The Men Who Would Be Kings: Indian Mutiny.

Gordon had previously prepared a game for a Scottish show and suggested we try it. The game is played with six players, three on each team. The rules are The Men Who Would Be Kings, and the timeline is the Indian Mutiny. I also helped Gordon umpire the game since I was the only one who actually read the rules.

SCENARIO: Gordon Smith
UMPIRING: Gordon Smith, Bartek Żynda

SCENERY: Gordon Smith

FIGURES & MODELS: Gordon Smith

1. Forces.

MUTINEERS

(Bartek, David, Tim)

1st SEPOY BRIGADE

5 x Irregular Infantry

1 x Field Gun

2nd SEPOY BRIGADE

5 x Irregular Infantry

1 x Irregular Cavalry

1 x field Gun

TRIBAL BRIGADE

5 x Tribal Infantry

1 x Tribal Infantry with Siege Gun

1 x Tribal Cavalry

1 x Field Gun

BRITISH EMPIRE & EAST INDIA COMPANY  

(Andy, Jamie, Michael)

FORT BRIGADE

5x Regular Infantry

1 x Field Gun

1st RELIEF COLUMN

5 x Regular Infantry

1 x Regular Cavalry

1 x Field Gun

2nd RELIEF COLUMN

5 x Regular Infantry

1 x Regular Cavalry

1 x Field Gun

2. The Game.

Jimie was responsible for defending the fort against the mutinous Sepoys, led by David and Tim, as well as the tribal warriors supporting them, whom I commanded. Jimie's objective was to hold out until two columns of British troops arrived to relieve the fort and drive out the mutineers. It appeared that neither side had a clear plan in place. 

I chose to support the sepoys, but my primary goal was to loot the fort. Gordon had stored an elephant, cattle, and a group of women inside it. I believed that the insubordinate tribal warriors would be far more motivated by the prospect of treasure than by fighting for freedom or similar ideals.

First, I had to send several units to protect myself from the attack by the British columns. I managed to position two units of tribal infantry in buildings, and with my cavalry, I launched an attack on one of the regular infantry units. To my surprise, I successfully destroyed that unit. Although my cavalry was subsequently targeted and eliminated by the remaining British forces, they managed to halt their advance for a while. Next, the two infantry units, along with one cannon no longer needed by the units assaulting the fort, engaged the approaching relief forces. The British focused on eliminating these units, which delayed their advancement. While this cost me the loss of another unit, I stopped Andy and his column.

On the other side, Tim was engaged in battle with Michael. Michael's cavalry nearly reached the fort gates, but his unit was annihilated beneath the fort's walls. After that, both sides occupied nearby buildings and continued to exchange fire, resulting in yet another column being halted.

Finally,  the fort. Each of us assigned our forces to attack it, but David was able to commit all his forces to the fight. We had a numerical advantage, and the unfavourable positioning of the defending units on the fort walls worked in our favour. For instance, I had a 4 to 1 advantage, while David and Tim had even more. To breach the walls, the attackers needed to pass the “At the Double” test. Three of my units moved in to attack, supported by both cannons. While my field gun inflicted some damage, the siege cannon proved to be ineffective. I needed to roll a 9 or higher to activate firing for that gun, and I only succeeded once throughout the entire game, missing utterly. As a result, the outcome depended entirely on the swords and spears of my warriors. They wreaked havoc on the units defending the fort.

It was the same situation on the other side. Tim, and especially David, climbed the walls and began eliminating the defending troops. While their main goal was to capture the fort, my aim was simply to rob it. Together, we ultimately managed to take over the fort and prepare for defence. Afterwards, I left the fort with all the valuable possessions. The game concluded with a complete victory for the Mutineers. After the game, Gordon admitted that the show game ended with a completely different result, where the British ultimately emerged as the winners. So, congratulations to us!

© Campbell Hardie

3. Links.

SESWC:

https://www.facebook.com/Seswc.co.uk/posts/1072179341606063

MICHAEL:

To be updated soon...

FLICKR:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720324902501

Gods of War Togo: Clash on counter-courses.

