The Golden Sheik of the Pashtuns: The Punjab Adventuring Company for IHMN 2

"The Golden Sheik of the Pashtuns"

As mysterious as his sudden appearance on the Northwest Frontier, and, with an intimate knowledge of the British Raj, the Golden Sheik is the gravest threat to the British Empire along the North West Frontier. His gravitas and presence in bringing together the most dangerous tribes - the Afridi's, the Waziri's, the Mahmud's - has placed a price on his head throughout the Region. Imperial Russia, with the breakout of the Anglo-Russian War, has taken noticed . . .

WAR!

Rules for The Golden Sheik and the Punjab Adventuring Company can be found on pages 134 and 135 of In Her Majesty's Name, 2nd Edition. Of course, they can be easily adapted for other rule sets. For regular readers of my blog, I have been gaming, both historical and Victorian Sci Fi, in India and Central Asia over the last few years. The nice thing about doing this is easily using historical figures for most of IHMN2 which are considerably cheaper than most Sci Fi and Fantasy figures. In my pictures below I have examples of historical miniatures from Copplestone Castings, Artizan Designs and Perry Miniatures.

The Golden Sheik figure is a kit bash and once again (at least to me!) some of the advantages of hard plastic figures. The body is from the Gripping Beast Viking Hirdman box while everything else comes from the Perry Miniatures Afghan Tribesman (Paid Link) box. I'm not boasting (well, a little) but I really like the way the figure turned out. The Golden Sheik found an ancient tomb that included many wonders: golden armor from the time of Alexander the Great and a magical flute (not your parent's Mozart) that can control an ancient demon known as an Afrit.

The Afrit attacking a patrol of the 19th Punjabis. 

Imperial Russia is interested in stirring up as much trouble on the Northwest Frontier since their resources are stretched thin: Unrest at home, potential conflict with the Japanese in Manchuria, issues with the Chinese in the Peking Legation Center, border skirmishes with the Ottoman Empire and Persia. Though small in scale, the war with the British over the Princely State of Chaimbellistan, threatens to consume more resources so a second front is now planned.

Money and modern weapons are provided to the Golden Sheik and his Pashtun allies in the Northwest Frontier by the Russians. 

In addition to money and weapons, Major Ivan Rostov, an audacious and sophisticated cavalry officer of the Tsar's army (and secretly a member of the Russian Okhrana) has been assigned as the liaison and Russian emissary to the Afghan Court giving him easy access to the Golden Sheik and problems for the British Raj.

Major Ivan Rostov and the Golden Sheik. 

Major Rostov is a forward, thoroughly modern officer who believes in using modern technology to control the passes in the Northwest Frontier and eventually the British Raj.

Imperial Russian Engineer officer mapping the vital passes.

Setting up an ambush.

It's a trap!

With political complications with Afghanistan and conflict and uprisings on the Northwest Frontier, who can stop the Golden Sheik and Russia from taking advantage of the problems confronting the British Raj?

The Heroes of the Northwest Frontier: Colonel Sir Robert Warburton, KCIE, CSI, The Shadow of the Bat, and Mahbub Ali.