The Burning Desire for Revenge – Part 2Captain Phil Lander checked his rifle and smiled. For the first time since the battle with the Ngoni he felt a sense of purpose and direction. The death of RSM Stan Dupp had effected him more than he’d care to admit. The two men had soldiered across the British empire together for many years. He had never considered Dupp a friend, after all Dupp had grown up in a London poor house and he on his father’s country estate, one didn’t consider those from the lower classes as friends. Yet since Dupp’s death at the hands of the Ngoni Captain Lander had realised Dupp was in fact one of his closet friends. Only one thing mattered to Phil Lander now finding this native king Mpasa, ending his life and avenging his friend’s death.
Captain Lander looked around at his little command and let out a heavy sigh. Masood, his standard bearer, had attached the union jack upside down, on the pole, again. He made a mental note to have a word, with Masood, after the battle.
Shouting from his new allies alerted Captain Lander to movement, in the brush, on the right flank. “So it begins” Lander said calmly.” Alright men! follow me !”Turn 1The Allied army moved off towards the Royal Kraal Captain Lander, Biff Wellington, Fayyaad el- Khalifa and Hakim the Lame all successfully double moved triggering the appearance of no less than four units of Ngoni one of which appeared a mere 6″ away. Faisal of Fashoda and Kamel “The knife” obviously decided to hang back and let others do the fighting (in other words they failed their activation test.
The natives started things off with a bang one unit charged out of some scrub straight into Hakim the Lame’s men and butchered three of them forcing Hakim and his boys to fall back and become pinned. A second Ngoni unit decided bullets couldn’t hurt them and charged 18″ across the table and impaled one of Biff Wellington’s armed poters. Biff’s boys fell back but weren’t pinned. The other Ngoni units advanced on the allies.
Turn 2The allies suddenly found themselves surrounded by angry Ngoni. With so many targets Captain lander and his Askaris opened fire causing four casualties to the natives in front of them. Biff Wellington and his armed porters joined in causing two more casualties and pinning the natives to their front. Fayyaad el- Khalifa decided to show his men how to do it but when the smoke cleared he and his men hadn’t managed a single hit. Faisal of Fashoda put his imported Winchester rifle to good use causing two casualties on the Ngoni that had beat up Hakim the Lame. Speaking of Hakim his men were so shaken by the Ngoni attack they failed to rally and kept running. Kamel “The knife” thanks to his “up and at ’em” leadership trait was now forced to try and charge the Ngoni, rather than sensibly shoot them, clearly his men didn't agree and he failed his activation test.
For the Ngoni one group charged Hakim the Lame and his cowering men and promptly butchered the lot of them. One group of Ngoni failed to rally and started falling back. Another unit of Ngoni decided they to where immune to bullets and crashed into Captain Landers askari spearing two in return for one casualty in return. Captain Lander and his men fell back and became pinned.
Turn 3Captain Lander quickly rallied his men (no doubt through judicious use of his horse whip). Mr Wellington and his boys fired pinning the Ngoni in front of them. Fayyaad el- Khalifa and his servants put up a much better showing this time accounting for no less than three of the enemy and pinning them. Faisal of Fashoda and his boys continued to pour fire into the Ngoni who had killed his college Hakim causing a casualty but not pinning them . Kamel “The knife” continued to try and get his followers to charge the same Ngoni and failing miserably
He needn’t have worried though because the Ngoni decided to charge his little command instead giving him the chance to put his sword to good use. In a spectacular display of pushing and shoving neither side managed to inflict a single casualty the Ngoni pulling back for a breather and to check the sharpness of their Iklwa. The Ngoni unit that had been decimated and pinned, by heavy fire, natural fell back. While the last group advanced towards the allies.
Fayyaad el- Khalifa wasn’t a happy man things had not gone to plan. Clearly their stealthy dawn attack hadn’t been quite as stealthy as he thought. It was like they had stepped into a hornet’s nest. Angry Ngoni warriors where popping up all over the place. Poor Hakim had already paid with his life and now the attack on the royal kraal had stalled. Instead of attacking as a group the attackers where strung out all over the place blazing away with their guns in all directions. Fayyaad spotted a group of Ngoni in front of him they seemed to be running away from the fight. Fayyaad had never been one to shy away from shooting a man in the back so he raised his musket, his men followed suit, “Fire!” screamed Fayyaad.Turn 4The allies poured hot lead in all directions. Captain Lander and his Askari caused one casualty. Mr wellington and his armed porters also managed a casualty and pinned their target. Fayyaad and his men scored a whopping four casualties but amazingly not pinning their target. Faisal of Fashoda again proved that as long as he and his men stood still and just kept shooting they could be useful causing two more hits and a pinning the Ngoni in front of them. Kamel “The knife” managed to convince his lads to charge the Ngoni Faisal had just shot out and again there ensued a brief bout of pushing, shoving and name calling which result in yet again no casualties to either side!?
