A First Look at May

Everyone has their May moves in and the dice have been rolled . . . and we have two battles to fight. One in the Cango River District of Derf; and one in the Tyger District of Ta'ish. In addition there are reports of dangerous levels of rebellion building in some outlying districts. (As always, click on map to see larger image):


Please note that due to visiting house guests we probably won't get to play these this coming weekend . . . so stay tuned for future scheduling.


Following are the current Rebellion Index for the various districts:

• Alex's Cango River districts are in red
• Pete's Tyger River districts are in green
• Murdock's Vile River districts are in purple
• Jeff's Wazu River districts are in blue

The following "codes" will be in effect -- and the die roll in parentheses indicate how many points the Rebellion Index will rise each month if not visited:

• Home Districts are marked with * (d6-4)
  
• Mission Districts are marked # (d6-2)
  
• Trading Post Districts have a $ (d8-4)
  
• Normal Districts are unmarked (d6-3)
  
• "Beja" Districts are marked -- (B)
• "Dervish" Districts are marked -- (D)
  
• "Egyptian" Districts are marked -- (E)
• "Pathan" Districts are marked -- (P)
• "Zulu" Districts are marked -- (Z)

CANGO RIVER:

Tewfiq * -- (E) ---- 3
Derf # -- (B) ------- 9 => ?
Jadu $ -- (P) ------- 2
Zirak $ -- (P) ------ 3
Anwak -- (D) ------8
Bele -- (Z) ---------- 10
Noair -- (D) -------3
Quett -- (P) -------- 4
W'tut -- (Z) -------- 2

TYGER RIVER:

Nukar * -- (E) ---- 4
Ta'ish # -- (D) ---- 8 => ?
Afridi $ -- (P) ---- 6
Swati $ -- (P) ----- 2
Dendoa -- (B) ---- 12
G'umb -- (Z) ------ 2
Luni -- (P) --------- 2
M'wez -- (Z) ------ 5
Umma -- (D) ----- 8

VILE RIVER:

Urabbi * -- (E) --- 2
M'tubel # -- (Z) -- 5
Bejj $ -- (B) -------- 5
Dinqa $ -- (D) ---- 10 @ 16 => 2
Alghaz -- (D) ----- 7
Ghilz -- (P) -------- 6
Tarqa -- (P) -------- 8
J'ele -- (Z) ---------- 3
Z'ooli -- (Z) -------- 3

WAZU RIVER:
Kamel * -- (E) ----- 4
Baqqar # -- (D) --- 7
Fuziwa $ -- (B) ---- 3
Shluk $ -- (D) ----- 9
Dwari -- (P) ------- 5
Likaz -- (Z) -------- 9 @ 16 => 2
Mazood -- (P) ---- 2
Ngoon -- (Z) ------ 8
Wazri -- (P) ------- 2

Reinforcements:

All commands got 7 Sowars (lancer cavalrymen) delivered to their home ports. These have been added to your permanent records.

Situation -- end of April, 1876

Well, April is now at an end and it is time to let me know where you are headed next. Here is our "end of April" map (click for larger image):


Murdock's Field Force is "on the river" so that it can go to any District that the river touches. Everyone else can move to an adjacent District from their current position OR move through on hex of an intervening District into another district (without pacifying the District whose hex they passed through).

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Following are the current Rebellion Index for the various districts:

• Alex's Cango River districts are in red
• Pete's Tyger River districts are in green
• Murdock's Vile River districts are in purple
• Jeff's Wazu River districts are in blue

The following "codes" will be in effect -- and the die roll in parentheses indicate how many points the Rebellion Index will rise each month if not visited:

• Home Districts are marked with * (d6-4)
  
• Mission Districts are marked # (d6-2)
  
• Trading Post Districts have a $ (d8-4)
  
• Normal Districts are unmarked (d6-3)
  
• "Beja" Districts are marked -- (B)
• "Dervish" Districts are marked -- (D)
  
• "Egyptian" Districts are marked -- (E)
• "Pathan" Districts are marked -- (P)
• "Zulu" Districts are marked -- (Z)

CANGO RIVER:

Tewfiq * -- (E) ---- 3
Derf # -- (B) ------- 9
Jadu $ -- (P) ------- 2
Zirak $ -- (P) ------ 3
Anwak -- (D) ------6
Bele -- (Z) ---------- 8
Noair -- (D) -------3
Quett -- (P) -------- 4
W'tut -- (Z) -------- 2

