Red Sea Gazette Vol 2

The Ganges in the green waters off Suakin Port.

The 11th Rajputs and Major Stroker mounted on Buttercup

  

The Dogras Pioneer Company

Captain Barkinge-Madly astride his penny Farting bicycle, his gun crew and mules of the
Sultan of Gugarat's 1st Mountain battery.

The Queen's Own Minifigs with Major Portly B`Stard

Lame Quilpius and the sad demise of a Pictish King

The Great Dawn Attack that the allies thought would break the Roman General Quilpius, and his Tribune the ever lucky Iammius Gittus (AKA the Cataphract Kid) had not been going well.  With the Vanking Saxons split during a succession crises they only seemed concerned with fighting among themselves.  More troubling was the fact that the Romans had a significantly larger army here, and that once again Quilpius was hiding on a hill.  

With most of the Saxons fighting their own war in the woods on the right flank it was left to the Picts to attack that central hill, and King Tugga, and his valiant and "IMPOSING" Vankguard to attack the right wing of the Romans.  In fact the Saxon King was held in such terror that the Romans determined to kill him and surrounded the guard as they fought.

That was never going to end well for the Romans...

In the woods Jarl Skvirt, On the Kings Right Hand, 
attacked the traitor Knobba Sore Wrist.  With a 
minimum of fuss the Saxons were avenged.  The Mumified wrist is now a key exhibit at the Sacriston Museum of Onanism.

The white dice reflect the favour of Vectron.  Four hits from seven dice.

The Picts lose a mighty battle in the centre as Quilpius Hill tactics prevail... again...

The Saxon VankGuard are surrounded but fight on, grimly punning to the end.  

The Pictish King proves his battle skills, killing the Huns who were harassing his rear.  After 30 years of waiting the Huns are seen off by Irregular miniatures chariots and a cow!  
Oh the shame!

  

The Picts roll Vectron`s favour, and Qulipius is destroyed. So much for Imposing Horsemen.  His Young Tribune continues the fight and kills the now weakened Pictish king.  Quilpius is later found alive, trampled by the chariots, henceforth to be called "Lame Quilpius" by Roman historians.

A word of advice, when you surround the Vankguard... expect them to do something like this.  A reasonable Roman roll against an unreasonable enemy roll...

And very much a game of two halves.  The Saxons prevail on one flank but the entire line is destroyed against that hill.

The Saxons finally come out of the woods, killers of Cataphracts, killers of traitors they launch into the Roman flank.  Things look nasty for Rome on this flank.

The end game.  The Romans begin to desperately move towards their flank where the Saxons have begun to rampage, but the Picts are all (and I mean all) dead and the 75% criteria if reached.    

And campaign moves on.  The next game is set up.  The Romans in a strong, but constricted central position.  


So, in the best traditions of moralising Roman Historians, what have we learned from the Great Dawn attack?

1.  Don`t do a Dawn Attack on a table the size of a province.

2.  If you manage to surround the Vankguard expect them to respond with the dice of Vectron's favour.

3.  The Saxons dislike Saxon traitors far worse than they dislike Romans.

4.  The Pictish King in his chariot is a mighty mighty force to be reckoned with... but even he will fall at odds of 2 to 1.

5.  Quilpius steadfastly refuses to die.  "Lame Quilpius" may refer to his injuries from the Pictish chariot wheels, or it may be a piece of satiric Roman name calling.

Dux Bellorum: The Dawn attack begins

Anglo Saxon Chronicles:

From: The Parker Chronicle (Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, Manuscript)

 A.D. 368
Then came the men from Vanking, Saxons of Germany.  Lead by Tossa Son of old Vank the High King, and his son Tugga, the young Vank.

With them the Thane Skvirt, on the King's Right Hand and his son Jerka Cross-Eyed. Knobba Sore Wrist, the King's Second Son was left with the Ships.

Joining the King of Picts in battle with the Romans and Welsh at Rochester, Tossa was slain, his household Vankguard fighting to the last.  In the Witan of the Leaders Young Tossa was hailed King, but his brother Knobba also claimed the Kingship, and took his followers to serve the Romans.

Jarl Skvirt declared that he would kill the Traitor, and proposed a dawn attack upon the camp of the Romans...

Cataphracts in a wood.  That's something you don't often see...

King Tossa gets stuck into the Britainnia Hesitatus 

From Dr Howard Parker's "The Vanking Saxons: New Perspectives."  Cambridge History Press 1976.

