Steamship Troopers 1898

A Wargame

Col. Fitzsymonds

by Malcolm Wright

Player Briefing:

COLONEL FITZSYMONDS - ROYAL ARTILLERY.

They can get along without a lot of things, but not the artillery! Guns are the very strength of the army and used aggressively could win battles just by themselves. So you said in the lecture at the Poona Military College and so here you are….sent by the Viceroy to prove your point. But what has he given you. Only two batteries of BRITISH guns. The others are some poxy Indian Mountainguns with an equally poxy Indian crew. They go bang, that's for sure, but they really are just toys. And of course it was damn bad luck that the mules for the Indian Mountain guns arrived, but the ship with the horses for your guns was accidentally sent to Adis Ababa.

They have stuffed you and your command onto the decrepit steamship ANNIE and told you to go and support the army for the expedition against BUGAWANISTAN. No one is certain the damn thing will even get into to the rivers or be able to navigate them. She's a coastal bloody steamer, not a paddle boat.

You have been given a 3 company battalion of Engineers, who did have three companies of native chappies to act as bearers for their equipment, but the blasted wife of the CinC has purloined two of them for her own use, leaving you just one. That is bloody inconvenient, because you also have two sections of Signalers with heliographs and lots of Engineer stores.

Blast…it might be necessary to call on white men to carry the equipment. It would never do in India of course, but out here in BUGAWANISTAN there are said to be no civilized people at all, let alone white's so perhaps it will not be noticed too much. Anyway you have some money provided by the VICEROY (Precious little of course) so it may be possible to hire some Bugwani's to carry for you.

You don't have a damn clue what they want you to do. There are no maps just some damn tom fool legend of the wise men.

You will need to wait upon the General and see what wonderful wisdom BURNS-MULLIGREW can come up with for you to do.

COASTAL STEAMER SS ANNIE. No guns. 8 knots. This ship is also a bit suspect in draught. She has your 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. 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.

ARTILLERY AND ENGINEER BRIGADE. Colonel Fitzsymonds (RA)

    2 Batteries. 12pdr field guns. (Under direct command Fitzsymonds)
    2 Batteries. 2.75" Screw guns. (Mountain artillery) Lt. Smart. + Mule teams etc.
    1st Battalion. Royal Engineers. 4 Companies under Major Cox.
    Heliograph Company. 2 Sections, each under direct command of a senior NCO.
    1 maxim gun section. Under direct command of Fitzsymonds

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