Setting Jhamjarhistan Ablaze!

[Marine0846]

Love the truck.
It's great.

[Bravo Six]

+1 to that! Lovely bit of kit there Snappy!! 

[Blackwolf]

The vehicle is a cracker! There is actually a forum member who has done who has done the London to Peking run,and I would love to do it myself. The Morris certainly has the ground clearance 

[Mad Lord Snapcase]

Many thanks Marine0846, Bravo Six and Blackwolf.

London to Peking, that would really be something, especially in your Morris. My friend has a 1934 Talbot Sunbeam but I don't think he'd risk it on a long-distance rally!

[wolivant]

Wonderful collection of progress, very inspiring ~)

Cheers!

Regards Wolt

[JBaumal]

Another excellent addition to the Jhamjarhistan column!!!

[Mad Lord Snapcase]

Many thanks for your kind remarks, wolivant and JBaumal.   

[Ignatieff]

Bloody marvellous!

[Mad Lord Snapcase]

Bloody marvellous!

Many thanks!

Working on units, rules and objectives now, so not much painting going on.

The game is scheduled to be played on Friday 12th November at DevLAM '21 (a private meet for The Gentlemen of Much-Piddling).

The venue is Snapcase Hall, Much-Piddling. Old Scrotum (the ancient and wrinkled family retainer) and Miss Spankhurst (the Hall's housekeeper and disciplinarian) are busy directing the staff to prepare the Hall for the distinguished guests' arrival.

[marianas_gamer]

A full report of the shenanigans is required! 

[Mad Lord Snapcase]

A full report of the shenanigans is required! 

...your wish is my command. Coming very shortly!

[Mad Lord Snapcase]

In order to draw all the threads of this rambling shambles of a story together, as the game itself approaches, I need to publish a couple more bits of waffle. This will enable me to write a mission order for each of the protagonists and their objectives. I am also drawing up some unit cards for the various units involved.

I have laid out the figures in order to calculate a rough semblance of balance between them.

...and the conclusion to the back story:


Chapter 22: von Strepsil Condemned

As Hella von Zeppelin made her last preparations for LZ36’s departure to central Asia, her mind harked back to an interview two weeks before. She had been summoned to the Neudeck estate in East Prussia, home of the retired Chief of the Great General Staff, Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg.

The great man had seemed uneasy and Hella knew that von Hindenburg had curtailed all his public appearances. Back in 1920, he had run for the presidency in Germany. A bizarre chain of events had unfolded which resulted in the postponement of the election.

Berlin was seized by regular and Freicorp troops led by General Lüttwitz, the commander of the Berlin garrison, who proclaimed a prominent civil servant, Wolfgang Kapp, president in a new government. Ludendorff and Colonel Bauer stood by Kapp's side. As the Reichswehr leadership refused to fight the coup, the legal government fled to Stuttgart. However, the coup collapsed after six days as the civil service refused to cooperate and workers went on a general strike. The strike led to a Bolshevik uprising that was put down forcefully. Kapp died in prison whilst awaiting trial, Ludendorff fled to Bavaria and Bauer went into exile.

Hella was seated in von Hindenburg’s library by his wizened valet, Hoden. In a trice, von Hindenburg had entered the room and furnished her with a large schnapps and a cigar.

Paul von Hindenburg was in a talkative mood and entertained Hella with scurrilous anecdotes about his political rivals. Then, with a frown he began to come to the point. In his eastern command in 1917 was the Ulanen-Regiment von Katzler Nr.2, defending Cireșoaia peak during the Battle of Oituz against the Romanian Army. Facing overwhelming odds against the Romanian Mountain Troops, the Ulans wished to withdraw to a better position and the commanding officer dispatched a young Rittmeister, Dietrich von Strepsil to carry the message back to the German Command. When von Hindenburg refused to allow the withdrawal, matters became heated between the General and the young Rittmeister. Returning to the Cireșoaia peak, von Strepsil was seriously wounded and the rest of his regiment were wiped out, to a man. After the war finished, von Strepsil swore to return to Germany one day and challenge the General to a duel. Since that day, von Hindenburg had lived in mortal fear that the Rittmeister would one day return and confront him on the field of honour. Dieter is known for his skill with sword and pistol and von Hindenburg, for all his military prowess, was a duffer with weapons.

