The Sword & The Flame' by Larry V. Brom...

[H.M.Stanley]

Hi Harry,

Bearing in mind that an Imperial Infantry Battalion is 85 figures and the Pathans need odds of 2.25 to 1 to make it a decent scrap [starts to multiply by 4 and counts on fingers. ..]

I have played Battalion sized games with the British plus support using S&TF.  Above that size we've used the 800 FE variant in a large Indian Mutiny game.

I have to say that I prefer S&TF as a small/medium sized skirmish game, but that's just me.

Look forward to seeing how you get on.

Best, James

[Harry Faversham]

Cheers that man Stanley, what size would you recommend kicking off with then? Will a twenty man Platoon of our chaps agin fifty Fuzzy Wuzzy fill a couple of hours?

[H.M.Stanley]

You would have a most excellent game with those numbers. Scenarios are best rather than shoot em ups

[H.M.Stanley]

Harry,  

My last S&F outing was the The Residency, Kabul

Forces:

1. British
a. 2 x 20 Guides
b. Hamilton VC
c. Cavegnari (must remain in Envoy's House)

2. Afghan
a. 6 x 20 Pathan
b. Fakir
c. 1 x Field Piece  (positioned at Stables and must fire/move towards barracks)

British Objectives:
a. Defend all four buildings (1pt per building)
b. Capture Field Piece  (1pt)
c. Destroy Arsenal using Field Piece! ( 1pt)

Afghan Objectives
a. Capture all four buildings (1pt per building )
b. Kill the British Officers (1pt per Officer )

We had a hoot! I seem to recall that we had a British cavalry relief force but they couldn't make it there in time.

Hamilton died leading the remnants of the Guides in a last ditch effort to capture the gun

[italwars]

Harry,  

My last S&F outing was the The Residency, Kabul

Very interesting Stanley...i always dreamed to try to reconstruct this event...i should have a map from the book "Far Pavillons"..maybe with the TOES that you kindly offered us something could be done...when yoy detail "Pathan unist"...i suppose we could include some regular/uniformed types from Afghan Army...maybe do you considered them, considering the type of spontaneous action to storm the Residency, at the same level of tribesmen as regards morale/formations/combat skills?

[Atheling]

Very interesting Stanley...i always dreamed to try to reconstruct this event...i should have a map from the book "Far Pavillons"..maybe with the TOES that you kindly offered us something could be done...when yoy detail "Pathan unist"...i suppose we could include some regular/uniformed types from Afghan Army...maybe do you considered them, considering the type of spontaneous action to storm the Residency, at the same level of tribesmen as regards morale/formations/combat skills?

It sounds like a brilliant scenario and one that I will give a go!

Incidentally, aside from TSATF can anyone think of a set of Skirmish Rules for similar sized games?

Darrell.

[italwars]

It sounds like a brilliant scenario and one that I will give a go!

Incidentally, aside from TSATF can anyone think of a set of Skirmish Rules for similar sized games?

Darrell.

Darrel....are you looking for a very detailed (in which every occurence , from every tipe of musket up to men going for a wee  but time consuming rules..in this case i'll suggest you this one...quite old, you need an Attorney to forecast everything..but it's very interesting to read

http://www.amazon.com/conduction-colonial-skirmish-miniature-1850-1900/dp/B002DMXREE

Shall you need something less cumbersome, less detailed, but playable also if less speedy than TSATF they are a couple of others on a 1 to 1 basis...one of which i have but i can check the title when i come back at home

lastly..if you need something very simple.few details .but entertaining and playable in very short time...i rember an old , two pages rule set, published inside an article of WI magazine....it was aimed at Zulu Wars but was easibly adaptable to any Colonial fronts...in case, i  could have a look for you, in my files for this 2 photocopied pages

[Atheling]

