Steamship Troopers 1898

A Wargame

Brig. Gen. Carew

by Malcolm Wright

Player Briefing:

BRIGADIER GENERAL CAREW.

Damn, one year to go before retirement after a life time of service to Queen and Country and what do they do to a chap….send him on the expedition to BUGAWANISTAN. Never a promotion to anything higher than Brigadier since that unfortunate incident with that lady in Poona who turned out to be the wife of the head of the India Office. Damn fool of a man to have a wife 30 years younger than him…what!!!

Oh well…here they have sent you and here you are. Best thing is to make the best of it, keep your head down to avoid the blasted fuzzy wuzzies and look for opportunities. If the situation is right a chap could well find himself hero of the day (without too much personal risk of course) and skipping back up the promotion ladder instead of staring at retirement. If not, well perhaps he could find some worthy loot to boost the old bank balance and make retirement a little easier. The wife always has wanted an estate somewhere instead of the cottage at Minor-Wittecombe, that is the present family seat.

Fortunately, you have heard that the river DUS-TI-MUK is really the gateway to the splendidly rich and opulent interior of Uthabuggastan where-in lie untouched spices and oils, desperate for a market in Europe. While such matters of commerce are distasteful to a true soldier, your brother Issy owns a lavish trade house in London and has promised to handle the grubby details if you can establish contact with the BILABUGGA of BUGAWANISTAN. This Oriental gentleman is the second in command of the BUGAWAN himself, but has let it be known through intermediaries in India, that he would not be adverse to earning an additional few thousand Rupees, if the right opportunity should come along. YOU intend to be that opportunity. In all actions against the BUGAWANI armies you will always seek to negotiate and always try to locate the BILABUGGA. Through the BILABUGGA lies the path to the riches of the interior.

The PALAMACOTTA infantry of your Brigade are aboard the Gunboat VICTORIA. The rest of your Brigade are crowded onto the steamship SS ANNIE. There is not even any damn assurance that the blasted ANNIE can even navigate the rivers of this horrid place. You are established aboard the HMS VICTORIA. At least the Officers Wardroom has a fully stocked bar and real Gin. Of course you may have to leave it eventually, but only if you are sure it really is safe. You have rejected any suggestions you should travel on the leaky old ANNIE which is usually used for transporting little more than Rats, but it seems to be fine for the men and they waved happily as they chugged off from the fleet.

Your forces are as follows.

    9th INFANTRY BRIGAGE. Brigadier Carew.
    6th HIGHLAND REGT. 4 Companies under Colonel Hamish MacDougal.
    63rd PALAMACOTTA LIGHT INFANTRY. 4 Companies under Lt. Colonel Dogge.
    17th DOGRA's. companies under Major Fulham.
    2nd QUEENS OWN RAJPUT INFANTRY. 4 companies under Colonel Yarrow.& Subadah Golat Singh.
    1 MAXIM section. Directly under the command of Carew

THE CinC of this expedition is the crafty, money grubbing Lt.General BURNS-MULLIGREW who have even brought his blasted family with him. Especially his greedy wife. The 2iC of the expedition is the rather dashing and brave Major General WIGAN VC. A favorite of the Queen and the Viceroy of India.

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