The Ōhaeawai Pā Reconnaissance

Game 2: The Ōhaeawai Pā Reconnaissance

Campaign Context

Following the skirmishing around Kororāreka and the Flagstaff, British commanders advance inland toward the newly constructed pā at Ōhaeawai. Intelligence suggests a strong position, well prepared for an assault

Version 1

Version 2.  Much better I think.

The Māori defenders fully expect an attack.

Forces

British Reconnaissance Column

• 1 British Officer (Major or Captain)
• 2 Line Infantry Units
• 1 unit sailor boys
• 2 Militia Units
• 1 Colonial or Armed Police Unit
• 1 Field Gun with crew (6-pdr or similar)
• Optional: local guide or interpreter

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Māori Defenders

• 1 Greater Ariki 
• 1 Lesser Ariki 
• 4 Warrior Units
• 1. Shotgun unit
• 1 Paheka unit
• Ōhaeawai Pā defenses: rifle pits, palisades, traverses

Māori players should feel confident they can punish an assault.

“The British are advancing on the Pā and appear to be preparing for an attack.”

They must keep two groups as a Pa garrison.

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Table & Terrain

• The Pā occupies one short table edge.
• Dense bush and broken ground dominate the approaches.
• A low ridge or spur sits 18–24” from the pā — this is the true British objective.
• Narrow tracks and gullies channel movement.

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Objectives

Māori Objectives

The Māori win if they:

• Prevent both British objectives by Turn 6
• Force the withdrawal, capture, or destruction of the artillery
• Kill the British Officer
• Inflict serious casualties (British morale collapse or 50% losses)

British Objectives (Primary)

The objective is to probe the Pā, test the defenders’ reactions, and—most importantly—identify and secure ground suitable for a breaching battery.

The British win if either condition is met:

1. Battery Siting

   • Move the field gun onto the designated ridge
   • Unlimber.

2. Reconnaissance

   • A British officer must approach within 12” of the Pā works
   • Then withdraw safely to British lines

Both may be attempted, but neither requires storming the Pā.

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Special Rules

“Holding for the Storm”

For the first two turns, Māori units within the Pā may not leave it unless fired upon.

• They are waiting for the assault.
• After Turn 2, all restrictions lift.

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Possible House Rules

“Harassing Fire”

Māori skirmishers in cover may:

• Fire and immediately withdraw 2”
• Once per game, conduct a sudden close-range volley before retreating

This tempts the British to overreact.

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“Firing into cover”

All troops:

• If a unit is seen at the edge of New Zealand tree, shrub and fern area cover it is revealed and in line of sight for the remainder of the game, even if it then "takes cover" away from the edge.

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End of Game & Campaign Effects

If the British Succeed

• Game 3 becomes “The Bombardment of Ōhaeawai”
• British artillery begins the next game already emplaced
• Māori morale suffers a small penalty (they were outmanoeuvred)

If the Māori Succeed

• Game 3 becomes “The Failed Battery”
• British must assault with limited or no artillery support
• Māori gain confidence bonuses and improved fieldworks

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The Ōhaeawai Pã

That is a horrendously strong position!

The British Regulars advance quickly, using the ridge as cover.

And the Captain pushes them on

The Militia press forwards too, but the terrain channels attackers into killing zones.

The Sailor boys go a little mad and charge out of cover

But we sight the battery.

The Maori realise we aren't attacking.  They begin to swarm forwards.

But fire from the regulars and militia does some damage, staggering what us now a Maori attack.

The Sailor boys jump back into cover!

My Officer exposes himself as he gets within 12" of the Pã line.  

The Militia give up on the third objective.  We consolidate into a defense.

The Sailor boys charge.  The Maori recoil shaken.

But the shotgun armed Maori charge the victorious sailors, who are themselves knocked back.

In fact they are recoiled onto the objective.  A few key dice decides it.

The Regulars recoil from the weight of Maori fire.

And turn 6. It's the end game 

The Maori have suffered from the British fire.

But the British only hold one objective, the other being contested, and have lost 25% of the force

The battery is however sighted.  But it's a defeat snatched from the jaws of victory.  

And the Port Royal Chronicle called it a "stalemate."  The 25% of our force lost and the fact that the Maori didn't know the objectives until half way through, and then still won one and contested a second, indicate it was actually a pretty grim loss.

The miniatures are pretty though for a random eBay buy!  Some of my better painting and a nice enjoyable terrain project.

Écorcheurs! and the truffle pig

 

The Club Secretary's birthday game.

The Écorcheurs! Rulebook is a Hundred Years' War skirmish wargaming ruleset by Robert W. Jones and Gripping Beast, and it focuses on small, thematic, 14th-century retinue battles, featuring unique rules for armour, chivalry, and campaigns.

The game is afoot.  Apart from my mounted guys of course!

The Retinues

Scots vs English

Lord Parkour of Galloway
One pole arm Man at Arms
One bannerman
One Secondary Leader 
Eight spearnen
Seven archers

The Earl,of Waldridge
Earl Huge of Waldridge
3 men at arms
5 Spearmen
5 Archers
One Mounted Man at Arms
Three Mounted Sergeants

The setting.  The village of Merde de Porc, home to a famous truffle pig.

And the "porc" is our objective

The Earl musters his retinue.  I really need to get the basing completed.

And on come the English.

The Scots appear.

But the Earl gers the best of the early moves
The Scots shoot, driving one man at arms back 3".  Poor Bob.

The Earl charges in to clear the archers, but not Reluctant Bob, who hangs back!

In fact the archers go down in a single combat turn.  Three dead.

