The launch of our new rule set for Colonial warfare

[nevermore]

Well the rules are differant and very well suited to the colonial wars, figure ratio can range from a section of figures as along as they are in group of 8 sections to 12, larger games would be called brigades.
So such battles as the Wha Hee Hee tribe againsted the German colonial can also be gamed, companies or groups/sections of men take random hits under the officer who is in control,this can make companies fall back or sections of soldiers and it takes a order to get them back into line, so you could have gaps, holes in your lines.

Movement is random, Zulu african tribes ect .. depending on the rank and period can be rapid, but lets say the Zulu attack, horns and head/loins, one horn might just move alot more ground than say the other, the head might not even move or loins, we had a game the other evening and both my horns out-flanked the British, they really did move how i wanted, but my head and loins, move as if they did'nt want to know and was'nt up for a fight.

We have had games doing the Indian Mutiny, where two of the gamers (including me) really thought we won, we really had the Brits ready to crumble, but these rules can turn on its head, the British had a double shot all over the tabletop and just blew us away, it was a touch and go game, and one minute i was full of joy the next i was gobsmacked.

This is one of the strong points of the rules, you really can againsted the odds turn a game on its head, we have had this type of game play for over six months and all games have been very close and we know that gaming the enemies of Victoria you got a chance and your not just going to be cannon foder, its no fun for the other gamer to lose each time they play againsted the colonial force, so we had to get the balance right, you still have to outnumber say 3-1, 4-1 againsted the colonial force, but hey it looks the biz once on the table and as always the colonial force(players) think they are not going to do it, but with orders and outmaneuver and hitting the right spot on the tabletop you can do it.

Weapon range is differant on each period as with command orders and its not all about just a colonial eurpean force, it can be European officers commanding Africans or Sudanese or Sepoys who are not as well trained as Colonial Europeans.

We did Peking 55 days again the other evening, sections of men defending againsted the odds, so the ratio can be as you see fit, it can be adjusted simple.

Well i hope that gives you some idea of the rules any questions just ask will be more than happy to answer.

malc

[smirnoff]

Well I bought this 2 days ago and the rules arrived this morning.
I'm an Indian Mutiny fan and have long waited for a set of rules that would work at company level.
I have not played the rules yet but on a read through I like the mechanisms and as think I can see them working well for the IM.
Well done chaps.

[nevermore]

Well I bought this 2 days ago and the rules arrived this morning.
I'm an Indian Mutiny fan and have long waited for a set of rules that would work at company level.
I have not played the rules yet but on a read through I like the mechanisms and as think I can see them working well for the IM.
Well done chaps.

Thanks Smirnoff, i think i might add a scenario explaining the way the rules make the game play in a couple of week with maps and what happens ect .. should give you a better of understanding on how the rules affect the tabletop game.

I can do this for the Indian Mutiny, Zulu and boer wars plus a smaller scale battle with the Maori War, just to show how easy it can be adapted.

[dhtandco]

Wow! thanks for the input one and all, we are on a steep learning curve here so today I have forwarded a brief synopsis of what you get for your |£15 and why you should part with it (or not!)

I just want to repeat here that you will be able to use your French, Portugese or Spanish or US forces with these rules and we do not intend to prescribe their classification in the rule set, troops are regular or tribal for both orders and firing/melee and then levy third rate trained or elite, so Zulus can have all the advantages of regular forces for movement and orders and yet still fight as tribal on the firing and melee sections.So if you are fighting Shaka Zulus forces against other tribes they will still move more often than their less organised opponents (if the gods favour you)and yet their firing /melee factor is determined by their class This gives the player the flexibility of classifying his forces how he and his opponent see fit. We are aiming at people with a modicum of interest in the period and who probably have their own views on the power of various forces So for the Tugela with Boers and Zulus we give them a fire bonus to account for the looper ammunition and the effect on the Zulus of their introduction to well aimed  Boer firepower. We simply cannot include army lists in a 40 page rule book that cover the whole period when performance by the same armies was so variable! rather we will classify the forces needed in the scenario books. So to answer one question they are aimed at people who want to play scenarios rather than at the Competition gamer. They are most certainly aimed at those who want an enjoyable fun game and to go home at the end of it without a headache or having to revisit rule 17.b para 2 subsection 17 for the definition of "cover"( no reference to any rule set past present or future intended here!)
Enough of the homily   Thanks for your interest please revisit the site in a few days for more information and thanks for the good wishes

