Battle Of Indian River

As a child Wild West wargames made up at least fifty percent of my games. Of course, then I didn't use dice but marbles and various projectiles. Gallant Timpo, Britains, Crescent cereal and Hong Kong figures battled it out on carpets, garage floors and lawns.

Last night I stayed up until 1.30 am writing rules and basing fifty mounted DSG Indians that are copies of Herald/Britains  I could only dream of having that many of that kind of figure when I was a child. The ranks of my armies then were padded out with the cheaper one coloured HK and cereal figures. This time I also made use of a variety of HK, DSG and Britains. The cowboys included a wide variety of makes and conversions. The supporting US Army figures were a combination of Accurate, Airfix and Britains Detail. Half the figures I used had only their factory paint jobs as I wanted the figures in a hurry. There were over 100 Indians and around 150 palefaces.

In today's game a wagon train will attempt to exit the opposite end of the board. Some palefaces in a ranch will also be imperilled. The US army is sending a large follow up force and a smaller force is to meet the wagon train. They and the Indians will all arrive by dice roll on a D12 so some forces might not arrive until very late.

Indians will mainly have bows and I'm going to count any with no rifles as having bows even thought the figures don't physically have them. I might be wrong but I am going to assume that, in life, Indians wouldn't go to war just armed with tomahawks or even spears. The cavalry have carbines, swords and pistols. The civilians are going to have whatever the figures wield which will mean some cowboys are disadvantaged with short range pistols only.

I am going to have some advantage to pistol shooters. Some Indians used pistols so they must have had some advantage over bows. I'm going to classify pistols as 'assault weapons' as they are in Warhammer 40K. A figure can make a full move and still shoot them. The can also be shot at any point in a horseback move. However I'll have a penalty for moving and shooting. Bows can be shot from horseback at any point in the first two thirds of a move. (The firers then can also be shot at the same point from when they shot). Other than that shooters on foot or with rifles can make a half move and shoot. Rifles for cavalry and Indians will be mostly carbines. Infantry will have longer ranged muskets. Some cowboys will have Winchesters or Henrys and will get two shots. Cowboys with two pistols will get two shots. I know the pistols generally have six bullets but I'm factoring in that they are shorter ranged and less accurate weapons.

Indians will have a combat advantage against non-Indian foot and a disadvantage in mounted combat against cavalry, the latter having an impact bonus. Indians will also have a bonus fighting in and from cover. However the Indian advantage will not extend to attacking formed infantry from the front unless the unit is diminished to half.

                                                                      THE BATTLE  

Mat elected to be the Indians and two groups of mounted Indians arrived on the first turn and Mat won the in initiative to move first. Fortunately for me his forces, that arrived on the two flanks, were sufficiently far from the wagons to not to be able to kill any of the settlers.

The settlers had time to form their wagons into a circle. Their weapons varied from revolvers to Winchesters. The latter would kill quite a few Indians. Sheriff Keymore made a desperate decision and promised his three prisoners. in the jail wagon, their freedom and, hopefully a pardon from the governor, if they would fight in defence of the wagons. As they would also be fighting for their lives against the Indians they readily agreed. The Durango Kid, Jason Hex and Billy James were armed with a Henry and revolvers and all were crack shots. The women, children and horses were safely assembled in the centre. The men took places around the perimeter.  And revolver and Winchester armed men on their left flank poured some lead into an approaching war party. A number of horses were emptied of their riders, Among those blazing away was Phideous Thrip, snake oil sales man and trick shooter. Like the three outlaw gunfighters he was a crack shot. Some cowboys were proficient in shooting two pistols. After some ineffective shooting with carbines the Indians retreated across the river.

                              Phideous Thrip in his natty black suit and tie can be seen taking well aimed shots.

                           Meanwhile some other palefaces were doing less well. Jethro Cartright was with his three brothers inspecting the ruins of the old homestead, destroyed in the last Indian uprising. They are soon under siege from the other war party.

  The wagon train settlers earnestly scanned the horizon for the US Army which was meant to be following. Finally, on move four it began to arrive, first a regiment of cavalry and then some infantry. The Indians had also seen them before scooting across the river,

                             Another group of White Eyes was busy mining for gold at Rocky Hill. They heard gun shots and tried to keep a low profile,

                                 The Cartwright brothers under siege. The Indians rode past and peppered the ruin with arrows. The Cartwright men began to fall. The Indians, however, were not unscathed.

                                        After reducing the Cartwrights to one - Jethro - the Indians withdrew to meet up with other war parties.

                                        A group of Indians on foot arrived, placing itself near the White Eyes cannon. They shot two of the crew. The infantry moved up and killed all the Indians with close range musketry.

                                       Meanwhile the miners were targeted by two war parties until one remained. The miners had tried too escape but there was nowhere to go and they had resumed their counter fire, downing a number of Indians. The remaining miner. Two gun Jeff, withdrew into the scrub and rocks to hope relief would arrive before he got staked out on an ant hill.

                                        Jeffro walks his horse across the river; he has had enough of fighting and is shaken by the loss of his brothers.

                                   Here is an earlier picture of the miners under attack.

                                               Infantry and wagons crossing Indian River.

                            Colonel Fetters cavalry (which arrived from the other end of the field and was meant to meet the wagon train) charged Chief Wind's large war party but were overwhelmed and killed to the last man.

Another cavalry charge by Colonel Smudge totally wiped out a depleted mounted war party.

WHO ACHIEVED VICTORY?

Indians got one point for each soldier killed and two points for each wagon not to get off the end of the board. The Palefaces got one point for each Indian killed. The outcome was exactly 47 points a side - a draw! General John Wayne had succeeded in protecting the wagon train, although he arrived too late to save other scattered Americans (Native Americans were not described as Americans). Chief Wind had managed to halt the pioneers from crossing his territory and he had nearly wiped out miners and the Cartwright bothers.

If I had included points for stopping individual settlers from getting off the other board the Indians would have won. If the remaining miner had elected to add some parting shots at the Indians the points might have tipped to the Palefaces.

The Palefaces are not happy though and an expedition may well be destined to hunt for the Indian villages.

My next post will outline, in detail, the rules for the game.