Barampta on the Sre Mela Maidan --- Part 1 Defending the Sangar

Please tell the court what happened next, Sir, Capt Laughland instructed the Subaltern. Dharmas mouth was
as dry as a Waziristan nullah, and he tried to clear his throat (note 1). Yes Sir --- Sepoy Bismallah stood
straight up in the Sangar and started screaming in a high-pitched voice at the Waziri sheltering on the peak in
front of us. Lance-Naik Sita Gohl tried to knock him over, with the butt of his gun to the back of Sepoy
Bismallahs knees, but by then it was too late . . . and the walls of the court room faded away, and Lt Dharma
was back in that rain-soaked sangar, out in the Sre Mela, once again (note 2)
Four Jezails gave their characteristic musket-bark! And poor Sepoy Bismallah didnt stand a chance (note 3).
He spun around, hit in the shoulder with the first Jezail musket ball, and the second head-shot just flipped him
right over and he collapsed upside-down in a heap, exactly where he was standing. Sepoys Ram Mangal and
Makarram Khan returned the fire with their Snyders, and 200 yards away, a pile of rags gave a strangled cry,
and momentarily came half-way into view, as the Waziri and his Jezail were flung back away from the rock he
was sheltering behind (note 4).
We were hunkered down on the top of a mossy-gray rain-swept peak, with jagged edges surrounding the top
like so many buttress points. We had levered the big stones out of the ground with our frozen hands last night,
to create a waist-high impenetrable wall, but now we were trapped there. Conditions could have been worse,
but I dont know how. It was a sullen, damp 20 degrees above zero, and the cold wormed its way into our very
joints. The Waziri were still a little ways off, but our natural retreat down the hill and back to the column had a
lot of rough scrub, which meant it wasnt so easy to get back to safety. The Waziri would have a field day if we
tried --- like shooting fish in a Nabobs pond! Lance-Naik Sita Gohl was madly waving the signal flags, trying
to let the column know the situation. But could they do anything in time to make a difference? No! We were
definitely on our own, this time! Moderately close, but off to our right a bit, there was the dilapidated remains
of some sort of old tombs, and the air was filled with the smell of the thick holly-oak scrub, and of musketry.
Funny how yer senses sharpen up, when theres a touch of danger in the air.
First Encounter at the Sangar
There were 9 of us from the Punjabi Frontier Force left --- 7 Sepoys, Lance-Naik Sita Gohl, and Lt Dharma.
Dharna still couldnt believe that --- here he was, only his third patrol out here on the Grim, and he was pinned
down and just waiting for the Waziri to attack! (note 5). No sooner had that bitter thought crossed his mind,
but the Waziri rose out from among the gray stones like ghosts rising from the very ground! The rest of the
Khel! 18 men and their Malik came a-yelling with their sandals slapping out on the wet ground as the distance
closes! Hold it! . . . Steadyeee! . . . NOW! FIRE! Lt Dharma yells, as they close to 40 paces and Lt Dharma
lets go with his revolver! Five Snyders give out their distinctive bark, and a Jezail man goes over backwards,
and a Knife-man slumps to the ground! Blam, Blam! The Webley takes out one more knife-man, who does a
back flip and lies there, not moving! (note 6) Not enough! Do we have enough time to mount bayonets? (note
7) NO! Theres no time left! We rise up as one behind the Sangar, and Dharma draws his sword! 15 wolf-men
and their Malik crash against the Sangar line! (note 8)
With a rising din, the Waziri hit our defenses! A huge rangy Waziri tackles Gobinda Dal on Lt Dharmas left,
Khyber knife against rifle-butt! (Note 9) Gobinda tries a two-handed block against the incoming knife swing!
The Waziri fakes him out, and slices on the other side of the rifle! Oh no! Gobinda goes down with a serious
wound! On the other side, Kundrat Ali is trading blows with another 6 foot tall Waziri! Dont they come in any
smaller size?! Hes whip-cord lean, but Kundrat isnt giving an inch! The wolf-man lunges (note 10) and
Kundrat dances out of the way, and comes back with an overhead swing! The wolf-man blocks Kundrats rifle
with his shield and tries to cut at him with his Khyber knife! The wolf-man makes the mistake of trying to get
too close, and then Kundrat knocks him down with a rifle-flip and the butt of his rifle hits the wolf-man on the
chin, and he falls back, stunned!
Theres a monster in front of Lt Dharma! Bigger than the other two! (note 11) Dharma tries to deflect his
bayonet out of the way, but the wolf-man uses a sweeping block to knock the Dharmas sword off course!
Dharma mis-reads what he intends, and goes for a two-handed block! Instead the wolf-man repostes, and the
snaky S-shaped bayonet gashes Dharmas arm! NO! He drops his sword and falls back, wounded and in shock,
unable to do anything to help his platoon! Kundrat shifts his body, so that he shields Dharma from the wolf-
mens onslaught! Lt Dharma scrabbles for his Webley --- where IS it? Must have dropped it, and the cord is
tangled up where he cant seem to get at it! Its all Dharma can do, to staunch the blood with his good hand,
and push his way towards the back wall of the Sangar! Disaster! They were on us in a flash! The Waziri have
beaten us! (note 12).
The Gurkhas Arrive
Ten more silent shadows come over the back wall so fast, that Lt Dharma instinctively cringes! What the
Jehosephat was that?! Ah, thank Gawd, were saved! The 5
th
Gurkha have arrived! They dont make any war
cry or sound whatever, but go straight to work with bayonets and those curved Kukri knives of theirs! The
Waziri are in as much of a shock over their arrival as Dharma was! The little Green Killing Machine wades into
the fray! From our vantage, all we see is flashes off their knives, and the butt end of rifles with bayonets,
jabbing jabbing jabbing! (note 13). In short order, the tide has turned! Three Waziri are dead, including the
Malik, their Head man! Ah, no! One of the Gurkhas slumps to the floor of the Sangar, a broken bayonet
clutched in his chest! And Kundrat stumbles back, falling beside Lt Dharma, stunned! Dharma tries to grab him
and pull him back out of harms way! The Gurkhas, however go nuts --- its one thing to wound a Gurkha in a
fair fight, but if you kill one of them, then no man nor beast is safe from their vengeance! Theirs is a cold rage,
precision actions faster than the eye can follow.
Will the Wolf-men break, now that their head-man is dead!? NO! The remainder go berserk as well, and if at all
possible, they seem to have gained some speed! They must be high on something, fighting on like maniacs,
when facing the Gurkhas! (note 14)
The wolf-men get their second wind, and its Gurkhas versus Wolf-men! One more wounded Gurkha, but two
wounded wolf-men --- and one wolf-man falls out of the flashing melee, dead before he hits the ground! They
cant keep up this pace! The Wolf-men HAVE to crack and run! And here it comes! The critical point in the
battle! Morale wavers and then crashes like an avalanche! WHOAH, theyre over the Sangar and beating a
retreat! The Wolf-men are beaten! WE SURVIVED! Several of the Gurkhas are still harrying them, chasing
them to the very edge of the cliff, but their short legs are built for covering rough ground, not winning a foot
race against ropy giants taller by half than the Gurkhas are! Finally, the Gurkhas stop at the edge, shaking with
rage. Its only now, that they let their emotions vent!
We stumble down the mountainside, in twos and threes --- like some crazy entry into a handicap race at the
Lower Mousewald Church Picnic (note ). Dharmas arm had started to ache like the very devil, and he was
fully convinced that the snaky bayonet might have been poisoned with something. Then came the shakes, and
Dharma was convinced he was dying. The Medic gave him a clean-up and matter-of-fact lecture on what
happens when adrenaline wears off, then a dose of Laudinum, and thats all Dharma remembered . . .
TO BE CONTINUED (but only if its of any interest)
After Action Report
After Action Report
This is the first in a serialized Solo-Mini-Campaign using TSATF rules and Mythic GME (Game Master
Emulator) to add the variety and uncertainty factor. Extra "flavor" comes from lists that are pulled with a deck
of cards. These notes show how the whole lot meld together to create the main story line.
The card-pull lists are an important part of maintaining the interest during a long mini-campaign. These are
built up from snippets of various favorite fiction books (like Flashman) and
memoires (Like Col Jimmie Stewart). Portable things that I take with me, and work on when I'm waiting for
the wife. Maybe the smell of the pines doesn't matter as much in an over-the-table encounter, but the little
details make it "come alive" for the solo gamer. I uploaded several of the lists referred to in the notes, into the
files section.
One of the nice advantages with Mythic GME is that we can play out "mini-scenes", which allows us to use
TSATF on much smaller playing surfaces (in this case, about 3 foot square), as we don't have to go waltzing all
over the 5 x 8 table, in order to "find" the enemy. A nice advantage for people with not much space, or who
just want to brush up on some part of TSATF rules.
Bob
Seur D'Armadilleaux
Defender of the cookie jar, sauce-pan firmly on head, broom at port arms, off to defend the N WF
Notes:
Note 1: Hmm? Oh! You must be new to the Frontier, mboy! A nullah is a dried up old river bed or ravine.
Welcome to the North West Frontier! They say you hate it for the first 3 months, then love it for the rest of
your life, yknow. A Subaltern? Why yes, a Lieutenant IS a Subaltern, mboy a Junior Officer, ysee?
Note 2 Sangar means a hasty rock circle, usually knee-high or waist-high that the piquets would throw up with
available material for their overnight watch. This court may be the starting scene, but for us died-in-the-wool
TSATF types, THIS is the stuff we live and breath for --- the heart of any mini-solo-campaign.
Note 3: two hits, one a Heart, on Bismallah, (so I guess thats it for him!)
Note 4: one hit, J clubs on the Waziri. Time to build the scene, so we go to our list for Construction of a
Frontier Fort (its in the Files section), ignore the fort elements themselves, and pull a card for Surrounding
Terrain (7= old tombs nearby); Appearance 2= mossy-gray; Surrounding 6= buttress points (hm, well have to
reword that one a bit). Next we get a variable-element from the Mythic Terrain Generator --- 35.07.32 (three
throws on decimal dice; we show them as a duey-decimal block xx.xx.xx to save time) and that translates into
Significant Objective, Disillusions, Scrub so there is some scrub between us and our line of retreat, which
means it isnt easy to get back to the column --- we can work with that! One last pull on the Mythic Sounds
and Smells chart, (were doing it here, just because we can and to show what it adds to the scene), and we
get 18.56.23 --- which translates as Moderately close, Pine-tree smell, and Musketry. Great! Time to go back
and write up that battle scene.
Note 5: Hm? Oh! The Grim is what all us old timers call the NWF --- dont relax yer guard for a second, young
un, or the Waziri will be down among you like wolves in the fold! Ah, that was the assessment of one of our
Colonel --- he said the Afridi were like rangy mountain lions, but the Waziri were the wolves --- and they hunt
in packs! But is there an attack imminent THIS time? We put the question to the Mythic Fate Chart --- with a
likely probability of 75, we roll the decimal die and get ---57! Yes! They rise like avenging zombies and here
they come! Oh, the Mythic Fate chart? Well, yes, its a clever little bit of stuff that allows a Yes, No or
Exceptional Yes (so TWO Khels charge) or Exceptional No (not only DONT they charge US, but they
charge someone else instead) but more about that later in the campaign.
Note 6: Straight TSATF: We roll a 5 on the die (and pull a 3 clubs for the selection of WHO) so a knife-man is
wounded and a 1 on the die (and a K hearts for WHO) for a dead Jezail-man. The Webley throws a 6 and a 3 --
- one dead for the 6 --- then we pull a 4 hearts so its a knife-man dead.
Note 7 We pose the question to the Mythic Fate chart, with a Somewhat Likely probability of 65 or under,
and we roll 70 --- NO! TOO CLOSE! While we are here, we check on the TSATF close-into-combat chart,
where we need a 1-4 on a 1D6 to close, and we roll a 2! Theyre comin in!
Note 8: We revert to miniatures and TSATF to resolve the combat! Its an even fight, with the Pathans +1 for
charging, and the Indian Infantry defending at +1. We are going to use a new Hand-to-Hand Battle card-pull
chart that adds color (but doesnt affect the TSATF battle resolution mechanisms). Its up-loaded to the files
section, too
Note 9: JD= 2 handed block, 2D= parry Waziri rolls 6 and Gobinda rolls 2 and he is wounded and out of the
fight!
Note 10: 10D= Lunge for the wolf-man; 10C= overhead swing for Kundrat! 2 x 6s; Followed by 9D= Block
and Knife for the wolf-man; and Kundrat comes back with 10C= overhead swing! ! 4 for the wolf-man to
Kundrats 6! The wolf-man makes the mistake of trying to get too close (QD), and Kundrat knocks him down
and he falls back! Kundrat wins!! (Ah! Lemme catch my breath for a minute, then well write it up!)
Note 11: Dharmas 5C= tap & thrust to his 6D= sweeping block; (I actually roll the TSATF combat die at this
point, a little out of order, but it tells us what we need next; in this case, Dharma makes a Mistake) Dharmas
KD= misread intent to his 3D= riposte; die roll is his 5 to Dharmas 2 so Lt Dharma is wounded and out of the
action!
Note 12 At the end of the first pass of fighting, there is only Kundrat Ali and two others left standing for the
Puffers (the Punjabi Frontier Force), versus 4 Waziri plus their Headman. The Puffers have 1 dead, Dharma
wounded, and 3 pushed back. The Waziri have 2 wounded and 2 pushed back. Things looking kinda bleak for
this campaign! Might be pretty short-lived at this rate! So we arbitrarily bring in the Marines of the NWF
Note 13 We resort to TSATF to resolve the combat, as 10 Gurkhas with bayonets fixed (so they get a +1) join
in the fray. In the ensuing struggle, we have 1 dead and 1 wounded Gurkha, plus 2 pushed back, versus 3 dead
(including the Malik or head-man) and 1 wounded Waziri, and 3 other Waziri push-backs. Of the remaining
Puffers, Kundrat gets pushed back. We decide not to write up a whole lot of detail on the rest of the fight,
except for the high-lights. We query Mythic about the Waziri running, with a very likely result, so we need to
roll under 85 on the percentile die, and we get 86! They stand and fight another turn! Using the Mythic Fate
chart gives more possible variations than TSATF in some circumstances (like the stand-n-fight results). Either
approach works. Now to write it up.
Note 14 The second round of fighting, with the Gurkhas and the Wolf-men! One more wounded Gurkha, but
two wounded wolf-men, and one dead! They cant keep up this pace! We go to Mythic, and ask, Do the
Wolf-men crack and run? With the verbally-stated odds Very Likely (and a neutral Mythic Chaos level of 5)
all we need is below an 85% on the percentage die --- and here it comes! (Drum roll, if you please!)
BRRRrrrRRRRrrRRR --- 17! WHOAH, theyre over the Sangar and beating a retreat! AHHhh, good thing
theyre gone! My poor ol heart cant take any more! (Whew, take a gulp of that Chota Peg, an then lets get it
all down on paper!)
Note 15 Hm? Never visited the county fair at Lower Mousewald?! Why thats absurd! Its strategically located
near Upper Mousewald, and Mousewald-on-the-water! Dear me, mboy, yer Victorian England geographical
education is sadly lacking! Next thing, youll be telling us youve never been to Chipping Camden! Harumph!
Chota Peg = two fingers of whiskey and soda
Lance-Naik = Native Lance-Corporal
Maidan = plane or flat ground
Malik = head man
Nabob = a person of wealth and importance
Puffers = members of the PFF --- the Punjabi Frontier Force
Sangar = low rocky defensive piquet perimeter
Wolf-man = nickname for the Waziri Afghans
Barampta on the Sre Mela Maidan, Part II --- Doc Carmichael Plays Through
Lt Dharma was feeling really sick. The world was swaying horribly, the smell was unbelievable, and his head
felt like a couple of canon balls were rolling around in there, trying desperately to bash their way out. He wiped
the rain from his face, as he swam back towards consciousness. WhOOoooah, what was that hooOOOorible
torture he was being subjeeEEEected to? And oooOOOooh the smeEEEEelll . . .
The fuzziness lifted, and Dharma realized he was strapped into some sort of pannier for wounded patients, tied
to the side of a smelly and incredibly sadistic camel! He rolled his head to the outside and tried to dry-wretch,
but of course, nothing came up. Then the fire came back in his arm with a vengence! Ooooh that arm hurt like
HADES, and against all military training, he couldnt help it, AAAarrh! he announced to the world --- Im
back! The Medic came walking over, with his Scottish accent, and says Ach, good morrow Lieutenant, glad
to see you could join us this morning. Lovely day for a walk, dee ye ken? And it was lucky that Dharma was
bound in good, or the Medic would have had his head handed to him on a platter! The Medic did a quick once-
over, and then he pronounced Dharma fit to walk, if he so desired, and Dharma couldnt express his desire to
walk fast enough, or loud enough! Camels! Filthy beasts! Sea-sick on land!
And thats how Lt Dharma came to be in charge of the Invalid Brigade, on the Sre Mela Barampta (note 16).
The first attempt was more like a bad stagger than a walk, but Dharma was determined not to be loaded back
into that swaying torture chamber on the side of the camel, and he forced his feet --- March! Left! (aaah!),
Right! (oooh!), Left, Right, left, right . . . and a pause to get his breath. The scabbard jangled against his shin,
and Dharma realized someone had recovered and sheathed both his sword and his pistol. He lifted his head, and
drank in his surroundings (note 17). At first, Dharma thought the Medic was just keeping him company, but a
quick glance at the Medics sturdy walking stick told him otherwise. Like many Medics before him Lt Andrew
Carmichael was a bit lame, and that would have kept him out of the front line, but it wouldnt necessarily
disqualify him for the Medical Corps. The camp was still being torn down, and due to the wet weather,
everything and everybody was damp, so it was taking longer than normal. Ahead, a tricky-looking twisty and
mountainous trail leads to some sort of village on the far heights. If thats held by the Waziri it will mean
serious danger, so it cant be ignored.
It looks so peaceful, with a sucker-hole in the clouds, and the sun peaking through to illuminate the village, and
off to one side, theres even a couple of oorial mountain goats to add to the scene! But you better not let your
guard down, out here on the Grim! One false move, one moment of inattention, and the Waziri come back like
wolf-men in the fold, and strike you down with those Khyber knives! Carmichael looks at the scene and sighs
Ach, maybe we get to go visit them in peace, this time? And no sooner has he spoken, than the hills echo
with a Jezails bark. Up the line ahead of us, a Mule cries out and dances a bit in alarm (note 18). Dharma turns
to the Medic and quips in a matter-of-fact voice, He says no, Doc. Carmichael looks back, with a grin, and
says Ach, Im noo a Doctor, Lieutenant, just a lowly medical officer. Dharma smiles and says, Out here on
the Grim, anyone who can wind a bandage around a head gets called a Doc by me --- Doc! Got any more of
that Laudinum? The only answer is a Scottish snort.
A runner comes in from Dharmas Colonel, Complements of the Colonel, Lt Dharma, and could you please
organize the defenses for the Invalid Brigade? Oh, no! Dharma had hoped to get back to his platoon, and here
he is, stuck with the Bandage Buddies! Certainly Corporal! Tell the Colonel Ill get right on it! Cheery voice
belying the gloom thats settling over Dharmas thoughts. Still, it has to be done, and Dharma does a quick
inventory of his new command, with Doc Carmichael in tow (note 19). We have 4 men with head-wounds
(they can fight, but vision might be a bit blurry at long range), 6 more with assorted arm and leg wounds (they
can fight, but they cant move very fast), 4 more that may require special attention and aside from the
theatrical voice, Doc Carmichaels raised eyebrows suggest these are probably malingerers, happy to stay in an
out-of-the-way warm safe place. And then we have 14 more whore not available for dancin just as of yet,
continues Carmichael. Then we have 5 medical orderlies, who might be able to lift a rifle between two of
them, and you have me and me crutch --- the finest fighting crutch in the whole of Waziristan! Lt Dharma
admires Docs sense of humor. So to recap, Doc, we have 10 plus a gimpy Lieutenant who can ALMOST
fight, 9 more fit to reload muskets (but not very fast), 14 men only good for use as extra dead-weight on the
Sangar-mealy-bags, and Scotlands Finest Golfer! Doc Carmichael seems rather surprised at the glint of
humor coming from a military man. He grins even more Why Yes, Lieutenant, I think youve summed it up
rather nicely!
Some 4 hours later, Lt Dharma and his Invalid Brigade are hobbling up the grade towards the village in the
distance. Theres a sporadic crackle of small arms up ahead, and seems like Dharmas prediction of resistance
has been proved out. Its hard enough going for the men in GOOD physical condition, and the Bandage Buddies
are finding it especially hard work. Dharma and 5 almost-fit are on one side of the medical mules, Doc and the
other 5 almost-fit on the far side. The other 9 (including 5 medical orderlies) are now carrying muskets, but
mixed in with the Mule train, the orderlies walking, and the other 4 with the worst of the leg-wounds on the
donkeys. The malingerers have all been sorted out --- Dharma threatened to arm them with Snyders, but no
bullets, until they each allowed as how they werent THAT sick after all. (No bullets, indeed one of the ex-
malingerers was over-heard, griping, is he CRAZY?)
Dharmas gut-feel is sounding the alarm. Look alive! he barks, as they come toward an especially nasty
boulder field (note 20). The air is split with 7 Jezails Carrumphing at close range! One of the riding-wounded
is hit! He flies over the back of the Mule, ooh that doesnt look good! One of the other walking Bandage
Buddies cries out and slumps to the ground, wounded! Carnage all around! OH NO! Dharma is wounded
AGAIN! He grabs his leg this time, and crumples into a ball! Another of the Bandage Buddies gets flipped
over, obviously dead! The remainder of the Puffers return fire! Five Snyders bark back, but there is only one
Jezail man killed! The Jezail flies up in the air and out of sight! Disaster! The Bandage Buddies are closing up
into a line! Will they get there in time to protect Dharma!? Yes! BUT ONLY JUST!
The remaining Bandage Buddies form line! There are only 16 men and a gimpy Scot with a golf-stick, but the
Waziri take one look at those Snyders and reconsider (note 21). Theres a flurry of movement beyond the
boulder-field, and the Jezail tips can be seen retreating into the distance!
Doc Carmichael turns around and straightens out Dharma, unconscious on the ground, with Doc probing the
new leg-wound. Not too bad. At least its a through-and through. He calls for his bag, and orders the Camel
pannier to come closer, so they can load up the patient, once hes fixed him up. Tough nut, that Dharma Doc
Carmichael muses to himself. Did a good job organizing the defenses. Sorted out those malingerers better-n-
medicine ever could. Doc Carmichael picks up his golf stick and his bag, and moves on.
TO BE CONTINUED (but only if its of any interest)
After Action Report for Barampta, Part II
Well, first I had to check on the History of Golf, to make sure I wasn't committing an anachronism! Turns out
Golf is way older than I thought --- in 1744 a club was formed called the "Honourable Company of Edinburgh
Golfers". And the first rules of golf, (13 in all!), were drawn up for their annual competition! So Andrew
Carmichael and his Golf-club-cum-walking-stick is in good stead! While we are looking for those sneaky
anachronisms, the Webley revolver would have been their percussion model, circa 1853 (and this scenario
would be around 1865). It's the little things that can trip you up!
Next, we had to draw up a new list for the "NFW Patrol and Road Details" (uploaded to the files area).
Basically, you draw cards as you go across the list (ignore the suit of the cards that you draw -- - just record
the card "number" until you've pulled everything you need). Don't get too carried away with this --- if a card
you pull is obviously out of place (like a desert feature in the middle of the mountains), either draw again, or go
up one, then down one, until you get something you can use. Mythic GME (Game Master Emulator) just adds
some extra "flavor" and surprise to the basic TSATF rules --- not intended to replace TSATF in any way.
As an interesting aside, no one says that you have to "model" ALL of the battle, or even the LARGEST part of
the battle --- there is obviously some sort of assault on the village going on, but we are just interested in poor
ol' Lt Dharma's attempts to get out of the Camel's Caress (those wounded side-panniers must have been
brutal).
Some of the Mythic experimental lists (like the Mythic Terrain Generator) are just that --- not published yet,
but a partially-finished pre-publishing sample is available through the Mythic web-
site: http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/Mythic_Role_Playing/ You have to JOIN that group before you
"see" the messages or files, but well worth it. There is a different TSATF report (Face-Off at Tagh Dum Bash)
posted there, however this report (Barampta) is currently only published HERE (and probably later on in
"chunks" in the Lone Warrior quarterly --- the Journal of the Solo Wargamers Association, which in turn
shows up on Magweb about a month or two after the
current journal is mailed)
Mythic helps you "develop" a story line --- I don't really "write" the sucker, so much as roll the die, pull the
cards, and interpret the results in acceptable English prose (OK I tend to force it a
little, to create MORE TSATF battles, but that's about all). Its easy! Give it a try sometime! Mythic GME is a
"Best Buy" at about $7.00 US, and available as an Adobe Download through
NK"http://www.drivethruRPG.com"www.drivethruRPG.com
Bob
Seur D'Armadilleaux
Lover of Camels, Defender of small dogs and squirrels, feeder of the pigeons (Well, that was an accident, but
they're bigger than the Cardinal out back, OK?)
Notes:
Note 16 Hm? Barmapta?! Why thats a punitive expedition, out here on the NWF, mboy! Got to go and show
the natives whos boss, yknow! Cant have them shooting the tax collector, and running off with the friendlys
mules and wives, can we? This is the 3
rd
scene in the mini-solo-campaign (the court was the first, the battle at
the sangar was the second, both handled in Part I). So the first thing we need to do is to adjust the Chaos
factor for the main participants so far, and all the fighting men (which is to say, Dharma, the Gurkhas, and the
Puffers --- the Punjabi Frontier Force) that were in battle LAST scene go up from a start point of a Chaos level
5 to a Chaos level 6. We uploaded a form to keep track on the officers and any other key (NPC or Non-
Playing-Characters) people that we might come across in the Files section.
Note 17: Next, we need to lay out THIS scene, which is Dharma in the Invalid Brigade, and some potential
snipers and/or knife men raiders. First off we need some details, and we go to the NWF Patrol and Road
Details (uploaded to files section) to do some card pulls to start: Weather= 2D (Wet); Clothing= 3D (Damp);
Task related = 9D (Camp set up/tear down); trail= AD (twisty and mountainous); Focal point = 9H (Village);
Trailside = KD (tricky footing); Color =9D (Ooriel --- a kind of mountain goat); and Danger= A (for ahead).
That all makes sense, so now we just throw in a Mythic (wildcard) Scene generator, and we get:95.54.38
(remember? This was 3 separate throws on the decimal dice, that get plugged into the Mythic FAS or Focus-
Action-Subject charts) and that gives us: NPC (or Non-Playing Character Positive --- dont freak out, just
means a non-combatant in our case. Hmm, the only NPC we have at the moment is the Medic) and Kill, A
Path. Hmm, well reversing the order, the Path (which was tricky footing) is Killing the Medic --- Ah! He must
be lame, somehow! And the scene is ready to transcribe! That wasnt so hard now, was it?!
