvt. Herbert Potter
    

Platoon of Sepoys (21st MNI -- Madras Pioneers) commanded by Lt. Neil Cosgrove -- (May, 1874).

Squad of 4th Gurkha Regiment

Reserves -- commanded by Lt. Brian Rivers -- (Apr, 1874) -- stationed in port of Kyro in the Urabbi District.

The Vile River System districts are:

• Urabbi -- farmland -- (Egyptians) -- note: port & fort
• M'tubel -- wooded -- (Zulu) -- note: mission
• Bejj -- badlands -- (Fuzzy Wuzzy) -- note: trading post
• Dinga -- badlands -- (Dervish) -- note: trading post
• Alghaz -- badlands -- (Dervish)
• Ghilz -- hilly -- (Pathan)
• J'ele -- farmland -- (Zulu)
• Tarqa -- veldt -- (Pathan)
• Z'ooli -- veldt -- (Zulu)

(note -- other district forces have appeared over the past few days)

==================== ##### ====================

Note -- I have provided names for all of the "British" because these forces are for a campaign. I want the players to become attached to their men so that they become "attached" to their forces . . . and don't throw troops away in fruitless efforts . . . in other words, to behave as field commanders would.

-- Jeff

Tyger River Command

The Tyger River forces (run by Pete) are as follows . . . officers are in green and all "British leaders" are in boldface . . . and officers will have the dates of their commission listed.

(note: click on photo below for larger image; click again for even larger image):


Headquarters Contingent:

• Capt. Peter Webley-Grant -- (Nov, 1869) -- commanding officer
• Lt. Pete Kipling -- (Feb, 1872) -- adjutant, 2nd-in-command

Platoon of the 88th Regiment of Foot -- (Connaught Rangers)

1. Lt. Hiram Peterson -- (Jul, 1872) -- platoon commander
   
2. Sgt. John Hamilton -- platoon sergeant
3. Pvt. Clayton Brooks
   
4. Pvt. James Robertson
   
5. Pvt. Timothy White
   
6. Pvt. Elliot O'Neill
   
7. Pvt. Gerald Forrest
   
8. Pvt. Alan Gray
   
9. Pvt. Cecil Hill
   
10. Pvt. Albert Simpson
    
11. Pvt. Thomas Hudson
    
12. Pvt. Geoffrey Knotts
    
13. Pvt. Charles Smith
    
14. Pvt. George Nash
    
15. Pvt. Christopher Young
    
16. Pvt. Robert Cook
    
17. Pvt. Frank Terry
    
18. Pvt. David Mills
    
19. Pvt. William Brown
    
20. Pvt. Ronald Appleby
    

Squad of 78th Regiment of Foot -- (Ross-shire Buffs -- later Seaforth Highlanders):

1. Sgt. Hamish Murray -- squad leader
2. Pvt. Kenneth MacTaggart
3. Pvt. Morgan Ross
   
4. Pvt. Graham Shaw
   
5. Pvt. Ian Cameron
   
6. Pvt. Robert Innes
   
7. Pvt. Fergus Sinclair
   
8. Pvt. Clyde Sutherland
   
9. Pvt. Donald MacDonald
   
10. Pvt. Douglas Gordon
    

Platoon of Sepoys (45th BNI -- Rattray's Sikhs) commanded by Lt. Christopher Stewart -- (Nov, 1874).

Squad of 2nd Gurkha Regiment

Reserves -- commanded by Lt. Andrew Dryden -- (Nov, 1872) -- stationed in port of Belhi in the Nukar District.

The Vile River System districts are:

• Nukar -- veldt -- (Egyptians) -- note: port & fort
• Ta'ish -- wooded -- (Dervish) -- note: mission
• Afridi -- badlands -- (Pathan) -- note: trading post
• Swati -- hilly -- (Pathan) -- note: trading post
• Dendoa -- hilly -- (Fuzzy Wuzzy)
• G'umb -- veldt -- (Zulu)
• Luni -- badlands -- (Pathan)
• M'wez -- wooded -- (Zulu)
• Umma -- farmland -- (Dervish)

(note -- the other district forces will appear over the next few days)

==================== ##### ====================

Note -- I have provided names for all of the "British" because these forces are for a campaign. I want the players to become attached to their men so that they become "attached" to their forces . . . and don't throw troops away in fruitless efforts . . . in other words, to behave as field commanders would.

-- Jeff