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Saturday 25 August 2018

A Last Stand

Introduction

Today I unexpectedly found time for a game so went with a Portable Wargame based on Scenario 17 of Scenarios for All Ages by Grant & Asquith.

Setting

The Albionian colony of Uqbal has been increasingly suffering attacks by indigenous hill tribes. Suspecting involvement by a foreign power, a spy is put ashore from His Majesty's Gun Boat, Kobayashi Maru, and sent deep into the hill territories to find proof. The Spy has sent a communication by carrier pigeon that he has succeeded in his task but is trapped. Captain Pine is determined to get the evidence back to the War Ministry and leads a force in land. They reach the Spy's last location, a ruined compound, but find that he has been killed and that the relief force is itself now surrounded by a larger enemy force. "It's a trap", says the Captain, mixing his Sci-Fi metaphors. As dawn beaks the enemy are poised to attack...

The gunboat Kobayashi Maru (image from the internet)

Rules

Normal Portable Wargame rules apply, except I have excluded Exhaustion Point as both sides will fight to the end. At least one of the defenders must survive until turn 15 when he or they can escape under cover of darkness. The attackers must destroy all of the relief force to win.  The Albionian force consists of a company of Hibernians who, being tough elite veterans, have an SP of 5 and a company of sailors from the gunboat, who have an SP of 4. The Tribesmen are a mix of musket armed men and sword wielding men. They are led by a Swarzlandian Colonel accompanied by a unit of hussars.

Game

The hill tribes start their attack on the compound

The Defenders

Battle commences at the walls

The exposed tribesmen take hits

The compound holds

The Hibernians are caught in a relentless crossfire

The enemy closes in on the defenders

The Swarzlandian Colonel watches as his men breach the walls


The Hibernians just before their last glorious bayonet charge

The Navy's last stand

Captain Pine's end

Swarzlandia's involvement in Uqbal remains a secret, but for how long?
 

10 comments:

  1. I have to try Portable Wargame one day, looks fun and nice!

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    1. I thoroughly recommend the Portable Wargame, Phil. It suits my purposes completely. Have a good weekend.

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  2. It's a twap! Great game and much drama.
    I'm sure some nosy journalist will reveal the 'Swarzlandia Gambit'.
    Of course the journalist will actually be a spy...and there'll be a scenario that tries to get him out of the country...of course I may be confusing this with the 'Bourne One Hour Game'

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    1. Thanks Sir Duc. You've just written the script to the follow up! They never took my screenplay The Bourne Again Christian, but with the Pope in town today, maybe...

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    2. Are you in Dublin Jack?
      I hadn't realised - I'm only 4 Applegreens (that's 8 cups of coffee) away from you.

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    3. Bit further South than the Big City!

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  3. Poor captain pine, he never stood a chance!. Do I smell Albionian revenge in the air?. This sounds dangerously like the start of a full blown campaign to me!.

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    1. Cheers Mr Sprinks - no doubt news will get back.. you know how these things have a habit of escalating...

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  4. A super little game and descriptive background. Is this the beginnings of a campaign?

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    1. Thanks Peter. It was my intention to run a Campaign in this setting when I bought the figures but I do keep getting distracted by other things!

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