Colonel Hud's Colonial Blog

Newsflash -- Peter out of Surgery

2011-11-14T19:30:00.000-08:00

Good news . . . I just heard that Peter has successfully come out of quadruple bypass heart surgery and is now resting in the hospital's CVU* recovery.

UPDATE -- Peter will still be unconscious likely for another 8 hours or more. He will likely be in the CVU* post operative ward until Wednesday, then if he is breathing well he will be moved to the Patient Care Center for some days depending upon his condition.

A sincere "Thank You" to all who sent prayers or other forms of positive energy.

-- Jeff

* CVU stands for Cardio-Vascular Unit

Pete's Surgery -- Time Corrected

2011-11-12T15:33:00.000-08:00

Gentlemen,

While Pete (one of the players in my Afristan Campaign) is scheduled to have heart surgery on Monday, November 11, I had the time wrong.

He will be going into his surgical pre-op at 10:00 am PST . . . but the actual surgery won't begin until about 1:00 pm PST.

So please send your prayers and positive energy to Pete and his surgical team in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada at that time on Monday.

-- Jeff

Campaign on Hiatus

2011-11-07T19:57:00.000-08:00

We have had a series of "real life" interruptions to my Afristan Campaign. And while up until now they have not been too serious (family visits and some ill health); we are now going to have to put our campaign on the shelf for a bit.

One of our players, Pete, is now scheduled for a heart bypass next Monday, November 14 at 10am Pacific Standard Time in Victoria, BC, Canada. The operation is expected to last four to five hours . . . and under the circumstances I think it best to place the campaign on hiatus until Pete is back on his feet and feels up to continuing.

Now while this sort of operation has become fairly routine, it is still serious. So any prayers or healing energy, etc. that you can send toward Pete and the surgical team doing the operation will be most welcome.

-- Jeff

More Delay

2011-10-13T17:23:00.000-07:00

We had family visiting which threw a spanner into the works as far as gaming went. And their visit was very nice . . . but I did have to delay the two games which were to be played.

Yesterday my wife started feeling funny things about her heartbeat, so I planned to take her to Emergency . . . but then she got a dizzy spell so we had to call an ambulance. While we ended up spending several hours in the hospital, she was sent home after many tests.

She's okay now. She was suffering from PVCs (premature vascular contractions) . . . meaning that her heart was beating too soon (before it had filled with blood) so it felt like it was missing beats . . . it wasn't, it was having some too early. So she is to see her regular doctor (who, of course, is on vacation right now).

Anyway, while I had planned on painting troops necessary for the next games last night, I most obviously did not get to do so . . . and I'm sort of keeping an eye on my bride (which isn't conducive to painting either). I suspect that I will have to put the games off yet again . . . *sigh* . . . I hate it when "real life" gets in the way of gaming . . . don't you?

But at least my wife is okay despite yesterday's scare.

-- Jeff

A First Look at May

2011-09-28T12:57:00.001-07:00

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

2011-09-26T16:59:00.000-07:00

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).

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

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

2011-09-26T06:14:00.000-07:00

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

2011-09-23T00:19:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-20T03:40:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-17T12:10:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-02T04:44:00.001-07:00

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

First Look at April

2011-08-25T15:52:00.001-07:00

Well here is your first look at April and it looks like we have another small fight on our hands. (Click on map below for a larger image of the mid-April situation.)

David's force is "on the river" so there was no chance of a battle there (at least not yet . . . eventually I do hope to build some riverboats).

Alex was facing a daunting task with W'tut's Rebellion Index at 9 . . . but I rolled a 13 so no battle there.

Pete didn't seem to be in much danger since Swati's Index was only a 4 . . . and indeed I rolled an 8 for him . . . so no battle there.

That leaves me. Well I was moving into Wazri with a Rebellion Index of 8 . . . any of the other rolls would be okay . . . but I rolled a 6 . . . so Captain Ellis will at least outnumber his "Pashtun-like" opponents. I suspect that at least some jezails will open up on us from long range (and beyond our range), but we will see.

Reinforcements:

David, Alex and Pete each chose the British Officer option, while I picked the two Brits option. New officers are:

Lt. Nigel Weston (Dec, 1874)
Lt. Lloyd Evans (Jan, 1875)
Lt. Brandon Sinclair (Feb, 1875)

-- Jeff

March Results & Reinforcement Choices

2011-08-23T17:25:00.000-07:00

Campaign Situation -- April 1st, 1876

Click twice on the map to left for much larger image.

March saw a battle in M'tubel and some really nasty weather in the badlands of Luni (which was quite bad for those who were injured).

Following the "Medical Report" are brief reports from the field relating to the experiences of the various River Commands.

Medical Report:

Lt. Neil Cosgrove, commanding 21st MNI was evacuated to Kyro, but his head wound has worsened to "serious".

