Zulu wars-Crossing the Nyezane

[DintheDin]

Agitation in the Zulu Kraal! Seeing their kinsmen being cut down, but the Kraal guards cannot intervene!

[vodkafan]

Gosh this is nail-biting stuff

[vodkafan]

That red perimeter is shrinking and there seem more Zulus than ever 

[DintheDin]

Gosh this is nail-biting stuff

It was a hair-raising carnage! I tell you this for sure, I was a witness! 

[DintheDin]

That red perimeter is shrinking and there seem more Zulus than ever 

This is the truth (bless my dice  ), but wait to see the end!

[DintheDin]

The last wave of Zulus, in a last effort to break the thin red line...
The British casualties are rising, they are ready to reach the 60 figs casualties which was the Zulu victory condition!

[vodkafan]

But crucially the British do not seem to be being forced back to the river, just in a long line besieged on both sides. Is discipline holding?  

[DintheDin]

The final stage of the battle

Last round: Miltiades is disappointed: Two more casualties and the British army breaks.
In the last melee, three more British fall, they also lose two wagons...
Zulu victory condition!

Miltiades, until now, thinks he had lost the battle...

In their last volley, the British aim at two Zulu rifle units and cause one casualty to each!
They take  a morale check and break!
The British victory condition was to eliminate 10 Zulu units. With these two, they eliminated 11!

Tell me, who won???

Reminding the victory conditions:

British:
To exit 2 out of three supply units (mule wagons) from the North edge of the road or to destroy the Kraal. For the Kraal to be destroyed at least 6 British figs must be inside, (infantry  or dismounted cavalry) without hand-to hand fighting for at least 2 rounds.
Or to destroy 10 Zulu units

Zulu:
To eliminate 60 British figs, or to have destroyed all three supply wagons.



It was a bloody, bloody, bloody DRAW!!!

 

[DintheDin]

But crucially the British do not seem to be being forced back to the river, just in a long line besieged on both sides. Is discipline holding?  

The pics don't show well, but actually the British were forced half way back to the river (shooting, stepping back, shooting again).
At this point, the last Zulu wave was out of steam, but both armies were in shambles!

As it concerns his rules, Miltiades is still thinking of putting morale to the British also 

But we had so much fun!!! 

[vodkafan]

Wow! I was very excited by your battle report as it came bit by bit. Thanks for that DintheDin ! Must have been a fun game. Any plans to perhaps replay it once or twice, as you have the table set up? It looks like it will never be possible for the Brits to win a truly crushing victory or to get the wagon train off the other end.  

[DintheDin]

Wow! I was very excited by your battle report as it came bit by bit. Thanks for that DintheDin ! Must have been a fun game. Any plans to perhaps replay it once or twice, as you have the table set up? It looks like it will never be possible for the Brits to win a truly crushing victory or to get the wagon train off the other end.  

With so many impis on the table, maybe no, I proposed that we replay this game reducing the impis from 10 to 8.
But... I have also to remind you of my great   (dice) strategy!
After the sixes I brought, Miltiades is still in a state of delirium tremens  

We decided that this scenario must be played by two other players, then the outcome may be completely different!
Thank you greatly for your comments!

[DintheDin]

Thanks and references

Our greatest thanks and respect to Matakishi, for his original scenario.
Thanks to Miltiades, for providing all the stuff needed, his beautiful figures, terrain and all.
Thanks (or boohs) to me, for the scenario tweaking 

Good for looking:

Excellent e-book:

British Infantryman vs Zulu Warrior: Anglo-Zulu War 1879
By Ian Knight

https://books.google.gr/books?id=h42HCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT50&lpg=PT50&dq=Zulu+crossing+Nyezane&source=bl&ots=5DldDstaMu&sig=xDGE7Sqgyx3XDkT6SGX7qKWUvxo&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwin6Z2W4OHWAhWNOsAKHatvAF0Q6AEIPjAF#v=onepage&q=Zulu%20crossing%20Nyezane&f=false

National Army Museum, Chelsea, London
Zulu War

https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/zulu-war

[Plynkes]

It looks like it will never be possible for the Brits to win a truly crushing victory or to get the wagon train off the other end.  

The British won the real battle, at least partly because only about a third of the Zulu force actually engaged. To make the game match the historical conditions I guess you need to impose a harsher entry roll on the Zulu player, with a much lower chance of units entering the fray.


Lovely report, DintheDin. Thanks for posting!

[DintheDin]

The British won the real battle, at least partly because only about a third of the Zulu force actually engaged. To make the game match the historical conditions I guess you need to impose a harsher entry roll on the Zulu player, with a much lower chance of units entering the fray.


Lovely report, DintheDin. Thanks for posting!

Agreed  
Thanks for your comments!

[matakishi]

That was great.
I've played this battle many times with different rules sets, it's one of my favourites.