The Confederacy Versus Chaos 1899

 

SCENARIO

May 1899, little Rock Arkansas

A strange kidnapping has occurred. The vice governor of Arkansas, Arnold Forrest,  was out riding when he was abducted near Veracity Swamp. Witnesses included the local sheriff, an engineer and a poet.

What they claimed initially caused disbelief and ridicule. A green 'portal' of glowing light had appeared and some 'beast men' had emerged from it. The witnesses say they emerged as Forest cantered past. They exhibited great physical strength and athletic ability as they leapt on to the rider and dragged him into the portal.

At first no further sign of the portal could be found but it reappeared a day later. Governor, Arnold Vendt then ordered the local National Guard to surround the site and to train Colt machine guns on the 'gate', Not only had the  vice governor vanished but he was also the son of national hero, Bedford Forest and the brother of the president, Leeroy Forest. 

The president, although disbelieving at first personally visited the site and heard the witnesses. Within to days a small army had been assembled and after scouts had entered and reemerged to tell of an eerie land, it too began to enter. At first there was a significant delay between when the first infantry unit could penetrate the light  and when the next units could enter. The light had assumed a thick fog like appearance and the consistency of watery lime jelly.

(Note, I am going to make a future post showing the wargame rules we used)

The photos have appeared in reverse chronology. 

Below: Arnold Forest, sacrificed!

                                                    Chaos mutants move up the road.

                                                   Chaos Knights' attack the elite Guard unit.

                                    Confederate cavalry remained in reserve and did not see action. However they and a unit of infantry are ready to shoot the survivors of a Chaos unit of trolls led by a Bloodletter leader.

         Confederate artillery await a chance to fire but never managed to enter the battle.

                                         Chaos knights have pushed well up the road and are battering the CSA's elite unit. General  Cornelius Lee (son of General Lee, victor of Gettysburg), with staff, is offering moral support.

                                        Confederates aim to drive off the beastmen who recently wiped killed or drove off the two machine gun crews.

  Chaos catapults. Attempting indirect fire they succeeded only in hitting one of their own sides' trolls'

          A Chaos bird beaked witch ponders a spell but instead gets caught up in the frenzy and attacks the humans.

                                               Mutants

                                            The elite CSA unit survives the melee so far - just.

                        Ogres, strong but begin to feel the hot lead pierce their skin and organs.

                                         Bloodletters perform an attack on the interlopers flank but the humans turn to fire and then take the charge.

                                                                        Chaos Knights

                              Bloodletters skirt the lake before emerging on the CSA flank.

                              The Bloodletter leader performs the rites and consigns the human captive to the boiling blood.

                 Two Gatling guns on a hill kill many mutants and beastmen before being overrun.

                      The Confederate guard unit defeats trolls before having to face the Chaos Knights.

                  On the right flank Confederate infantry fire on Pig Demon, Big Tooth mounts.

                           Bloodletters approach from the Chaos left to engage the CSA right.

                                                       Flying Bloodletters are shot to pieces.

                                                        The captive is hauled up the altar.

   Confederates pass over dangerous terrain. Huge spiked woody trunks emerge from a crevice to cut some of them to pieces.

                             The attacking green  mutants must face the same danger and some die from this before being killed by lead poisoning.

                                                                 The Chaos Lord's abode

                                                                               Trolls

                                                          Pig Demons on Big Tooth mounts

   The CSA forces, as they emerged from the 'gate' were hampered by appearing in one quarter of the field; it took some time to spread into a more effective formation.

COURSE OF BATTLE

I commanded the CSA and Mat the army of Chaos. Chaos had a few more units than the CSA.

Each side's units came from activation of reserves. The CSA had only one unit come through in the first move. As more units emerged they had to find space for deployment. The lake and the deadly terrain also limited movement and firing. The Chaos reserves that arrived in first move could deploy ad far forward as the altar. Then the rest appeared from the base line.

Although the Chaos forces lacked ranged weapons the Confederates were hampered by deployment and terrain from using a complete firing line. Chaos forces did suffer many casualties but they were able to get the captive to the place of sacrifice and also to continually push forward.

We rolled, at move 12 to see if the game continued and it lasted one more move. At this stage the CSA was in place to cause significant casualties but the Chaos forces were also causing chaos in close combat.

VICTORY CONDITIONS

Victory was based on points - one point for each enemy unit destroyed or routing, two point for table quarters and five points for sacrificing (or saving) the kidnap victim. Each of us had destroyed or routed four units of the enemy. However, at move thirteen Chaos had troops present in each table quarter and possessed two. Victory for Chaos!

NEXT BATTLE

Rolling on our random army matching table the next battle will be between the lost world of Aztecia and Zoohoo.