Fall of Fort Henrik

Battle 2 of the Sikamuki Campaign

As the survivors of the Griswold Massacre trickled in, Captain Hareld Havinger prepared to defend his hastily erected base, which he designated as Fort Henrik (after the Bluderian king). A company of infantry and a battery of guns manned the walls. Two more infantry companies, a squadron of cavalry, and some skirmishers operated outside the cramped confines of the fort.

Soon, the tribesmen emerged from the woods.

The Bluderian rifles and an infantry company advanced on the hill, hoping to use its defensive benefits to blunt the assault.

But they were quickly overwhelmed by the Sikamukan natives.

The cavalry squadron struck a band of natives.

It too was overrun. Then the fort's guns wiped out a native band.

The Sikamukans rushed the fort. The guns obliterated more natives.

Two warbands concentrated on the infantry company outside the walls of the fort.

Soon it was gone.

The guns were silenced by the deadly native archers and the warbands swarmed over the walls.

Havinger managed to escape to a waiting longboat, which whisked him back to his ships.

Having suffered two devastating defeats, Havinger realized he could not sail home without redeeming himself. If he returned without anything to show, he would be forced to resign, or worse. No, he had to accomplish something.

Realizing the effectiveness of his guns, Havinger plotted to lure the natives into a rash attack on multiple emplaced batteries. First, he would need a better defensive position. He sailed off, looking for a new place to establish a fort.

Notes

• This was the second battle of the Sikamuki campaign, where the Bluderians are attempting to conquer a new world empire. The natives are having none of it.
• The natives are leading 2-0. One more defeat will force Havinger to sail back to Bluderia in disgrace.
• By the way, Sikamuki is a play on Miccosukee, a tribe of Native Americans in South Florida (they branched off from the Seminoles).
• One of the main reasons I played this game was to try out my new terrain cards. In the past, I used dice to determine terrain randomly. It was a bit time-consuming so I ginned up a randomizer in Excel. However, that meant that I needed a computer to set up a game. I decided to take a new approach. I made up some cards to represent terrain features. I then dealt out 8 cards and then drew out the terrain accordingly.

Above you see cards for woods, clear, hills, and a river (which I turned into a bay). There are also fields, buildings, and rough ground. In all, I have 24 cards so there should be enough variability. It will be easy to modify the card mix to account for different geographies. For example, if the game is set in an area of hills, I can remove some of the clear cards. I thought the experiment worked quite well.

The Griswold Massacre

Introduction to the Sikamuki Campaign
The Grayrockian sea captain was mad, or so said the court. Yet King Henrik of Bluderia listened to his tales intently. The ancient mariner told of a vast land across the sea to the west. Peopled by savages, yet it was a land of great wealth and splendor. With a determined band of adventurers one could win great wealth.

Shortly thereafter, Captain Hareld Havinger found himself in command of a three-ship flotilla, bound for the legendary western continent. After months of harsh conditions, his command landed upon the shores of "New Bluderia" (the natives called this island Sikamuki). Alas, the natives did not welcome the Bluderians, and skirmishes erupted.

As a result, Havinger sent a party under the command of Lt. Griswold to reconnoiter.

Griswold's Expedition
Lt. Griswold embarked with a band of riflemen, 3 platoons of regular infantry, and a small cannon.

Griswold's party (bottom left) advanced along a native path while various tribesmen gathered.

A band of native spearmen attack the Bluderian column. Massed firepower wipes them out.

Native skirmishers strike. Griswold sends in his best troops with a bayonet charge. Alas, the natives just melted into the forest and sniped at the infantry with their bows.

First platoon took serious casualties.

Meanwhile, the riflemen advanced to a river crossing where they got ambushed.

They didn't last long. Neither did Third Platoon.

Griswold withdrew to a large clearing and got his artillery into action. It temporarily halted the native advance.

Temporarily. The natives used their woodcraft to approach closer and snipe at Griswold's command. Casualties mounted.

First Platoon fell.

Then Second Platoon.

The natives surrounded Griswold and the gun, then rushed in for the kill.

That night, there was a great feast at the native village. Griswold's severed head was the "guest of honor." Meanwhile, a lone survivor, who was wounded and left for dead, made it back to Havinger's camp, bringing the dreadful news.

Notes

•  I have started a new campaign. This time it is a colonial campaign, loosely based on the conquest of the New World. There is a continent to the west of Francesia that has attracted the attention of the Bluderians.
• It is not looking well for Bluderia - they are now 0-1 in the campaign.
• For this battle, the Bluderians were restricted to the path while the natives could move through the forest. This allowed them to flank the invaders, with devastating effect.
• This was the first outing for my new block artillery and leader. The artillery features a stylized cannon while the leader is a flag.
• I used my latest version of my lazy gamer rules. I am still tweaking them.