In Memoriam - Lori Brom

 

On the afternoon of Monday, January 23, 2023, my good friend and "sister from another mister," Lori Brom succumbed to a heart attack at Ochsner Hospital in New Orleans.  Lori was a delightful person to know, funny, witty, and smart.  After her father Larry Brom died in 2015, she and her sister Christy carried on Sergeants3 and the publishing of Larry's many rules, especially "The Sword and the Flame."

Lori Brom, 14 Nov 2014, at Colonial Barracks

Lori was the sparkplug behind the unfortunately short-lived Colonial Barracks conventions in New Orleans in the early and mid 2010s.  There gathered the most enthusiastic devotees of Larry's rules to play games and visit with friends, both old and new.  Economics and Covid put an end to that convention, much to our loss.

 She and Christy welcomed my wife and me into their home many times.  Those visits were always full of laughter and stories.  We didn't get to see them in person these past several years but did correspond via telephone, e-mail, and letter.

A loss too soon of a wonderful lady.  May you rest in peace in the loving arms of your parents on the green shores of the never-dying lands in the west.

"And all will turn to silver glass; a light on the water; grey ships pass into the west."

First Pashtun Unit for TMWWBK

 

After many weeks I finally finished my first unit of Pashtun infantry to be used with "The Men Who Would be Kings" rules.

These twelve mountain warriors are all armed with rifles - a mix of a few modern bolt-action rifles, a number of Martini-Henry single-shot rifles, and a couple of rifled jezzails.  They are all Old Glory castings.

Under the unit categories, they are "Irregular Infantry" with a 6" movement rate and worth 4 points.  In the rules, this category "is a catch-all for troops neither impeccably trained and drilled European regulars nor  native troops fighting in Tribal fashion."

You'll notice that two of the warriors will be carrying around their own rocks for cover.  These particular Old Glory castings are inherently unbalanced and would fall over if not supported.  I got the idea of using rocks from Neil of the Toy Soldiers and Dining Room Battles blog, in particular this post of his.  Thanks, Neil!

This is the first of seven Pashtun units in my lead pile - two more irregular rifle armed units, three tribal infantry melee weapons units, and a tribal cavalry unit.  Hopefully with some perseverance I can get all of these painted by the end of the year.

And Thugees Join the Cast!

 

After painting Russians, British, and Indians, it was time to get working on some enemies for them.  Enter a 16-figure unit of Indian thugees (or ill-costumed very irregular tribal warriors).  All but one are Bob Murch's Pulp Figures from packs PBT-22, 23 and 27.  The better costumed leader is a figure that I've had for many a year.  Until I needed a leader figure for these guys, he was a my pirate box.  But with such a nice turban, sword, and musket, I knew he really belonged in the 19th Century Northwest Frontier fighting against the forces of the Raj.

These figures can be used in a number of roles, both fighting for and against the Raj or defending their village against marauders.

Now on to more "enemies" of the Raj - Pathans!

Indian Army Corps of Guides - Unit #2

 

Regaining my stamina after a mild bout with Covid, I finished painting and basing my second company of Indian Army Corps of Guides.  Lead by their stolid havildar, these stalwart soldiers will bring glory to the Raj.  See the post on the 1st Company for details about the Guides service.

While preparing these figures for painting I noticed that one of them was missing part of his base, the part beneath his left foot.  Contemplating trouble with stability and the possibility of a broken ankle, I found a small rock in my "bag of rocks" that could be used to provide the figure with a stable footing.

On your left is a figure with a completely cast base and on your right is the incomplete figure with its added rock for stability.  If you'll look carefully in the first picture, this 'rocky' fellow is on the far left in the front row.

Now on to a unit of "Thuggees" who will be some opponents to the forces of the Raj.

Indian Army Corps of Guides - Unit #1

 

The Indian Army Corps of Guides was raised in 1846 to serve on the Northwest Frontier.  It quickly developed as one of the elite units of the Indian Army.  It was composed of both Hindu and Moslem troops.  In 1947, upon the partition of India and Pakistan, the Corps was assigned to the Pakistani Army and still exists as the 2nd Battalion (The Guides) of the Frontier Force Regiment.

This unit is composed of Foundry figures from NW014 and NW021.  Unfortunately Foundry had them all sculpted with full beards so this unit (and its #2, still being painted) will be all Hindu.

