This mini campaign gives players the opportunity to fight on either side in the American pony wars, for or against the U.S. Cavalry, utilising over stretched resources in the case of the cavalry or facing massive co-ordination problems in the case of the Indians. Most players have preferred to ride to the rescue as the U.S. Cavalry - who says television does not affect our attitudes!

Scenario

Fort Jackson on the Red River is a small frontier outpost, garrisoned by a lieutenant, twenty four troopers and two scouts. The troopers are organised into four sections of six men, two sections led by Sergeants and two by Corporals. One of the scouts is an Indian, the other a Frontiersman.

Standing orders to the lieutenant are to patrol the area, protecting the town and homesteads from bands of marauding hostiles, policing the wagon train and stagecoach routes and preventing would be miners from provoking the Indians by prospecting for gold in the area of their sacred burial grounds. An army survey team has reported gold nuggets "as large as birds eggs" in the area of the southern hills, ceded by treaty to the Indians.

This scenario can be played with all players on the U.S. side, on both sides, or as a solo game. First of all peruse the campaign map. On it are marked four entry points for the Indians, these being decided by the throw of 1 d6. 1-4 being as marked, 5-6 the warband starts from the Indian camp.

Set up the terrain as indicated on the map, the river is only crossable at either the bridge or the two fords. Throw one d6 the first time someone attempts to cross the fords, 1-3 cross at half speed, 4-5 cross at quarter speed, 6 unfordable due to heavy rain in the mountains. Whatever the result this continues for the rest of the game and also applies to the other ford, but pre-programmed units do not realise this and so when moving on objectives they will attempt to move via the most direct route, even if this takes them to an unpassable ford. Upon finding it blocked they would then attempt another route. Neither ford can be crossed at any time by wheeled vehicles.

U.S. Cavalry

The cavalry operates in sections of six figures, each section containing a leader figure. The Indians are in variable sized bands, determined upon their arrival by the throw of two d6. Place the cavalry in the fort at the beginning of the game, ready to sally forth as the new day breaks. Each section of the cavalry requires orders i.e. 1st section to patrol the homesteads, in a specific order and route, one section to guard the fort and so on.

Remember that you are playing the part of a single Junior leader, your men are not telepathic and should carry out the orders they have been given until they receive new orders or their situation changes. Only the two scouts and the lieutenant can be despatched independently on reconnaissance missions. Although individual figures can be sent with messages, upon delivering them they should return to their units. Cavalrymen are armed with a carbine, a pistol, a knife and, upon a throw of six on a d6, sabres. These long knives were mostly left in the depots but seem to be beloved amongst wargamers.

Miners, Settlers and Townfolk

Dice for the number of settlers in each home stead, ld6. 50% of these should be women, but round up in favour of men folk.

Settlers will only defend their homes and livestock, they will not enter into hand to hand combat through choice. Unactivated settlers need to throw higher than six on two d6 to realise that Indians are stealing their animals (darn sneaky these injuns).

Settlers are considered to be activated if gunfire occurs within 24" of their homes. They will defend their homes and livestock as best they can, but they will not leave their homes unless persuaded by the U.S. Cavalry. Dependant upon the rules used to play the game, they should be issued with a variety of weapons, including shotguns and old rifles.

U.S. Cavalrymen may persuade the settlers to seek safety in the fort (one trooper is needed to escort every two settlers) upon successful dice throws If the lieutenant talks to the settlers you need to score seven or more on 2d6, civilian scout talking eight or more, sergeant nine or more, corporal ten or more, Indian scout eleven or more (on a score of two the settlers try to shoot him!).

If a mining band is activated then it moves on foot with accompanying mules from the town towards the mother load in the southern hills, X marks the spot.

If attacked by Indians it will defend itself and once in the hills it sets up camp (nice tents available from village green) and starts prospecting . Mining groups are ld6 in size and are armed with a motley collection of weapons including old muskets and squirrel guns. Townspeople are only represented if the Indians get an "attack town" result on the event chart. Throw three d6 to give the number of townsfolk. These should be of low morale and will not voluntarily leave the town. Miners may have to be forcibly removed from the hills by the U.S. Cavalry.

Indians

Each Indian warband dices for its arrival point and intention, when it has carried out it's initial intention it dices again, ld6, I4 leave table by nearest safe exit, 5-6 dice for new intention.

