The Maji is a Lie!

[Plynkes]

Inspired by Mad Guru's TSATF report from the other day, feeling slightly ashamed that I had never actually played this revered rules and yet still had the brass neck to pretend to be qualified to be moderator of this here board, I decided to host an impromptu game. It was all a bit thrown together at the last minute. My opponent would be my old pal Sickers, still knee-high to a grasshopper when last seen, now all growed up. He was coming for a visit, and his elder brother had tagged along so we decided to try out TSATF and see what all the fuss was about.

Ideally, for the full traditional experience we should have had Thomas Atkins facing Zulus or Pathans, really, but we didn't have any suitable figures, so we opted to return to our old stomping grounds of German East. A German punitive expedition against some rebellious Ngoni, buoyed up by the promise of immunity to bullets by the witch-doctors of the Maji-Maji movement. We would treat the Ngoni as Zulus (paying them a bit of a compliment there, I expect) and the Schutztruppe as British (not sure who is being paid the compliment there, I'll that to the historians). Note that some of the figures involved are from way back, and the paint-jobs a bit rubbish. I do hope you'll forgive me for that and not judge too harshly.


Deutsch-Ostafrika, Nineteen-Oh-Something
With the southern portion of their colony now in full rebellion against the forced labour measures imposed to try and make the colony profitable, the Muslim Ngoni of the south throw their lot in with the rebels. Skeptical of the mumbo-jumbo of the witch-doctors and trusting in Allah instead, they decide to join anyway, because they really, really, really hate the Germans.

A small column is dispatched to bring the recalcitrant Ngoni to heel. Their mission - a punitive strike on a village. Burn the grain fields and huts to teach them a lesson and hopefully draw the warriors into battle where they can be defeated, and shown once and for all that there is nothing to this bullet-stopping Maji-Maji business.




Sickers opted to play the Colonials, taking command of the force and opting to control the regulars. He gave command of the German native irregulars to his brother, von Forrester. They immediately fell to bickering about leadership and tactics, and did not stop for the entire game. In fact, they haven't stopped yet, I can hear them in the next room still at it. This would set the tone for the battle.




In the village, the peaceful village...

No sign of the Ngoni. They appeared to have fled. This would be easy.




Sickers sent von Forrester and his rag-tag rifles forward with orders to scout out the village and find the enemy. His insubordination began almost immediately, as he started criticizing his brother's tactics. Nonetheless he pressed forward at a slightly rash pace.

The German force consisted of a platoon of regular Schutztruppe, a platoon of irregular riflemen, a command group and a group of porters. We decided to use the limited ammo rules, but gave the porters their own supply which could be used to resupply other units if needed. They also brought a maxim gun (in TSATF terms we used Gatling Gun stats, but deemed it would never jam), but it had lagged behind on the march. From turn 4 onward they could dice for its arrival. Hopefully it would arrive in time to save the day.



As von Forrester pressed on in the centre, Sickers led his men towards the right flank in column of march. All the while sending runners with notes to his brother saying "Get on with it!"



What was this? Something emerging from the bushes?



I see they've brought their regimental mascot with them!

Enraged by the sight of the irregulars putting their fields to the torch (for that was what they were doing), and seeing that the regulars were about to deploy into line, one of the chief's regiments (the Galloping Ostriches) decided it was now or never, so forsook their ambush spot and decided to charge.



"I say, that one chap has his lad out! Disgusting!"

And charge they did, smacking right into the Schutztruppe just as they were about to form into line.




A vicious stuggle ensued...




But the German Askari were well-trained, seasoned troops, and their superiority began to tell...




The remnants of the Galloping Ostriches retreated back in disorder to the long grass to lick their wounds, while those unfortunate enough to be caught in the melee were finished off at bayonet-point.




The first test had been passed, but where were the rest of the enemy skulking? In answer to that, the Chief's favourite regiment, the Charging Bulls suddenly emerged from the bush, threatening the German flank and rear. Sickers immediately blamed von Forrester for having failed abysmally in his scouting duties and his inability to find the enemy.  Von Forrester responded that it was all Sickers' fault, due to unclear orders and poor disposition of his forces. The command group and the baggage were now threatened. Could our two bickering brothers put aside their differences and work together? Would the column survive? Would the machine gun finally turn up and save the day?

Find out in Part Two.

 

[Furt]

Plynkes is pushing lead again. 

Well done mate, wonderful report. Beautiful terrain and painting, as expected.

[Silent Invader]

Always did enjoy your battle reports 

[Malamute]

Always did enjoy your battle reports 

Yep, always a great read and nice to see the return of the round table.

[Earther]

Yay! Plynkes brings The Splendid™ once once more!

[DintheDin]

Enjoyed your report! The melee pictures are all the money!

[archiduque]

Excellent report!!

[Plynkes]

Thanks for the comments, lads.

As the irregulars pressed forward, hoping to torch the village, two more of the old chief's amaviyo angrily appeared from the foliage - the Bellowing Lions and the Wistful Rhinos. Furious at the wanton destruction being perpetrated by the enemy, they were in no mood to mess around...



Sickers lambasted von Forrester for his rash advance into trouble. Von Forrester protested that he done exactly what he was told to. Colourful insults were exchanged.

(Technical note: This was the point where we resumed gaming after a break (for a barbecue and some wine, which may have dulled our martial thinking a tad). It was now getting dark and we were using artificial light rather than daylight to see, but I forgot to compensate by resetting the white balance on the camera. Consequently the rest of the pictures are bathed in a golden glow. Just imagine it is the rays of a tropical sunset if you can.)





The Rhinos charged and a vicious fight ensued amongst the corn.




