Yesterday evening the Fencibles, reduced by babysitting
grand kids, attending openings, and teaching class, tried our hand with Dan
Mersey’s colonial skirmish rules “The Men Who Would Be Kings”. I trotted out my
long neglected 28mm French Foreign Legion, Senegalese Tirailleurs, Arab
tribesmen and pack mules. I selected the last scenario in the book, with an outnumbered force
awaiting relief so I could put the mules on the table.
Rick took the Arabs for the first game and I the French. The
initial escort for the (immobile) mule train was both units of Senegalese. I
rolled up pretty poor stats for leaders, worse for the French. One, the mis-named
Tirailleur Lt. Bonchance was a bonehead, an 8. Most were 7’s, with Legion Sous
Lt. Margaron a 6. Two of the Arabs were 5’s. Most were 7. They all had names
too but since I didn’t play that side I can’t say what most of them did. I do
know during the second game Mahmud was killed and Ali’s unit routed.
A look at the field-craft trait had confused me and I
inquired online. Other players said it wasn’t worthwhile as written but they
had interesting home rule ideas. I didn’t want to tinker on the very first game
so dropped the field-craft trait. That left me with 4 extra points for the
Arabs. I didn’t want to use the Old Glory prone figures as they remind me of
garden gnomes in robes. The standing figures are excellent. That left us with 5
Arab irregular infantry units. I decided the first Arab unit that fled the
field would be reconstituted and return as another unit from the Arab baseline.
From the second turn on, the French roll 2D6 and can bring
on a reinforcement of that many points or less. Two Senegalese irregular
infantry guarded the mule train. With the two FFL units off-table, I would need
to roll an 8+ to bring one on. You can guess what I didn’t roll.
My camera battery was low so I didn’t get any photos until
the end of the 3rd turn, when Lt. Bonchance and his unit had already
ignominiously headed for the showers. Yellow discs are pin markers.
Lapin put up a mighty fight, routing one enemy unit and
pinning others. But his unit finally was pinned and had trouble rallying.
Meanwhile I rolled 7 three times in a row for reinforcements.
Emir Rick won the fight 6 to 2. We were both pleased with
the rules. We broke for dinner, which was themed with Tajine beef and cous
cous, per my wife’s suggestion. She made salad and a dessert. Andrew arrived
just in time to dine with us.
After dinner he became Emir Andrew and I reprised my role as
the French CO. This time I placed Sergeant Dorfmann’s squad on table as escort
and held the rest off table.
On the third turn I rolled an 8 for reinforcements.
The escort was slain to the last man.
Emir Andrew won his fight 4 to 2. We played 11 turns in 65
minutes. Again, all were pleased with the rules and the game. We shall
certainly play these again, perhaps with some of the suggested house rules for
field-craft.
I also have a mind to use The Men Who (etc.) for a fracas
set in France
The way pinning and rallying works in these rules gives a flow
and feeling surprising in such a simple set of rules. Nice work, Dan. My
extremely minor beefs (aside from the vague field-craft rule) include units
beaten in melee not falling back very far. But that is small potatoes indeed.
Andrew noted that we
don’t have 28mm casualties. Most of our other games feature little tin corpses
left behind as stands are removed. I wasn’t up for just tipping them over.
I just purchased a copy of the latest rules from this
stable, Rebels and Patriots. These rules are even more streamlined. Hmm.
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