Note 18: In real life, the Jezail had the same (or a longer) range as the Snyders, but they were much slower to
load. Here, we are taking the 24-36 inch range, and simply applying the casualties to the T & S (transport and
supplies). So we have 1 Jezail firing, rolls an 11, and it isnt effective. A mule gets startled by the bullet
ricochet, and thats it.
Note 19: So we roll up the Invalid Brigade: 1d6= 4 head-wounds, 1D6= 6 arm/leg wounds; 1D6= 4 potential
malingerers and 1D20= 14 more serious wounded who cant contribute to the defense, as of yet. Plus Doc and
his 1D6= 5 medical orderlies (who dont fight worth a bandage! Which is to say, they fight at Indian Infantry -
1). So now we write it up.
Note 20: Well things have been a little too tame up till now, right? I mean, its supposed to be Sword and
Flame, not Bandage and Banter! So we query Mythic, are there any Waziri hiding in that Rough Ground?
With a Chaos Rank of 6 and Somewhat Likely as the verbal odds, all we need is to roll under an 80 on a
decimal die, and we roll a 71! First we get the shooting out of the way, so 7 Jezails at close range, and we have
1 hit (count em as open-order on account of the Mules) and one wounded (A Spades! Oh no! Dharma is
wounded AGAIN) and we pull a 7 Hearts --- one dead Puffer! Return fire, and we have 5 Snyders with 1 hit, a
Jack of Hearts, so a Jezail man is killed! Write it up time!
Note 21: The Wolf-men failed their close-into-combat roll! They rolled a 5 and needed a 4 to close! What a
close call that was!
Puffers = Punjabi Frontier Force (hence, PFF or Puffers)
Barampta on the Sre Mela Maidan, Part III --- Too Many Maharajas
Oh, Gawd Im back on that damnable troop ship, Dharma thought. Maybe if he kept his eyes squeezed
tightly closed, the rotten nightmare would go away.
No. No such luck. Ungh, gotta heave! Dharma came alive with a start, and found that he couldnt move much
more than his aching head. AAAAGH! WHO THE HELL WAS STICKING KNIVES IN HIS Oh, back in
the Kajawa-camel-saddle thing again (note 22). OH MY LEG! What in hell was going on? Cant a guy get an
hours sleep without getting beat up?!
Dharma finally swam back into full consciousness, and at least one of his eyes focused on Doc Carmichael.
You! he managed to croak out. And then the world faded away.
It was probably the cold air that did it. Dharma came awake with a start, and tried to rub his eyes, but his hands
were still strapped in, down in the camel-basket. Not an auspicious start, that. His nose itched and his ass was
sore. What times it anyway? Ungh, Fuzzy tongue, too. GET ME OUT OF HERE! So they lifted the Gimp out
of his smelly basket, and he swayed there, like a willow in a storm, and had a cautious look around.
Two days later, a much skinnier Lt Dharma was limping along, a bandage on his forearm, another on this thigh,
one hand gripping the mule harness, and the other gripping a crude wooden crutch. There was a look of sheer
determination on his face that would have stopped a Bazaar-alms-beggar at 30 paces! No. More. Camels! No
more Kajawa! Bad enough he was back in charge of the Bandage Buddies, with more incapacitated men in the
Invalid Brigade. Dharma was feeling grim about not having seen any action against that village, several days
back. The minor kafuffle of a skirmish he HAD been involved with hardly rated his gaining the Colonels good
graces! Not good enough! (note 23)
Meanwhile, the weather had deteriorated to the freezing point; the trail footing was slipperier than a Bazaar
clerk; add in the fissures on the trail and that made the mules and the camels REALLY skittish! The rough
ground ahead just acted like a base that lead the eye to the far crests of the dismal rain-whipped mountains as
the focal point way off in the distance. To the left, theres the start of a nullah, little more than a fold in the
ground really, that seems to lead off to some sort of ruin with what might have been some broken Greek pillars
(long since overgrown). Theres a sense of danger everywhere, especially for someone already not 100% ---
like the wounded. The Grim is not a forgiving place! And now Lt Dharmas internal alarm bells are starting to
jangle!
Three Men and a Tigress
The number of wounded had grown, but not the number of semi-able-bodied men. As soon as they could walk
(with only minor moans and limps) they got shuffled back to their right spot in the column. Dharma conferred
with Doc Carmichael about his current roster. Weel, we have 10 walkers, 6 wi various head wounds, and
another 3 what think theyre the Maharaja. Oh, an one curious fellow who thinks hes a Maharani! (note 24).
Add to that the 4 other medical assistants, and thats all what can bear arms!
Dharma goes around and makes sure that everyone in the Bandage Buddies has his own Snyder ready, and that
they understand the urgency of acting like soldiers, not invalids! His alarm bells keep picking up the tempo, and
Dharma has learned through some bitter experience to trust his gut reaction. Its that nullah that has him
worried --- wolf-men breed in folds in the ground such as those . . . Dharma shuffles his troop between the
nullah and the rest of the medical camel and mule train. Surreptitiously, he eases his sword in the scabbard, and
unclips the holster.
Off out of the corner of his eye, Doc Carmichael is explaining to the 3 Maharaja that 2 of them have to be
phonies, and to the fourth, that if this last REALLY is the Maharani, he better pucker up, cause one of these
ugly mugs was his new intended. You could see the gears grinding among the 4 boggle-eyed patients! (note
25)
It happened so fast, the Bandage Brigade didnt even have time to fire, let alone fix bayonets! The Wolf-men
came out of that nullah like grape shot from a canon! They were down on the column in a heart beat! Lt
Dharma had time for two shots with the Webley, but they had absolutely no effect! OH NO! They are falling on
the Invalid Brigade like a scythe going through dry hay! (note 26)
The Grim Earns Its Reputation
Things are looking pretty bleak for the Bandage Buddies! Sepoy Kushal Khan is faced with a wolf-man who is
a half-head taller than him! The wolf-man comes in at the run, with his Khyber knife coming down in a terrible
swing! Kushal Khan takes a step back, trying to avoid the worst of the swing! OH NO, hes TRIPPED! The
Wolf-man is all over him! Kushal Khan takes a terrible slash, before the man behind him can clobber the wolf-
man on the noggin! Theyre both out of the fight! Dharma faces off against the head-wolf-man! What a fight!
Neither is giving an inch! The wolf-man comes in with a sweeping slash! Dharma counters with a 2 handed
block on his sword! Oh oh oh, surely that monster butcher knife will cleave it in two! Dharma Holds! The
head-wolf-man tries to fake out Dharma with a riposte! He misread Dharmas intent! DHARMA GETS A
SHOT OFF WITH HIS REVOLVER! The wolf-man falls back wounded!! Dharma fires again for good
measure --- HES DEAD! DHARMA SHOT THEIR LEADER! (note 27)
Dharma stands up in the lull, sure that the wolf-men will turn and run, BUT NO! They are out for BADAL!
VENGENCE! THEYRE ALL CONVERGING ON DHARMA! (note 28). There are knives and sword
thrusts flashing everywhere! One wolf man gets it from two different directions! A Punjabi falls back with a
scream, holding his arm! Anther wolf-man bites the dust! Surely they cant keep coming much longer! They
keep screaming BADAAAALLLL!, and their faces are twisted up like the Demons of Haruman! (note 28)
Another wolf-man gets clobbered with a musket butt and is dead before he hits the ground! OH NO!
DHARMA HAS BEEN HIT! Dharma falls back through the front line, grabbing his OTHER arm this time!
The Puffers crowd in and form a human wall, keeping the wolf-men away from Dharma! This cannot last!
Doc Carmichael and his medics come plowing in on the undefended side of the wolf-men! Bayonets fixed, they
come in fresh and the tide turns! You can see the shiver in the remaining wolf-men line! One down, another
dead! The few remaining wolf-men turn in a flash, and are beating a retreat up the slippery icy path! No
Quarter! Any remaining pile of rags gets a bayonet or two, just in case! Therell be no faking dead, and
stabbing a turned back THIS time! Marquis of Queensbury be damned!
Dharmas last conscious thought was Oh no not that damn Kajawa again, and then he couldnt hold on
any longer, and he just blacked out.
To Be Continued . . . but only if you havent lost interest . . .
After Action Report for Part III --- Too Many Maharajas
Once again, Mythic has managed to take a blend of stock bits that we chopped up from various favorite novels
(and put into the component lists), add a dash of spice (has to be a curry in this case, right?) and served up
something delicious and new. It ain't me! All I do is roll the bones, cut the cards as needed, and interpret the
results. But what a rush!
We used the same Hand-to-Hand charts from Part I (in the files section), and a bit of "NWF Patrol and Road
Detail" (also in the files), and we pulled ONE item off the "NWF Multiple Path Adventure" list (this is one of
my oldest lists, where I though I could cram everything I'd ever need on one master list. Silly fool me. Still not
completed after 2 years of workin' on it. Uploaded it to the files section anyway.)
To me, this is Crme-de-la-crme, de-la-TSATF --- it just don't get better than this. Small unit action, and
edge-of-yer-seat excitement. All delivered in a neat solo package, so you don't HAVE to wait for the next
convention to have that near-heart-attack experience!
Bob
The Mythic-al Seur D'Armadilleaux
Diet-Chota-peg in hand, Oreo's within arms reach, Sitting on his copy of TSATF, Admiring the little guys with
their painted on bandages. PRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Notes for Barampta, Part III
Note 22: Of all the fiendish ways of transporting the wounded on the NWF, the worst idea had to be to
suspend them in pairs, lying down and strapped in, on each side of a camel! The rolling gate alone must have
been awful! (Course it sure would have discouraged the malingerers, a problem Lt Dharma frequently faced
with the Bandage Buddies --- the Invalid Brigade).
Note 23: Time to reset the scene. First, the Chaos factor for Lt Dharma goes up by 1 to a 7 (hes participated
in two successive battles in two successive scenes). By similar logic, Doc Carmichael goes to a Chaos Factor of
a 6 (we only had him in ONE battle, last scene). Now we need to see whats going on THIS scene. Were
going to reverse the order of the play, and roll the Mythic Random Scene FAS (Focus-Action-Subject) first, to
make sure that we are going to play-out the proposed scene of Bandage Buddies (The Sequel) and we roll:
28.05.06 on the three successive percentile die, for NPC action, Recruit, and Reality. OK, so we twist that
around for a minute and come up with Doc Carmichael (hes the only Non Playing Character or NPC that we
have so far) tries to bring one or more of the Recruits back to Reality. Hm, I can work with that! Next we need
some detail of what the trail is, so we go to our Patrol and Road Detail lists, and pull out Weather= 6D
(Freezing); Footing= 6D (Slippery); Task Related= 4D (mules skittish); Trail= 3D (Fissured); Focal point= AH
(Mountains); Trailside= QH (Rough ground); Color comes up as JH= (wounded); and Danger= 7H (Gut
Feeling). Wow. Thats pretty dead on what we wanted! We go to the NWF Multiple-Path Adventure and
pull a KS= (Broken Greek Pillars in a Crevasse) as a final touch. Now we are ready to write it up!
Note 24: Hm? Oh! Maharajas are those Indian Prince chaps --- some of them rich as Crossus --- and they
usually have a number of wives, the Maharani. Sorry old chap, though you was an old hand, out here on the
North West Frontier!
Note 25: We check with Mythic --- are there any Waziri in that Nullah that Dharma is eyeing? Its Somewhat
Likely, and with Dharmas Chaos Rank now at 7, anything under 85 on the percentile die is going to mean
trouble! Drum roll please! RRRRrrrrr RRRrrrrr RRRRrrrrrr --- 67! YES! They come pouring out of the
nullah! Dharma is really in for it now! Does he even have time to fix bayonets?! With a probability of only
Unlikely and a Chaos Rank of 7, he needs a 55 or less, and he rolls 96!! OH NO!! THATS AN
EXCEPTIONAL NO! They dont even get a chance to get a shot with the Snyders! Dharma gets two snap
shots with his Webley but they both miss! OH HES IN TROUBLE NOW!
Note 26: We revert to standard TSATF battle resolution --- Pathan/Waziri/Wolf-men roll a 4, so they definitely
charge; the Punjabi/Indian under Dharma roll a 2, so they definitely stand and fight. The Wolf-men come in
with a 1D6 +1 for charging, versus the Punjabi at 1D6 +1 for defending in road column so its an even fight!
We play out the first two lines of contact and get 4 x PB (push back) and 1 D (dead) for the Bandage Buddies,
but Dharma kills the head-wolf-man! On the wolf-men side, we have 2 wounded, 1 PB (push-back) and the
head-man caput! The Wolf-men test to see if they are going to stand and fight, or bug out! YES! THEY
WANT BADAL --- VENGENCE!
Note 27: We went back to the Hand-to-hand chart to get some of the detail, pulling cards to explain the
results that wed already rolled up with the normal TSATF rules. Dharma didnt really get another couple of
free shots --- he killed the leader outright in battle, but we just rolled up some 1D6 (and got two 5s in a
row) to explain the combat kill. As for the Badal (the Pathan code of Vengence) it explains the Pathans
successful roll to stay in the combat, when the leader croaked!
Note 28: Results of the second round of fighting! On the Puffer side, there are 1 dead, 1 PB (push-back) and 3
wounded INCLUDING DHARMA! I DIDNT MAKE IT UP! Our intrepid hero gets zipped again!
Unbelievable! On the wolf-men side, there are 5 killed in the fray --- we go to Mythic to look at the probability
of route this time, cause there are SO many dead, that the Fate Chart better reflects their sorry state! With a
Chaos Rank of 7 (basic is a 5, and they fought 2 rounds of battle) it is Very Unlikely that theyd hang
around (but never impossible) and we need a 65 or under for them to stay. They roll a 40, so they are still
gonna fight it out! BADAAAAALLLLL! (OK, I could have just rolled two D6 for critical morale without
leader, but this was way more satisfying --- besides, there was a slim possibility of an Extreme Yes, and they
would have gone berserk, maybe adding +1 to their die roll for one turn --- see the advantage?)
Note 29: Haruman is the Monkey God, one of the fanatical sects
Kajawa = Camel paniers
Barampta on the Sre Mela, Part IV --- A Spy Among Us
So he was down, is that right? Capt Laughland bored in on Lt Dharmas testimony. You shot that Waziri
leader the first time, and he fell to the ground, thats what you said. And Dharma came up from the reverie,
and agreed absently, Yes, thats what happened. The military panel seems to twitch and move, uneasy with
the line of the prosecutors questions. Theyre all alumni of conditions out on the Grim, the North West
Frontier, where the situation is so unforgiving. Still ...
Laughland bored home again, And then you shot him a second time when he was down, is that right,
Lieutenant? Dharma looked up, slowly recognizing the trap that Laughland was building. No no it wasnt
like THAT, well not exactly, says Dharma. And he drifted away in his memory, back to the Sre Mela, back to
the nightmare . . .
Funny the way your senses come awake --- almost like a child acquiring interaction with the world, again. First
comes the sense of feeling, then taste and sound, and only fourth in line is sight. Then the brain switches on.
And Dharma felt like hed been sat on by a herd of elephants, and then dropped down a well. Every bone in his
body ached. His mouth tasted awful --- like hed been kissing a camel. Bleah! What a horrible thought! And
from far away, somewhere at the top of the well, he could here that same camel snorting and slobbering all
over him. Ungh! That was really disgusting! Gotta wipe my face off cant seem to move, Dharma
thought. THEN, a lone eyeball broke free, and squinted at the sunlight up there at the top of the well. Ooooh
that hurt too!
Mornin Lieutenant!
Who WAS that, yelling in his ear?! Dharma thought. Someones leaning over him and yelling down the well-
hole. Ahhh, it was that pesky Scott. Wait till he gets within range of my Its a brae spring-like mornin, and
time you was ooot and abooot! Whaa? Oh, out and about --- why cant Doc learn to speak decent
English?
Another hour, and a very shaky Dharma was sitting up, having the Scottish version of Chota Hazri. Ah, thats
better. Its a wonder what chappatis and hot tea will not cure! (note 30). Dharma still felt weak as a kitten, but
at least he had the strength to look around at his surroundings, once more. He drank it all in, the military
training assessing and digesting each bit in turn. The fissured trail leads up through the boulder field, the path
splitting into two and three parallel trails around the larger rocks, and thence over the Kotal, the crest of the
pass. Three or for rabbits are at play, staring at the column from between the rocks. Ahead a bit, on the right, is
some sort of watchtower, with a bunch of seemingly inaccessible buildings set right into the wall behind the
watchtower. They hang precariously to the edge of the mountain, held in place there with beams and lashings
around the posts. It might have been something like a Buddhist monastery at one point, but now it just looks
dark and menacing, even in the spring-like sunlight. Just another day in paradise, out here on the Grim!
Dharma speaks up in a shaky voice, So tell me Doc, what did I miss? How long was I out?, knowing it must
have been a while. Oooch! Not long, as time goes, around here anyway replies Doc, laconically. Dharma
gives him a hard look. Ooch, ye needed yer rest, so we gave you a little something to gi it to you. Bit of the
ol Laudinum allows the Doc. About 5 days noo he adds, a bit defensively. Five DAYS! Dharma weakly
exclaims! You kept me out of it for FIVE DAYS!? Doc Carmichael gets all defensive, and says Weel, yeed
be noo guide to naebody the way ye were! Yer ol body haied to cure itself, so it deed! Dharma glared at him,
but decided to leave it at that.
The Blocking Force
Up ahead, Dharmas old regiment, the Punjabi Frontier Force, were taking up a defensive
position, sheltering behind rocks and facing the watchtower and the cliff-dwelling. To the rear of them, a mule
train with a field battery of 3 mountain guns was hustling into place, a marvel of efficiency and speed. As he
watched, the pieces for the mountain guns came off the mules, lightning-fast, and the barrels were positioned
vertically by their gunners, and the breach and barrel on each was screwed into place. Still no sign of life on the
cliff or from the watch tower, but the wolf-men knew how to hold position, waiting for the right time to take a
shot with those long-barrel Jezails. The dark blue gunners uniforms contrast with the bright red turbans ---
Dharma thinks he recognizes Jemadar Singh in command, a grizzled veteran of countless small skirmishes, just
like todays. The assembled barrels are slammed into place, the gunners swarming about both ends, sighting,
loading, ramming, and getting the fuses trimmed. All action ceased, and the number twos held their right arms
out sideways, horizontal to the ground --- Ready!
The call ripples down the column --- Open Order! Prepare to Advance! And the long snake of the
Barampta Column trundles on up the pass and over the Kotal. Dharma knows that he has about 10 minutes
before his Invalid Brigade get underway, and he turns to Doc and asks for specifics --- whos available for
defenses? Doc allows as how they now have 23 too-wounded-to-fight, another 12 walking-wounded, and 6
with head-wounds but poor vision, and 4 that have leg wounds that will keep them from walking, but they can
ride, load, and pass over the Snyders. Oh, an we hae a spy, too, if ye ken how to put him to any guede use!
What!? Dharma turns and faces Doc, shocked at what he must have missed! Doc has a bit of a twinkle in his
eye, and that should have warned Dharma about what was to come. Seems like the confrontation 6 days back
between the 3 Maharaja and the 4
th
Maharani had a bit of a sequel. Two of the Maharaja had gone back to their
platoons (where one stood up and extolled the wolf-men to get out of his kingdom --- he is no longer with us).
The remaining Maharaja was still among the wounded, but had to be restrained. The last of the quartet, the
Maharani-wanna-be, decided as how he was really an undercover spy, part of the Great Game, and sloughed
off the Maharani disguise in favor of skulking around and taking copious notes with an invisible pen and pad.
So we have 20 wounded, yourself and 4 medics in a pinch, I assume? And 2 nut cases, neither of which sound
like they are fit to hold a weapon Doc looks at him and allows as how Aye, an yer no paragon of a Highland
Warrior at the moment either, Meester Dharma! True, but Dharma isnt about to get back in that Camel
pannier!
Advance into Contact
The Doc hands Lt Dharma a tree-limb improvised-crutch, and Dharma hobbles off to set his dispositions.
Walking wounded to the right of the camels and the mules! Grab hold of the mules harness, if you think you
cant keep up! I want those Snyders loaded, and get the bayonets on NOW! No more of this nonsense of Wolf-
men closing before were ready! You! Straighten that spine! The Waziri arent going to wait for you to get
ready! Theyll come at you when they feel like it!
Up and down the column, hobbling here and tapping over there, instilling order and discipline, Dharma kneads
his command back into shape. And then the lead mule of the Invalid Brigade starts up and over the Kotal!
Camels, mules, the Bandage Buddies to the right, Doc Carmichael and his medics buzzing around the middle
like so many flies, the column of the wounded starts up the path.
Would they make it through the Kotal without incident? No. The temptation to attack the weakest link was just
too great! As the Bandage Buddies come up level with the watch tower, the hidden Jezails speak out! One of
the Walking Wounded spins around and crumples to the ground, screaming and holding his leg! OH NO! Doc
Carmichael is hit! (note 32). Hes holding his arm! The medics haul him off behind the mule train! One of the
Camels slowly crumples to the ground, dead, and another mule screams and half-dances, half-hobbles, off to
the far side!
The mountain guns dial in a fractional correction and boom out their answer! Three whomps sound out almost
as one, deafening in the confined space of the Kotal! Splinters of the wall-palace go flying everywhere! (note
33). Bits of clothing, swords and shields, and broken Jezails go flying off into space! Its a mad rush to see who
reloads first! The column of the wounded race to try and get out of the line of fire! Will they make it!? 100
yards to go! 60! Times running out! (note 34!) Dharma stands there at the top of the Kotal, like a traffic cop in
Trafalgar square! Keep moving! Get that ugly brute over the crest! Use your bayonet to prod him, man! What
are you waiting for! Dharma screams at man and mule alike! Whipping them into obeying his orders!
Carmichael you rotten DONKEY! he yells You GET OVER HERE or so HELP me! Yourre gonna RIDE
on the CAMEL PANNIERS! Dharma grabs the Docs arm, replacing a medic, and with surprising force for a
skinny hobble-t-horse, Dharma yanks the Doc over the top of the Kotal and into the lee of the rocks!
Behind, the Whoosh-Crack of the Jezails and the thundering crrRRRBOOOMphth of the mountain guns
continue their duet, but thats of no concern to Dharma now! They MADE it through! Dharma collapses on the
side of the trail, and Doc lets out a cry of pain! The medical orderlies are all over Doc Carmichael. Someone
calls for a camel kajawa. And Dharma just cant help it --- he gives out a long low dirty laugh! Doc is gonna
get a taste of his own camel panniers!
To Be Continued . . . but only if theres any interest
After Action Report for Part IV --- A Spy Among Us
Interesting that the "main battle" here, doesn't involve Dharma doing any fighting or firing. He's just the
recipient of the Jezail fire! Doesn't seem to detract any from the excitement or heightened-interest. Because this
is done as a Solo campaign, we don't need to have a big battle "every" scene.
Its neat the way that the card-pulls and Mythic "create" the scene that we are going to play out. I honestly
started this particular Part IV with absolutely no idea of what was in store --- we just rolled them bones, pulled
them cards, looked up the Mythic tables for the interpretation to the numbers we developed, and "voila", here
we are!
There are no "new" charts or lists, this particular turn. Which is kind of a holiday for me, having put so many
hours into developing the 15 or so that I have on hand. However, once the originals are "done" then it should
be relatively quick to dress them up and reuse them for different periods and/or different rule sets. Here's what
we have so far:
Campaign goals The Invalid Brigade Improvised Defense detail
Patrol/Road details Hand-to-hand expansion Things go Bump inna Night
Mountain Pass generator Fort/Strong-point generator Non-Playing Characters
Colonial NWF generator Mythic Sounds and Smells Mythic Campaign Color
Personality Generator NWF Multiple-Path lists Mythic Terrain Generator
Plus we use the TSATF rule set, and the Mythic GME (Game Master Emulator) which sort of adds a couple of
more charts, tables and lists. In spite of all the paperwork the battle episodes play out really quickly.
Including the write up (which takes the most time, by the way) each of these episodes takes about 3 to 4 hours.
The nice thing is that we can put the time in piece-meal --- in other words, an hour here, 15 minutes there, as
and when we find the slivers of time.
Bob
The Mythical Seur DArmadilleaux
A legend for 15 minutes in his own mind (and I have my wifes permission to daydream for exactly that long,
before she puts me back to work!)
Notes for Barampta, Part IV:
Note 30: Hmm? Oh! Chota Hazri translates literally as Little Breakfast mBoy! Or early morning tea if
you prefer! New out here on the North West Frontier, are you? Oh, and Chapattis are the Indian version of
scones --- kind of drab and gray little things compared to the real scones, but thats the only way the
Khansamah --- the Indian Cook, that is to say --- knows how to make em! Perfectly adequate out here on the
Grim, mind, just not quite what the Mem-Sahib likes for HER tea. (Harumph)
Note 31: We started off envisioning this scene as Dharma coming back to consciousness and we rolled a scene-
seeding with the Mythic FAS (Focus-Action-Subject) chart to be sure we werent directed elsewhere, first:
23.64.75 on the three sets of decimal die, so we ARE going ahead with the scene as planned. The seeding gave
us: NPC Action, Spy, and Military. Oooh, that dont look good! Lets flesh out the scene before we interpret
the FAS. So this time well go directly to the NWF Multiple Path Adventure list, and pull up a Place to be
developed --- and we get 8 Hearts for Inaccessible place tucked into Hillside. Now we go to the Patrol and
Road Details and pull Weather= 10D (spring like); Footing= QD (we cant use this lightning so we go
down one and get Lashing); Task Related= 6D (Fortified Camp); 4C= (we cant use this Maidan so we
go down one and get Fissured); Trail= 8D (Split Skein); Focal Point= 10H (Watchtower); Trail Side= 9H
(boulder field); Color= 10H (Rabbit); and Danger= 2H (to the right). We take one more random seeding from
the Mythic Terrain Generator and we get: 26.03.47 --- Moderate Obstacle, Menaces (cause we are in High
Chaos), Kotal (the top of the pass). Wow, now we have a pretty good picture, and were ready to write it up
Note 32: The Waziri throw two really low hits on a D20, and pull an 8 Diamonds and an Ace of Diamonds (Oh
no! That SHOULD be Dharma hit again, as the key character, but that would just be too unlikely! So we make
Doc Carmichael take one for the team! Two more hits are in the 6 & 7 range (really long range for the Jezails,
but not if they were shooting at bigger targets, like the Mules or Camels, so thats who gets hit). We pull two
more cards for hits on the mules, and get a King Hearts (one Camel dead --- they are more serious targets, as
each camel has a double-pannier with wounded slung on either side), and a 2 Diamonds (one mule hit).
