opposite & above: Two shotsol SudangamesstagedbJ)RaJBoyles, u/aryamesco-o inatot of the vntorian Military Sociely,

"Patizan in Neh'atk.

SOLOCOIONIAI.II
by Mark R. Elwen
The Zulu commander
hasseenthe carnagethat massed
fire
powercan do to his warriors;he is thereforenor preparedto
The following scenarios are designed for the solo colonial
sacrificeall in one madrushai the defenders.
Time is not the
wargameralthoughthey couldbe quiteeasilyadaptedfor two
enemyandhe isprepared1okeepthe Britishguessingwhen
and
playersand/orotherperiods.The soloplayercontrols
oneside at whicbpointshiswarriorswillstrike.
whilstcertainchancefacton determinewhen,whereandhow
manyofhis opponentstake part.The aim is thateachscenaio TheGam
canbeplayedanynumberoftimes,butthateachtimethingscan To determinethe numberofdefendersshakethree6-sideddice
(D6) and add 25 to the resuk.Add one nore to this for the
go quitedifferently.
figwerepresenting
yourself- theofficer.(TheBoerscoutshave
headedbackforthe maincolumn).Itis up royoutodecidewhat
sizedefensiveperimeteris most suitablefor your needsand
SCENAIIO1- ZIJLUDAWN'TlL DUSK(Fig.l)
numberof men. Whateversize perimeteryou decideupon,
Setting
therewillbesufficientmealiebagsfor it to be waisthighall the
Zululand,1879.a smallmissionstation-cum-farm
whichstands

INTRODUCTION

on a supplyroutefor oneofthe Bitish colunnswhichhasnow

Roll 1D6 to seeat what time o{ day the Zulus anive (1 =
groundto a hahafterthedisaster
at Isandhlwana.
Themissionis
10am,2:
11am,3: l2noonandsoonupto3pm)thenrolllD6
situatednot far from a drift andconsists
ofa smallhouse.a barn
and
multiply
by ten to determinehow many Zulus arrive. I
anda kraalwith alow stonewall.The househasbeenIoopholed
would
suggest
armingapproximately
onethirdof theZuluswith
perimeterofmealiebagshasbeenconstructed.
anda defensive
firearms,
though
the
rules
should
take
into accounttheir poor
Thebuildingcaneasilybeadaptedfor useasa hospitalalthough
preferredto fire holdingtherifleat arm's
accuracy.
Many
Zulus
so far it hasnot receivedany casualties.
A smallnumberof
lengthbecause
theydislikedthe recoil.For ease,asthe Zulus
troopshavebeenleft to defendthe stationundercommand
ofa
take
casualties
as they advance,I alwaysassumethat the
lieutenant.However,a force of Zulus, who havemanaaedto
proportionof Zulus carying rifles remainsthe same.It also
avoidthe cavalr]scoutsfrom the marncolumn.considerihisro
preventsthe Britishjusi attemptingto pick off thesenen as
bea suitabletaqet on whihto strike;not heavilydelendedand
far enoughawayfrom the main column for reinforcementsnot targets,whichwouldbe unrealistic.
UseD20 (numbered1 to 20) to seeat whichpoint the Zulus
tobe aconcem.In onerespectthoughtheyounglieutenanr
has
enter
the board. (The drift doesnot affetmovement,but a
beenfortunate:the Zulus were spottedby two Boer scouts,
figurecrossingat
anyotherpoint movesat halfrate.)On move
who, seeingthe way the Zuluswereheadinghavebeenableto
one
and
every
subsequent
move pick one card from a well
givea waming.The Britishnow awaitthe affivalof the Zulus
pack
pickednore Zulusappear,
shuffled
ofards.
If
a
Jokeris
whosenumbershave been estimatedat aroundone to two
so
reDeat
the
carried
out for the first arrivals.
Droedure
hundred.

