Holy War! - forthcoming game brief

[Ignatieff]

Here's our next outing, in a couple of weeks time.  A lot of the history is our own 'version of the truth' that has come about due to previous campaign outcomes.  Apologies if it doesnt make sense......

                                        The League of Extraordinary Kriegspielers
                                                            presents
                                                            Holy War!
                                         Friday 7th  – Sunday 9th November 2008

“There is a dry wind blowing through the East, and the parched grasses wait the spark. And that wind is blowing towards the Indian border. Whence comes that wind, think you?” (Greenmantle)

Background

The desolate former Tsarist port of Krasnovodsk, on the eastern shores of the Caspian Sea, might seem like an unlikely spot on which the fate of the civilised world might turn, but it autumn 192? the scene is set for a clash of apocalyptic proportions.

Adrian Enver Pasha, Khan of the newly established pan-Turkic state of Adrianstan, has set forth westwards from his capital Bukhara with an army of veteran Turkish troops and Turcomen tribesmen.  His objective is the far western end of the Trans-Caspian Railway and port of Krasnavodsk.  In itself this should have been just another faraway little war on a little looked at part of the map, and which might have just made page seven of the Times.  However in reality it has the potential to change the course of the 20th century, and even threaten the stability of the war weary great empires of the west.  For Adrian Enver Pasha has raised ‘Jihad’, claiming to have uncovered a new prophet known only by the codeword ‘Kasredin’.  The story has been given a more sinister turn by the involvement of the German adventurer and sometime archaeologist, Von Stauffenberg, who has linked up with Adrian Enver Pasha, ostensibly to help him find the fabled Emerald Koran, with which the legend of Kasredin has always been linked.  The story goes that when this happens, the entire Muslim world will rise up and throw the whole of the Middle East, Central Asia, India and North Africa into turmoil.  More astute ‘Great Game’ watchers think that Von Stauffenberg also has more than a passing interest on the rich oil fields of Trans-Caspia as part of a plan to resurrect a new strong German Reich.

Still smarting from Adrian Enver Pasha’s defeat of V.I. Blackwood’s Red Army in a previous campaign (see ‘Iskander’s Gold’), the Council of People’s Commissars (‘Sovnarkom’) has dispatched V.I.’s fierce rival, Red Ted Robinson, to pre-empt the pan-Turkic invasion and re-capture Krasnovodsk, which has lain abandoned since the collapse of the Tsarist Empire.  He is currently marching south from Tsaritsyn, and has vowed to bring Adrian Enver Pasha back to Moscow in an iron cage.  Strategically, the capture of Krasnovodsk and the Trans Caspian railhead would provide the perfect platform the re-taking of all of Adrianstan, as well as securing the regions strategic oil resources.  For Red Ted personally, the chance to rub V.I.’s nose in it, is also too great an opportunity to pass by.

The western great powers response has been to train and equip a fresh White Army, under the command of the Whites most outstanding remaining commander (some would say only remaining commander) Count Meehan Forteanskonz.  This small scratch force, a combination of veteran white troops, levies from White refugees and western military hardware, has been re-fitted and equipped in neighbouring Persia, and is now ready to link up with irregular White forces in the region who have been in active as a result of the vacuum caused by the earlier Red defeat by the Turks.  Foremost amongst these are the forces of Mad Nicolai Bobovsky, some say more mafia baron than White General, who nevertheless commands the fierce loyalty of several thousand White and native troops.  Traditionally a joint command of this sort would have been a recipe for White disunity and infighting, had it not been for the Allied Powers installation of the one figure who can unite White Russian opposition to the unfolding chaos in the Region – Czar Nicholas II himself, who has sailed from England (from whence he escaped to in a previous campaign – see ‘China Station’) in a desperate last throw of the Romanov dynastic dice.

Krasnovosk and the area immediately around it have lain uncontested these past few years.  The town itself is garrisoned by an ambitious local warlord, Emir Bin Gun Loafin, who is rumoured to be negotiating with a French commercial mission over the purchase of WWI surplus material in return for oil concessions.  The surrounding oilfields are populated by oil prospectors of every nationality.  Most prominent amongst them is the famed South African Cornelius Brandt, who is also rumoured to have uncovered diamond deposits in the area.  He is notionally working under the authority of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company.

The stage is set.  As usual we are mostly dealing with forces beyond our comprehension.

Individual briefs will be issued by the day of the game.