Lt. Pete Kipling, adjutant of the Tyger River command, failed to improve and remains in stable condition.

Pvt. Angus Grant of the 92nd Foot (Vile River Command) died from the spear wound in his stomach which he received last month.

Pvt. Elliot O'Neill of the 88th Foot (Tyger River Command) failed to respond to treatment for the bullet wound in his leg. His condition is now listed as "serious".

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

Havildar Sonam of the 4th Gurka (Vile River Command) was evacuated to Kyro and remains in "serious" condition.

Gurka Rai of the 4th Gurka (Vile River Command) was evacuated to Kyro and his condition has improved to "stable".

Gurka Gurung of the 4th Gurka (Vile River Command) was evacuated to Kyro and his condition has improved to "stable".

Gurka Thapa of the 4th Gurka (Vile River Command) was evacuated to Kyro and has recovered from his injuries; and is fit to return to duty.

Sepoy Onkar of the 45th BNI (Tyger River Command) has died of the wound he received from the camel riders.

Sepoy Kulbir of the 45th BNI (Tyger River Command) failed to improve from his head wound and remains in "stable" condition.

Sepoy Gauri of the 21st MNI (Vile River Command) was evacuated to Kyro and his condition has improved to "stable".

Sepoy Bhanu of the 21st MNI (Vile River Command) was evacuated to Kyro and remains in "stable" condition.

Sepoy Chand of the 15th BNI (Wazu River Command) recovered from his injuries and returned to duty.

Cango River:

After spending February "on the river", during which Sepoy Harjot (#6) joined the 2nd PFF as a replacement for the late Sepoy Jarjot. Capt. Davidson responded to the grave reports coming out of Jadu.

Indeed upon landing the situation in Jadu seemed very grave. Merchant Patrick Duncan of the Jadu Trading Post was essentially under siege. But when Captain Davidson brought his sixty rifles to the rescue, only a brief firefight served to disperse the single Jadu jezail unit that was harassing the Trading Post.

Unfortunately Pvt. Evan Sykes (#8) of the 24th Foot was slain in the exchange of fire and Pvt. Owen Williams ($6) also of the 24th foot was wounded. In addition, Sepoy Jairaj (#18) of the 2nd PFF was seriously wounded . . . and one of the mules received a flesh wound in the hind quarter.

A later search of the jezail's location resulted in the discovery of six dead hillmen and several more blood trails. Indeed word seemed to spread quite rapidly and there was no resistance during the rest of the month.

Tyger River:

The terrain and weather were the principal enemies as Capt. Webley-Grant marched his forces from the District of Luni back into the G'umb velt with its teaming insect swarms. The hot, dry and rugged terrain along with the insects made the march most unpleasant. The wounded were particularly strained by the conditions as the medical report will verify.

Nevertheless, they were again greeted well by the G'umb people. The only casualty was Pvt. Clayton Brooks (#3) of the 88th Foot who broke his left forearm in a fall.

Vile River:

After defeating M'Shoota and burning the village of M'Eezee, Captain McMurdock's column suffered no further troubles.

He did dispatch the wounded on four mules along with two muleteers and four Sepoys (#4, 10, 13 and 18) to Kyro along with a request for Royal Navy support. In addition, he temporarily assigned Lt. Sharp to command of the 21st (Madras Pioneers) since Havildar Lakshmi had been newly promoted and could use a more experienced officer in command.

Turning east, McMurdock moved his forces from the jungles of M'tubel onto the plains of the Z'ooli veldt. Perhaps because of the accounts of the battle of M'Eezee had preceded them, the Z'ooli received the column with much ceremony and goodwill.

A native runner reached the column with a letter from Reverend Vernon of the M'tubel Mission. In it he passed on the information that word had come that Trader Thompson of the Dinga Trading Post had been attacked by Dinga natives and needed help. If Captain McMurdock takes "to the river", he could reach the District within the month (and get reinforcements from Kyro -- see new rule in notes); or if he turns south as he had planned, he won't be able to get there until July at the earliest. It is decision time . . . what will he do?

Wazu River:

Captain Ellis' column crossed from Fuziwa into Mazood near the headwaters of the West Wazu. They were well received by the Mazood tribesmen. Indeed the only real misfortune suffered was when Pvt. Angus Morgan managed to sleep near an anthill and woke up with nasty biting crawlers all over him. His resulting "dance" left his fellow Scots in hilarious laughter. So he is now known among his mates as "Antsy Angus, the Dancing Fool".

Reports from the south suggest that Ellis will continue in that direction.

