Zulu War: First March on Ulundi

I thought my pre-Christmas game of Marengo was going to be my only game in December and my last for the year. But no! Not only did I get to push space marines around with a young relative the day after Boxing Day - yesterday, at short notice and unexpectedly, I played a terrific Zulu War game through twice!

The story is this. My good mate Anton (author of the fine collection of BBB Boer War scenarios as well as several more obscure African WWI actions) recently commissioned a ready-painted 6mm Zulu army. He wanted to blood these. Turned out he and I and a couple of the other guys were all free yesterday. Also turned out Anton had crafted a scenario for the ill-fated British invasion of Zululand that famously came to grief at Isandlwana.

We'd previously used BBB for a conventional Isandlwana scenario with Bruce's beautiful 28mm figures. (See report here.) Anton's game was a more radical zoomed-out one that encompassed both Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift, covering ~20x15 miles and including some days of pre-battle manoeuvre.

I've enthused before about how such higher-level games that draw the frame wider can present more interesting decisions and provide additional insights beyond what we can obtain from simply fighting a straight battlefield clash. This was no exception. I offer a number of Reflections at the end of this post. First, though, as is now traditional, let me give you some photos to look at.

What it's all about - Zulus! Figures are Anton's Baccus 6mm. This is just a fraction of the Zulu army. Those card sabots are 15-year-old veterans, first used while we were still developing the BBB rules ... each sabot is 3"x1" and represents 3 BBB bases; Zulu units (impis) all start 6 bases strong (two sabots); the Zulu force numbers 16 impis in total = 96 bases. These are organised into Left Horn (4 impis), Right Horn (3 impis), Chest (5 impis) and Loins (4 impis). The Loins are in reserve and only enter when triggered by 4 impis becoming Spent.

The impudent invaders. These are figures from Mark Smith's collection In the foreground is Number 2 Column: Natal Native Horse, some Natal Native Contingent, and a rocket battery. Behind them is Number 3 Column: two companies of the 24th, more NNC, Imperial Mounted Infantry and some other regular horse, and a battery of mountain guns. Top right is the garrison at Rorke's Drift. This mighty total of 17 bases means the British face 6:1 odds.

The theatre of operations. The lichen-lined Buffalo River at left is impassable except at Rorke's Drift and Fugitive's Drift (marked with discreet bridges). Isandlwana is the small hill in the centre nearest to the British. The Brits all enter from the left (west) edge at Rorke's Drift. Zulu Horns enter on the eastern half of the top and bottom (north and south) edges); Chest and Loins, east edge.

This was the first playtest of Anton's first draft. Unusually, the victory conditions don't include any objective locations. Instead, it is all about how many British units march off the east edge towards Ulundi, versus how many Zulu units march off west to invade Natal.

The first three turns are all marching and no fighting. Most Zulu units cannot enter before Turn 3 and only on a die roll thereafter. The British force therefore makes good ground unopposed initially. Our British commander was Mark J, up against me, Anton and Mark S as the three Zulus. MJ has opted to have his whole force bear north initially, wide of Isandlwana, onto the North Heights. (Superstitious, maybe?)

Contact! Turn 4: Chelmsford's cavalry scouts spot the first Zulus (one impi from the Right Horn; two more from the Chest beyond it). This shot gives a good impression of the sheer amount of manoeuvre space we had.

First volley! The British cavalry finds the Zulus lurking beneath the steep slope of the North Heights (indicated by the green pipecleaner). Note the British bases formed back to back: BBB doesn't normally bother with squares as a formation, but they're rather necessary for colonial actions, so Anton has a scenario special rule for them.

Wider view of the situation on Turn 4. At top of pic you can just make out three impis of my Left Horn who got lucky with their arrival rolls. Much good it would do them.

The battle develops. More Brits arrive at the eastern end of the North Heights and pin down the approaching Zulus with fire. (White smoke = Disrupted.) The NNH move south onto the plateau above Isandlawana.

Meanwhile, my Left Horn presses towards Fugitive's Drift, intend on crossing there and heading for Natal.

Almost all of the Right Horn and Chest have now arrived. Impis surge forward to confront the British on the North Heights. Note the impi top left that is charging up against a square of the 24th and the gun battery behind it. This charge will be repelled by fire with the loss of a second base, rendering the Zulu unit Spent (black smoke marker) ...

