Kevin, Mike and I got together to do some Blackpowder gaming in the Sudan. The Anglo-Egyptians were set up outside of the Oasis of Yabba Dabba Doo. The forces of the Madhi were attacking at dawn, coming on in the usual fashion, charging with blood curdling cries of faith and battle.
What the Anglo-Egyptian forces didn't know (that would be Kevin and Mike) is that during the night a unit of Skirmishers and a small Fuzzy Wuzzy Warband had infiltrated the Oasis and were hidden in the buildings. When the time was right, the Madhi (me) would spring the trap........
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| As dawn breaks, sleepy eyes begin to open in the British encampment. |
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| The British camp consists of: 2 British Rifle units, The Black Watch, 2 Egyptian Regulars Units, a Naval Infantry unit and a Gardner gun. |
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| 2 units of Bashi Bazouks preferred their own company to that of the British camp. The 10th Hussars are riding their horses back after allowing them to water and graze before the days duties. |
And then just as the first rays of sunlight began to turn the morning sky crimson over the hills poured the forces of the Madhi!
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| 4 units of the dread "Fuzzy Wuzzys", a unit of Ansar, 2 units of Riflemen, a unit of Cavalry and a unit of Camel Riders. Not yet cresting the hill was a captured artillery piece that was being manhandled into position. |
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| Followers of the Madhi come screaming down the dunes crying out for the blood in the Infidel!! |
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| This picture is from a few turns in. As you can see Lord Kevin has the British forming firing lines. Mike Pasha's luck had run out though as one unit of Basha Bazouks and his Hussars refused to move. And see those two Madhi units in the lower left corner of the picture. They refused to move practically the entire game. They were in a perfect position to come crashing into the Egyptian units but they failed activation after activation. On the second to the last turn they moved once, on the last turn they moved once.......they were never a combat factor the entire game...only a threat...... |
The game was hard fought. Both my opponents and myself were hampered by failed Command Rolls. And my charges were consistently brought to a standstill by the dread Disorder combat result on Range Fire rolls.
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| Case in point, my Warband in the foreground charged and came up half an inch short of making contact. They then got blasted by the British Rifle fire and disordered. They returned fire with their 1 Spears ranged fire roll and disordered the British unit. This went back and for for a number of turns, both sides either taking hits and saving, or rolling high enough on the Break Tests that they held their ground. Rifle fire and Spear throwing seemed to be the preferred method of combat, neither side able to close!! |
Look to the upper left of the picture below. See the 2 Fuzzy Wuzzy units in the upper left corner? Those are the two that camped out on that hill; the whole game! NEVER made a Command Roll check when it counted...and nothing but Egyptian Infantry before them!!!!
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| My Camel Riders in this picture...Disordered and cut to pieces by rifle fire. My Rifle Skirmishers in the middle took many hits from the British unit to their front, but they saved when it counted. The Warband behind them eventually got into contact with the British Rifle unit and was Disordered by Closing fire and then (with horrible dice rolling on my part) were destroyed in Hand to Hand.... A high point for me though was my Artillery unit. It pounded away at the British, hitting time and time again with some very lucky die rolling. As a matter of fact, the British Naval unit in the picture was destroyed by combined fire from the Artillery and the Skirmishers in the picture foreground..... |
A panoramic view of the beginning of the end of the game.....
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| Once the British Cavalry had been committed I finally sprung my trap. My Skirmishers and a small Warband came rushing out of the building at the Oasis. Kevin very calmly swung the Black Watch and the Gardner Gun around to meet them. The British Cavalry wheeled to the left and prepared to charge but then THEY were hit by Disordering fire (HOW DO YOU GUYS LIKE IT, EH?!!) The Cavalry turned out not to be needed though for the rifle fire from the Scotsmen and Gardner gun was enough to all but wipe out the Warband. After two more turn, during which my 2 Warbands on the hill made a whole 2 moves, we invoked the 10:30 rule. The final score was 4 (5 to lose) dead Madhi units and 2 (4 to lose) British units. Both sides had units that were ready to crumble, but in the interest of fair play we called it a near run, but British victory. |
A hard fought game that was fun for all. Lots of head hanging, eye rolling and good natured but ungentlemanly spoken words. Sadly, this was our last game with these figures for they are going back to the friend I bought them from. We don't really use them enough and he offered to take them back for what I paid him for them......
The last game I thought...till my Grandson came over the next day and wanted to play something. These minis were still on the table (I was going to put them away later) so I rearranged a little, left about half out and set them up for "Capt. Kylor's Rescue Mission"...
But that is a story for another post...... 😉
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