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) ------- 6
Jadu $ -- (P) ------- 2
Zirak $ -- (P) ------ 3
Anwak -- (D) ------4
Bele -- (Z) ---------- 5
Noair -- (D) -------3
Quett -- (P) -------- 4
W'tut -- (Z) -------- 9

TYGER RIVER:

Nukar * -- (E) ---- 4
Ta'ish # -- (D) ---- 5
Afridi $ -- (P) ---- 5
Swati $ -- (P) ----- 4
Dendoa -- (B) ---- 7
G'umb -- (Z) ------ 2
Luni -- (P) --------- 2
M'wez -- (Z) ------ 2
Umma -- (D) ----- 5

VILE RIVER:

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

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

Reinforcements Choices:

All commands will get some reinforcements delivered to their home ports. Each player will have his choice of one of the following options:

one British Lieutenant
one artilleryman
one cavalryman and one Sepoy
two "Britons"
one Gurkha and two Sepoys

Please inform me of your choice of reinforcements and next move as soon as you decide.

Rule Clarification

If you choose to go "On the River" for your monthly move, besides allowing you to end up on any District the river touches, this will allow you to visit your home port to both drop off injured and pick up reinforcements (but only up to the limit of your organization -- in other words I've only painted 20 figures to a platoon so you can't have more than that in it).

Doing this however does NOT permit you to "pacify" your "home district", just to visit and exchange troops.

-- Jeff

1st Campaign Battle Fought!

2011-08-17T01:52:00.000-07:00

note -- game was played August 8, 2011 with Murdock playing the British and Alex running the M'tubel (who look surprisingly like Zulus).

(Also note that Murdock has posted his own account of the battle on his Murdock's Mauraders blog.)

The word along the river was that the main focus of strife and discontent within the District was a certain Chief M'Shoota (shown with rifle and yellow plume in image -- click for larger view). This was confirmed by Reverend Wilfred Vernon, the head of the mission in M'tubel,

Chief M'Shoota was ruler of the village of M'Eezee, so Captain McMurdock determined to burn that village to the ground. He therefor set out with his entire command to do just that. His command consisted of:

Capt. McMurdock and Lt. Sharpe
Lt. MacDavid and 18 other ranks of the 92nd Foot
Sgt. Woodley and 9 other ranks of the 58th Foot
Lt. Cosgrove and 19 Sepoys of the 21st NMI
Havildar Sonam and 8 Gurkhas of the 4th Gurkha
6 mules and muleteers and two wounded

While relatively flat, the terrain was heavily forested with tropical plants (dark green areas were heavier jungle than the tall grasses of the lighter green areas), making movement difficult.

The "jungle telegraph" had obviously preceded them because M'Eezee had been cleared of all except warriors by the time the British reached it.

However before they could, in fact, reach M'Eezee, a band of black shield M'tubel charged the Gurkhas (who were scouting ahead of the main body) from the cover of the jungle.

While the Gurkhas rifle fire dropped a number of the M'tubel, disrupting their throwing spears, it was the work of the Gurkhas kukris that ended the fight. This was especially effective when Havildar Sonam took the head off of the black shield's leader with a single blow.

Still, the black shields outnumbered the Gurkhas by two to one, so the fight was not all one-sided. Gurkha Gurung (#5) went down with a thrown spear to his chest in the initial charge; and Gurkhas Limbu and Kunal (#6 & #9) were killed. And before the fight was won both the Havildar and Gurkha Rai (#3) were also seriously wounded.

Nevertheless, the bulk of the black shields lay dead or dying and only a fraction were left to flee.

As the rest of the company closed up to tend to the wounded, a band of white shield M'tubel also attacked the column's left flank from cover hitting the Madras Pioneers (21st NMI). Sadly Havildar Bama (#2) and Sepoy Hati (#19) were slain in the resulting hand-to-hand fighting; and Sepoys Gauri (#3) and Bhanu (#20) were wounded.

But the Pioneers held . . . chiefly because Sepoy Lakshmi (#5) personally slew at least four of the white shields while protecting Lt. Cosgrove from their spears. With the death of Havildar Bama, Gosgrove promoted Lakshmi to the rank of Havildar as his new second-in-command.

As this fight was ending, a band of red shield M'tubel made a huge charge that ended just short of hitting the 58th and part of the 92nd in the rear. (see image -- and click as always for larger view).

Fortunately the British units were able to turn about and deliver deadly volleys into the red shields.

Indeed, between the Brits, Highlanders and four remaining Gurkhas, the 19 of the 20 red shields fell from the withering fire over the next several minutes without ever successfully closing to hand-to-hand.

With all three M'tubel bands broken (and the leaders of each unit dead) the survivors gathered in the village of M'Eezee for a last stand. But as an Imperial volley dropped more of the warriors, the remaining white shields routed and the rest of the prepared to run as well.

At this point the saddest event of the day occurred. Chief M'Shoota, who had remained at a distance throughout the running battle fired his only shot . . . indeed it was the very last shot of the battle . . . and dropped Lt. Cosgrove with a bullet to the side of his head.