The Gräfin’s mission was to travel to Jhamjarhistan and obtain the Jhamjarh of the Sticky Gods for von Hindenburg and Germany, but secretly she was to ensure that Dieter von Strepsil was to suffer an unfortunate but fatal ‘accident’ during the Zeppelin Korps’ raid on Djelibad. Hella felt this to be a dishonourable task but was compelled to obey.


Chapter 23: Remember the Drumshanbo Massacre

Enver Pasha had travelled to Moscow in 1921 after his falling out with Mustafa Kemal during the Turkish War of Independence. He was well received by the Bolshevik authorities there. Indeed, Lenin himself sent Enver on a secret mission to Bukhara City in the Bukharan People's Soviet Republic. The intention was to help suppress the Basmachi Revolt against the local pro- Bolshevik regime.

However, Enver dreamed of pan-Turkic unity and started to work in secret, building up contacts with the Basmachi rebellion and its leaders. When ready, along with some of his followers, he declared himself for the Basmachi Rebellion. Aiming to unite the various warring Basmachi factions under his own command, he carried out several small but successful military operations against the Bolos. He wanted to mount a co-ordinated offensive against the Bolsheviks and he managed to establish himself as the rebels’ supreme commander. He turned their disorganized forces into a small but well-drilled army. He built a command structure along German lines and his staff included a small number of experienced Turkish officers.

Enver’s burning passion to assert himself as a great pan-Turkic leader may in part, have stemmed from his harsh treatment as boy. At only seven years of age, he had been dispatched to a Catholic school in Drumshanbo, County Leitrim, Ireland.

A very vicious teacher known only as Father Jack, was his Housemaster. Father Jack was a surly, rude, alcoholic, lecherous, senile, foul-mouthed and violent priest, who frequently lapsed into aggressive behaviour, particularly when his fellow clergy denied him alcohol. He would beat his students with a hurley stick and tell them they would burn for all eternity in Hell.

A very unpleasant time for the young İsmail Enver. After he had returned to Turkey at the age of fourteen, there was a lot of gossip about the Drumshanbo massacre, but he never heard the full details.

The Basmachi, like all inhabitants of that region had heard the rumours of the possible discovery of the location of the Golden Jhamjarh of Sticky Gods and sought the power of this legendary artefact for themselves. Enver Pasha had also heard rumours of a new missionary arrived in Gummibad in Jhamjarhistan. An aging white-haired alcoholic who could hardly get out of his armchair, name of Father Jack he had been told. Was there now a chance for retribution?

Enver had some personal weaknesses which were going to tell against him, however. He was a vain, strutting man who loved uniforms, medals and titles. He had ordered a golden seal to use in stamping official documents, that described him as ‘Commander-in-Chief of all the Armies of Islam, Son-in-Law of the Caliph and Representative of the Prophet.’ Very soon after that he was calling himself Emir of Turkestan, a practice not conducive to good relations with the Emir whose cause he was supposedly serving. Recently the Emir of Bukhara had broken off relations with Enver and this was one of the motivating factors in his desire to possess the Golden Jhamjarh and usurp the Emir in a coup.


Chapter 24: …and so to war!

This then, is the story of three men and one woman yet to meet, whose fates are closely intertwined in Jhamjarhistan and the search for the the Jīn de Guǒjiàng Guàn de Nián Shén, which roughly translates as the Golden Jhamjarh of Sticky Gods.

We await their encounter in the turmoil of Cental Asia, already ablaze with revolutionary fervour and war. Who will triumph? Helene Amalie Gräfin von Brandenstein-Zeppelin, Lieutenant Colonel Snapcase, Enver Pasha or Leon Trotsky? It is in the lap of the gods now.

[Vagabond]

This is a absolute tour de force my Lord, I  can't believe it's April since I  last saw what you were up to on here.

You've done a fantastic job and Well words just fail me........

[Mad Lord Snapcase]

This is a absolute tour de force my Lord, I  can't believe it's April since I  last saw what you were up to on here.

You've done a fantastic job and Well words just fail me........

Many thanks, Vaggers!

I have printed unit cards now and terrain set-up commences tomorrow. After bacon butties on Friday morning, we cry 'Havoc,' and let slip the dogs of war! Hoc est in deorum gremio!

[Mad Lord Snapcase]

...and so finally, the long awaited encounter begins. With a stellar cast, the shenanigans, capers and malarkey surrounding the Golden Jhamjarh of the Sticky Gods are enacted under the blazing skies of Central Asia.

