That leaves 13,999 more...

Yup, 2014 will be the year of the Zulu.

Using the spiffy little set of Married Zulus from HaT I'm starting the whole rolling with this quick 'test-shot' paint.

Here's a chap from the umHlanga ibutho.

The trick as I see it is to produce a paint formula that's quick (you will be painting many Zulus in any case) and dramatic.
Thankfully each Zulu ibutho has those nifty coloured-coded shields which is a gamers gift. 

 I'm pretty happy with all but the shield and will try to rework it for more speed and drama.

As per GASLIGHT which these will be used in I'm grouping them in 10 figure units with an accompanying hero/leader. The HaT set has some very useful multi-hand figures. You can give them an iklwa or an iwisa. So under my quite non-historical regime, the leader is distinguished by the knobkerrie (iwisa) and the rankers get the dread assegai or iklwa.

Zulu Nerd Pro-Tip: Use iklwa and not assegai in your gaming and modelling parlance. It's a bitching onomatopoeia. The sound made by withdrawing the spear from the body of your enemy. Yeah baby. Usuthu!

More pics soon!

-TV


Drinking: Mango Juice.
Listening to: My old Juluka LPs 

STEAMSHIP TROOPERS!:GASLIGHT at FallCon 26

Hey true believers! I'm back.
Had a few 'wilderness months' this summer weaving in and out of jobs (last report: out), doing exciting 1:1 scale building projects and generally being a multipurpose jack-of-all-stuff.

So less about me, here's a report and pics from last weekend's GASLIGHT game at FallCon 26 here in Calgary.

The game was titled STEAMSHIP TROOPERS. Do you want to know more? Then keep reading, otherwise the Bugs win.

Scenario design started at ambitious, moved to merely creative as the days drew closer and pretty much hit F*CKIT when I got smeared with a raunchy cold a few days before.

So for a fast and dirty 8 player (upped to 9 on account of computer glitches) I described an island recently discovered in the Indian Ocean. Filled with ruins of ancient civilizations (ain't they all?) the island was rich with Glowitanium a miraculous mineral of astounding properties. However...a race of aggressive Arachnids guard the blue material with their large chompy mandibles and multiplicities of fiendishly faceted eyes.

The Island, with the objective Glowitanium source in the centre.

'He he he..just you wait...'

Marco says: 'bring it'

This picture (right) we see Mike J in the centre pulling out his wonderfully painted Fez'd Camel Patrol. Don(l), Mark and Marco (r) look on. 








More players assemble. Left to right: Mark, Marco, Terry, Sean and Rob. Not pictured is Glen and Chen-Song but I think we get to see him later.

OOB was thus:
Mike J: His Fez'd Camel Patrol supported by a Gatling Gun.

Don: Renegade Legionnaires with the Black Guard as auxilaries.

Mark: Capitano Spumanti and the Italian Steam-Tank Contessa.

Marco: Pasha Spice and the Pirates of De-Nile and their big cannon.

Terry: Once again claimed McCracken's Camel Corp and deadly Lal Singh as his force.

Sean: New to the game he fielded the 23rd Cuminpore Rifles and the redoubtable Daffadar Stampy the Fighting Elephant.

Rob: Could we imagine him with somebody other than the Landing Party of the HMS Callipygia? Nope. And that's who he took.

Glen: Would field Maj Bampott and his fighting Highlanders. Supported by a Highland crewed mountain gun. Also new to the game.  

Chen-Song: Led Prince Haille Unlikely and his Beja horde of camels and tribesmen to glory. I think it was a first GASLIGHT time for him as well.

Liam the Real Teenage Visigoth: Not a player but monster-runner and card flipper extraordinary. Allowed me to float about the table (literally, I was on cold medication for the odd time in my life)and help adjudicate encounters and melees.

Family Teenage Visigoth confer prior to game.

Objectives were straight forward. Gather as much Glowitanium as possible by moving your hero in contact to a blue gem and rolling a save. Destroy the spiders and be the first to claim the volcanic source of the Glowitanium.

I really don't remember the sequences and what happened in what order, so I'll dispense with sequence and causality and just tell the cool stuff. Such is the fraught adventures of reffing a game whilst strung out on cold meds.

Camel Corp and Sikhs join forces, advance.

Daffadar Stampy vs The Arachnid Menace. Lal Singh moves to support.

