"Anglo-Sikh Wars" Topic

I am such a sucker for a new period with nice figures, and Lancashire Games new range has me drooling slightly.

This one however is a complete mystery to me. So can someone suggest a good starting book, and rules that would suit ?

I have the POW rules and lists, but am interested in others as well.

TIA

I have used Black Powder for it and it works well.

link

That is a good starter book on it, as is the official history.

For Black Powder I have played where I've allowed the British player to control and give orders from the Sikh general to screw up some of the Sikh commands and simulate the high command deliberately sabotaging their own side.

There should be an umpire to decide what is and is not permitted and generally obviously suicidal things cannot be done.

So they might be ordered to charge a battery of guns if they are withing 36" but not if they were 40". They can't be ordered to move up to the enemy and about face so they are showing their backs. Stuff like that.

We also give him a command rating of 8 so that he can't do too much damage, but it does tend to mess up lots of stuff on the Sikh side and, in practice, the Sikh players tend to disperse so that he is getting a distance penalty on all but one or two of the battalions if possible.

And initiative moves are made first so when they finally get stuck in he can't control things any more.

When I do this in Volley and Bayonet, I dealt with the Sikh command issues by 1.) limiting the number of divisional and or 'corps' command stands and 2.) giving the Sikh players competing victory conditions (Ghochurra command must defeat British AND take minimal losses AND Sikh regulars must take at least twice your losses or you don't win. That sort of thing). It does a decent job of recreating a divided command with competing goals.

It went a long way toward explaining Sikh tatical choices – generally standing on the defensive in emplacements. The lack of cohesion between different factions meant you didn't dare turn your back on your allies.

Tooting our own horn, but…

"John Company" is the only set of rules designed from the ground up to represent the Sikh Wars and was some 10 years in the development. With the help of Gentlemen Scholars from around the world, we found information and sources otherwise unavailable.

Much of this collected information has since gone to Andrew Preziosi and appears in his forthcoming master work on the Sikh Wars.

There were inherent flaws in the Khalsa that went beyond the genuine issues of betrayal at the highest levels of government (in the First War, not the second) that limited its effectiveness. Unit cohesion was a problem they never quite solved. While individually the Sikhs were astonishingly brave, they could not match the "corporate" effectiveness of British and (many, if not all) HEIC Battalions.

Still, in the First War, though losing every major fight, they usually inflicted some 10% casualties or more on their opponents, which is a severe price for victory in any period. But when this happened over the first few major battles, the Brits were a bloody mess by the decisive action at Sobraon.

Ferozeshaw was one of the bloodiest battles in history, with the margin of victory being slimmer than a tulwar's edge. Strategic sabotage is all that saved John Company's bacon in that one, but the fighting that brought them to that tipping point had nothing to do with the duplicity of the Sikh Command. The Khalsa units that fought there were as dangerous and tough as anything the Brits ever faced on any field against anyone, and commanders being at odds with one another was truer on that field between the Brits than between the Sikhs!

You can push beautiful lead around a table with any rules, but if you want to get a taste of the actual subject, consider trying the tool/rules designed for the job.

Read more at this link Company

And if you'd like to read an unsolicited review (albeit of the First Edition, not the current Third), I'll be glad to send an E-mail copy if you request it via TVAG@att.net

Regarding a good introductory book, Hugh Cook's "The Sikh Wars: The British Army in The Punjab" can be gotten for as little as $17.00 USD through AbeBooks: link

And another good battle history of the wars is George Bruce's "Six Battles For India: The Anglo-Sikh Wars, 1845-46, 1848-49" also available through AbeBooks at: link

Unfortunately, it's popularity/rarity has made this one pretty pricy at some $84.00 USD!

In the middle, price-wise, but decidedly Anglocentric, is the classic "The Sikhs and the Sikh Wars: The Rise, Conquest and Annexation of the Punjab State" by Gough and Inness. Again, the redoubtable AbeBooks shows a copy for $32.00 USD here: link

You can't go wrong with any of them, though Cook's is the quickest read and strong on military details.

Whatever you do, good luck!

TVAG

Recommend the Featherstone book, " Victorian Colonial Warfare-India".
There is also a good history, free on Google books by Gough and Innes.
I use Lasalle for my battles and find the rules have enough variability in troop and leader quality to match what I have read.
There are also a few first hand 'diary' style books if into more of a skirmish game format.

TVAG, I'm tempted to buy the whole printed package and hang the risk of HM Customs ripping me off, but what is the basing for 15mm figures please ?

And can you give me a rough organisation (how many figures) for units in JC please ?

The 'John Company' rules are worth it for all the background information they provide, even if you don't use the rules.

some good suggestions from Patrick at TVAG for books on the wars, the Osprey book on the Sikh army is a good introduction.Couple of others to consider are The Fall of the Sikh Empire (Gardner), The First and Second Sikh Wars (Burton) and The First Anglo-Sikh War (Sidhu).