We played our second game using the Gods of War: Togo rules. This time, we included all the special rules and played for points. I set up two fleets, each at 875 points. We followed the second scenario from the main book, a clash of counter-courses. 

SCENARIO: Scenario 2: Clash on the counter-courses
UMPIRING: Bartek Żynda

SCENERY: SESWC

FIGURES & MODELS: Bartek Żynda

1. Forces.

US NAVY

(Alasdair, Jamie)

USS Indiana

USS Atlanta

USS Cincinnati

Torpedo boat Flotilla (USS Ericsson, USS Rodgers)

ARMADA ESPANOLA

(Andy, Bartek)

Pelayo (with a ship mascot)

Infanta Maria Teresa

Reina Regente

Velasco

2. The Game.

Before I move on to the game description, I want to mention that while creating fleets for the Spanish, I was 5 points short of the planned total of 875. With those points, I could have added a ship mascot to one of the vessels. Typically, these mascots were animals. Currently, I am painting British units for my Sudanese collection, using a set of plastic figures from Perry Miniatures. Among them, there are two dogs that I initially had no plans to use. However, to ensure they wouldn’t go to waste, I quickly painted them, added bases from Renedra, and now I have mascot tokens for Togo.

Let's get to the game. I added two islands to the scenario, which the captains of both fleets were to place on the table. They positioned the islands more or less in the centre. The Spanish fleet was the first to deploy, and it was divided into two smaller squadrons. The first squadron, under Andi's command, included the ships Pelayo and Infanta Maria Teresa. The second squadron, commanded by me, consisted of Reina Regente and Velasco. The American fleet also had two flotillas. The first flotilla, led by Alasdair, comprised the ships Indiana and Atlanta, while the second, commanded by Jimi, included Cincinnati and Ericsson.

Both fleets set off in their designated directions. While the Spanish kept both squadrons together, the Americans split their forces. Alasdair moved to engage the Spanish, while Jimie began to circle the enemy on a starboard course. USS  Indiana was the first to fire her main gun salvo, but the Spanish ships were actually out of range. Meanwhile, the Spanish approached USS Indiana and USS Atlanta, quickly showering them with accurate salvos.

USS Atlanta was the first ship to experience the effects of the concentrated fire. Numerous fires broke out, and although the ship remained afloat, the captain could not withstand the pressure and ultimately surrendered. This marked the first setback for the Americans in the battle. However, they managed to hold their ground, and at that moment, the USS Cincinnati fired a salvo at the Velasco. The shot struck the ammunition chamber, causing the Spanish ship to explode.

The remaining Spanish ships continued to engage the isolated Indiana. Eventually, their numerical superiority became apparent, leading to fires breaking out on USS Indiana that could not be extinguished. This ultimately caused the ammunition chambers to ignite, resulting in a catastrophic explosion of the ship. Meanwhile, the Spanish vessels also suffered damage. The Pelayo developed multiple leaks, the Infanta Maria Teresa caught fire, and only the Reina Regente sustained damage to her rudder, which forced her to move forward. As the situation unfolded, the Spanish ships decided to disengage from the battle and retreat, thus securing their victory. Unfortunately, the fires on the Infanta could not be extinguished, leading to her explosion as well. On the  USS Atlanta, however, the crew was able to extinguish all the fires, and she slowly followed the Spanish ships.

The victory was still within the Americans' grasp. All they needed to do was sink the damaged Spanish units. The USS Ericsson turned and began sailing toward the Pelayo. However, it soon came under fire from the main guns of the Reina Regente. The salvo struck the small ship, which could not withstand such a blow and sank. In contrast, the USS Cincinnati manoeuvred poorly and collided with an island. The impact caused numerous leaks, and as the ship attempted to withdraw, the incoming water led to a dangerous list that caused it to roll over and sink. This marked the end of the battle. However, the question remained: could the Pelayo leave the battlefield with six leaks? Fortunately, the ship's mascot proved to be helpful during the assessment, and the Pelayo slowly but surely made its way off the battlefield under its own power.

