Yesterday was Winter Wonder Lard VI at Bristol Independent Gaming and I put on an Indian Mutiny Sharp Practice game, a direct sequel to last year's The Relief of Dojjibotti, adding in a loyal Native Prince(ess)s force for one player and a load more cavalry for the Mutineers. We played the scenario twice at the event.
Game One:
Geoff Mesher, Peter Mellett, Paul Baldwin and Paul (Pingu) Pengilly played the first game.
The South Gloucestershire Horse were pushed aggressively forward having spotted some Pandy skirmishers on a hill outside the nearby village of Whindibotti...
Whilst the North Somersetshire Light Infantry commanded by Captain Turner-Round marched out of the Dojjibotti mission towards the junction of the Dojjibotti-Rhumblibehli roads...
To the north the first forces loyal to Rani Djellibebi appeared, a unit of lance armed Native Irregular Scouting Cavalry commanded by Zamindar Vishal Singh Rathore.
The South Glosters suddenly found that beyond the mutineer skirmishers there were many more enemy, including two large groups of Mutineer cavalry...
And a mass of sepoys marching down the road from Whindibotti towards Dojjibotti!
The residents of Whindibotti cheering them on!
Two groups of mutinous Sowars led by Risaldar Kaur charged the South Gloucestershire horse, breaking them...
But not without cost - fortunately a random event saw the appearance of a Fakir who removed Shock from the mutineer cavalry unit.
Spotting an opportunity to catch the mutineer cavalry, Zamindar Vishal Singh Rathore charged his Native Lancers into them causing many casualties and the surviving sowers to break!
Whilst that happened, the second unit of Bengal Light Cavalry mutineers, commanded by Daffadar Kumble, road down a group of North Somersetshire skirmishers led by Lieutenant Moore-Bacon. Only the officer and one man survived the charge, fleeing back to the Dojjibotti mission.
Meanwhile to the north on the Rhumblibehli road, forces of the Rani appeared including a rocket troop led by Kumar Suryavanshi - immediately opening fire "towards" the enemy!
Rockets are not the most accurate of weapons but are a lot of fun! The rocket immediately veered to the right before turning back towards the enemy and crashing to earth with a big bang beyond the jungle. Each unit it crossed took 1D6 Shock including a unit of friendly Loyal Sepoys commanded by Captain Ffoukes-Etop!
The rocket narrowly avoided a group of mutineers commanded by Havildar Major Ashwin...
Who, upon exiting the cover of the jungle, formed a firing line and began to trade volleys with the North Somersethire Lights...
The Loyal Native Lancers tried to catch Ashwin's sepoys in the flank, but their charge came up short.
As the exchanges of volleys continued, a fortuitous Chapter End occurred - and for the British that was a disaster!
The survivors of the broken Cavalry and skirmishers immediately routed, taking Lieutenant de Poncenay-Bout with them. Three Bad Thing happens rolls ensued and two sixes rolled did not help! With their Force Morale collapsing to 1, the British conceded defeat...
Game Two:
The afternoon saw Tom Egan, Ben Wallis, Colin Farrant and Jerry Jenkins try the Dojjibotti Run...
This time saw the Rani Djellibebi's force appear early on with Captain Ffoukes-Etop and his Loyal Sepoys, Lieutenant Goodmount with some Gurkha skirmishers and Nawab Umrigar leading three groups of palace Matchlockmen march down the Rhumblibehli road...
Near the Dojjibotti-Rhumblibehli junction the North Somersets made quick work of a column of mutinous Sepoys!
However things did not go all the want to the Anglo-Rhumblibehli alliance as Lieutenant de Poncenay-Bout and his South Gloucestershire horse had made the unwise assumption the enemy was only to the west and they were charged down by Risaldar Kaur and her Bengal Light Sowar mutineers who appeared from the north!
De Poncenay-Bout was knocked to the ground and the remaining four South Gloucestershire troops broke.
Meanwhile in Whindibotti Subedar Tendulkar led his troops out to engage Djellibebi and her Rhumblibehli force.
Joined by another big group commanded by Jemedar Dravid, supported by skirmishers led by Jemedar Ganguly...
Lieutenant Goodmount pushed his Gurkha skirmishers forward to engage the Pandies...
Supported by Captain Ffoukes-Etop's Loyal Sepoys and Nawab Umrigar's Matchlockmen (though both of these had taken shock when Kumar Suryavanshi had fired a rocket towards Whindibotti!).
Dravid marched his Sepoys towards the Rhumblibehli troops...
Whilst Tendulkar formed line with his, facing the threat of cavalry to his front.
Back on the Dojjibotti road disaster almost over took the British as Risaldar Kaur's cavalry rode down Lieutenant Moore-Bacon's skirmishers...
Bit exhibiting the pluck that won Britain an Empire, Captain Moore-Bacon turned the North Somersets to face the Pandy cavalry and gave them a resounding volley - remarkably despite the casualties they took, the mutineer Native Horse did not break - but they were no longer were a viable threat to the British line.
Outside Whindibotti the Native Lancers charged the Sepoy line but were beaten back despite being two quallty levels higher! Off camera Lieutenant Goodmount's Gurkhas shockingly were similarly forced back after they charged a group of Mutineer skirmishers!
At this point we had to end the game as time ran out.
Whilst the British held the Dojjibotti road, the Rani Djellibebi was in a precarious situation with both her better units (the Gurkhas and Lancers essentially hors de combat) and just the Loyal Sepoys and extremely dubious Matchlockmen left to protect her from the mutineer hordes - so a draw seemed the right result.
Both games had proven a lot of fun with some good twists and turns and everyone said they enjoyed themselves which was nice. Overall, whilst I did not get the opportunity to see what was happening elsewhere at Winter Wonder Lard VI, I only heard positive things being said, so it seems good time was had by all.
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