The game was set up with no 'sides', it was a free for all. Like a Victorian 'It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World' with Gatling guns and giant spiders. Such was the power of the Glowitanium! The promise of it's power led all present to disregard their allegiances and loyalties. In order to keep PvP action to fair and controlled minimum carnage, I allowed players to make partnerships with each other. These partnerships could be broken (and they were..) at the cost of the cad paying over half of his obtained Glowitanium.

The trick was, each time Glowitanium was obtained it disrupted the order of things on the Mysterious Island and so potentially spawned a spider.

Mike's Camels deploy very textbook like.

More Camel parades.

Pasha Spice duels with the spawn of Shaitan, which went on all game.

The spiders had two hits, one attack at 11 and a save of 14. A little too over-powered, maybe, but I wanted to have creatures tough and menacing. Monster movie baddies rather than bugly cannon fodder. They proved tough adversaries, killing one hero and chomping up more than their share of extras.

After some glowy globs were obtained and some spiders dispatched (one hit with the Highlander's cannon! SPLAT!) partnerships and alliances grew tenuous as players watched each others success and position. Suspicion and fear took hold and dark betrayal grew in the breast of once stalwart allies...

Italian steam tank lurches into the Spice Pirate's line of fire.

Here we see two such instances. (Top) The Italian steam-tank Contessa made a quixotic left run in front of the Spice Pirate's Big Damn Gun. Marco was faced with the choice to keep faith or betray Mark with a choice shot. Marco being Marco took the shot. Alas for him, it missed. Incensed, Mark brought the steel behemoth about and over-ran the offending gun, scattering the crew. While his hero, the dastardly Pasha Spice fought for his life against the eight-legged freak of death, Marco ordered his scallywags of the Nile to swarm the steam-tank. They actually scored a hit. They actually scored a hit that made the crew bail from the smoked filled mechanical monstrosity. Which was pure delight to Marco as his pirates massacred the helpless tankers.

Treachery! Prince Unlikely's Beja over-run the Highlander's gun. 

Chen-song too turned traitor and blind-sided the Highlanders. His camelry(above) slammed into the unsuspecting gunners, slicing them to tiny bits. 
The Highlander foot rallied and delivered a punishing fusillade to the camels, shredding their dromedary ranks. After they repulsed the camels a fresh wave of Beja warriors smashed into the Scots, resulting in a Pyrrhic slug match.

Beja camels are paid in full for treachery.

Maj Bampott and Prince Haille Unlikely duel to the death.

The Shore Party holds the line.

Elsewhere, Sean's Sikhs made a slow steady advance. Rob's Swabbies where locked in a fight with a couple of truculent spiders, which cost the valiant Cmdr Crankshafte-Whirlingate his life. The shore party rallied, finally killing the spiders. Devious Terry took this opportunity to bushwhack Rob with a rapid camel charge. Not totally successful, Terry was strung out with neither Rob's Gardiner gun or shore party neutralized. Sean kept his word to Rob and his Sikhs blasted the tricksy Camels. Terry was reduced to lurking about the board with his hero, snapping the odd bit of glowy stuff.Shockingly, Terry's 'special' hero Lal Singh was knocked out of action. Now, Lal Singh never dies, he just comes back next game, tougher and deadlier than ever.

Rob fared better than Terry, his survivors rallied and with the support of the Sikhs moved to secure the Glowitanium Volcano.

Across the other side of the board, Don and his Legion was engaged with a surplus of spiders. Combined with his customary caution, this kept Don and his units at the fringe of the game. Contrastingly, Mike's fezzed patrol was collecting Glowitanium and dispatching bugs with solid efficiency. So it seems only fair (it was random!) that the biggest of bads, Shai-Hulud himself should appear. Erupting amidst the ranks of Mike's forces the mighty sandworm promptly chomped a camel and rider. However, the Fez Patrol were sanguine about this. Hauling around the Gatling and surrounding the worm with rifles they dealt a punishing blast to the worm and dropped it cold.

'When Sandworms Attack, next on Fox'.

1,2,3 and Shai Hulud was out of there.

That's was pretty much where we left the game.

Mark and Marco had eliminated each other. Similar situation on the other side where Chen-song and Glen had shredded each others ranks, with only the redoubtable Maj Bampott (himself dispatching Prince Unlikely in an epic hand to hand duel)and a few loyal Scots remaining on the field.
Terry as stated was pretty much knocked out, though never to be underestimated. Rob's survivors clung to their hard won purchase of the Glowitanium volcano, testament to Rob's continued morale roll successes.  

