Songs of Drums and Tomahawks: We will save you, even if you don't want us to.

For some time now, Mike has been organizing games at our club using his impressive collection of 60mm scale JJ Design miniatures. I have been occupied with other games, so I was happy to join in for another session. Mike also uses the rules of Songs of Drums and Tomahawks.

SCENARIO: Mike Evans
UMPIRING: Mike Evans

SCENERY: Mike Evans

FIGURES & MODELS: Mike Evans

1. Forces.

HURONS

(Michael, Mike, Peter)

2 x Warchief

7 x Brave Warriors

1 x Boy

Julie (the captive)

BRITISH

(Alasdair, Bartek, Gordon, Jimmy, Tim)

1 x British Officer

1 x British Sergeant

2 x British Grenadier

2 x British Musketeer

3 x Provintional Man

3 x Militia Man

2. The Game.

This game was a continuation of the previous game, in which I unfortunately did not participate. As a result, the Indians kidnapped a little girl named Julie. Now the British forces decided to take the girl from the kidnappers and give her to her parents. We had no idea where the village was or where our enemies might be hiding. All we got were orders from our officer to go towards the forest, where there were some highly overgrown animals. In my case, it was a beaver.

My Provincials moved forward. Right at the beginning, one of the Indigenous soldiers fired his musket at me and struck down a member of my group. It was not a promising start, but I persevered. I continued heading towards the forest with the beaver, adjusting my course so that my opponent wouldn't realize my intentions. Once per turn, Peter rolled a die, and on a roll of 6, he had the option to switch the animals in the forests. This change would force the British player to target a different forest. He managed to do this successfully only once during the entire game, but it did not impact the movement of the British troops.

On the other side, the British quickly stumbled upon a group of Hurons and engaged them in combat. An exchange of fire commenced, and soon the village was discovered. The British charged forward, but a second group of Indians, led by their chief, emerged to confront them. The chief engaged in a duel with a British officer; however, the officer was knocked to the ground and killed. This likely fueled the British's anger, as a moment later, the same fate befell the Indian chief.

These actions created a path to the village that the Militia decided to take. Tim headed toward the wigwam and entered it, where he found Julie. However, her reaction was far from what he expected. She concealed a tomahawk behind her back and struck the militiaman over the head, killing him instantly. Shock spread across our faces.

As my unit advanced toward our designated target, I arrived only to find it deserted. However, a noise to my right caught my attention, leading me to discover a nearby village. I decided to approach, but my path was blocked by two Huron warriors. I engaged them in combat, and soon a chieftain joined the fray. I fought bravely, knocking down the warriors multiple times, but they miraculously got back up and continued to fight. Eventually, their numerical superiority became evident, and one of my men fell. Fortunately, the last soldier managed to withdraw from the battle.

My efforts were not in vain, as they successfully distracted a large group of Indians from our objective, which was to either free or overpower Julie. The British surrounded the lodge, but no one was eager to enter. Everyone remembered that the girl exhibited signs of Stockholm syndrome, which made her a potential danger, especially to those who spoke English.

Eventually, Alasdair's Scots breached the hut, but their first attempt to subdue her ended in failure. Fortunately, this time there were no fatalities. Soon after, another British soldier joined the fray, but we ran out of time to resolve the complicated situation. The outcome was a stalemate: the Indians were unable to protect Julie, and we failed to "save" her.

3. Links.

SESWC:

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

MICHAEL:

To be updated soon...

FLICKR:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720325075129

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