With that the M'tubel having lost fully three quarters of their warriors, abandoned the village and Captain McMurdock's forces then burned it to the ground.

================== XXX ==================

Notes from the battle:

rules were "The Sword and the Flame: 20th Anniversary Edition"
we used one of the Virtual Armchair General's TSATF card decks
the huge red-shield "charge" mentioned above was not a charge in rulebook terms. It was a normal 3d6 move for which Alex rolled 15" plus an extra 3d6 bonus due to a special event card from the above-mentioned deck and he again rolled 15" for a total move of 30"!
at one point, the 92nd Highlanders drew a "bad ammo" event from the deck above and the only shot from the unit that struck home was from Lt. McDavid's pistol.

Casualty Report :

21st NMI (Madras Pioneers)

Lt. Neil Cosgrove -- wounded
Havildar Bama -- dead
Sepoy Chandrak -- dead
Sepoy Hati -- dead
Sepoy Gauri -- seriously wounded
Sepoy Bhanu -- wounded

4th Gurkhas

Havildar Sonam -- seriously wounded
Sepoy Limbu -- dead
Sepoy Kunal-- dead
Sepoy Rai -- seriously wounded
Sepoy Gurung -- seriously wounded

Afristan Map after Victory:

So moves for the March turn are now due.

Remember that you can move into any adjacent District or travel through a maximum of one hex of a District in order to reach another district. An example of this can be found in the Tyger River area.

The Field Force is in Luni. It could move to G'umb . . . or it could travel through one hex of G'umb to either Swati or M'wez (with a slight penalty to the Rebellion die roll).

Of course, if like the Cango River Field Force, you are "on the river", you can move to any District which the river touches.

-- Jeff

Battle vs M'tubel on Monday

2011-08-10T21:40:00.000-07:00

Well it now looks like Captain McMurdock will draw "first blood" in the Afristan Campaign . . . and, most likely lose some of his troops as well.

He has been charged with pacifying this rebellious district by burning the village of M'eezee. But whether this will be easy or hard we should find out on this coming Monday afternoon. So in the meantime, I need to paint some Zulus (who will act as M'tubel) and create a village to be burned.

Meanwhile all of the players have made their reinforcement choices. Pete and Alex both chose option four (one Briton and one Gurkha) while Murdock and I both chose option two (one Cavalryman and one Sepoy).

By the way, the available reserves can always be seen by clicking on the appropriate River Valley Command in the top right hand column, then scrolling down to the bottom of the forces list.

-- Jeff

February Results and Reinforcements

2011-08-02T02:33:00.000-07:00

Campaign Situation -- March 1st, 1876

Click twice on the map to left for much larger image.

Well as "March comes in like a lion" we have our first confrontation between Native troops and one of our commands.

The Vile River Field Force has met resistance upon entering the district of M'tubel.

Sadly, since I'm only in the process of painting the proper type of troops, we may need to wait a week or two before fighting this out.

Following the "Medical Report" are brief reports from the field relating to the experiences of the various River Commands.

Medical Report:

Pvt. Paul MacArthur of the 72nd Foot (Wazu River Command) has died of the wounds he received from that jungle cat last month.

Gurkha Thapa of the 4th Gurkha's (Vile River Command) has had his condition upgraded from "serious" to "stable".

Sepoy Chand of the 15th Bengali Native Infantry (Wazu River Command) has recovered and has returned to duty.

Cango River:

After the funeral service for Sepoy Japjot, Capt. Davidson's command left the fertile farmlands of Anwaki and hurried across the dry veldt of Tewfiq to the Tewfiq Trading Post. Here they learned that things had indeed gotten much worse at the Jadu Trading Post . . . so Capt. Davidson decided to requisition boat in order to "take to the river" as the quickest way to reach the trouble spot.

While at the Trading Post, Lt. Appleby's "problem child", Sepoy Prakash (#7) somehow manged to knock over a large display of heavy crates which all fell on top of him . . . yet somehow he escaped injury.

Later, when boarding the boats, Prakash managed to upset one of the boats and was not seen again until the boat was successfully righted, when he was found to have been knocked unconscious and had been trapped face-up in the air pocket under the boat. Havildar Granth and several other members of the 2nd "Piffers" now feel that Prakash is a good luck omen . . . he certainly was lucky while at the Trading Post.

Tyger River:

Captain Webley-Grant forced marched his command across the arid grasses of G'umb toward the badlands of Luni. His reception in both Districts was quite hostile, bordering on open rebellion.

While traveling past one of the G'umb villages, some children threw rocks at the troops and Sepoy Kulbir (#19) of the 45th BNI was struck in the head and remains unconscious a few days later. In addition, one of the muleteers received a broken arm from a thrown rock and now has to ride one of his mules.