... whereupon the British invite calamity upon themselves. MJ decided to follow up his success by having the 24th come out of square to charge down at the Spent Zulus, hoping to complete their rout. He only pushed them back and was left in Line and Disrupted. The third impi of the Right Horn arrived, charged, got lucky and wiped out the 24th and the battery beyond, ending up atop the North Heights. Those NNC who also descended onto the plain are regretting it.

"They don't like it up 'em, sir!"

"No - but neither do I!"

Durnford responds by leaving the NNC to their fate, pulling back his remaining two regular units to form one large square with him in the middle of it. At this point MJ gave up on any idea of getting troops off the east edge for victory.

"And what of the Left Horn?", I hear you ask. Well, this was stymied by the British Wunderwaffen: the rocket battery. Anton's special rule for this was that it would automatically panic any Zulu unit it fired at, forcing it back 12" Disrupted, and also Disrupting other Zulus nearby. With some NNC also firing on my troops from Isandlwana, this made it virtually impossible for me to get across Fugitive's Drift. My troops basically just yo-yoed for the rest of the game.

The game was nominally 12 turns but we called it a draw on Turn 9 so we could reset, tweak the scenario, and play it again. This is the final situation when we stopped. The NNH (right edge) had actually snuck through the Zulus and had a chance of exiting, but no other Brits were anywhere near the east edge, nor were any Zulus likely to get close to the west edge.

For the second game, we changed a few things but the game structure was still essentially the same. This time, Mark S took command of the British. Benefiting from MJ's experience in game 1, MS kept his force concentrated and took the whole lot over the North Heights. This worked, in that he managed to get three units off the east edge on the last turn. The Zulus did likewise off the west edge and earned a point for threatening Rorke's Drift, but since we were awarding the Brits 2 VP per unit exited and the Zulus only 1 VP, the Brits sneaked a win. I don't think the Brits lost a single base, while decimating the Zulu army, but it was a much tougher challenge than that makes it sound and it was certainly a different and entertaining game. We still weren't happy with the victory conditions, though, so that will be the focus of our post-playtest attention.

Reflections

The Narrative. As MJ said, it's good if the game tells a story and if episodes within it can be rationalised in a persuasive narrative fashion. These characterful games certainly achieved that. In particular, when his company of the 24th charged down off the heights and incurred disaster, we could all picture the scene and imagine the excitable officer giving the order while veteran NCOs gritted their teeth and muttered "Gawd 'elp us".

Nothing Is Guaranteed in War. The special rocket rule was too much. Being able to guarantee that it could automatically drive off a Zulu unit with every shot made for some gamey play and didn't feel right. Besides, virtually nothing else in BBB is guaranteed success, so why should this be? We'll definitely change that so that the rockets can still be scary but can also fail to produce an effect.

Not Just a Thin Red Line. Although there was no shortage of the stereotypical Zulu War tabletop fare of Zulu charges foundering in the teeth of British volleys, there was far more to both games than that. The fact that the British needed to traverse the length of the table and also try to stop the Zulus doing so meant it was a game of manoeuvre, rather than just buckets of firing dice - the benefit of zooming out, as already mentioned.

The Big Picture. It was nice to have both Rorke's Drift and Isandlwana on the same table and to appreciate the larger situation - another advantage of zooming out.

What's the Mission? Both the big picture and our struggle with the victory conditions had us chewing over what Chelmsford was really trying to do and why he split his force. I think we have a better idea of that now and (hopefully) some better ideas for how to define the objectives for the game to give players the right historical incentives. We'll see.

New Toys on the Table! Anton's new army of massed Zulus did look good. New troops, a conflict I haven't dabbled in much, and a new scenario, all keeps the games fresh and fun.

More to Come. Anton is already working on the next scenario, the Second March on Ulundi ...

Marengo: who needs Desaix?

For probably my last wargame of 2025, Malcolm kindly laid on the battle of Marengo for us.

Many readers will be familiar with this as one of Napoleon's most famous victories. Still, for those who aren't, a brief scene-setting: Napoleon's crossing of the Alps in May 1800 meant a large Austrian army was at risk of being cut off in northwestern Italy. The Austrian commander, Melas, concentrated his forces at the fortress of Alessandria. The French were spread out to cover several possible escape routes. On 14 June, Melas attempted to break out eastwards via Marengo. Despite the difficulty of debouching through the marshes surrounding the fortress, the Austrians achieved a degree of surprise and initial local superiority. They were able to take Castel Ceriolo on the French right, then Marengo. The French fell back on San Giuliano; Melas thought the battle was won. Then Desaix arrived and led a ferocious French counterattack that broke the Austrian army, though Desaix himself did not survive to see the victory completed.

