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Zulu!

Inside:

FREE simple Zulu Wars

rules and show-tested scenario

Supporting

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2 Battlegames

Lawks Drift

A complete Zulu Wars tricky escape game for all comers

by Hnry Hyde

Introduction

Let me make it clear rom the very beginning that theinspiration or this little escapade came straight rom

Battlegames contributor and riend Dan Mersey, whoseoriginal ideas can be seen in issue 14 which appears in printalongside this PDF special. Id never really been much o aan o colonial gaming, but in the last year or so, Dan hasbrought round his small collection o Perry Sudan guresand entertained me with a couple o cracking little games.Te rst has yet to breathe the air o publicity in print, and Idont want to spoil the surprise

or what is a real corker o agame; but the second was a

version o what appears as Tewell o arka in this issue.

It was this game thatproved pivotal or me. Firstly, Isuddenly saw the light as ar ascolonial wargaming goes, andhave now embraced it as parto my wargaming repertoire.And secondly, I realisedthat the basic idea would

t the bill nicely, with someamendments and additions,or a promise I had made.

What promise was this? Well,as a supporter o a wargamesshow that is local to me theannual To the Redoubtgatheringon Eastbourne searont Ihave been keen to do my bit, helping to publicise the show,attend as a trader and, this year, by volunteering to stagea small participation game. rouble was that, at the timeo making the said promise, I hadnt got a clue what I wasgoing to do! Ten, in assembling the material to go into the

latest issue, I came upon Dans article. Problem solved!Unlike Dan, I had no Sudan gures. However, I

remembered that a couple o years ago, I had bought aZulu Wars 20mm army pack rom Sean o Newline Designsat this very show. So, out came the paintbrushes andZulu Wars reerence material, and I set to work. You cansee how the project progressed on theBattlegames Blogat http://battlegames.wordpress.com/. Not everythingwent entirely to plan, but enough was accomplished tosee the game played very successully hal a dozen timesat two dierent shows (it was also taken to the Whifo Grapeshotshow in Woolwich on August 10th). Te

results were two British wins, two draws and two Zuluwins: you cant get any more balanced than that!

Here, then, are the ull details o the scenario, the ullset o rules we used, a clutch o photos rom the livegames and some thoughts about the experience.

Background

1879. Te heat rises on the South Arican hillsides.A detachment o the 24th Foot has managed to escape

rom the disaster at Isandlwhana and retain some semblanceo order. Men rom dierent companies have beengathered together under Captain Grant and LieutenantQuarrie, with the help o Colour Sergeant Barker andSergeant Featherstone. Other than himsel, none othe men o Captain Grants own company survived.

Grant remembers seeing a small mission station calledLawks Drit marked one o the colonels maps, garrisonedby a small number o irregular but reliable troops, so thisis where he has decided to head. As the small orce windsits way up into the trackless hills, it is being watched...

Game playTabl layoutTe game can be played asa participation game on asurace a mere 4 eet square.Te British objective is toreach the mission in 12 turns.

Te British enter in thesoutheast corner, and themission, with its walls andcomparative saety, is in thear northwest corner. Along

the way, there are numerousareas o broken ground anda ew trees, all o which canpotentially provide cover.

Te table eatures ourhills, all o which have steepslopes and provide deadground or hidden troops.

Te British are impeded ar more than the Zulus whenattempting to climb these slopes, especially when inormation. Tere is also a large copse o trees on thesouthwest corner hill which may also provide cover.

I you are planning to be the umpire (in this

instance, gamesmaster might be a better term), thenyou might like to ration the amount o inormationyou give to your British player opponents.

ForcsBritishTe British orce in this game consists o: 30 regular inantry,commanded by 2 sergeants, 1 lieutenant and 1 captain. Temen and NCOs are all armed with the standard Martini-Henry single shot, breech-loading rie and socket bayonet.Te ofcers have Webley service revolvers and swords.Tey are currently somewhat short o ammunition, having

been told that urther supplies are located at the mission.Each section o 10 men, commanded by a player,

must dice to see how much ammunition they haveover 6 rounds, counting the dice score as the numbero extra rounds available. A record should be kept o

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ammunition expended. Players would be ill-advisedto divide their orces into anything smaller than thesections described, so it should be easy to keep track oammo used. I required, use your umpires discretion.