If possible the atmosphere in Luni was even worse than in G'umb. Webley-Grant's second in command, Lt. Pete Kipling was shot in his right (shooting) arm from ambush. While he seems to be out of danger, he won't be able to use his pistol well for some time (+2 penalty on die roll).

In a similar incident, Pvt. Elliot O'Neill (#6) of the 88th Foot was shot in the leg and is confined to riding a mule; and Sepoy Onkar (#13) of the 45th BNI is in "serious" condition from a bullet wound he received from some camel riders.

Nevertheless it seems like the "show of force" has (for the time being at least) quieted the discontent . . . at least enough to delay open rebellion for a while although it seemed like a close-run thing.

Vile River:

Having successfully quieted the discontent in Ghilz, Capt. McMurdock led his troops to the confluence of the White and Blue Viles and crossed the White Vile into the troubled Jungles of M'tubel.

As they crossed the White Vile, they were greeted by a hail of spears and Private Angus Grant was critically wounded with a spear to his stomach. Several volleys into the jungle apparently dispersed these natives . . . although no bodies were found after the encounter. Since then the column has been continuously harassed and a battle seems inevitable.

Wazu River:

The two columns of Captain Ellis and Lieutenant Jeffers crossed their respective West and East branches of the Wazu and re-joined to quiet the discontent surrounding the Fuziwa Trading Post.

While not received exactly warmly by the bushy-haired hill people, Ellis' command encountered no active resistance. Still, Private Gordon Ogilvy (#8) of the 72nd Foot slipped and fell down a hillside and is rather substantially banged up and will be out-of-action for a while.

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) ------- 6
Jadu $ -- (P) ------- 11
Zirak $ -- (P) ------ 3
Anwak -- (D) ------2
Bele -- (Z) ---------- 3
Noair -- (D) ------- 2
Quett -- (P) -------- 4
W'tut -- (Z) -------- 8

TYGER RIVER:

Nukar * -- (E) ---- 4
Ta'ish # -- (D) ---- 4
Afridi $ -- (P) ---- 3
Swati $ -- (P) ----- 4
Dendoa -- (B) ---- 7
G'umb -- (Z) ------ 3
Luni -- (P) --------- 2
M'wez -- (Z) ------ 2
Umma -- (D) ----- 5

VILE RIVER:

Urabbi * -- (E) --- 2
M'tubel # -- (Z) -- ???
Bejj $ -- (B) -------- 5
Dinqa $ -- (D) ---- 6
Alghaz -- (D) ----- 5
Ghilz -- (P) -------- 2
Tarqa -- (P) -------- 5
J'ele -- (Z) ---------- 3
Z'ooli -- (Z) -------- 9

WAZU RIVER:
Kamel * -- (E) ----- 2
Baqqar # -- (D) --- 2
Fuziwa $ -- (B) ---- 2
Shluk $ -- (D) ----- 4
Dwari -- (P) ------- 4
Likaz -- (Z) -------- 6
Mazood -- (P) ---- 5
Ngoon -- (Z) ------ 3
Wazri -- (P) ------- 5

Reinforcements Choices:

All commands will get some reinforcements delivered to their home ports. Each player will have his choice of one of the following options:

one Artilleryman
one Cavalryman and one Sepoy
two "Britons"
one "Briton" and one Gurkha
four Sepoys

Please inform me of your choice of reinforcements as soon as you decide.

-- Jeff

Position Clarification & New Rule

2011-07-30T16:07:00.000-07:00

I wish to clarify something. The placement of your Field Force symbol within a District does NOT indicate its actual position.

I simply place the Field Force symbol in a convenient open space within the District.

When you are in a District, you are moving around throughout the whole District and could be anywhere you want in the District at month's end.

I based my campaign rules on the Jarania system, but I've made several changes . . . and now I'm going to make one more.

Instead of only being able to move into a directly adjacent District (or onto the River), I will allow you to travel through one or two hexes only of an intervening District in order to reach your desired District (or the River).

However, you will have to take a d20 test against the Rebellion Index of the intervening District and will be stopped there if you face any fighting. But if you make it safely through you will NOT "pacify" that District. It's Rebellion Index will not be altered by your journey.

Additionally, there will be a penalty to the d20 die roll in your eventual target District should you reach it. The penalty will depend upon the number of hexes you needed to travel to your target District:

if one hex -- d20 test vs Rebellion Index will have a -1 penalty if an even number is rolled on the d20
if two hexes -- the d20 test will have a -2 penalty on the die roll no matter what is rolled -- this represents the reduced time spent in the District.

So, while I do not think that this will change either Pete or Murdock's February moves, they are free to change them if they like -- but let me know soon please; since Alex's move isn't in yet, he will have time to contemplate this rule change before he responds with his move.

