Zoohoo Bloodbath

    King Ockleton of Ruritania was furious that a bunch of savage tribesmen were preventing the colonisation of Zoohoo. General Swiftsword, a man of ancient military family lineage, was sent to take command of the expeditionary force. Swiftsword could be depended on to take action but he could also be reckless. His gold eagle helmet shone in the sun as he ordered his men forward.

  As the Ruritanian player I won the dice rolls to force Mat to set up the Zoohoos first and I also won first move. I chose this opportunity to play less defensively. My three cavalry units galloped forward, followed by infantry and two horse artillery. On my right flank the infantry advanced through the jungle to try to deny it to Zoohoo infiltration. On my left flank  I positioned the machinegun and the ironclad boat with its two heavy guns.

  

Ruritanian infantry on the left flank moved forward to take position in some rocks.

A large column of Zoohoos turns to attack Ruritanians in the jungle.

                                                            The massive Zoohoo force...

                                                          Ruritanian artillery and cavalry...

                                                                     Naval Support...

                                                  Elite Ruritanian Guard infantry and lancers

                                                          An impetuous cavalry advance...

     The Royal Ruritanian Marines disembark and chase the retreating Zoohoos on their left flank.

                  Zoohoo Black shields turn on the smaller Ruritanian force in the jungle.

   Ruritanian lancers and elite infantry push forward in the centre. The remaining Zoohoo shooters prepare to stop them. However, they were outclassed,

             A sailor on the boat signals the forces ashore where the guns will be directing their shells.

                             Ruritanian infantry about to be wiped out on the right flank...

       Despite their initial success the lancers were overwhelmed by  superior numbers.

                                             The Zoohoos after wiping out the infantry in the jungle charge on to kill the Ruritanian high command!

Many Zoohoos succumbed to Ruritanian bullets

We played this game using Funny Little Wars rules. A matchstick firing Lone Star Desert set cannon did the firing for the other cannons. The matches often sailed just over or between figures so they did not count. Only when they hit a figure or landed near it did damage occur. The heavy ship cannons had a radius of nine inches with 100% potential casualties with saves on 6s. The other guns had a six inch radius with 75% casualty rate and saves on 5-6. The ships guns did a great deal of damage, almost wiping out native mounted rifles and an infantry unit of over 24 figures.

   The lancers repeatedly drove back native units but there were enough additional natives to eventually overwhelm them. The Ruritanian guard infantry was victorious over enemy infantry and then formed firing line to out shoot the enemy.

  It was move 12. The Ruritanian marines were moving forward and crossing the river but the back warriors on the other flank were moving forward and killed the general and staff. According to FLW rules if a general is killed he reappears at the base line D6 moves later. In the meantime the army must follow its previous orders. Mine appeared one move later! This was a very light effect compared to the rules we use in our fantasy campaigns!

  The two Ruritanian horse artillery had also been overrun.

  Then the battle ended. The victory conditions were the same as previous battles - command of table quarters. Native casualties were over 130 and Ruritanian ones under half that. The table quarters were we each held one and two were contested - another draw!

  NEXT GAME

The next game will be in November with ancient Egyptians versus WW1 tank and troops!