The Cast:

Adrian Enver Pasha         - Shep
Von Stauffenberg         - Cameron
Red Ted            - Ted
Count Meehan Forteanskonz                - Soapy
Mad Nicolai Bobovsky      - Mad Bob
Cornelius Brandt         - Dr. Iain Blackwood O.B.E.
Emir Bin Gun Loafin         - non-player character
French Commercial Mission                - Rodge/non-player character



STEVE LANGAN 21/10/08   

[argsilverson]

Wow, it sounds very interesting. Ignatieff, your scenarios are impressive, you should write books!

What I find missing: some caviar fishers and lots of beluga caviar!

[by the way if you paint a couple of small units of turcoman headgeared infantry, recently released by Tiger Miniatures (link:http://www.tigerminiatures.co.uk/page9.htm ) could be a nice addition!

Looking forward to see your pics!!

[Ignatieff]

"What I find missing: some caviar fishers and lots of beluga caviar!"

Nice thought, this may find its way into an individual brief....

thanks!

[Ignatieff]

.....oh and on the Turcoman front, I've already got 100+ Foundry North West Frontier types baying for infidel blood!

[argsilverson]

"What I find missing: some caviar fishers and lots of beluga caviar!"

Nice thought, this may find its way into an individual brief....

thanks!

Looking forward to!
[The last time I saw Beluga caviar was at Frankfurt airport. what a nice price it has!]

[argsilverson]

.....oh and on the Turcoman front, I've already got 100+ Foundry North West Frontier types baying for infidel blood!

Foundry's afghanis etc are shorter than the copplestone's for BoB. Tiger Miniatures minis are more compatible with the usual BoB by Mark. Generally I do not have problems using foundry figures even mixed with other companies' miniatures, but I have problems with this range.

I have painted a couple of units minis made by Foundry and I am thinking to paint more but this time Tiger Miniatures ones. 

[Ignatieff]

The Tiger figures look excellent, and if I was starting again I would definetely get some.  The Foundry mob I've had for about five years, and en masse they look great, if - as you say - a tad small.

[Hammers]

.....oh and on the Turcoman front, I've already got 100+ Foundry North West Frontier types baying for infidel blood!

Ruddy hell... I am so way behind you there it makes me weep

[Ignatieff]

My children go barefoot, and my wife hates me, but its a fine collection 

[tsar1701]

My children go barefoot, and my wife hates me, but its a fine collection 

(Same for me  )

look forward for the photos of this game
Again I'll say "I've to paint my BoB stuff, I've to paint my BoB stuff, I've to paint my BoB stuff" 

[dodge]

Once more your imagination knows no bounds.

Excellent theme for a great battle.

Looking forward to the results.

Dodge

[Ignatieff]

Youre very kind.  Lets see how it plays out.  I am however looking forward to it immensely!

Onwards!

[dodge]

Ignatieff


Your Turkish , turcoman force is that a sort of Basmachi force , if not would your NWF/ Turcoman figures do for them?

Thanks

dodge

[Ignatieff]

It will be a mixture of regular Turkish infantry, machine guns and artillery.  Dismounted officers (conversions from various ranges), plus lots of irregulars.  Some straight Turcomans (a la Foundry), some Emir of Bukhara types (he had his bodyguards in red tunics made in London, plus fezs), some irregular white types (I think these were originally late 19th centruy Redoubt Russians) plus a whole pile of NWF Foundry types (which aint strictly accurate, but still look good) as well as Foundry Darkest Africa Zanzibarbarians, which again, aint strictly correct, but they are damned fine figures.   Pourqoui?

[dodge]

It will be a mixture of regular Turkish infantry, machine guns and artillery.  Dismounted officers (conversions from various ranges), plus lots of irregulars.  Some straight Turcomans (a la Foundry), some Emir of Bukhara types (he had his bodyguards in red tunics made in London, plus fezs), some irregular white types (I think these were originally late 19th centruy Redoubt Russians) plus a whole pile of NWF Foundry types (which aint strictly accurate, but still look good) as well as Foundry Darkest Africa Zanzibarbarians, which again, aint strictly correct, but they are damned fine figures.   Pourqoui?

Thanks, its just that when I first read about basmachi forces and Enver Pasha I thought it would make an excellant army.

So with that in mind once my whites are done I'll be looking for something else to collect and paint. You seem to have done the journey already so I thought I'd ask.

I have no issues with the correctness of anything so maybe I'll look at the tiger miniatures NWF tribesmen, turcoman , turkish range and begin with a few.

I suppose the accuracy thing is about the big beards that the afgans have compared with what the turkic people could probably grow?

Do you think that would be a good place to start?

Thanks for your help

dodge