[dhtandco]

Here is what is going on the website I hope it answers most of the queries. Keep 'em coming if not!
THE BIG QUESTION
So why should you part with your hard earned cash?
You get a 40 page soft bound rule book, 2 flag sheets and a playsheet and we make a donation to Combat Stress through Henry Hyde’s Combat Stress appeal in Miniature Wargames for each copy sold as well as for the extra flag sheets.
To play the rules your miniatures need to be organised as ‘company stands’ .We usually base our figures (28mm in our case but other scales would work equally well) 2 to 6 to a stand depending on type it really doesn’t matter as it is the stand that is important. We use 3” squares but again as long as you can match up the frontages of opposing stands, in your armies, it is not that important. If you don’t have your figures based on stands then just agree how many figures equal a stand and away you go! It is consistency that is important.
Company stands are then organised into ‘brigades’ (aka Impi,  Rubs, Mobs etc sorry for the European definitions but it is easier this way!) of 4 ,8 , or 12 stands. For a game you need at least one Brigade a side and a force of at least 8 stands in total. If it is Europeans versus native tribes you will need about two or three times as many native troops as European, unless using the ambush rules or the Europeans are quite poor quality, such as Hicks Egyptians.
Troops are then categorised as regulars or native which affects their ability to process orders, and in the case of non -tribal forces allows them in the right circumstances to ‘rapid fire’
They are then also divided into elite, trained, second rate or levy which affects their ability to instigate and stand against a charge. All this is achieved by giving each type a number to which certain additions or deductions are made and comparing it to a roll on D6  Play a couple of games and you probably won’t even refer to the playsheet.
Initiative is rolled for each turn then it is UGO-IGO with the winner deciding on whether he is U or I and the Europeans chance of winning being weighted in most cases.
It then follows a predictable orders, movement, firing, melee and morale sequence. One unusual aspect is under certain circumstances troops can fire and then charge in the same turn after they have weakened their target unit or that unit has been softened up by artillery fire. We don’t recall this being available in many other sets yet it seems to us a perfectly valid tactic.
Firing casualties are randomised amongst targets that consist of more than one company and there is a trade -off allowed between taking the hit and being driven back so it is possible to trade ground for casualties , and for your nice line to be disrupted and you wasting orders re-dressing the line. This is at the target players choice except on closing fire when it switches to the firing player. So you can either damage a charging unit or just hold it at bay when being charged. You may start off a charge with six Ansar companies but if you get badly hit and the random gods are against you, you may  end up fighting a melee with a lot fewer companies.
Morale is very simple and troops tend to retire rather than rout so your beautifully painted miniatures stay in view for longer, even if they cannot contribute to the result. We do not want to spend hours in painting to condemn our units to the travelling box until we must!
Added to this rules for hidden movement, ambush,going prone, railways, gunboats, leaders abilities and engineering tasks and the rules let you, the player deal with most aspects of Colonial warfare.
I hope I have persuaded you?

[FifteensAway]

dh, I'm guessing you must be Dave, yes?

Either way, from the explanations do I read it right that movement rates are randomized so that players have limited control of the movement of their forces?  Similar to TSATF movement mechanism? (if you are familiar)

And thanks for the more detailed explanations.  Oh, and I do hope someone did some serious editing of the rules!   

[dhtandco]

yes  im Dave, and you have limited control depending on the orders received by each brigade.
Sorry don't understand the editing bit ? I  must be a bit thick or its getting late!
Thanks for your interest in the rules

Cheers Dave

[smirnoff]

Thanks Smirnoff, i think i might add a scenario explaining the way the rules make the game play in a couple of week with maps and what happens ect .. should give you a better of understanding on how the rules affect the tabletop game.

I can do this for the Indian Mutiny, Zulu and boer wars plus a smaller scale battle with the Maori War, just to show how easy it can be adapted.

