We're off to South Africa now & the Battle of Laings Nek 1881. No sooner has our intrepid British forces dealt with the Zulu, then the nasty Boers are raising a stink. General Colley raises a force of heroic troops & sets off to give the Boers a sound thrashing.
DBC rules, Amy took the Boers & yours truly the Brits. We gave the British a 16 point army & the Boers had a proportionate 12 point. Historically the Boers had a lot more men & gave the British a severe butt kicking.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Laing's_Nek
To add a bit of spice to the game, we decided that the Boers would remain hidden from view, a British unit would have to get within 400 paces & achieve a die roll to spot them. Amy had a battle map & eagerly marked her units down, including a sneak mounted Boer attack. All the Boer troops were 'Elite', costing extra but having an additional modifier. The mission, General Colley had to take the two hills across the Buffalo River. Army break point were, Boers 4 Brits 6.
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| Soldiers of the Queen |
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| Somewhere out there hide the Boers... |
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| Overview of the Battlefield. |
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| Skirmishers & Light Cavalry to the front! |
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| The mounted Coppers go scouting... |
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| Colley leads the chaps forward. |
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| Ouch! The Brits get a shock... |
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| Soon the Boers open up... |
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| Vicious firepower from Amys troops.. |
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| Aarrghh! |
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| Bullets fly.... |
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| The main body forces the river, this is going to be a tough fight... |
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| Casualties begin to mount, notice the markers. |
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| Bah.. Why did I put the Artillery at the back of the column..? D'oh! |
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| Forward! |
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| An impressive sight, Victorian British Troops advancing! |
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| Who could get the most troops in position? |
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| Recoil Recoil Recoil |
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| At last a Boer casualty! |
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| Bah! |
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| Forward! |
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| Amy's reserves return from a flank attack to block the road. |
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| British Troops are formed to take the hill. |
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| Both sides have taken casualties. |
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| The first attempt is forced back... |
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| Ohhhh. I'm tempted to launch the Cavalry on the Boers, but I know they'll be shot to bits. |
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| Another attack is readied... |
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| Ha Ha! success at last... |
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| The Boers dismount. |
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| Rahoo! Amy's laughing another attack is repulsed... |
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| Come on lads, you can do it! |
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| Oh the fortunes of war! NO, it's just that I rolled 6's on the last round... |
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| A superb round of firepower... |
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| .....truly superb! |
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| The Brits take the day..! |
Well, well that was a tough one. I'm very impressed with the Boers, they have been the toughest colonial army by far. Not the historical outcome, but to be fair, if Amy had put more Boers on the hills & massed her firepower, I don't think I would of stood a chance. Those two mounted Boer units would of made a big difference if they could have been involved earlier. The points balance was just right, the DBC rules do seem to have caught the flavour of the period, well done to KISR. Future Boer Battles should be very interesting once we add some fortifications & Artillery.......