How did our game go? Spoiler alert: Desaix was not required! Here are some pics of the action and a few post-battle reflections.

Initial confrontation: d'Herimont's brigade of the Austrian 'Right Wing' (perversely deployed on the left) prepares to assault Castel Ceriolo. All figures and terrain from Malcolm's collection. Fine brushwork. I believe the figures are 3D printed Turner Miniatures. First time I'd encountered these, and very crisp and smart they are too.

Overview of half of the battlefield. (The action all happened here - my Austrians never made it any further up the table.) Apart from that advance guard facing Castel Ceriolo on the left, all the Austrians have to enter along that road through the marshes in the foreground. Fortunately, Victor's French around Marengo are surprised and don't get to move until Turn 2. Castel Ceriolo is worth 2 VP; Marengo on the right is worth 1 VP; Spinetta (top right), 1 VP; San Giuliano (out of shot top right), 1 VP. Whoever has 3 VP at game end wins.

On Turn 1, d'Herimont attempts an assault on Castel Ceriolo, only to be greeted by Malcolm rolling 11 on the firing dice. D'Herimont's jaegers die and his attack is repulsed. Never mind, my cavalry are pouring across the stream ...

... though there is a horrendous traffic jam behind them.

Turn 2 and d'Herimont goes in again, this time with cavalry support. Another roll of 11 by Malcolm kills another of d'Herimont's bases and his infantry reel back spent. My hussars drive the French back but are then caught in disarray when the French counterattack. The hussars lose a base, flee into the marshes and are out of action for about the next 5 turns.

Surely things will go better at Marengo, where I have 3:1 odds and a cavalry charge onto the flank? Well, yes and no. Now Malcolm conjures up a 12 to kill a base and stop one of my infantry brigades. Consequently, although we do smash the first French brigade back with the loss of two bases, our exploitation into the second is not nearly so impressive and bounces off. I am left in possession of Marengo, but the ensuing French counterattacks again catch my cavalry in disarray. The Austrian heavies lose two bases, flee back across the Fontanone and do not feature significantly again.

As both sides bring up more troops around Marengo, the lines firm up and push to and fro for a couple of turns. However, further deadly French firing dice soon kill off nearly all my jaegers. Also, Murat's cavalry has arrived (top centre).

The French cavalry's turn to be deadly. As the French infantry assault frontally, Murat sweeps around my right to pounce on a large but disrupted brigade. What you can't see is the Austrian grand battery I had established in the centre, whose guns can play on the French cuirassiers - however, to no effect, and they sweep away my hapless infantry.

In fact, my guns that were supposedly my big advantage on paper were singularly ineffective in practice. I think they killed just one base all game, despite regularly getting shots on the 9 or 12 or 16 columns.

Once that right rear brigade was gone, the French cavalry was free to smash into the rear of the rest (ignoring my feeble artillery fire). That includes the two remaining bases of my once-mighty grenadier brigade that has just had its own charge into Marengo repelled and gone Spent because of another French musketry dice roll of 12 ...

All of the Austrian right is now wiped out and the French tide is lapping against the flank of the remaining couple of units on my left. I have finally had some small consolation: top left you can see the Austrian hussars and Advance Guard, who have just overrun a French brigade next to Castel Ceriolo and exploited into the rear.

Thus, had we played another turn, Castel Ceriolo might have been sandwiched and fallen to me again (briefly). As it was, I was saved from the ignominy of being swept entirely from the table by the broken clock in the village hall. This fooled us into packing up early when there were still two or three turns to play.

Oh, and did somebody mention Desaix? He was scheduled to arrive on Turn 8, but it was so obvious by then that he wouldn't be needed that Malcolm didn't even put him on the table.

Situation before the final French turn. I have Castel Ceriolo sandwiched, but a superior mass of French forces is bearing down on me from Marengo. Those Austrian guns with the red low ammo markers are about to be driven off by a French charge. My heavy cavalry have deigned to return to the battlefield (top right) but declined to charge.