Mike J, Don and Sean all controlled substantial, intact forces. Don was too far from the action to grab vital ground anytime soon. Mike was spurred on by his worm killin' to make a grab for the volcano. However Sean held true to his word a second time and came to the rescue of the shore party. The Sikh's musketry sapped the martial ardor of Mike's fezzed legions.

Quick, jerky movie of the table at the game's end.  

Mike J celebrates his win.

I'm keeping the hat.

In the end, Rob won the Objective and Mike won on points. I tipped the win to Mike for his surprising kill record on spiders and giant sand worms. I awarded Sean my 'Audacious n00b' prize for being gallant and effective against treachery. Glen won his Maj Bampott figure for a series of epic heroics. Everyone left happy and laughing. Which is why we do this. A great bunch of guys and some silly and stirring stories.

Sorry if the narrative is a little disjunctive, my brain was firing like a rusty lawnmower that day.

See Terry's nifty blog for more pix. I reposted a few here to make up for my customarily dodgy pictures. Thanks Terry!

Mentioned in Dispatches: The game was a great buzz (no, not just the cold medicine...) and demonstrated the resilience of the GASLIGHT game in the face of sketchy scenario design.
Yeah, the spideys were over-powered. I think I'd up their attack to 12 and drop their save to 12 as well. Love the Reaper bones series. Hope Reaper continues to make bugs and other gigantic freaks.
The sand worm was just unlucky.
Next time I think we invade Australia... 

MAYDAY 2013: Death in the Dust.

DEATH IN THE DUST: 

GASLIGHT AT MAYDAY 2013

Highlanders clash with Beja.

Battle reports and thrilling pictures for the discerning wargamer.

I was invited to Edmonton's MAYDAY convention to run a G.A.S.L.I.G.H.T. game. Me and the New Teenage Visigoth headed up on the 300km odyssey. My Mighty Jeep was in the shop, so I borrowed my Mom and Dad's ancient Jimmy, complete with a 'Let me tell you about my Grandkids' bumper sticker. That's how we roll.

Initially I decided to run a four-person game but popular demand dictated an increase to 6. That was a nice feeling. But it soon evaporated when I realized all the painting I had to do to incorporate those extra two players. All praise The Dip.

Meanwhile, after inventing and discarding several ideas for the scenarios, I rehashed the demo I used at the Sentry Box. I sexed it up a bit, added more impassible terrain and encounters, but it was essentially the same thing. An Alliance of European sorts launch a punitive expedition to crush the Slavers and Spice Pirates who are held out in a secret fortress deep in the forbidding Sudanese desert. The Pirate Leader, rich from the illicit seasoning trade is known as Pasha Spice.

All six players showed up for the game.(Yeah!) I put them on one side of the map as allies, Liam the New Pre-Teen Visigoth worked as my sub-general and monster-runner.

Each player got a Hero, a squad of troops and a 'special'. Except for Marco. He forgot the Bersaglieri he had painted just for this game in Calgary. Alas, so all he got was a steamtank, which he made good use of.  

After a short discussion, the players deployed their forces.

On the right flank, Kenneth and his Scots Highlanders (supported by a Gatling gun) joined forces with Capitan Marco and his Simonelli MkIII Steamtank. The Scots have a piper in their midst and as such receive a morale bonus so long as he plays.

The Scots Gatling crew familiarizes them selves with their equipment, whilst the officer attempts to memorize his activation cards.

Scots mill about in confusion, dancing to bagpipe squawk.

Terry would command the Camel Corp on the left flank. His orders I believe were to rush ahead and secure the flank.

Lal Singh accompanies the Camel Corp to glory.

The Camel Corp is my favourite unit (full disclosure) of the game. The Hero is inevitably slain heroically. I penalize the shoot score of the Camel Troops by 50% when mounted. The Camel Corp can dismount up to six riders at a time. The special is 'Lal Singh, Veteran Guide'. Lal is classed as a Hero as well and has quite exceptional skills and stats.

Holding the line next to the Camel Corp was the Prince on Methi's Own 11th Light Infantry aka 'The Blue Sikhs' on account of their natty blue turbans and puttees. Their special was a redcoat-crewed Gatling. Don took command of this the most 'vanilla' of the units involved. Sometimes we wargamers know 'vanilla' is good and gets the job done when those 'triple-fudge-orange-pepperment with sprinkles' type units have failed or run away.

Sikhs and Gatling gun prepare to assault.

