"First Attempt at Using The Sword and Flame 1879 Afghanistan" Topic

A British Column of 60th Rifles was to escort a Gatling gun thru hostile territory to be delivered to a fort on the frontier.I divided the column into 3 ten man units with 6 of the 10th Hussars to be used as scouts.The column was set upon before the scouts could even begin to do their job. The reduced fire power of the ten man units (compared to 20's)combined with really poor rolling allowed the 20 man Pathan units to melee the outnumbered individual British units. I thought that even dividing my forces down into ten man units the British would have enough fire power to keep the Heathens at bay.One of the Rifles' units which had the responsibility of guarding the Gatling gun was able to bring it into action and saved many soldiers lives.It was my first attempt at Sword and Flame and my tactics were not well thought out as I commanded the British forces.I didn't make hardly any headway to the village which was going to be a rest stop for my troops. Some photos which are not very good due to the poor lighting in my basement:

Nice looking table and figure collection!

Excellent looking table and figures.

Looks great!

Very good!;
I really like your table top terrain.
Joe

Thanks for Showing this report. Very nice layout and figure presentation. The Gatling gun elephants are excellent. How did they operate, that is what actions did they have to do in order to come into operation.

How many Pathans did you have against the 30 British. The game has been well played for many years with 20 man units. If you were using 20 for the Pathans and only 10 for the British I think the odds are pretty much against them. Did the pathans have rifles/muskets or only spears and swords?

I only have the very first set of rules so I was using them to play.I have now ordered the newest version as I understand there are some differences between the two and the second set provides some additional rules clarifications. I req'd the gatling gun to use a whole move to unlimber and did not let it fire on that turn. I rolled a D6 on the turn it fired, If a 6 was rolled, it would jam. It did not jam and I rooled 12 D20s when it fired.I had 3 Pathan foot (20 figs each) (each with half muskets and half spears/swords. I also had a unit of Pathan cavalry (12 figs) which was not permitted in the old rules.The Pathans were all concealed but were brought into action by my son before I could even scout them out.I did not have many opportunities to fire at the attacking Pathans because they were so close when they came into action.My firing was also very poor. The Pathan cavalry took 2 hits as they advanced and when it came time to melee they were 10 against 10. I gave them a +1 for charging and a +2 for being cavalry. Just too overwhelming for the Brits.Same thin happened with another 10 man Bitish unit where the Pathans suddenly rounded a corner and were on them quickly. Poor firing again and being outnumbered caused a defeat in the melee. Gatling gun was very effective though and probably could have easily covered a retreat. I ended the game because the original mission was hopeless. This was the first time I have played TSATF and I can see where I need to balance the forces a little better but also scout ahead before bringing British troops on to the table in this type of scenario.I think the next game I play will be a defend the outpost as it would be a little simpler start to learning the rules.

I only let half the Afghans fire as I thought if they were in a mob that not all would be at the front. Was that correct? Again, I have ordered the newest set of rules and maybe that is covered in them.

Those hills are very nice, did you make them too?
Cheers and happy gaming

Zargon – I made the hills that have greenery and wood chips (ala Mad Guru) but the sand colored hills are Paragon Scenics hills from their 54mm Apache Pass series.

Whatever tactical deficiencies you may have experienced were far more than compensated for by the outstanding terrain and miniatures!

And allow me to applaud your quick action by ordering the TSATF20 from the Author/Publisher. You will find 42 rules changes and additions over the original set you have, all of which go to make this one of the most nearly "perfect" set of rules ever offered to war gamers.

Your "improvised" rules for the elephant borne Gatling's are fine--as are the figures!--and generally your grasp of the spirit of the game is spot on.

"The Grim" is author Larry Brom's all time personal favorite subject with TSATF, and I'm sure when he sees this first game report and photos, he will be as proud of your work as a man can be.

"Well Done, Bugler!"

TVAG

Great looking game!

Rhingyll, Great looking game! TSATF is a great set of rules. You'll enjoy the 20th Ann version even better. I've been playing the game in its variations since the mid 80's and can honestly say its my favorite set.

I limit all muzzle loading troops to fire half of the eligible figs. For natives with breach loaders it depends on the formation. The rules say natives with rifles may use open order. That concept can and has been debated many times. I have always felt that natives would not be able to bring every rifle to bear every fire phase as they are not trained troops. Others have stated their field craft and experience makes up for formal training. The key is to state your parameters before the game begins so everyone knows and there are no rules surprises, other than those the GM plans or the various TSATF card decks create.

Cheers, from the Grim,
JB

Wow, great looking table and exciting game, Rhingyll! Great to see you giving TSATF a try! As others above have already said again and again, your terrain looks fantastic! I don't think I'd seen those Paragon 54mm Apache Pass hills being used by you ever before, except maybe one small one. Looks like they work perfectly for the North-West Frontier/Afghanistan and also work well with single-based 28mm figures.

Looking forward to seeing your next engagement!

Absolutely wonderful work there Sir. That looks fantastic. Well done, I look forward to the next one.

Good pictures and wonderful terrain! "Keep plugging away Soldier!"

Just found this, fabulous looking game, may inspire me to give Sword and the Flame a go. I've gad the rules for years!!