Note 33: The mountain gun battery score a whopping 10 hits out of a possible 12 hits, including 1 wounded
Jezail and 1 dead! That still leaves 8 Jezails to reply a second time!
Note 34!: We put the question to Mythic --- does the medical column reach safety?! With a probability of only
50/50 and a Chaos rank of 7 (the basic 5 plus two combat turns) they need to roll a 75 or under on the
percentage die! RRRRrrrRRRRrrrRRRrrr42! They made it over the Kotal! The Bandage Buddies are
saved!!
Barampta on the Sre Mela, Part V --- The Code of Pakhtunwali
AAAaaaargh
The Baluchi muleteer snorts in derision. New day; same sound. Funny accent that Doc Carmichael-Sahib has
though --- not like the other Ferenghi. You can even detect it in his moans --- something a bit more gutteral . .
.(note 35). Docs head is pounding like a kettle drum! Lt Dharma holds up a bandaged arm, and the medical
column slows to a halt. Must be time for late afternoon Tiffen!
Doc Carmichael has two of his orderlies prying him out of the camel Kajawa and they gently set him down on a
collapsible camp chair. Dharma is busy allocating the guard piquet duty, but he still cant keep that devilish grin
off his lean tanned face. He keeps on thinking, Whats sauce for the goose, is sauce for the Gander, Doc ---
howd you like that Kajawa?. Dharma assigns two guards to each of the 4 corners of the Medical Convoy. He
makes sure that at least one of each pair has sharp enough vision to watch the surrounding hills, and
specifically asks if they can see that rabbit, out on the far hill (note 36). There isnt one, and the sharp-sighted
Sepoy better say that, or hes replaced.
Dharma turns back through the Invalid Brigade to look at the opposite side, and the sounds of the medical
column envelop him with their pain, the wheedling and the gasping. First the Doc, with his lame left foot and
now his right arm in a bandage; over on the Kajawa, Sepoy Khushal Khan is still hallucinating, and has to be
held in with restraints; Lance Naik Sita Gohl is unconscious, wasting away. Medic Dowla Khan is walking
among the wounded with a canteen, Water, son? he asks one of the patients in a quiet voice. Over in the
corner, Medic Ragir Mukhti is shaking a patient anxiously, and Dowla Khan goes to check up. Hes gone,
Ragir he says softly. Ragir seems on the point of tears, and stifles his emotions, looking down at the dead
man. The Grim has claimed another soul. Dharma walks woodenly passed the little scene, eyes ahead.
The Khansamah sets the fire and gets the chapattis going (note 37). Then the water is brought to a boil, and
meanwhile Dharma is still inspecting the surroundings, getting his bearings and testing with his senses for any
element of impending danger. You never let your guard down, out here on the Grim. Off on the far wall of the
canyon, there is some sort of 80 foot tall Bhudda, with his hands and head defaced (probably by some Muslim
Ghazi --- they dont readily tolerate any life-like representations). Near the base, there is a skinny Afghan dog,
tied up to a sapling in the stone fence-line. Strange to see one of these hairy gray-hounds out here, all alone
thinks Dharma. The dog gives out a plaintive little Yip?! and Dharma wonders again, Is it a trap? Only one
way to find out.
The weather seems to be clearing up a bit, and the footing is rapidly becoming dusty. Thats all we seem to get
on the Grim --- dust, or churned-up mud, and precious little between the two extremes. Subconsciously
Dharma checks to make sure the picquets are awake, and details one of the Sepoys to go fetch them tea.
Theres a dry nullah or river bed between us and that Buddhist statue, and several dilapidated stone fences on
both sides of the trail. The other side of the broad low nullah, there seems to be some sort of empty box with
its lid all askew. Theres still some pools of water in the lowest points of the nullah, with lush green ferns
around them, clinging valiantly to life. Theres a vulture circling up above --- cant tell if its eyeing up that poor
skinny dog, or what, but usually they disappear when the wolf-men are lurking up in the heights. Possibly a
good sign.
Offering Hospitality
Dharma decides to go do a bit of investigation, and grabs a chapatti, dips it in the gravy, and picks up an empty
metal mug. He covers the ground in an effortless loping stride, pauses to get a cup of water from the pool, and
saunters by that box. He gives it a kick on the way, but there doesnt seem to be anything interesting about it,
so he heads off toward that mangy dog. Is it going to be friendly? Most of those Afghan mutts are sight-
hounds, and a bit stand-offish of strangers, but this one must be really starving --- you can see its ribs, even
through all the matted fur. Dharma holds out the chapatti, and the Afghan dog lunges for the biscuit. Easy
there, fellah --- dont choke on it! Two gulps, and the little gray scone has vanished. Dharma puts the cup of
water down, within reach of the Afghans long snout. He sniffs it a couple of times to check it out, and laps it
down to the dregs, finally lying down and licking the inside of the cup. Dharma slowly reaches over and unties
the dogs leash.
The dog doesnt even wait! He lunges and the leash slips free before Dharma can even make a grab for the tail
end. Off towards a gap in the hills, the dog streaks like a gray-brown bullet, low to the ground, zigging and
zagging between the scrub, that leash strung out behind him! Dharma has second thoughts now --- was that
dog just left here as a signal to its owner? When it appears, does the wolf-man know where the column is
stopped? Its a case of damned if you do (let the dog go) or damned if you dont (and it starves). He heaves a
sigh and turns back towards the Medical column. Back across the nullah once more, Dharma assigns a couple
of extra non-walking wounded to keep an eye on that notch, where the dog was last seen. You never know,
out here.
About 20 minutes later, the column gets underway again. Doc Carmichael seems to have thrived on the tea and
chapattis, and insists he is well enough to walk, although he also winces occasionally from his arm-wound. Its
tied up in a sling, but that doesnt make it any the less painful, and Doc is too parsimonious a Scott to use the
Laudanum on himself. Or maybe he just doesnt want to get hooked into long-term use. Dharma walks beside
his new-found friend, while carefully watching the surrounding hills.
The Trap is Sprung!
The rear-guard gives a shout! Tribesmen spotted! Dharma hurries towards the rear of the medical column, and
sure enough, there is a small band of men coming from that notch in the hills near the Buddha statue! Dharma
calls up another 4 of the walking wounded to double the number of the rear-guard! Closer by, a couple of
Jezails come to bear, over the crest of the nearest hill! The distinctive sound of Jezails firing splits the silence,
as 4 of the long-nosed guns speak out! (note 38).
WhooshBladam! One of the wounded is flipped right off the Medical Column mule that hes riding! A nasty
fall, that! Looks like hes OK, as two of the medics crowd around him, and pick him up and hustle him along!
One of the muleteers wasnt so lucky! He throws his hands up in an ugly way, and gets blown off to the far
side of the column --- just the way he fell we can tell he isnt getting up again! Unlike the soldiers, hes just left
where he fell. None of the other muleteers are brave enough to recover his body! We arent through yet!
WhooshBladaBladam, and two of the mules slump in their lines! The muleteers are frantic, cutting the leads to
the stricken beasts, stripping the most important of the load, and cursing and chivying along the rest of the
animals! Jezail bullets whiz by like angry bees! Theres no safe place to turn!
Our rear-guard send a prompt reply, with the sharp distinctive crack of the Snyders! 6 of them
CarrumpRumpRump almost as one report! The echos off the rock walls come back in ripples down the line!
On the heights, there is a single high AAAaargh, and one of the Jezails flies back out of sight! Reload! yells
Dharma. He has his pistol out, but theres nothing he can do with it at this range! Several of the rear-guard
exchange Snyders with the wounded sporting head-bandages --- the wounded may not be able to see straight,
but they could load those Snyders even if they were blind and drunk!
One of the rearguard mutters ungrateful dog in Pushtu under his breath, and spits in the ground, lifting his
Snyder to aim at the Afghan hound, bounding up and down at the end of a leash, held tight in his masters
hand. Lt Dharma puts his hand up and moves the Snyder off course, Nahin, Bhai! Thy dog is covered by
Pakhtunwali --- he hath eaten of my chapatti! (note 39). The Sepoy barks out Hazoor!, but gives Dharma a
queer look, as he takes up a different target. It is not his concern if the Pukka-Lieutenant is touched (note
40). And just as quickly, the opposition fades away. Honor is served --- the wolf-men have made their presence
known, and can retire to fight another day.
TO BE CONTINUED . . . But Only if there is any interest
After Action Report, Part V
Sometimes we get that big battle; sometimes the big battle is illusive. No different when using Mythic, than
when we wander around a 12 foot by 9 foot table, looking for the hidden enemy in ambush. But the little
scenes like Part V here, act as the glue that gives continuity to the campaign, between the big battles.
Also keeps the interest alive, and sets up sub-plots for future encounters. And you never know when some
insignificant little side-trip will trigger an avalanche of wolf-men, out here on the Grim! The tension is always
high, when things are this uncertain
Bob
The Mythic-al Seur DArmadilleaux
Pro-Afghan-dogs; anti chapattis; (not too keen on Kajawas, either)
Notes for Part V
Note 35: Time to set the next scene. First, we update the Chaos charts --- Dharma has topped out at 9, and
Doc Carmichael isnt far behind with a Chaos rank of 8. Next we take a look at the Mythic FAS chart for the
variation on the Scene Seeding (see if we get any doubles, signifying either an interrupt scene or a altered
scene) and we roll RRRrrrrRRRrrrRRR ---- 69.67.33 --- Whoah! A Double! We go into an altered scene ---
the next most logical scene we could think of. The triple-percentile-roll gets dialed into Mythic charts, and we
come up with PC Positive, Open, and Stop. Hmso instead of the proposed continued journey, Doc
Carmichael gets the benefit (otherwise known as the Player Character Positive) of a Stop in the camel train
ride, and gets to sit out in the Open. Gee that wasnt too hard --- that means its time for Tiffen! We go to the
Mythic Sounds and Smells chart (just because we can) and we roll: 22.14.47 on the triple percentile die. Now,
we already have an Altered scene, so we decide to ignore the second double, and we get: Moderately Close,
Pounds, and Kettle Drum.
Note 36: We go back to the card pulls to build the scene. First we get a bit of color from the Invalid Brigade
list: Sounds= 4D & QD (Wheedling and Gasping); Defect= 6H & AH (Left foot & a Right Arm); Severity=
KH (Hallucinating); Appliances= 8H (Restraints); Long Term Ailments= 3H (Wasting away); Color= 7C
(Water, son?); Color= 3C (hes gone, Sam). Then from Multiple-Path Adventure we draw Places to develop=
6 Hearts (Wall of the 100 foot Bhudda); from Objects = AH (Skinny tied-up Afghan dog); change lists, and
from the NWF Patrol and Road Details we get Weather= 8D (clearing); Footing= AD (dusty); Task-related=
3D (piquets active); Trail= 10D (Cross-country hm, cant really use that so we go down one, and 9D would
give us Dry River Bed; thats better); Focal Point= JH (stone fence); Trailside= 2H (empty box); Color=4H
(Water pool); Danger= 4H (both sides); Vegitation= JC (fern); Other life=7C (Vulture); and we ignore the
travelers this time as extraneous to our needs. Wow, thats a pretty complete picture. We throw in a Mythic
Terrain Generator element anyway, just to get some random variation --- 50.62.53 --- Possible Booty,
Deteriorates (we use the High-Chaos column) and 53 gives us Hedgerows, which we translate into rather
ragged stone fences with strippling trees growing in them. Easy to see how Mythic could be used as a story
generator, for authors who have NO intention of running miniatures! Thats quite a complete scene that we just
rolled up out of components! One last thing while we are setting up --- is that Afghan dog friendly? We pose
that question to Mythic Fate Chart, with an unlikely (still needs 90 or under on percentile die) and we get 80
--- yes, he wont bite.
Note 37: Hmm? Whats that, mboy? Oh! Khansamah is the Indian Cook, and chapattis are those little grayish
scones --- more appetizing that they look, mboy! Especially out here on the Frontier! We always say, a
Kansamah at home is mediocre at best, but give him a couple of rocks, lousy weather, and a Jezail shot or two
to inspire him, and he can produce culinary miracles!
Note 38: We get 2 Jezails plus 1D6 (just an arbitrary choice) for 2 + 5 = 7 Jezails. Now TSATF rules say 1-6
on a D20 is a hit at 24 inches, but we are going to use 5 or a 6 on the mules (black card)/muleteers (red card)
and 1-4 on the Bandage Buddies --- and we roll a 2 (on the wounded) and 3 hits on the mules/muleteers. We
pull a 4D for the Bandage Buddies, which means one Bandage Buddy wounded, and one 5H plus 2C & 2S
which means one muleteer dead for the Heart and two mules wounded!
Note 39: The Pathan code of honor, or Pakhtunwali, requires that one give food and shelter to any who seek
asylum. While this doesnt normally apply to an animal, it is obvious that Dharma feels strongly about saving
the dogs life --- No brother he ate my scone.
Note 40: Hazoor! means Sir!; Pukka means great one
Barampta on the Sre Mela, Part VI --- The Wedding Party
Sgt Major Westy Stevens trotted back to the end of the line, his critical eye inspecting the Invalid Brigade,
limping along under Lt Dharma. The Colonels complements, Mr Dharma, and are you fit to resume duty?
Westy had his doubts. This ragamuffin with the various bandages on arms and legs didnt look anything like
what a professional soldier should be, but the Colonel needed all of his best men at the front, and if a mongrel
could do rear guard duty, then a mongrel would be put to use. Course, Westy didnt say as much out loud ---
mans got to have some self respect, ysee.
Dharma leapt at the chance, like that starving Afghan dog leapt at a chapatti! Yes Sgt Major! and he
straightened up that extra eighth of an inch, as if posture would make any difference to his being considered fit
to return to the column. His various wounds begged to differ, and Dharma almost winced. Almost, not quite.
The Sgt Major, his clothes and his horse both parade-ground immaculate, sniffed his doubts. There have been
more casualties in the van, and the Colonel is sending a full half-troop of your Punjabi back to reinforce the
rear guard. The column of march will also be passing our picquets along the way, and you are to assist on their
retiring from the heights. The returning piquets will augment your command, as we continue up towards the
Sre Mela Maidan. (note 41). Dharmas hopes of returning to glory and recognition at the front of the column
slowly evaporate, and he shrinks that eighth of an inch again, but he nevertheless manages to return a cheery
Yes Sir, Sgt Major Sir! However, privately, from the depths of his own hell, Dharma thinks Ungh! More
rear-guard duty. Hows a guy get noticed way back here? Theres no glory to be found at the back of the van!
Over the next 30 minutes, Dharmas 6 walking wounded are augmented by 9 Punjabi Sepoys, under Jemadar
Singh. During the same time frame, 6 or 7 stretcher parties arrive at the front of the Bandage Brigade, with
another 20 wounded men for Doc Carmichael to sort out. This slows things down considerably, as some are
bandaged, one or two put into the Kajawa camel-panniers, and others are held down while Doc retrieves or
repairs the remains of the Jezail musket balls. The rest of the Bandage Brigade divide and flow through the
stretchers with the wounded, and continue to amble along at the back of the column. Pretty soon, theres a gap
opening up between Dharma and the Invalid brigade, and the rest of the column. Not much, but for the wolf-
men, any advantage they get, they pounce upon it. And that gap creates a weakness the wolf-men could spot
for miles.
Dharma is nervous, and has all 15 of his polyglot collection of men and Jemadar Singh, on high alert, watching
the heights. They are far too vulnerable, stopped while Doc does his miracles, and falling too far behind the rest
of the column! Lets go, Doc! The wolf-men wont wait for Tiffen! he yells over his shoulder. Its an unkind
cut, because we can see Doc Carmichael is fairly flying along, from one patient to another, ignoring his own
wounded arm, but Doc knows its just Dharmas nerves that are rattled (note 42).
The Wedding Party
When the alert whistle sounds, the sepoy on the heights points to a completely different corner of the quadrant,
than where Dharma was searching. He swings around to where the Picquet aimed his finger, and there on the
right to the East, crossing a nullah between two high crags, is some sort of native procession. It takes a while
to make out the details, but it looks like it is! Its some kind of wedding party! Theres the groom, in his
finest clothes, theres the brides price, must be at least 30 or 40 goats (that must be some bride, to command
such a high price!), and theres the rest of the tribe, all in their best wedding finery, threading their way across a
ragged old rope suspension bridge. Talk about them tempting fate! Dharma thinks. If it were MY bride, I
would have walked the long way around, and ignored that bridge! And with that, Dharma still feels uneasy
about the whole thing. Look alive! Could be a diversion! Watch yer corners! and the sentries all tear their
eyes off the party on the rope suspension bridge, and go back to watching their own assigned sectors.
After this mornings rains, the sun has punched through the clouds and threatens a mini heat wave. Darma can
feel the sweat between his shoulder blades, down his back, and his head still feels like its wrapped in too many
towels --- both heavy and hot. The footing on the trail is still wet, with pools, and the goat-track up to the
ravine between the ferns looks pretty churned up. On the far North East side, there is an old Moghul tower,
something that may once have been foreboding, but is now more of a ruin. The goat bells tell the story --- the
wedding party has made it over that dilapidated rope bridge leading North to the Moghul tower, up to the old
dead tree on the North side of the nullah, and the wedding party disappears in a measured step. Dharma cant
help but feel there is still danger! What IS it thats setting off his internal alarm bells?!
Thats it!!
For Whom The Bells Toll
THE BELLS HAVE STOPPED! I CANT HEAR THE GOAT BELLS! Dharma yells, as he turns around
and yells up the line at Doc Carmichael Yer outta time Doc! Get those bastard camels moving! NOW!
Jemadar Singh hasnt wasted any time, either. Hes told off men to cover the left and the right, and signaled up
to the Picquets on the heights to look alive --- they are probably about to come under overwhelming attack!
As if on cue, the Jesails thunder off to the West on the ridge! The Picquets are under attack! Its a raid, and
theres no time to reinforce the picquets! Doc and the medics are in a frenzy of activity! Slap that mule! Get a
move on! Grab a mule harness and hold on, son, theres no time to mount up! Run man! RUN! Its a hundred
paces to the end of the column! Theyll never make it! The mules jog-trot in fear, throwing their heads up and
around! The camels are prodded with anything sharp! They bellow their annoyance at the insult to their dignity,
but even THEY start to trot up the path!
Up on the cliff, the noise has risen to a storm! A few sharp barks from the Snyders, a faint din of a vicious
hand-to-hand battle, metal on metal! And nothing Too late! Theyre over-run! Common, get yer butt
moving! Run! Dharma and his little band half-hobble and half-trot up the mountain path! (note 43). Theyre
60 yards to the next platoon! May as well be 60 furlongs! RUN!
Whosh-Karumph! The echo of the Jezails bounces back an forth across the path! Hard to tell --- 5 maybe 6?
The shots arent distinct enough Jemadar Singh yells at points toward the Moghul tower! Its that damn
wedding party! They must have hidden the Jezails ahead of time, cause they werent carrying them! Jezail
bullets like angry bees! (note 44) A sepoy stumbles, and his mates grab him and haul him bodily along! A mule
is hit! The invalid on the mule tumbles off, does a bit of a summersault, but hes grabbed by an orderly! The
Puffers fire back at the wedding party, but they are shooting almost on the run! 2 hits! Two of the wedding
party wolf-men on the heights tumble over the sides of the cliff! Not enough! (note 45) Dont stop! RUN!
45 yards to safety! Keep yer legs pumping! Gotta stop for a rest --- no time! Get up! 20 yards more! The
Jezails open up from the West side! More bees! Missed! They all missed! And then were into the mass of the
next troop along in the column! Their vengeful Snyders bark back in defiance! No more! Gotta collapse! Doc?
Wheres Doc! Zee Alright? Yeah!? Alright! Ah good! Legs burning! Throat on fire!
Not over! Rear guard! Cover the Picquet withdrawing! Jemadar Singh signals the next picquet along in the
line of march, just to the West, and the picquet-men spill over the sides of the Sangar, and RUN down the
steep sides of the crag! (note 46). Theyre gonna make it! Aaargh, one of them has tripped, but hes up and
hobbling along, holding his arm kinda funny! Another goes tumbling forward! The third and 4
th
Picquet grab
him under his arms, and come hobbling down the too-steep grade! OH THEYVE ALL gone down! Some of
the Puffers from the troop beside us go barreling up the scree, grab the piquets, and haul them bodily down the
slope! Three out of the four are hobbling along with their various sprains and ripped clothing, and the poor
fourth guy looks winded, but otherwise none the worse for wear. One last WhooshKarumph from the Jezails,
but they are too far out of range to get effective shots in, and then silence envelops the Grim.
Half an hour later, you wonder what all the fuss was about. Sun shining; pleasantly warm. Just another nice
day, and a bit of a brisk walk in the hills. Not a care in the world . . .
To Be Continued But only if anyone is still interested
After Action Report, Part VI --- The Wedding Party
Lets see, what did we do that was new this time? We used the old the NWF Multiple-Path Adventure list to
get the Moghul tower, and the NWF Patrol and Road Detail list is getting a good work-out with this particular
mini-campaign. We simulated damage done by running down a too-steep hill by using Jezail-fire, and then re-
describing it in terms of twisted limbs and tumbles.
This was actually a fairly accurate reflection of the picquet duty, covering a column, with the Rear Guard
starting the day mighty slim, and then collecting the picquets that they passed by along the way, and swelling
the ranks of the rear guard as the day progressed. And the down-hill run was an aquired skill, out on the Grim.
You didnt so much aim as bounce, and hope you didnt break anything on the down-hill rush! Gurkhas
were supposed to excel at this sport, being the last to leave, and the first to arrive, passing all others on the
boulder-strewn courses.
This was a pretty LONG write-up, for relatively little action, but quite satisfying none-the-less. And Dharma
wasnt stuck in the Kajawa for once!
Notes
Note 41: Hm? Oh, Maidan!? Why thats a nice flat plateau, mboy --- the place where the Waziri traditionally
go for their winter pastures! While we are here, we reset for the next scene. First we roll the Mythic FAS
(Focus-Action-Subject) triple-percentile-die, and get 39.84.74 --- Move toward a Thread (just means resume
the major quest, the Barampta or punishment-patrol), Care, and Liberty. Hm Dharma is released from the
Docs Care, and is at Liberty to continue as an active participant in the Barampta. Thats sort of the scene
we wanted to set, anyway!
Note 42: Next we go back to the NWF Patrol and Road Detail list to get more detail on the current scene. So
we go to the NWF Multiple-Path Adventure list, and get Place to Develop= A S (old Moghul tower). Then we
go to Patrol and Road Details list, and we get --- Weather= 5D (Heatwave); Footing=9D (Wet, pools); Task
related= 10D (Raid! Oh that looks like fun!); Trail=7D (Goat-trail); Focal point= KH (Dead tree); Trailside=
QH (Rough Ground); Color= 10H (Churned path); Danger= AH (Ahead); Vegetation= JC (Fern, but weve
had that last scene, so we pull again --- AC = goat-herder). OK, we can work with that --- but lets pull a
Mythic Terrain Generator variable (just because we can) and we get 88.39.45 (oooh a double AND its evens)
so we get Possible Partisans, Dampens, and Rope Bridge! So the low-number even-doubles means we have an
interrupt scene --- something else happens to pre-empt our planned attack on the rear-guard! We go back to
the NWF Patrol and Road Details and pull a card for the Travelers part, and we get a Wedding Party!
Note 43: The Sangar is out of sight, out of mind. Its logical that 4 sepoys couldnt outlast a whole tribe of
wolf-men, so we dont try and model it. Theyre gone --- thats it
Note 44 Straight TSATF --- 6 Jezail shots, the first a 2 on a D20 and the second is a 5 (and a 5 or 6 is counted
against the mule train, bigger targets, ysee)
Note 45: two hits; two hearts very lucky shooting --- I penalized the shooters, too. Gave them only 1-3 odds of
hitting on the fly
Note 46: Figure the odds of the guys running down the hill are about the same as if they were shot at in the
open with the Jezails --- just that the wounds would come from a bad fall. So, 4 picquets, 4 shots from
Jezails --- rrrrRRRRrrrRRRrrRRRRrrr --- Aaargh no! 3 hits! But no kills --- three of the 4 picquets stumble
and fall in their haste, and suffer minor wounds!
Barampta on the Sre Mela, Part VII --- Naja Sardi
Lt Dharma was not a happy man. All he wanted was to be at the front, leading the charge, seen and appreciated
by the Colonel, and well-remembered when the talk of promotions and medals came around. Who gets any
notice, here the back of the column? Good as forgotten back here. Might as well have stayed home at the
depot, for all the notice people would take of you. Oh sure, the Colonel had given Dharma a full half-troop of
Puffers (note 47), and he could still draw on any of the walking wounded in Doc Carmichaels Invalid Brigade
(which was steadily growing in numbers as the current campaign wound along), but thats still not exactly the
plum job in the circus, is it.
Off to their right, they are passing the burning remains of what used to be the village of Naja Sardi. At one
point it must have had 20 or so huts, but the column is in no mood to be lenient, and the locals have been
collected, the Colonel read them the Barampta edict (Reprisals for killing the local Tax Man --- How many
Jezails were due as the price of settling up the blood-feud with the Raj), and the village put to the torch. Thats
easier to say than do, as the village is mostly mud and dust. Significantly, there are no men here between the
ages of 16 to 60. They are probably all out in a Lashkar party, likely one that we have already encountered.
The wind has picked up, and the pitiful refugees from the village wrap their ragged clothes about them as they
warble and wail like some alien bird call, and collectively head off toward one of the nearby ravines, half
covered with a landslide. At least its bright and dry, so they arent really suffering with the clothes they are
currently wearing. And they probably moved out most of their valuable stuff an hour before the column came
knocking at the village door. Typical wolf-man trick, that.
Most of the Barampta has already passed the village by, and as Dharma comes up to the side path leading off
towards the village, the 4 scouts in skirmish order, detailed to watch the fire and make sure it is destroying the
village, come trotting back down the twisty mountainous trail to join in the rear-guard. One of them reports to
Dharma with a salute, holding out a brass long-rifle scope. Might have come off a Jezail, but the look of the
fittings suggests otherwise --- more like from a Snyder, but thats not standard issue in these parts. Bit of a
puzzle thinks Dharma. Some old village codger is following the scouts, coming down the path from the
village. Hes shaking his arm like hes throwing a spear, and giving them curse heaped upon curse in a high-
pitched quavering Pushtu, the language of the local Waziri. The scouts threaten him with their rifles, and
growl, but the game old duck just keeps coming. Ranting away in that high quavering voice. Not very bright,
but hes a brave ol codger thinks Dharma.
Curses Upon Thee, Infidel Dogs!
The village trailside is littered with unidentifiable bones, and Dharma steps forward, lest the old man go too far,
and join the bone pile at the side of the village path. He gets close to one Scout, who is yelling back by now,
and Dharma puts his hand, calmingly, on the Scouts shoulder. The old man turns to Dharma, and in a stage
whisper says, Bout time you fellahs got your act together! I thought Id have to chase you right through the
Sre Mela before someone in authority noticed me! Now, pretend to knock me out, sonny, and carry me over to
the Invalid Brigade! Dharma froze for half a second, and then threw a round house punch, that only half
connected, and then ordered the Scout to bind the old man (loosely) and take him back to the column. The
local Political Agent had made it through the portal between the Waziri and the Barampta column, and back to
safety!