Todd took command of the valiant naval party from the HMS Callypigia (I like that name, I cannot deny) and deployed them in the centre.  They're long serving veterans in dealing with hostile locals and prehistoric weirdness. I stat them a little different than the infantry by giving them a better score (9) in scuffle and less in shooting (7) on account of the surly cutlass wielding ways. Their special is the funky Gardiner Gun. Which is pretty much identical in stats to the Gatling. I think next time I'll have the Gat's break-down if a 20 is rolled (remember in G.A.S.L.I.G.H.T. lower is better for fighting and morale) but the mighty Gardiner is more reliable and not prone to this vice.  

Naval Brigade take up positions.

Also occupying the centre was the second Sikh unit, the 23rd Cuminpore Rifles.  Whimsically, their special is Dafadar Stampy the regimental elephant. Stated with two attacks and two hits and a reasonable save, he is a valiant pachyderm. Mark took these guys under his wing and renamed Stampy 'Larry' for sentimental reasons all his own. Along with the naval party, these guys were tasked the slow and steady job of pinning the centre and advancing to optimal firing positions.

The opposition were assorted smugglers, pirates, slavers, bandits and rogue real estate agents. Their centre was secured by the Fortress of Wadi Dafuq and the Gun.

'Enemy in sight. Make haste with the cannon ball Aziz!'

Hordes of Slavers and Pirates emerge.

I grouped the various bandits into 'shooty', 'stabby' or 'mixed' units. Each unit had a reasonably coherent colour scheme so Liam or I could clearly decide to 'send the orange guys to close' or 'stand off and shoot with the red guys'. I had intentions of giving them fanciful names and affiliations (and may still do so) but instead referred to them during the game as 'Team Orange' and 'Red Squad'.
Let's face it, in Con games detail is lovely for the first 5 minutes, but after that it gets drowned out by the gnashing of teeth of self loathing Warhammer players.

My strategy was simple. Blast away with the cannon and disorganize their units. Soak up their martial zest with my endless cannon fodder and then let them bash themselves to pieces on the rock that is the

IMPREGNABLE FORTRESS OF WADI DAFUQ  

'Simple is good': Teenage Visigoth's Rule of Happy Wargaming #56

The game started on time and the assault began.  Impetuous Terry led the Camel Corp in a head long charge.First speed bump was the dread 'Black Guard' a crew of shield and scimitar badasses from the old ESCI set of Muslim Warriors. Terry dismounted his guys and leveled a crippling barrage at the black-clad fanatics (I had given them a 10 scuffle for all the good it did) and then proceeded to plow his Camelry into the disorganized survivors,scattering them.

The epic charge begins!

Beja Camelry move to intercept the Camel Corp.

Hah! As my opponent on that addictive little Civilization game on the Nintendo DS would say, 'I had no use for those guys'... However, to be sure Liam swung the mounted Beja camelry from behind the fortress and send them head long into the path of Terry's Camel onslaught.

The centre advanced slowly. Don seemed to have DBA on the brain and was trying different geometric marching orders for his Blue Sikhs. This slowed him down a bit. As the quick, easy G.A.S.L.I.G.H.T. way of doing things became apparent he was able to move up and secure a decent firing position for the Gatling and make contact with the OBELISK OF DREAD. Will speak of this eldritch abomination from the ancient world later...

Todd too moved cautiously, doing his best to achieve an optimal firing position for his Gardiner gun. His first positions were at long range and produced little effect. When he moved it up to a more effective range the Gardiner began to produce results shooting up the tower garrison and the surrounding units. That put him directly in the sites of the Slaver's gun as well. It exacted a grim toll and disordered the naval party for most of the game. It kept his Hero busy too, running about rounding up the scattered Jack Tars.

On the right flank the steamtank 'Contessa' prowled about with the Highlanders supporting but keeping a respectful distance.
Note to GM's: That bit in the catastrophic results table regarding a 'fireball' roasting everything around tends to make the ground- pounders angsty about supporting too close.

Jocks support the Italian Steamtank 'Contessa'.

SUDDENLY! The Contessa veered off and plowed into the Forbidden Oasis.  At the same time Price Haile Unlikely and his Beja badasses broke cover and charged the surprised Jocks.

On the right flank, the Highlanders face down the Beja.

The clinch, who will break first?

This produced a most picturesque and deadly battle. The volley the Highlanders let out before contact was not as effective as they might have hoped and the Beja made contact as an intact horde. In three turns of grim close order fighting the Beja had been decimated. The Scots were in little better shape, retaining their Hero and three troopers. The moral supporting piper went down in mournful SQWUEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeee.... after being cleaved by a Beja broadsword. 