-- Jeff

Situation -- February, 1876

2011-07-29T21:54:00.001-07:00

Campaign Date -- February, 1876

Click twice on the map to left for much larger image.

First I should point out that we made some different choices as to how we would reinforce our troops in our home ports.

I selected option #2, the other three players selected option #3. Upon reflection, they probably made a wiser choice . . . but I want to build toward a cavalry unit. I suppose that I'd better hope for few casualties, eh?

The red numbers on the map indicate the current Rebellion Index for each region in following the January campaign turn.

The colored squares indicate the current location of each player's Field Force (or forces). So the question is now . . . "where do you want to go in February?"

Remember you may move to any adjacent region (even across the river) OR you may spend February "on the river" (if you are currently in a district bordering your river) and then move into any region that the river touches in March (by which time it is likely that some of the Rebellion Index numbers will have risen).

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) ---- 2
Derf # -- (B) ------- 4
Jadu $ -- (P) ------- 8
Zirak $ -- (P) ------ 3
Anwak -- (D) ------2
Bele -- (Z) ---------- 3
Noair -- (D) ------- 2
Quett -- (P) -------- 4
W'tut -- (Z) -------- 5

TYGER RIVER:

Nukar * -- (E) ---- 4
Ta'ish # -- (D) ---- 4
Afridi $ -- (P) ---- 3
Swati $ -- (P) ----- 2
Dendoa -- (B) ---- 4
G'umb -- (Z) ------ 3
Luni -- (P) --------- 6
M'wez -- (Z) ------ 2
Umma -- (D) ----- 5

VILE RIVER:

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

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

Please note that your "native troops" (Sepoys and Gurkhas) all now have names.

Email me with your with where they are going for your move (or moves if you split forces).

-- Jeff

January Results and Reinforcements

2011-07-27T20:09:00.000-07:00

Well as I more-or-less as expected, the initial turn of the Afristan Campaign did not result in any battles but dissatisfaction seems to be growing around the island and fighting may soon result.

Following are brief accounts from each of the Valley Commands:

Cango River:

Captain Davidson lead his full command west into the rich farmlands of the Anwaki people. They received a rather sullen response as they moved from village to village. The women hiding behind their veils and all encompassing clothing seemed to be fearful of the Scots in their kilts.

Sadly on the night of January 22, Sepoy Japjot (#6) of the 2nd PFF (Punjabi Field Force) snuck out at night after telling his mates that he was going to "have some fun". His body was found the following day with his throat cut . . . but there was no indication of who had done this . . . and the investigation was fruitless.

A few days later word of troubles at the Jadu Trading Post reached them and so they left Anwak short one sepoy.

Tyger River:

Leaving the veldt of Nukar, Captain Webley-Grant's crossed the Tyger from the port of Belhi into the lush jungles of M'wez. Fortuately they were rather well received by the black heathens who inhabit these lands. Indeed they were feasted at every village that they visited. It is hoped that all of their patrols will be as pleasant.

Vile River:

Captain McMurdock lead his command west from Kyro along the north bank of the Vile until he was able to cross into the Ghilz hills. The dark-eyed swarthy folk of those hills were mostly apathetic toward the Field Force.

Unfortunately Ghurka Thapa (#2) was severely incapacitated after being bitten by a viper. The snake was only about two feet long, but there is much doubt as to whether he will survive until he reaches the care of Surgeon Cranbrook back in Kyro.

Wazu River:

Evaluating the problems in Baqqar, Ngoon and Fuziwa, Captain Ellis decided to split his forces. He would take the Black Watch and Gurkhas into Baqqar; while Lt. Jeffers would lead the 72nd and Ludhiana Sikhs south into Ngoon, with both planning to meet up the following month in Fuziwa.

Capt. Ellis lead his troops southeast until he could cross the Wazu into the fertile fields of Baqqar. In general the natives were standoffish and fairly apathetic to their presence. The only notable incident occurred when Sepoy Chand (#6) sprained his left ankle so badly that he has to ride on one of the supply mules (resulting in many crude comments from his fellows).

At the same time Lt. Jeffers marched south to Vart, where his troops crossed into the jungles of Ngoon. The black devils who inhabit that jungle territory were not pleased with their presence. A very cold, hostile reception was met with in almost every village. The elders at those villages received them with scant hospitality but a few demonstration of the efficacy of modern firearms tended to somewhat dampen their animosity.

Sadly Private Paul McArthur of the 72nd was critically injured when he was mauled by a jungle cat. Even if he should recover he will forever speak with a high voice and will forever go without heirs.

Reinforcements Choice:

All commands will get some reinforcements delivered to their home ports. Each player will have his choice of one of the following options:

one Cavalryman and one "Briton";
one Cavalryman and two Sepoys;
two "Britons" and a Sepoy;
one "Briton" and three Sepoys;
or five Sepoys

Please let me know which option you will select.