Pretending to inspect his wounds, the old man was stripped by the medics, and his native clothing exchanged
with that of another wounded soldier, who was still unconscious. The spy staggered up, wearing a khaki Puffer
uniform and with his bandaged arm in a sling, and reported over to Dharma, and no one could have noticed
the switch. Well done, Lieutenant, but next time, please dont hit me quite so hard! Im Laughland, by the
way. (note 49). Dharma sees that the old man is just an act, and that Laughland is 30-ish.
Say, you didnt happen to come across my spotting scope did you? Laughland continued. Dharma pulled it
from his pouch and handed it over. Be a bit more careful with that, Lieutenant says Laughland. Its got a
thorn inside, poisoned with Krait venom. Wouldnt want to have you fall off that horse on us, would we!
Dharma went a bit pale! Krait! Those were the most deadly snakes out here on the frontier, aside from the two-
legged kind! Laughland screwed off one end of the scope, and carefully extracted a rolled piece of paper,
covered in Pushtu, from within the barrel. Copy of the call to arms --- its another Jihad --- a holy war, he
added, matter-of-factly. Whenll they ever learn. Dharma doesnt know quite what to make of this strange
duck.
With yer permission, Lieutenant, Ill just wander up the line and give this to the Colonel, so he knows what
rock to look under! says Laughland, and Dharma cant do much but salute this man, ostensibly his superior,
and Laughland starts the long dog-trot up towards the Colonel. Spys, thinks Dharma with a bit of disgust.
Not like they were REAL gentlemen, or whatever. And with that, he turns back to his duties with the Rear
Guard.
A runner from the Colonel, and would Lt Dharma please present himself to the Colonel at his earliest
convenience? Please take this horse, sir, and the runner will walk back. That doesnt sound too good. Dharma
passes command to Jemadar Singh, and mounts up.
Ah, Mr Dharma, says the Colonel, with Political Agent Laughland walking beside the Colonels horse.
Seems like Laughland here has a job to do, and asked particularly for you and a troop of the Punjabi Frontier
Force. Its a volunteer mission, so you can pick the men you want. In spite of the bluff tone, Dharma notices
the Colonel has trouble looking him in the eye. Oh no. Not more of this cloak and dagger stuff! Its not
dignified. Not suitable for an Officer and a Gentleman. And with that, Dharma snaps off a salute and a cheery
Yes sir! as if its the best thing hes ever been offered to undertake. The Colonel eyes his enthusiasm a bit
suspiciously. Yes, well Laughland herell bring you up to speed, Mr Dharma. Good luck with it. Could
help speed the job of pacifying these blighters. A salute, a Sir! and Dharma became a dirty low-down spy.
Get your men together Dharma, and well leave the column an hour after dark, says Laughland. We are
going cross-country, and if were lucky well catch that Fakir thats been inciting all this unrest. One of the
Waziri sub-commanders a bit of a lush and let slip a bit of a hole in their defenses. We go set a nice little trap,
have a nice little firefight, and then we can all go home Laughland made it sound like a walk in the park.
Dharma knew better. Nothing is a walk in the park, out here on the Grim.
TO BE CONTINUED (maybe in Pushtu)
After Action Report for Part VII --- Naja Sardi
This may sound like an adventure story, but many a Victorian Englishman started off their skyrocket to fame
and fortune by similar efforts, out on the Grim --- the North West Frontier. It was the making of men, and the
breaking of men. Far too many of the heroes died young, often under 35. These officers provided the Victorian
era with a remarkable phenototype --- they were handsome, dashing, bold, charismatic, and often killed on duty
in the prime of their lives (like Burnes, Nicholson, Mackeson and Cavagnari). The North-West Frontier was
(and remains) one of the most fascinating areas in the memories of the British Empire. Myth, legend and reality
overlap here and one is never quite sure where the one stops and the other begins. The Grim was the anvil from
which many a career (including those of much-vaunted Indian Viceroys and future British Prime Ministers like
Churchill) could be tempered like the finest steel, made and unmade; and where a seemingly simple incident
could escalate rapidly into a full-blown international crisis.
Quite apart from soldiers, the Frontier has absorbed the best efforts of generations of able-bodied
administrators, politicians, and great statesmen; famous names ring out like Palmerston, Disraeli, Gladstone,
Dalhousie, Lawrence, Lytton, Curzon, Gandhi, Nehru, Attlee, Jinnah, and Mountbatten who have all either
come to power, or fallen from grace, because of their North West Frontier policies and politics.
Notes for Part VII
Note 47: Puffers came from the initials of the Punjabi Frontier Force
Note 48: The Mythic FAS (Focus Action Subject) seeder number is 32.64.89 on three percentile dice, so no
double numbers means no Modified or Altered scenes, here. And the translation of that number gives us ---
Introduce a New NPC (Non Playing Character, or someone ostensibly not a soldier, and peripheral to the
action), Spy, and Portals. Hm lets pull some other details before we jump to conclusions, here. So we go to
the NWF Multiple-Path Adventure list, and pull a Places to Develop= 5D (Walled Village with 20 huts);
Objects= 9C (Brass long-rifle scope). Then we go to NWF Patrol and Road Details and we get Weather= JD
(Windy); Footing= 8D (Bright, so reasonable footing); Task Related= AD (scouts skirmishing); Trail= AD
(Twisty and mountainous --- notice that this isnt a mistake, 2 aces of diamonds, were just zipping along the
top line of the list, and dont really care what the pulled-suit actually is, while we fill in this particular list);
Focal Point= 3H (Ravine); Trailside= 6H (Bones); Color= 8D (dust and mud); Danger= 2H (to the right);
Vegitation= 6C (Landslide); Other life= 8C (bird calls); and Travelers= KC (Courier). OK, we can work with
that! Lets write it up.
Note 49: Ah! We get a chance to try out the NWF Enemy Intelligence list! And we draw Source= 3D (Escaped
prisoner); Info= 10D (Sub commander of the Waziri is a lush); Reliability= KD (Inferred facts); Enemy
Weakness 4D (Defenses); Language= 5H (Pushtu); Media= 5H (Copy of a treaty); Hiding place= 4H
(Hollowed umbrella --- well substitute the Rifle Scope for this); Protection= 4C (Poison Thorn). And we
throw in a Mythic Campaign Peripheral Color (just because we can) with a triple decimal roll of
rrrRRRRrrrRrrrrRRR --- 61.40.09 which gives us Enemy Agitators, Terrified, and Temple --- so the enemy
agitators are terrifying the people into a Jihad, or holy war, against the Ferenghi. That fits! Write it up!
Barampta on the Sre Mela, Part VIII --- Just A Walk in the Park
Dharma looked back over his little column (note 50). Theyd never move as quietly as the local Waziri (who
were in their own element, after all), but they were damned good, for all of that. They kept to the little folds in
the nullah, and flitted along like khaki ghosts. Most of the Punjabi Frontier Force were recruited from the
Pathans to start, and this little column of volunteers were some of the best. Tall ropy men, who could maintain
a really blistering pace of alternating half-jog, half-walk, all day long. Dharmas various wounds were
reminding him that he was not in the best of shape, just yet. Still, the pursuit of old Laughlands nefarious little
raid was better than the Invalid Brigade, or rear-guard duty!
The early morning weather was wicked. It had dropped below freezing overnight, and the footing on the
various goat-trails was anvil-hard. About half-way through the morning, Laughland pauses and points to a
crest in the distance. See that dead tree thats taller than the rest of the casuarina-thorn bushes? We get a great
view from up there, near the cairn. It took another 3 hours to get across the Nullah, making sure they werent
seen, before the little troop reached that dead tree on the skyline. They settled down to wait.
About an hour later, a hunting party of Waziri wolf-men came into view. They dithered over to the right, then
wandered over the other side of the goat-path. One had a tamed hunting hawk of some sort, and Dharma was
nervous of it giving away their position, but Laughland said it only went after small game and rabbits. In the
summer, this must be quite a nice valley, with the grasses and flowers populating every little nook and crack,
but today, its all dry browns and frozen shadows. Theres a couple of furry rabbits down below, trying to find
something to eat. The hunting party edges closer, and the hawk circles above our heads. Easy says
Laughland in Pushtu, for the sepoys to hear. We are waiting for bigger prey, my Brothers! Some of the
sepoys chuckle under their breath, and we all relax and keep well away from the skyline. Dont tempt fate.
Hawk-Eyes
The damned hawk lands right in the dead tree! Right above our heads! Hes screeching and looking right at us!
Laughlin waves his hand downward, to make sure nobody else moves! The hawk looks down, left, right, down.
Surly the hunting party will realize that somethings up! The hawk handler yells a command at the bird, and
points to the field with the rabbits in it. The hawk slowly flaps its wings and lifts off into the air, reaching for
altitude. Some 2 minutes go by, and he plunges from the sky like a brown bullet! Surely hes going to smash
himself on the rocks! NO! Hes landed on some poor rabbit! Theres fur all over the place! Thats it for that
little guy! Hes for the cooking pot, for sure! The hawk looks out at their hiding spot on the craig, as if to say
Youre next!
Another hour of tortuously waiting, and the hunting party drifts on down the Nullah.
Two more hours go by. Nothing. Dharma gets restless --- maybe the intelligence was wrong? Laughland says
wait. So they wait. Still cold. Sunny but no heat. Wait some more. How long? Must be mid afternoon. Wait.
Shins aching. How much longer?
A low murmur from one of the Sepoys right on the ridge line! Somethings coming! Is it them? (note 51).
Excitement builds, as everybody shifts muscles that have been unused for the last 5 hours! Check yer
percussion caps! Primed and loaded? Pull the rags off the firing mechanism! Comon you old goat! The Queen
Raj has a message for yer!
The irregular horse trot closer along the trail! Dharmas stage whisper only reaches out 5 yards Steady!
Hold on! His hand signal is seen to either end of the line of khaki men lying down on the ridge, a few feet
back of the edge! Laughland wiggles forward to the edge, taking the responsibility of springing the trap, as is
his right. He holds his hand back --- Wait! The rumble of the horses on the goat-track is clear now! Theyre
here! Its time! Why doesnt he signal!? Comon! Theyre gonna get away!
Pounce
NOW! The bark comes and the men erupt! Down below, pandemonium reigns! They heard Laughlands
command, and dont wait a second to check it out! You survive on your instincts out here on the Grim! Ride!
Ride like the wind! Yer life depends on it!
The ragged line of Snyders speak out! Bladam BladaBlaBladam! Badam-am! Both Laughland and Dharma
empty their service revolvers, although there is no way they get aimed shots at this range! Its a river of brown
and dusty beiges down there! There must be 40 riders or more! (note 52) NO! Missed him! There are 6
wounded and 2 more lying dead down there, but the Fakir and his buddies are getting away! Reload! NO!
Theyre out of range! Too late! AAAaaargh! And the river of horses disappears into the distance, over one
foothill, up for a bit on the far knoll, and down and out of sight! Gone!
But its not over! The Hunter has become the Prey! Get up! Move! We gotta get out of here! Leave nothing
behind! RUN! The little khaki column picks themselves up, and starts the long hard jog-trot back to safety,
knowing the wolf-men will be on their trail, eager for Badal --- for vengence! No one takes a shot at the Fakir
and gets away free! Down the ridge, across the road, heading for that crack on the other side of the nullah!
There will be no rest until they get back to safety, or lie in their graves!
Now the Grim is hunting THEM!
TO BE CONTINUED . . . But only if it is still interesting
After Action Report, Part VIII --- Just a Walk in the Park
Truth! We set out with every episode, looking for that big battle, but they dont always cooperate and
materialize! That doesnt mean the little skirmishes arent as much fun, just that we set out looking for one
thing, and get absorbed with another.
Weve been looking for a running-fight, or maybe a fighting retreat, for several weeks now, and it LOOKS like
thats what is coming up next (but ya never knows, out here on the Grim). Thats the beauty of a randomizer
system like Mythic GME (Game Master Emulator). You get MOST of what you expected, but a little tweak
can send you off in an entirely unexpected line of enquiry. Fun stuff!
Notes for Part VIII --- Just a Walk in the Park
Note 50: First we reset the scene, and roll the Mythic FAS (Function, Action, Subject) to see if we get a
Modified or an Altered scene, and we get 20.31.01 on the three percentile die rolls --- NPC Positive, Heal,
Goals --- which we decipher as Laughlands quest (goals) lets Dharma stretch out his healing muscles. Next we
go to the NWF Patrol and Road Detail and pull: Weather= 6D (Freezing); Footing= 5D (anvil hard); Task
Related= 10D (raid! That sure fits); Trail= 7D (Goat-Trail); Focal Point= KH (Dead Tree); Trailside= 7H
(Cairn); Color= 5H (great view); Danger= 10H (Nervous); Vegetation= 3C (cracked); Other Life= 6C (Rabbit)
and Travelers= 4C (hunting party). And we throw in a Mythic Terrain Generator element, just because we can,
and we get --- 27.47.19 --- a moderate obstacle Entangles the Skyline. We can work with that!
Note 51: We pose the question to Mythic Fate Chart --- is it the Fakir? 56 --- we dont even HAVE to look at
the chart, to know thats dead in the middle of Yes ground! Hes coming!
Note 52: we handle this with standard TSATF mechanics --- 6 hits for the Snyders but only one dead, and no
Ace! Two x 1D6 for the two officers handguns One dead, one wounded (we turn over 2 cards to see who ---
both face cards, but not the Ace! --- two sub commanders are hit, one of them dead, but the Fakir gets away!
Barampta on the Sre Mela, Part IX --- Pursuit
Cant breathe.
Legs on fire. Gasping for breath. Sword in scabbard keeps getting inna way. Pistol too heavy. Too tired to
holster it. Gawd, another cliff. Never keep up. Eyes feel like sandpaper. Dont look back. Theyre commin.
Yknow theyre commin. Lef right; ten more; lef right; almos to the ridge; muscles screamin; over the top.
Collapse! Done in!
Ten minutes! NO MORE! Laughland calls for a short rest.
Get up! MOVE! Wha? I just lay down!? Snot fair! Oh. Must have dozed off to sleep. Dharma painfully
rolls over on the rock, and surveys the back trail (note 53). Something on the far horizon, but cant tell what.
The men have been on the run for 2 hours, and they look beat, even after that 10-minute rest. But not
Laughland.
Laughland looks like he slept well all night! Not even breathing hard! Hes looking through his brass scope at
the back-trail where weve just crossed. Its a rocky field of jagged boulders, like teeth baying up at the sky.
Laughland turns on Dharma and says Gimme yer revolver and yer boots! Dharma looks at him in shock ---
wha? Laughland barks it out this time, no delays REVOLVER AND BOOTS, RIGHT NOW! And from the
recesses of his Poshteen, Laughland pulls out a pair of floppy Afghan soft shoes and throws them at Dharmas
feet. Laughland points to a distinctive mountain with a double peak, some 60 miles away. See that notched
mountain? You take the rest of the men and head for that! Cover your tracks well! Brush them with a cut tree-
branch. Theres no time to waste. 30 miles out youre going to come to the trail again. If Im not back by then,
turn left, and that should take you back to the column. And with that, Laughland grabs Dharmas boots and
his pistol, and goes over the rock and down the back-trail.
Laughland pulls off a thorn-tree branch on the run, and starts sweeping the little columns prints away, and 100
yards out, there he is stomping on the tops of Dharmas boots, marking an obvious path off their trail, veering
away to the left. Hes pulling something from his pocket, and placing it in the middle of the trail. A uniform
button maybe? Too far to tell. And 2 minutes later, Laughland has disappeared into the scrub. Hes gone.
Dharma knows its just a reprieve, not a guarantee of no pursuit! Best hope is that itll split the pursuing party
in two. Hes got the Pathan slippers on his feet, and gets the rest of the men up and stumbling along in a
semblance of a drunken trot (note 54)
Hounds and Hare
Laughland is taking no chances. Hes no newcomer to this game of Hounds and Hare, and he makes quick time
jogging along the path, bending a branch, scuffing some lichen or moss beside the trail, stomping on poor
Dharmas boot in the mud near a water puddle. Those boots wont be good for much, when Dharma gets
them back! he thinks with a grin. Another 10 feet, another clue. No way for the wolf-men to loose the scent.
Hes not exactly a new kid at this game, and Laughlands smile fades, as he remembers that time, some 8 years
ago, when things didnt go so smoothly.
Hed been scared, not as thorough, and the pack of chasers had split up. Half followed Laughland up the
Nullah, shouting out as the clues were spotted. But the other half didnt get pulled off the main scent.
Laughland never did find out why. It got ugly, fast. Never could shake the screams when the wolf-men found
the travelers. Still wake up every once in a while in a cold sweat. Failed that time. They trusted him and he
failed them. Made Laughland a bit of a loner, that did. Couldnt go back to a regular command, see? Not right
that the rest of the men hear him badgered by ghosts in the middle of the night.
Laughland snaps back to the present. Ah! Some old camp site! Not British, but we can make the fire-pit look
bigger, set up some small branches and light them again to give some heat, roll on the lichen over here to make
it look like men slept there last night. And a precious 10 minutes later, it looked like 20 men spent the night
here! Even made Tiffen! Some loose tea in the fire pit for the smell. And Laughland was off at the lope, with
Dharmas boots, marking the mud trails again. Thank gawd it was getting wet and drizzly! Much easier to
leave nice deep boot heel prints!
Whats that by the trailside? Bones? Pick a couple up, never know when they might be useful. Doesnt take
much space in the haversack! Up toward that long low cliff. Then we make the whole 20 men into ghosts!
First we better lead them on a bit he thinks. Then Laughland puts a cupped hand to his face, and yells out to
the left Jemadar Azful! And turning the other way, with a clever change of inflection, Laughland answers
himself, with Jemadar Azful calling back Hazoor Sahib! He knows the pursuers have heard him! Wont be
long now!
The Caves
The trail splits into a skein of smaller goat trails, off to the various low caves in the cliff in front of him.
Laughland heads into the largest, and quickly unloads some bones and throws down a forage cap on top of
them. Let the wolf-men figure THAT out! The bats in the cave set up a chit-chit-chit in their high-pitched
voice. Good! Laughland hopes the wolf-men dislike Bats as much as he does!
Out of the cave on the run, and off to the right. We need a bit of theater here! thinks Laughland. Theres a
ford over the stream, and a darker sandy area to one side, looks almost like mire. Zat quicksand? he thinks,
but theres no time!. A shout has gone up from the caves behind him! Sorry Dharma he thinks, as he casts
one of Dharmas boots out over the dark sandy area. Hm, good throw. Looks like Dharma went down in the
quick-sand with only one of his boots on! Laughland wades into the little mountain stream --- Gawd thats
cold! --- and then he turns up-stream at a crouch, looking for someplace to hide. Hopefully the Hounds will
think he went down-stream.
And the game is heating up!
The Khaki Puffer Shuffle
Meanwhile Dharma and the rest of the Punjabi Frontier Force are staggering on, hoping to put some distance
between them and their pursuers. Dharma glances along the back-trail --- not all of them went after Laughland
(note 55). The weather is still cold, with wet pools along the hard track they are following --- must have been
some mule or camel train path at one point, all muddy and slippery corduroy, up and down, endlessly. Off on
one side there is some sort of an old tomb up on a table rock, a couple of crows circling it and cawing their
outrage, but theres no time or energy to investigate it. They come to a little mountain stream, and splash
through to the rapids to other side, trying not to break any of the ferns, not to leave any extra traces for the
chasers to find. Its not easy.
Most of them are past the point of muscles hurting --- theyve come to that spiritual place that long distance
runners know, where they get their second wind. and try and think about getting back in one piece, in spite of
the danger all around them (note 56). As Dharma looks back, a couple of kids pop their heads above the
boulders, and the cry goes up! Theyve been spotted! More kids pop up, searching to catch a glimpse of their
prey. Its all a game to them at the moment, and they call out Chi chi chi chi as if they are hunting rabbits or
ground squirrels, but then the women with the knives start their ululations, and a cold shiver goes down
Dharmas spine! Hes heard about the wolf-mens women, and if they get near, you better save that last bullet
for yourself!
Almost as one, the Punjabi force sluffs off unneeded equipment like belts or empty pouches --- its time they
run for their lives, and they set out in a purposefully strong punishing trot, knowing their pursuers will show
absolutely no mercy (note 57).
No room for error! Watch yer feet! If you go down, yer good as dead! RUN MAN! Sepoy Amjad Khan looses
his footing! Jemadar Afzul is right there, grabbing his arm! No time for talk! Back on yer feet! Run man, RUN!
The women and kids are still wailing in the background! Not getting any closer! Got to hold them off! Lungs
burning, legs really feel it! No place to stop that isnt death! Head uphill and keep to the Stones! Run! (note
58)
Dowla and the Umbellahpeg
Around the corner on the run! Watch it! Watch it! But theyre too tired! A quick tumble and its all over! Lance
Naik Sita Gohl and two others collide! Sita Gohl gets up, hes favoring his arm, but it clear that Sepoy Dowla
Sardi isnt going anywhere! His leg sprawls out at an obscene angle! We cant take him! Hes done for! (note
59!)
Theres no tolerance! No time! Dowla Sardi and Lance Naik Sita Gohl rush through the ritual exchange for
those that are left behind --- Dowla gets the Hashish pipe and the Umbellah peg; Dowla gives over a package
to Sita to go to his family. His friends touch Dowlas shoulder once, and have to trot off up the trail! The
baying of the mob is coming closer and its madness to stay! Jemadar Afzul lights the mans pipe, and leaves a
burning taper to light the umbella peg! Afzul smashes his Snyder against the rocks, one last touch, and Dowla
Sardi is left alone! Maybe 5 minutes, maybe less! Theyre coming!
Dharma is having trouble seeing straight. Hes angry and rubs the worst from his eyes. Not the way to go.
Dont stop. Nothing back there. One hundred yards. Keep pumping. No time for the pain. Two hundred yards.
Off to the left on a dog leg. Try and throw the pursuers off. Gawd Im tired. Cant breath. Throat on fire.
Three hundred --- and the air behind him resounds with the triumphant yells of the women and children that
have found Dowla Sardi! Dharma cant help it! He turns back! Dowla, set it off! Dowla light the fuse! Dowla
!
whooOOOOOSHBLADAAAaaam
and for that awful moment, the Frontier is silent.
To Be Continued . . . But Not for the Faint of Heart!
After Action Report for Part IX --- Pursuit
The easiest way to translate the notes and build the scene, is to simply copy all the card-pulls from the
specific note, and deposit them right at the end of the write-up. Next we go through and prune any extraneous
stuff, leaving just the things like Weather = 3D (Cold) and so on. As each element gets woven into the tale, it
gets deleted from the list. Sometimes we end up with one or two items from the 20 or so that we chose that
just dont seem to fit, and if so, we just discard them. Sometimes if we need that item but the drawn card
doesnt fit, we either go up one or down one, or just draw another card. No point in getting to Anal-Retentive
about it --- its just a game. (Oh yeah? pipes up the wife. Then why were you up till 2 AM in the morning,
typing up that silly thing! Oops).
This is the first time we have used the North West Frontier Running Pursuit card-pull, and it turned out really
well! Theres only 8 columns to chose from at the moment, and we may need to add more, but it got the job
done admirably. Perhaps not as flashy, Ive put together a list of common names for the NWF, and each time I
use one of the names (like Dowla Sardi) then it gets logged into the list. No point in having the same name pop
up TOO often, although they will undoubtedly get recycled from time to time.
Notes
Note 53: We set up the next scene. First we roll the Mythic FAS (Focus-Action-Subject) triple decimal dice, to
see if we get any Modified or Altered scenes (doubles) and we get: rrrrRRRrrrRRRRrrrr---23.44.34 --- yes!
That low (lower than the Chaos value of 9) doubles (44 or a unit value of 4) means we get an Interrupt scene.
So we go to the Mythic chart, and see if we can figure out what it is --- NPC Action, Release, and
Expectations. Hmmm. Like our grim Expectations are Released by something the NPC (Laughland) does? Ah!
Laughland is intending to lead the wolf-men off our trail! A diversion!
Note 54: Technically we should be following the interrupt scene with Laughland, so thats what we do ---
leave Dharma behind. We need to build the scene for Laughlands Hound and Hare game! First we go get a
Place to Develop= 2C Drainage tunnel off the shaft --- hm, thats for a mine, so we may have to twist it a bit.
Next we go to the NWF Patrol and Road Details, and pull: Weather= 2D (wet); Footing= 9D (Wet with
pools); Task Related= 5D (Pause for Tiffen?!) Trail= 8D (Split Skein); Focal Point= 7H (Ford Stream);
Trailside= 6H (bones); Color= 9H (Sand/Mire); Danger= 9H (Saw him!); Vegetation= 10C (Lichen); Other
Life= 10C (Bats); and thats all we need here. We pull a Mythic Terrain Generator element (just cause we can)
and get: 77.80.49 --- now that double is below the current Chaos level (of 8 for Laughland), so it SHOULD be
a Modified scene --- the next most obvious scene to Laughland leading the pack astray. And the numbers
correspond to: Ambiguous event, Trust, and Failure. Wow! We can work with that.
Note 55: This is the start of a new scene, so we roll the Mythic FAS (Focus-Action-Subject) triple decimal
dice, to see if we get any Modified or Altered scenes (because of rolling any doubles) and we get --- 94.79.17 -
-- NPC Positive, Intolerance, The Spiritual. (Hm, have to think on that for a moment). Second, we figure
arbitrarily that there are around 100 chasers, but we then need to know how many of the wolf-men are chasing
Dharma, so we just role a decimal die, and we get 59 --- so 60 men are chasing Dharma, and only 40 were
pulled away to follow Laughland. How many of them are warriors, we wonder? So we throw another decimal
dice and get --- 54 percent (lets say 31 men) are wolf men, and the balance of 29 are women and children (still
bad enough). We can do this again and we get 19 percent of the 29 are women (so that makes 6 women with
knives, and 23 kids that still act as a potent scouting force). Next we build the trail scene by going back to the
NFW Patrol and Road Details: Weather = 3D (Cold); Footing = 9D (Wet with pools); Task-related = KD
(mule/camel train); Trail = QD (Corduroy up/down); Focal Point = 2H (Table-rock); Trailside = 8H (Old
Tomb); Color = 7H (but weve used that recently, so we go to 8H = Dust/Mud and we use the Mud part);
Danger = 4H (Both sides); Vegetation = JC (Fern); Other Life = 5C (Ravens); and we ignore the Travelers
column as something we dont need. Just because we can, we add a Mythic Terrain Generator element ---
50.68.62 --- Minor Objective, Billeted, Rapids. OK, we can work with that! Time to build the scene. (see the
After Action Report for some short-cuts).