Meanwhile the Il Contessa had chugged into the Forbidden Oasis. Yes, I told everybody playing, 'THIS IS THE FORBIDDEN OASIS, HERE, WITH THE PALM TREES... IT IS THE FORBIDDEN OASIS'. I really should not have been too shocked that Marco was the first to violate its 'forbidden-ness'.

So enter Agent Growf (as Liam calls him) a spiffy Carnosaur of some sort from the Reaper 'I'm too damn lazy to paint my own lousy miniatures' line. So, out of the Forbidden Oasis, out pops a great bloody dinosaur which proceeds to fight a Steamtank.

(Deep satisfied sigh)

It is moments like this we game for, is it not?

So the dino and tank proceed to rumble. And doing so poorly. Lousy rolls all around. One would think they are not that into it. But as the biggest and baddest on the map they feel the societal pressure to fight like Grade 8 bullies behind the bike racks...

'I think I know why it is called The Forbidden Oasis'.

So, to and fro these behemoths tussle. Scientific Engineering versus Pre-History Resurgent! This goes on for some time...not many hits and all saves made. Marco had one minor damage roll to make, but the drama was brief.

But lo, a hero arrives. A drunken Scotsman! Indeed, Kenneth's Highlander hero wandered over into the fray after his Pyrrhic victory over the Beja. As I had to comply with strictures of the Office of Victorian Stereotypes, the Scots hero had the 'drunk' attribute. Simply put, half the time he's awesome, the other half pretty useless. So our Caledonian sot wanders over to the churning oasis and proceeds to empty his revolver into the preoccupied prehistoric beastie. Confused, the carnosaur switches targets and attempts to chomp the wee Scots morsel. This allows the tank crew a chance to rally and they blaze away at the critter. Steam fried crispy dino would be served.

Dinosaur! Steamtank! Drunk Scotsman!...FIGHT!

At this point the battle enters the hottest phase, and from the lack of photos you can guess I was busy...

Right flank: After defeating the dinosaur, Our Scottish winebag gathers up the remnants of his troops, Larry the elephant and the Steamtank and advances to take out the Slaver's gun. They run smack dab into the a guard unit of fanatical dervishes. The elephant makes short work of them. See some excellent pics over at Mark's top blog.

Photo Credit: Mark Wall

Centre: Fierce artillery fire and repeated charges by enemy hordes have halted the advance of the Red Sikhs and the Naval Party. Both units have taken serious casualties repulsing their foes. They hold the line, but are disordered. Most importantly, the Gardiner gun is in action and repeatedly shooting up the fortress garrison and picking off the gun crew.

Left Flank: The Beja Camelry has slammed into the Camel Corp resulting in a deadly melee. Lal Singh distinguishes himself (again) but finds he's in command of a shattered, leaderless unit when the smoke clears. Here's a pic from Terry's spiffing blog. 

Photo Credit: Terry Silverthorn.

Lal had precious little time to reorganize his troops when they were hit again by another horde. Don knew the precarious situation the Camel Corp found itself in and was tempted to move to support. However his redcoat Gatling and the Blue Sikhs had found an excellent firing position and were raking the Slaver's troops (attacking the Red Sikhs and Naval Troops holding the centre) with deadly enfilading fire.
When the last enemy unit broke, Don hurried his troops to succor Lal and the survivors of the Camel Corp, leaving his Gatling in place to cover their advance. In their haste the Blue Sikhs violated the perimiter of the OBELISK OF DREAD and awakened the horrid guardian within...

Elder Gods send a freakish spider...

Keen eyed observers will note the wee Cthulhu statue on the obelisk. Is there anyone out there that DOES NOT KNOW that Cthulhu (and other assorted Lovercraftianisms) is gamer code for crazy shit is about to go down?
Yes and apparently that guy is Don. He casually ignores the graven image of the Sleeping One. So a hideous creature emerges and ambushes the valiant Sikhs from behind. However, the officer is nonplussed. He draws his revolver and proceeds to drop the creature with two well placed shots.
I have to say I was a little crushed... after my dinosaur proved to be a Nerf toy with a glass jaw, I had hoped my desert spider wold be a little more deadly.
After this act of pest control, the 11th Light Infantry advanced and routed the remnants of Slaver's units in the left flank. But alas, too late to save Lal Singh. He had died a hero's death, surrounded by heaps of the dead.

Endgame: After the collapse of the last Slaver's unit on the left flank the end came quickly for Pasha Spice and his forces of nefariousness.

