BATTLE OF KANDAHAR - PT 3 - THRILL PACKED CONCLUSION (sort of)

Wow.

What a day and what a game.

I will be back some day soon with loads of detail on all aspects of this third day's events, but right now I'm just gonna' post some nice pics I took just before we kicked off this final leg of the Battle of Kandahar/Baba Wali 140th Anniversary Tour...

2nd Battalion 60th Rifles near the South end of the table, fighting their way North-West towards Pir Paimal Village, followed by 25th Punjabs & 15th Ludhiana Sikhs (portrayed in this game by my 45th Rattray's Sikhs), with Gundamullah Sahibdad Village in the background, and the Southern tip of the rocky ridge just visible on the left...

Some views with an added BACKDROP of the action in Baba Wali Kotal/Pass as the British 2nd Brigade tries to fight its way through in the face of 2 Tribal ambush units, one on each flank...

3rd Brigades RA Screw Gun Battery still holding

in position in front of the Abandoned Outpost...

Arghandab Valley Mother & son in midst of collecting fresh water

from the canal, pause to take in the historic sights to the North-East...

All I'll add is that it was AN EPIC SLUGFEST -- probably the toughest, hardest fought miniature wargame I've ever participated in.  My two fellow GMs, Skylar (my son) and Matthew Rigdon (our good friend), and all 6 players -- Afghans Bob, Nick, Phil, and British Jeff, Mike, and Dan -- did a great job of hanging in through the mix of epic highs and grinding lows.

Happily for all of us the game reached a definitive conclusion, and I'll tell you all about that the next time I post.

Until then, to everyone involved in this game, I'm thankful and happy we managed to pull it off, despite the many and varied obstacles which stood in our way, and it couldn't have worked without everyone involved.  Despite being certifiably insane the "real-time remote epic tabletop game" kind of worked out pretty well.  There are a bunch of improvements I will make before doing it again, but lesson's learned are a good thing.  Another good thing will be if some day in the not too distant future we can all play a game across a table face-to-face!

-Mad Guru Out (for now)

BATTLE OF KANDAHAR - PART 2

This past Saturday August 22nd we picked up our Battle of Kandahar 140th Anniversary game where it left off last Saturday.

We played 2 more turns -- 4 and 5 -- before having to take another pause.

The 3HR time difference amongst players and between some players and the GMs made it difficult to press on past dinner time on the East Coast.

Once again everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and stay engaged throughout the day's festivities, from about 10:45AM to 5:15PM, with a 1HR lunch break, some 4-1/4 HRS of remote gaming goodness.  

The 2 long-lasting turns were jam-packed with action.  They were later described by an Afghan player as "wow, what a slug-fest!" and a British player as "very intense and fun!"  As a GM, player feedback doesn't get much better than that.

The best part -- at least for me as a neutral party -- is that at the end of turn five I still don't know who's going to win.

It remains anyone's game.

Since I didn't include much info on how the battle had been going in my prior post, here's a summary of how the game stood at the end of our first session:

TOWARDS THE SOUTH END OF THE TABLE

-British Gnl. MacGregor ATTACHES himself to 4^th Gurkhas and they CHARGE Tribal Foot in entrenched canal, Gnl. MacGregor is KIA by fire from Tribal Foot;

-4^th Gurkhas CLOSE w/entrenched Tribal Foot who then STAND & FIGHT – Gurkhas inflict many casualties BUT are defeated and driven back, then fail to rally and ROUTE off East edge of table.

-Tribal foot charged by Central India Horse in Orchard fail to stand and RETREAT – but rally before routing off-table.

IN THE CENTER

-BRITISH 2^nd Brigade’s 3^rd Bengal Lancers advance to East edge of Baba Wali Pass;

-5^th Gurkhas & 3^rd Sikhs in column behind Lancers approach the Pass;

-British C-in-C Gnl. Roberts DETACHED BRIGADE (72^nd Highlanders & 2^nd Sikhs) also advances towards Baba Wali Pass, 40-pdr Heavy Field Gun drawn by elephant limber team.

-Still no Afghans visible in Baba Wali Pass.

TOWARDS THE NORTH END OF THE TABLE

-British 1^st brigade continues advance over Marza Pass, 2nd Gurkhas in lead, 24^th Punjabs in middle, 23^rd Sikhs behind; 92^nd Highlanders in LINE to left of Marza Pass; 2 x RA screw guns deployed to Highlanders left flank, covering rocky ridge.

