Khartoum

Today I made up a foursome to play a game based on the storming Khartoum.

The scenario was taken from the Black Powder Blood on the Nile supplement (although the rukes being played were not Black Powder).

Khartoum was defended by three units of Egyptian infantry, one of Bashi Bazooks, several small units of citizen levy, three field guns and a Gardener gun.  A secondary force of one unit of Egyptian infantry and a gun occupied a smaller fort across the Nile. The attacking force consisted of four warbands: one (the Mahdi's) of four units, another three each of two units.

The game was always going to see the Dervishes storm the city, it was just a matter of how longbit would take. 

A view across Khartoum before the attack began

My command (above and below) were assigned to attack the separate fort

The remainder of the force sweeps forward against the main walls

  

My first attack against the fort - this attack was repulsed, but a subsequent one succeeded

The main force strikes the main wall like a tidal wave

Gordon is getting worried

Above and below, the main wall is stormed.

The Dervishes pour through the streets

My having taken the fort follow up on the routed Egyptians

Above and below, Gordon's anxiety grows as the defence collapses

Moments before the Dervishes came knocking on Gordon's door

In the end Gordon was captured. His fate is unknown at this point.

It was a good way to spend a few hours on a wet and windy Sunday.

War in the Sudan

 Sunday saw us transported to the Sudan in the 1880s where four small Anglo-Egyptian brigades were attempting to capture a Mahdist town. The Anglo-Egyptians, of which I was one, had to enter the table from either end but we had no idea where the Mahadists were and they could appear from the hollows and wadis anywhere. At the beginning of each turn the commabder of each of the wings would move and then attempt, by rolling 1D6 and scoring 5+, to spot any concealed Mahdists. Any Mahdists within 300mm of our units were automatically sighted.

The Table

This report focuses almost entirely at my end of the table and I think I only looked at the other end once during the game.

Our lads beginning their advance.

From the word go we had problems. The Egyptian cavalry, brave men they were attempted to drive off a group of  Mahdist riflemen, but were cut down by fire and then driven off and stood quivering behind the lines for the rest of the battle.

Now with Egyptians gone than our cavalry was charged by a Mahdist unit. We countercharged but were beaten...well I rolled eight dice and they rolled six, both of us required a 5+...I rolled only one 5+ and they rolled five...my lads decided that was enough for a game of soldiers and ran away never to be seen again. 

With Mahdists popping up, the high command was worried.

"Form square!" was the order and forms square they did.

But little good it did, because within minutes the Mahdists flags were waving and thousands of white clad fanatics rose up from the sand.

They smashed into the corner of one of the squares and caved in one face. The British troops couldn't stop the disorganised rabble and the square collapsed and ran.

Then a second square was attacked. The Gattling gun failed to inflict any serious damage and that square too broke.

Then the camels and thousands more Mahdists appeared. The Egyptian square suffered the same fate as the British. 

And suddenly at our end of the table it was all over bar the shouting...although there was probably a lot of shouting going on.

At the other end of the table the Anglo-Egyptians also struggled but managed to get their squares formed early and held a position, although they too saw no hope of getting to the village. 

It was a bad day for the Empire and this shot sort of sums it up...

And now for a series of random shots to close out the post. Thanks to John L who provided most of the images)