Finally, the February Situation will appear soon.

-- Jeff

Accidents Happen

2011-07-27T04:32:00.000-07:00

Now that the Afristan Campaign has begun, I should mention that beside the chance of a battle occurring, there is always the possibility of "accidents" happening.

Perhaps not surprisingly, accidents are more likely to occur if the district that a Field Force is traversing is one where the populace is closer to rebellion than it is if they are glad to see the British.

In other words, the closer that the d20 roll vs a district's Rebellion Index is, the greater the chance of accidents . I will not reveal just how this works right now, but the number of "accident die rolls" increases as things get dangerous.

The usual Field Force consists of six "elements" (at least at this point in the campaign):

Command -- 2 officers & 1 horse = 3
British Platoon -- 20 men
British Squad -- 10 men
Sepoy Platoon -- 20 men
Gurkha Squad -- 10 men
Supply Train -- 6 men & 6 mules = 12

I will roll 1d6 to determine which of the above units might suffer an accident. Then I will roll 1d30. If that number rolled is greater than the number of targets available, then no accident occurs. If, on the other hand, it falls on a number, then that character number (on the force lists) may suffer an accident:

To determine this, I'll roll 1d12:

on a 1 -- target dies
on 2-3 -- serious wound
on 4-7 -- less serious wound
on 8-9 -- minor misfortune
10-12 -- nothing happens

However with four Field Forces, I expect that there will be the occasional mishap to add "color" to the campaign. Healing of injuries will be as described near the bottom of an earlier post.

-- Jeff

Campaign Start -- January, 1876

2011-07-25T14:04:00.000-07:00

Campaign Date -- January 1, 1876

Click twice on the map to left for much larger image.

The red numbers indicate the current Rebellion Index for each region in response to Sultan Omar Mustapha's new taxes.

The colored squares indicate the current location of the forces each player may deploy to help calm the situation.

So where do you want to go first?

Remember you may move to any adjacent region (even across the river) OR you may spend January "on the river" and then move into any region that the river touches (by which time it is likely that some of the Rebellion Index numbers will have risen).

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:

Home Districts will be marked with an *
Districts with Missions will have a #
Trading Post Districts will have a $
"Beja" Districts will be marked -- (B)
"Dervish" Districts will be marked -- (D)
"Egyptian" Districts will be marke -- (E)
"Pathan" Districts will be marked -- (P)
"Zulu" Districts will be marked -- (Z)

CANGO RIVER:

Tewfiq * -- (E) --- 2
Derf # -- (B) ------ 3
Jadu $ -- (P) ------ 5
Zirak $ -- (P) ----- 3
Anwak -- (D) -----5
Bele -- (Z) --------- 3
Noair -- (D) ------- 2
Quett -- (P) -------- 4
W'tut -- (Z) -------- 3

TYGER RIVER:

Nukar * -- (E) --- 2
Ta'ish # -- (D) --- 4
Afridi $ -- (P) --- 3
Swati $ -- (P) ---- 2
Dendoa -- (B) ---- 4
G'umb -- (Z) ----- 3
Luni -- (P) -------- 4
M'wez -- (Z) ----- 4
Umma -- (D) ---- 4

VILE RIVER:

Urabbi * -- (E) --- 2
M'tubel # -- (Z) -- 3
Bejj $ -- (B) -------- 5
Dinqa $ -- (D) ---- 2
Alghaz -- (D) ----- 3
Ghilz -- (P) -------- 4
Tarqa -- (P) -------- 3
J'ele -- (Z) ---------- 2
Z'ooli -- (Z) -------- 4

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

Email me with your Field Force compositions and where they are going.

-- Jeff

Campaign Overview

2011-07-22T03:16:00.000-07:00

Setting

Afristan is a large (fictitious) island in the Indian Ocean. (click twice on map at left for view at end of 1875).

While it is nominally ruled by Sultan Omar Mustapha, he really has little control over Afristan and has requested British aid in quelling the almost constantly simmering rebellion against his rule and his taxes.

Each of the four players will have "command" of one of the "River Basin Districts" of the island. Each District has nine regions which must be controlled.

Troops

Each player will start with the same number of troops (click on links to right for details of each player's commands). Each turn players will have access to some reinforcements with which they can form new units or fill gaps caused by casualties.

Rules

We will be using "The Sword and the Flame -- 20th Anniversary" rules. Players whose forces are not involved in a battle will play the native forces.

Moves

Each move represents one month (starting January, 1876). Field forces may move to any one region that is adjacent to the one that they've been in . . . OR . . . they may spend the month "on the river", in which case they may exit the next month into any one region that their river touches. Forces will spend the entire month in one region . . . OR . . . on the river. They may not enter more than one region.

