I played a game the other day that went undocumented on the blog but the upshot of it was that the British retreated to the safety of the Salisbury House compound and sent out a message asking for help from the Lucknow garrison (Captain Lawrence disguised as a native and hidden in the back of a cart).
The next game involved an attempt by the mutineers to storm the compound and was played over a week ago. Although I’ve lost my notes the following pictures will hopefully give a flavour of the action. The rules used were The Men Who Would Be Kings and all the miniatures are Empress 28mm. Both sides started the game with 25 point forces and the winner would be who controlled Salisbury house itself after 9 turns.
First up - a view of a part of the compound which is assumed to extend off board in several direction but is bounded in its entirety by a 12ft high rendered mud brick wall. Seen here are the main entrance (centre) and the tradesman’s entrance (snigger snigger) on the right. The modular perimeter wall was badly and hurriedly scratch built but serves okay for now. In the background is another bungalow, to the left a tented field hospital and in just behind the wall in the foreground a walled croquet pitch.
I think this shot was taken around turn 2. The sneaky sepoys used a cannon to blow a hole in the perimeter wall - only to discover a British cannon looking back at them. Several waves of sepoys attacked the main entrance, the tradesman’s entrance and the left most portion of the wall itself.
The defenders of this portion of the compound were two platoons of the 64th Regiment, a 9lb artillery piece and a platoon of Sikh Police. The Sikhs covered the rear of Salisbury house while the gun and the two platoons of the 64th covered the front. Despite complaints from the ladies the 64th took up a defensive position within the walled croquet area and made a right mess of the lawn as a result.
Backs to the wall… Thankfully the battle was paused at this point for several hours while the servants came out and removed all the unsightly rubble from the smashed wall. Good job everyone.
The sepoys attacked from four directions, through the hole in the wall, below…
A mob entered via the tradesman’s entrance (sorry I still want to snigger) and tried to get onto the croquet lawn.
Began climbing over the wall itself…
And even snuck into the compound from the off board right flank. Definitely not cricket.
After some horrendous sepoy losses, they managed to secure the bungalow and control of the croquet pitch.
The forces of colonial oppression still occupy Salisbury house, so they won, but the 12 wounded European soldiers that were the cost of holding off the horde are now being treated in tents that are constantly under desultory fire from the bungalow.
Meanwhile, 40 miles to the west a small relief column under a colonel Morrison has been despatched from Lucknow. We can only hope he arrives in time! There’ll be no bullying off for the final chukka until the mutineers can be cleared from the croquet pitch, that’s for sure.
And finally.
I’ve had a blissful three weeks or thereabouts without exposure to any news or current events. I strongly recommend it. Apparently the world still turns without me worrying about it. Who knew? No mushroom clouds on the horizon so all must be okay.
Music is and always has been a great soother of the noggin. Painting the Empress miniatures was largely accomplished while listening to an Indian themed sound track. Here’s an example which you won’t like and will skip out of after the few bars but which greater minds than mine have described as the best Beatles track they neither wrote or performed.
A bit of Tatva…
And this which is just a great laugh as well as a great song…
Look after yourselves mes amis.