
Our club game on 10 January was a Colonial encounter between Beja warriors and British forces during the 1884 Sudan campaign of the Mahdist War. The Sudanese Beja, supporting the Mahdi, were defending a village from a hill-top position, which the British had to take to win. Rob was hosting using Black Powder rules and his 28mm figures.

Mark, Richard and I were the Beja. Richard staggered the Beja deployment, with concealed skirmishers out front, warriors in a dry river bed, and artillery, warriors, rifle-armed men, and cavalry at the hill.

The British (Mal, Joel, Patrick, Doug) advanced slowly in columns, and soon ran into trouble.

Beja skirmishers revealed in rough ground by British cavalry...

The unit of Irish Fusiliers ran off after a melee with Beja skirmishers, due to a poor roll by Doug and a brilliant roll by Richard.
Another British unit eventually followed suit!

However, as the British cavalry advanced on the Bejan right flank, they destroyed a unit of Beja spearmen. Two Beja spear units had now departed this life...

Still, Patrick's British cavalry was charged by two more of Richard's Beja spear units. The cavalry managed to stand in a break test. (However, they later broke after all...)

Beja infantry line the riverbed...

British Highland infantry assaulted the Beja defending the river bed in the centre of the native position.

The Scots won, and the whole brigade of infantry lined up to tackle the Beja in the wadi.

On the Beja left, my camelry was attacked by the British horse, and the native cavalry took hits from British artillery.

The camels broke and fled after their melee with the British cavalry...

So I ordered a Beja cavalry charge on the British horsemen...

Meanwhile Mark lost two units in the wadi to the British infantry assault.

The British were making progress, but the Beja on the hill compensated by moving sideways, and one unit was withdrawn to defend the village.

My Beja horsemen were forced back after their melee and shaken

Alas for the British, we had come to the end of play, and the Beja had kept control of the hill and village, despite higher casualties, and thus won the game!

A fun night and very easy on the eye, using some of Rob's fantastic figures. Black Powder rules are straightforward and perfect for a quick game at the community centre. Contrary to historical reality, the British imperial forces never seem to win in our colonial games! Then again, as colonial opponents go, the Sudanese Beja were 'the finest o' the lot' according to Rudyard Kipling...
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