if a Jokeris pickedon mo\e one.nlo groupsol

Therefore.
Darkncs!$ill fall at 6pm, and in SouthAfrica falls quit
Zuluswill arri!'e.Eachcardas it is pickedis pul faceup on a rapidl\. Ii lou hale rulesfor nightfightingall well andgood,if
separalcpilc; whenboth Jokershavebeenrurnedreplaceall not shake3D6. this givesthe maximumvisibilityin inchesif
cardsinthc pack.shufileandstartagain.
plaling in 20mm or 15mm.in centimelresif in 6mm. All
The occasionmayarisewherelbereareno longeranyZulus movementis athalfrate.No onenay i;e beyondthemaxinum
on the boardithe onesthal wcrc iherc havingbecn killcd or visibilityandall shoolingis penaUsed
by -1 at shortrangeand
retreatedoff. andDoncw arivals havingcomeon. If thisdoes -2 if anvfurther.Dawnbreaksat 5am.
-a timewhentheZulushavedecided The battlecontinues
happenthenthisisa'lull
until rhepostis overrunorrhe Zulusfail
to lakc a breather,tendtheirwoundedor just takestockof the to retumaftera lull.
to lastonehour.On
silualion.Eachmovein the lull is assumed
Comments
thetuslmoveofthe lullthe Britishmayattempt10carefor their
Manyskirmishgameswhencompletedandthe movescounled
\rounded.For eachcasualtlr
shake1D6:a 1 or 2 andtheymay
up
translateinto just a coupleof minuresacrionon the table.
woundedandmustbe
returnto thewallrI or4 theyareseriouslf'
This scenarioattemptsto try and aller this so that al rbe
caredlor in themakeshifthospilal:5or 6 andthefigureisdead.
you may "feel'as if your litile men havebeen
conclusion
lf rhereare any seriouslywoundedthen one fit manmust be
boldingout.withor wirhoutsuccess,
for severalhours.
Thiswill
designated
asamedicalorderl)
lo ieDdihem.Ifanyfurlherlulls
not happeneverylime.indeedit maywellbeall overin lessthan
occurrepeatthis procedureon the firsl inoveof the lull. Any
a minute.it depcndson youanda little (alright,a lor) ofluck. lf
aheadyseriouslywoundedmen are not shakenfor again.i.e.
the Zulus keep on comingand neverstop you will surelybe
theycannotrecoverduring1becourseof ihe batile.
defeated.Nevenheless
it canbe very entertainingwaitingand
thisis the endofthe first hour.
After checkingfor casualties
hopingthat thcrewill be a lull in thefightingandlhat with a bit
Picka cardfor Zulu arrivals;if nonearrivethenthisis a second
of luck the Zuluswill not be returning.The mainpriorityis to
hourofno fighting.Repealthisa third. fourthandfifth time.lf.
concenlrate
firepower1o rry and siop the Zulus reachingthe
however.on the fifth attenpt no Zulus appearthen thef' are
wallandhereiswheredecisions
haveto bemade:canyouspare
assumed
to haveslippedawayand will not be returning.This
menfrom one\rall to helpdefendanother?
meansthelullcanlasino longerthanfour hours.Keepa noreof
how long the pausehaslastedto work out the time of day.
Ignoreanytirneactuallyspentfighting,asin a skirmishgame
SCENARIO
2-GUERRILLARAID(Fig.2)
thisusuallytranslates
inlo no morethana fewninutes-Soiflbe
batdebeganat llam andlhe firstlulllastedthreehoursit is now Setting
South Africa 1901.The Boer War has entered its guerrilla war
2pm.

l8
stage as oposedto the large battles of earlier. A small
comnandoof "Bitter Enders"are short of ammunitionand
food; their only hope is to attemptto stealsuppliesfrom a
Britishdepotbesidea nearbyrailwaytrack.A quickreccehas
shownthe depot to be only lightly defended,but armoured
trains frequently travel up and down the track. The Boer
commandercannotrisk delayinghis attackuntil nightfallfor
fearofbeingdiscovered
bymountedinfantrypatroh,sohemust
actimmediately.

6.n

o'mt

E i-:r*'n
E ".,*

(ll(
N)

Th Game
You commandthe
Boercommandowhich
numbers30menplus
th scoreof 3D6. All menare mounted.Your smallforcewill
enterthe boardat sectionsixteen.Your aim is to overun the
Britishdepot and stealat leasttwo of the four wagonsthere
without losingrnorethan 50y" of your men. The wagonswill
eachtakefour rnenfivemovestohitchuDthe horsevmules
and
will requirea maneachto drivethem.The Boerswill leavethe
Figl. "Zulu Dawn'til Dusk . Obviou:lythenumberof sections
tableby the shortestpossibleroutes.
ThenumberofBritishguardingthewagonsnumberstenmen theperimeterof thetableb dbided into canbe tailorcd to suitthe
size of yow table. Othet scenerl, tees, rocks bushescan be
pluslD6. Thecampconsistsofjustone
buildingandadefensive
perirneterwallofsandbags
aroundthecampandwagons.There
is alsoa stonekraalwherethewagonhorsesaretethered.Allow
only onelhird ofthe Britishto be readyfor actionon the first
move,thisincludestwo figureswho may be on picketduty on
oneof the fourhills.To determinewhichhill shake1D6,ifthe
scoreis 5 or6 thereareno pickets.
Each movepick a card ftom a full set which includesthe

^ a'

KingofHearts- An armouredtraincomeson the board.