Reflections

The 'Principle of Destruction'. How very Clausewitzian. Ultimately, possession of locations matters less than destruction of enemy forces. Sadly, my artillery let me down and forgot that Clausewitz says it is the main destructive arm. Meanwhile, Malcolm's dice were just lethal. Killing off my jaegers so early then made his firepower all the more relatively potent for the rest of the game.

The right flavour. Malcolm was rightly happy with how historically the scenario played out: the Austrians struggling out through the marshes, labouring to storm the villages, eventually managing to do so but then expelled and defeated by French counterattacks. At the tactical level it had the right feel too: lines forming up and pushing and shoving until something gives; sweeping maneuver on the flanks.

Season's Greetings! I'm glad I got this game in as it gives me a chance to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year. May 2026 bring you and your loved ones much joy (and hopefully plenty of good gaming).

The game of the battlefield tour: Petersburg

What a wonderful Thanksgiving week! I just had an amazing trip visiting Scott in the US. Scarcely stepped off the plane and we were straight into it, wargaming Petersburg. This was to prepare us for the next three days, which we spent touring battlefields:

- one whole day exploring the Cold Harbor operation (not just the Cold Harbor battlefield itself, but also Totopotomoy Creek and some of the other smaller actions leading up to Cold Harbor);

- one and a half days visiting all the most important sites from the nine months of operations around Petersburg (the Dimmock Line, the Crater, Jerusalem Plank Road, Reams Station, Peebles Farm, White Oak Road, Five Forks ...)

- and half a day walking the Muleshoe at Spotsylvania.

The entrance to the mine that the Union laid under Pegram's battery to create the Crater at Petersburg. The skyline depression upper left tells you where the Crater itself is.

Then, when we got back, we fought Petersburg twice more. (Having wargamed it twice in August as well.) Our three games produced one Confederate victory, one win for the Union, and a draw. Each of the games went very differently. Here's an in-depth photo-AAR of one of them, followed by some reflections. If you decide you've seen enough pics of gorgeous 15mm figures and skip to the end, I won't be offended.

The tabletop battlefield, looking north. Rebels all start in the fortifications around Petersburg, upper right. Grant's Union army starts in a quarter-circle of siege works around the east of Petersburg. Behind the works is the long and vulnerable Union line of communications (LOC), depicted by limbers and dismounted cavalry pickets, running back to the US supply base at the port of City Point via that railroad exit top right. This is balanced by the equally vulnerable Confederate supply lines that converge on Petersburg to then run north and feed Richmond (Richmond railroad not depicted as it is out of play north of the Appomattox river). The red markers on the Weldon Railroad, Boydton Plank Road, White Oak Swamp Road and Southside Railroad indicate that these are Union objectives, with bonus points available for cutting them early. Petersburg itself provides an instant US victory if it falls.

Close-up of the defenders of Petersburg. Figures mostly Old Glory 15mm from Scott's collection. Surprisingly, as Grant confesses in his memoirs, Confederate morale was significantly higher than in the Union army, which had rather lost its stomach for the fight after the Overland campaign.

US left wing poised for the standard opening gambit, an advance to cut the Weldon RR.

The dice are kind: both the lead US corps manage to cut the railroad, while a third moves up on their right to protect the LOC.

Two Confederate divisions surge out of Petersburg to open the railroad again. They drive back Hancock's II Corps with serious losses (see the casualty figure in foreground) but Wright's VI Corps hangs on. The US will claim the maximum two Objectives here.

Situation at end of Turn 2. At this point I called the end of Phase I. The game is divided into three strategic phases, each of 2-4 tactical turns. The US player decides when to end a phase. In the interval between phases, both sides get to extend their fortifications and US LOC, receive reinforcements, and strategically redeploy all their troops. Redeployment is tied to fortifications and LOC.

Turn 3 gets wild and woolly out west. I committed two reinforcement contingents to push beyond the Weldon RR to the next objective line, the Boydton Plank Road (red counter on it, top left). My successful advance in Phase I had restricted where the Confederates could build their works and place their troops; conversely, it had allowed me to build my works reaching out towards the objective. I seemed well placed for another maximum 2 points here.

But determined Confederate resistance and the broken country held me up. At the end of Turn 4, I was still short of the Boydton Plank Road. As the turn clock clicked over for Turn 5, I decided to call the end of Phase 2.