-Afghan Regular Inf. & Cav. maneuver around Marza Village to face approaching 1^st Brigade;

-Down the road to the South Battery of 2 Afghan Guns about-face & prep to fire at Brits when they emerge from Marza Pass;

CASUALTY COUNT END OF TURN #3:

AFGHANS:       33 CASUALTIES combined WIA + KIA (includes 4 Leaders)

BRITISH:          32 CASUALTIES combined WIA + KIA (includes 3 Leaders)
                        + 8 ROUTED

...and a bit more detailed summary of how things stand now, after completing TURNS 4 & 5:

BRITISH SITUATION END OF TURN 5:

On the British LEFT FLANK the 3^rd Brigade advance continues in stops and starts due to prior death of CO but by end of TURN 5 they have forced 1 Tribal Foot to retreat from entrenched position in canal and 2 Tribal Horse to retreat prior to completing their charges, so 3 Afghan units scrubbed.

In the British CENTER the 3^rd Bengal Lancers are eliminated by multiple enemy fires – including Afghan bonus fire – just before closing into combat with Afghan gun at West end of Baba Wali Pass.  In midst of the Pass the 5^th Gurkhas have one wing facing North and one wing facing South, in dual firefights with Tribal Foot occupying the adjacent heights, while at the East end of the Pass 3 Inf Battalions and the 9^th Lancers are waiting to advance and the 40-pdr Heavy Field Gun has deployed so it can fire next turn if the Tribal Foot are still in place on the heights North of the pass.

On the British RIGHT FLANK both 2^nd Gurkhas and 24^th Punjabis have crossed Marza Pass, routed one Afghan Reg. Cav. Unit off the table, and forced Afghan Reg Inf unit to redeploy into Marza Village.  Brits taking fire from Art. Battery down the road to South, near the Afghan Camp & Baba Wali Pass.

AFGHAN SITUATION END OF TURN 5:

AT THE NORTH Reg Cav unit holds position on road West of canal bridge; Reg Inf unit defending Marza Village is now leaderless & reduced to 9 effectives (below 50% strength); 2^nd Reg Cav unit has been ROUTED off table after suffering heavy casualties by fire from 2^nd Gurkhas & 23^rd Sikhs; 2-gun Reg Artillery battery has left their fortified position, turned around and FIRED on approaching British forces, and has suffered 2 casualties from long range rifle fire by 24^th Punjabis.

IN THE CENTER Afghans redeploy battery of guns down off Kharoti Hill, to block the West end of Baba Wali Pass.  Only one gun was able to reach flat ground in time to fire at the Bengal Lancers.  The  Lancers charged that Gun BUT were hit by FIRE from 2 units of Tribal Ambushers +2 units Reg. Inf + the gun itself en route to closing.  On top of that they were finally hit by Afghan BONUS FIRE card assigned to Afghan Gun & Reg Inf Brigade, which WIPED OUT the Lancers before they could attempt to close & melee with the gun.  But 5^th Gurkhas remain in the midst of Baba Wali Pass facing off with Tribal Foot, who are taking hits by fire from multiple British units at East end of the Pass. NOTE: Afghan C-in-C Ayub Khan himself descended the hill with his troops.

AT THE SOUTH one unit of Tribal Foot ROUTED OFF TABLE by Central India Horse charge, and 2 x Tribal Cav units forced to retreat when they failed to close with 60^th Rifles who they charged on the road; a 3rd Tribal Horse unit reduced to 3 figures and forced to retreat after failed morale check, and 4th Tribal Horse reduced to 5 effectives.  But Reg. Inf. still occupy Pir Paimal Village and the British advance still hampered by lack of Command for 3^rd Brigade.

So, like the situation at the end of TURN 3, a seesaw stretch of turns with both sides tasting success and failure in different sectors of the battlefield, and with the final result still very unpredictable.

Last but far from least, here's about 50 pics from the BATTLE OF KANDAHAR -- PART 2...

Looking East at the South end of the table,

note first 2 FORDS across Arghandab River:

Same view from further North, note Kharoti Hill

in the center and the 3rd FORD to the North:

Still further North, note AFGHAN ARMY

MAIN CAMP w/Ayub Khan's HQ tent:

View further North again, note Afghan Regular Artillery Battery

which has ABOUT FACED and is about to leave its fortified position

to move North on the road towards approaching British forces:

The far North end of the table, note MARZA PASS

being crossed by British 1st Brigade, Marza Village

garrisoned by Afghan Regular Inf, unit of Afghan

Reg. Cav. deployed along North table edge & 2nd

Reg. Cav. on road in the foreground...