King of Diamonds A mountedinfantry patrcl arrives.
For theamouredtrainroll aD6: I or 2 it entersat DointA: 3
or 4 point B; 5 or 6 point C. For the numberof troopsit is
carryingroll 1D6and add ten. In additionto thison ihe front
truckbeingpushedby the trainwillbe a Maxin machinegun
or
light artillery piece.The numbersfor the mounredinfantry
patrol will number the score of 2D6 only. Roll 1D20 to
determinewherethey arrive on the board. Onceboth these
cardshavebeenrevealed
nomorecardsareDicked.
,
If the numberof Britishdefending
the wagonsfallsto five or FiE2."Gueni d Raid" .
lessand they are outnumbered2:1 and no lrain or mounted
infantryhavearrivedroll lD6eachnove theyarefiredupon.A
scoreofonemeanstheywill sufrender.TheBoersmayadvance
onthe camp,disarmthe menandsecurethemin the building.
Commnts
This is probablythe mostdifficultofthe threescenarios.
Her
the decisionhas to be made whether to attack rhe camp
straightawayand possiblysuffer heavy casualties,take up
positionsin the surrounding
hilh andtry to reducethe number
ofdefendersbeforeadvancing,
or a combinationof both. The
longeryoutakethe greaterthe chances
o{ havingtotakeon the
train or mountedinfantry without havingeven reachedthe

ffi.$'

^''* (+\\

{,iff--

This is a scenariowhererulesfor spottingtargetsin cover

would be of use.This would be of benefitto the Boers(and
possiblymountedinfantry)so that they couldopen fire from
cover.Their opponentswould haveto discovertheir position F
"
s3. KrualRsid"
beforebeingableto returnfire aswouldbe the caseinreallife.
makingtheirtotalnumber25men.Theiraim is to burna small
kraal which the latesl scoutingreports have shown to be
SCENARIO3- KRAAL RAID (Fis.3)
virtuallydeserted,ihe men being awaywilh their impi, the
Setting
womenand childrenseekingrefugeat a largersettlement.It
Like scenarioone, this is set in Zululandin 1879durinerhe shouldbe a caseof in andout - or so they believe.However,
penodbelweenthe lirsr and \econdinvdrionsThe BirLrsh unbeknownto the Durbanstheiradvance
hasbeennotedanda
forcesarehakedandthevolunteerunits,especially,
aremaking runnersenttoa closebyimpi whichhasnotbeendtectedbythe
useof the time to burn as manyZulu kraah as possible.One scouts.The impi hassenta smallpartyto try andinterceptthe
suchparty has set out to do just ihis. They arc men of the raiders.The runnerhasalsocomeacrossseveralZulu foraqinq
DurbanMountedRifles tosetherwith a few volunteerBoers Dafiieswhoalsomaketheirwavto the kraal.