Force Composition

Each force must consist of at least one unattached British officer (i.e., one not part of a unit) and more than 20 men. This means that a platoon or two squads are not enough by themselves. A platoon and a squad would be enough (as would two cavalry troops). In addition, at least one of the units involved must be British.

Thus it is possible to have two field forces IF a player has an unattached British officer, a platoon and a squad (as long as one of these two is British) . . . however such forces are pretty fragile and might be overwhelmed and wiped out if they run into rebellious natives. It is safer to travel with a single larger force . . . although it might be advisable to keep a unit "at home" to protect your Headquarters..

Rebellion Index

Each month a die will be rolled for each region and the "Rebellion Index" will either go up or remain the same.

When a field force enters a region, 1d20 will be rolled. As long as the d20 rolls equal to or more than the current Rebellion Index for that region, all is well and the Rebellion Index will drop to "2".

However, if the d20 is less than the Rebellion Index, the region will be "in rebellion" and will muster the number of Native Units that will match the difference between the number rolled on the d20 and their current Rebellion Index. So it is wise not to allow a region's index to get too high or the player's field force could be severely overwhelmed.

Game Turns

Initial forces have arrived in December, 1875 and are in their respective port towns (Stupt, Belhi, Kyro, Azol). So Sultan Omar Mustapha has raised taxes and the regions are growing restless.

-- Jeff

Pete is Out of Hospital

2011-07-20T22:03:00.001-07:00

So the title tells only a part of the story of course. I`ve just learned thatPete (our player who had a heart attack) is now out of hospital.

Of course that does not mean that he`s back to 100%. But it is a positive sign. He does have to take things very easy . . . and he`s moving very slowly and carefully right now . . . but the news is most certainly on the plus side.

-- Jeff

Ouch! Campaign Delayed

2011-07-13T23:09:00.000-07:00

I just learned that Pete, one of players for my Afristan Campaign is in hospital having suffered a mild heart attack . . . but "mild heart attack" is still a heart attack and THAT surely takes precedence over a miniatures campaign.

Let us all wish Pete a comfortable and full recovery . . . and my miniatures will wait patiently for that. (In fact it might even allow my painting to catch up a bit).

So please send prayers and best wishes to Pete. I do.

-- Jeff

Second Training Game

2011-07-10T22:41:00.000-07:00

Well we re-played our earlier "Training Game" on Sunday (July 10). Only this time we switched sides . . . because Alex and Ian (who had the Brits last time) felt that the scenario was slanted in favor of the Pashtun.

Pictured at left is an early scene from the action in the village.

The Sepoys with blue turbans (house a left and on the walls) are Rattray's Sikhs; the 78th Scots are in the whiter building and also in front of the building at right with the civilians.

(Click on photo above for a larger image -- however a setting was mistakenly changed in my camera and sadly the other photos do not enlarge).

Anyway this time Alex and Ian took the Natives; and David led the relief column. But since Pete was able to play this time, he took the part of the units pinned in the village (and I umpired).

Well, history did NOT repeat itself.

This time the relief column was quite successful. (Photo shows an early scene where the Sepoys of the Madras Pioneers and 4th Gurkhas have surrounded the few survivors of a Pashtun jezail unit. Note that the leader of the Pioneers, Lt. Neil Cosgrove, lies wounded next to his men).

Indeed, the defense of the village and the rifles of the relief column were so successful that very few Pashtun returned safely to their villages in the hills of the Northwest Frontier.

A dozen Imperial natives died (eleven Sepoys and one Gurkha). Many wounded Sepoys (Rattray's Sikhs -- light blue turbans) had their throats cut after the mobs of Pashtun swarmed the village.

Fortunately there were only five British casualties.

Two dead Scots -- Pvt. Kenneth MacTaggart and Pvt. Donald MacDonald, both of the 78th Regiment of Foot. Poor Pvt. MacDonald had been wounded in the earlier battle and was fresh from hospital (obviously he was released too soon).

In addition the British officer in charge of the Madras Pioneers (21st NMI), Lt. Neil Cosgrove, was wounded while leading his men in battle, but is expected to make a full recovery.

Also wounded were pair of Scots from the 78th -- Pvt. Graham Shaw and Pvt. Lewis Duncan (the latter had recently replaced the previously slain Pvt. Douglas Gordon).

However it should be noted that the "red sword" unit of Pashtuns (run by Ian) made successful test after test after test. They were finally reduced to a single hillman . . . who passed the final test and walked away from the village . . . mooning the defenders as he crested a hill. (note that he was practically the only survivor other than a few scattered routers and Alex's Jezailmen, who spent most of the battle outside of British rifle range as the sniped away at the village's defenders).

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

Now that Pete has had a chance to learn the rules, we can finally start the Afristan Campaign . . . so posts should come more often now.

-- Jeff