ZulusControlled by thegamesmaster, there arepotentially many unitso Zulu warriors andone general. Tey are allarmed with the classicassegai and shield. Youcan choose to enablethe Zulus to make useo short-range throwingspears, rather likeRomanpila, i the Britishseem to be having toomuch o an easy time see the rules later.

In act, I managed torun the game with a totalo 34 Zulu gures whichwere judiciously recycledater becoming casualties.I you have more Zulugures at your disposal,then by all means makeuse o them, but the pointis that you dont needto worry i you donthave ahsens o them!

Playr brifngsOnly read the relevant briengs or your owncharacter(s) and keep them secret until youre analyzingthe game aterwards. Captain Grants player shouldbrie the other players on the overall battle plan atthe start o the game he is in charge, ater all.

Captain Grant othe 24th Foot (2ndWarwickshires)A soldiers soldier, youronly thought is to get

your men to saety andavoid annihilation bythe Zulus, though youwouldnt mind exactingrevenge to restore theRegiments honour igiven the chance. Youhave seniority over theother ofcers, so musttake over control, andultimately, responsibility.

Your mission: get

your men to the relativesaety o the Missionwithin 12 turns. Youhave seniority over theother ofcers, so at

the start o the game give general orders to the otherplayers or how your orce should proceed.

Lieutenant QuarrieMost o the survivors are rom your own company, and

you hate to think othem taking anotherhammering. Proceedwith haste and caution(you dont want to loseany more chaps, aterall) to the mission, buttry to do this within theconnes o the Captainsorders. Hes a good ellow,but you wonder i hedhave a greater sense ourgency i it was mostlyhis own men in danger.

Your mission: Makeor the compound at

best possible speed,without getting yourunit wiped out orincurring (too much)wrath o Captain Grant.

Colour Sergeant BarkerCaptain Grant is theregiments hero and

youll ollow his ordersto the letter. Te otherNCOs would make

a pariah o you i you return to the column alive whilstdear old Grant lies dead, so make sure youre on handshould the old chap nd himsel in too tight a corner.

Your mission: Follow your orders. Andwithout disobeying orders (too badly), makesure that Captain Grant survives i you do!

Sergeant FeatherstoneI it wasnt or theseblasted Zulus, yourbrother Harry would stillbe with the regiment.Instead, hes buried

under a pile o stoneswith a dirty great spearwound in his back. Maybethe heat o the sun hasturned you a little squiy,but you want revenge;but dont dash in toghts with no chance osurvival it would breakmothers heart i bothher sons were to remainin Zululand orever.

Your mission: Engagethe enemy wheneverpossible, but dont chargein against silly odds(outnumbered yes, but

Te game in ull swing a e Woolwic Wi o Grapeso sow. Sco Duncan

(in e red -sir) and Seve Dix pus e Briis owards e objecive wils Roger

Smi, our Fanasy & Sci-Fi Edior (wie Balegames -sir) and Seves aer

keep an eye on proceedings. Te Zulu regeneraion ray can been seen a boom

le, were our casualies were ranserred beore magically reappearing elsewere!

Te errain was deliberaely kep very simple e long grass o e Veld was le o

e imaginaion. Ne also e speakers on e le-and able edge, conneced o an

iPod wic ad e eme music rom Zulu blaring ou a appropriae momens.

All ogeer now, Men o Harlec...

Te climax o e game above: move 10, and e Briis are assailed rom ron and

rear. Te sole survivor o Lieuenan Quarries squad gs on alone, wils e menunder Colour Sergean Barker and Sergean Feaersone are abou o combine

eir repower and deliver a monsrous volley wic rendered e enire Zulu group

a op lehors de combat. Assailed rom e rear a e same ime, owever, and

orced o urn and g, Feaersones men were criically weakened and delayed.

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no suicide missions dear old mum wouldbe very upset!).

Raching th Missiono count as a success,the British need to haveat least 25% o theirinitial orces, or onesection at 75% or moreo its original strength,within the compoundby the end o urn 12.Tere should be noZulu warriors betweenthe British and the wall.

I used mydiscretion to awarda draw to British

players who managed to get a gure too ew to saety,but who might reasonably have expected to achieve the

requisite numbers within a turn or two. Its up to you!

Spcial ruls and rul modifcationsTe special Zulu rules should ideally be read only by thegamesmaster. Te general rules that ollow can be read by all.

