Monday 20 July 2020

Hold until relieved part two.

We resume the action with the Pathan horsemen threatening the bridge...


The newly arrived Indian unit reaches the vicinity of the bridge.

Pathans advance through the ruins to outflank the Brits.

Fire!.

And the horsemen are badly shot up.

The Brits shoot point blank but the Afghans keep their heads down.

The horsemen pass their morale and charge over the bridge!.

But the Indians fight them off with only one casualty.

Undeterred by the fate of their cavalry more tribesmen attack the bridge.

Turn four sees real mayhem, the Pathans hurl themselves at the Brits and slay them all.

A fierce fight on the bridge which the Pathans win too.

The bridge is under pressure from both sides of the river now.

The remaining Indian unit tries to take back the bridge.

And fails, I told you it was mayhem!. Where the blazes are the Bengal lancers?.

Oh!, here they are. Better late than never.

Turn five sees them charge and lose the melee.

Assailed from all sides the bridge falls and the defenders go to their Gawd like soldiers.


A cracking game, I may have made the Pathans a bit too good. I made them veterans and tough fighters, I may downgrade them to average or remove the tough fighter trait. What do you think?.

Saturday 18 July 2020

Hold until relieved

I managed to paint up a couple of units this week.

Indian infantry.

And some mounted Pathans.

So I got a game of Bolt Action in, scenario 10 Hold until relieved.

The objective was a rickety old bridge somewhere up the Bolan Pass. Holding onto it were a couple of small British and Indian units.

All around them lurked the Pathans, hidden amongst the rocks and the bushes.

This unit revealed itself by opening fire upon the Brits.

Who lost a man and were pinned down.

Another unit fires upon the Indians.

But the fire is ineffective as the Indians seek what little cover they can.

Support comes cautiously up the road.

While the Indians rush toward the bridge.

These Pathans prepare to ambush the relief column.

The Indians by the bridge return fire.

Causing a dead'un.

These tribesmen keep up fire on the British.

Who are forced to keep their heads down.

Their compatriots advance with the aim of firing speculatively into the cover flanking their route.

But the lurking Pathans open fire first.

Killing two of the Brits. 

With a yell the Pathan horsemen arrive.

Things look bad for the British, Where are the Bengal Lancers?.

To be continued...

Sunday 12 July 2020

Bolt Action Up the Khyber

Well, I managed to get another ten Pathans painted and glossed with a coat of PVA and coat of Klear/Future. So with twenty Pathans and fifteen British/Indians I have enough for a very small game of Bolt Action with squads of five men.

I played Scenario Ten: Surrounded  which has a squad of British infantry occupying some ruins in the middle of the table.


Pathans advance into the scrub and take cover in order to shoot at the Brits.

The Brits start shooting at them but with little effect.

While the Brits are shooting at the Pathans in cover another unit moves swiftly onto the table to occupy a low rise close to the ruins.

They then charge the British position.

And after a savage fight take the ruins.

Another unit of Pathans move up to occupy the rise.

The Bengal Lancers arrive too late to save the surrounded Brits.

A unit of British infantry arrive too.

The lancers charge the Pathans on the rise who react by shooting but cause no casualties.

And are cut down by the gallant horsemen.

The Pathans in the ruins turn to aim at the lancers, I don't allow the Pathans to move and fire because I believe that their weapons were slower to load. 

The British infantry are pushing forward. 

But the Pathans in the scrub open fire on them, killing one man.

Then another unit of Pathans enter the table behind them!.

The British turn to shoot and manage to kill their leader.

But the Pathans pass their morale test and charge in.

The Pathans win the melee

The Pathans holding the ruins fire upon the lancers.

Causing a pin marker but no casualties.

With Pathans in ambush ahead of them and fire from the ruins.

The gallant lancers"advance" from the field. A bad day for the Empire.



Bolt Action worked very well in this game and will play better when I have more and bigger units.
I have some Indian infantry primed to paint next.