We began proceedings at around 10.00am (after bacon and egg banjoes had been issued to the troops) and unbeknownst to us at that time, the game would not conclude until 02.00am on the following day. It takes great stamina to be a Gentleman of Much-Piddling! Owing to the length of the game and my numerous photos, I think I will have to produce the AAR in a series of chapters.

Chapter 1, The Debouch

The sun was like a ball of fire as the various factions came in sight of the dig site near Djelibad in Jhamjarhistan.

Below we see the ruins of an ancient Scythian temple and the entrance to Lord Creosote's dig. In the foreground stands an old watch tower, used in the past to give warning of the marauding bands of lawless Basmachi. To the left is the missionary station at Gummibad and the tents which make up the accommodation for the young ladies known as the Rumpole Scholars.

Below we can see Snapforce collecting supplies from the Royal Navy on the edge of the Caspian Sea. Just ahead of them is Djelibad, the capital of Jhamjarhistan. It's market day in the capital and traders have come from far and wide to display their wares.

A view of the Great Plain of Jhamjarhistan with Gummibad in the far distance.

In the Royal Palace at Djelibad, we see the court of the Emir of Jhamjarhistan, Faqir al Djelibeybi. Lakshmibai Al Djelibeybi, Emira of Jhamjarh is there along with her son Gunga Al Djelibeybi, the Emirzade of Jhamjarh. Appah Rao, the huge Jetti from Mysore is visible, along with Mrs. Goggins from Greendale. Mrs. Goggins you will recall, answered an advert in Postmistress Weekly, to assist the Emir to set up a postal service in Djelibad. However, on arrival she found it was a terrible scam to recruit British Postmistresses as Nautch Dancers in the Emir’s court. On the right in the white robe is Chippy Minton, currently the Emir's prisoner.

Snapforce assembles and prepares for the drive on Djelibad by loading the essential 'three B's', beans, bullets and bandages.

Red-tabbed staff officers swap notes on their accommodation and check their stores of medicinal whiskey and champagne.

The WRAF mechanics and drivers are very confident that every vehicle is mechanically sound and ready to go. So much so, that they are taking their leisure at the mobile pasty unit.

The inhabitants of Djelibad are busy at the market, unaware of the dark and dangerous forces mustering in the vicinity. Abdul Eu Lalie, the purveyor of ladies unmentionables has a special offer on pink bloomers today, BOGOF!

Snappers decides to send a smaller force forwards to reconnoitre. In the foreground are the 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles, Frontier Force under the command of Major B. A. Johnston MC. To their left are the 2nd Bn/9th Jat Regiment, Mooltan Battalion, commanded by Major L. T. J. Arlott. To their left are the scratch force of odd bods from Peshawar cantonments, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Snapcase and named the Gentlemen's XV for the purposes of this mission. To their left is the mortar platoon, Privates Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy under the redoubtable Sergeant Major Finlayson, led by Major Hector McSnapcase (a distant cousin on the distaff side of the Snapcase family). Genevieve (Snapcase's Rolls) driven by Honeysuckle Weeks is on the left flank, along with Vaggers on his his trusty Royal Enfield.

To the south-west of the dig, Trotsky and his Bolshevik forces make their appearance and start to scout the scene.

At the dig site, Bunty Hamster-Crust (blue shemagh, bottom left) is directing a digging party of native labourers. Cecil de Leominster and Dietrich von Strepsil guard the entrance to the dig. Rumours of the Golden Jhamjarh of the Sticky Gods are bound to draw bandits and other nefarious ne'er-do-wells!

Here we see the camp site where the girls of Hilda Rumpole College are billeted.

In Gummibad, the nuns of the Ordo de quod Crucis Gladio prepare the defences of the Mission Station. On the roof, Father Jack Hackett, Father Ted Crilly and Father Dougal McGuire are served tea by the redoubtable Mrs Doyle. Bishop Len Brennan looks on in disgust.

To the north-west, Enver Pasha and his hordes of Basmachi take to the field.

Whilst to the north-east, the troops of the Zeppelin Korps are so far, unobserved. The Gräfin von Zeppelin wanting to keep a low profile, owing to her force being somewhat outnumbered (or so it seems).

This then, is not the beginning of the end, but it may well be the end of the beginning.

To be continued...