It's a fascinating period, great for a mini-campaign, in which the different Sikh factions are more interested in back-stabbing their rivals than defeating the British.

After years without a decent range, several 15mm manufacturers have jumped in – as well as Lancashire, take a look at Black Hat and Irregular, and there's also the Freikorps range as well. Lots of other Maharatta and Indian Mutiny stuff can also be used – Dixons and Two Dragons (now owned by Caliver) for example.

Dear Guthroth!

First, basing in JC is no sweat. The current basing rules in the 3rd Edition will be replaced in due course with a far more sophisticated system (and vastly easier than any other system in the hobby--no brag, just fact). If you wish, you can use it now with any such game. If you'll E-mail me at TVAG@att.net, I will send you some useful materials, especially for the Artillery.

Single bases are the core system, and given the 1"=100' ground scale, the number of them in a unit depends on the notional size of the Battalion/Regiment represented. (Companies do not generally appear as discreet units).

For Brit and Company Infantry, in a Close Order frontage of 2' per man in two lines, using a standard 3/4" square base, this would give you 1 Base for every 70 Infantry, or 7 Bases for a 500 strong Brit Battalion, and up to 14 for an HEIC Native Infantry Battalion.

Three Hundred Regular Cavalry in two lines with 6' frontage per Horse, on a 1" x 1.5" Base size, equals 32 Troopers per Base.

The Fire Effects Tables are predicated, in part, on frontages, and all loses are in terms of whole Bases (no written record keeping of any kind in JC), so the differences in "casualties" between Foot and Horse are actually non-existent.

For players reenacting an historical action, it's simplicity itself to add or subtract available Bases closely to match the actual strengths on the field.

Now, notice please that in all this I make no mention of "Figures," and this is the beauty of it.

With Base sizes being determined by the ground scale, not some artificial Figure to Man Ratio, ANY size figure(s) may be used for play.

A single 25/28mm figure on a Base, or two to four 15's, or perhaps eight to twelve 5/6mm figures, it's all the same. No need to adjust movement distances or weapons ranges, or any changes required at all to play the game with the figure scale you prefer. No need even to rebase, if your existing base sizes match those of your opponent's.

I, for one, love the effect of the smaller scales allowing multiple figures per Base. Instead of calling perhaps ten 28mm figures a "Battalion," how much better to see as many as 80 figures--on the same 10 Bases--as a "Battalion!"

Depending on the 15's themselves, at least two-foot figures, and perhaps even four (rather tightly) will fit per Base, allowing not only for a much more impressive collection, but mounting in two actual lines, as well.

Finally, please notice, anyone wishing to adopt this Basing system willing to do the simple math, and starting with good, representative unit strengths, actual close order frontages and depths, and a set ground scale, he could design Bases of any size, then determine how many would represent a unit.

There is room for some "wrinkles" to better represent Irregular Troops (Maratha Cavalry, Ghorchurras, Camelry, etc) such as larger circular bases (steel washers, etc), but these are covered elsewhere.

Full details for unit sizes for all combatants in India are provided in the rules, including artillery for the various Native Powers, notably the Khalsa.

If you should decide to spring for JC, remember that the full rules are in the book, and while I can recommend the professionally printed Graphic Supplement sold separately for the game card decks and counters, these are provided printed in the book, too, adequate for playing your first games.

Looking forward to providing the other data promised, to you or any interested parties, I am

At Your Service,
TVAG

P.S. Only a rare few of my UK customers have been stuck by the Pirates masquerading as HM's Customs, so I'd risk it--but I cannot promise you immunity!

Pretty uniforms, exotic setting, but as a wargame….

Sikhs entrench in one long line, British launch one big attack along the whole line, Sikhs are defeated – end of story; less than exhilarating if you play it historically.

Actually, not so simple as that, Henry Martini!

There are serious problems the Brits and Company troops must deal with first. Their plan of attack had better be foolproof, because if it begins to go wrong, if the Sikhs draw enough blood, there is no certainty of victory at all.

Read a detailed account of Ferozeshah (there are many good ones, but not in Featherstone's works--too derivative, though fun reads. Cook and Bruce will give you more balanced accounts than Gough and Inness.

And don't rule out Sikhs on the attack! They have serious problems of coordination, but their inevitable numbers and huge amounts of Irregular Cavalry can do wonders to turn one's hair color.

Remember, the Second War was a very different affair in key regards for the Khalsa, and they took the offensive more often. In the first, they were indeed held back and had their movements telegraphed to the Company.

Presumably, on the table top, most players will not have these issues to stop them from showing what the Khalsa could do.

And we need to blow the dust off our original Campaign Game rules for the First War. Played historically, the Khalsa wins largely because the British LOSE. Played without those limitations, Sir Hugh, count your children!

TVAG