"Get the Ammunition to Camp Bailey!", Part 1

“A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition.”  - Rudyard Kipling.

Mr. Babbage is going to attempt to stop the supply column from reaching Camp Bailey as I test some ideas using the Skirmish Kings variant from The Men Who Would be Kings. Background on the scenario and ideas can be found in the post "I will call him . . . Mini-Mr. Babbage."

 

Somewhere along the Northwest Frontier.

The Supply Column:

Turn 1.

The Supply Column moves out with Captain William "The Sash" Huntington Wilmont-Smythe in the lead with a troop of the 10th Bengal Lancers. Billy the Mule is attached to the 2nd Platoon of the 20th (Punjab) Infantry.

1st Troop scouts ahead.

If you have never played against Mr. Babbage, there is a table you roll on every time one of your units move. Tables also determine the type of unit, where it shows up, actions it will take, etc.

Units that leave the battle might be recycled - or never show up again!

Afridi tribesmen on the left rear flank of the supply column.

The 2nd Platoon with Billy the Mule move toward the 1st Troop.

HH Maharjah Colonel Sir Gupta Varma, GCSI, (Hero of the Empire) swiftly turns 2nd Troop to the left flank and immediately sounds the attack!

A second line of Afridis!

Overhead shot from the newly invented British drone.

Three of the Afridi tribesmen fall to the lances and they flee in terror running for their lives . . .

. . . but are caught and slain to a man!

"How will we deal with the rifles?"

1st Platoon moves and  . . . where did they come from?

The Afridi's take aim . . . 

 . . . and one sowar falls from his saddle.

Turn 2.

Discretion being the better part of valor (especially in the open against expert marksman), 2nd Troop retires and heads toward the supply column.

1st Troop continues to scout ahead.

More tribesman appear in front of 1st Troop, reading to teach Captain Huntington Wilmont-Smythe some "Arithmetic on the Frontier."

1st Platoon wheels right to face the Afridi threat with .303 in mind.

The fearless Afridi's charge the 1st Platoon in the open.

Without a single casualty, the jemadar looks proudly on his men (and their bayonets) and shouts a mighty "Huzzah" for his baptism in "seeing the elephant."

The 1st Troop braces for the volley.

"Where did they go?"

"The cowards have slunk away fearing our sharp lances Captain Sahib."

Meanwhile the other tribesmen fire on 2nd Troop in vain.

Turn 3.

We need to move closer to the cavalry.

2nd Platoon fires at the fleeing tribesman; their time on the range well spent!

A difficult shot but another tribesman is felled by a .303.

Meanwhile, HH (gasp!) fails his Leadership roll.

The tribesmen on the left flank reposition to rough terrain and higher ground.

"Sir, all accounted for!" I just had to take a picture of the officer and the NCO. I really like these figures from Artizan Designs.

Turn 4.

The supply column is getting spread out.

Getting ready to fire.

A troop continues to advance when suddenly with a yell another group of tribesmen charge from the high ground.

Captain Huntington Wilmont-Smythe orders his sowars to fire with their Martini-Henry carbines and two fall to their fire.

HH with B Troop and the 1st Platoon converge to cover the rear.

"Your Eminence, you must not expose yourself to so much danger!" (This is a staged photo as units need to be no closer than 1".)

Speaking of danger.

Billy the Mule continues to move toward Camp Bailey.

There seems to be more tribesman than before!

"Fire!"

Two sepoys are hit by accurate, long range fire.

Due to their losses, they are pinned.

Seeing the confusion in 1st Platoon, with a furious yell the other tribesman charge.

The last stand of the 1st Platoon.

The other unit of tribesmen, after facing the carbines of A Troop . . .

. . . decide to melt away amongst the rugged terrain.

The situation after the loss of the 1st Platoon.

From the front of the column. They have moved a third of the way toward Camp Bailey but have lost over 25% of their force.

More to come!