That would be useful. Indian Mutiny please.
Usual thing applies with new rules (especially when you take them down the club) i.e. make the first game a balanced scenario that gives a good game as well as allowing the lads to get a feel for the rules or risk the 'the rules are pants' reaction as someone gets his bum handed to him on a plate.....

[smirnoff]

Either way, from the explanations do I read it right that movement rates are randomized so that players have limited control of the movement of their forces?

The way I read the command & control is this (and am happy to be corrected authors):

The number of orders a brigade can get get based on the size of the Brigade (1 die for 6 bases or under, 2 die for 6-12) +1 Die if Leader Attached.

This does mean that small brigades (4 bases) can only ever get 2 orders a turn (if it has a Leader attached), 1 die for 4 bases, 1 die for a Leader Attached.
So under these rules small brigades are less manoeuvrable which feels a bit odd but I expect is a rule mechanism to account for degradation by attrition of larger brigades (8/12 bases).
I think it could be solved by creating (for example in the British IM forces) a front brigade of 4 bases with another one tacked on behind it in base to base contact, which bumps it to 8 bases and gives an extra die (or is this bending the rules chaps?). Rear lads could not shoot but would count when going in with the bayonet.
If it's possible then it's pretty historically accurate for the IM.

Each successful Order (score 4/5/6 for Regs and 5/6 for Tribal/Fanatics with Fanatics allowed to re-roll 1 fail) allows 1 function to be performed.
Shooting does not require an order.

So if a Regular Brigade gets 3 orders (max it can get...I think?) it can
1) move 3 times and fire (18" - 3 x 6" in Line) or
2) fire then move, or move/fire/move/move (I think?) or any combination of this? Or
3) it could use an order for a formation change (into square or column. If a square 1 order to form then 1 order to move is all it could do as squares may only ever move once in a turn),
4) or fall back 3" facing (bit of a waste as this is 1 order and thats all it could do.. I think...?) or
5) it could, with 3 orders, forgo any movement and fire twice in that turn.

I think that reforming brigades that are disrupted by fire or melee effect (where company bases from a brigade are forced back out of base to base with it's fellow companies) is done by manipulating the above to get bases back in base to base contact with a contiguous frontage?

What I like about this is good British forces in the IM should be able to outmanoeuvre the Indian forces (which was demonstrated historically in many battles, check out Havelock's actions) and allow the British to Schwerpunkt the Indian line.
Of course this depends on getting the rolls and failing them whilst manoeuvring in column in front of massed Indian artillery could sting a tad.....

[dhtandco]

Thanks Smirnoff let me hopefully deal with your points raised

We deliberately did not want small brigades to be too flexible and start swanning around the battlefield with a too great effect for their numbers if you want this you have to attach the C in C as well as the brigade commander to get extra momentum. HOWEVER we recently played a very small punitive expedition game where there were only 4 British companies and a brigade of 8 NNC troops against 4 brigades of 4 to 8 stands of Zulus and made a scenario based change to allow the British and small Zulu stands 3 orders if led by vrigadier reducing them by one dice when a stand was lost. That's the beauty of the rules you set the scenario and make the rules work for you not vice versa because of their flexibility.
Your solution also works well although we did not envisage stands having to be in base to base contact to be classed as a brigade so your 8 stands could still be a brigade it is just if they want to move indifferent directions etc in one turn you eat into the orders you have rolled for.

Yes one successful order allows one function in any combination so shoot and charge is possible in one turn with one order if within move range of target. As is softening up with artillery before doing this if in range and sight.

 A regular brigade as any other can only have 3 orders max  and your options 1 to 5 are all valid. You may think 3" fallback is a waste but if you are 22" from your Ghazi fanatic opponents and fall back 3" they cannot catch you next turn (max Move 24" and you have gained a turn of firing before they hit you! If armed with enfields or better. That can sometimes br crucial
You are not limited to one fall back per turn it is order based so 2 orders 6" fall back

Yes reforming brigades is a real pain and wastes orders which is just what we wanted.It also allows regulars to disrupt attacks  which together with the test to charge home means your 12 stand Badmash brigade looks a whole lot worse to fight against than it actually is (unless your opponent is lucky) So British brigades in our games of 8 stands can be outnumbered 5 or 6 to one and still win if well handled.