Marco drove the steamtank up to the tower and opened fire. This forced many morale roles. Most of which failed.

Dafadar Stampy aka Larry the elephant has squished the foot guards into paste before succumbing to his injuries.

Our drunk Scots hero routed the already nervous gun crew and dispatches the enemy commander Pasha Spice in hand to hand fighting. The Gardiner despite taking hits, continued to shred the enemy.  

As we see in this picture, the Blue Sikhs, the last tangible allied unit advance on the tower. The tower garrison is a quite a little bit thinner and the last unit on the field was composed of a only a drummer and rifleman who both resolutely passed all morale tests.

Endgame!

At that point we called the game. The tower guards threw down their guns. The surviving members of the Allied force looked around a little stunned, but were pleased to be holding the field.

Don is chuffed to have the last
tangible unit on the board.

Capitan Marco: Have Steamtank, will fight Carnosaurs.

Only one command on the Allied side was completely decimated, the Camel Corp. The rest had their Hero and some troops intact. I believe the Scot's Gatling was blown away by a direct cannon hit and the Gardiner down to 50%.
We all agreed in classic hockey fashion that the Three Stars of the game were:
1. Lal Singh
2. The Drunken Scot
3. The Gardiner Gun

All three dished out more than they took and profoundly affected the outcome of the game.

Mentioned in Dispatches:

I count the game as a ripping success. Importantly all six players quite enjoyed themselves and would play again.

What would I do different? Re-stat the monsters. I gave each of them spider and carnosaur only two hits as opposed to three. They were pretty weak in this game. But previous games I've played with Liam the three hit monsters were a little too deadly. I wanted an temporary obstacle and not a full fight so maybe they worked OK.
Next game I run is going to be a full-on dino hunt, so there will be room to figure out what works best.

I must give a deep thanks to Terry, his wife and birds for giving Liam and I a place to stay over. Could not have done it without you.

GASLIGHT: The Battle of Wadi-Dahel.

Forward to Glory!

The Battle of Wadi-Dahel was fought last Saturday at the Sentry Box here in Calgary. The first time in about 10 years I played G.A.S.L.I.G.H.T. outside the basement. 'The magic always happens outside your comfort zone' my guru says. Please have a read. This AAR will be a texty one so crack a cold one, pop a cork or put the kettle on.

My earnest apologies for the photos, my camera was decidedly not into it that day. So in the usual Teenage Visigoth fashion, I've crudded up the crucial but lousy pix with effects and old timey stuff.   Don't send me emails asking for nicer clearer pix with more detailed and clearer pictures. There are none. Next time I'll use my iPhone.

Forces of the Empire tasked with eliminating the Dread Pirates of De-Nile assaulted the various Reavers, Slavers and Rogue Spice Merchants assembled around their stronghold fortress at Wadi-Dahel, a days march from the much less hospitable Wadi-Dafuq.

The Slaver's gun, secure in a modern redoubt.

Commanding the Polyglot Forces of the Empire were Rob, Neil, Mike and the Other Teenage Visigoth (yes, the former pre-Teen Visigoth has leveled up) Liam. I ran the Home Team.  Rob, ascot wearer that he is commanded the Brave Officers and Jolly Jacks of the HMS Callipygia a well equipped force sporting a Gardner Gun and possibly the finest light operetta company in the Red Sea Fleet.
Always up for good challenge and better disaster, Mike led the Camel Corps into their moment of brief glory. Neil, lover of ground-pounders took the brave 23rd Cuminpore Rifles and bold Jemadar Garam Singh, now supported by Dafadar Stampy the Regimental Elephant and Mascot.  Liam as Major Grey led the Prince of Methi's Own 11th Light Infantry supported by a deadly but unwieldy Gatling Gun.

Our brave lads stuck the Camelry on the right flank and the Shore Party on the left. The two Sikh units and their support were given the task of assaulting the centre.
 

Dafadar Stampy leads the 23rd and the men of HMS Callipygia against the Beja.

Strung across a series of Ancient Ruins and well constructed redoubts the slavers and pirates awaited the Wrath of a Very Displeased Empire.
 

The Fortress at Wadi-Dahel. Well garrisoned by riflemen.

The Slaver's line; Pirates, Madhists and Beja. Oh my.