The 1st Company, led by Leftenant Manly-Jones (center with pistol) and seconded by Havildar Ranjit Singh (right rear with rifle at the carry).

I think this is one of the most distinctive group of figures that I've painted.  The contrasts of browns and tans set off by the red "cap" and cuff markings make the entire uniform stand out.

Indian Sikhs and French Foreign Legion

 

The equipping of new units proceeds apace at Col Campbell's Barracks.  I've added two new units to my Colonial forces.

First is a twelve-figure unit of Brigade Games Great War in Africa Sikh Indian infantry.  These guys are equipped as standard Indian infantry in the all khaki uniform from head to almost foot.

Led by a bugling havildar, these fighting Sikhs will give the enemy a case of .303 headaches!

And switching some thousand miles to the west, this unit of Pulp Figures French Foreign Legion will gain glory for La Belle France.

Led by Commandante Le Duc, these "Enfants Terrible" will show "Johnny Arab" a thing or two, if they are as good as they think they are.

But they do have some sappers to aid them ...

With dynamite, black powder and a big axe, these two legionnaires can do some damage.

Next in the painting queue are a few Arabs and a batch of Indian Army Frontier Guides.

Captain Quigley and Some Guns

Two posts ago I featured my Natal Native Horse with their squadron commander Captain Quigley.  I mentioned at the time that I was working on a dismounted figure for him and here it is:

Captain Quigley, dismounted and mounted

While the horse is from Ral Partha, both human figures are from Miniature Figurines.  I've added a carbine under the dismounted figure's right arm by drilling a hole and slipping the weapon through, securing it with CA glue.  I still need to match the base terrain effects to the mounted figure and then improve both of them with some tufts.

At the same time I was completing some additional naval artillery and a small gun for my native forces.

A large maybe 6-lbr flanked by two smaller maybe 4-lbr naval guns.  Not sure of the manufacturer(s).
The gunners are from Reviresco that I have had painted for a number of years.  They man my river gunboat.

A reverse shot of the three guns.

And finally a small mountain howitzer that has somehow come into the hands of my native forces, in this case a Pathan gun crew although I have Dervish gunners as well.

Both the mountain howitzer and the gunners are from Ral Partha

This gun will give both my North Central Frontier Pathans and Green Nile Dervishes some artillery support.

These will be the last Colonial figures for a while as I need to get back to my 15mm American Civil War forces with a Confederate brigade next in the painting queue.

Natal Native Horse and Pathan Horse

During the Zulu War, the British raised a number of "colonial" units, primarily mounted, to augment the regular British Army forces deployed to the Natal region.  One of these was the Natal Native Horse.  Originally formed in 1866 and "regimented" in 1879, the Natal Native Horse was composed, in part, of amaNgwane (or Sikhali) tribesmen, Basuto tribesmen, and tribesmen from the Edendale Mission.  They were armed with Martini-Henry carbines and were used extensively for scouting and escort duties. The Edendale Horse were at Isandlwana where they covered the retreating British refugees as well as at Hlobane, Khambala, and the pre-Ulundi reconnaissance.  [Colonial Wars Sourcebook by Philip Haythornthwaite]

Here is my rendition of this unit.  The mounted troops have been painted for many years but the dismounted troops were just finished.  They are organized per "The Sword and the Flame" with 12 mounted and 9 dismounted figures per unit.

Edendale Horse Squadron of two troops.  On the left are Miniatures Figurines and on the right are Ral Partha.  The officer in the middle is a MiniFig.  I've named him Captain Quigley and he gets a +3 addition to his rifle fire.

The dismounted figures, along with Captain Quigley.  They are a mix of vintage Scruby, Falcon, Ral Partha, and some unknowns given to me by a friend.

I have found a dismounted figure for Captain Quigley, which is currently in my active painting queue.

And traveling from southern Africa to the Northwest Frontier of India, I've added a 12-figure unit of mounted Pathan warriors.

This mounted clan is a mix of Iron Brigade and Miniature Figurines cavalry.

All of these will see action over the coming months in some of our group's games.

The Sword and the Flame 40th Anniversary Edition!

Just received this in the mail from Lori Brom announcing the upcoming 40th anniversary edition of  the classic "The Sword and the Flame" Victorian colonial rules.