Zulu deploymentAt the beginning o the game, no Zulu units are visible onthe table. Teyre out there somewhere, however!Zulu orcesarrive on the table randomly, triggered by British movement.Every time any part o the British orce moves closer tothe compound in its movement turn, roll on able 1 while

the British are actually moving (this creates great tension!)and deploy any arriving Zulus right away, as though theyhave just popped up out o the long grass or over the browo a hill. (Do not, however, roll i the only British let arewithin short rie range 6 o the mission. Te deendersare keeping the Zulus at bay so no new Zulu units appearhere). I no Zulu units are available (because theyre all inplay or have been permanently removed rom the game),treat the dice roll as a score o 1 or 2 (no Zulus appear).

As always with programmed rules, use common senseto know when to tweak deployment, movement, and soon these tables give you enough ammunition to playa dierent game each time and to be surprised by your

opponents moves, but i theres an obvious manoeuvre ora Zulu unit to make, then by all means go or it. Personally,I tried to gauge the experience and tactical expertise othe British players, and play the Zulus accordingly, beingtougher on the older, better players than the youngsters.Making children cry is not good PR or your game!

Roll a d20, or two d12, or our d6, to determinethe strength o the Zulu unit as it appears. Minimumstrength is six gures. In addition, roll a d6 to determinethe quality o the Zulus that have just arrived:

1 or 2 = novice, inexperienced3, 4 or 5 = regular, competent, experienced

6 = veteran, highly skilledIn addition, to add spice, or every third Zulu

unit created, add a distinctive leader gure (he canbe recycled rom previous appearances, o course)who has higher mle abilities (see below).

Table 1: Zulu deployment

d6 roll Outcome Positioning *

1, 2 No Zulus this turn. oo ar away to be placedon the table or now!

3 One Zulu unit appears atlong rie range rom theBritish.

Roll another dice:1,2, 3 = In ront o thenearest British4 = o the let o the

nearest British5 = o the right o thenearest British6 = o the rear o thearthest British (behindthe column, as i pursuing)

4 One Zulu unit appears atshort rie range rom theBritish.

As above

5 wo Zulu units appear atlong rie range rom theBritish.

As above

6 wo Zulu units appear at

short rie range rom theBritish.

As above

* I placement is within 1 Zulu move o a dierentBritish sub-unit, udge the positioning to be just outsidethis distance or roll again or suitable placement position.

Zulu tactical movementWhen on the board, use able 2 to determine Zulumovement. Dice at the start o their movementphase and ollow the Outcome listed below,keeping within the rules o your game.

Table 2: Zulu movementd6 roll Outcome Movement

1, 2 Slink away Remove rom play. (Yes , a unit thathas just appeared, as i they havejust popped up to take a look, cansuddenly disappear again. It reallyrattles the British players, who wonderwhere theyve gone!)

3 Act withcaution

Move no closerto the nearest Britishunit; generally mill about on thespot unless easy pickings are spottedelsewhere on the table. May re i riearmed (a possible game variation) or

throw assegais (twice only per unit).4 Advance Move towards nearest British unit,

contacting them i possible. I rie/throwing spear armed, may reinstead o or as well as moving.

5 Charge! Charge at ull speed towards nearestBritish unit.

6 Ch-a-a-r-ge!! Charge towards nearest British unit atull speed; i no contact is made, adda urther 50% to the charge distance,contacting the nearest British unit inow possible.

Modifers:+2 i within charge range.-1 i retreating or ailed a morale test last turn.-1 i outnumbered by target unit.-2 i outnumbered by target unit 2:1 or more.

Dan Mersey ries is and on a

recen visi o Balegames HQ.

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Zulu moraleest when a Zulu unit takes 25%+ casualtiesbased on its starting strength, and then each25% thereater, roll on the ollowing table.

Table 3: Zulu morale

d6 roll Outcome

1, 2 Bye bye! Te unit disperses. Remove the unit rom the

game.

3, 4 Gone but not orgotten! Te unit routs to the nearesttable edge but may re-enter the game at a later time;dice or their next entry as normal (see able 1).

5 Te unit retires one Zulu move at the start o the nextturn and then may move as it wishes again.

6 Bring it on! Te unit carries on as desired.

Modifers:-1 or novice Zulus (black shields)*+1 or veteran Zulus (white shields)*+1 i the unit won a previous round o mle.

