So 1st February saw the big day arrive - Winter Wonder Lard V! 'The Relief of Dojjibotti' had been tested and seemed to work ok, fingers crossed that it would be "alright on the night"...
Following the trial game a couple of small tweaks were made, the most noticeable being setting the Mission up at an angle to make dealing with any potential assaults on the walls easier to handle.
Game One:
Andy Crow, Bill Jenny and Chris Clark played the first game, Andy and Bill taking command of the Indians...
Chris, rather appropriately sporting his monocle, the British (what ho? pip, pip eh?)
Bill, taking the role of Subedar Tendulkar launched his forces forward towards the mission...
Whilst Andy as Jemedar Ganguly sent a group of Light Cavalry out along the Indian left flank, soon discovering firangee skirmishers...
And then a column of the North Somersetshire marching to relieve the mission!
Where the Gurkhas, Sikhs and Sergeant Knocker of the Bengal Horse Artillery manned the ramparts.
On the flank the South Gloucestershire horse spot some pandies.
A detached group of which face down the cavalry, whilst Ganguly's skirmishers start poking around in the jungle...
Major Turner-Round (played by Chris) deployed the North Somersets into line - and then for some reason about faced to turn their backs on the on coming enemy!
The goat-herders decided that the top sahib had been out in the sun too long!
Not content with having his column facing away from the enemy, Chris also did the same with his skirmishers! The Indian cavalry not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth charged!
And wiped the British skirmishers out!
Having learnt a lesson here, Major Turner-Round turned the main force around...
Took aim,..
And fired a volley into a column of sepoys advancing on the mission!
They don't like it up 'em! The spot column disintegrated and fled back towards the village!
Meanwhile another report column marched closer to the mission...
And despite withering fire from the Piffers, charged the walls!
One group reaching an unguarded section, and began to scale the walls!
Fortunately Captain Olde-Duffer was able to get a group of Sikhs round in time to beat the pandies back!
However the British Force Morale was really low by this point and Jemedar Ganguly spotted an opportunity to seize the British deployment point and win the battle! Unfortunately as his cavalry charged down the road towards it past a patch of jungle, on a random roll, a group of monkeys therein threw feces at the sepoys spooking the horses and causing them to flee with excess shock!
The the mission still holding out and the Indians unlikely to further impact the British Force Morale victory was awarded to the British.
Game Two:
Matthew Tressider, James Jennings, Pete Mellet and Nathan Goodyear played the second game...
The mutineers poured out the village charging towards the mission, Tendulkar keeping Ganguly and his skirmishers well within command range!
The Bengal Horse Artillery at the Dojjibotti mission hammered the attacking Pandy columns...
But still they advanced!
The fire from the Mission was unrelenting...
And soon the relief force arrived nearby to add its weight of fire to proceedings.
Wait till you see the whites of their eyes chaps...
FIRE!!!
Despite the weight of fire, the sepoys managed to charge in to fisticuffs!
But the sharp Sheffield forged bayonets of the North Somersets made bloody work of the rebels and sent they reeling back...
Handing victory to the forces of the Crown - huzzah!
Two good games which both sets of players seemed to enjoyed - it was interesting to see the different approaches, the players in game one embracing the role-playing aspects of their characters with Ganguly ignoring orders from Tendulkar when out of command range and looking for the treasure, whilst in game two the players played a more straight forward wargame with the Indians concentrating on trying to take the mission, ignoring the treasure hidden in the jungle.
No comments:
Post a Comment