Random Event Cards Vignettes - "Friendly Natives"...with a twist!

The Sudan Campaign equivalent of telemarketing and door to door
 salesmen..."Have you got a picture of your sister meester?  Do you want one?".

The vignettes continue along as this one is a particular favourite.  It is a collection of the lovely Connoisseur Sudan natives in their Extras range that are available through Bicorne Miniatures.  These are grouped to represent a flock of locals with an eye for profit and little concern for what dangers may be surrounding them upon the potential or actual field of battle.



All castings from Connoisseur Sudan range and I think capturing the period wonderfully well. 


The card was initially a thought of the very clever Gerry Webb at Castaway Arts in our first Sudan campaign all those many years ago and was expanded upon in the many games since.

1 x Friendly Natives

The column encounters a travelling menagerie of carpet merchants, orange sellers, camp followers and purveyors of filthy dirty pictures that impede movement to half speed for 1d6 turns unless aggressively swept aside.  The latter action however could effect relations with the locals however – see below.

1 x Town Uprising

The native inhabitants of any village or town on the board decide to throw in their lot with the Mahdi and start sewing coloured patches all over their clothing whilst shouting “Death to the British”.  Roll 1 x d6 (2d6 if the friendly natives card has been drawn earlier in the battle and they were swept aside violently) to determine how many bases of hostiles appear in the centre of the randomly determined town/village or built-up area.

This fellow in front looks determined to share his
collection of fine photographs and etchings in the Sudanese version of the proverbial brown paper bag!!

I distinctly remember in one of the Wargames World the line from the Doyen of Sudan games Peter Gilder where he describes a particular event where the locals who up to that point in the battle had been quite peaceful and passive suddenly throwing in their lot with the Mahdists and frantically sewing coloured patches on their clothes yelling rather rude and threatening things to the Imperials in the vicinity.

Another view from the rear.

The Town Uprising card is a direct inspiration from that recalled story from Gilder which I distinctly recall brought an enormous smile to my face as I imagined the look on the Town garrisons commander in a game at the WHC when that event was announced!



"Here they come sir - you know what happened last time we said no thank you - Gordon lost bloody Khartoum!".



Fuzzy Wuzzy Nordenfeld...now with Dulcote!



Slightly less shiny...just as effective...umm..deadly...well...noisy at least!



In my last post I commented on how I thought the figures may be a bit too shiny, even for me.Well a quick spray of Dulcote this morning and the results are in - like them better in this sheen!

I still think this looks pretty good for an amalgam of three manufacturers and my
limited modelling skills!

Random Event Card Vignettes - "Where the bloody hell did they get that from!"





Still looking a bit shiny from my varnish however the boys are very
keen to welcome some visitors to the plains!

  Looking through some of my Sudan books which I often use as references and inspiration for scenarios etc. I remembered the cover art for a wonderful book by Brian Robson (The author not the soccer manager!) titled "Fuzzy Wuzzy - The Campaigns in the Eastern Sudan 1884-85".  Firstly let me say that the book was superb and very enjoyable.  Most importantly I found Mr Robsons style easy to read and the narrative informative and entertaining.  Certainly not a difficult read at all.

Excellent book from Spellmount.

The cover art had a wonderful depiction of a Fuzzy Wuzzy attack on a British square and what really caught my eye was the native armed Nordenfeld.

Great artwork with the machine gun in action

Now this has some very interesting implications for the random event cards we can draw in the game and I thought this may be useful addition.

"Where the bloody hell did they get that from!" - Fuzzies with machine guns appear.

When this card is drawn a captured Nordenfeld appears with three crew and placed within 24 inches of a random Imperial unit.  The rules for Machine gun fire still apply however the Fuzzies crewing the gun are not exactly trained gunners and will always enthusiastically attempt to maximise fire in any turn to 15 rounds.  If they then roll 15 or below on a d20 the gun jams.  It can only be cleared on a 1 - only one attempt is allowed.   Roll to hit and fire effect as per normal shooting and Machine Gun fire rules".

Very nice Foundry gun - I do particularly like the crouching figure as well.

In this way the actual model can be either quite effective or if luck holds true reasonably innocuous with one burst of fire and then silence.  However if their luck does hold out the Imperial player is going to have to swiftly and decisively deal with that weapon.  Perhaps send skirmishers out to engage etc.  The possibilities are quite enticing.




View from the rear - the Essex figures are open handed and work well.

  
The figures used in this vignette were a combination of figures that I had in the spares box.  The two actual gunners are Essex Fuzzies, the crouching chap with his bucket to cool the barrels is a modified Fuzzy from I think Bicorne with a Minifigs British artillerists bucket.  The gun itself is from Foundry and though not the exact replica of that on the dust cover of the book, at least it looks the part for our particular games..

Now to get the Dulcote out and give them a spray - but only a whiff I think.!

Random Event Cards Vignettes - Fuzzies with Bloody Big Guns!

Captured guns take aim at the Imperial invaders - lovely Cannon Fodder Miniatures figures and gun.

Here is a chance to put up another unit/vignette from the Random Event Cards Deck and phase of the game turn.

There are two cards in the deck that specify that Hostiles appear with captured Egyptian Krupp guns and unfortunate captive gunners.  They are all under the command of a particularly mean and whip wielding overseer intent on wreaking havoc upon the British ranks as often as as fiercely as he can!

The look of pain on the Egyptian gunner on the left can be felt from here!

These figures are from the very talented Greg Blake who sculpted them I believe when he was still teaching up in Darwin in the Northern Territory.  I am unsure whether they are still available and if they are, they would probably be on the books of Gerry Webb at Castaway Arts.  Greg now resides in Canberra and puts on the best Demonstration games at CANCON every year - hope you are well mate!

I know there are several sets of these available now through Perry Miniatures etc. however for me this is the absolute best of the lot.

Nasty bugger!