My works and LOC now extend over the hills behind the Globe Tavern (foreground) while the Rebs' works run in front of part of the BP Road. Both sides' cavalry corps have arrived. Sheridan attacks Hampton on the Rebs' right wing (upper left), hoping not only to get the Objectives for the BP Road, but also to break through and reach the White Oak Road beyond it (out of shot upper left). Meanwhile, my infantry upper right and out of shot beyond that is threatening the Southside Railroad.

With so much of my army busy out west, Scott decides it is time to strike in the east. He takes advantage of the redeployment after Phase 2 to put his best troops back in Petersburg and assault the easternmost sector of my lines (historically known as Fort Stedman). Baldy Smith's men hold firm and Mahone is repulsed.

Unfortunately for me, so too is Sheridan. My infantry attacks make no ground either. Time is running out and so are my activations. (The Union is only allowed to activate its infantry units 30 times in total, then the game ends. This reflects Grant's necessarily more cautious and patient approach after the bloody mass assaults of Cold Harbor.)

A rebel's-eye view for a change, from behind the Confederate right wing. There's a lot of bluebellies!

Turn 6, my last chance to get a reward for cutting the Boydton Plank Road. Sheridan and three infantry corps go in.

This time, numbers tell. Hampton's cavalry are driven back; a Confederate division is severely mauled; the BPR objective is taken and the White Oak Swamp Road (top left) lies open.

Lee makes another desperate attempt in the east. His two best divisions attack again. One falters under withering fire (there is Union artillery enfilading it, out of pic) leaving the other to go in alone. The empty case shows that Smith's defenders are now Low on Ammo.

A most sanguinary fight ensues, lasting three rounds of combat. Both sides lose two bases before the Rebs finally expel Smith and his Spent corps from Fort Stedman. The Union LOC is exposed!

Each turn that the LOC is exposed costs the Union an Objective. Fortunately, Burnside's IX Corps is prepared to react to just such an eventuality. Unfortunately, not prepared enough (2 on the dice = No Move).

Turn 8. This will be the final turn as I use up my last activations. Trying to break through to the Southside Railroad, I detonate a mine under the Confederate works - The Crater! - but to no avail.

Back at Fort Stedman, Lee tries to consolidate his success. He pulls his damaged division back to defend Petersburg and sends his stronger one to push Smith back further.

Just west of Petersburg, I am about to brush aside a few spent defenders and cut the Southside RR.

The whole battlefield just before the climax. Top left, I have broken through past the Confederate left and cut the Southside RR. I also cut the White Oak Swamp Road (out of pic to left) unopposed. Top right, Burnside has swung into action and launched a flank attack on the enemy cutting our LOC. This is looking good for a Union victory.

Rebels in the west are now being pretty much overrun.

Burnside goes in and destroys a Confederate division, retaking Fort Stedman and securing the Union LOC.

Confederate half of Turn 8, the last turn of the game, and the Rebs are staring defeat in the face. Rudely ejected from Fort Stedman, the Petersburg garrison attempts one last desperate sally - effectively an attempt at breaking out to reach North Carolina, since all routes west are now cut - and storms the Union siege artillery in its entrenchments on the south side of the city. Can the guns' firepower fend off the Confederates? No! The Union LOC is interrupted once more, the US loses an Objective, and US victory is turned into a draw. 

Reflections

Knitting together the Tactical and the Operational. I have now done several BBB ACW scenarios like this that cover a longer period than most tabletop wargames can accommodate, and do so by having designated strategic redeployment phases. The others include The Seven Days' Battles, Chancellorsville, Spotsylvania and Cold Harbor, none of which is longer than a week, whereas Petersburg covers nine months, but the same principle applies. We do seem to have hit on a formula that not only makes this large and protracted operations feasible as tabletop games, it also introduces a whole new level of rich decision-making.

Wargaming the American Civil War. Like any conflict, some wargamers find the ACW fascinating, others find it dull. It's true that the blue and the gray lacks some variety, as both sides are using essentially the same weapons and tactics. However, the opposing armies can still have very different characters (as they did here at Petersburg), which can make for different tactical challenges. Furthermore, with so many battles in four years of war, there are plenty of unique and interesting situations to reenact on the wargames table. I'm learning a lot from designing and playing these ACW games and thoroughly enjoying them.

Battlefield visits. There are several different ways to learn about battles and wars. Reading history books is one. Playing wargames is another. Walking the battlefield and following the course of the action across the ground is another. They reinforce each other. Wargaming Petersburg immediately before and after visiting its various battlefields was a rare luxury and a wonderful experience.