 Facing the Camel Corp, Pasha Spice the Rogue Trader and his motley riff-raff lurked behind the Ancient Ruins ready ambush the over confident column. Next over, the cunning El-Halloum and his slightly better equipped pirates readied their rifles and sharpened their big curvy tulwars. Bold in the center, the elite of the desert raiders, fanatical guardsmen await the chance to dispatch the unfaithful.
Holding the other flank was Prince Haile Unlikely and his Beja badasses. Erstwhile ally of what ever side paid him the most, Haile Unlikely was a brave, deadly and undependable asset to the slavers.
Well ensconced in his fortress, Commander Lahad surveyed his positions and was pleased. Even if the filthy dogs wiped out the Beja (no loss) or crushed the pirates (pain in the ass really) they would break like waves against his fortress which was well secured with men armed with the latest Mauser rifles (he really must send a thank you note to Count Von Shneverdingen).  

23rd Cuminpore Rifles in skirmish line.

Pirates of De-Nile.

Our bold commanders sketched a simple but logical approach. The two Sikh units would move to engage the centre. The Naval Brigade would fire upon the Beja, pinning them. The Camelry would wait to exploit an opportunity.

Of course, it really didn't work out that way. Sensing a weakness in the Slaver's deployment, 'Black Jack' McCracken led the Camel Corp in a desperate charge. Despite the misgivings of Lal Singh the veteran guide, the Camelry caught the Pirates of De-Nile unprepared and plunged into their ranks.

Lal Singh, veteran guide, off to save the Empire one last time.

Camel Corp Advances. Cpt. Black Jack McCracken commanding.

Camel Corp smashes into the pirates. Decimating both forces.

As we see, the fighting was close and desperate. The Pirates of De-Nile being trapped between the Fortress and ruins had no choice but to fight. And fight they did, close up and dirty as they were used to. In short run, both forces were decimated. Only an NCO from the Camel Corp, Sgt Hawkeswell and the shifty Ali-Sin-Badly remained (see below) locked in mortal struggle.

Last men standing. Sgt Hawkeswell earns his VC.

On the other flank  (sorry no pics, bloody camera) the Naval Brigade advanced against the Beja moving slowly keeping pace with ungainly but deadly Gardiner Gun. Unwilling to remain penned up behind their ambush cover, the Beja erupted in a charge. Bravery and savagery overcame the battle plan. The Beja suffered some casualties from the rifles of the Naval Brigade, but held to their courage and closed ranks with the Jolly Jacks of the Callipygia.

Sword against Cutlass! 

Prayers and Chants against Gilbert and Sullivan! 

Prince Haile Unlikely swept through the ranks of the sailors beheading and disemboweling at will. 'Somebody shoot that bloody fellow!' bellowed Lt. Crankshafte Whrillingate, angered that the Beja prince had just relieved his star tenor of his head.
The crew of the Gardiner Gun wheeled their mechanical machine of multi-fire murder and gunned down the brave prince. (He made no less than 6 saves against the Gardiner Gun while he cut down swabbies). The survivors of the Callipygia reformed and held their position, but proved unwilling to re-engage into the fray. The bodies of the brave Beja littered the field. Like the other flank, mutual decimation.

The center erupts: Prince Methi's Own: 11th Light Infantry engage the Slavers in hand to hand.

The centre of the slavers army erupted catching the Prince of Methi's Own 11th Light Infantry in the process of forming up. The 11th was slowly escorting the mighty Gatling Gun which had been firing (quite ineffectually) on the tower guard and was closing range. The 11th scorned as a parade ground unit was initially shocked by the charge, but dug their heels in, remembered their pride and re-engaged the pirates with cold steel. In the end, the pirates broke and the 11th held their position, no longer parade ground pretty-boys, but cold eyed veterans who had stared death in the face.  The Gatling crew was sniped down one by one, but had shot up the guardsmen around the tower, driving the remainder into the tower proper. Surviving the wreck of the gun, Major Grey was forced to take cover behind the Crumbling Monoliths of Cultures Past.

A volley of vengeful fire from the tower repeatedly raked the formations of the 23rd Cuminpore rifles (the 11th being covered from their sight and spared the revenge), picking off their brave NCO and several troopers. Unable to respond in the open, the Sikh's nerve broke. Half charged the entrenched Slaver's Guardsmen and one brave fellow singlehandedly occupied the abandoned Beja positions.

Seeing this carnage emerge, Jemadar Garam Singh and Dafadar Stampy the Regimental Elephant and Mascot took brave action and the pair charged the enemy lines. They stormed the gun redoubt.     

Shabash Stampy! Shabash!

One man, one elephant storm the slaver's gun redoubt.