Meanwhile Sickers was viewing events with mounting alarm. It felt like he was beset with enemies on all sides. So he did what one traditionally does in such colonial situations -He formed square! Magnificent! (I think this is actually the first time we've ever had an actual, proper square in one of our colonial games. Amazing, but another milestone to tick off!).

Unfortunately, the recently-recovered Ostriches were now sniping at his position with gunfire from the long grass, and were beginning to whittle his men away.




Von Forrester was outraged at this. He accused Sickers of timidly surrendering the initiative to the enemy when he should be aggressively forcing his will on them. But the fact that he was retreating on Sicker's position through the corn as he said it undermined his point just a little. Still, the fire and close-combat prowess of the irregulars had fended off multiple charges by the Lions and Rhinos, who were now somewhat disordered and confused.




A snapshot of the state of play at this point. With Ngoni threatening the force on almost all sides, they cursed the tardiness of the lost MG crew. Would it ever arrive?




Finally stung into action by his subordinate's thinly-veiled accusations of cowardice, Sickers advanced into line to deal with his men's tormentors, the Ostriches. Disciplined volley-fire soon sent their remnants packing, it turned out for good.




At the same time the Rhinos, having recovered their composure, were still threatening in front. More alarmingly, the Bulls and the lions were working their way around the flanks, under cover of the burning fields.




With the Rhinos occupying their attention in front, the irregulars were shocked to find themselves charged in the flank by fresh and eager Bulls. They really shouldn't have been, they knew they were coming. Twas Sicker's fault, no doubt. Things were looking bleak for von Forrester.


Could this inharmonious little command survive? Was von Forrester done for? Would that bloody machine gun ever fucking turn up?

Find out in Part Three. (Lord, he does go on a bit, doesn't he?)

[Marine0846]

Excellent around.
Really great terrain and figures.
Your story telling and comments had me laughing alot.
Laughed so hard once, almost fell off my chair.
(That may be a sign of getting old.)
Excited to read the finish.
Will the MG show up in time?

May I ask, where your big rock formations came from?

[OSHIROmodels]

Spiffing 

cheers

James

[Plynkes]

Von Forrester's irregulars had had enough. Charged by the Bulls, they turned tail and ran. They had performed heroically, but enough was enough. Von Forrester, who had previously cursed his superior as a coward, ran with them...



Sickers' response was to turn his line to face the enemy. They performed the maneuver with parade-ground precision. Old Schnorbitz the colonel would have been proud of his lads.




Soon they had sent the Rhinos scurrying home with accurate rifle fire. Now it would be the Bulls' turn. But what's this? Yes! The blessed MG had finally arrived! Salvation!

Except...



Sickers and von Forrester immediately fell back into another argument over what to do next. The card had determined a German move. Sickers was insistent that he had to form square with his Schutztruppe, lest they be swept away by the Bulls. Von Forrester decried this as insane, as if they didn't use the card to set up the MG it might well be swept away by the Lions skulking nearby. As commander Sickers had his way, formed square and... The next card was black! The newly-arrived gun was immediately beset with angry tribesmen. Weary from hours of trudging through the bush, they dropped the gun and legged it straight off the table.

Predictably, the blame game began. A machine gun lost to the natives. This would not look good in the Berlin papers. Both immediately started rehearsing their justifications and reasonings as to why this debacle was all the other one's fault.




But Sickers had more immediate concerns. The Bulls were about to make their last desperate charge at the square!




And on they came, in fine old style...




Smashing into the square!




But these were tough veterans, in no mood to yield. The square held, barely, and forced the Bulls back in disorder.




The ragged remnants of Sickers' command reformed. Their numbers were now severely depleted, but they were ready for one more desperate stand if need be.

But that was not to be. Sickers decided his decimated and weary force had done enough, and decided to withdraw in good order from the field. The remaining Ngoni units; shattered, exhausted and having lost their leaders were content to let them go unmolested. In his mind he was already writing up his report as a "tactical victory," but with the machine-gun lost, the irregulars fleeing, and only two burning fields and a few dead natives to show for it, that was going to be a difficult sell. With von Forrester still alive, he could foresee an angry letter-writing campaign as the pair of them fought it out in the courts of public opinion in the newspapers.


As for the old chief, he had the machine gun paraded through all the villages of the region, celebrating his triumph. The Germans would surely return in greater numbers, but it had been shown they were not invincible. Perhaps there was something in this Maji-Maji nonsense after all?



It is quiet on the battlefield now. Only the sound of the wind blowing through the mealie fields disturbs the air.



So, TSATF then?

Well, all I can say is that I can now see why this rule set is so beloved. We had one of the best times ever. When faced with the rules, at first glance they seemed creakily old-school. With so many rules for this and that, multiple different ways one must test morale, and enough charts and tables to sink an Avalon Hill hex war game. We probably got loads of things wrong, we certainly made up a few rules of our own the fly, but, man, once you get going these rules are just FUN! I don't know how else to put it, really. This was meant to be a one-off before we try out "The Men Who Would Be King", but I feel safe in saying we'll be coming back to these at some point.

Big thanks to Mad Guru for inspiring this in the first place and for his politely putting up with my badgering him with rules questions via PM over the weekend.

And don't worry about all this talk of the bickering brothers. It was all good-natured and mostly in-character bickering. They're brothers. They bicker. That's how it's meant to be

[SABOT]

Terrific - really impressive.

[Vanvlak]

That was great fun, thanks for the entertainment Plynkes.
Lovely pics too.
 

[Silent Invader]

That was fun 

[Inkpaduta]

Great report and game.

In colonials, my love is Germany. I never understand why more people don't do the Maji-Maji Rebellion or
the He-He Rebellion ect. Great stuff and tons of battles, skirmishes and assaults on fortified positions. So,for me,
this was a treat!