The first of our 2009 Mini-Campaign game series
The Red Desert
Part I - Into the desert
Photo by Jim Pitts
The Beja camelry unit of Abdul Aboulboul Amir's command - part of the forces defending the village of M'waad Deeb.
This is our first game for the year 2009. We played this at The Dragons's Lair in Pearl Mississippi on January 3rd. Our rules were The Sword and the Flame by former Jackson Gamer Larry Brom. This is the first of a trio of games, all using the same rules and all set in the 1885-9 (or so) period when the British and Egyptians were attempting to reclaim areas that had fallen to the followers of the Mahdi a prophet of the Muslim Religion who preached rebellion against the Egyptian government.
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Ed Sansing summed it up thusly: "We played our first game of the new year and the first game under our
new theme of 2009 - Colonial Adventuring.
The Imperial Forces were commanded by Sean Pitts, Ed Sansing, Phil Young and Bill Hamilton. This force was a mixture of British, Indian, and Egyptian allies. The bandits and forces of the Mahdi were commanded by John Murdaugh, Jim Pitts, Ken Hafer and Fred Diamond. A late addition was Lawrence Warnock but his units didn't get into contact. The British objectives were to rescue the missionaries, destroy the town of M'waad Deeb and occupy the oasis to secure a new source of water. The British were engaged almost as soon as they entered the board. They were unable to reach any of their objectives. One of the Mahdist forces' main objectives was to destroy enemy units - which they did with a vengeance - and to steal the pack train of the Imperialists. The Imperial forces were forced to withdraw saving only their meager pack train and leaving many of their wounded to the hated enemy." |
Photos and comments by John Murdaugh
Photo by John Murdaugh
Three of the Imperial players, left to right: Ed Sansing, Phil Young, and Bill Hamilton. This photo was taken during the imperial forces conference in which they received their orders and special rules. As you can see, we have not yet even taken the troops out of their boxes.
Photo by John Murdaugh
Two of the Mahdist players are shown on the left, Fred Diamond and Ken Hafer. The game-master Jay Stribling stands in the center of the image, and Imperial player Ed Sansing is half-shown on the right.
Photo by John Murdaugh
Jim Pitts (at right) reads a short passage from Kipling to get everyone in the mood.
Photo by John Murdaugh
The Methodist missionaries John Wesley Smith, wife Susannah and family. The tents mark their campsite. Both sides had to protect the missionaries, but the missionary party moved at random whenever a joker was drawn in the movement deck.
Ken Hafer, one of the Mahdist players had the victory condition of rescuing his two daughters who were infatuated by the Missionary Smith's strapping sons, and had possibly even converted to the Christian religion. Ken could have killed the missionary party, in spite of the directives of the local Emir safeguarding the, but his troops never caught up with them during the game.
Photos and comments by Bill Hamilton
Photo by Bill Hamilton
The Anglo/Egyptian/Indian forces were advancing to the east - to the right of this image. This veiw of the British line shows Bill's camels and riflemen (his horse are off camera to the bottom left), then Phil's camels, artillery and infantry, then Jim's artillery and infantry, and in the distance Sean's horse, infantry, and the baggage train. More savages sprung up from hiding in the rough ground atop the hill in the distance.
Photo by Bill Hamilton
Two units of Indian lancers, under Sean Pitts' command are ambushed by John Murdaugh's natives! Sean was advancing in close order, ready for melee when the bullets hit his units. The shooters are the "red-turban boys" which continually galled the Imperials till wiped out on turn 3 or 4.
Photo by Bill Hamilton
Another view of the above, with Egyptian infantry moving up to support the Indian cavalry. The hill shown here is "the North Hill." As opposed to "the South Hill" which was an artillery position for the Mahdists on the other side of the table. Unlike the South Hill which saw no actual combat, the North Hill was one of two major ponts fought over for the entire game.
Photo by Bill Hamilton
Bill Hamilton's Egyptian cavalry charge a few Mahdists under the command of the craft Fred Diamond, only to find many more natives were hiding among the rocks! This "Rock Pile" was the other major position that was fought over continually during the game.
Photo by Bill Hamilton
Phil Young commits his Egyptian camelry to the attack on the rock pile...
Photo by Bill Hamilton
... and is countercharged by native camelry coming down off the South hill.
Photo by Bill Hamilton
On the far flank, John Murdaugh's native horse sweep out from behind the hill and threaten the imperial baggage train.
Photo by Bill Hamilton
The British center continues its advance on turn 2. The guns are turned towards the rear, not unlimbered yet. The imperial forces are moving to the right towards the "east".
Photos and comments by Jim Pitts
Photo by Jim Pitts
Fairly late in the game the trading column is shown leaving the village. One of the Mahdist victory conditions was to get this convoy off the table edge. Because the imperial forces never got close to the village, the convoy was never in danger from them.
Photo by Jim Pitts
Another view of the trading convoy with its infantry escort. Unknown to the Mahdists, the forces shown at the extreme right are not reinforcements for them, but hill tribesmen coming down to loot the town and capture the convoy. These forces under the command of Lawrence Warnock came on, late in the game. They just made it to the village, but never could catch the convoy.
Photo by Jim Pitts
One of Abdul Aboulboul Amir's Beja infantry units helping to protect the only local water source in the oasis.
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