The Men Who Would Be Kings: Sudan

Two back-to-back games of scenario E, from Dan Mercey’s “The Men Who Would Be Kings” rules and they could not have been much more different.

Scenario E: “Run for the Hills”, had an attacking Beja force of 5 tribal infantry units, vs, a British “Defender”, comprising 3 Elite Line Infantry units. The British deploy against one short table edge and have to reach the other end of the table. The Beja can deploy along either/both of the long table edges, but 50% of their units in each table half, in this case 3 in left half & 2 in right half. The Beja force always activates first each turn.

Game 1: A forward deployment by the Beja forces, saw one Beja unit rush straight into melee with the left-hand British unit, in this case, a Royal Navy landing party, while a second unit trotted into a central palm grove, ready to rush the central British infantry unit.

Sadly for the Beja forces, they lost the melee with the Royal Navy and where thrown back. The poor souls then had to suffer the indignity of alternately rallying, then being shot & pinned again, by the surviving Naval infantry!

In the centre, the Beja unit in the palm grove waited for further support to arrive, before dashing out to engage the British. Sadly for the Beja force, they did not make contact and the Martini-Henry rifles, made short work of this Beja unit and it’s supporting unit. At this point, the other two Beja units slunk off into the haze!

Game 2: This time the Beja forces deployed much further back, so the leading units could trot back over the hill, to join their comrades, already lying ambush.

The British deployed in a 3 sided box/wedge formation, with the Naval party to the left. The British line infantry moved forward, ‘at the double’, down the right flank, while the Naval Landing party worked around the left of the central palm grove / rocks.

The movement by the Naval party, caused the Beja units on that flank to move out from behind the hill, to threaten the Naval unit. Rather than face this directly, the Naval party filtered through palm grove to join onto the left of the other 2 British units.

These British units then entered Close Order, ready to ascend the hill and flush out the Beja forces ahead of them. Sadly, the British had left a gap to their right, wide enough for one Beja unit to flow through and outflank the Close Order British line.

Threatened with being outflanked, the British had no option but to break Close Order formation and rush the Beja unit directly ahead of them, bayonets fixed, in the hope of break through!

Sadly, although courage was not lacking, numbers were! First the right hand British unit went down under a welter of Beja spear thrusts. Then the Naval detachment was swamped by first one, then another Beja charge. Finally Colonel Coredun was left facing down 3 separate Beja charges. The last but one leaving him standing alone! The last that was heard of him, was his revolver clicking and him yelling “Come on you hairy ba**ards, finish it!”.