Lori said that they are planning a release late this year, November or December.  Watch for more news!

Colonial Barracks - Part 2

This is the second and final part of the pictures I took at the Colonial Barracks convention over the November 8-10 weekend in New Orleans.

The first game I will cover took place Saturday night.  Titled "The Colonel's Got to Know," it was run by Gerry Webb of Castaway Arts in Australia using troops provided by Mark Stevens.  It was based on the final scenes of the movie Gunga Din where Gunga Din and the Sergeants 3 are trapped in the Thugee temple and the British column is marching into an ambush.  Can Gunga warn the Colonel before the trap is sprung?

We had four British players and six Thugee players with each having command of a single unit.  I commanded a Thugee unit of riflemen and waited with my troops hidden among the rocks while the British marched singing merrily into our trap.

The unsuspecting British column with a unit of Highlanders, followed by a Gatling carried by an elephant, then another unit of Highlanders, and a unit of Indian cavalry.

Martha, the Thugee commander, sits behind the temple carefully watching and gauging the progress of the British column.  If you look closely you can see Gunga Din with his bugle and the Sergeants 3 on the roof of the temple.  Gunga had to roll a D6 every turn but couldn't sound his bugle until he had reached the "magic number," which I think was 10.  Martha had the Thugee cannon concealed on the platform at the temple entrance, loaded and ready to fire.

The British column plods along, deeper and deeper into the valley.  They had to roll distance dice every turn and move that full distance.

The British column from the viewpoint of my Thugee riflemen.  The column has been warned by Gunga's bugle and the lead unit has faced to either side of the trail, guns ready.

As the Indian cavalry attempt a complicated reverse wheel, the Thugee cavalry charge into their flank.  Only a few Indian cavalrymen could fight so in the ensuing melee, the Thugee cavalry defeated the Indians and sent them reeling.  But they rallied the next turn and came back at the Thugees.

Ross, one of the Thugee commanders, and Gerry Webb, look over the battlefield.  You can see my Thugee riflemen lining the top of the rocky ridge.  The two Highlander units and the Gatling gun have deployed  right in the middle of the "kill zone."

Tim, a British commander if I remember correctly, looks on the dread as the Highlanders start to fall to accurate Thugee rifle fire.

Even though the Thugee cavalry won initially, the rallied Indian cavalry came back and slaughtered the Thugees, forcing them to race away to safety.

Freed of the threat of Thugee cavalry, the Indian cavalry turns to ride to the aid of their Highland infantry who are being attacked by Thugees down in the valley.  Sometime during these initial turns, the British Gatling shot down the Thugee gunners, rendering their gun useless.

John, the British commander in his red "coatee," watches stoically as his men fight for their lives against the Thugee attackers.

Riding over the sabered and bayoneted bodies of the Thugees, the Indian cavalry heads towards my riflemen who have too eagerly come out of the rocks.  Seeing the cavalry, they quickly scampered back and resumed their fire from the safety of the rocky hill.

The Indian cavalry then turned away and headed back into the fray around the Gatling gun.  Another Thugee spear unit has appeared after moving stealthily around the rear of the British.  Trapped in the dusty valley with no cover, the British and Indians died a slow and bloody death underneath the rifles of the "expert" Thugees (our die rolls were really good during this game).

The second game was played Sunday morning.  Titled "The Real Glory," it was run by Mark Stevens and was based on the movie by the same name that starred Gary Cooper.

The Philippine constabulary compound with its walls manned and ready.

The Catholic nun and her orphan charges, escorted by a couple of American freebooters, dash down the trail towards the constabulary compound.

Martha controlled the nun and her detachment (on the trail to the center right).  Several Moro units have appeared and are trying to cut the little band of refugees off while a constabulary patrol advances out of the compound to their succor.

A panorama of the battlefield.  The Moros came into the battlefield from the sides of the table.  John (dark shirt on left) and Ken were constabulary commanders while Walt and Ross (on left) and Bill (standing with camera) and I were the Moro commanders.

John makes a grans gesture as Moros close around the compound entrance.  The nun and her detachment have already gained the shelter of Ken's constabulary patrol who form a battle line, facing the Moro attack.