The gunners faced with an elephant charge and a six-gun wielding Sikh hero gamely held their ground, but in the end were quite unmatched. Dafadar Stampy, his dander up turned his fury on the surprised guards below the hill and plowed into them.  The guards were game and held against Stampy. The remnants of the 23rd and 11th threw themselves into the melee and pushed the fanatical Ansar guards back.
Hoping to help their brethren, the garrison of the fortress turned their guns and blazed away at the rampaging elephant. All shots missed. As Neil quipped, 'it's official they can't hit the broadside of an elephant!'. 
I think in contrast, these fanatical warriors were less inclined to perforate a pachyderm than hammer hostile heathen hordes.
Whether it was their soft heart or inept marksmanship, the futile fusillade cost the Slavers the battle. Wiped out on both sides and hotly engaged in the middle, the Slaver's garrison could only await the outcome.

As it was, the Forces of Empire were feeling stressed as well. The Camel Corp had ceased to exist and the Naval Brigade had decided to sit out the rest of the fight. Despite the elephantine assault on the redoubt, the remnants of the 11th Light Infantry and the 23rd Rifles were slowly spending their strength against fanatical Ansars who would die rather than run.

But lo....was that hero in the distance? What Champion of Empire advanced, heedless against heathen hosts? 'Twas Sgt Hawkswell. Last Survivor of the Camel Corp. Bloodied but unbowed, with the tattered Colours wrapped about his waist wielding only his blood crusted sword-bayonet like a second Richard Coeur de Lion broke upon enemy hosts. He threw down their leader and proceeded to mow through their ranks, heartening the stalwart Sikhs whose valour had been sorely tested. He had at last driven off the crafty Ali-Sin-Badly and hearing the clarion call of valour, proceeded to where the action was the thickest.

Looking down from the redoubt on the hurly-burly below him, Jemadar Garam Singh knew that desperate action must be taken lest the Slavers sortie from their fort and disperse his exhausted comrades. Summoning his few remaining followers he re-manned the cannon. Hauling the gun about they trained their sights on the Fortress of Wadi-Dahel. Their shot crashed against the stout stone-work of the fortress. While not harming any of the garrison, it startled the smug slavers. Confidence gave way to unease, as their own weapons were turned against them.

Between tower and redoubt, the fanatical Ansar guards had finally broke to the combined assault of the 23rd Rifles and the 11th Light Infantry, aided and rallied by the 11th hour arrival of Sgt Hawkeswell. Freed of foemen, Dafadar Stampy commenced a one-elephant assault on the fortress of Wadi-Dahel. He charged up the banks and despite the obstacles made a very squishy mess of a rifleman.

Being isolated, shelled by their own guns and now an attack by a fearsome elephant was too much for the fortress garrison. Their morale shattered and they fled the tower, casting down their arms to better speed their escape.   

Onward to Glory! The elephant charge that broke the enemy's will. One guy is going to die, guess who.

Commander Lahad, seeing his last chance for victory blow away like dust in the summer winds cursed his evil fortune. But unwilling to die like a hero, he too skulked into the ever-twisting canyons of Wadi-Dahel.

Mentioned in Dispatches

Nothing goes to plan. Whether players or referee. But there you have it, a series of misadventures winding up as a Grand Epic of Adventure in Foreign Climes. 
As with pretty much every G.A.S.L.I.G.H.T. game I've played, decisive action by Main Characters will swing the battle. We may mourn Veteran Guide Lal Singh and Black Jack McCracken, but their sacrifice destabilized the Slaver's lines and embiggened the other players to take the Action of the Tiger. Inasmuch the gallant actions of Prince Haile Unlikely stymied the Empire's Best.

I'm going to run the same-ish gig at Mayday in Edmonton. Which to my encouragement, I learn my event is fully booked. This time; steamtanks and dinosaurs! I might even regenerate this for a FallCon event.

We had, betwixt bloodshed a fun commentary and discussion of the ideology of 'colonial gaming'. I was interested to note that some gamers who would at the drop of a hat design, paint and game the current misplaced adventurism in Iraq felt uncomfortable riding the steampunk Tardis back to a mostly imaginary clash between European Imperialists and Ethically Challenged Religious Zealots. 
This is interesting. I have never encountered that attitude before.

I will write more about this in the future once I calibrate my thoughts. 

Thanks for reading,

-TV

Listening To: Helen Merrill- Phoooowarg... 
Drinkin': Oriveto Classico...sweetish for Italian white and my taste, but tasty and in quantity today.