Principle leaders of the Vanking Saxons:

Tugga, son of Tossa, Lord of Vank
The Vank-Gard under their Thane Fallik Iron Wrist*
Skvirt, on the King's Right Hand... a Jarl
Little Skwirta, son of Skvirt

Knobba Sore Wrist, the King's Second Son.
Jerka,  Son of Skvirt.
Toddja,  Priest of Vectron
 Pulla, Son of Tossa
Jarl Flasha, Bishop Basher
Horsdong the Long One
Hungwrist Always Pissed

*A recent source in the form of the "Tungrian" tablets discovered on Hadrian Wall identifies the disgraced and exiled Tribune of the Auxilia Brittania Hesitatus as one Phallus Manufortis (Strong Hand), tentatively identified as the later Captain of the Vankguard Thane Fallik Iron Wrist.

More details may be found in the Petain Press Comic's latest title, "Conspiracy of Barbarians, Vol.1"
 Link

The Field of Durobrivae : Last stand of the Vankguard

 The Fall of the Vankguard

(With apologies to Thomas Gray)

To Durobrivae’s vale, in glittering row,

Two hundred Vanking Saxons go;

The Royal Vankguard of manly neck

Chains of regal honour deck,

Tossa Leading, Mighty Lord,

Strong hands wrapped around his sword,

Their ally king of northern Picts

Barbarian conspiracy predicts.

Flush’d with pride and hope they burn:

But none from Durobrivae vale return,

Save Tugga brave and Skvirt so strong,

—Bursting through the bloody throng—

And I, the meanest of them all,

That live to weep and sing their fall.

Catweasle of Lugvalium

The first rung of the ladder campaign.

The Vanking Saxons form line to face the Romans of Quilpius

Across the vale the Romans deploy, and the Saxons are facing the young Tribune Iammius Gittus.

The Picts skulk in the woods, as Picts do...  Opposite them Roman General Quilpius forms up on a promising looking hill

The Vanking Saxons advance cautiously seeing Cataphracts and Mounted Companions opposite.  King Tossa and his Vankguard have cunningly deployed here, to thwart the Roman flanking attack.

The annoying Roman Light horse skitter around the flank.  King Tossa decides that they are probably best just ignored.

In the centre of the Vanking Saxon line Jarl Skvirt "on the Kings Right Hand"  commands a vicious no holds barred attack.  One Roman unit, the "Britannia Hesitatus" hang back behind their fellows, not too keen to get involved with the Saxons.

The Roman line splits and the Picts swarm into the gap.

The Saxons grimly face off against a substantial number of the enemies` points.

A brave unit of ordinary warriors catches the Cataphracts and deals them a deadly blow, almost killing them before the inevitable massacre.  The Cataphracts are finished as a viable front line unit.

With a desperate fight between the Saxons and the Young Tribune continuing the Roman left is wound up by the Picts. 

The line sways back and forward, but that shieldwall protection factor was weighing on the Saxons who were beginning to show the strain. 

Jarl Skvirt leads his men in a struggle to the end.  

Tugga Son of Tossa, the Kings Eldest son, fights round after round with only one cohesion point remaining. 

The Picts swarm over the Roman Left.  The Roman Commander flees the field when presented by the Pictish buttocks. 

The Picts surround a Roman legion swarming it.  If only these Romans could roll well!

The Pictish King shows that he has the favour of VECTRON.  An astounding Seven rolls of 6.

The Picts annihilate the Roman Left.  Quilpius flees in abject defeat.  The Young Tribune Iammius Gittus holds the Roman's only hopes where the Saxons are struggling on the right as this happens the Saxons are broken.  Only their king remains fighting..

The Roman Cataphracts sweep into the rear of the Vankguard.  King Tossa holds for three amazing rounds, needing to roll two sixes to win the battle.  He does not manage it and is killed.  The Vankguard falls, but the Romans quit the field.  The pictish King is the victor.

All Hail Tugga, Son of Tossa, Son of Vank, new Lord of the Vanking Saxons.  

The Men Who Would Be Kings, Scenario ideas

Scenario ideas for the Men Who Would be Kings Campaign.  

The Red Sea Protectorate Map

Game 1

Attack on the Suakin Forts

Game 2

A Furious Dervish Hanjub

Game 3
The March on Sinkat

Game 4

The Square

Scenario I: The Stronghold

The Dervish have occupied a fortified town on the route of march, and their green flags festoon the walls.  They have riflemen and a cannon on the walls.   Your field force must cross the defensive ditch, break through the walls and capture the town and raise the Union flag over its Mosque.  You will need artillery for this job.  God Save the Queen.

Setup

• ·         The 12 points of Dervish units within the town will remain in play but will not leave the town.
• ·         The Imperial player must destroy all opposition force within the stronghold, and occupy it with at least one unit.
• ·         The town has a linear obstacle ditch and an impassable wall that must be breached by artillery.  Even in the rubble of the breach this counts as difficult terrain and hard cover.   
• The Stronghold is located within 24 inches of the Dervish baseline.
• The Babbage rules within this sector will not come into effect until an Imperial force moves within long rifle range of the town itself.  Following this the Dervish will only ever appear from the direction of their own baseline. They could also appear within the town itself as previously unseen garrison units.
• Dervish units appearing in other sectors may target your troops if they appear nearer to them than to the units of the player who generated them...