Suddenly the Moros hear the sounds of boats coming up the river.  The constabulary reinforcements, American Marines and Filipino regulars, are coming to the rescue.  While some Moros head towards the landing, others redouble their efforts to get into the compound.  Unfortunately the constabulary riflemen and Gatling gunners are very accurate and Moro commanders fall right and left.

A few Moros make it to the top of the wall but their ladder was pushed away behind them.  At the compound entrance, the nun and her charges scoot in closely pursued by a Moro juramentado (fanatic).

While the nun and the orphans run into the chapel (lower right), the compound commander and a soldier try to stop the juramentado.  The soldier is killed but the officer puts a .45 caliber slug between the Moro's eyes, ending that threat.  With most of their commanders dead and the Marines and Filipino regulars slowly but steadily advancing, the remaining Moros slip away into the surrounding jungle.  "He who runs away, lives to fight another day."

I hope that you enjoyed the pictures of the various games I posted.  Remember, Colonial Barracks is scheduled next year (2014), tentatively for the second weekend in November.  If you are close enough to New Orleans, please come and join our fun.  Watch for future announcements on www.sergeants3.com and on the Miniatures Page.

Colonial Barracks - Part 1

On my last post, I opened my report from this year's Colonial Barracks convention with the battle I ran on Saturday morning.  This part of the report, which I have labelled Part 1, will cover some of the games that were played Friday night.

We open with John Murdaugh's 40mm Battle of Camden using "Disperse, Ye Damned Rebels!" rules on Friday afternoon.

Supervised by Larry Brom (red Marine cap), Martha, Lori, and Tim (American players) get ready to show the British a taste of American hospitality, with a torrent of lead!  John sits behind them.

Nick Zizo ran a Zulu game on Friday afternoon featuring Warlord Games' Rorke's Drift set.

The Rorke's Drift model dominates the battlefield.

Chick and Donna (far side of the table) and Dwight (front left) contemplate their options as the game begins.

James (left) and Dwight wonder if their Zulus can actually break into the compound at wash their spears in British blood.

And while the above two games were being played, Ed got his troops sorted for his Friday night Mexican American War game "The Battle for Jalapa," which presumed that Santa Ana did not take his army north to Buena Vista but had it available to oppose General Scott's advance from Veracruz.

The big game Saturday night was Rich Smethurst's and Dale Kemper's "55 Days at Peking" action on the Tartar Wall above the legations.  I played in this game as a Boxer commander.

Dale Kemper (owner/operator of Stellar Systems, manufacturer of the Ral Partha Colonial line), sets up troops on the two part model of the Tartar Wall.

As Boxers move down the wall, a Chinese rocket explodes just in front of the Marine defenses.  Donna was also a Boxer commander.  We had about six Boxer players, each of whom could have a 20-man unit on the wall at any one time.  When a unit was destroyed, another took its place.  The Marines, however, were limited to two platoons plus a machinegun.

A closer view of part of the Marine lines.  Charlton Heston is on the horse.  In the background, a Marine is killed by another Chinese rocket warhead.  The rockets weren't very accurate and we hit our own troops several times.

Boxers swarm up onto the Marine barricade.

As another rocket lands just behind the Marine line, more Boxers gather for their chance at the "round-eyes."

But the Marines' rifle fire slaughters the Boxers, sending the survivors reeling.  In the background there is furious action at the other Marine barricade.

Oh, no!!  Heston is killed by a Chinese rocket warhead.  This was my only success as a Boxer commander.

On the far barricade, several Boxer units attack the Marines as another rocket explodes just behind them.  Can the Boxers take advantage of this?

Yes, they can.  The Marines are forced away from the barricade and fall back to secondary positions at the heads of the ramps leading down into the Legations area (at far right).  Only the priest is left to stand against the "heathen Boxers."  the game ended shortly afterwards as a platoon of Sikh infantry climbed up one of  the ramps and the Boxers finally ran out of troops.

This last picture from Friday night is the 15mm Alamo set-up for Terry Sofian's "The Alamo + Rough Riders + Them" game that was run Saturday morning.  Terry used his newly released "The Hive and the Flame" rules and pitted Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders defending the San Juan Mission against rampaging giant bugs from outer space.  There are several early tanks in the foreground.

That's all for now.  Further report(s) will be made to cover the other games on Saturday and the game on Sunday morning.