All three games pitted Terrible Turks against Dastardly Huns arguing over who had the right to oppress the local population. As we had two new players the first game was a straight up "Kill 'em All" game, them we played "Get Off My Land" and "Run To The Hills" scenarios from the book.
The Turks:
3 units Line Infantry (Regular Inf)
2 units Militia (Irregular Inf - Unenthusiastic)
The Germans:
1 unit Colonial Inf (Regular Inf - Veteran)
1 unit Askari (Irregular Inf - Veteran)
1 unit Settler Volunteers (Irregular Inf - Veteran & Well Armed)
1 unit native allies (Tribal Inf - Elite & Fierce)
Game One
A walk-over for the Turks. The German plan was to advance the 3 shooting units in the centre to engage the Turks whilst the natives moved through the jungle to get on the Turks flanks and attack. Due to really bad leadership rolls the Colonial infantry advanced on their own to get shot down by three Turkish units. The Askari arrived just in time to see the last colonial infantryman fall, before being caught in a crossfire themselves. Their sacrifice allowed the natives to charge a militia unit, which they wiped out, but were again cut down by massed musketry. The Settlers never got close enough to get a shot off before we called it a day.
Game Two
The Germans had better leadership this game and defended on a wide front, trying to cover as many of the objectives as possible. On one flank a line unit successfully held off the natives and scouted the first objective, but elsewhere the Turks got bogged down in firefights. An attempt by a militia unit to scout an objective in the face of the Askari lost 1 man then routed on a double 1! The Turkish firing was extremely unlucky, frequently scoring no kills with 3 units firing! Firing at long range at troops in cover is tough. Slowly the Turks were whittled away by superior shooting. By the end of the game all 5 Turkish units were destroyed for 3 objectives scouted and the destruction of the Native unit, give a 16:10 win for the Germans.
Game Three
The Turks were attempting to escape in this game. The Germans threw the Natives and Askaris forward to engage them, keeping the European troops further back on either flank. There was a bit of initial maneuvering as the Natives tried to get in a position to charge without being fired at by multiple Turkish units. When they finally managed this the Turkish unit elected to form Close Order rather than firing. This meant they faced the Native charge on equal terms and drew the melee, each losing 3 men, forcing the Natives back. The Turkish crossfire cut the Natives down over the next couple of turns. The Askari had been moving up in support of the Natives, but now pulled back rather than risk being caught in the open by 3 units of Turks. In the meantime some lucky shooting had pinned the Settlers. Failing a Rally test for 4 successive turns open a gap which the Turks exploited, moving all their troops up that side of the table On The Double. The Askari managed to cut off the half strength unit but with 4 Turkish units off-table or within a move of the table edge we called it a Turkish victory.
3 games in an evening with 2 newbie players ran smoothly with everyone having great fun. These are an excellent set of rules and very flexible. Since introducing these rules at the club almost everyone who has played them has gone out and bought a copy. We already have armies being planned for the Sudan, French Foreign Legion, Boxer Rebellion and Italians in Ethiopia.
Good looking games Sun Jester with a nice variety of figures!
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting I have the rules but yet to try them!
Oh are those Pirates of the Caribbean card game markers I see?
Thanks! Yes they are the coins from the POTC collectible game, they are so useful, I've used them far more for other games than I ever did with the original game.
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