Tactical Values:

Not used.

Special Rules

To count as holding the objective the player must have one unpinned unit within the town for an entire turn.

Ending the Scenario

5 Victory Points if holding the Stronghold when the game ends.

1 VP for each enemy unit destroyed during the game.

Scenario J: Keeping Young Churchill Alive

That young aristocratic idiot Churchill was told to keep well away from the Red Sea Protectorate, but he is desperate for a V.C to fuel his political career and has appeared as a reporter.  He has taken command of a troop of the 10th Hussars and is currently dashing forward in search of glory.  If he is killed there will be a stink in the press,..  Your career will be over!  

God Save the Queen.

Setup

• A single troop/unit of Regular Cavalry lead by a 2nd Lieutenant Glory hunter.  He will press forward at a normal movement rate whenever he passes his leadership roll, towards the enemy table edge and starts at the front of the Imperial deployment zone on at the far left of your position.
• The remaining units deploy along the baseline.

Tactical Values:

Not used.

Special Rules

Churchill will advance towards the enemy baseline.  Only if another unit with an Officer superior to 2nd Lt. Churchill contacts the Cavalry unit will he be removed from command. If however the Officer who puts Churchill in his place is killed later in the game, Churchill will immediately reappear in command of the second unit.

If Churchill succeeds in destroying an enemy unit he will write a book grabbing the glory.  

Ending the Scenario

5 Victory Points if you have control of Churchill when the game ends.

1 VP for each enemy unit destroyed during the game




Scenario K: The Water Supply 

General Sir John O'Neill's advance to Tofrek highlighted some of the problems of water supply in this theatre.  It is estimated that there was one baggage camel for every two men, and that as a result there were not enough men to guard the baggage.

Your Field Force must escorts a Watering supply train forward, and establish a Watering station for the Brigade's line of advance.  The intention is to corral the camels into a Square mid table, and surround them with a Mimosa barricade.

Setup

• Your Field Force must deploy in a three sided square, 18 inches on table, with the open side facing your own baseline.  The watering train is deployed within the square, straggling back to the baseline.
• The Zariba enclosure may be constructed anywhere within a flat patch of scrub within the Dervish side of the tabletop.  This has the effect of clearing the scrub.
• An additional scrub terrain may be added in the centre of the table sector opposite to your baseline.  The usual directional and distance dice are used to fix it's position, although the original terrain takes precedence and the scrub must be fitted in around this as far as possible

Special Rules

• Your Field Force will advance, protecting the vital water supply.  Building a Zariba enclosure is an engineering task.  Regular Infantry will construct a Mimosa barricade in front of the unit as an action, extending the length of the unit's frontage.

5 VP  If your Field Force successfully constructs the Zariba.


1 VP for each enemy unit destroyed.


Scenario L: Building the Railway
The Madras Sappers...


Scenario M:  Patrol
The Field force must move at least half of its units across the centre line of the table.  



Scenario N:  The Post Office Rifles.
A section of the Post office Rifles, six men under a bespectacled Lieutenant, has been added to your force.  Their mission is to establish a heliograph on high ground to your front.  Your job is to protect them until they have established contact with the Brigade.

Setup

• Following terrain setup a knoll is added in the centre of the table sector opposite to your baseline.  The usual directional and distance dice are used to fix it's position, although the original terrain takes precedence and the knoll must be fitted in around this as far as possible.   
• The Post Office Rifles count as Irregular Infantry (they were a Territorial force with a signals role rather than being traditional Regular Infantry), and will take their place in the centre of your deployment.  They will always be the first of your forces to move, but being such a small group they will not attract Dervish attention under the Babbage rules when moving.

Special Rules

• Once in position the heliograph will attract Dervish attention.  Each time it signals it must roll on the Mr Babbage tables.
• The Heliograph works on an Edna system.  To contact Brigade on the first signal requires a roll of 6.  On the second round of signalling a 5 or 6, etc..

• Your Field Force will operate against the Natives of Mr Babbage as normal, but if, at the end of the game, you have not contacted Brigade, you will have failed.

Ending the Scenario

5 VP   If you have successfully contacted Brigade by Heliograph before the game is declared over.

1 VP   for each enemy unit destroyed.

Terrain  Types

Soft Sand

Well

Rocky Rocks

Hill

Impassable knolls

Dry Dongas

Mimosa scrub

Village

Fortified Village

Zariba enclosure