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January 04, 2010
Xmas '09 Colonial Game
For the Xmas timeoff period I put on a large colonial bash, using a modified version of Field of Battles (PK Lite). The setting is NWFrontier, and I basically dug out every unit I can find and fit on the table and then concocted a story around it. We have about 25 units of natives vs slight lesser number of Imperial troops.
The situation shows a weakly held line of ridges in the center of the board defended by about 5 units of Pathans, and then advancing toward them are the advance guard of the British expedition who forced marched in order to capture the critical Height and have to leave their guns behind (main reason being that I can's locate my imperial artillery). On the Pathan side the reinforement have to enter from offboard. It's a classic "can the Brits force the position before it can be reinforced by crap load of natives" scenario.
I tweaked the FOB rules by doing away with the initiative roll off and just combined two decks into one, so that every flip of the card the result could be either a British action of a Pathan action. Things are "mixed up" more and there is less of an issue with initiative run.
The British decided to do a aggressive left flanking move to attack with the Mounted guides. It worked brilliantly and the Pathans looked like they might lose half of their position before their reinforcement even appeared on the board. Some solid defense by the Pathan in the center stablized the situation and then the reinforcement started to make a difference. The game then became a series of desperate struggle that sees the initiative passing back and forth between both sides, with ultimate victory hanging in the balance.
You have a British center that fails to advance to close with the enemy (bad command rolls from green commanders), volatile tribal cavalry who couldn't finish off a single Bengal Lancer unit with 4 times its number (until very late in the game). We have Ghurkas who forced the heights, driving away the Pathan defenders, and then due to the lack of support was then in turm driven off by Pathan counter attacks. ALl of the drama topped by the Mounted Guides who swept up half of the Pathan lines (a Victoria Cross commendation has been submitted to the horse guards...)
Due to the closeness the game went on longer than normal, and we did not call it until about 6 hours after we started it. The Pathans basically broke due to too much morale loss from the beginning, but it inflicted such losses on the British that it's best a Pyrrhic victory for the Brits.
Posted by msoong at January 4, 2010 08:11 PM
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