A great game player and keen historical student (especially the uniforms and personal effects of the 1880's to 1960's (from the Sudan & South Africa through the trenches of WWI and the tanks of WWII and on into Korea and Vietnam)) McLean, has announced a change in venue. Due to this change the War Dungeon, the game space under his home, will be shutting down at its current location in Nanaimo.
This was the set up for a final large game action, featuring his 1880's redcoats and Sudan miniatures and more.
Plenty of Jeff's former collection were featured in this mammoth game!
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a view of the table from the south to north
the river was 'attached' to the sea via a separate table
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The situation was a Turkish walled city was coming under threat from massive forces approaching by land and sea!
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some of the land attackers
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The British had a chance to arrive before - or at the same time - or after - some of the attacking forces by sea.
Amazingly BOTH of the large British ships arrive BEFORE the mass of the attacking fleet.
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the British force included a massive metal hull GUNBOAT
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along with an armed merchant ship
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The trick for the British forces is that they were limited in number ... the attackers would have an unknown number of waves of attacking forces both from land and sea.
Yours truly and my eldest son were tasked with coming up with some naval rules (to sort of match with the land rules) and handle the ships of both sides.
While other players took on the various attacking and defending columns of troops, our host ended up commanding some of the British forces in a supply column.
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the pirate forces come on to engage the British
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the supply columns are attacked in force ...
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they then recoiled into a walled compound and fortified it
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Meanwhile the island forces had seen the telegraph works being destroyed and at dawn witnessed the massed sails of the approaching pirates.
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the burning telegraph works
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Within a few turns the ships had all locked into combat and many boarding actions had been initiated.
Though two ships of the pirates were already sunk and the leader's vessel had capsized a landing boat full of Ghurkas who then proceeded to board the leader's boat and turn the decks into a red wash as the ship was sinking ...
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boarding actions in progress
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El-Gandalfi's command, just moments before
the Ghurkas swarmed the decks ...
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A little video was captured of the table around this point in the game:
Over in the land battle another British column had arrived and engaged forces outside the telegraph office ...
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a furious fight at the hill slope
to attempt to block the telegraph road access
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more field artillery sallies from the walled town
in an attempt to blast away the attacking land forces
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overview of the land battle
burning telegraph office seen in foreground
to the right
walled town in the distance
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Supply column was overcome, while the naval fight continued, with the gunboat prevailing - now having sunk at least 5 sloops of the pirates and the command ship of El-Gandalfi!
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gunboat laying waste to many smaller boats
with wooden hulls
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supply column captured by nomadic horsemen
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The grinding attrition continued for a few more turns.
Valiantly, the troops from the island were transferred to the gunboat and a supply officer who fled the column managed to be rescued and attach to the gunboat as it steamed up river ...
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the island garrison musters during the start of the day
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loading into a launch, with some cavalry
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the view of the telegraph fire
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furious land battle near the telegraph office
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neither side willing to surrender
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the tribesmen who captured the telegraph office
attempted to grab part of the supply column
they were shot down by the gunboat!
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view from the land to the sea
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can you spot the opening between the two tables?
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great view of the field
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seeing the fort in the south with the pirates sails beyond
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now the great gates to the walled town were to be sealed
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Could the British stop the oncoming hordes?
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the gun line (seen in the bottom of this image)
did not manage to hold back the tide of onrushing Mahidist forces
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casualties mounted on the gunboat
even with the added redcoats to the marines
not all guns could be kept manned
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the balloonists view
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out towards the telegraph office
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the whole of the south of the field was now occupied
by the attacking forces
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even though the gunboat sank another three wooden pirate
boats it was not enough to block the
river channel
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the pirates would succeed in penetrating the
river channel and setting up a landing point
close to the docks of the walled town
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So ... just as in Khartoum, the British were not able to stem the tide of attackers from either land or sea.
Great final game set and match for the War Dungeon!
