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Author Topic: Re: My Colonial Projects: 17th Lanciers  (Read 25674 times)

Offline FifteensAway

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Re: Retreat from Kabul - new project
« Reply #150 on: August 25, 2022, 01:15:58 AM »
Did a quick check for images of the retreat via Google and few of the images showed any trees at all. 

I hope the "My God, Maiwand" member shows up in your thread with an update - he is probably your most knowledgeable source for the era - though Kabul is north and east of Maiwand. 

Offline Mad Guru

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Re: Retreat from Kabul - new project
« Reply #151 on: August 27, 2022, 07:09:47 AM »
Peter: Great work as always!

From the Britannica article on Plant Life of Afghanistan:

The high mountains abound with large forest trees, among which conifers, such as pine and fir, predominate. Some of these trees are 180 feet (55 metres) high. The average elevation for the fir line is over 10,000 feet (3,000 metres). At lower elevations, somewhere between 5,500 and 7,200 feet (1,700 and 2,200 metres), cedar is abundant; below the fir and cedar lines, oak, walnut, alder, ash, and juniper trees can be found. There are also shrubs, several varieties of roses, honeysuckle, hawthorn, and currant and gooseberry bushes.

I've read a good amount on the retreat and the last stand at Gandamak (aka; Jugduluk), from first-person sources like Lady Sale, and Lt. Vincent Eyre of the Bengal Artillery, to more recent histories like "The Fierce Pawns" (aka: "Signal Catastrophe") by Patrick R. Macrory, and "Beyond the Khyber Pass" by John H. Waller, but as FifteensAway says, as I recall there's not much mention of trees in the various writings re: the last stand, other than, "...a barrier made from prickly oak erected by the Gilzyes to block their (the British) progress."

On the other hand, if you start your game back in Kabul, you could and should have a decent number of deciduous and a few scattered pine trees scattered throughout the city.  Obviously the retreat occurred close to 200 years ago, but I think these photos of 21st Century Kabul still have value as reference:







.... ... ...

Well, Peter, your question combined with FifteensAway's answer (which rightly or wrongly I took as being a reference to myself!) inspired me to do some more digging, which kind of paid off...

Here are 2 contemporary illustrations, both labelled "Jugduluk," dating from the early days of the British invasion, prior to the retreat and last stand, and both picturing the locale in warmer seasons...





The second one just above is titled "The Grove and Valley of Jugdulluk," by James Rattray.  You can see that the first one, titled "Jugdulluk" by James Atkinson, also includes a grove of trees on the left.  The trees in both pictures appear to pretty clearly be deciduous, perhaps even the same "prickly oak" that will later be mentioned being turned into an obstacle to block further retreat by the British during the last stand a few years after the above artwork was done.

No pressure, but speaking for myself, that would be enough for me to include a grove of appropriately harsh-looking dark and leafless deciduous trees dusted with snow somewhere on my Gandamak/Jugdulluk table.
« Last Edit: August 27, 2022, 07:17:57 AM by Mad Guru »
"We shall see what wisdom lies beneath my madness!"

Offline Peter

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Re: Retreat from Kabul - new project
« Reply #152 on: August 27, 2022, 10:26:56 AM »
Thanks for the detailed information Mad Guru.
I was secretly hoping to use my coniferous trees

For the time being I will also do this, even if it is geographically incorrect

Some more pictures from my Afghan Warriors.




Offline FifteensAway

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Re: Retreat from Kabul - new project
« Reply #153 on: August 27, 2022, 09:42:32 PM »
I was, indeed, referencing Mad Guru but posting at some unholy hour when the brain was in latency mode and I could not recall his LAF nom de plume (do we have such a phrase for internet names?  nom de keyboard?  lol)

And, as expected, he was forthcoming with good information.

Offline Peter

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Zulu Game report
« Reply #154 on: November 04, 2022, 09:44:18 AM »
Zulu game - tonight

I already wrote here that we play with secretly drawn tasks and fog markers.