Note 56: Do the pursuers spot them? We pose the question to the Mythic Fate chart, with rather high
probability and sky-high chaos. The decimal dice is at 105 so almost not worth rolling, but there is a chance of
something else happening so --- rrrrRRRrrrRRR --- and the percentile dice gives us: 54, so yes the pursuers see
us. Ah! Now we get to use the new NWF Running Pursuit card-pull for the first time! Pursuers = 7D
(purposeful); Noise = 9D (Women with knives); Sluffed off = 9D (Equipment belts); Name Calling = 6H
(Taunting Chi chi chi chi). We skipped the columns we didnt need yet.
Note 57: We treat crippling injuries as if we had some portion of the Wolf-men firing at the Puffers. With 30
men, there aught to be 15 rifles, but the TSATF requirements mean only half of those could fire, so 7 Jezails at
long range, aiming at the Puffers (Punjabi Frontier Force) on the run through rough ground --- figure its 1-3 on
a D20 to hit, and we roll rrrRRRRrrrRRRrrrRRrrr! --- a miss! A Clean miss with ALL of them! Back to the
story line!
Note 58: Time to test for people falling out! 7 more Jezail shots! 3 hits! One dead outright, one key figure
wounded (not a leader figure) and one more wounded!
Note 59: We go back to the Running Pursuit list, and draw for the other cards --- The Caught = 6D (Baying
mob); Last Exchange = 5H (Umbellah peg, a crude grenade); Goodbyes = 8H Toddy which is inappropriate so
we go up on to Hashish pipe.
Barampta on the Sre Mela, Part X --- Quiet as the Tomb
The umbella-peg explosion changed everything (note 60). In the span of seconds, the pursuers lost their
holiday-bright attitude, and became grim reapers instead. Laughland turned mid-stream where he was standing,
like a rabbit sniffing the air, trying to assess the pursuers state of mind. Thats when he heard the faint yelp of
the dogs, against the background of the wild birdcalls around him. Not good. Not good at all
Now Afghan dogs are more of a sight-hound, and as long as he kept low, they probably wouldnt cause him
much concern, but a dog was a dog. That made things a bit more dicey. Laughland continued to slog his way
upstream, over the slippery footing. Off to the North West (on the far left) there is some sort of a small watch
tower, so he couldnt go in that direction, but he needed someplace to go to ground, and soon. The little creek
is petering out, and turned into more of a trickle in the middle of a rough dry river bed, all rocks and scrub. He
took his wet shoes off, in an effort to change his Ferenghi tracks, but what about the dogs?
It wont be long until they catch up to him, and when the dogs arrive, itll be all over if he hasnt found cover!
Already, he can hear the Wolf-men, with their leaders screaming for blood! The bird calls quiet down, which
means they must be close! Laughland hunkers down behind the low cover, knowing that too sneak a peak is to
be spotted by those Afghan hounds! Things are getting pretty desperate. He hunts around him among the
nearest large rocks. Ah! A hole! Its barely enough to squeeze into, but Laughland doesnt hesitate, and squirms
in head first, hoping not to meet any snakes or other unfriendly wild life. This is it --- the best he can find. Now
his fate is with the gods, Inshallah. He cracks a wry smile at his own use of the Muslim phrase, as he falls into
the dank recesses.
Laughland takes a minute to catch his breath, while he pats his clothing looking for a flint and steel. Still bent
over double, he strikes the two above his head in the rather cramped quarters, and nearly gasps at the snap shot
view of his surroundings! More wary now, he pats his supplies for tinder, locates a boulder that is chest high,
and carefully arranges some tinder on the boulder so he can start a little flame . The little flickering light
doesnt go far, but what he sees is enough. This isnt just a cave --- its some sort of ancient tomb, possibly
Macedonian (or Bactrian?). Theres a cage in the foreground, with the skeletons of 3 bound prisoners --- some
sort of votive offering to the deceased? Laughland doesnt hesitate --- he whips off his turbin wrap and thrusts
it through the bars of the cage, artistically draping the thing over the nearest skeleton. Khaki on disintegrating
dirt, its the best he can do. Leaving the flame, Laughland tip-toes to the recesses of the cave, where it peters
out into a tapered hole. He eases his feet into the gap of the tube, and pulls the largest stones after him, like
some hermit crab, sealing off the little pipe that hes backed into. Not great, but no time. The flicker of the
dying tinders light reinforces the fact, as it struggles and wanes, and finally goes out. Claustrophobia reigns
supreme. As if he were buried alive
Take a deep breath. Nothing to do now but wait. What he wouldnt do, for a nice hot cup of tea. Laughland
tries to take his mind off the chase, and consciously, purposefully, he daydreams about Tiffen in the Regimental
Mess, with all the white linen and Regimental silver. Scones. Real marmalade. Fine bone china
Sensing victory is close at hand, the wolf-men scour the ground, but cant seem to see anything. The dogs are
looking to the far corners of the earth, one of the few animals with a sense of sight that is more acute than the
wolf-men themselves. Nothing. Losing interest some of the dogs start sniffing around, looking more for rabbits
than Ferenghi.
Sniffing sniffing
Meanwhile, Dharma is shepherding his flock along, trying to resist the urge to look back at any potential
pursuers. He knows that his ears will be the first to let him know when the Puffers have been spotted again.
After that umbella-peg went off, there was a dreadful silence for at least 30 seconds, although it seemed to last
30 minutes. Then the first lone keening cry of a womans despair went up --- some mother must have found the
rags that once were her child, where that umbella-peg bomb had gone off. Not pretty.
Another keening voice, and another. Six, no a dozen, weaving in an eerie choir, now topped with those high
ululations. Must have gone on for at least 5 minutes, before it topples over of its own weight, and turns into
something lower, darker, and much more ugly. No holiday party noise now --- its more like something from the
very gates of hell! The ragged Furies have all been released! Theyre coming! No quarter! No room for any
misinterpretation this time! The sound is enough to give the Puffers new wings for their feet. Grim
determination grips the mountain side (note 61).
Through the barren rock field, there is a significant ridgeline ahead, and Dharma nips the heels of his tired
flock, driving them towards the lone notch in the ridge. The light streaks in at an angle, and the fading sun
washes the rocks in grays and dark purples. How high? Maybe 40 feet of near-shear cliff. Must be the only way
up for quite a ways on either side, or at least, thats what Dharma is hoping for. The Puffers clamber up the
loose rock fall on all fours, and as the last of them scrambles towards the top with Dharma on his heels, the
first Jezail shot drowns out the Pushtu catcalling of the pursuing women --- Come to me, you bold Ferenghi!
Be a man, my lovely Ferenghi! Are you afraid of a lowly woman, Ferenghi? Followed by
whooOOshblaDAAaaam We can hear the flat slap of the Jezail bullets on the rocks, ricocheting off into the
blue. Lt Dharma brooks absolutely no nonsense. He slaps any wayward Puffer with his tongue, and even the
side of his sword, driving them on. No time to gawk. No time to look back. Get up there!
Finally they crown the heights around the rock-fall they just scaled. The pursuit has melted away, but we can
sense the movement out of the corners of our eyes --- kids and women scattering left and right, looking for a
way up, while the Wolf-men proper creep closer and take up positions where they can use their deadly Jezails
on any unwary head that pops over the horizon. Its almost surreal --- from a full hue and cry to a field of silent
ghosts in less than 10 minutes. Dharma motions for the Puffers to keep their heads down.
Dharma takes a couple of steps back from the ridge and surveys the horizon beyond them, the next part of the
journey. Way in the distance theres something moving, but Dharma threw his binoculars away as useless
weight several miles back. He calls out to one of the sharp-eyed Puffers, Sita Gohl what is that movement on
the horizon, can thee see it? The Lance Naik rises up on all fours, and peers over the boulder. Hazoor,
Lieutenant! It is a couple of Angrezi officers, and they look to be chasing a Soors-pig with their lances!
Dharma thinks for a moment. Can you signal them Sita Gohl? and then realizes when the Lance Naik shrugs,
that the signal flags were among the first things discarded in the mad flight. So near, and yet those lancers
might just as well be miles away, or on the other side of the Hindu Kush.
The exchange of fire draws Dharma back to the reality of the ridge line. A party of 20 wolf-men break cover
and rush towards the rock fall! About 10 snyders give out their characteristic bark before Dharma can stop
them! Hold, brothers, for we know not how much ammunition we have left! One of the wolf-men lies in a
heap, while the others fade left and right into the boulder field. A lone hand, like a detached puppet, reaches
out from behind a boulder to retrieve his Jezail. Before Dharma can stop him, a Puffer half stands to take a shot
at the arm! Before Dharma can reach him, 5 more Jezails speak out from their hidden places in the rocks! The
Puffer realizes his mistake and collapses in sheer fright! Just as well! The Jezail shots splatter and bounce
around his retreating head, but miraculously none of the Jezail-shot-bees sting him! (note 62).
Things quiet down, and Dharma risks another look towards where the Pig-sticking party was last seen, but
now there is only an empty horizon, as the last of the sun leaches away in the West. Nightfall on the Sre
Maidan Quiet as the tomb
To Be Continued But only if it isnt putting everyone to sleep
After Action Notes for Part X --- Quiet as the Tomb
This was surprisingly difficult to write up, and took a lot more out of me compared to some of the action
sequences. Umbella-Pegs were a sort of hand-made grenade, made by packing explosives into an empty soda
bottle, with a wick.. Sort of like a Molotov cocktail. Not very portable, and hard to throw or to time the fuse
correctly, but quite effective in close quarters.
Knew a breeder with Afghan dogs, and learned a lot about them by accident. Sort of like a furry equivalent of a
full size grayhound, and very fast. They are far-sighted, and can spot a mouse in a field, 400 yards away.
Amazing broken-field runners, they have a cat-like paw that acts just like radial tires. The Bactrian detail comes
from a couple of old National Geographic magazines. I paw through the article index whenever I spot them at
garage sales. Afghanistan hasnt changed that dramatically in 150 years --- the mountains and the poor roads
and the fiercely independent tribesmen. The write up on the stony escarpment was something I remember from
gold-panning in the Eastern Townships, where there was only one very steep way up and over a 30 foot cliff
face, which had to be navigated on all fours. A lot of the rocky scenery detail is similar to that in the Northern
Labrador, where we get fields of giant boulders.
So much of what we put together comes from within, that it vibrates because it feels real --- and it is real,
just transplanted from different (but similar) venues.
Bob
Seur DArmadilleaux
Scrunched down in the bottom of the fur-lined fox-hole, hiding with his Oreos from the dreaded Wolf-men.
And their ravenous Afghan Dogs
Notes
Note 60: An umbella-peg was a crude grenade, made from a soda bottle filled with gunpowder, and lit with a
slow-match. It was cumbersome, and the variable time on those fuses meant it didnt go off when we wanted
them to. This is the start of the next scene, so we go back and roll three percentile dice to see if we get any
doubles that would affect the scene (either with Modifying the scene or with an Altered Scene, per Mythic
GME rules). And we roll --- 91.72.81, (NPC negative, Arrive, and Victory --- oh oh). So we are going ahead,
picking up Laughlands story. Next we need to seed the scene, so we go to the Multiple Path Adventure and
pull a Place to Develop, and we get 10 Hearts (which we recently used, so we go up one or down one, and the
most interesting option of J Hearts which is a Macedonian Tomb. Because we can, we pick up an object
from the same list, and pull 4H (Cage with 3 bound prisoners). Next we go to the NWF Patrol and Road
details to get some local color, and we get: Weather =KD (Dank); Footing = 6D (slippery); Task related = 5D
(Pause for Tiffen); Trail = 9D (Dry river bed); Focal point = 10H (Watch tower); Trailside = QH (Rough
Ground); Color = KH (NCO Chivvying); Danger = QH (Too much cover?); Vegetation = 2C (Low scrub);
Other life = 8C (Bird calls); and thats all we need from that page. We go back to Running Pursuit, and pick off
a couple of extra bits: Pursuers = 4D (Dogs); Noise = KD (which hasnt been populated yet! So we go to the
last item we DID add to the list, Screamers). And thats all we need to create the scene.
Note 61: This is really a parallel scene, so we set it up as such. That means we need to roll 3 more percentile
dice: 26.08.06 --- NPC action (just means Non-Playing Character or a non-combattant), Oppose, and Reality.
Hmmm, lets think about that for a minute while we build the rest of the scene. Back to Places to Develop, and
we pull a J Clubs = (Rock fall behind us); and we go to Deus Ex Machina (an old Greek term for Saving
Grace) and we get a 3 Spades (pig sticking party). We change lists and from the Running Pursuit list, we get
Pursuers = AD (Hue and cry); Noise = 7D (Women); and Name Calling = 4H (Come out, be a man). We
through in a Mythic Terrain Generator (just because we can) and we get: 35.65.12 for Significant Objective,
Salted Fields, and Ridge.
Note 62: This is standard TSATF mechanics --- one Jack of Hearts on the Jezail man, and all high D20 rolls on
the return fire on the Puffer.
Barampta on the Sre Mela Maidan, Part XI --- The Conundrum
The final goodbye to a Brother is never easy, and even though we know his warts, and his less than admirable
ways, in the final analysis, he is our brother, a part of us that makes us whole. Dharma was in a pickle (note
63). One look was all it took to see they could not go on running without somehow securing that access up the
escarpment. It was very steep here, and couldnt be negotiated except on all fours, but while it slowed, it
couldnt simply be barricaded. Theres the carcass of an abandoned wagon over there, but its of no use, just a
distraction. Dharma stares at the initials scratched into the rock hes hiding behind. And while this access
looked pretty secure for the moment, the rocks marched off on either side, and didnt seem to get any higher,
so wed have to assume thered be other steep pathways to the top, on one or either side. Its muggy with
humidity, but that still doesnt blanket the cries of the extra hunters down below, who now filter into the stony
meadow in ones and twos. Cant stay here.
Jemadar Afzul notes the lines on his brow, and the way Lt Dharma chews on his lip. He is good, this Angrezi
thinks Afzul, but he wasnt born a Pathan like most of the rest of us. He doesnt come from a background of
Badal --- of a life of revenge that lasts for generations. He doesnt understand when its time to run, and when
its imperative that you cut the weak ones free, or the strong ones will not survive, either.
The Magician
Perhaps you were thinking of Sepoy Ilderim Gul, Sahib? Enquires Jemadar Sher Afzul with an innocent look
at Lt Dharma. What!? Dharma starts, but then stares blankly back at Jemadar Afzul, whom the rest of the
troop refer to as the magician, in part because he seems to read their minds. After 15 years on the Frontier,
its as if the rocks and the scrub and the very breeze, they all talk to Afzul and tell him secrets that none of the
others would have guessed.
Patiently, Jemadar Afzul explains, Iderim Gul is the fastest runner in rough ground, Sahib, and perhaps it
should be him that is chosen to go ahead for help, Sahib. Dharma snaps out of his funk, and visibly
straightens, Yes of course. Afzul gives the merest flick of a hand, and one of the Kakhi shapeless forms
detaches from a rock, and works its way off toward the distinctive twin hills on the horizon behind them. Afzul
turns again to face Lt Dharma. Perhaps it would be better if I was to ask for the three volunteers that must
need stay behind, Sahib? It would be accepted better by the rest of the troop, if I present the need to the men
involved. Is that your decision, Sahib?
Once more, Dharma is shocked at the surgical decision that Jemadar Afzul has presented while he knows in his
heart that it is the only possible choice. Three men must stay behind, one to hold the only way up the
escarpment, and two to guard his flanks, left and right. A lone man would fall in minutes, and any more men
would simply take away from the fighting effectiveness of the rest of the troop. Meanwhile, the rest of the men
have to get back on their feet and run for their lives, or none of them will live to see another sunset. That is the
way of the Frontier. Yes. Yes of course, Jemadar Afzul, if you would arrange for it. And immediately
Dharma was struck with the twin chords of relief, that the decision had been made, and taken out of his hands,
and guilt, that it would be the Magician who would have to present the news to the 3 sepoys involved. As
Afzul melted away to make the arrangements, Dharma knew that he just couldnt do it. He couldnt ask the
men to volunteer on what would surely be a suicide mission. That decision would give him nightmares for the
rest of his days. He winced, as something bit his hand. Fire ant? Dharma crushed it and still crouching, moved
away from the edge of the escarpment.
On the Run
The men were already on the run, half-shuffle half-trot in a furtive column, into the setting sun. Dharma never
saw that last exchange of packages, between Afzul and the volunteers who stayed behind. Six bullets each, no
more. Four for the Wolfmen, and a double-rammed load as the last round. And when your time has come, roll
on your own musket, and kiss it goodnight. You dont want to be taken alive by those hags in pursuit. The
volunteers were mostly the tall and heavy-set men (as much as a Pathan could ever be called such a thing).
Those who stayed were those who well knew they could not keep up the blistering pace.
Dharma brought up the end of the little column, chivying on the men in front of him, trying to keep one foot in
front of the other. Light failing. Hard to find the will to keep going. Lungs on fire. Back of the legs gone
rubbery, as if they are flailing like a separate tail, not part of the leg at all. Pounding in the head. Blood must be
getting thin. Throat like an ashtray. Dont stop. Keep going. Watch it, watch it! Grab the man in front, one
yank on his arm to bring him to his feet again. Fall an youll never get up. The sound of ragged breathing
comes back like some demented mechanical saw, the functions of which are not quite in the aligned sequence.
Wha? Oh its YOU Afzul. Bloody magician. Scare me witless. Cant go on. How farve we come? A mile?
Two? Feels like hours (note 64). In the moonlight, the footings ALL treacherous --- along the half-seen trails,
they split and reform, the shadows of the ravines, exactly like wet pools, the paths a mess. The nullahs to the
sides, dark and murky, and the nerves strung taut, hard to concentrate, almost like nullahs, fighting us as well.
More like a stagger, cant really run, weaving to the right, n stagger back left, mile after mile. Cant keep up
the pace.
Last Reports
And thats when we heard the shots. Indistinct in the humid air, and hard to tell exactly what direction they
came from. Thats a Snyder, those are Jezails. That sounded like a pistol, and our men had none of them. A
long pause. Another Snyeder, and again, but maybe from a different direction? Another long pause. And just as
we turn to the trail again, theres that ominous caRUMp, could have been a double-packed round, dont know.
The men half-trot, half-stagger, as if a few more feet might make the difference, and thats when Sepoy Mehr
Dar fell again. Jemadar Afzul was right there, lifting him up, and Lance Naik Sita Gohl grabbed his other arm.
Dharma picked up the weapon, and they tried to stagger on, but it was no use, the flame had finally gone out,
and no one had any more energy. They looked around hopelessly, trying to find some rocky crag or boulder-
strewn high ground. This was it. They couldnt go any further.
Jemadar Afzul had a talk with a couple of the men, and they rose again, like ghosts, staggering and weaving,
and climbed the sides of the nullah to look for some defensible place for a last stand. Dharma had never felt so
down. All the fight had been run out of him. The life force drained, and the will to survive crushed. Not
unhappy or sad, just drained and stoic about what was to come. Oh, theyd sell themselves dearly, but the hope
of seeing tomorrows sunset seemed nothing if not ironic, now. Gambled and lost. In the moonlight the men
looked like shadows of their former selves.
Afzul back again, like a damned magician. One minute theres no one there, next minute theres this form,
nagging him again. Too tired to feel irritated, Dharma half turns to listen to what Jemadar Afzul is saying.
Something about a bunch of stones off to the right. All right, all right, go away, leave me alone, whatever you
want, nag nag nag. In ones and twos the Kakhai ghosts rise up, and painfully climb the side of the nullah.
Dharma looks at them, and in the moonlight, its as if so many souls are ascending towards towards what?
Mecca? Oh gawd, the nag is back. Yes yes, of course hes coming, and Dharma negotiates what feels like
broken glass, up the side and over the top. Less than 100 feet to a gentle rise, and the Kakhi ghosts are mulling
around a rocky little rise. Two of them are trying to move a boulder, and Dharma puts his shoulder to it, half
helping, half keeping himself erect.
This is what its all come down to. A ragged stone circle, not 20 feet across. One last night in the moonlight,
and then the final rush. Despair, cloying like soft pudding in the back of the throat. And then the training takes
over, and with it, the steely determination to sell each boulder of ground with a bullet. No one gets into this
sangar for free!
To Be Continued. (Maybe in Pushtu)
After Action Report for Part XI --- The Conundrum
This was one of the most difficult episodes to write. Not the actual write-up itself, but getting my head around
the decision to leave a volunteer rear guard, that had no hope of survival. In a sense, it was MY conundrum,
too. And it was something that Lt Dharma couldnt really order, nor could he ask for some volunteers,
because hed loose too much face if no one stepped forward. In the end, it became clear that the Magician,
Jemadar Afzul, was the right man to take charge, where he knew the men, and would also know who was
bushed anyway, and unable to keep up the blistering pace away from the escarpment.
At first, Id intended to detail the fight at the escarpment, but it was really a numbers game, and a foregone
conclusion, so this became more of a bridge episode to the fight at the sangar, expected shortly.
The writing gets short and choppy at some points, but this is on purpose, trying to mirror the men-on-the-run,
out of breath, out of time.
Bob
Seur DArmadilleaux
Outa hope, outa Oreos desperation setting in
Notes for Part XI --- The Conundrum
Note 63: We start this session with the usual triple-percentile die roll, and get: 56.55.38 That double (and 5
being below the Chaos value) means we have an Altered Scene, or the next most logical scene idea. The actual
F-A-S read-out is PC-negative, Disrupt, and A Path, which we translate as Dharma (the Principal Character or
PC) cannot go on running without somehow securing that access up the escarpment. We go to the Mountain
Pass generator (being the closest thing to that escarpment) and pick off some details with the cards: Markers=J
D (Initials on the rock); Surrounding=6D (broken cart); Hill Description= 2D (Receding hill line); Weather=
KD (Avalanche conditions, which doesnt fit, so we drop down to the next line which is Heavy and Humid);
Trail=10H (Steep --- all fours); problems= (Avalanche incoming, which we translate into MORE Pathans
coming); Other Life= (Fire Ants?) Thats enough to build the scene.
Note 64: We reset the scene for the moonlit run, so this time we go to the NWF Patrol and Road details.
Footing= 9D (wet, pools); Trail=8D (Split skein); Focal point=3H (ravine); Trailside= 10H (Nullahs); Danger=
10H (Nervous)
Baramta on the Sre Mela, Part XII --- The Three-Step Mamba
So you just ABANDONED those men? You knew they didnt stand a chance against the Waziri, what you
euphemistically call the Wolf-Men, but you still abandoned them anyway!? The Court-Martial Lawyer,
Captain Strictland, bored in like a screw-vise, tightening down on poor Dharmas head, driving the point into
the back of his skull (note 65). Dharma sat there in silence, his face getting more and more red. And according
to your OWN report, at least one of these men subsequently committed suicide, isnt that right! Another twist
of the screw, piercing the skin on the back of Dharmas head.
So we seem to have a pattern here, of bad decisions at the Sangar, of setting a bad example to the men with
the bayoneting of helpless prisoners after that Wedding Party fiasco, and NOW, the lawyer puffs himself up,
ready to deliver the Coup de Grace, Now, we ABANDON those same men, to some RANDOM, grizzly fate!
What have you got to say for yourself that might ASSIST us in coming to a decision about what to DO with
you, Lieutenant Dharma!?
Colonel Carruthers, the senior man heading up the Court-Martial panel with one other Junior Colonel, and a
Brigadier-Major, shifted uncomfortably on his stiff wooden seat (note 66). Col Carruthers is just putting in his
time, before they invalid him out. His left arm is permanently weakened with a cut from a Khyber knife from
several years back, and his vision is starting to get too blurry for active command, so he gets stuck on these
nuisance Courts Martial cases, much to his disgust. That and the bowels rumbling, makes him a rather irritable
listener, always sighing when he thinks that Strictland is off-track. Young Puppy! Snapping at the heels of the
REAL men who RUN the Frontier! Not worthy to carry their papers, really! Carruthers takes himself in hand.
Easy easy. Cant say that out loud. Harrumph!
How long until its time for a Chota Peg? Check the pocket watch (note 67). Heave a big Sigh. He hums a bit
of the local dance-hall tunes under his breath, keeping time with his tapping fingers Marching for the
Queen, mboys We are Soldiers Of The Queeeeeen. Quite right.
Why HE remembers when and all of Strictlands droning on and on means nothing, as Col Carruthers
goes back (in spirit at least) to patrols along the Waziristan border. Good times. Exciting times no blithering
lawyers allowed And the walls of the court room slowly fade away
Three-Step Mamba
Laughland awake with a start, to the symphony of the pre-dawn crickets (note 68). Heart going like one of
those new-fangled steam-powered trip-hammers, that they use to make bayonets! But it wasnt the crickets
that woke him up. Something was crawling up his pant leg! Gawd it better not be one of those asps! Or a 3-
Step Mamba snake! If it bites us, popular legend is we get 3 steps away before keeling over, stone-cold dead!
Bloody thing looking for somewhere warm to sleep, perhaps? Talk about coming awake, and quick! Laughland
carefully loosens his belt, hoping the horrible thing will wriggle out at go away! From just outside but still
within the cave a hoot owl gives his mournful cry, and Laughland tenses in surprise, and then truly believes this
might be the last lament he hears! He tries to breath calmly, looking out through the rocks piled in front of him,
but all he sees is a pair of monster luminescent owl eyes (reflecting the moon?) looking back at him. His heart
is racing like an Afghan Buz Kashi pony! (note 69)
The hoot owl must have woken a sentry, cause now someones blocking the moonlight at the cave entrance,
demanding Whos there?! in Pushtu! The Wolf-man sentry cocks his rifle! The hoot owl has had enough, and
launches himself into the air, where the sentry yells in surprise! Off in the background some other authoritative
voice tells the sentry to pipe down, in rather graphic Pushtu.
That cold track of the slithering thing winds its way forward, out of Laughlands waist band, and toward the
entrance. Laughland tries to think of other places, other things, anything but this horror that is crawling passed
his armpit, then over his ear. Too dark. Cant see. Could be something benign. Better not take any chances.
Stirring the Pot
A branch cracks outside the cave, as the sentry pokes it down the hole to see whats there in the dark. Again,
he asks in Pushtu: Whos there? but not as vehemently as before. A querulous voice from the sleeping men
tells him to go back to bed with his favorite sheep, and quit making such a clamor. Theres a hiss, and a sudden
soft snap, as if the snake has struck at the stick! The sentry cries out in alarm, and yanks back from the mouth
of the cave! A mamba! Its a monster mamba! The voice in the background mutters that perhaps his sheep
might care, but the rest of them are trying to sleep. And there is another muffled chortle from the background,
and a comment that Swab Gul, you look white as the ghost of your last love-sheep!
