Friday 13 May 2011

DBC Battle at the Well of Hasheen

THE best film on the Sudan Wars...
We've been watching films again.  The 1939 version of The Four Feathers, fantastic...  SO! Inspiration for another game, coupled with 'Touching History' Issue 3.  It has a great article on the Sudan War, The Battle at the Well of Hasheen.  We used KISR's De Bellis Colonial rules, Amy took the Heroic Brits & I the Devilish Dervish.  

To add spice to the game, we used 'The Glorious Defence or Die' extra rules.  This means the game lasts 16 turns, the natives receive extra forces & you fight to the last man... simples!

Touching History - Issue 3 http://battlesinminiature.blogspot.com/2011/05/order-wargames-special-pdf.html

The article

The Heroic British
A 12 point Army, The Egyptians & Navy Boys were classed as poor, half point each.
1 General & 1 Hero...
Reinforcements... 2 Cavalry units.  Check each turn, on a roll of double 1 or  6.

Boo Hiss Boo Dervish
24 points, 4 Shooters, 14 Natives, 6 Cavalry.
2 Generals

The Battlefield

Attack

The Zariba & the village...

Sneaky Dervish Shooters

War cry of  the Dervish....

Dervish attack from the East

In range of the Gatling....

Amy shifts the Gardiner Gun....

Speed is the key before those bullets count...

The shooters move towards the Gardiner Gun

In full swing now..

Oh NO! The British Gatling Gun is a gonner...

The Dervishes are swarming the Zariba.

The Navy boys are spot on.

The Navy boys move across, only to be wiped out...

British Firepower...

The Gardiner is warming up...

Poor PiPs for the Dervish & they are left standing still..

More British Firepower...

Turn 6 - The Dervish are moving again...

Amy just keeps knocking them back...

The Mountain Gun is destroyed!

Amy's hooping out loud!

Come on the Dervish Camels...

HA! The Gardiner Gun comes up short...

Casualties are heavy for both sides...

'Hero' Captain Durrance is daydreaming. 

Still knocking them Dervishes dead...

Amy's Highlanders are doing the biz.....

Dervish Camel power...!

Oh... The Dervish are slowly turning it around...

Battle overview..  Could the Dervish take the Zariba?

The Egyptians have done well.

Still knocking 'em back, but the Dervish have broke through the Zariba on the other side.

Amy's howling... Come on, can I make this one count..?

The troops bite the dust & Durrance pegs it.

Overkill.....

I'm running out of Dervish foot troops....

Ha! Haa! HA!!

Carry on Up the Khyber moment... Amy's in stitches!

It's been a bloodbath...

Cue the bagpipes....

1 Dervish Infantry left..... I've had enough.  Game over the Brits take the day... 

What a bloodbath!  Amy's victorious & the British Flag flies over Hasheen.  Where did it go wrong for the Dervish?  Probably turns 3 - 5, PiPs were awful & the entire Dervish Army just seemed to stand there & be shot to bits!  SPEED SPEED SPEED, to win with the Natives you need to go hand to hand...  Great game again.

oh shut up...

5 comments:

Robert (Bob) Cordery said...

Yet another of your inspiring battles!

I have a large collection of Sudan Campaign figures, and they have featured on my blog a couple of times in the past. This battle has made me wonder if I should fight a few battles with them again soon!

Some years ago I wrote my own DBA/HOTT-based rules for the colonial period (Hordes of Dervishes), and although I do not use them now, they produced some interesting battles like yours.

All the best,

Bob

kingsleypark said...

Fine demonstration of British Pluck and fortitude with the admirable help of their Colonial manservants (and I'm not talking about what the Highanders had under their kilts!)

MrF said...

Cheers fellas, Amy did enjoy this one. It was very finely balanced, but with the right result in the end.

all the best
MrF

Chris said...

Is anyone else perplexed as to why Faversham ran back to Ethne at the end of the story? Just when he needed her understanding and support the most, she instead handed him the fourth feather. So off he went, performed his incredibly heroic feats, and returned the feathers, including hers (depending on which version you watch)? For god's sake why?! I can't help but think I would have given her her feather and suggested what she could do with it, but then I'm an irascible old codger.

Best regards,

Chris

MrF said...

Ha.. Ha.. It's amazing what blokes do for posh totty...