Tasks:
Zulu:
1 - Destroy 30 Britons
2 - Capture the cannon and own it for 1 turn
3 - A character (General, one of the Heros) must enter the British mountain range and a
       Stay there for a long time

British:
1 - Destroy 40 Zulus
2 - Capture the cattle train and own it for 1 turn
3 - A character (General, Hero or the Reporter) must enter the Zulu mountain range and a
       Stay there for a long time

Starting points:
Britons - complete side opposite Oskarberg
Zulu - complete side of Oskarberg





The game progress report will be posted tomorrow
« Last Edit: November 04, 2022, 09:48:08 AM by Peter »

Offline Peter

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Re: Retreat from Kabul - new project
« Reply #155 on: November 04, 2022, 09:47:11 AM »
the troops

British Artillery, 3 units, Natal Native Horse and Mounted Imperial Infantry, plus Chelmsford, Durnford







Zulu troops: General, 2 heroes and a medicine man , cattle train, 8 archers, 4 x 20 warriors





The bases with the animals represent our new fog markers. The marker with the cotton was not really to our liking.
Let's see if we also pay attention to the new fog markers during the game and don't overlook them




Offline JBaumal

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Re: Zulu Game Report
« Reply #156 on: November 04, 2022, 09:32:14 PM »
Peter, beautiful Afghan tribesmen!

Online fred

  • Galactic Brain
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    • Miniature Gaming
Re: Zulu Game Report
« Reply #157 on: November 05, 2022, 10:13:50 AM »
Peter, beautiful Afghan tribesmen!

That confused me at first! But then I scrolled up past the Zulus…

Liking the setup for the Zulu war battle. Feel the Zulus killing 30 Brits is a bit tougher than the Brits killing 40 Zulus, not least from just the number of targets available for each side.

Offline Peter

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Re: Zulu Game Report
« Reply #158 on: November 05, 2022, 11:24:30 AM »
The game is played.
But we stopped before the end and counted it as a draw.
The Zulu were tasked with eliminating 30 Britons.
The British had to conquer the cattle train.
After nine rounds the Zulu had lost well over 40 (a shame, the task would have been better).
British losses were around 15.
If we had continued playing, then these would have increased significantly, because three Zulu units were about to engage in close combat. Probably the British would have (I mean - got bogged down, because I was relatively sure that Birger would have to capture my artillery - I was about to splurge on it and flee - yes, I was so easily wrong).
On the other side I was within attacking range of the cattle train with Durnford and the Imperial Mounted Infantry.
Now to the pictures:

The British after deployment


The Zulu after the march


The Razorback smoke marker already looks fun?


The cannon fired


The Zulu scouts move into position


Direct hit with the cannon (16 Spression Markers, but only 5 casualties)


Finally, the four large Zulu units decide to act as one




Battered Zulu unit about to engage in close combat


The fierce hand-to-hand combat between a large Zulu unit and Durnford's mtd. In the heat of the moment I unfortunately didn't take any native photos. Only Durnford was left.
After the game we realized we had made some mistakes in the Durnford melee.
That's what happens when you don't play for ages after the changed rules and you're as forgetful as Birger and I are. (We're both already over the top (over 60)

We then canceled due to the advanced time.
Maybe we should have set up across the field, but I really wanted to test the changed artillery rules.
I really liked them - not too hard, but not too limp either.

Birger will be printing the Sudan maps in the next few days
The next thing will then take place in Sudan

I hope you liked it a little?








































Offline Grumpy Gnome

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Re: Zulu Game Report
« Reply #159 on: November 05, 2022, 01:49:12 PM »
Loving it! 👍
Home of the Grumpy Gnome

https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/

Online fred

  • Galactic Brain
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    • Miniature Gaming
Re: Zulu Game Report
« Reply #160 on: November 05, 2022, 04:11:36 PM »
Great stuff, I really like your big units of Zulu’s on the sabot bases

Offline Peter

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Re: Zulu Game Report
« Reply #161 on: November 05, 2022, 07:02:14 PM »
What do you think of our fog markers (razorbacks, cheetahs, giraffes, water buffalo, antelopes and meerkats)?
Before we only had a base with cotton wool

Online fred

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Re: Zulu Game Report
« Reply #162 on: November 05, 2022, 08:33:12 PM »
As in fog of war? They are cool, and work well as hidden movement markers, and gives me an idea to use the various animal bases I have.

Offline Peter

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Re: Zulu Game Report
« Reply #163 on: November 15, 2022, 03:39:04 PM »
 :D
« Last Edit: November 15, 2022, 03:41:55 PM by Peter »

Offline Peter

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Re: Zulu Game Report
« Reply #164 on: November 15, 2022, 03:40:05 PM »
 :D

 

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