Laughlands heart is beating like an express train. He tries to calm himself. He cant go anywhere, and that
snake (whatever it is) has just saved his life. Calmly, calmly
Time drags by.
Is it Safe?
The shadows from the morning sun at the entrance hole are well slanted over when Laughland finally moves
the stones, and achingly crawls out of his hiding hole and into the small cave. No sign of that slithery friend,
thank gawd. Laughland tries to get his aching body to respond, but it is all just one 6 foot ordenance map of
pain, from having lain in that tapering stone pipe at the back of the cave, for so long. He moves over to the
cave entrance, and listens for the longest time nothing to hear. But is it safe? (note 70).
The Wolf men crouch on the highest knoll, about a half-mile away (note 71). They face out in a rough half-
circle, looking over the rugged and rocky landscape, with their fierce Afghan dogs restrained at their feet. One
dog gives a low growl, and the Wolf-man owner looks out the same direction as the dogs snout, but it is only
a coyote or a fox, about a mile away. Those dogs see everything, and long before their Wolf-man masters.
Another gives that high-pitched keening Yipe! YeeeEEEeeeEEEeeeEEEeeee Yipe yipe yipe! and his
owner looks out towards last-nights campground, but doesnt see anything. Meanwhile the Afghan dog has
left claw marks all over the hard-packed earth in front of him, trying to scrabble away and make a dash for that
rabbit. Swab Gul turns and asks What is it, Brother? but the response is just Thats his Rabbit call,
nothing more. And the poor Afghan dog just gets thumped for his pains.
But half a mile away, Laughland clearly hears the dogs alarm call! He is wearing his disreputable dirty gray
lamb skin hat, curly side out, and his head is just out of the hole, so his eyes just clear the rim, and that was
enough for the dog to see him! Laughland carefully, and just as slowly, inches back down into the burrow.
Therell be no moving out until nightfall, now. He stretches his aching limbs, rubbing his legs, trying to get the
feeling back. Damn snake. Wherever it is. He looks around him cautiously, knowing it could be still within
striking distance. Hate snakes.
Nothing to do but wait. Hate just waiting. Much rather have some action.
To Be Continued But only if you havent got a dog to walk
After Action Report, Part XII --- Three Step Mamba
We needed to find out a bit more about the Court Martial, and a bit about the people involved with it. That
leads into more research on areas that are not normally associated with wargaming, but thats the beauty of
Solo Wargaming --- we get the time and the impetus to go chase down red herrings like this one!
Poor old Col Carruthers, we pull some cards to get an NPC (Non Playing Character or in other words, a non-
combatant) profile on the Colonel, and looks like he is slowly fading into Dementia! Lots of serving Colonels
on the North West Frontier were well into their seventies before they retired from active duty. Some had to
be helped up on their horse, and others were functionally almost blind, and had to have younger eyes explain
the lay of the land, and where the various troops were, relative to the Waziri.
As a second storyline thread for this episode, we wanted to follow the other half of the Wolf-man posse (in
pursuit of Dharma and Laughland), so thats why we were investigating what happened with Laughland. His
antics from a previous episode had split the Lashkar (or warband), so they must have been kept away from
Dharma for some period, thinking they had chased a goodly number of Ferenghi, and not just Laughland.
More stuff on Afghan dogs --- they arent called sight-hounds for nothing! If someone they DONT know
gets up close, they actually rear back a bit, so they get a better look at you! Almost like they need reading
glasses for up close. Better than having a pair of binoculars, cause they sweep larger areas of ground, and then
their muzzle points straight at whatever caused the alarm. And what a keening they put up! That plus the four-
wheel drive of all 4 paws scrabbling to get away and chase down whatever-it-was that they saw! Amazing
animals. Nothing goes faster over rough ground! They jink and weave through the rocks, pulling high-G turns
that take your breath away. A poor old rabbit in the open doesnt stand a chance!
Bob
Seur DArmadilleaux
Looking around his Fur Lined Foxhole, making sure no snakes are after his Oreos
Odd Tracks= KC (Claw marks and Blood).
Note 65: We need to go back and pick up the traces on the Court case that Dharma is involved with, but that
constitutes a new scene, so first we have to roll the F-A-S (Focus-Action-Subject) triple percentile die, to see
where we are at, and we get 38.83.59 (no doubles) so we look up the interpretation, and we come up with
Move toward a Thread, Assist, and Randomness. Hm, gonna have to think about that --- Randomness
(eventually) Assists (our) Moving toward a thread?
Note 66: We need some details on the court and Colonel Carruthers, so we go to the Invalid Brigade table
(theres a reason!) and pull off: Kind of Wound=5D (Blurry Vision); 6D (Mean, but I cant use that so I
arbitrarily go up one, and get Irritable); Sounds= JD (Sighing); Defect=2H (Left arm); Severity= 7H (Invalid
out!); skip over to Long Term Ailment= (Dementia!!); And that gives me what I hoped to get for the Senior
Officer of the Court Marshal! Funny how the cards roll in our favor, some times!
Note 67: Chota Peg? Dont mind if I do, MBoy! Nice of you to offer. OH! You meant what does Chota Peg
MEAN? Well its about 2 fingers of Whiskey and Soda, mBoy, but the mess-hall Khitmagar (er, waiter), uses
rather generous fingers. Ah! You will? Why thank you mBoy! Too kind, too kind. (Kitmagar! Make that a
DOUBLE!)
Note 68: New scene, so we roll again, and get: 67.56.03 --- PC Negative, Usurp, and Environment. Ha!
Fooled you! You thought we were going back to Dharma, but were really going back to Laughland in the
Cave! And something is going to usurp the environment, to the detriment of Laughlands well being! But we
need some more details, so we go to the Things That go Bump in the Night table, just because we can, and
we pull out: Sounds=3D (hoot owl); Whos there=2D (Sleeping sentry); Reaction= QD (wide awake, fastA);
Resolution= 10D (white as a ghost); Sights= 6H (monster eyes); More whos there= JH (big wingspan owl);
Reaction= AH (Sentry cocks rifle); Resolution= AH (Officer Dont Fire); Flighty stuff= 10C (branch cracks);
Odd Tracks= KC (Claw marks and Blood). We just read across the table, and pull cards without any mind of
the suit, and just take the next one of 13 choices that presents itself. The tale unfolds, almost as if it wrote
itself.
Note 69: Whats that mBoy? Oh! Buz Kashi! Thats the primitive Polo that the Afghans all play, using a
headless goat. Sometimes you get 100 players on the field at a time, in two teams. No holds barred! Brutal!
Barbaric! But the horsemen, Lad, they are amazing to watch! Never seen anything like it! Back and forth for
hours! (Harrumph. Yes. Mustnt let the Memsahib know we like to watch that sort of stuff! Dont Approve!)
Note 70: This is really the start of a new scene, so we roll the triple percentile die again, and this time we get
01.61.32 (no doubles) so we get :Remote Event, Oppress, and Plans, so something the Wolf-men are doing is
interfering with Laughlands plans, and we are going to explore that a bit. The logical thing is that they havent
completely left the area.
Note 71:. There are lots of in-period drawings from the NWF that depict this exact scene, with a half-dozen
Afghans on informal picquet duty. There are also several with Afghan dogs and their owners, where the dog
looks much the same as a modern Afghan dog --- a long flowing coat, with very little hair on the curly tail, or
along the spine of the back.
Barampta on the Sre Mela, Part XIII --- The Moonlight Ride
Jimmy-the-Grote was cleaning his standard-issue Colonial bugle until it shone like lightning (note 72). First we
get a little sand and any old cloth to get the grime off, then we use some fine abrasive dust, then the secret
formula for getting brass to really shine like lightning --- a little vinegar from Cookie, and an old piece of suede
lether. Thats the only way Jimmy-the-Grote could get Drum Major Billy Haggarty off his back. See, Billys
term of service went back to when they had fife and drum, and Billy still seems to resent these new-fangled
bugles. May of Billys mess-mates were Fifers, and when the Bugle was introduced, the Fifers naturally
resisted the change. So they didnt re-enlist, and instead, the Army sent these pip-squeak Bugle boys, barely
able to shave! So Drum Major Haggarty had a chip on his shoulder about dirty bugles, and Jimmy knew he had
to buckle under, or suffer the Drum Majors displaced wrath!
Now there were a couple of bandsmen with the first name of Jimmy under Drum Major Haggarty, so they were
referred to by their mates as Jimmy-the-snake (who hated anything that slithered, and was the butt of no end of
practical jokes), and Jimmy-the-Grote (because of his home on Isle of Grote) and so on. And this evening was
like any other, with the younger bandsmen out in the late day sun, cleaning the brass and the drums, so they
would be spotless for whatever tomorrow would bring. Drum Major Billy insisted on that cause he felt a clean
instrument carried further. No point in having an instrument that couldnt call the charge from half a mile a
way, now, was there!
And Billy liked to keep them on their toes, making the young uns whistle different calls while they polished
their instruments. To Horse! Billy would intone, and Haydens composition for that command would drift
over the little group. Almost like Fifes they were. Very good, Gentlemen. Now To the colors if you
please! and the whistling would straggle a bit, on these less-common tunes. That was a bit ragged
Gentlemen, and Ragged. Just. Wont Do! Now, AGAIN! and this time it would start off a little stronger,
as the youngsters would puff-n-buff, puff-n-buff (note 73). Sometimes Billy would try and trick them by just
holding up a couple of fingers, to see if they would key in on the Bugle call that he wanted. Some of these were
marches, and woe betide the youngster who mixed up his marches with his bugle calls! If it was a really bad
gaffe, then the offender had to double time around the camp, whistling the right tune all the way! They rarely
made the same mistake twice.
Scout Incoming
The galloping stopped everything! In came Capt Fitzroy, with Lts Fischer and Simpson hard on his heels. A
ragged group of mounted beaters and fetchers from the lower cavalry ranks came last. Their horses were all
lathered up, and Capt Fitzroy threw down the young boar he had over the front of his saddle, as his scyce ran
up to grab the horses reigns. Capt Fitzroy came striding past, on his way to the Colonels tent, Standby for
First Officers Call if you please, Drum Major Haggarty! he said in a conversational tone as he passed.
Sir! Snapped Drum Major Haggarty, and turned to point and hook his finger at Jimmy-the-Grote, to get
ready. The youngsters all craned their necks, trying to look around Drum Major Haggartys significant frame.
Oy! Did I tell you to STOP polishing, Mr Perkins!? cries out Billy, and one of the youngsters sits bolt
upright, close as can be to parade-stance while still sitting No Drum Major Haggarty, Sir! he squeaks. Well
then, Let me hear them polishing cloths! barks Billy, and the youngsters bend back to their work, all but
Jimmy-the-Grote. Drum Major Haggarty ran over some 30 or so bugle calls in his mind, trying to pick the most
obscure of the lot
Missing Patrol
Meanwhile Capt Fitzroy was outlining his verbal report to Colonel Featherstonehaugh (note 74). Yes sir, I
saw the bayonets glinting on the horizon, Colonel, about here on the map, I would say, Sir. No question but it
was bayonets, and about 30 or 40 of them, far as we could tell, Sir The Colonel looked worried, and pulled on
one side of his mustache, the other hand behind his back, as he looked at the map in question. No signals? Did
you hear any firing, man? the Colonel queried. Wind was against us, Sir, but what else would cause that sort
of a glint out there? And it wasnt far from the proposed path replied Fitzroy. Hm, well maybe a small patrol
of mounted rifles, say the Frontier Force, might be in order, the Colonel mused aloud, but not with much
conviction.
Fitzroy knew in his heart this wasnt enough, but that was all he was likely to get from the Colonel, without
significant proof of what caused that twinkling on the horizon. Sir, Yes sir, Colonel, and if I may sir, could we
have a couple of extra bugle boys, to confound the natives into thinking there are more of us? Fitzroy cast his
die, knowing that it would be all they could budge the Colonel into giving up. Well, yes, I suppose it wouldnt
harm to have another bugler or two the Colonel admitted grudgingly. Better send in the other Captains so we
can appraise them of what we are doing. Probably all stuff and nonsense, but you never know the Colonel
let it hang in the air, as Fitzroy saluted and was already on his way out of the tent flaps. Soon after, the
Officers Call bugle rang out, loud and clear, and Jimmy-the-Grote received a nod from Drum Major
Haggarty. Workmanlike. Not a great delivery, but workmanlike.
Scramble
Strange thing about Bugle calls. Every company bugler has a slightly different accent, and when the Frontier
Force bugler sounded To Horse, and shortly after, Mount Up, everybody around recognized that it was
intended for the Punjabi Frontier Force, and not for them. Private Jimmy-the-Grote and a fellow bugler,
Private Ewan Perkins, soon found themselves astride a couple of nags for the first time, and holding on for dear
life. The rest of the Punjabi Frontier Force spurred on ahead, while Sowar Jalad Khan was left to nursemaid the
two young buglers, and make as best time as he could. They were to get as far as they could in the dark, sleep
a few hours, and be ready to strike out at dawn to try and find the rest of the Puffers (note 75).
Moonlight Ride
Jimmy-the-Grote thought the pain would never end. Oh, it started off as a bit of a lark, with him and Ewan
bouncing along on the nags, but after a couple of miles, everything was on fire --- back of the legs, small of the
backs, tense neck muscles cause they couldnt see the trail, everything! And the bugs were eating them alive!
Didnt seem to matter what they tried to say to that Sowar Jalad Khan, all he did was give them an evil grin in
the moonlight, and keep dragging on the lead-ropes between his horse and theirs (note 76). It was a wicked
trot. Ewan was the younger of the two, and he was on the point of tears, he was so tired and sore.
Three hours later, and in spite of the continued thumping, the two youngsters were nodding off to sleep, too
exhausted to care where they were, or where they were headed. Not enough energy left over to swat a horse-
fly. Jalad Khan gave a snort, when he looked back at his charges. If they had been Pushtun lads, they would be
married men by now. Probably with their own blood feuds, and a price on their heads, to boot. He kept up a
steady trot, unable to go faster over the slippery ground, wet and dank with the drop in temperature coming
on. On the horizon the watchtower off to the right, out on the Maidan (or plane) let Kushal Khan know exactly
where he was, as he slipped through the thistle along the trail, winding his way through the nullah, heading
towards the designated rendezvous with the rest of the Troop.
A sudden feral howl up ahead startled his horse, and Kushal Khan spoke to him quietly in Pushtu, Easy, my
Brother, it is not for us!. The two bugle boys came awake with a start, but had enough sense not to cry out
loud. A panther up ahead roared his ownership of this part of the Maidan, and the horses tossed their heads,
reacting skittishly to the challenge. Jimmy-the-Grote could feel every bristle on the back of his neck standing
bolt upright! Ewan looked across at Jimmy, his eyes wide as saucers! Thered be no more nodding off until
they hit the campsite!
Ghosts in the Dark
Kushal Khans sharp night vision saw the other Puffer on the near horizon, and he raised his carbine in silent
acknowlegement. The silhouette on the hill responded with two pumps of his raised carbine, and Kushal turned
the little troop towards the look-out. They exchanged low-voiced greetings in Pushtu, and Kushal turned to the
bugle boys, and said, Camp in next Nullah. Sleep for two hours. Jimmy and Randy were too sore to argue,
even if they felt like sleeping for a week. Once in camp, they tumbled off their horses like sacks of potatoes,
and were asleep before they hit the ground. Bugs biting or no bugs, they were just plumb exhausted.
They were up before dawn, one of the picquets having spotted Sepoy Iderim Gul, staggering over the Maidan,
weaving this way and that, dead on his feet. They had hoisted him up in front of a Sowar, and brought his limp
and bedraggled body back to camp. A few drops of brandy, everyone pretending it was just strong tea, and not
unclean, and Iderim managed to cough up his lungs, and whisper the barest details, but it was enough. Kushal
Khan and several of the others knew the place of which Iderim Gul spoke, and they all made signs behind their
back, to ward off the evil that dwelt there.
No bugles this time, just terse commands in Pushtu, a soft scuffle of men, and a few snickers from the horses,
and they were off in the predawn light, before the ravens had a chance to claim the sky. They picked their way
along a secondary trail, keeping clear of the skyline, a grim line of Puffers and their closest friends, out to
reclaim their own. A rusty old musket pointed its accusing finger skyward at the side of the trail.
To Be Continued, but only if youre still interested (and if they dont get there too late)
After Action Report Part XIII
The camp scene sort of came about because of some questions about Bandsmen, and what they did, on one of
the Yahoo groups. That led to a red-herring chase about Bugles and Bugle calls, and cleaning Bugles. And
THAT lead to an experimental list of calls (which we are still researching and massaging so wont get
published in the files for another week or so). There must have been a lot of other bugle calls, for various
Cavalry Skirmisher (Ive found mention of 24 for skirmishers alone) and Artillery functions, but I havent
found specifics on more than 60 of them as of writing this AAR (After Action Report). Things like To
Mounts, Mount up, Form Line, or Limber up, Unlimber, Bring up Caissons, that sort of thing.
Possibly some of these were informal, and likely when these orders were no longer needed, the relevant
bugle calls were forgotten, too. (Who knows). I rather like to think there were bugle calls for Mount
Elephants, and Theres the Boar! too.
Notes:
Note 72: This is the start of the next episode, so we roll the triple percentile dice and get 08.30.04 for NPC
Action (so some secondary or Non-Playing Character comes into play), Break, and Outside. So someone
not-central-to-the-action was having a break outside. Right! The Bugle boy, back at Camp!
Note 73: Turns out there were more than 50 different bugle calls, and while there were some differences
between British and American versions, they all covered roughly the same territory. See
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/bugle.htm for more, or here
http://www.fmaalumni.org/bugle_calls.html Both are interesting sites.
Note 74: NO, no, no, no! Its pronounced FANSHAW, man! What school did YOU drop out of? (Harrumph.
The very idea! Fea-Ther-Stone-Haw indeed!). Fanshaw! Its always been pronounced Fanshaw! (Harrumph.
Recruits these days.)
Note 75: Hmm? Oh! Puffers! Thats the Punjabi Frontier Force, mboy! Forerunners to the Corps of Guides.
They had a couple of foot platoons and one or two troops of mounted rifles at that time. Yes. Fine chaps. Not
quite up to British standards, but they could move like the wind. Recruited from the Pathans in the Tribal
Territories, ysee.
Note 76: Start of a new scene, really, so we roll the triple percentile dice again: 51.18.53 So we move away
from the main story line (or thread), Move, and Home. Next we go to the Patrol and Road Details lists, and we
get: Weather=KD (Dank); Footing=6D (Slippery); Task Related=9D (Camp setup); Trail=4D (Maidan); Focal
Point=10H (Watchtower); Trailside=2H (Empty Box, but weve had that so we go up one for Rusty Musket);
Color=AH (Bugs Biting); Danger=AH (Ahead); Vegetation=QC (Thistle); Other Life=5C (Ravens) and
Travelers=KC (courier). Then just for fun, we go to Things that go Bump in the Night and pull: Sounds=JD
(Feral howl); Whos there=4D (panther); Reaction=JD (hackles up); resolution=6D Sentry wide awake. That
should be enough to paint the scene!
Barampta on the Sre Mela, Part XIV --- Heres to Carruthers!
The rumble of pleasant conversation and camaraderie, the clink of the wine glasses, the ladies silver-bell-like
laughter at the other end of the table, the reflection of candlelight on polished Regimental silver (an integral
part of the whole tradition) --- these are the glue that makes men brothers, and loyal unto death (note 77). We
would ride into the very gates of hell, to rescue any one of our mess-mates, with only the hope that they would
toast us, too --- Heres to Carruthers, he was a fine officer, and a great chap for the Pig Sticking. And the
far-off thunder of Valhalla would resound, with a Here here!, and Great Chap, and Sorely missed! and
Carruthers, Bless him. And an appreciative burble would echo round the table. No one mentioned that he
occasionally cheated at cards (looking askance at our cards, when he thought we were well in our cups, and we
didnt hold our cards close to our spotless Mess Jacket), or that Carruthers was so uncoordinated on a horse,
that he was usually more of a danger to his fellow officers, than he ever was to the blessed boar! (note 78)
Good old Boy! Harrumph.
Because when the jigs gone South, and weve finally run our last score of paces, and we are counting the
pitifully few cartridges as we hand them out and fixing bayonets, then its brothers at arms like Carruthers, that
are the only ones who might still come out of the blue to save our bacon, even at the expense of jumping
through the flames to get to us. And if not, well, we will be missed. and there will still be those who raise a
toast! You dont want to live forever, do you? (note 79).
Foggy Perch
But there were no brave band of brothers to be found that morning. In fact the sun hadnt even crested the
horizon --- it was cold, damp and foggy and it was Laughland who was on his last legs. Hed been up all night,
circumventing those damn Wolf-men and their rotten dogs (note 79). Put a pebble in your cheek and suck it
up. Soon the sun would be up, burning away this pre-dawn confusing and icy-cold fog, and then maybe we
might find some morning dew to slake our thirst, at least. Cold as hades, and cant feel yer cheeks after a while.
Rub the circulation back into them. Watch yer step! Ignore the squelch from boots about to fall apart! Forget
the rotten little bugs! Theres so many of the little fleas and no-see-ums that youll never swat them all anyway
--- theyre just another part of the miserable boulder-strewn landscape. Ten more paces! Dont stop! Get to
that little hillock, climb up to get a vantage point, and then we have a bit of a rest, and a look around once the
fog lifted a bit (note 80).
A short inspection, and Laughland found a dry waterfall course going up the side of the little hill. It was all
boulders and a bit of scrub, but less likely to have loose rocks that might avalanche down the sides --- sounds
like pebbles and stones carry for miles on this foggy plane, and act just like an arrow, pointing every Wolf-man
towards our general vicinity, and that we dont need! Carefully, hand over hand, mitts soaked to the skin, he
made his way up, testing every handhold to make sure nothing was loose that would act as a give-away.
What was that! Laughland freezes in the middle of hauling himself up the next step, as he recognizes the sound
of a Jezail flint-locks characteristic snick! The hair on the back of Laughlands neck stands straight up like a
hyenas bristle! Must be awfully close to be able to hear something that soft, so clearly! More small snicks and
tinks, almost as if the hidden Wolf-man is fiddling with the flint and striker on his Jezail --- that has to be a
tricky job to keep it all dry in this pea-soup of a fog!
There! Off to the left! Another soft clunk, like a biscuit tin lid closing! Must be putting away the flints and the
striker material! Gawd, to come so far, and have this ghost standing in the way of Liberty and freedom! Going
to have to take him before the sun comes up and burns off the fog! Slowly now. Hand over hand Inch by inch.
Back of the legs protesting. Every muscle aching. Tension. Almost there. Dont blow it now. Slow.
Over-the-top-with-a-rock! Hear pumping like a trip-hammer! Wolf-man-wriggles-like-greased-eel! (note 81!)
Jezail falls as if in slow motion, and clunk clunk hits the ground! Both men launch out in a long dive, but
Laughland has the advantage of surprise, and a higher starting vantage point! The rock connects with the Wolf-
mans skull, and he goes limp! Got im! Laughland lands on the body, and is too weak to even move. Catch yer
breath! Try and listen! Any one else up here on this crag? Nothing. No alarms. Post adrenaline rush shivers.
Got away with it. Gawd, but Im too old for this work!
Lucky that damn Jezail didnt go off. Hopefully it still fires, and wont blow up in my face. Hm, think Ill just
borrow this guys woolen poshteen coat --- he certainly wont be needing it any more. And if we turn that
turban wrap inside out, the bloodstains wont be quite so obvious. Gawd I could do with a hot bath! Heres a
bit of torn clothing to clean off the flint-lock on the Jezail. Ah, theres a condor of some sort overhead. Lookit
that! Wont be long til the fog starts to burn off, and then maybe well see where were at. Map in my pocket,
but a bit useless without some landmarks to refer to. Meanwhile lets just sit here with the Jezail held vertical,
and make like were a Wolf-man. Sleepy
The First Wave
Dharma and the other exhausted Puffers lay inside their low-rock sangar, or breast-works. Half slept while the
other half kept the vigil. No telling when the Wolf-men would come out of the murky early morning. Now that
the sun was trying to burn through the fog, the first wave of the bugs was having a field-day. There was
nothing you could do to stop them. Couldnt even see the little monsters. Swat one, and 10 more climbed up
your pant legs, into your clothing. May as well be fatalistic, and accept that they were going to win on the flea-
level. Ah, but the Wolf-men, that was a different battle. No room to negotiate there. Theyd played out their
best hand, and lost --- the troublemaker had gotten away, and now they were the hunted, but the men were
determined to give a good final account of themselves. Time to go out as heroes.
Dharma looked around at what was left of the platoon of volunteers. They had started off with 21 men,
including Laughland, and now they were down to 14 in addition to Lt Dharma, and 4 of those were effectively
cripples, who couldnt even walk another mile without significant help. And who knew where Laughland had
gone --- ended up as Afghan dog-bait most likely. Less than 20 rounds per man of the 40 rounds they all
started off with. It was supposed to have been so easy --- clip off the head of the snake, kill the Fakir, and we
can walk merrily away. What a lark! Still, that was the Army for you --- it dreams big and impersonal in
another mans boots, but when the dice are down
Snap out of it, Dharma! he tells himself, The men will need leadership today, even if its to show them how
an Officer fights to the bitter end. Theres some sort of bird hovering up there, so the fog must be lifting. A
Condor? Maybe a Vulture? Too hazy yet to tell. Ah well, enough lolly-gagging --- time to get back to work!
Dharma rolls over to try and locate the Magician, Jemadar Afzul. There he is on the opposite side of the
sangar, and just as Dharma half-rises and is about to call out, Twang-kabboOOOsh ptweee and the Jezail
bullet bounces off the nearest rock, and off into the sky!
The rock splinters hit Dharmas cheek like reinforcements for the gnats --- not painful so much as startling, at
such close quarters. Stand TOO! yells Dharma, and the men crouch up, bayonets at the ready, expecting to
be rushed at any moment! A general yell, and the Wolf-men emerge from the dawn vapor, coming in from
several sides at once! The women are keening with that high ululating voice in the background, with the
occasional the chirp of the kids punctuating the air! This is it!
The Far Focal Point
Too late! A minute too late, and a pound shy! The mounted Puffers have a horrible moment when they hear the
start of the shooting and the screams, somewhere on the far horizon, and know it will take them another 5
minutes to get there! All this rush, and they were too late by 5 minutes? NO! Spurs and reins are applied
vigorously, and the little troop vault into full gallop, to hell with the stones! (note 83).
Sowar Maldeo Raj is down! His horse goes head over heels and Maldeo Raj is thrown a good 10 feet beyond
that, sliding in a heap into a boulder! Oh, that doesnt look good! No time to stop and check! Otherwise its
going to be lights-out for the rest of the Puffers on foot, for sure! Drumbeats hammer across the rock strewn
Maidan, with Jimmy-the-Grote and Ewan bringing up the rear! No need for bugles at the moment --- ride! Ride
for all yer worth! And if ya cant ride, at least hang on!
