Skirmish Kings

   Back in January we played a game of Osprey Wargames "The Men Who Would Be Kings", Skirmish kings variant, at Wayne's place.

   The players were Me, Cecil, Glenn, Doug and Jordan with Wayne providing the place to play, the figures and terrain as well as umpiring, not that these rules need much.

   It took place in the Imagi-Nation of Cathay and pitted a mixed U.S Marine, German Seebattalion (both Regular infantry) and loyalist Cathayans (irregular Infantry) force against a Mutineer Cathay regulars (irregular infantry unenthusiastic) and risen Cathayans (Tribal Infantry) who were essentially boxers.

Loyalist face off against the boxers

Marine and Seebattalions bring up the guns and clash with mutineers near the stream

B oxers throwing themselves onto Loyalist rifles

One brave boxer unit actually made contact, that is the lone survivor just outside the woods.

Boxer commander looks on dejectedly at the remnants of his force.

Mutineers having fallen back from the stream catch the loyal Cathayians from behind.

Marines cross the stream.

   It was a nice fun game which played fast, but was a bit of a walkover as the Marine had a couple of artillery pieces and there was no place for the mutineers to get out of their fire.

The Men Who Would Be Kings game at HRGG

"Just Passing By"

That is the name of  Scenario A from "The Men Who Would Be Kings" rules book.

The objective of this scenario is to accumulate more victory points than your opponent. Both sides receive points for exiting off the opponents edge, the more figures the unit has the more points it is worth, they also get points for destroying enemy units, but more points for exiting. there is also a big bonus for the first unit to exit off the opponents edge.

British table edge

Zulu Table edge.

Both players (Stephen and Bob) had not played these rules before, one of the players started war gaming a mere 6 month ago.

The attacker sets up no farther than 2' from table corner along the short table edge, his opponent on the opposite side.

Both sides initially had the same strategy, exit as many units as quickly as possible from the table edge opposite their start positions, and hope to get the first unit off the table, the Zulu changed their plan as soon as the saw how rapidly the NNH were covering ground and opted to hit the British on their side of the road, get points for killing and then exiting some full strength units (which are worth more VPs). The turn after the Zulu changed the axis of their attack the NNH failed to move for 2 consecutive turns. The Natal Native Horse thereafter never again failed an orders test and were the first to exit, and the Zulu failed more than a few actions test and stalled just inside long range of the British rifles, but eventually got moving and easily destroyed on unit, and charged the other but surprisingly lost the melee. The British formed close order line got a volley off, but were down to 6 figures when a full strength impi hit them 16 -8, but wait since the Brits were close order only 8 fierce Zulu could fight, the close order line won, but was reduced in numbers so could no longer get the benefit of a close order, and next Zulu turn were wiped out, causing pin tests on the NNC and the British behind them, the NNC passed whereas the Brits failed, it was around this point the NNH  point exited they table (the first to do so). The Brits recovered an eventually started firing on the Zulu remnants, eliminating most of them, the Zulu exits a full strength impi and the game was called at this point. A British victory 9-4.

Midway through the game Zulu have crossed the stream, the Natal Native horse have been watering their horses for 2 turns, due to failed move actions

The NNH has exited, 2 British units have been destroyed as have 2 Zulu units, but 3 Other Zulus units have been shot up pretty badly.

The remaining unit of Red Shirts hiding behind the the Natal Native Contingent....er I mean the Red Coats are offering close support for the NNC. A Full strength unit is leaving the table at the top of the picture.

This picture is at game end, the Zulu unit at the top left, exits in its next turn.

Anglo-Zulu war game prep

I got these rules in September and have been itching to give them a try.

"The Men Who Would Be Kings" from Osprey Games.

Some of the guys at at the Hamilton Road Gaming Group, here in London, Ontario, Canada, were going to be playing some "Disposable Heroes and coffin for seven Brothers" which I wasn't in the mood for. I offered to run a game of these if anyone was interested.

The book suggests Scenario A "Just passing By " as the first game.

In preparation for this game I had to once again dig out my Brits and Zulu, which I have not used in about a 5 years. I thought I had enough painted to run it right away, but alas I didn't. I had to paint my NNH. Which I proceeded to do in a few evenings, and since I was working on the mounted guys, I figured I should finish basing the dismounted figures which have been waiting 5+ years for me to do so.

Then I dugout 3 units of Redcoats. They needed a bit of repainting, as the paint had flaked off where the left hand grasps the rifle, on almost every figure. That done I then resealed the touched up areas in white glue.

And I finished re basing the dismounted NNH figures.

Then it was dealing the Zulu. opened 6 baggies of them and chose the best 16 figures from each bag.