Hope you enjoy the games and thanks for your comments /queries fire away if you hit problems with anything.

[smirnoff]

Thanks.
Makes perfect sense.
The Fall Back was not a crit BTW, makes eminent sense especially in the example you give.

If the Brigade does not have to be in base-to-base is there a limit to the distance that individual companies may act 'independently' in order to count to a brigade command die to be allotted?
I assume that companies that wander off require an extra order to get them back into a 'general direction' area?

[dhtandco]

Not taken as one I re read it and rapped myself across the knuckles as even I didn't think it was very clear
We don't have a limit as there are usually very few European brigades on the table and natives only win if they stick together. The penalty for separating is the separated companies are unlikely to be moving or maneuvering in the same direction as the mass so they require one of your precious orders unless they are just firing. We often detach companies to overlook hills etc in games with lots of cover to stop the natives using hidden movement by overlooking cover This can be lethal if not handled properly. We had a game with a dried up river bed running across the board 60" and the natives got in it rolled for hidden movement got 3 orders and a 6 multiplier for movement meaning they got  7 x 8" across the board and used orders 2 and 3 to erupt from cover giving the European player one heck of a shock! At that point Nevermore suggested none too politely that I should change the rule!

[smirnoff]

Thanks.
I see the point regarding the dislocation of companies for various reasons; players choice to divide his force and chew orders to reform.
I think I also see the idea behind no rigid base to base/contiguous unit structure...just need to try it having played lots of Armati where it's critical.

What would be very useful (for me) is a broad brush of Unit classifications you have used in the Mutiny play tests; who can skirmish, numbers of officers used etc etc  

[nevermore]

We shall do that, showing hows its done, we are setting up a game this Weds so we can do a step by step

[dhtandco]

Ok so we did a refight of Fatephur at Durham and the forces were as follows
Photos on Darrells site and the GY one may be slightly different as Im working from memory!!!
British
1st brigade
4 cos British enfield elite
2 cos Sikh Musket trained
1 lt foot arty Elite
1 co horse
all European trained Regulars =8 stand brigade

2nd Brigade
2 cos British enfield elite
2 cos British Minie rifle elite
2 co Sikh musket trained
1 co Horse Arty Elite
1 co Horse
All European trained Regulars=8 stand brigade

Mutineers
3 heavy guns
1 co Sepoys trained musket European trained
A total of 4 co Native brigade 5,6 for orders


1st inf brigade
8 cos Sepoy trained musket European trained

A total of 8 co brigade classed as natives for orders 5,6

2nd Inf Brigade

As above 8 cos etc etc

Cavalry brigade
4 cos Trained Cavalry melee weapon only European trained
4 cos 3rd rate native cavalry melee weapon only

A total of 8 cos classed as natives for orders

Badmashes
12 cos levy melee weapon only

A total of 12 cos classed as natives for orders 5,6.
The British have a commander per brigade and can choose or dice for the special factor each one gets (one each)
Mutineers have a commander per brigade and no special effects so just add an order dice

you will see the natives outnumber the British 40 to 16 and guns and attached co are in earthworks so it looks hard for the British. We have played it about 3-4 times and it is 2-1 to British with one stalemate

We also play the fatigue rule so measure from British entry point to the redoubt, the games objective is for the British to clear it and divide that distance by 6" that is the number of turns British player has to win plus a D6 roll only rolled when that turn has arrived. That is to stop them staying outside musket range and simply shooting the natives down with no time pressure.
I hope that helps you with the organisation and our thought processes when planning a game
Thr battlefield has a tree line about halfway acros it and the mutineer redoubt is in the centre about a foot from their baseline with 2 central buildings behind it (1 co each) and a marsh to either flank which the mutineer is told is impassable but the British player can cross deducting one order dice per turn whilst doing so
I hope you play it Enjoy!

oops forgot your skirmisher point you can replace one or two stands per brigade with skirmishers if you wish ( but get too many and you wont be able to clear the redoubt with a bayonet charge)!!