Ulster Wargames Society - Battle of Umboto Gorge (actually pursuit after Isandlwana )

Attended UWS meeting today and participated in very fun game put on by Phil with stuff from his ever excellent 20mm collection (with some venerable Ral Partha, Minifig and Garrison figures on display !).

Game was semi-skirmish style with a set of rules 'Front Rank Fire' (from an old Wargames Illustrated mag) and scenario had a bunch of stragglers from Isandlwana trying to escape across a stream (via 2 fords) after defeat on front slopes of the mountain pursued by a horde of victorious Zulus.

Stragglers comprised of disparate groups of British and Natal Native Contingent.

Billy commanded a group of 10 (?) Brits commanded by a superior NCO (Bob Hoskins), Ivan in middle commanded another group of 10 Brits (with a couple already wounded and therefore slow) and I had control of 14 NNC natives (2 of whom carried boxes of ammo) with a Boer commander and a Boer marksman.

Phil and Jeremy commanded the Zulus

We set up about 18" from table edge 3 turns before Zulus would appear as busy killing of Burt Lancaster, sorry Dunfords lot but with proviso that the Zulu horns may outflank us from either table edge.

Zulus were in large units of 30 or so figures (with each figure signifying 2 warriors so 60 man units !)

Whilst straggling back for several turns (we could run for 5" then walk for 2.5" whilst Zulus could always run 6") we had to try to form nominal lines/units to try to delay Zulus until we crossed table center line when it could be every man for himself.

Great game ensued as we manfully tried to conduct a fighting withdrawal in face of every increasing numbers of Zulus some of whom inevitably appeared on our flank (thankfully Billys not mine).

Ivan did manage to form a couple of 5 man lines and volleyed his pursuers, a hit would cause a casualty but more importantly force a morale test which could halt a Zulu unit for 1 turn (however a roll of 12 on a D12 would allow them to surge forwards an additional 8") but lost too much time using ammo reload  I had sent him (very much a red herring) and then had half his force killed in 1 devastating shower of Zulu throwing spears (thankfully only 1 such 'volley' per unit).

We soon realised that single men could delay the Zulus as much as a group and once across the center line that is what we tried with single figures trying to sell themselves dearly whilst mates fled.

I had a single NNC warrior hold up a Zulu unit for a glorious 4 combats (each combined turn roughly 8 secs only but still some sort of native Ninja character to last 16 secs !) allowing bulk of my chaps to outdistance warriors, in contrast my Boer marksman fired 3 times only hitting once with Zulus passing tests and indeed surging forward to overwhelm this Dutchman instantly.

Ivans remaining 5 Brits got caught by Zulu swarm but again held them up before being wiped out.

Meanwhile Billys bunch were heading for ford hell for leather with couple of blokes similarly delaying Zulus on his flank with shooting and fisticuffs.

At the end I was defending a ford with NNC whilst covering Billys survivors and sending some of my natives to safety.

All came down to a last gasp volley of spears as our rearguard was crossing the ford with Zulus achieving 5 hits on 8 target figures with Boer commander and 2 British figures surviving to cross ford, loss of either the Brits or the Boer would be an outright win for Zulus (not that they could really lose as such). In the end we managed to 'save' a mere 6 NNC, 2 British regulars and the Boer leader from initial force.

Super fun and many thanks to Phil for providing every thing and running such a entertaining game .

The dispersed stragglers at start with Dunfords camp to rear. My NNC in foreground

Fuzzy Wuzzy pic (oops wrong war) of Ivans Brits

First Zulus appear note my being wary of a 'horn' appearing, Ivan has formed a couple of lines

Zulus 'thousands of 'em' press forward. Ivans line and my marksman pre-doom on hillock, Billys blokes out of shot running to rear 

NNC have also formed a couple of lines just as they reach center line

'Those bloody spears never run out......'

Overview of latter stages as NNC defending ford with Zulus delayed on my flank, Ivans chaps gone and Billys lot reduced to 6 figures with Zulus in hot pursuit from flank and rear.

Also at club the usual suspects had a FOGR game with Spanish Armada force that having not sunk dare to invade English soil (no idea how this ended ?)

Spanish camp with Inquisitors enjoying their 'hobby' in sun

Equally gory English 'bring out yer dead' plague camp

   

Field Of Battle - Battle of Umbuto Gorge (only without the gorge or sharpened guava halves)

