Up the Sudan with Sir Portly

A game revisiting the Sudan and Men who would be Kings.   Major Pea, and Major Stroker providing an escort for the supply column through to a paddle steamer waiting on the Nile.  Commanding the column, Colonel Sir Portly B'Stard, a man who was clearly in a hurry to reach the Nile.

The Rajputs.  A stirring sight!  I give Lt Herbert Farthingdale the Cavalry, even though he is an up an at 'em.  A mistake I think!

On my right the Durhams, and Mounted Infantry.

And so Babbage begins, as the Dervish appear.

Initially Farthingdale and the 10th Hussars do a reasonable job.  But he's an unstable fellow.  On the right the Mounted infantry fail to scout properly and Dervish appear, using the trees as cover.

And through it all Sir Portly B'Stard marches the column forward.  Apparently there is Apricot pie on the steamer!

The idiot Farthingdale charges, driving off Dervish riflemen

Worse, he follows up, fighting well but stupidly.

Even the Dervish Emir is here

Herbert is pinned but wallops the Dervish attack, four kills on five dice, losing three himself.  I knew that Mauser pistol was a good investment

Another Dervish attack.  Farthingdale is the only survivor.

And through it all Sir Portly advances.

Farthingdale joins the baggage train, hiding among the camels.

Sir Portly advances into trouble

Meanwhile both defending battalions are in serious trouble 

And the Dervish hammer both sides

Sir Portly discovers that his advance may just have been a little foolish

And the entire column stagger back pinned.  Just who is the fellow atop that penny farthing anyway? 

We have put up a solid fight but its all looking lost

The end game.  All very enjoyable!

Lady Glynis and the Village

The Lady Glynis' Tale

In the absence of Ooure Hoste

A fellow we admire moste

It fell out an attack upon a village

A little robbery, a little Pillage

And as we all deployed ooure Minis

We es'pied the figure of Lady Glynis

The production of the War-Spur Issue 6 is delayed, given that the Lady cannot win the title of Most Gallant Knight.  In the circumstances she probably was Most Galloped Lady.

The Game

The Grand Master tool charge of the Village, with Balian d'Pidelin sworn to stand by him.  

Three desert Chiefs decided to raid the village, these being El Fatti, Lord of the Milk Shakes, the Grand McTurk and El Mike, lord of the brush.

First things first.  The Wild Turks grab the "reluctant" Lady Glynis.

Stirring up a hornets nest in the village.

For added value El Fatti grab some cows too.

The villagers however flee before his magestic's girth as the Ghulams give chase.

More Islamic troops appear to the south, but El Fatti is totally focused on his side of the fight.

The Grand Master produces archers and crossbows.  The Village is now looking like a street fight.

Around the Oasis de Pidelin pretty much refuses to move.

But all of a sudden Balian gets involved in fighting the Grand McTurk

The Wild Turks make off with the Princess and the cows.  A profitable day.

El Fatti also grabs the peasants and the sheep.  A very profitable day.

And I'm not clear on events to the south.  Lots of running around and fighting.  The Grand Turk takes a beating.

El Fatti sacrifices his spearmen to make off with the loot.  No morality that fellow!

Whilst El Mike attacks the Village with barrages of bow fire.

And Fatti pretty much leaves the table with most of the goods 

El Mike captured some monks.  The Grand McTurk knabbed a portly Bishop

But McTurk lost most of his force doing it.

Game over, just another quiet day in Outremer.

Now, who wants to buy a used Princess?

The Roll of Dishonour.  

Bishop "I've tempted the sheep"

And

The Wild Turks have pulled out, a rare happenstance for those fellows.

Most Gallant Knight Points

Sir Nigel/the Grand Turk  15 (+2  for yet another desperate fight)  I name him "The Galloping Turk"

Grand Master/El Q 15  (+2 Well fought but from an impossible position) 

D'Pidelin/El Pea 12 (+2 and +1 man of the match point from Father Jac.)

Amir El Liott 10 ( a no show)

Oour Hoste 10 (No show)

Bishop Farthingdale/El Fattii 14 (A +4 for his pillage skills) 

Wee Archie/Bungdit Din.  12 (+2 for Valour) 

Sir Nigel as the Galloping Turk ties with the Grand Master at the top of the Gallantry Leaderboard but the bishop has enjoyed a late spurt.

The Knight who has displayed most Valour however is Wee Archie o'Balamory.

Taking the Buckfast Cure.

 

Wee Archie's Tale 'o the Great Crusade

From the Prologue to Geoffrey Großer'' Crusadbadly Tales:

Willom there was a wee yonge Laird

A knight who joined the great crusade

And it's true that we all know the story

The tale 'o Archie from Balamory

And a warning to make you think

About the evils of the drink.

Wee Archie's Tale

Quick to fight, quick with blade

The story of the Scot's Crusade

The dice they threw for every fight

Revealed to us their manly might

Yet the dice they threw for all morale

Really was not good at all.

The moral my friends, to make you think

Avoid the perils of the Demon drink. 

The Crusaders face the enemy in fair and open battle.

And wee Archie gets a nice big hill

And once again the Bishop cautiously creeps up the flank

The Scots cavalry patrol in front.

And Bold Sir Nigel is hampered by the terrain

The battle for the little hillock begins.

Whilst the Leper Knight does most of the Bishop's fighting

And the Bishop himself relies on dressage, even claiming to have invented the "sport"

Swarms of lights to the front

Wee Archie boldly gets stuck in

And he sees off the rabble

And Sir Nigel complains that he has brought a knife to an archery fight

And indeed he has troubles on that flank

Finally His Lordship the Bishop gets stuck in, clearing the flank

And Nigel goes for the same tactic

Yet in the centre Archie's horse are being whittled down.
Still he has that nice hill.

And to be fair to the Wee Laird he fights well.

But is left alone, target of any old arrow thrower around.

The Bishop regains control of his boys, and brings them back into threat mode on the flank.  He really wanted to dispute with the Islamic leader, an honest religious discussion, but discovered that he had mistaken a Wild Turk for a Ghulam.  Trickery with flags!

The long shot of the right flank.  The impression I got was that it fought itself to a stand still.  The Sad fall of El Pea to a lucky blow attracted sympathy and mockery from all sides.

Archie takes the small hillock and gallops around
in the middle of the battlefield, clearly drunk

The Bishop has driven all of his enemies off.  He lost no units, no thanks to those reluctant, newly painted, crossbowmen.

Nigel was still hanging on.  Hard fought on that flank.

But the enemy were closing in.

And as the battle ended Archie was still drunk as a rooster, the Victor and "man of the match."

The Roll of Dishonour.  

Bishop "He's a good judge of 6"

El Q "That's below the belt"

El Pea and the lucky blow attracted some comment.  Arrow up 

his wadi being favourite.

Most Gallant Knight Points

Sir Nigel/the Grand Turk  13 (+2  for another desperate fight)

Grand Master/El Q 13 +2 (Well fought sir but you owe the Bishop a "religious discussion")

D'Pidelin/El Pea 12 (+2 for his manly struggle with his dice, and fall to a lucky blow.)

Amir El Liott 10 ( a no show)

Oour Hoste 10 (For spot on/ dodgy rules interpretation, depending upon which side you were on)

Bishop Farthingdale/El Fattii 10 (A +3 for not losing any units

Wee Archie/Bungdit Din.  10 (+3 for Valour and a +1 man of the match point from Father Jac) 

Sir Nigel ties with the Grand Master again top of the Gallantry Leaderboard week.  Its all getting closer.