The game concluded with a decisive victory for the Spanish, with a final score of 60:8. Although we made a few mistakes during the game, they didn't significantly affect the outcome. I decided to expand both flotillas to enhance our options for creating fleets and to enable us to recreate the historical battles of this war.

Ships that have sunk in the game.

3. Links.

SESWC:

https://www.facebook.com/Seswc.co.uk/posts/1066474725509858

FLICKR:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720324773868/

Stalluponen 17.08.1914.

This time a historical clash occurred at the beginning of World War I on the Eastern Front. The Battle of Stalluponen occurred on August 17, 1914, between the German First Corps and Russian First and Third Armies troops. The game was played on a 6mm scale, using the rules created by Michael, which he called Stahlgewitter.

SCENARIO: Michael Schneider
UMPIRING: Michael Schneider

SCENERY: Michael Schneider, SESWC

FIGURES & MODELS: Michael Schneider

1. Forces.

GERMANS

(Bartek)

16 x Infantry Regiments

1 x Cavalry Regiments

9 x Guns

RUSSIANS

(Andy, Michael)

28 Infantry Regiments 

4 Cavalry Regiments

11 Guns

Reinforcements:

4 Infantry Regiments

2. The Game.

As Michael introduced us to the game, I searched online for information about the battle to better understand what happened. I was particularly interested in the fact that units from this area had participated in the battle (including Michael's Granddad and quite possibly some of my family members too), as they were more determined not to surrender any pieces of land to the enemy. Additionally, the attitude of the commander-in-chief, German General Hermann Karl Bruno von François, inspired me to execute a bold plan. I decided to defend myself in the town of Stalluponen, making it my mission to prevent the Russians from advancing. Although the number of enemies was daunting, I soon realized that in this situation, quantity did not equate to quality.

The Russians advanced, but my artillery proved to be highly effective against their troops. As a result, the Russian casualties were significant, prompting them to change their strategy. Instead of continuing with reckless assaults, they began to use counter-battery fire. Initially, the Russians had nearly twice as many artillery pieces, which eventually started to impact the battle. They managed to push forward and successfully broke through my defensive lines to the north of Stalluponnen, as well as in the south, where they penetrated my fortified positions.

At one point, the Russians succeeded in knocking out the infantry battalion defending Stalluponen. However, I managed to bring in a new unit to reinforce the town. It became clear that the Russians were breaking through my defence lines in several areas. At the same time, they were leaving the cover of their artillery and entering the range of my next defensive line located in Gumbinnen. This allowed the number of defeated Russian units to grow at an alarming rate. Ultimately, while the Russians had some successes, the German defence remained strong, and I won the battle.

3. Links.

MICHAEL:

https://meneken.blogspot.com/2025/03/the-battle-of-of-stalluponen-and.html

SESWC:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/631841809210352/permalink/656436363417563/

FLICKR: 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720324713569

Saxon's Generals.

I'm diving into another round of miniatures! With some free time, I've decided to take on a one-day challenge, this time focused on brigade generals. I've often found myself short on these figures during games and had to borrow from teammates, so I'm rectifying that. All the miniatures are from Eureka Miniatures, and I'm using Renedra bases for the generals. The base of the officer holding the flag is from Warbases.

Let’s start with the officer holding the flag. He is painted in the colors of the Leibgrenadiergarde. Although I won’t be painting this unit just yet, I wanted to give it a try because the red uniform sets it apart from the rest of the Saxon army. It is more similar to the units of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which I already plan to create—perhaps not this year, but it will happen eventually. The officer is holding a miniature version of the Leibfahne. This time, I used the pattern from Kronoskaf. For now, I chose to leave the head bare, as I plan to replace it with something more appropriate in the future.

The following images feature generals. This time, I put in some effort to take clear pictures, and you can finally see the details. I used the Pro mode on my phone instead of relying on automatic settings. Sometimes, it's important to put in the extra effort!

My next challenge will be more demanding, and I doubt I'll finish it in one day. There will be many more figurines, but more on that later. Now, it's time to focus on the British in Sudan.