Suraj Khund Re-imagined Sikh Wars AAR

We have a game at Chris Flowers this weekend so an opportunity to try out the Sikh Wars on a  bigger table.

I want to have a run out of the rules with amends but also how the game itself will play.

The only issue is we have 7 or 8 players which is too many for the forces I have planned for the game, at Partizan it wont be an issue as we will be shopping and chatting and may have less players anyway, but for a full day game everyone needs to feel like it was worth the trip so I need to add a couple of brigades per side to the historical order of battle.

On the upside I will get to add a couple of newly finished units to the game and we playtest the rule amends pretty thoroughly and Flashman survived to run away another day.

The table is 15 feet by nearly 7 feet with the front long edge covered by Jungle Forest disguising the approach of the British flanking force.

The British camp was behind a dry river bed, we should have one for the game but for our purposes today an actual river fille din with two fords for the Sikhs to fight over.

The British are shown the table with their fortified camp at one end besieged by a token Sikh Force, shown where their flank attack will come on through the open jungle on the long table edge.

The British have a Brigade of allied matchlockmen holding the camp supported by a brigade of tribal irregular coming out of the camp.

The flank attack will have 3 brigades of British foot and two brigades of horse. A nasty surprise for the Sikhs when it comes on. (The correct OOB has 2 brigade of foot and one of horse)

With the British out of the way the Sikhs are brough in to deploy 2 Brigades of regular foot attacking the camp supported by a weak brigade of regular hose, A further two brigades of irregulars occupy the earthworks and the village in the middle of the table whilst two very large brigades of irregular horse flood the rear of the table. (Correct OOB battle would have less regulars and the mass of cavalry took no part in the battle)

Both sides then start the battle with nasty surprises of lots of regulars attacking their earth works. Each of them have 3 objectives, the British earthworks covering the camp, the Sikh earthworks besieging the camp and the village with the Sikh reserve. The winners will be the side holding at least 2 out of the three.

British move first and march out of the jungle where they need to spend a turn forming up. The Sikhs immediately respond by refusing their flank and splitting their regulars, half heading towards the British camp and the other half turning to face the British flank attack.

Jerry takes the Tribal British allies towards the ford on the right flank, before realising the British have this flank covered and he is better moving these to cover the other ford.

The British turn allows them to advance on the Sikhs but we immediately see one brigade fail its orders and another blunder moving left towards its own camp in error. Ricard C and Richard H have decided to leave a brigade each of foot and horse in reserve and bring on later to take advantage of whatever chaos they can sow early on.

Jerry lines his native matchlock troops along the defences behind the river as Chris C advances his brigade of Sikh regulars on him.

The Sikhs make a bold display but 4 units of Sikh regulars are going to find it hard to take an earthwork behind a river with 7 units of native troops defending it.

The Sikh guns are all firing at long range and have little effect on the Native allies in their earthworks.

Rich C is quick to push his Light Dragoons forward and charge the Sikh matchlocks. The Sikhs are defeated but inflict some pain on the British.

To their right the Governor Generals Bodyguard make short work of a unit of Tribal warband.

Sikh regular Cavalry counter charge the Govorner Generals Bodyguard, the Sikh cavalry prove a tougher nut to crack and are able to hold the East India company Sowars.

The British line is advancing into and behind the Sikh entrenchments whilst Steve rallies the Sikh regulars for a counter attack.

Chris has the lead Brigade of Sikh regulars up to the river bank, he is however faced by 4 battalions of matchlock troops and a pair of field gun batteries. With the defenders in cover this may be too much for Chris's Sikhs to chew.

The second brigade of company cavalry has entered the battle charged Mikes Pathans, the Pathan foot heroicaly hold their own against the Bengal Irregular cavalry.

The Governor Generals Bodyguard beat back the Sikh regular cavalry but our now too worm out to follow as they have reached shaken status. 

Further up table Chris Flowers Sikh armoured irregular cavalry finally get going and charge the Bengal Native light cavalry. The Sikhs win this one but are also too shaken to follow up.

On the other side the Sikh Light cavalry under Mike creep forward.

The first of Jerrys Tribal Irregulars storm over the ford after failing an un-controlled charge test, they manage to take the first battalion of Sikh regulars with them. 

Firth up table the Sikh irregular cavalry reform planning to press their advantage but fail orders to advance.

The second Tribal irregular warband gets an uncontrolled charge in to Sikh regular gun whilst the first one turns and charges the Sikh foot. Chris holds them off but he is badly mauled now and is in no condition to continue to the attack on the British camp and begins to withdraw.

Rockets are notoriously inaccurate and Rich C was warned early on about their use. Only a six gets an actual on target hit and you get two shots which can go all over the place. Rich responds with a double six immediately inflicting two casualties on the Sikh cavalry and disordering a second unit. So much for my advice.

The British now have a pretty sold position covering the Sikh earthworks but are not strong enough to advance on the village whilst holding off the remaining Sikh regulars.

The original British brigade now pushed over the earthworks into the flanks of Steves Sikh regulars and forces them back.

Its all over bar the shouting, the British consolidate their hold over the Sikh earthworks but are not strong enough to push onto the village, the Sikh regulars are pulling back from the British camp and not quite strong enough to try again for the earth works.

The British have 2 out of 3 objectives, the Sikhs 1. A victory for the British, but a hard fought one.

A good game all around, the players seemed to enjoy it and the additional rules worked well. A good start to the playtesting for T'other Partizan game.

Thanks for stopping by.