Orccon 2010

Strategicon, Orccon 2010 is over. My scenario went over well, both Saturday & Sunday. Here are some of the Saturday photos....
The set-up for the Anglo-Egyptian Forces-The Cavalry (10th Hussars) were moved outside before play started (shown in the next photo). The Anglo-egyptian forces need only last till the end of Turn 9.....

Opening moves - The Cavalry is seen in the top of the photo set up outside the Zareba. One band of Fuzzy Wuzzys have come on the board near the Zareba and moved in, each band having a torch in order to set it on fire. Another band have come on (Mahdist appearance was random around the board).

All of the Mahdist forces are on the board. In the top of the photo the Hussars have charged the Dervish riflemen, taking 2 casualties in the process. The Zareba has been set on fire and is burning away (each section burns 3 turns and the fire is rolled for each turn to see how far the fire burn each turn).

As the Zareba burns, the British & Egyptian forces re-form into squares to defend themselves from the inevitable Dervish charges when the Zareba burns away. Being in a square gives them a bonus in close combat.

The Fuzzy's charge in the instant a section of the Zareba burns away. Who will the close combat?????

The British!!! But many brave soldiers are dead or wounded. And more Mahdist forces are waiting....

Another band of Fuzzy Wuzzy wait for their turn as the section of the Zareba in front of them burns...

Another band gets ready to charge in on the left of the photo-a close up of a Fuzzy band.

The Hussars charge a band of Fuzzy's that were going to charge against the British. The Fuzzy's failed their roll to stand against the charge and fall back. "RUN AWAY!!"

The Egyptians get ready for a Ansar band to charge them. Their Officer gets them to stand!

The last of the British infantry go toe-to-toe with a greatly reduced Fuzzy band. They will lose this fight and the survivors will rout away.

The band that fell back from the Hussar's is rallied by their Sheik and charges them! "DEATH TO THE BRITISH!!"

Victory to the Mahdists! The Sheik looks on as he has won against the Hussars. Much of his band had lost the fight but were not killed, however the Hussars have bravely died to a man! (The wounded were killed when the Fuzzy-Wuzzy reformed after winning the combat.)

The Ansar Swordsmen charge the Egyptians as time is running out (On the last turn of the game). If they win this fight the forces of the Mahdi will win the game!

The Ansar appear to have lost! However, the mounted Amir, the over all Commander of the Mahdists forces and a single sword man continue the fight in the hopes of winning, Allah willing!!

Alone, outnumbered, the Amir, Afridi Nadim, fights on, Against the Egyptian Officer and the last of the Egyptian soldiers. Victory or Death!!!! The British CinC, Captain Smyth Crumpington, was in the melee, but was not killed, just fell back (lost the combat). If he had been killed or wounded, the British would have had to make a Major Moral check.

The Egyptian Officer has fallen in combat, but so has the Amir! Thus the Egyptian have won the day!!!! (And the game)! They also saved the reputation of Captain Smyth Crumpington (losing a fight and running away looks bad).

The Sunday game was good as well. Not quite the down-to-the-wire the Saturday was (game was won on the last turn) but the Mahdist players called it at the beginning of Turn 9 (game would end at the end of Turn 9) as they just couldn't defeat the remaining British/Egyptain's before the end of the turn. Just picked up two players both days, my Co-GM, Mark playing as well. Everyone had fun and after the game, I asked what was right and what was wrong about the game. It was all good, no negatives, which is good after all the play testing I did.

I will post these photos and more from the Con on photobucket soon. I think I will just play at the March HMGS day at Aero Hobbies (March 7th) and get something up for April. I am also getting back into painting in order to clear my painting table of past half-finished projects and the ACW figures (15mm) I am painting for Dave for $$.

TTFN

Last Playtest of "The Zareba"

The 10th Hussars exit the zareba

The last playtest before the Con in February of the scenario, "The Zareba" took place at Aero Hobbies on Sunday, Jan. 24th. I am using "The Sword and the Flame" for rules. This is a night battle, with normal shooting at 8" or under. Over 8" all targets (except the torch bearers) are Class IV targets (worst possible chance to hit). This time the Hussar's started in the zareba and exited without mishap, as the unit activations went for the British, so they closed the zareba behind them (no Mahdist units generated near the opening.)

Band of Fuzzy Wuzzy's w/torches move toward the zareba to set it on fire

The Mahdists forces did try to move in to set fire to the zareba without being cut down by either the British or Egyptian forces inside. As rough terrain doesn't slow down the Fuzzy Wuzzy or Ansars, it makes it easy to move out of it toward a objective.

Ansar swordsmen hide in the scrub

Another Fuzzy Wuzzy band moves in w/torches

A band of riflemen w/ a mounted Emir in rocky terrain

This band stayed inside the rocky terrain most of the game, to avoid being targeted by the British and shot at them and shot back by them outside 8" range. As they were the only Madhist rifle armed, this made sense.

"CHARGE!!" Hussars attack a Fuzzy Wuzzy spear band

The Hussars charged a Fuzzy Wuzzy spear band, but were themselves charged by a Ansar swordsman band, which spelled their end.

Reaching the zareba with torches, soon it will be on fire

Once on fire, the zareba burns in both direction d6"/turn. Due to the strength of the flames, all figures must move 3" away. The smoke from the flames also makes it impossible to shot through in that direction (night + smoke makes for poor shooting).

A band of Ansar swordsmen has charged into the Hussars after they routed the FW band

VICTORY!! The Ansar win!

The Hussars took some losses in their melee with the spear band and had to leave their wounded as the Ansar swords charged them. The lost that melee (really bad rolling by the British player) and in the end the last 4 figures routed. However, there were not some many of them left to enjoy that victory.

The zareba burns!

As the zareba burned, the Egyptian infantry re-formed to await the fire burning out and give the Fuzzy Wuzzy's a lead present when they charge in.

Ansar swordsmen attack through the zareba, engaging the British

This was one of the two pivotal close combats that decided the game. The Ansar moved though the zareba (getting shot up) to engage the British Infantry. They lost this close combat and routed back out of the zareba.

After the zareba burned away, the FW's charged the Egyptians

This was the other pivotal fight. If either the Fuzzy's or the Ansar won, it could make life difficult for the Anglo-Egyptian forces inside the zareba.

The Egyptians win the melee & rout the FW band

Dreams of a Mahdist victory over the infidel were not to be. The British had won their close combat and now the Egyptian had won theirs, routing the remains of the enemy. The remains of the Mahdists forces on the board were not enough to challenge the British & Egyptians. One band had already routed off the board, two band were currently running off and had yet to rally (and were either near or under half strength). The Mahdists do get some "bragging rights" for defeating the Hussars back at camp. So at Turn 5 (game would be over at the end of Turn 9) the Mahdists melted away into the night to plan their next attack....

I am working on my next game, after Orccon in February for the March HMGS game day at Aero Hobbies. I will miss it in February as it is happening on my birthday. More on that as it progresses.

TTFN