For the Ngoni two punishing turns of musket and rifle fire left everyone pinned an attempting to rally two units decided they’d had enough and started falling back while one unit bravely (stupidly?) rallied ready for more.
Turn 5The pressure on the allies had slacked off most on the Ngoni where in retreat only the unit trapped between Faisal of Fashoda guns and Kamel “The knife” and his big sword where grimly holding on. Faisal fired again causing two more hits but not pinning the last survivor. Leaving Kamel to charge in and finish the Ngoni off sadly the lone Ngoni managed to kill one of Kamel’s lads forcing them to retreat. Closer to the kraal Captain Lander and Fayyaad el- Khalifa entertained themselves by shooting at the retreating Ngoni causing a single casualty. With no threats left Mr Wellington ordered his porters, to move at the double, towards the Kraal no sooner had they done this than fresh Ngoni warriors where spotted.
The last surviving Ngoni warrior embolden by driving off six times his number of enemies followed up by charging Kamel and his lads again this time though his luck ran out and Kamel finally got blood on his “knife”. one Ngoni unit rallied one continued to fall back while the newly arrived warriors advanced towards the enemy.
Turn sixBiff wellington order his men to fire on the freshly arrived Ngoni warriors advancing towards them a devastating volley felled three and pinned the rest down. Fayyaad el- Khalifa order his men into skirmish order (half move fire at half effect in the rules) and their fire finished off the freshly rallied Ngoni to their front (A test showed the Ngoni unit could be recycled latter in the game). the first phase of battle was clearly coming to end and most of allied army took a moment to take a drink, smoke or a bite to eat…in others words all three units fluffed their activation tests.
Only two Ngoni units where still active and both failed their rally tests and routed. One unit was gone for ever but the other was recycled possibly to return later.
Biff Wellington looked around the smoke was clearing and the sound of gunfire had stopped. The only sound now was the groaning of the injured and dying. The Ngoni attack had come so hard and fast that it had caught them by surprise thrown their own attack in to total disarray . In the end though their guns had proved more than a match for native spears. The royal kraal was closer now a small group of warriors stood in front of the kraal surrounding a large man wearing an outrageous red head dress. That had to be the Ngoni king. “Alright lads! It looks like this battle is almost ever” Biff confidently told his men…how little he knew.Turn 7With no enemy nearby the allied army started to double move towards the kraal. Well all except Captain Lander who decided to stop for a cup of Earl Grey and a crumpet. These movements triggered the arrival of single unit of Ngoni warriors to appear with 6″ of Faisal of Fashoda.
Faisal needn’t of worried though the newly arrived Ngoni took one look at the piles of Ngoni dead and dying at the distinct lack of fellow warriors and decided to leave King Mpasa to it and slinked off (it should be noted I mucked up the rules here due to being in charge range the Ngoni should have had a +1 modifier that would have prevented a slink off result.)
Turn 8With no native presence the big push on the kraal was on. all pumped up on tea and crumpets Captain Lander and his men sprinted across the table. Kamel “the knife ” and Fayyaad el- Khalifa also continued to advance with purpose triggering the arrival of two more Ngoni units 12″ away. Biff Wellington and Faisal of Fashoda both decided a drinks break was in order and failed to move.
With the enemy closing in King Mpasa and his bodyguards entered the fray advancing towards the invaders. One of the newly arrived Ngoni units charged Fayyaad el- Khalifa and his bodyguards killing two in reply for one lost warrior and forcing Fayyaad to fall back. The other new arrivals decided that king Mpasa wasn’t watching and slinked off.
Turn 9Fayyaad el- Khalifa rallied his men. Biff and the boys opened fire on the enemy inflicting 3 casualties but not pinning the enemy. Captain Lander ordered his men into skirmish line and inflicted another casualty on the enemy. Faisal of Fashoda decided he and his men would be safer closer to the rest of the army and double moved a full 12″. Meanwhile Kamel “the knife” and the boys decided to take break in shade of an acacia tree.
One unit of natives decided to go to ground in the long grass beside the kraal. Mean while the other unit of Ngoni and King Mpasa both charged Fayyaad el- Khalifa causing three causalities for one in reply Fayyaad fell back and became pinned.
Part 3 coming soon..
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November 29, 2006, 09:31:04 AM