The GaIn
You commandthe
forceofmountedrifleswhoenterthetableat
sectionnine.Therivermayonlybecrossed
at thed ft. Toclaim
avictoryyoumustdestroyat leastseven
ofthe eighthutsinthe
kraalandleavethetableonlhesames;deby whichyouentered
with at leasthalfyouroriginalnumberof men.
As in thepreviousscenarios
eachmovetum overa cardfrom
acompletepack.Ifan Ace isdrawna pa(y of Zulusadve. Roll
a D20to establish
at whichpointtheyenter,thenroll1D12and
1D6andaddthetwo scores.TheD6 givesthe numberwhowill
becarryingfirearms.lf aJokerisdrawnthismeansa largerbody
of Zulushasarrived.In .hiscaseroll 1D6,multiplytheresultby
ten and add fifty, thereforethe maximumpossiblenumber
a[iving is 110.As in scenarioone, for simplicityassumeone
thirdoftheir numberhavefirearms.
The kraalwill havejust onegateway,whichin thisgamewill
be a simpleopening.Whenthe filst riderreachesthe entrance
turnoveranextracard,ifthe resultis anypicturecardor a. Ace
thismeansthereare Zulus lyingin wait in the kraal.For their
t{EwADD|T|O
STOOUR20nn
numberusethe samemethodfor ifan aceis drawnon a normal
BATTLECROU
D RAI{GE
gamemove.As in the previousscenariothisis anotheroccasion
wherea rule for concealmeni/spotting
is useful.If you do not
t960
!2050
havesucha rule thenthe followingis a suggestion
for a sinple
r5B RunedHouse
wh detac&ue
rcaf;idfr61flmr
t960
a0s0
way ofdoing this. Obviouslybeinga sologameyou will know
!840
tr780
tg Runed
indlshalbuidins
t960
D050
whereany hiddenZulusare. In the kraalthereare eighrhuts
18S R!n!tuctory
.himney
wdrsmalattached
outbuld0s
e890
trg10
givinga totalofnine suitableplaces
andoneanimalenclosure,
padaqngphas-add
Lr(post?nd
15%
onodeElpto e5 and10%
of orden@r os
for theZulusto be concealed.
Dividethe Zulus,ifany, amongst
Acrlsslie ode6a nbehxed0rt0eohoned
75055?
0nC472
Mon+ri
$ ir-6omplease
quoteord exprydateForourI lslotedol2loqueseid!1 00o !s astimo!addressed
theseand give eachhiding placea number,l to 9. For each
enopeoEEs5customenpseend4
Rc sto
trcoDerwhoentersthe kraalrolla D20:thescoreon the diewill
HOVEIS,'I8CI.EBEROAD,SCAfiHO,GRIHSBY,
correspond
to rvhichhidingplacehelooksat andspotsaZulu.If
SOUTHHU BERSIDE
DIT352HL
thescore
ir l0 to20hespoLsnolhing.
On Lhefollowingmove
an)
EOyaEsouhtllketovEn ouf cusaomeB
aHaFpychflram2s
trooperwho hasspottedahidingplaceis assumed
to be ableto
point thisout to anyoneofhis comrades
who
closeby
hasnot
observed
thistarget.
If the extracardtums out to be a joker whenthe first dder
5O,OOO+
SECONDHANDWARGAMESFIGTIRf,S
reachesthe kraal, then usethe D6 x 10 + 50 fornula Gorfy
Alwaysin stock.AII scales.Most manufacturers.
aboutthealgebra!)exceptthistimethislargepartyofZuluswill
SAE stating intercstsfot liststo:
be waiting, in arnbush.insidethe kraal. In this instanceI
A.J. Dumlow,
wouldn'tworry abouttryingto hidethem.I{rhisdoeshappen,
53 StantonRoad,Stapnhill,
you'rein trcuble.
Burton-on-Trnt,StaffsDEl5 9RP.
Once insidethe kraal, assumingyou don't come acrossa
Telephone:(02E3)530556.
hundredveryangry
Zulusanddecidethisis timeto beata hasty
retreat,your purposeis to setfire to at leastsevenofthe hurs. nothingto stopyou adaptingthe scenarios
to fit othercolonial
To do thistakesone man,one moveanda scoreof6 on a D6. theatres.Scenarioone could be a French Foreign Lgion
Thenall you haveto do is get awayby leavingthe tableat any outpostin Algeriaor Mexicoforexample.
point alongthe edgewhereyou cameon. But rememberyou
Finally,if you are unluckyand fail to survivethen do not
canonlycrossthe rlverat theford.
despair:you're a wargamer,you alwayslive to fight another
day!
Conmenas
This scenarioagainreliesmoreon luck thanskill, but it canbe
quitealot offun. Basicallyyouhaveto getto the kraalandback
BIBLIOGRAPHY
off the table as fast as possible.It is a raceagainsttime and
againstany Zulus who happento be chasingyou. There are There are hundredsof excellentbooks on all the colonial
somedecisions
to makethough;will you retum to pick up that theatres.For anyonewantingin depthinformationon the Zulu
trooperwho haslosthishorseorwill you lavehim to hisfate? andBoerWars,or on colonialexpansion
in Africa asawhole,l
Will yougetgoingwhenyou haveonlyfiredsixhutsor will you would suggestlhe followingbookswhich are extremelywell
wait,tryingdesperatelyto
throwa 6?
researched,
but at thesameiimeeminentlyreadable:
- DonaldR. Morris.
TheWashing
ofke Speats
TheBoerwar ThomasPakenham.
ANDFINALLY
I hope,if youarea colonialwargamer,youdecideto givethese ]:heScronblefot Africa ThomasPakenham.
scenariosa try. I have playedthem severaltimes and each In additionthereh aho thenewOspreyCampaign
serieswhich
occasion
hasbeendifferent,but alwaysentertaining.
looks at a particular battle or ampaign.Colonial ones
As for rules,well a setappearedin the January94 editionof publishedso far include, flre Zulu War, Omdurman^nd
WI fot usewith 6mm figures(I forgetthe author'sname,but
they were jolly good!). Thesescenariosshouldbe perfectly
For a ontemporary
andinformative,but alsolight-hearred,
suitablefor anysetofrules, the only alterationswhichmaybe look al tacticsandthe useofcoverandterrainin rhe BoerWar
necessaryare
ifyou haveasmallplayingareathenyoumayneed DulferyDrift by E.D . Swinronis a classic
still, apparently,used
to reducethe nurnberof figuresinvolvedslightly.Thereis also for rnilitarystudiestoday.

HOVEtSua