TYGER RIVER:

Nukar * -- (E) ---- 4
Ta'ish # -- (D) ---- 8
Afridi $ -- (P) ---- 5
Swati $ -- (P) ----- 2
Dendoa -- (B) ---- 9
G'umb -- (Z) ------ 2
Luni -- (P) --------- 2
M'wez -- (Z) ------ 5
Umma -- (D) ----- 8

VILE RIVER:

Urabbi * -- (E) --- 2
M'tubel # -- (Z) -- 2
Bejj $ -- (B) -------- 5
Dinqa $ -- (D) ---- 10
Alghaz -- (D) ----- 6
Ghilz -- (P) -------- 6
Tarqa -- (P) -------- 5
J'ele -- (Z) ---------- 3
Z'ooli -- (Z) -------- 2

WAZU RIVER:
Kamel * -- (E) ----- 4
Baqqar # -- (D) --- 4
Fuziwa $ -- (B) ---- 3
Shluk $ -- (D) ----- 9
Dwari -- (P) ------- 5
Likaz -- (Z) -------- 9
Mazood -- (P) ---- 2
Ngoon -- (Z) ------ 5
Wazri -- (P) ------- 2

Reinforcements:

All commands got 7 Sowars (lancer cavalrymen) delivered to their home ports. These have been added to your permanent records.

April Battle and Medical/Reinforcement Report

Pete came over and we fought out the Wazu Field Force vs Wazri skirmish. As expected, the Imperials (who outnumbered them) defeated the Wazri on the veldt. (As usual, click on photos below for larger images.)

As can be seen in the photo above, Captain Ellis' command faced a treeless valley with brush on the sides and a series of hills. Then (below) a squad of Wazri rifles fired from the brush on Ellis' left.


And more Wazri rifles opened up on the Gurkhas from a hill on the right, killing Gurkha Lama (#2) before the Gurkhas returned a devastation fire (along with some 15th Sikhs from the Gurkha's left).


Leaving a devastated "Wazri Death Hill" . . . from which the few survivors routed.


Meanwhile some of the Wazri Jezailmen discovered that they had inferior powder that halved their effective range, so they ventured out to close the range. But they faced overwhelming odds and soon after the photo below was taken, routed like their fellows who can be seen in the background fleeing from the "death hill".


Shortly after this, with two thirds of his forces dead on the field, and most of the rest routing, the Wazri Hill Chief ordered a precipitous withdrawal and the rebellion in Wazri was successfully suppressed.

Sadly, before the final show was fired, Pvt. Elliot Cook of the 72nd Foot was slain by a jezail ball. In addition, the 15th Sikhs suffered two wounded . . . Sepoy Rasgur was seriously wounded while Sepoy Darvesh was lucky enought to only received a light wound.

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Notes on the battle. As usual we used "The Sword and the Flame 20th Anniversary" rules and the generic TSATF action and event decks from The Virtual Armchair General.

Pete managed to get a couple of unfortunate events; while I was the recipient of one good one. In addition Pete threw very poor dice (while I had better than average rolls). He certainly should have scored many more that just four hits in all of his volleys.

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Medical Report for April, 1876

Lt. Neil Cosgrove (#1) commander of the 21st Madras Pioneers (Vile River Command) has seen his condition improve to "stable" in Kyro Hospital.

Lt. Pete Kipling of the Tyger River Command recovered from his wound and was returned to duty.

Pvt. Elliot Cook (#4) of the 72nd Foot (Wazu River Command) was killed in battle.

Pvt. Clayton Brooks (#3) of the 88th Foot (Tyger River Command) worsened as his broken arm festered and he is now listed in "serious" condition.

Pvt. Owen Wilson (#6) of the 24th Foot (Cango River Command) also saw his wound fester and his case is now listed as "serious".

Pvt. Elliot O'Neill (#6) of the 88th Foot (Tyger River Command) seems to have turned the corner and his leg wound has improved enough so that his condition is now "stable".

Pvt. Gordon Ogilvy (#8) of the 72nd Foot (Wazu River Command) remains in "stable" condition.

Havildar Sonam (#1) of the 4th Gurkhas (Vile River Command) has seen his condition improve to "stable" in Kyro Hospital.

Gurkha Lama (#2) of the 2nd Gurkhas (Wazu River Command) was killed in battle.

Gurkha Gurung (#5) of the 4th Gurkhas (Vile River Command) remains in stable condition in Kyro Hospital.