Leave Them on the Lurch
(Aw, you KNOW what comes next thats right, time for to be continued, but only if youre pop-eyed and
wide awake like that cringing armadilleaux feller )
Bob
Seur DArmadilleaux
Able to bayonet Oreos from 6 mm away, As long as theyre soggy enough with the milk, and arent moving
too fast! (lessee, 6mm, thats oh, about, lets say, of an inch?)
After Action Report --- Heres to Carruthers
This was sort of a setting-up-the-battle episode, where we had to bring all the major participants within the
same general arena. It wasnt all that sure theyd all make it, either! (Using Mythic GME with our favorite rule
set, and the unpredictability of dice rolls see to that).
We indulged ourselves and had a bit of fun with the Characterization (and thats a big part of the attraction of
Solo Wargaming --- we have the time to explore other elements and to figure out the motivation behind why
some guys act the way that they do). Solo gaming NEEDS as much of a hook as we can develop, to build
and maintain the interest that keeps us coming back to the wargames table, and working out the next little
episode. In Solo gaming theres no one else to hoot and holler and carry on, and generally spread the laughter
and enjoyment, cept for us.
The amazing thing is, when we make the whole script so personal (all those lists, that are data-mined from
our favorite stories, movies, and comic books), then it becomes really addictive, to the point that Im working
this up, rather than watching prime-time TV. (Oh, and for future generations that might read this 10 years
down the road, thats still an Analog TV, delivered by Cable-not-laser, and theres still a VCR under the TV.
Any extra budget went into little guys and rule sets). And remember, Heres to Carruthers!
(Harrumph)
Notes for Part XIV --- Heres to Carruthers
Note 77: Start of a new scene, so we roll the Mythic triple percentile die: 10.82.53 (no doubles, so we go on
with our scene as set). NPC Action, Activity, and Home (and thats where the mess-scene came from, Ladies
and Gentlemen!).
Note 78: Comes from the Personality Generator applied to Carruthers
Note 79: Attributed to Fredrick the Great, leading his men into battle
Note 80: Start of a new scene, so we have another go at the Mythic triple percentile die, thrown from the
Regimental Cup (OK so its a 1950s stainless steel kids drinking cup, but it will HAVE to DO, old Chap). And
we get: 48.50.74 which gives us Close a thread, Debase, and Liberty. Hmm, have to think about that for a
moment, so we go and pull a card for Places to be Developed, and we get: Drainage tunnel off the shaft.
Now, we had envisioned Laughland climbing some knoll to look around, so this gets translated into a dry
waterfall course, up the side of the mound. Although the upcoming battle is on a plane, it has more in common
with the Mountain Pass Generator than the Patrol and Roads Details list, so we draw some cards against the
former (MPG). And we get: Marker= KD (Stone arrow); Surrounding=JD (Empty Biscuit tin); Hill
description= 10D (Confusing Icy Fog); Trail= 2H (Boulder Field); Guide Source= AH (Explorers map);
Equipment= 9H (Flint and Striker); Problems= 7H (Avalanche incoming); Found things= KC (Small
Tarpaulin); Other life= 3C (Condor out and below); Weather related= 7C (Cant feel cheeks); Clothing= JC
(mitts soaked). Then for fun (cause we are feeling lazy and need the extra kick-in-the-pants to get motivated)
we go to the Mythic experimental Sounds and Smells tables, and get: 16.85.15 --- Moderately close, (now, 85
is off the experimental list, so we just reroll and get) 61, Covert, and 15 gives us Breach load, so we hear the
covert sound of a breach-load, moderately close! Getting interesting now! And now we go to the Mythic
experimental Campaign Peripheral Color, and we get: 20.83.27 for General Population, Colors wavering
(again, the highest item populated on this newish list), and Undertaker. Wow --- Well, I guess that could be the
Wolf Men (General Population) think twice (colors wavering) when they see the Puffer Cavalry (the
Undertakers). OK, the story is half-written, and now all we have to do is string it together. From a mechanics
point of view, we just copy this note, strip out all the unnecessary verbiage, and post the bare bones at the
bottom of the story, so far. As we use up one of the bones, we delete that part, and keep picking away, until
we ate the whole thing. So 25 lines of rambling in this note get reduced to 9 compressed lines that have to
be translated into text.
Note 81! Laughland comes over the top with a rock and springs at the Wolf-man! TSATF (the Sword and the
Flame) gives him automatic close-into-contact, and a fighting advantage of +1 for leader, -1 for scrabbling over
the rocks, and +2 for attacking from the Wolf-mans rear, or a total DRM (dice role modifier) of +2.
Laughland rolls a 3 (+2=5) to the Wolf-mans 1 (automatic kill).
Note 82: We have 10 fit, 4 invalid (this was an arbitrary dice roll on a 1D6, taking into account sprained
ankles, exhausted, and other non-battlle-related problems), and Dharma with a rifle (cause he gave his pistol
over to Laughland, remember?).
Note 83: We treat this just like a charge, in that there will be 1D6 of stragglers who wont make it to the
melee on time, and we roll rrrrRRRRrrrRRRRrrr: 1! We roll a 1! Man those Puffers can ride!
Barampta Part XV --- The Circle of Heroes
There are so man ways in which a man could die, out here in Waziristan, when beyond the reach of a camp or
an English doctor. And before long, the heat, the vultures, and the jackals reduce whats left to just the rags,
hanging off a skeleton. Yesss thought Colonel Carruthers, his mind drifting off from that boring Court-
Martial, his old sausage-like fingers beating a pudgy tattoo, Thats what all lawyers should be made to do
drop them off on foot some 8 hours from camp, with one canteen of water and 6 rounds for the Martini Henry,
and let the blighters find their own way home. Serve them right! Picking on their betters for whimsical
reasons. Whimsical, I say. (Harrumph!)
Captain Strictland was in fine form. He was rocking up and down in his officers boots, tasting the resounding
phrases that hed practiced outside his tent, while he had been shaving in the pre-dawn hours. So you
orchestrated this attempt on Fakir Ipi, and not only FIRED upon the native population, but you incited the
women and children into a trap! Using this, what is it called again? An Umbella Peg! An unauthorized weapon
of war!! Strictland had the bit well in his teeth, and intended to run with it hard and fast, not realizing that
most of the panel of judges had all-of-a-sudden discovered that their collective back-sides ached, as they
shifted about uncomfortably.
A subaltern came through the side door, and made his way over to the presiding judge, and gave a folded piece
of paper to Colonel Carruthers. He blew his mustaches up, as he read the letter through reuhmy eyes, and
turned to the other members of the panel. Yes, well gentlemen! Seems like the Fakir has burned down another
frontier post. Our young friends suspicions of him must have been right! This said, looking pointedly at Lt
Dharma in the hot seat. Standing, the Colonel continues, Under the circumstances, I think well adjourn the
proceedings!
Poor Strictland stands there with his mouth open, like someone just popped his balloon, and nobody wants to
assign any blame to the culprit! The whole court is filing out toward the doors, as Carruthers turns and opines,
Postponed indefinitely! (Harumph) Quite rightly, too! It isnt quite legal, but who is going to go up against
such an august body as Colonel Carruthers? No one left but the court clerk and Strictland, and the clerk puts
the decision into the more usually-accepted court legaleese. Case Dismissed for lack of evidence.(note 85).
Back and Grim
Out on the maidan, the mounted Puffers mad dash ended with Sowar Jalad Khan neatly dropping Bugler
Jimmy-the-Grote off with his horse, some 500 yards West from the sangar that the Wolf-men were trying to
over-run! No time for niceties! Jalad kneed his mount on the run, and veered off with Bugler Ewan Perkins
bleating and holding on for dear life! Passed the dismounting carbines! Off to the North and East! Ride!
Meanwhile, Dharma rises from the flea-ridden dust of the sangar, with his bayonet to the fore! Whheeuph! The
nearest Wolf-mans Khyber knife flashed over his head. Squelch! The bayonet collapses the bag of white rags
in front of him, the Wolf-mans face all a grimace of bad teeth and worse breath! Yank YANK! Damn
bayonets stuck! BLADAAAAM! If we cant pull the bayonet out, pull the trigger and blast it free! (note 86).
Dharma tries to bring the rifle up to block the next Wolf-mans swing --- TOO LATE! Time slows down, and
Dharma sees the Khyber knife falling, fall ing in slow time too late and the Wolf-mans
head seems to explode into space! Someone shot him! From Behind! Time snaps back, and Dharma is too busy
with the next threat to solve the puzzle --- where did the shot come from?
Out on the craig, 400 yards away, Laughland is clumsily trying to reload the Jezail. Hed been aiming for the
guy two down from Dharma, but wasnt familiar with the sights on this old basket case of a musket! Ah well,
our secret! Whos that pair of fools galloping toward his rock? Fingers reload automatically by themselves, as
Laughland squints at the cloud of dust. A Puffer, carbine in hand, with something else in tow Ewan falls to
the ground in a clump, and slowly tries to rise.
Bugle Nonsense
Jimmy-the-grotes bugle call splits the air! Infantry mount bayonets!? What infantry? Laughland is momentarily
distracted, as are most of the Wolf-men trying to swamp the sangar. The Puffer on the horse below
Laughlands perch, having droped his charge, gallops back to the west. What the hades is going on!?
Laughland completes his tamping on the Jezail, and has a hard look out on the horizon. Theres the sangar,
theres some dirty Khaki guys, who must be the rest of the Mounted Carbines of the Punjabi Frontier Force.
They are firing sporadically, but they are still a long ways from the sangar.
Way out there, theres a lone bugler and hes now blowing complete nonsense, Pay Call!? What is that strange
duck up to? Hes gonna get his head shot, and if not, hes gonna get his back tanned! Wha Second Call for
Lunch!? Is he OUT OF HIS MIND? From down near the base of his rock, the second Bugler has lost his
senses, too! --- Church Call!? Theyre blowing sheer non-sense! And now one of the lunatics on the bugle is
announcing Swimming Call!
Theres a rustle behind Jimmy-the-Grote, and before he even gets a chance to completely turn around, a pair of
Wolf-man kids are springing at him with snake-blade knives! Jimmy completes his turn with the bugle in his
hand, his only weapon! (note 86). The two wolf-man-kids rise from behind a boulder, snarling as only wolf-
cubs can, feral as they come! Jimmy takes a swipe with his bugle, but the wolf-cub curves out of the way, as
the other slashes with his knife! Terrified, Jimmy back-pedals, and stumbles over one of the rocks! They are on
him in an instant! Curved snakey blades flash up and down, and Jimmy back-pedals some more! Theres a
funny whine, and a bullet ricochets off the rocks and nicks one of the wolf-cubs in the shoulder! He spins
around and hes out of it! But Jimmy has taken several superficial cuts to his arms and jacket! A brief mis-step
by the wolf-cub, and Jimmy spins around and makes a dash for it, with the wiry little wolf-cub not more than 4
paces behind him! Jimmy bleats as he runs toward the line of dismounted Puffers, and one turns his rifle around
to take aim! Jimmy trips! Hes down! The wolf-cub comes staggering forward on sheer momentum, before he
can see the carbine pointed straight at him! He drops his knife and spins around and runs! Wolf-cub to
frightened boy in 1 second flat! The Sowar lifts his carbine a bit, decides not to shoot this one, and turns back
towards the melee at the Sangar. (note 87).
The Circle of Heroes
Out on the Grim, the Sre Mela, the Plains of the Heroes, we have Lt Dharma, Jemadar Afzul, and 10 effectives,
with 4 more wounded in the center circle, barely able to lift a bayonet, let alone a musket. They instinctively
split into the two quadrants, each determined to face-down the wave of Wolf-men, one of them waving the
black triangle flag for no quarter, that comes at them like a runaway steam train. Wolf-men to the fore, a
sprinkling of women with knives behind, and a rabble of kids with snaky daggers, not a threat head on, but
deadly and remorseless to the fallen. The two dirty-white waves hit the break-water of the Sangar, and Puffer
versus Wolf-man, they rise up where they clash, clawing for the sky, as if for life itself!
Bang, thwump, Ungh, whup! --- the noise of combat is visceral and unbelievable. No Quarter! Thump! Reverse
butt smack! Suck it up! Head butt! Bodies start falling out of the scrimmage line! 2 Puffers wounded beside
Dharma! 3 Puffers on Afzuls quadrant fall like pole-axed oxen! Wolf-men fall back wounded, one obviously
dead with a dramatic back flip! But theres so many in that white foam of Wolf-men, that it doesnt seem to
make any impact! With quiet professionalism, the reserve of 4 wounded men split up, and purposefully walk
into the break-water of death! The true mark of a Hero, that he embraces his brothers fate as his own!
Laughland and the dismounted riders try to take aim, but the fighting is so close, that there is no guarantee they
wont hit their friends, and not the wolf-men! The dismounted riders are staggering forward through the stony
field, dragging their carbine-bayonets from their scabbards as they go! But will they make it on time? Its going
to be an awfully close call! Bugler Ewan is sounding the Charge, over and over, his refrains squeak where he
runs out of breath, but he wont stop. Every man gives every ounce of whatever he has available.
Back in the Circle of Heroes, the fight to the death continues! (note 88).Things are getting really desperate!
The pace picks up! Jemadar Afzul fights with a cold precision, and 3 Wolf-men go to their god, one more
pushed back. One of the Puffers near Afzul is wounded, and writhes on the ground! No time to help him. On
Dharmas quadrant, the fighting is very hot, with 2 of the Puffer reinforcements from the Bandage Buddies
stabbed again, and finally succumbing to their wounds! A 3
rd
Puffer from the line near Dharma, falls away, dead
before he hits the ground! On the Wolf-man side 3 of the women with knives are pushed back, although there
is a suspicion that the Puffers pulled their blows. Dharma has no such illusions, and he stabs another screaming
woman in the shin. The Wolf-men are taking a real beating, but is it going to be enough? The lashkar facing
Afzul is still grinding onto the breakwater of the Sangar, although the lashkar facing Dharma is wavering a bit.
The kiddies have enough sense to hold back, although the women with knives are as rabid as their men! One
grabs the fallen black triangle flag, and waves it over her head, yelling encouragement to the Wolf-men! The
Bugle in the background continues to call Charge! and the Circle of Heroes convenes for another bash at
each other!
The Carbine-bayonets close in on the Circle, but they are just one furlong too far to affect the outcome!
Laughand stands up and cheers till hes hoarse, but theres nothing more he can do, either! Ewan is squeaking
more than hes playing, but the clarion call is clear! Once more into the breach! Charge!
Dharmas arms like anchors, weighed down by tons of rifle, throat like a dry rasp, head splitting and blood
pounding in his ears. Never get the rifle up in time to UNGH! Spin that butt around and get him out of my
THWACK. Half a second of space to lunge at that OOOsh! Woman! (note 89) Makes no never mind ---
woman with a knife is just another Wolf-man, only not quite as big, and maybe a little more aggressive! And
things just cant last much longer! Dharma, Jemadar Afzul, 4 Puffers and 2 Bandage Buddies line up at the
stone circle wall of the Sangar, against 4 Wolf-men, 2 women, and 3 kids with snake-knives, and a horde of
smaller ones snarling and yapping back there, with those vicious little knives the kids always pull when
someones down! Eight able-bodies for the Puffers versus Nine adults for the Wolf-men! But this time there is
no fight left in the wolf-men, one eye on the sangar, and the other on the Undertakers --- the carbine-bayonets
homing in on them, and after a token renewal of the attack, they are uniformly beaten back, away from the
sangar. A momentary shiver of indecision, and thats it --- the triangular black flag flutters to the stony ground,
and Wolf-men are gone!
The 8 men inside the Circle of Heroes collapse where they stand, eyes glazed, mouths agape like so many
beached fish, hands too numb to hold on to their weapons, yet the hands in almost a rigor-mortis grip, so tight
the weapons slide out of their clenched paws.
Its finally over.
(Well, only if you dont want to hear about the next bit )
After Action Report --- Circle of Heroes
Theres something really intoxicating about surviving a good fight --- whether its a real one, or simply a
TSATF set-to with our favorite little guys. Afterwards colors are more vivid, we actually SMELL all the good
stuff in the air as we walk around, and little things like birds and insects seem to jump out at us. We can
identify every little snick of clothing, coins in our pockets, fabric rubbing on our arm. And all those little aches
and pains disappear, if only for a while. Its a high unlike any other. Its an adrenaline rush that lasts for hours.
(Course, afterwards theres this come-down, and we need to stoke ourselves up with Oreos to counteract the
low-bloodsugar).
Theres a tricky little undercurrent of humor, that has to be down-played a bit, and treated with a light touch,
but this humor adds a lot to the dramatic bits. Almost like we (as the reader) need to have a quick laugh, before
we get ratcheted up a notch by our emotional bootstraps, and taken to some new level of higher anxiety. Have
a look at any good action flick (like the Terminator series, or Alien series, or almost any Clint Eastwood movie
or similar), and theres that little bit of black humor, thats flickering around the edges. The humor is actually
called up (if we let it) by the Mythic GME elements, and all we have to do is be receptive to it, when it
comes along, and give it a bit of leash to come out and do its thing.
Others have mentioned that they see favorite screen actors and persona when they do their Characterization -
-- and thats a valid way of drawing from our experience. My Characters are put together with card-pulls, to
develop their own unique personality, and then I go searching through my memory for WHO that combination
is describing. They may be a combination of two or more obscure work-mates from 30 years ago, but finding
them (again) helps me to flesh-out someone like Col Carruthers, for example, and get a better feel for what that
combination of characteristics would look like.
Rewrite! Nothing comes out of the noggin fully formed. I try and get a couple of episodes ahead of the current
Part, so I can go back and smooth the edges a time or two with new eyes, before the current serial episode
gets popped into the torpedo tubes. Nothing drastic; dont change the outcome of the battles. Just clean up the
rough edges, and add a bit more flavor, where it seems a bit dry.
Bob
Seur DArmadilleaux
Notes for Part XV --- the Circle of Heroes
Note 84: we start off by rolling the Triple Percentile Mythic die: 55.40.35, so that double (where 5 is lower
than the Chaos Rank of 8) means we have an altered scene, not starting with Dharma, as we had planned. Lets
see, that code means: Close a thread, Postpone, and Legal matters. Ah, We are back at the trial!
Note 85: New scene! Change the triple percentile die (I take a different pair each time, and that way we are
sure we get different results for the charts): 16.49.27 and that translates into: NPC action, Harm, and A
Project. Ooooh! So some project leads to harm coming or threatened against a Non-Playing-Character (like
Jimmy-the-Grote!)
Note 86: Jimmy counts as an officer, defending open order, but attacked from the rear, for a total DRM (dice
roll modifier) of -1. The two wolf-man-kids count as Pathans, charging without leader, with a die roll modifier
of +1, but they have to pass their charge-into combat chart (3 or less) AND THEY ROLL A 3! Hand-to-hand
ensues according to standard TSATF rules, and we get: Jimmy 4 to Pathan One 3 (so jimmy pushed back);
Jimmy rolls 4 to Pathan Two rolls a 4 (so jimmy pushed back a second time, and we are going to count the
result of this sort of micro-hand-to-hand as wounded, and in rout), so Jimmy takes off running! Meanwhile,
Laughland is trying to shoot at the two attackers with his Jezail, and he gets ONE shot --- ITS A HIT! WHAT
A SHOT! ITS A THREE, and we pull a Jack of Spades, so one of the two boys chasing Jimmy is hit! We roll
for morale for the other boy, and get a 6, so he keeps on chasing Jimmy! Write it up!
Note 87: Back to the main fight! This is the one we were waiting for! We have Lt Dharma, Jemadar Afzul, and
10 effectives, with 4 more wounded in the center circle, barely able to lift a bayonet, let alone a musket (as
reported in Part XIV). Against that, there are now 30 men (Laughland shot the one battling Dharma), 6 women
with knives and 21 kids (last detailed in note 55). Figure they lost a couple of kids and none of the women with
the Umbella-peg explosion, and that leaves 30 men 6 women, and 18 kids, probably in the equivalent of 2
lashkars or warbands. Next, we figure that the 4 wounded Puffers and the 18 kids probably fight about the
same, with a -2 DRM (dice roll modifier). We set this up, and play out one round. First thing we need to do is
establish if the two Wolf-Man Lashkars are going to charge --- and we roll a 1 and a 2 (definite charges) then
we start to roll for the first round. On Afzuls quadrant, 3 Puffers are pushed back out of 5, and only 4 Wolf-
men are pushed back. On Dharmas quadrant, 2 Puffers are wounded, and 3 WM pushed back, one dead and
one wounded. Two of the reserve (wounded) Puffers go to each of the two quadrants, to try and hold out.
Write it up!
Note 88: Round 2 and things are getting really tense! The pace picks up! Afzul fights with cold precision, and 3
wolf-men go to their god, one more pushed back. One of the Puffers is wounded. On Dharmas side, the
fighting is very hot, with 2 of the Puffer reinforcements from the Bandage Buddies succumbing to their
wounds, and a 3
rd
Puffer from the line, dead. On the Wolf-man side 3 of the women with knives are pushed
back, and Dharma stabs another in the shin. But is it enough? The lashkar facing Afzul is still over 50 %,
although the lashkar facing Dharma is not. Kiddies dont count toward the totals for morale purposes, although
the women with knives do. We roll Morale for Dharmas opponents, and they JUST pass (roll a 7). Write it up!
Note 89: Third round, and things cant last much longer! Dharma, Jemadar Afzul, 4 Puffers and 2 Bandage
Buddies line up against 4 Wolf-men, 2 women, and 3 kids with snake-knives. 8 for the Puffers versus 9 for the
Wolf-men! But this time there is no fight left in the wolf-men, and they are uniformly pushed back.. We go to
the Mythic Fate chart and ask Do they take off? and with a roll of 68, the Wolf-men are gone!
Barampta on the Sre Mela, Part XVI --- Ripples in the Ether
The Waziristan desert is still a place of limitless horizons and little shade, where the light seems somehow
harsher, the land for the most part flat and featureless. The sandy and rock-strewn country by no means barren
of life --- chinkara, partridge and quail abound, as do deadly scorpions and snakes. There is a harsh and
unforgiving majesty about the place, that makes us feel much closer to the gods. Its easy to understand how,
when the ancients of Waziristan were worried, they looked to the heavens for help in divining what the future
would hold for them (note 90).
Laughland lay back for a moment after the battle, and looked up at the golden dawn, streaming in and blowing
away the last of the fog, and strengthening moment by moment as the sun kissed the Eastern horizon goodbye.
Up there above him, that Condor did great lazy circles, his wing feathers barely twisting, feeling out the future,
picking up threads that mere mortals would never know. No wonder the Condor with its spread wings was a
part of the symbol of Ahura-Mazda, the ancients religion. A couple of vultures join on the periphery, tighter
circles lower down, a respectful distance from the all-seeing Condor that still hovers almost straight overhead.
The gods are benign this morning, as if sensing that their playthings, these little rags called humans, had had
enough.
Dropping In on the Bugler
A few crows are winging off to the East, a minor ruckus, voices plying the dissenting position --- all is not
well! All is NOT well! Something is niggling like a tick at the back of Laughlands brain, and all of a sudden he
struggles to stand up. Where? Theres nothing there Wait! The far horizon is a-shimmer! Like Ripples in the
Ether! Hes only seen this once before, where the hard lines of the early morning hills seem to ripple and
dissolve and reform --- Wolf-men! Lots of them, covering most of the whole horizon! Laughland grabs his
Jezail, turns around toward the little victory circle, and slides down the rough hill-slope on his bum, to land in a
bruised and battered heap, almost on top of Ewan the bugler. Poor Ewans heart just about explodes with the
surprise of what looks like a Wolf-man descending upon him from the heavens, and he falls over and his bowels
betray him as he lets out a rip of gas in his near panic! The bugle bangs against a rock, with a sound like
crushing a tin mug with a rock. Oh, no! Ewan thinks in a haze, Drum Major Haggarty will tan me hide for
that one!
Laughland doesnt have time to laugh. Stand up you little Gasser, and sound the alarm! he yells, as he grabs
Ewan by the coat and yanks him to his feet. Ewans jaw drops, but years of responding to Drum Major
Haggartys barked orders supercedes his personal fears, and the dented bugle gets pointed to the heavens! Ta
tada taDa taDa ta da-dada! Again! The red-eyed demon waves his wicked looking Jezail! Ta tada taDA
taDA ta da-dada! First Officers! barks Laughland, and the new call goes out: ta ta DA, ta ta da, ta ta da-
tadaaa! Very good --- now we need Mount Up! Ewan was so wide-eyed in shock, in fear of this apparition,
in awe of what was being asked, that he simply responded as ordered: ta ta DA, ta ta DA, ta ta DA dat daaa!
The field in front of them explodes into action! The Punjabi who were half-heartedly scouring for ammo and
food, now mounting up, and doubling up with their walking brothers from the Circle of Heroes. Jemadar Afzul
takes the last personal property from the dead in the Circle of Heroes, and catches a lift-up on the arm of a
fellow Punjabi on a big horse. Afzul is so slim and ropy that the horse doesnt mind the minor extra weight.
High Dudgeon
Lts Fischer and Simpson, along with Capt Hollis and Jemadar Swab Gul of the Punjabi Mounted Rifles,
converge, pistols drawn, on the stranger and Ewan. The four of them galloping up, look just like some piece of
art, hanging in the National Army Museum. Laughland swells with the pride of belonging to such a martial
tradition. Lt Bobbie Fischer recognizes him first, and yells out Laughland, you Afghan dog! So you got
away again!? and laughing as he approaches, he holsters his weapon. Technically Laughland (as the Political
Officer) is a Brevet Major, but hes hardly dressed as the part, in his grubby poshteen and grungy turban. The
others also ease the hammers back on their weapons, and the tension visibly ebbs away. Captain Edgar Hollis
of the Punjabi Mounted Rifles Squadron trots up within conversation range, with an ironic smile on his face,
and addresses Laughlin. Morning Laughie. Nice day for a bit of a jaunt.
Laughland went to the same public school, back in Ol Briny, and eyes up Edgar on his personal bay horse.
Why Bunny Hollis, as I live and breathe! --- I see you havent improved your taste in nags. The two smile,
as Bunny Hollis leans over and shakes hands with Laughie. Ewan looks on pop-eyed and slack-jawed as
the giants of his world perform their little personal ceremonies with private nicknames, right out there in front
of him. Gaw, wait till Jimmie-the-Grote and tothers get a load of this! he thinks, drinking it in, trying to
remember every pose, every nuance of tone. What a day!
Laughland continues, Seems like we have company coming from the East, gentlemen, and they are in rather
high dudgeon. Not happy at all. Id suggest we dont want to dawdle around and invite them for breakfast,
what? I doubt we have enough victuals to go around, and some of them might get a tad slighted to be left out.