Game using Field of Battle 2 (might this be its swansong with version 3 nearing completion ??) at Elimination Club last night, and what a cracking game it twas' !
Some chaps were doing Isandlawhana in 28mm with Black Powder but Billy and I decided to do a Zulu War game in 15mm using FOB in case BP game was oversubscribed.
Billy has Anglo-Zulu troops in 15mm (really nice with excellent basing) and so he provided those and I brought rules, terrain, game mat and a rough scenario.
Terrain was sort of rolling grassland with a Rorkes Drift style Mission Station/Farmstead in middle with a dry riverbed straddling the table.
British (played by Simon and Dave) set up in defence around the Mission Station with Zulus (Billy et moi) attacking.
We essentially used the traditional Zulu 'horns of the buffalo' attack with 2 Horns and a Head with the Loins remaining off-table (had things gone awry for Zulu early on I planned to recycle their destroyed units in the Loins as reserve).
Zulus fielded 40 units of Warriors and 6 Units of Riflemen divided into 5 Impi with D10 Leaders and a D10 General (I made all Leaders in game D10 for simplicity).
British had 2 Battalions Groups of 4 British Infantry with a 7pdr cannon each a third 'Battalion' with 2 Companies of Naval Infantry a Gardaner Machine Gun a unit of Natal Mounted Police and Boer Mounted Horse.
Four additional Boer Mounted were divided into 2 more Command Groups (again all Leaders and General were D10)
Both forces had Average quality decks but I did add in a few period cards (and took the Arty firepower cards from Zulu deck) in form of Sneaky Heathens into British Deck (this proved very useful) along with 2 MG and 1 Breechloader firepower cards whilst Zulus had 2 Fanatic Action 1 extra Melee card 1 less Inf firepower and 1 extra Move 1 Command Group card.
Not much in way of special rules beyond those in FOB except a rule (from a chap Chris Velas on FOB Bakebook site) wherein if British fire rolls even the Zulus are 'Pinned' meaning they must Rally to move a sort of 'Staggered' effect.
This proved a nice addition as Zulus in Mass formations cannot interpenetrate each other.
I made the British mounted troops as sort of Skirmish units for Movement but with minuses when targeted or shooting but being C8 D6 types and using Musket ranges for shooting.
Most Warriors were C10 D6 with a few (5 units) classed as Veterans at C12 D8.
I made Zulu rifle units 'proper' Skirmish types but C8 D4, in hindsight they acted at times a bit too like Voltiguers so may teak in future to just Line type units.
British Foot were potent  C12 D6 with Rifle ranges and both Cannons and MG were C10 D6.
British had a beefed up 30 Army Morale Level and the Zulus 50.
For speed of play we used the 28mm ranges which actually worked well on our 6'x4' set up this gave British rifles a whopping 15" range which they used to good effect.

Game developed as only a Piquet type game does (so much better than a set sequence of play) with Zulus getting initiative and a couple of Move cards which saw the 'Buffalo' advance right into British faces (the British players said it really felt like a wave of Zulus descending on them) with Horns heading to flanks.
British volleys however proved deadly with their Commanders electing several times to fire twice and be unloaded, crossing fingers (and maybe sphincters!) for Infantry reload cards.
They did manage to get 1 reload in their Initiative meaning Zulu waves subjected to 4 Volleys !!
The 'Stagger' rule came into play on a couple of occasions with 2 or 3 Zulu units Pinned and they stayed that way for ages as we failed to pull Leadership cards (a re-shuffle not helping).
This meant Zulus had to spend several Move segments getting around these 'road-blocks'.
Appearance of Sneaky Heathens card assisted greatly.
However sadly for the British they remained unloaded on next a key Initiative won by Zulus who then managed (Fanatic Action helped) to get into contact with their Foot and Even rolls saw several Immediate Melees followed by a Melee card allowing supporting Zulus a second blatter at the British lines.
Lots of Routing Zulu and British units was result with the Mission Station being overrun.
On Horn flanks thew Boer Horse done sterling service holding up the Zulus especially around the dry river bed (some awesome rolls by Dave routed 2 units of Veteran Warriors !!) managing to survive initial contacts and evading.
But eventually both flanks were simply overcome by Zulus and the Horns closed around the stricken defenders with a couple of heroic last stands at the Mission and a knoll to its rear.
Despite this ultimate outcome the game was incredibly close at one point with both sides on zero Morale simultaneously and a real chance of Army Morale Card ending game, but none appeared for either side however phew !!
Overall the Zulus took a lot of casualties (likely more than they would have been prepared to sustain in reality, but we Wargamers are a bloodthirsty lot caring not a jot for the 'lives' of our little tin men !!) and British foot may have been better forming Square in some places but they did come close to a win via their fearsome firing alone.
All in all a great game showcasing for me so much of what makes FOB a proper 'Battle' rule set, and as Dave said the Combat Dice can be very unforgiving, but I like this as it is usually definitive as to who wins or loses and makes actions such as firing and melee decisive (peak effects as original Piquet designer Bob Jones termed it) aiding to fast play.
All in all a great nights gaming in good company, I have no idea how BP went as so engrossed in this one as player/ref (as no-one else has or uses FOB).
By heck I am enjoying being retired !!!






Zulu left Horn advances the unit at front right is 'Pinned' (green marker)

The head approaches Mission Station

Blurry shot of my right Horn flanking river bed

Defenders of Mission Station

A near disaster for one Impi as Commander falls (orange marker) putting rest Out of Command for a loooong time, we thought a Leadership card was never going to appear !

The right Horns begin to close as Boers pushed away

Whilst Head attacks the Mission (note that unit still 'Pinned' block way !)

Mission Station overrun as Horns close in. Last stand of British beside Mission and on hill to its rear, let the disemboweling begin !!!

Some pics taken by another club member


Good view of the Buffalo formation

Billys Horn flanks the Mission on our left

As mine does same on right

Naval Infantry issue fire

Boer Mounted in the thick of it Pinning another Zulu unit

My Horn about to cross dry river bed (1 Move Segment cost)

Fearsome volleys issued all across British lines

Lines wavering and British units becoming isolated and flanked (red disc  markers indicated Leader at risk ie ALL of them !)

Rules for various periods

List of rule sets for other periods occasionally game such as Thirty Years War, Franco-Prussian War, American Civil War and Modern period games.

My go to sets (ie those I will happily have a game but which scratch differing itches)

Untried sets