Central India Horse followed by 3rd Punjab Cavalry

advance through orchards at South edge of table...

Baba Wali Village and the Afghan Camp

at West end of Baba Wali Pass...

British 2nd Brigade navigates bottleneck

at the East end of Baba Wali Pass...

The abandoned British Outpost near East end

of Marza Pass, note Royal Artillery Screw Gun

Battery deployed to cover the Rocky Ridge...

1st Brigade's 23rd Sikh Pioneers head

West into the Marza Kotal...

2nd Sikhs skirt the Ahmed Shah Shrine,

behind RA 40-pdr. drawn by Elephant...

THE TRAP IS SPRUNG: Tribal Foot on both

of the Pass OPEN FIRE on the Indian Cavalry... 

6/8 Battery RA covers high ground to left

of Marza Pass with its screw guns...

Rest of 1st brigade advances over Marza Pass,

exchanging fire with Afghan regular Inf

& Cav to the West as they go...

2nd Gurkhas deploy out of Marza Pass

into line versus Afghan Reg. Cav...

2nd unit of Afghan Reg. Cav. waits across canal

bridge from Marza Pass and Marza Village...

Afghan Guns that about-faced on the road

cross another canal bridge & OPEN FIRE

on British 1st brigade to the North...

At the main Afghan Camp, Royal Horse Artillery Lieutenant Hector MacLaine finds himself at the center of intense debate between a FRIENDLY Afghan Regular Cavalry Officer and HOSTILE Ghazi Mullah, while a NEUTRAL Regular Infantry Sentry looks on (more on this when the game -- and MacLaine's fate -- enters its final act)...

Afghan Reg. Inf. Regt. on road between the main camp &

Baba Wali Village, occupied by 2nd Reg. Inf. Regt...

3rd Bengal Lancers CHARGE out West end of Baba Wali

Pass under continued fire from Tribesmen on both dies

of the Pass, 2 units of Reg. Inf. and the GUN they're chaerging...

Another unit of Afghan Reg. Inf. redeploys off

Kharoti Hill towards Baba Wali Village...

Screw Guns of RA Battery 6/8 sit alone, covering the high ground to the West...

At the dead center of the table, 3rd Bengal Lancers (Skinner's

Horse) lead the British advance West through the Baba Wali Pass...

24th Punjabs head South in line towards Afghans in

Marza Village, 2nd Gurkhas and 23rd Sikh Pioneers

visible behind them, Afghan Reg. Cav. to the right,

Afghan guns visible down the road in the distance...

Afghan Reg. Artillery about to open fire on

24th Punjabs astride road to the North...

3rd Punjab Cav. pauses at edge of canal along the

South edge of the table as  Central India Horse

CHARGE Tribal Foot entrenched in the canal...

Center West of the table, showing the mini valley wedged

between Kharoti Hill and the West side of the Rocky Ridge...

Afghan Reg. Inf. entrenched in Pir Paimal Village...

At South end of table 60th Rifles engage in firefight with

entrenched Tribal Foot in drained section of canal...

Wider view of the fight shaping up between

3rd Brigade and Afghan Tribal Foot & Horse...

C.O. and NCO are all that remains

as 3rd Bengal Lancers try to close

with the Afghan gun they charged...

9 Afghan privates are all that remain of the Inf. unit holding Marza Village...

5th Gurkhas in Baba Wali Pass exchange

fire with Tribal Foot on both flanks...

Afghan C-in-C Ayub Khan visible on the

left, 2nd gun being manhandled down the

Hill in the center, Reg. Inf. on the left...

Wider view with Baba Wali Pass visible in the upper left...

Afghan Reg. Cav. cross the Ford beside Baba Wali Village...

Ahmed Khan Shrine and the road to

Baba Wali Pass in middle of the table...

Wider view showing the 2nd Brigade advance on Baba Wali Pass...

11/9 Battery RA deployed in Gundigan Village...

VIEWS FROM FOUR SIDES OF

TABLE AT END OF TURN 5...

LOOKING WEST FROM BRITISH LINES...

LOOKING EAST FROM AFGHAN LINES...

LOOKING SOUTH FROM BEYOND MARZA PASS...

LOOKING NORTH FROM BEYOND GUNDIGAN VILLAGE...

TUNE IN NEXT TIME FOR WHAT -- HOPEFULLY -- WILL BE THE FINAL INSTALLMENT OF THIS EPIC REMOTE WARGAMING EXTRAVAGANZA...