Darrel....are you looking for a very detailed (in which every occurence , from every tipe of musket up to men going for a wee  but time consuming rules..in this case i'll suggest you this one...quite old, you need an Attorney to forecast everything..but it's very interesting to read

http://www.amazon.com/conduction-colonial-skirmish-miniature-1850-1900/dp/B002DMXREE

Shall you need something less cumbersome, less detailed, but playable also if less speedy than TSATF they are a couple of others on a 1 to 1 basis...one of which i have but i can check the title when i come back at home

lastly..if you need something very simple.few details .but entertaining and playable in very short time...i rember an old , two pages rule set, published inside an article of WI magazine....it was aimed at Zulu Wars but was easibly adaptable to any Colonial fronts...in case, i  could have a look for you, in my files for this 2 photocopied pages

I'd thought of using Triumph and Tragedy but I want 120-ish Pathans etc in units of 20 or so. Should work?

I'll have at the amazon link you posted at lunch time- thanks for doing that BTW. If you can find the files that would be great  . i'm not sure nbut there's a small set that has been published from back in the day on the WI site:

"Evicting the Pandies"
http://www.wargamesillustrated.net/Default.aspx?tabid=221&art_id=4720

Is this the set you are thinking about?

Darrell.

[H.M.Stanley]

Very interesting Stanley...i always dreamed to try to reconstruct this event...i should have a map from the book "Far Pavillons"..maybe with the TOES that you kindly offered us something could be done...when yoy detail "Pathan unist"...i suppose we could include some regular/uniformed types from Afghan Army...maybe do you considered them, considering the type of spontaneous action to storm the Residency, at the same level of tribesmen as regards morale/formations/combat skills?

Hi. I downloaded a map of the Residency from the Net.

I used the Pathan figures that I had, alas I have no Afghan Regulars. But you're correct, the Guides were attacked by Afghan Regulars and the local mob, intermingled.  Try using the Egyptian troop types as Stats for the Regulars?

Best James

PS Darrell - a slightly later period, but look at Setting the East Ablaze

[Atheling]

Hi. I downloaded a map of the Residency from the Net.

I used the Pathan figures that I had, alas I have no Afghan Regulars. But you're correct, the Guides were attacked by Afghan Regulars and the local mob, intermingled.  Try using the Egyptian troop types as Stats for the Regulars?

Best James

PS Darrell - a slightly later period, but look at Setting the East Ablaze

James,

I've had a good Google and come up with nothing

EDIT: I've found a Pdf online.

Darrell.

[Mad Guru]

Just to concur with James' suggestion, I've played TSATF games using Afghan regulars for many years, and rate them the same as Egyptians, which makes them second-class but still somewhat dependable.  Historically speaking this may be a bit generous for the Afghan regular army overall in the 1878-1880 war, but they did acquit themselves somewhat well on more than one occasion and their Artillery, manned largely by members of the Persian immigrant Qizilbash/Kizilbash minority, was a bit of an elite branch.

[italwars]

i found the above mentioned map here:

http://www.britishempire.co.uk/images3/residency.jpg

[italwars]

plus this small line drawing of the same place, that with a little patience could enlarged and compared with the map to have an idea of the  arena shape of the battlefield

http://www.britainexpress.com/History/Second-Afghan-War.htm

[H.M.Stanley]

i found the above mentioned map here:

http://www.britishempire.co.uk/images3/residency.jpg

Yup. That's the one

[H.M.Stanley]

The Far Pavilions - I skipped straight to the Residency  section when i read it. The Death of Wally is on UTube.

Unless you are blessed with some spectacular scenery/buildings you'll need to improvise as we did. We used the Southern (long) table edge as the Outer Wall of the Bala Hussar - please see map. We used Adobe buildings from PMC with the Arsenal off table.

I didn't allow the Sikh/Mohammedan quarters to be loophole as the walls were too thick - which means the British player will have to go on to the roofs ...

Good hunting gentlemen and have fun.

Darrell - STEA is available from Cavalier Books