Gurkha Rai (#3) of the 4th Gurkhas (Vile River Command) has been returned to duty from Kyro Hospital.

Sepoy Rasgur (#16) of the (Wazu River Command) sustained a serious wound.

Sepoy Jairaj (#18) of the 2nd PFF (Cango River Command) remains in "serious" condition.

Sepoy Kulbir (#19) of the 45 BNI (Tyger River Command) has returned to duty.

Sepoy Darvesh (#17) of the (Wazu River Command) was wounded in battle.

Sepoy Gauri (#3) of the 21st Madras Pioneers (Vile River Command) has been returned to duty from Kyro Hospital.

Sepoy Bhanu (#20) of the 21st Madras Pioneers (Vile River Command) has been returned to duty from Kyro Hospital.

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Reinforcements:

I had both Pete and Murdock roll for reinforcements and both resulted in the same thing. Each of us will receive seven lancers.

While none of us have the required troops for a unit of lancers, we are all a lot closer. We need a British officer, a duffadar and 10 sowars (i.e., native sergeant and ten troopers) before the unit can be ready for deployment . . . and remember that we all need an officer to remain at headquarters.

-- Jeff

Tartan Troubles

Well I tried painting some of the plaids for my Colonial Scots . . . and really didn't like the results. I am now thinking of just leaving the block colors alone and ignoring the plaids.

It certainly won't be a problem with the dark green kilts of the 42nd; but it might be less successful with the red trews of the 72nd . . . but I really hate the way they look with even the sketchiest of lines.

So do I worry about being too historically correct? Or do I ignore the "Uniform Nazis" and just get the figures on the table?

Hmmmm?

-- Jeff

Painting Report

This past Sunday Pete and Murdock came over and helped me paint some more troops for our Afristan Campaign.

Now I should first make clear that I had glued the infantry to popsicle sticks and hot-glued the cavalry riders to those as well. I had then "black primed" them followed with a "damp brush" in white . . . resulting in figures much like those seen in the rear rank of the "Camel Riders" (which Pete had started on, but had not had time to finish):


Pete also did complete the riders for what will become his lancer unit. Below you can see his riders for Skinner's Horse:


Murdock spent much of his time painting a unit of lancers for his son, Alex:


But he also painted a pair of lancer figures to match a unit of ten that I already had:


As for my infantry figures (seen below), I had previously blocked in much (although not all) of the major colors (coats, headgear and the kilts) . . . so what I needed to do was to work on finishing the major color blocks and then start on details (straps, guns, some shoes, etc.). I had hoped to get to adding the plaid to the kilts and trews, but I ran out of time for that.

First, my work on my Sepoy unit, the 15th Sikhs:


Following you will see how work has progressed on my platoon of the Black Watch:


And finally a squad of the 72nd Highlanders in trews (rather than a kilt). I picked the Duke of Albany's Own because they had red-based trews rather than the more normal blue/green.


So, while we didn't get as much done as we hoped . . . well I didn't get as much done as I'd hoped (but I was working on 51 figures -- there is an extra officer figure with the 72nd) and I still have the plaids and metal work and other odds and ends to finish before Pete and I fight the next campaign battle . . . oh yes, I do have to base all of these guys too . . . nevertheless we did get a lot done and it will help further the campaign quite a bit.

Finally, Murdock has also posted some photos of us at work on his MurdocK's MarauderS blog.

-- Jeff

Painting Day Tomorrow

Pete and Murdock are coming over tomorrow (Sunday, Sept. 18) to help me paint troops. I actually have got a good start on "my" British forces for my upcoming battle against Pashtun, but there is still a lot that needs doing.

While I work to finish my troops . . . which mainly entails rifles, straps and plaids for the Scots, the other guys will work on Bengal Lancers and some Natives of various flavors.

Hopefully there will be some photos after tomorrow evening.

-- Jeff

Zulus

A week ago or so I finished painting sixty more Zulus. This now gives me a total of 120 Zulus (six units of 20). I do still need to paint up some Indunas, but that shouldn't be a problem.

All of the figures are Ral Partha "true 25mm" figures . . . which are available from Great Endeavors. I should note, by the way, that each of the units is a different figure (except for their leaders for which I deliberately used a different figure).

As usual, click on the photos to see a larger image (then click again for an even larger image). I've painted two units each with black shields, white shields and "red" shields:

-- Jeff