The Yucatan Indian Wars contains all the popular elements of Colonial wargamming: bloodthirsty and machete wielding natives, religious fanatics, beleagured outposts, jungle ambushes, massacres and near disasters. This section provides some ideas and basic information for those who might wish to wargame battles from this period. RULES The actions of this period were small scale and are best recreated with a tactical or skirmish level set of rules. The Sword and the Flame, Soldiers Companion, Indian Mutiny Skirmish Rules, or Sudan Batlegame rules are good candidates and easily adapted to this period. The Pony Wars "group solitaire" system has been suggested as suitable for gaming the early part of the revolt. TYPES OF ACTIONS The most typical actions to be depicted would be skirmish actions in the form of encounters along jungle trails and clearings. These could include Ladino patrols operating outside of outposts or fortified towns and Indian probing actions around Ladino defense lines. Larger games could depict full scale indian assaults on Ladino forts, ambushes on Ladino columns, or Ladino surprise raids on Indio villages. One large scale historical scenario that suggests itself involves the Ladino evacution of a frontier town complete with civilians, baggage train, escort, rear guard, vanguard, and perhaps some light artillery. The column would have to negotiate a jungle trail and reach safety in the face of numerous Indios. A good scenario for a "Pony Wars" type system as suggested by reader Ron Vaughn would have excursions by Ladino military columns throughout the country side trying to round up the civilians from remote haciendas and towns and bring them to safety. Hypothetical scenarios might include intervention by U.S. Marines oreven a Mayan invasion of Belize encountering the British West Indian Regiment, naval Bluejackets or Royal Marines. Another interesting gaming possibility is a three player game pitting Mayans, Barbachanistas, and Mendistas against each other. LADINO UNITS Typically the basic Ladino unit would be the Company of 50 to 100 men. Six to Eight companies made up a battalion which were organized into brigades and divisions. In practice while fighting in the bush the Ladinos employed ad hoc field columns of platoon to regimental size called "Guerrillas". FIGURES Figures to represent Ladino officers, regulars, and the better uniformed National Guard units can be drawn from existing Texas Revolution, or Mexican American War lines. In a pinch Napoleonic figures will do (the shabbier the better). The Maximilian/Juarez line would be an ideal source of peasant figures. Basic paint guide would be blue coats, white pants, black or leather gear, black boots or brown sandals. Figures for Ladino militia, Mestizo conscripts are represented by Mexican armed peasant figures with straw hats, wearing sandals, loose white cotton blouse and pants; equipped with musket, machete, and water gourd. The typical Indio would appear much like the conscripts above, perhaps with more machete armed figures and less musket an-ned figures. Huit warriors would be much the same with rolled up short pants and long hair. American mercenaries could be represented by a mixture of Mexican American War U.S. Regular figures Texan revolutionaries, or suitable figures from a western frontier line. FIRE COMBAT Unlike other Colonial periods the primary firearm was the muzzle-loading smoothbore musket with short range and low rate of fire. Fire combat tables should be adjusted accordingly. Also note that Mexican marksmanship was notably poor due in part to low quality gunpowder which led unaimed firing from the hip because of awful recoil. Players may wish to consider the effect of "buck shot" loaded muskets or shotguns at very close ranges. MELEE COMBAT For the Indio the Machete was a tool of livelihood as well as a weapon so they were skilled in its use. Close combat rules should reflect this and Indios should be given a significant close combat advantage. LADINO MORALE AND ABILITIES This would vary from good to poor. Regulars, seasoned National Guardsmen and standing Militia units would have at least satisfactory discipline, morale, and abilities. The hastily raised militia and conscript units of the early crisis period would have lower or outright poor morale and abilities. However, players should consider allowing a "back against wall" or "desperation morale" bonus where appropriate for all Ladino units. Units should be rated for fieldcraft and bushfighting abilities. For most units this rating started out as poor but rapidly increased as they experienced indian fighting (the hard way) American Mercenaries would be rated as having satisfactory discipline and morale, good firepower, but poor fieldcraft and bushfighting abilities. Their specialty was the bayonet charge. INDIO MORALE AND ABILITIES Variable morale. Generally good but brittle. Excellent close combat and bushfighting abilities. Below average discipline as they were prone to looting and excesses. Some units may be rated as FANATICS. Indio forces could also be rather flaky during planting and harvest times. Back to Table of Contents -- Savage and Soldier Vol. XXIII No. 2 Back to Savage and Soldier List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1992 by Milton Soong. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. 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