In spite of the bantering tone, the relaxed smiles on the mounted officers faces vanish, and all hang on
Laughlands words. Now, I doubt that we can get away from their horsemen, but theres a village off to the
North West a few miles, and we might be able to hole up there, while someone goes for help. Capt Edgar
nods to Jemadar Swab Gul, who turns and flicks his fingers towards the Punjabi Mounted Rifles. One of them,
Sowar Hadji Wakil, turns and trots over on his horse, an unimpressive native mount, kind of bony and stringy
looking, but like many Afghan mounts, capable of running at a ground-eating lope all day long.
The Courier is Dispatched
We are heading to Karijkote, you know of it Brother? asks Laughland of Sowar Hadji Wakil in faultless
Pushtu. Huzoor! I know of this place! My uncles second cousin used to trade there! replies the mounted
Scout. Funny that, thinks Laughland, how a place exists only as part of the Pathans extended family tree. Go
thee back to camp, Brother, and tell them of our plight. There are many lashkars of Wolf-men on the horizon,
and they seem unhappy with the world. They will not wait until tomorrow to feast, Brother, so do not spare
your horse to smell the flowers Sowar Hadji Wakil stiffens in his saddle, and repeats, Huzoor! Laughland
takes a moment, and says Very well Sowar, we place our lives in thy hands. Go! and salutes exchanged,
Sowar Hadji Wakil spins his mount and digs in, headed back to camp. Laughland stares after the man, and says
in a low voice I hope hes dependable then looks at Jemadar Swab Gul with an inquiring eyebrow.
Encouraged to speak, Jemadar Gul opines, Hadji Wakil is but a lowly Durrani, Bahadur Laughland, but I have
never seen a better or more reliable courier. (note 91).
Again, Jemadar Swab Gul turns and flicks his fingers, and in the mid-distance, there is a shuffle among the
Punjabi Mounted Rifles riders, as one Sowar dismounts and gives up his horse for Laughland. The rest of the
men absorb the change, as the spare horse is lead over for Laughlands use. Capt Hollis points to Ewan, and
the Punjabi trooper lifts the Bugle-boy up in front of him. The leaders fan out, as Capt Hollis gives the
universal hand signal for Forward, and breaks into an easy light gait, with Laughland close off his right hand
side.
Running Before the Storm
Lt Bobbie Fischer fills in Lt Dharma on whats going on, back in the center of the Cavalry Squadron.
Dharma is grumpy about being left out of the meeting, but Bobbie tells him hes in no shape to argue --- the
few survivors of the Circle of Heroes are completely done in, and barely able to ride, most of them. The terrain
doesnt help --- its a jagged field of boulders almost as far as the eye can see, and the horses are all jigging to
the right, jagging to the left. Its exhausting work, hard on the kidneys, and even Dharma is keeping upright on
the horse out of sheer determination. Twist, Turn, Twist again --- 33 men, crammed onto 26 weary mounts,
heading off to the little village of Karajkote, West by North West, hoping they can still move fast enough to
find some sort of a refuge before the onslaught of the Wolf-mans storm (note 92).
Jemadar Swab Gul drops back and supervises the rear guard. Eight of the best Mounted Rifles, on the soundest
horses. No one gets left behind (note 93). Oh no, watch it! Theres a horse gone down! Two men collide and
take a terrible tumble, but the rear-guard manage to get them both up and doubled-up onto other horses! Swab
Gul dispatches the one horse with a single shot from his revolver. No point in trying to hide it --- the Wolf-men
know where they are now. The little column takes a slight course correction off to the North West. Woah!
Look out! Another horse goes head-over-heels cracking on a stone! Neither man nor beast rises from this one.
A Sowar dismounts on the run, checks the pulse of the Puffer and shakes his head at Jemadar Swab Gul, then
picks up the carbine and ammo belt. A running mount, and the Sowar is back in the saddle. No time to pay
respects for the downed man. Sowar Lal Mast, thinks Jemadar Swab Gul. Forgive me, Brother. He left a
wife and a family behind him, too. What will happen to them now? No time for ceremony --- have to think
about that later. Hup Hup, ride!
Karajkote
By now, the wave of the Wolf-men were discernable behind us. Perhaps a mile or two away? Not more than a
half-hour lead, if that. Across the stony broken fields, around a corner of a low-bluff, and there it is ---
Karajkote (note 93). Not much for size, only 20 rooms or so, but well situated at the top of a grassy knoll. The
walls are thick, made of good strong river stone, and faced with a mud wattle cover that is hard and smooth ---
not something you can climb without ladders, and there are no trees for miles around. There are only rifle slots
high up in the walls, no windows.
Karajkote is bleak and uninviting, with a few tall round towers in the corners, topped with plain non-descript
domes. As we near the gates, we notice the doors are hanging on their hinges, open and ajar. Whats happened
here? No choice but to proceed --- the little expedition pounds up the path and through the gates, weapons at
the ready, but there are no signs of life. A gibbet high on the back wall --- a metal cage where prisoners are
starved to death, adds a macabre touch, with its skeletal remains, but there is no one home. Inside, the ivy-like
vines add a bit of greenery to the tall 2 story walls. Several Sowars dismount and do a cursory search, but
there are only 20 or so rooms, and no one there. In the silence, we can hear water trickling into the well, but no
other sounds.
Surrounded
Capt Edgar confers briefly with Jemadar Swab Gul, and 6 men are detailed to go and see to closing the gate,
while another dozen are sent to the walls to watch for the Wolf-men. The rest of the Puffers from the Circle of
Heroes tumble from their saddles, while the balance of the Mounted Rifles do a more thorough search of the
little walled village. Theres something amiss here. Less that half an hour goes by, and the gate has been
repaired, and just in time, as the first wave of the Wolf-men arrives in the plains below. They line up, about a
half-mile away, and the wave of the lashkars sweeps around the open plain. There must be the better part of
three hundred of them! Yet they arent coming forward, just holding back in a great circle, with an almost
inaudible low growl of voices. The men fan out on the walls, and man the rifle-slots. The few officers head for
the highest spots. Lt Dharma takes the tallest tower, and hes the first to spot the bodies.
Capt Edgar, you better come and look at this! Dharma calls out in a dead-pan voice. Edgar climbs up the
interior stairs, and pops his head through the top-hatch. What have we got, Dharma? he asks. Dharma points,
mutely, over the back wall. There, out in the grassy knoll behind the little walled city, is the communal
graveyard. A raised metal frame on which the bodies of the dead are normally wrapped and then burned in their
funeral pyre. But not this time. A dozen or more rag-doll shapes lie in haphazard manner around the remains of
the last pyre. Thats whats happened to the village says Dharma, although it isnt clear what felled them.
Some sort of plague? Whatever it was, the Wolf-men know, and they are not in a hurry to come anywhere
near.
The Enemy Within
Dharma feels the hairs on the back of his neck bristling. They may have escaped from the Wolf-men, but what
terrifying affliction could have struck the whole village down so suddenly? Is there some deadly and silent killer
out there that is even more fearsome than the Wolf-men? If we fear the Wolf-men, what is it that the Wolf-men
fear, that they are holding back, indecisive, unwilling to come into Karajkote to face?
(To Be Continued but only if there is anyone still concerned with the fate of our little band of adventurers
)
After Action Report Part XVI --- Ripples on the Ether
Not all enemies that we face are necessarily Lashkars of Pathans, although we can often use the same Sword
and the Flame mechanics to solve the attacks. Whether we are dealing with slip-n-falls, or disease, or acts of
nature (like storms), this sort of attack is quite commonly modeled in Modern Solo wargaming (as an
alternative enemy, where 20 straight Solo battles with the same troops might get kinda stale). The point is,
Solo TSATF is a fun way to build our own little world --- not better or worse than face-to-face TSATF games,
just different. And it uses the same TSATF combat-resolution and unit-organizational mechanisms, so we
become that much more comfortable with the rules.
We have to find something to replace the excitement of a face-to-face opponent (and lets not forget those
wonderful scenarios at the various conventions!) and in Modern Solo we opt for Variability and
Unpredictability (along with building scenes with the card files) to do that. Its actually easy to do --- all we
need is our base rule set, a Narrative Enabling rule set (like Mythic Game Master Emulator) and a bit of
imagination. Part of the reason for this whole epic serial adventure, was to act as a bit of a lab to try out
different Solo gaming mechanisms, and show how the various bits were done, on a step-by-step basis. So the
next time we cant get our regular fix of going out and playing Sword and Flame, we can actually set up a
little Solo campaign, and give it a whirl.
The other big advantage with Solo campaigns, of course, is that we can pursue them in little slivers of time, 15
minutes here, half-an-hour before bed, and so on. With our hectic lifestyles, sometimes thats the ONLY way
we get to do any gaming. And sometimes, we seem to come full circle --- these mini-episodes have spawned a
couple of ideas that are now going into scenarios for future conventions. (Thanks, guys!)
Bob
Seur DArmadilleaux
Wishing he had a camper (well-stocked with Oreos of course), so he could go to all those other TSATF
conventions
Notes for Barampta Part XVI --- Ripples in the Ether
Note 90: Start of a new scene, so we roll the triple Mythic GME percentile dice, and see what the day is
offering to us: 95.16, 80 so that gives NPC Positive, Inquire, and Art. We go to our old friend, the NWF
Multiple Path Adventure lists, and pull a card --- the 5 of Diamonds which gives us Walled Villiage with 20
huts as the next Place to Develop. We look at the Battles column from the same list, and pull: the 10 of
Spades for a Running Battle (OK, so I cheated a bit --- there WAS no 10 Spades, and 9 Spades was the last
entry. I could have used that, but had this niggling thought that Id like to do a running battle, and that wasnt
on the list so far, so thats what we decided that the invisible ink in spot 10 S turned up! Add it to the list!).
Note 91: Whats that mboy? Eh!? Speak up! Dont just dawdle there, blocking my light! Hazoor? Why it
means Sir!. Eh? Duirrani?? Thats a tribe of Pathans. What? Bahadur?! Means Your excellency (or near
enough). Wheres the damn Khitmagar with my Chotapeg? (Oh honestly, you REALLY ARE new to the
Grim --- the Frontier! --- Get the Waiter to fetch me another 2 fingers of whiskey and soda!). Babies! Theyre
sending raw babies out to the Grim! Hardly out of Diapers, so they are. Harrumph!
Note 92: We have one Squadron of Punjabi Mounted Rifles, less the one fatality who hit the rock, the
dispatched courier and one other dispatched to take care of the extra mounts back at last nights camp (so 22
left including the Capt). Plus the two Lts that came to help, and the two bugle boys (makes 4 more).
Presumably they left any extraneous help and mules and such there. There are only 8 survivors from the Circle
of Heroes, plus Laughland. So that makes 33 men on 26 mounts, heading toward Karajkote.
Note 93 We have a look at horses dropping out from the overload. Arbitrarily we decide that we have 1D6 and
roll a huge 6 --- thats not good! We check to see if the men on these horses are OK. We decide that there are
3 with double-riders and 3 others. We treat them as long-range shots from Jezails, on 3 close order targets (for
the doubles, and we roll 16-miss a 6-hits horse only and a 1-draw 2 cards, 8 Clubs and 4 Diamonds, so both are
only lightly wounded); and 3 on the single-riders for 1 hit, 4 Spades, killed outright.
Note 94: This is the start of a new scene, so we roll the Mythic triple-percentile die and get: 76.40.79 for
Ambiguous event, Postpone, and Vehicle. What? So some Ambiguous event acts as a Vehicle to Postpone the
Wolf-men?? Hm. Something like a plague? We go on and pull together a description of Karajkote itself. So we
go to the Construction of a Frontier Fort or Strong Point generator, and we get: Wall Construction=6D (Mud
Wattle); Doors=KD (Hanging from Hinges); Windows=5D (Rifle holes); Surrounding Terrain=KD (High
grassy meadow); Appearance=6H (Bleak); Layout=8H (Strong Vines); Water Supply=3H (Aquaduct); Signs
of Life=5H (Calling Someone); Color=JC (River Stones); Surrounding=3C (Broken-field); Towers=10C
(round); and Details= 4C (Gibbet). Wow. All starting to fit together. Creepy the way that works, sometimes!
Copy the note, strip the comments and paste it below the text.
Barampta on the Sre Mela, Part XVII --- The Unseen Pestilence
Get the hell off the line! The imperious reply came stinging like bees over the heliograph (note 94).
Laughland and Dharma were taken aback, as if theyd been physically slapped, and then they simultaneously
broke out in hysterical laughter, that had them both doubled up on the floor of the minaret. Hearing the sound,
the rest of the little troop of Puffers (the Punjabi Frontier Forces) glanced up at the turret, wondering if the two
Sahib-log had taken leave of their senses. But we are getting ahead of ourselves
Within the Karajkote Walls
The previous afternoon, the little column had joggled into the walled town of Karajkote, a bare 15 minutes
before the Waziri tribesmen had surrounded the place with some 300 or more wolf-men (note 95). The place
was abandoned, with indications that the villagers had all left abruptly, almost with no warning. Dishes were
left on the hearth, the meager belongings (bags, tools, a cleaning kit for a Jezail) were still scattered around the
20 or so dwellings of the little walled town, but there was absolutely no sign of the populace at large. Dharma
finally spotted the pitiful remains of half a dozen bodies some 50 feet outside of the back wall, near what must
have been the traditional spot for the towns funeral pyre. No one knew what had happened, but whatever had
struck the town, it had been sudden and deadly. Some sort of plague? There was no telling. Word goes out
among the men --- dont eat anything or drink anything, unless you brought it with you!
The front gate had been closed, propped up with whatever beams and boxes were at hand, and the rest of the
Puffers manned the walls, awaiting the surge of wolf-men who had followed them. But the great mob of wolf-
men must have known something about what befell the town, because they stopped some 300 yards out,
spreading into a great crescent on the stony Sre Mela plane, without attempting to close. Angry fists and angry
words punched the air, but it was as if the wolf-men knew the Puffers were facing a more ambiguous but
menacing enemy. Inside the walls, the Puffers tried to calm their fears, taking shallow breaths, as if that would
prevent inhaling the unseen pestilence.
But Laughland is having none of it. He calls the two bugle boys over and instructs them in no uncertain terms
that they are going to sound off, once every 30 minutes during daylight. Doesnt matter what nonsense they
blow, but the Wolf-men are to be impressed enough to think there are double their numbers, inside the little
fort. And so it goes. Church call goes out at 4:30. Second Mess sounds at 5:00. The men in the know all smile
when they hear the non sequitur calls.
The Wolf-mans Tender Mercies
Finally, in the dying sun, one of the Maliks or leaders of the wolfmen wraps the tail of his black Lungri (the
turban wrap) across his nose, and approaches, waving a tree branch, the universal sign of parley. Word goes
out in a low voice, and every Puffer rifle is assembled looking out over the front wall of the little village. May
as well try and look impressive, with lots of rifles sticking over the wall. As the wolf-man representative
approaches, Laughland stumps up the stairs to the parapet near the gate. Angresi! the wolf-man cries out.
Laughland makes a judicious decision, and saunters into the open, as if he hasnt a care in the world. The
black-turbaned leader looks up into the dying sun, squinting to try and make out Laughlands features.
Angresi!? he repeats.
Laughland replies in perfect Pushtu, Chup! Who is it that bleats like a lamb, disturbing me from my supper?
The fluent insult causes the wolf-man to stand up straighter, the anger evident in his stance. I came to offer
thee succor from the ravages of the plague, but thy tongue replies like a mamba to my offer of graciousness
and mercy.
Laughland gives out a low staged belly-laugh at this, What possible tender mercies does my Bhai (my brother)
the Wolf-man offer, that he needs to disturb our rest? And why does he come with his head wrapped, like a
Klifti-wallah, a common thief? The wolf-man rips his lungri aside, his face suffuses with red, and not because
of the setting sun. A few seconds pass, while he regains his composure. Dost thou not know the terrible
plague that visited Karajkote? Art thou not afraid of Allahs vengeance, coming as it will upon the souls of the
trespassers and the unbelievers?
Laughland doesnt miss a beat, pitching his voice so that it can be heard by the crescent of wolf-men in the
distance --- Oh, you mean the plague that only affects the Wolf-men? Those who are reported throughout
Waziristan as being without any honor nor any record of mercy? This plague thee mention has no effect on
Sahib-log or the men of the Frontier Force. Hast thou heard of one case where the soldiers of the Raj have ever
fallen to this ambiguous cloud? Nay, brother, they are immune to the scourge of Allah. Brave words, but
behind his back, Laughland has his fingers crossed.
The wolf-man tries one more time, We mean no harm, Sahib. We only meant to escort you back to your
column, so that thee might have the benefit of thine own wise Angrezi Hakim, thy mendicant of healing arts
and medicines. This rings hollow even to the wolf-mans ears, but he has to try to save face. Laughland looks
out over the horizon, as if admiring the view, and replies Nay, brother, we like the clean mountain air, here on
this little knoll. Many thanks for thy kind thought, but methinks we will camp here for a few more days, and
recover our strength, so that we may go hunting for chinkara once more.
The gauntlet well and truly thrown down, the wolf-mans eyes turns ugly, as he spins on his heel, throwing the
branch down in frustration, and tromps back to the crescent of the wolf-man campfires in the gathering gloom.
The die is cast. The hated Angresi cannot be tricked out of the pestilential town (note 96). The quavering wail
of a Waziri flute raises up among the wolf-mans camp fires. Laughland recognizes the tune --- its the one that
tells the tale of the slaughter of the column retreating from Kabul, at the end of the first Afghan War. Its going
to be a long night.
Late that night the silent alarm goes out --- Jemadar Afzul has heard something out back in the graveyard, and
a dozen Puffers man the parapet. There is a half-hearted attempt to rush the south wall, and a dozen Snyders
give their characteristic bark! Screams, cries of pain, and the unseen menace shuffles off into the darkness.
Stand down. They wont be back tonight.
Jalad Khan Goes Over the Wall
Dawn breaks clear and cold. Jemadar Afzul is up in the tallest minaret, keeping watch while hes poking in the
bottom of his tobacco pouch, a habit hes picked up from the Sahib-log. He tamps the tobacco into the long-
stemmed pipe, looks out towards the wolf-men lines, and stiffens. Whats that!? Through the dawn mist, he
sees theres someone staked to a post! The Puffer uniform is unmistakable, although with his head hanging
down, it isnt clear just who it is. With a low curse, Afzul is off down the tower stairs at the half-run, to do a
check on the remaining men, to see who the idiot is, out there beyond the walls. Doesnt take long to realize
that its Sowar Jalad Khan thats missing. Bloody fool --- what got into him? A quick questioning of his mates,
and the truth comes out --- he ran out of water for his horse, and tried to slip over the back wall to find a
stream! Stupid stupid man! thinks Afzul. Why if he was here right now, hed be put on permanent latrine
duty! With a fierce scowl he goes to find Lt Dharma to report in.
Shiny Prisms
Meanwhile, Dharma and Laughland have been scouring the little fort, looking for anything shiny. They settle
on a pewter mug, and an old brass shield. Laughland starts madly polishing the bottom of the mug, while
Dharma does his best to recover the luster on the old shield. Sand, rough cloth, a bit of spit, and lots of elbow
grease. Dyou think this is going to work? asks Dharma. Laughland gives him a sour look, as if to say, Why
do you think were trying, you bone head. They keep on polishing. Laughland collects the other bits theyve
found --- a couple of pieces of leather rope, a 3 foot long board from a door, some nails and a rock to act as a
crude hammer. Theyre just about to leave, when Afzul comes in and gives them the news.
The three are off at the trot, up the long winding staircase, to the top of the tower. Sure enough, theres the
body on the post. Laughland curses half under his breath. Stupid idiot! Theres absolutely nothing we can do
to help. A couple of minutes of frustrated inaction, and Laughland turns to the task at hand. First, the nail is
tapped into the end of the board, with the head still 3 inches upright, acting like a gun-sight. Next, the pewter
mug gets strapped to the other end of the board. Dharma holds the shield beside the sighting nail, to reflect the
suns rays onto the bottom of the pewter mug. Its crude, but now they have a sort of Heliotrope (a fixed-mirror
earlier version of the heliograph). Laughland hauls out his compass, takes a sighting, and they line up for the
first try.
Laughland uses his hat as the slat to block the transmission of the light. RTR, wait for a space, RTR.
(Ready to Receive). Nothing. Slight shift to the left, and try again. Nothing. A few more frustrating tries, and
suddenly, there is a flash on the horizon! Laughland grabs the binoculars from Afzul, and strains to make it out!
QRU Yes! Its shorthand from the signals crew asking who they are! (note 97). A wicked gleam pops into
Laughlands eye, as he laboriously starts to code out the answer: Oh Lizzy, Dear, did you forgot me? Not 5
seconds after Laughland stops, back comes the snappy curt reply, Get the hell off the line!
Afzul cant quite make out whats happened to the two Sahib-logs, and he ducks in self-preservation, in case
there is a sniper or something. They are rolling around the floor, holding their sides, as if theyve been shot, but
they are laughing. Whatever it is, Afzul figures they arent under attack from the wolf-men, so he settles down
and waits for the Ferenghi to recover their senses. Sometimes Sahib-logs are touched by the sun.
Thirty minutes of laborious coding on Laughlands part, and the situation becomes a little clearer. They are
talking to the signals crew in the elevated crows nest back at main camp (a portable tower, some 15 feet high,
that accommodates 3 men at the top --- the signaler, the sighting scope, and the codes officer). Laughland
made the situation clear, and asked for a reply, to which came the shorthand for Technical Difficulty, the
signals crew code for Commander and staff couldnt make up their mind. Stand by. And some 30 minutes later
again, the note that Mixed Relief Column Dispatched. Ah, good. The Colonel and crew had made up their
collective minds, and decided to retrieve their wayward sons. Now it was just a matter of holding out for a
while. Easier said than done, sometimes.
The Sword of Allah
The first of the men to fall sick was Bugler Jimmy-the-Grote (note 98). His forehead was shinny as a new
penny with sweat, and Bugler Ewan had to take over his duties. There was really nothing much that anyone
could do, other than segregate the sick, and try and make them comfortable. In short order, another 6 men
came down with the same symptoms --- high fever, shakes, near-coma. The worst of the lot was Capt Edgar
Hollis, who had been wiping the sweat from young Jimmy-the-Grotes brow. When he hadnt been seen for a
bit, someone went looking for him, and found the Captain slumped over Jimmy-the-Grote, both of them quite
unconscious. That meant that Laughland was now the ranking officer in charge.
Dharma had one of the Sepoys boil the water from the well inside the walled town, and while he wouldnt let
any of the active men drink from this source, at least it gave some relief to the sick men. Dharma figured there
was little more that they could contract, from drinking that boiled water.
Capt Hollis never came out of his coma, and passed away sometime that night. They wrapped his remains in a
thin gray blanket, and placed it against the back wall of the compound. They had started out with 31 effectives,
and now were down to 24. How much longer could they hold out?
Stay tuned for the denouement --- assuming youre still concerned
After Action Report, Barampta Part XVII --- The Unseen Pestilence
Well, I set out with two vague ideas I wanted to pursue --- the pestilence angle and the heliograph angle.
Heliographs popped up because my friend Robin emailed me this week with a picture of a fabulously painted
Colonial Helio crew, castings from Peter Pig done in 15mm. And on-line research into the Heliographs lead to
Morse Code research, and Morse Code short-hand (Q-talk), all quite interesting and time absorbing. You
couldnt meander off into all these side-bar things during a normal Face-to-face game, but during a Modern
Solo game, the red-herrings are all just part of the fun. (Let me hasten to add that Solo isnt better or worse
than Face-to-face; just different)
The pestilence is handled just like a Sword and Flame battle, but the bugs take the place of the warbands. Same
rule set, different protagonist. We risk the lives of all our favorite characters, each time they get thrown into
battle. Never know if today Dharmas turn is up, or only Capt Holliss turn. And the twists and turns that
Mythic GME adds to the storyline are equally unforeseen.
The various card-drawn lists keep the story quite grounded. They add detail and spice to the wickerwork, but
that detail is (in a sense) pre-vetted to be within the realms of the probable, for the North West Frontier.
The actual battle itself took about 30 minutes, tops. The first pass at the write up (done on the fly, as the action
takes place) was about another hour. The research on the Helio and Morse and Pestilence in general took
another 2 hours. Final polish on this episode was fairly quick, at about an hour. So 4 hours spread over a
lazy Sunday. Bliss.
All time enjoyably spent. Hope that it still holds your interest too. Modern Solo is an intensely personal
experience, loaded as it is, with names that mean something to me (people I know, some thinly veiled, some
just characters from favorite books Ive read). Never quite sure if the same resonance extends to other readers,
but I hope so.
Bob
Seur DArmadilleaux
Basking in the late October sun, shining into his Fur-lined Foxhole, Diet Oreo in one hand, Tea and crumpets
by the other. Life is grand.
Notes for Part XVII:
Note 94: Senator Barry Goldwaters father answered the first unofficial Army telegraph transmission, coming
into the Phoenix Arizona around 1922, and received this infamous reply. As late as 1922 the US Army still
practiced with a Heliograph station on 12,000 ft Navaho Mountain in Arizona. This is the start of a new scene,
so we roll the Mythic triple percentile die, and we get: 80.73.71 which translates as Ambiguous event, Propose,
and A Representative. There are no doubles, so the scene procedes as planned. The Heliograph replaced the
earlier Heliostat (with a fixed mirror) and as used on the NWF came in a couple of sizes, and the smaller 7 inch
mirror could reach out some 30 miles with the naked eye, and 50 miles under good conditions with some
binoculars, while the larger 14 inch model could punch up to 90 miles on a good day (see Howard
Whitehouses Battle in Africa, Page 17). The record (mountain top to mountain top) was 183 miles, according
to Wikepedia.
Note 95 Worth repeating, that one of the Colonels had said the Afridi were like rangy mountain lions, but the
Waziri were like a pack of wolves, and more dangerous because of that.
Note 96: Time to develop the scene a little. We go to one of the older NWF Event Generator lists, simply
because we havent used it for a while. We pull a 2 Hearts (Smitty spots something, but we need a Puffer
name instead of Smitty); 4 Hearts (Gunga Din defects); 4 Diamonds (Found clean water spring); 6 spades (hear
a native flute). Then we go to the NWF Multiple Path Adventure list, where we get 9H (small watchtower on
the heights); KS (Tobacco pouch). We still feel like adding something to the mix, so we go to the new
experimental Mythic Sounds and Smells and get: 49.40.80 for Behind us, Alarm, and Prisoner Stocks (80
actually exceeds the last entry of the list, so we go back and use item 67 where we last left off). OK, thats
enough --- copy this note and plug it into the text.
Note 97: Although the full Q code wasnt developed until after 1900, there were various shorthand versions
used in the field, such as this one QRU for Question Are You, or who are you?
Note 98: We did the pestilential attack just like wed have done any other TSATF fight, except Push-backs or
wounded were sick, and deaths from fighting correspond to deaths from the plague. We arent going to detail
the whole lot here, just report as it impacts the story line.