Pictures of the Zulu coming soon(tm)

I noticed as I was  dealing with the figures that the bases are really light (they are just #26 Illustration board) but I don't want to re base every figure (over 400 Zulu and nearly 100 Britons), I grabbed a couple of my Magnetic Sheets, and stuck the figures to them, it gives the bases just enough weigh.

Ignore those 6mm Napoleonics, they have nothing to do with Zulu wars.

 Then grabbed a table clothe and some almost suitable terrain. The tables at the library are 7.5x5' I marked a 6x4 area, I did eventually remember to remove 9" from each short edge as well

The British side of the table.

The Zulus table edge

HGA - September 25th 2011

September 25th, 2011: I ran a game of the 'Sword and the Flame' for my local gaming group (Historical Gaming Association of London [Ontario]). I decided to run one from a Scenario book. The book I chose was 'Colonial Campaigns: Ethiopia' and the scenario was 'Adowa: The Centre Brigades'.

Five players showed up which was perfect, the scenario seems to work best with that many (three Ethiopian and two Italian). I ran it once with six, three a side, the actual Italians enter on turn 2 and either take three to four turns to reach the fighting, which is desperate by that time, or they move to the West hill and see no fighting til near turn 9 or 10.

I made one change to the scenario to make it closer, I moved up all Ethiopian reinforcements by one turn, otherwise the Italians have to try very hard to lose.

To win the Italians must accrue more victory point than the Ethiopians, each side gets one point for solely occupying each victory hill.

The game is supposed to be 12 turns long, but you can determine by about turn 8 if the Ethiopians are going to win, which is where we got to.

By turn 8 the Italians had lost control of 2 of the the 3 hills and even if they kept the 3rd hill, the Ethiopians would accumulate enough victory point to win, the Italians didn't have enough troops to contest one of the hills, they used their reserves to hold the second hill as long as possible, if they could have contested it for one more turn we would have had to play til turn 12.

Turn 2: The Askari (Eritrean fighting for the Italians) move onto occupy 2 of the 3 victory hills, but Ethiopians cavalry is already on North hill at top of picture.

North hill being assaulted.

Last stand on North hill, the only survior will be general Albertone (on horse near South edge of the hill). The markers denote that a unit has moved  and the different colors which player is commanding said unit.

Italians reinforcements arrive to contest the South hill, constant sniping and rushes have reduced the defending askari to 3 figures.

Turn 8: Italians just about to be pushed off the South hill. Ethiopians assault the reserve to prevent if from counter attacking.

For the most part we played The Sword and the Flame' rules as written except melee resoloution and officer casualties.

Melee: I had each side start with1d6 per figure, or 1d8 per leader then add or subtract for various factors. Roll the dice with any result of 5+ inflicting a kill, the side with the most kills win, ties go to defender.  

Officer Casualties: when a unit takes casualties for each casualty roll 1d12 on a 1 unit suffers an officer casualty.

Not dead yet!

Its been a while since I updated, over 2 months, in fact, and thought it was time for an update.

Hamilton Road Gaming Group:
Saturday August 20th: Since I semi regularly play games at the Hamilton Road Gaming group, I figured I should run at least one game to repay them for all the games I've played. I wanted something different than they usually play and I decided on 'The Sword and the Flame' and as I was going to run the same game for my regular gaming group, I could use it as a play test. I hadn't played them in several years so it was also an opportunity to reacquaint my self with the rules.

I ran a scenario from Mark Fastoso's 'Colonial Campaign: Ethiopia' book the scenario I chose was the 'The Battle of Adowa: Centre Brigades'.

It was an Italian victory.

It was a good thing I did, I was very rusty and play showed I needed a faster way to resolve melee.


Historical Gaming Association of London:
September 25. I ran my game of the 'Sword and the Flame' for my local gaming group. I decided to run one from a Scenario book. The book I chose was 'Colonial Campaigns: Ethiopia' and the scenario was 'Adowa: The Centre Brigades'.

To win the Italians must accrue more victory point than the Ethiopians, each side gets one point for solely occupying each victory hill. The game is supposed to be 12 turns long, but you can determine by about turn 8 if the Ethiopians are going to win, which is where we got to. By turn 8 the Italians had lost control of 2 of the the 3 hills and even if they kept the 3rd hill, the Ethiopians would accumulate enough victory point to win, the Italians didn't have enough troops to contest one of the hills, they used their reserves to hold the second hill as long as possible, if they could have contested it for one more turn we would have had to play til turn 12.

Council Fires:
Saturday October the 1st, I went to Council Fires, new one day con in Cambridge Ontario. I got there late (1 PM) as the schedule of games didn't have anything I wanted to play. It was to be a buying expedition.

