Back To The Punjab

Later in the year I will be putting on our demo game at T’Other Partizan so I have been thinking through what might work. 

After a chat we decided a Sikh Wars game would be ideal. 

I like the idea of something slightly different. 

Many Colonials Wars are challenging to game, often with hordes of natives armed with little more than sharpened Fruit being mown down by European firepower.

The Sikh Wars are one of a handful where that is not the case. The Sikh regular army was more than a match for East India company Sepoys and a real test for the Queens regiments too.

The first Anglo-Sikh War is perhaps the better known, but I prefer the lesser known conflicts and the second Anglo-Sikh War has a fair number of actions that very few people ever read about. The sieges of Multan provide us with a number of large actions and decent sized battles that most readers can be forgiven for never having heard of, they made little impression in the European papers at the time and even less in most British histories of the conflicts. 

One such is Suraj Khund.

To start with a large force of the "British" forces are not British or even East India Company troops at all. A significant proportion are allied native troops of the Dhowdpatra Raja of Bhahalwalpore alongside tribal irregulars from the various Pathan and Baluchi tribes of the region who had no reason to love their Sikh government.

Mainly matchlock armed, brave but undisciplined Warriors these are the irregulars we are used to seeing the British fighting against not alongside. And whilst the opposing Sikh forces had a significant irregular and tribal element too they also had a solid core of regulars, disciplined, well trained and well led troops. Trained by Europeans, mainly ex French and Italian Napoleonic officers, and very well motivated. 

This does mean we have the option for actions, like Suraj Khund, with much more evenly balanced forces giving a more interesting game to all players.

So whilst I will be trying to keep up to my Mexican project I do plan to get some more irregulars painted for the game at the end of the year.

To try finish a unit of Pathan Irregulars these 4 will bring me up to 20, the chap in white may not fit so well but the others are great, one plastic Perrys Afghan and 3 Empress irregulars.

I am starting to see some recovery in my gut injury so more figures coming off the workbench. This bunch adds some further flavour (Not the Galloglass at the back who will appear in a  different post)

These four Sikh Spearmen give me a push forward with my next unit of Sikh Irregulars. All Foundry.

This Noble leader is from Empress, a lovely figure, I am a little unsure about the stipe in his turban but other than that a nice addition for the Muslim troops.

I intend two more battalions of matchlock armed troops, the Wargames Foundry Muslim Matchlocks in blue will be multi use, the uniform is based on the Begum of Samru's troops from 30 odd years before so gives me plenty of options. The Sikh in red will be another battalion that can be multi use, in both cases the colours will be more a theme I intend to have a few shades mixed in so its slightly less regular.

Then two leader figures for the Sikh irregulars, plenty of colour here as they are no doubt a bit richer than the run of the mill. Boht Foundry, the flag from Virtual Armchair General.

Lastly four more rear rank irregulars, all 4 are different manufacturers, from left to right Foundry Sikh Wars, Empress Mutiny, Plastic Wargames Atlantic with Sikh head and Old Glory Sikh. These have come out OK but there are nicer figures so these will fill out the rear ranks I think. 

That gets me 2 extra units for the Sikh Wars games, another two of Matchlocks and some other additions should give me what I need for Partizan.

Thanks for stopping by.