A touch of annoyance among my lads about Bobs feelings being hurt.
The "Scots Dogs" is a bit unnecessary in a fight over a pig! 

However the victory has spread the Earl's men

The Scots charge.  Killing two.  Wee Billy goes crazy and pushes back three men.  He is however stunned, and pretty much doomed.

The pig is forgotten as the fight swings either way.
Both sides feed men in.

And my mounted Sergeants charge, sweeping away some of the Scots spears

But it's not one sided.

My Mounted men fail to  save Earl Hugh. 
 He falls cruelly pierced through the chitterlings by a lowly spearmen.

My Mounted Sergeants are driven off.  Two flee when the Earl falls.

The fall of the Earl by "Hoots McHooter" famed Galloway artist.  Unfortunately for the composition the Earl was afoot when he fell.

And in all the scrapping the porker was forgotten.  He lives to truffle another day!

Bob fans will be unsurprised to discover that he was among the men who legged it at the end of the game.

The Flagstaff affair

 The Flagstaff Affair  

After an act of defiance as a Maori flag replaces the Union Jack, a small detachment lead by Lieutenant Whitemoore is sent to secure the hilltop flagstaff.

Background & Narrative

Word comes to Colonel Tiberias Farthingdale of the 58th Foot that a small hilltop flagstaff — a key signal and morale position overlooking Kororāreka — has been retaken by local insurgents. They have cut down the union flag and replaced it with a local rag of some sort.  Reinforcements are still days away, but need time to muster.

Ensign Clancy Whitemoore, battered but unbowed by months aboard a frigate getting here, is tasked with taking, replacing and holding the hilltop flagstaff long enough for reinforcements to arrive..

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Forces & Roles

British / Crown Forces (Players)

• Lieutenant Clancy Whitemoore, 58th The Rutland's, leading a small detachment of 58th Foot 
• "Captain Quilp Parkour, and his "company" of local Militia with a few forest rangers.
• A handful of sailors / veterans detailed from HMS Acorn

Insurgent / Rebel Forces

• The Greater Ariki with small bands of local fighters controlling the hilltop and surrounding scrub
• A lesser Ariki with his own followers and an improvised cannon salvaged from a wreck.

Map & Terrain

• Hilltop Flagstaff Location: A raised area in the centre or upper table edge
• Cover: Bush/scrub around approaches, light woods, rocky outcrops
• Fields of Fire: Open ground on approaches; rough/uneven terrain slows troop.

The hill itself offers little in terms of defensive advantages.

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Deployment

• Rebels deploy behind the hilltop flagstaff with a single ambush group.
• British deploy near their table edge.

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Special Rules & Mechanics

1. Holding the Flagstaff

• The main objective is control of the flagstaff marker.
• If any British unit occupies the flagstaff position at the end of a turn, they replace the flag using an action. 

• If the British still hold the flagstaff at the games end they win outright.

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Victory Conditions

British Victory

• Control the flagstaff at the end of the turn when reinforcements arrive, or
• Hold it until the game ends.

Rebel Victory

• Prevent British from holding the flagstaff, or
• Completely rout British forces before the end turn.

Draw

• Neither side holds the flagstaff at the end of the final turn.  The Maori may claim a moral victory if their flag still flies.

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Scenario Ideas & Twists

• Fog of War: one Rebel position isn't fully known until discovered by the end of turn one.
• Limited Ammo: historically both sides may be subject to limited ammunition.

The Game

The Flagstaff affair commences 

The view from the Pä

The Maori advance around the hill

And the 58th advance

The Maori left advance aggressively.  Maybe too aggressively. 

My shotgun armed Maori poke their heads up and get them shot off.  Three men down, one fatigue marker.

But the flag yet boldly flies.  I position a group to storm the hill  

And the 58th send a small group forwards under their Lieutenant.

I position a second Toa of Maori to assault the far left.

And the view from the 58th's position.  The Lieutenant prompts his men forwards 

The Militia "Captain" has a group bogged in the mud of the stream, which counts as a depression 

The 58th top the hill and spread their replacement flag 

But my Toa of Maori wait their chance to charge as we try to weaken them.  Four times we shoot at these guys!  They shrugged it off!

On the left I perform a haka and charge.  The 58th are unloaded, and it gets bloody.

The Greater Ariki prompts the attacking left to attack again.

On my right the lesser Ariki fights an attritional musket battle with the Militia 

The view from above as the 58th close in on the flagstaff.

And they take it!  But can they hold it?

I charge up, through a hail of incoming fire.  Two are killed but they stand.  They fight back and the Maori dice are terrible.  We take four shock and reel back shaken.  We take our flag with us though!

And the game ends.  Lieutenant Whitemoore has succeeded. 
The Colonel promotes him to brevet Captain. 

The Greater and Lesser Ariki sulk back behind the palisades.

An artist's depiction the fighting by Van Klomp, presently hanging in the National Gallery.

A Look Forwards

The Ōhaeawai Pā Reconnaissance

“The ground itself seems to be watching us.”

Narrative Setup

Colonel Sir Tiberias Farthingdale, 58th Rutland Foot, newly arrived aboard HMS Castor, has taken overall command. Confident, impatient, and already thinking in terms of artillery and assault columns, he orders Lieutenant Cornelius Farthingdale forward with a mixed shore party.  No nepotism in this family!

Officially, the task is reconnaissance.
Unofficially, Cornelius is being used to justify a decision already made.

Unknown to the British, the Pā is no crude stockade. It is a carefully engineered killing ground.

The Colonels biography "Carry on Tiberias" was published by Rutland Press in 1890.