Once each warband has diced for arrival and intention it is represented on the table by a card marker, the size of the warband is not diced for (2d6) until it has been spotted by a cavalryman (within 36") then the figures are placed on the table.

As part of the initial set up place a unit of Indians in the Indian Village (2d6) plus a war chief. Indians on foot can lie prone in ambush, in which case cavalry figures must come within 12" of the ambushers to have an opportunity of spotting them (see ambush chart). Any cavalry figures moving through the pass must dice to spot an ambush, as there is an Indian warband on foot in the hills at the pass, positioned to protect the village (dice for the size of this unit only when it comes into play). Its only purpose is to protect the pass, so it will not wander off unless its morale fails at which point it will retire upon the village.

Indian bands will move as directly as possible upon their objectives. The pass is two figures wide, the secret trail through the mountains is one dismounted figure wide and is known only to the Indians and the army's Indian scout.

Two Indian bands coming within 6" of one another will dice to see if one can persuade the other that it's objective is more important. Throw ld6 per warband adding +1 per extra figure and + 1 if a war chief is present. The losing warband amalgamates with the winning warband in pursuit of the winners objective. If the result is a draw both warbands go their separate ways.

Indians that achieve an objective that includes the capture of loot or animals will attempt to leave the table by the safest route and will not dice for another objective.

Players' Notes

Usually when playing this scenario all the players start out on the U.S. Cavalry side, then, if a players personality figure is killed he can optionally be resurrected as an Indian War Chief. If a war chief warband decides to leave the table he can attempt to join another warband. Then, if he wishes, he may try to give a different objective to this other warband by throwing 1d6 and the warband doing likewise. A draw means they carry on as before, a win for the war chief and they obey his orders, a win for the warband sees the player staked out on an anthill or torn between two galloping horses. What price democracy!

Players should try to think themselves into their roles. If you are supposed to be a corporal then concentrate on staying alive and obeying just enough of your orders to avoid a court martial, likewise if you are the lieutenant then lead by example or hide in the rear as your conscience demands.

Use your own personality to decide what you would do in a given situation, behave as if the little metal figure representing you was imbued with your life and also remember that you have but one life to give!

The game scale was intended to be on a one to one level however some rule sets use other representational scales. This is not too important but if using more figures than recommended try not to swamp the board as room to manoeuvre is important and a sense of the figures lost in the large western landscape is desirable.

As a limiting option on an inevitable Indian victory of attrition, the Indians are restricted to superior odds of 3:1, any game move that the odds surpass this figure, the Indians do not receive figures from the events chart.

Victors and vanquished are usually evident and no two games give the same result, especially as in times of huge hostile activity, more troopers, supporting infantry, artillery and gattling guns might just ride to the rescue!

EVENTS CHART

2-4 Darn quiet
5 Wagon arrives heading for town
6 Stagecoach arrives heading for town (2 only per game)
7 Indian warband arrives on foot
8 Miners leave town heading for southern hills
9 Mounted Indian warband arrives
10 Mounted Indian warband arrives
11 Two mounted Indian warbands arrive together
12 Commancheros have delivered guns and whisky to the Indian camp. They brought 12 repeating rifles, to be distributed to any Indians in the village. Each figure in the village throws 1d6 to see if the firewater has rendered him incapable. 1-2 on a d6 and he is removed from the game.

AMBUSH CHART

SPOTTER : TO SPOT AMBUSH (2d6)
Lieutenant 6 or more
Indian Scout 4 or more
Civilian Scout 5 or more
Sergeant 7 or more
Corporal 8 or more
Trooper 9 or more

Spotted Indians are placed on table

INDIANS INTENT CHART (2D6)

1-4 Go to vitlage for pow wow and then re-dice
5 Steal Cattle / Horses from homesteads
6 Trade peaceably with the white eyes
7 Burn / loot nearest homestead
8 Take dead warrior to sacred burial ground
9 Attack nearest cavalry
10 Attack wagons / stagecoach
11 Attack town
12 Attack fort

Add 2 to the score for every group of miners in the southern hills.

MAP KEY:
A: Small fort
B: Fords
C: Bridge
D: Wagon & Stage. Route
E: Homestead (E1-E5)
F: High rocky hills
G: Pass
H: Indian Burial Ground
I: Secret trail
J: Low Hill (J1-J6)
K: Indian Arrival Points (K1-K4)
L: Town
M: Wood
N: Indian Camp
X: Gold found here

Map

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