Steamship Troopers 1898

A Wargame

Commodore Percival

by Malcolm Wright

Player Briefing:

COMMODORE PERCIVAL

The lady was new to Bombay and insisted she was single. Yet here you are dispatched by an angry Admiral of the Orient, to command the naval contingent on an expedition to hell on earth. Your fellow officers sniggered behind your back as you left and you heard whispers of "If the crocodiles don't get 'im the fuzzy wuzzies will!"

Damn and blast. Now you are off the coast of BUGAWANISTAN, a passed over Captain with the temporary rank of Commodore merely because that was the only way the Admiral could place you out front when the shooting gets hot. The lovely sea is behind you. In front are the waterways of a reputed hellhole that even the resident's hate living in. After all it was during your Ensign years that you traveled up stream in the blasted paddleboat while on leave in India. What bad luck the Admiral was the skipper and now being too senior to go ashore himself, decided you had sufficient previous experience to command the naval waterway and landing forces.

Worst of all he talked that damn fool general BURNS-MULLIGREW into sending your force in first to 'reconnoiter' the place. No maps, no water depths, no nothing. You have been dumped on the beach with your force and told to establish a 'bridgehead' for the damn army chaps. So here you are. If the blasted mosquitoes don't get a man the bloody heat will. it's 50deg. (In the shade.) and you are playing beach picnics with a bunch of thick headed marines and stupid matelotes.

Ah well…perhaps there is something worth looting. Some juicy fortune to be found in the eye of an idol, or the basement of some wealthy Arab trader. Yes…perhaps all is not lost. One might be able to turn being first ashore into a profitable venture.

YOUR FORCES COMPRISE THE FOLLOWING. (Disregarding the off shore stuff which is too damn far away to be of any use and under the command of the bloody Admiral anyway. Trust him to remain safe and snug in his cabin)

    GUN BOAT. …. HMS VICTORIA. 1x 4.7" gun and 4 x Machineguns. 8 knots. Can carry up to a Battalion of infantry if necessary. At the moment it is necessary and she had embarked the PALAMACOTTA Light Infantry of the 9th Indian Brigade.

    GUN BOAT. HMS CATHAY. 1 x 12pdr gun and 3 x Machineguns. 8 knots. Can carry two companies of infantry if necessary. She has none aboard at present.

    GUN BOAT. HMS GERMANIA. 2 x 9pdr guns and 5 x Machineguns. 11 knots. Can carry up to one battalion of infantry if necessary. You would have liked this ship as your flagship but the blasted General has commandeered it, even putting his damn wife and spotty children on board taking up valuable space you had intended as your cabin. Blast them all to hell anyway.

    PADDLE STEAMER. GURBETT. 1 x 2pdr pom-pom. 8 knots. Can carry 4 Battalions of infantry & HQ. Actually has the Brigade of that blasted J.T.WIGAN VC, (the man is a Cad) already embarked. This vessel will probably need to go back to the fleet for stores if the expedition is to last too long. You just might need to go with it to 'show it the way' through the river entrance.

    STEAMER. SS LADY DORSET. No guns. 10 knots. A bit deep in draught and it is uncertain if she can or cannot get into the blasted estuary. She has the 9th INDIAN Brigade embarked. (Less one Battalion) If she cannot get in she may need to off load onto boats or another vessel such as GURBETT.

    PADDLESTEAMER. CARNATION. No guns. 6 knots. She has one regiment of the Cavalry Brigade already embarked and is the only ship that can return to the fleet and take the other one ashore. She has landing ramps to allow the cavalry to disembark on beaches.

    COASTAL STEAMER SS ANNIE. No guns. 8 knots. This ship is also a bit suspect in draught. She has artillery, engineers and signalers already embarked. No horses could be provided for the 12pdr guns. The Indian Mountain Battery has sufficient mules to make it completely mobile. The engineers and signalers have their equipment but no wagons or mules. They did have three companies of bearers, but the Generals wife has requisitioned two of these. (God only knows why) However they have one company left to carry explosives, equipment and of course your heliographs. INDIA OFFICE has been a bit tight and there are only two heliograph sets available. But…perhaps you won't need any more than that.

Besides one on the Sultan's head can almost certainly communicate with the entire fleet off shore as well as the troops on shore. That is of course if you DO want to communicate with the ADMIRAL anyway!!!!!

NAVAL BRIGADE. Commodore Percival.

    ROYAL MARINE LIGHT INFANTRY. 3 companies under Major Moore.
    BLAKE BATTALION. ROYAL MARINES. 4 Companies under Major Cryer.
    NAVAL LANDING BATTALION. 4 Companies under Lt.HORN.
    MAXIM MACHINE GUN directly under Percival.
    POM-POM gun. directly under Percival.
    NAVAL LANDING GUN. directly under Percival.

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