* In general terms, the more junior the unit, the darkerits shield colouring; veteran units tended to carryshields that were all white, or close to it. Some unitscarried shields that were made rom a bright tan colourcowhide, generally reerred to as red in most sources.

Note: British morale is deemed to be heroically stiupper lip or the purposes o the game, and willbe determined by the courage o the players!

The general rules

NB: British may re twice, or move normally or about turn

180 and re once, or move and change ormation, or reand change ormation, or any other reasonable combinationotwo actions per turn, but they may not move twice!British inantry may double on alternate moves, and theymay not charge immediately ater doubling, or vice versa.

Table 4: Movement

Troops Movement

British inantry skirmishing(bases at least one base width apart)

4 + d6

British inantry ormed(bases touching)

4 + d3

British inantry ormed at the double(may not double or charge in consecutive

moves; may not double whilst skirmishing)6 + d3

British inantry charging into contact(may not charge or double in

consecutive moves)8 + d3

British inantry on hill, difcult terrain or insquare

Hal speed +d3.

Zulus anywhere 9 + d3

Zulus charging 12 + d3

Any troops jumping linear obstacle

-3 and roll d6per gure:

1 = allen, cantshoot, -2 in

mle

Table 5: Shooting

WeaponRange

Short Medium Long

Martini-Henry 0-6 6-12 12-18*

Webley revolver 0-2 2-6 n/a

Trowing spear

(Zulus only)

0-4 n/a n/a

* Long range shooting is only permittedto troops in skirmish order.

Te British can either volley re, or re at will as individuals.o volley re, at least two sub-units must be in directbase-to-base contact and all must shoot at the same target.Te ofcer/NCO commanding each section will decidewhich type o re to use i the sections are separated bymore than 3; i sections are kept together, then the seniorofcer/NCO present will decide or the whole body ring.

Roll a d6 or each man ring:Short range 3, 4, 5, 6 killsMedium range 4, 5, 6 killsLong range 5 or 6 kills (skirmishers only)

Modifers:Units ring volleys +1 (see above)arget in cover -2arget began charge two shots permitted,at long range delivered at medium rangearget began charge one shot only permitted,at medium range delivered at close range

arget began charge no shooting permittedat close range

Hand-to-handMles take place immediately when opposing gurescome into base-to-base contact. Tey are decided by amodied man-to-man d6 vs d6 die roll. Highest score wins.

Modifers:Any troops charging +1Young Zulu -1Regular Zulu unmodiedVeteran Zulu +1

Zulu leader +2 (allocate one or every thirdZulu unit generated)

British NCO or ofcer +2Deending obstacle +2Uphill o enemy +12:1 or 3:1 (max) ght compare highest scores. I lone

deender wins, he is consideredto have parried the other attacks andelled one opponent.

Endpiece

By all means adapt, tweak or change the rules to suit your

particular circumstances, or your historical interpretation oa particular battle or encounter. You may wish, or example,to include cavalry in your games: I would suggest they moveat the same speed as Zulus; suer -1 i ring rom the saddle;and gain +1 in mle when ghting enemy on oot. Have un!

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Capain Gran (cenre le, sand-coloured base edge) leads e survivors o e 24th Foo across e able in a game played by e Edior and Dan Mersey,

only o nd emselves assailed immediaely rom ron and fank. Sergean Feaersone and is secion ave e dark brown base edges, Colour Sergean

Barker e mid-brown, and Lieuenan Quarries secion, already reduced o ruins, e black edges. Early Zulu aacks rom e ill aally eld up Dans

advance. Te gures are ewline 20mm, pained by e Edior. Te lile dice are rom EM4, and were used o rack ammuniion expendiure, one per

secion. Te pips began by sowing e number o exra rounds allocaed above six, and were en used o coun down rom e iniial six allocaed.

Poor Dans Briis are surrounded and anniilaed only alway o eir desinaion in e second game played a Balegames HQ. Sergean Feaersone(jus visible wi raised arm in e le-and group) and Colour Sergean Barker (op rig) pu up a suiably eroic g, bu in vain. Ineresingly, e

Briis ardly red a so in is game: as luck would ave i, ey were assailed by Zulus wo ad popped up ou o e long grass a sor range on several

occasions, leaving em no ime a all o re a eir aackers. In previous games played a e Redoubt sow in Easbourne andWhif o Grapeshot in

Woolwic, several Briis secions ad run ou o ammo, aer delivering requen long-range volleys, wic jus goes o sow a anying can appen!