When I got there the 5 Vendors; W&S Hobbies, WGG Distributors, Bayshore Hobbies, Five Arrows and Crossed Swords(?) were set up, RAFM and JDR Games were supposed to be there but I didn't see them. One vendor was doing so little business (or had done so much he was exhausted) and was asleep, he had somethings I was interested in, but not enough to wake him up. I've seen him at other cons and I think he goes to to them to sleep or have someone watch the booth for him when he goes to eat.

As most of my gaming is in 1/72 there wasn't a lot there to interest me, normally I spend quite a lot at W&S Hobbies, but this year his selection of WW2 Stuff was very limited and prices raised stuff that cost $8-$10 in March at hotlead, was $12-$14. I ended up only buying 2 boxes of Caesar miniatures; 1 of Modern US and 1 of Terrorists, and I picked up a box of Italeri ISU 122's from the Bring & Buy

Impressions: A lot of people and a lot of games set up but not many people playing, I know of at least one game that was to start at noon and still had no players by 1:30, the GM was getting ready to pack it up.

There were supposed to be Flames of War, Warhammer and a DBA Tourneys and saw none of them nor the Warmachine Demos, though they all might have been finished by the time I got there, or they had been moved into a different room.

Bring and buy was well picked over by the time I arrived, I mistook one guy selling his stuff as the Bring and Buy,he had some nice stuff but massively overpriced, (he probably ended up taking it all back home) boardgames for anywhere between $20 - $140!!! , he had some nice 20mm WW2 30-40 painted German infantry and 11 beautifully painted vehicles (model kits), in which I was interested in, until I suffered from sticker shock ($110!). That's almost as much as my entire German army cost me and its near 200 infantry and around 40 vehicles.


Advanced Squad Leader Minis:
As I didn't expect to do any gaming at Council Fires I agreed to help my buddy Greg run a game for some friends of his in Toronto the next day.
For full details (i.e. pretty pictires) see Icicle's blog posting ASL Miniature.  I believe they were the first use of Icicle's new hills patterned after mine.

Here are my pictures of the game.

German Infantry riding in halftracks escorted by a SDKFZ 234/2 'Puma'. Infantry are actaully inside the vehicles.

Germans preparing to ford the river.

Germans move to cover the bridge,

Soviets Preparing to cross the river.

A Squad with a Panzerfaust sneaks up on a Soviet Armoured Behemoth.

German reinforcements advancing through wheatfields.

Bloody fighting near the bridge.

Gallery - Zulu War British

Zulu War British

The infantry are all ESCI's Zulu war British infantry, few figures modified.

2 platoons of the 24th regiment foot

3 platoons of the 81st regiment of foot

Artillery and commanders

When I painted these there were no mounted troops available so I had to convert I started with an ESCI set of Scots Greys and trimmed away alot of detail  and head swaps with some useless pose from the Zulu war British infantry. the result still looks OK.

Gallery - Generic Colonial Natives

When I was last into colonial wargaming there wasn't a lot of selection in my preferred scale (1/72), I had to make do with what I could get my hands on.

It was easy for the Europeans as ESCI Zulu wars British infantry would work for most Europeans armies. I used them as Italians in my Ethiopian games, the gunners are from a Napoleonic artillery set with head swaps, the artillery is from a Crimean War set, the Machine gun is from a Revell WWI German infantry set with a head swap.

These were all painted years ago and  if (when) I repaint them they will hopefullly look a whole lot better. Considering how I stored (Ziplock baggies scrunched into a big plastic bag) them they look to mostly be in still good shape.

ESCI's Zulu War Brish Infantry

The askari required a bit more work they all started off as ESCI French Napoleonic Infantry. Some Knife work to reshape the shako into Fez like hats and cutting away the turn backs on their tunics.

Were originally going to stand in for Egyptians

My attempt at Sudanese askari

These are HAT ACW Zouves standing in for some Native bigshots Household troops

The natives were harder and easier to deal with, mainly they would require spears, swords or rifle, so quick search on PSR revealed some useful sets, HAT miniatures: Alexander's Light Infantry,  Hannibal's Carthaginians - African Infantry and ESCI's Arab warriors.

HAT minatures, with a bit more work these would have looked much better.

ESCI arab warriors

ESCI's Arab warriors

ESCI arab warriors

ESCI's Arab warriors, this pose not too useful as a generic native though.

 Native armies usuallyhave mounted elements so I had to find some, I made due with more from HAT, Napoleonic Mameluks and Numidian Cavalry.

Numidian Cavalry

Mameluks