Bolt Action

With a Bolt Action event coming up in Devonport next month we need to bone up on the Bolt Action Action rules.  The event is is for 1,250 pts forces in 1 or 2 platoons, one of which can be Tank.  Chris & Mark plan to take Soviets, Jim will be taking Afrika Korps.  SteveJ brought along another German force & we fought a double game on a big table, SteveJ v. Chis on one flank, Jim v. Mark on the other.  As the table was already in desert mode from last week, the Afrika Korps got home ground advantage.

The Germans are on the near side of the table.  The scenario is Key Positions with 3 objectives on each side of the table.  To compensate for the large table we had a deployment turn first where units were placed within 24" of their own baseline with no firing.

It seems the Soviets were not happy in unfamiliar desert heat, as the German veterans gained overwhelming victories on both flanks.  On the left Mark's force was totally annihilated as the Germans took all 3 objectives & on the right, Chris' was reduced to 2 pinned down AFVs as the Germans took 2 of 3 objectives.   

The road to Khartoum

British: (Mike & Mark): 8 infantry, 2 cavalry, a rifled cannon & a Gatling gun plus 4 Egyptian infantry & 2 Egyptian cavalry.
Mahdists (Jim, Chris & Steve):  12 warbands (4 of them fanatical), 4 skirmisher units with muskets, 14 cavalry.

The Anglo-Egyptian force is on its way up the Nile & find their route blocked by an enemy force nearly twice their number  But the Allies have technology & discipline on their side.

At the start the only Fuzzies visible are some cavalry down the road & some infantry around the village beside the Nile.

The Allied advance in a wedge formation as Mahdiist skirmishers move out of the village towards their right flank.

Suddenly the Mahdi's main army appears from behind the ridges in front of & on the left of the Allies.

The Egyptian infantry & British cavalry on the Allied left turn to face the oncoming horde of cavalry.  But the Mahdi's 3 infantry brigades are slow to get moving.

The Egyptian infantry hold their nerve & see off the first wave of cavalry on the far flank.  In front of the angle in the line, the Allied cavalry are desperately holding their own under a converging attack.  Left of centre the Mahdi's fanatic brigade has closed with the British heedless of casualties.

The Mahdi left flank brigade has finally got to grips with the Brits.  On their right, a fanatic warband has broken their opponents & made a hole in the British line.  The Egyptian cavalry is still stubbornly holding on in the centre.  The Mahdi's right is still refusing to resume the attack on the Egyptian infantry

The Fanatics are trying to expand the gap in the British line, but manoeuvre is not their strong suit & their comrades on their left have been broken.  The last Egyptian cavalry unit is still just surviving on hot dice.

The last Allied cavalry unit has finally been broken, but it is too late for the Mahdi.  His right did finally made another attack on the Egyptian infantry, but it immediately failed.  British rifle fire & a bayonet charge has broken the Mahdi's left.  A last forlorn hope cavalry charge on the Allied angle was too little too late.  The Mahdi's army is broken. 

The Mahdi's best chance was a quick defeat of the enemy cavalry so he could make a converging attack on the angle of the Allied line.  But while his local tactical & numerical advantages there prevailed in the end, good allied dice delayed the win there while the breach loading rifles of the Allied infantry won the battle on the flanks. 

Rome V. Carthage

Rome: Mike, Mitch & Mark.
Carthage: SteveJ, Jim, Chris & Gary.

The Romans are on the far side.  They have Allied hoplites in the centre, peltasts & all their cavalry on their right & their legion on their left.
The Carthaginians have their elephants in the the centre with Celts on their left, citizen spearmen on their right & Scurtarii in support.  They have half their cavalry & some Numidian light infantry on each flank.

(The camera man got so wrapped up in the action he forgot to take any pics for a while).
On the far flank the Carthaginian cavalry have broken the Roman horse.
The Celts & the Allied hoplites are slogging it out.  The hoplites survived the wild charge & are now getting on top.
The Legionaries have engaged the elephants in the centre & are getting the upper hand. with half the elephants destroyed already.
The Citizen spearmen have advanced overlapping the legionary's left. On the near flank the Carthaginian light cavalry are pinning down the triari as their heavy cavalry threaten the flank of the legion.

On the far flank the Carthaginian cavalry are taking their time reorganising after beating the Roman horse & the front line of Celts has been beaten. On the near flank the Carthaginain light cavarly are pinning down the triari while the heavies are lined up to attack the Legionary's flank.  

On the far flank the Carthaginian horse is still failing command tests & failing to advance, but the Celt's second line has charged the hoplites.  Cathaginian cavalry from the right have beaten the maniple deployed to cover the flank of the legion & continued on across the Roman rear where just one Maniple is covering the hoplites left flank. 
In the centre the Legion tried to charged the Scutari to fight their way out of trouble, but they are being held up by the Scutari as the Citizens wrap around their flank. 

On the far flank, the Carthaginian cavalry has finally advanced, but is not yet back in action.  The hoplites have finished off the Celts while a lone maniple held off the Carthagian cavalry attack on their left flank, 
The Legionaries are trying to withdraw from the pocket in the centre, but they are in a hopeless position & are being rolled up by the citizen spearman.

The legion has been broken & it's all over.   Hannibal has pulled off his old envelopment trick yet again!