Damned Wobbly Gentlemen.

 Or

 Zuluwar ‘Lite.’

Version:1 17/06/08 by PDE ©Empress Miniatures

 
28mm  Rules for Colonial skirmishes.

 The following rules are a set of simple fast play rules to get you started. Remember always play with sensible gamers who appreciate that it’s only a game.

 
REQUIREMENTS

Tape measure, D6, Average die, 4” circular artillery kill marker, figures, terrain,

 BASING

 I recommend that the Brits are based individually as are some of the Zulus. Many of the Zulus can be based as 4 or 6 figures to a base to aid mass movement.

 UNIT SIZE

All Colonial  foot units are made up of 10 figures.

All Zulu foot units are made up of 20 man units

Zulus : 1 leader, 6  musket armed men, 4  throwing spears, all close quarter weapons. 

Regular British Infantry : 1 officer, 1 NCO, 8 privates. Rifle armed.

Irregular e.g. Natal Native Infantry : 1 rifle armed, 9 men. 1 rifle armed. Rest assegai armed.

Regular Cavalry : 1officer or NCO and 3 men, Carbine, sword and possibly lance armed.

Irregular Cavalry : 1 leader and 3 men. Rifle armed, 

Artillery : 4 crew.

Gatling Gun : 4 crew.

 ALL ACTION IS SIMULTANEOUS

 

COMMAND

All units must be issued with simple orders detailing aims and objectives for the game. For example, hold position and defender charge redcoats and destroy them.

These orders can only be changed by the senior table commander or his aide, attaching himself to a unit for one move.

Units will naturally defend themselves or even, in the case of Zulus, try and evade if attacked.

 MOVEMENT- BY UNIT

Regular Foot          6” + 1 x D6

NNC Foot                6” + 1 x D6

Zulus                       6” + 2 x D6

Cavalry                   12” + 1 x D6

Limbers                   6” + 1x D6

Wagons                   3”  + 1x D6

 

Linear obstacles such as walls, hedges, dried up river beds remove 1 D6 from the movement allocation. Player agree on this before or during the game.

 ARTILLERY

Player controlling artillery estimates range in inches. Places 4’ circular marker with the center on the exact measurement that player has announced.

If there are figures within the marker roll a die for each figure. If the die result is as on the following chart it is a kill                    

 RANGE

 

                             0 – 10”     11 – 30”   31 –50”   51 – 70”  

 

Field Gun            2,3,4,5,6        4,5,6         5,6             6

If unit firing is DISORDERED minus 1 from each die roll.
If unit is SHAKEN minus 2 from each die roll

 
SMALL ARMS FIRE. (Simultaneous Firing)

Roll 1x D6 for each figure firing.
For Gatling Gun roll 8 Dx6

 RANGE

 

                                        0-10”      11- 20”     21 – 30”   31 – 40”

 

Martini – Henry           3, 4,5,6      4,5,6           5,6               6

Musket/ Shot Gun      5,6             6             N/A            N/A

Carbine                       4,5,6          5,6            6                N/A

Spear                           6             N/A         N/A             N/A

Gatling Gun                3,4,5,6      4,5,6        5,6               6

Zulus  firing  - minus 1 from each die roll.

Target behind cover – minus 1 from each die roll.

Firer DISORDERED – minus 1 from each die roll.

Firer SHAKEN- minus 2 from each die roll.

Firer mounted – minus 1 from each die roll.

For Gatling Gun roll each die one after the other. If a 1 is rolled forfeit the next 2 dice. If a 1 is rolled on the last die to be rolled that turn the gun is completely jammed for the entire next move.

MORALE

Regular British foot and artillery will never rout. The worst that can happen is that they defend dis-organised or shaken.

Regular Cavalry will retire in good order and never rout.

Irregular foot and cavalry who have 2 failed morale checks in a row rout.

Zulus will retire in good order unless caught doing so by charging Colonial cavalry when they can rout.

Before the game each unit is given a MORALE RATE;

British regular horse, foot , artillery : 6

Irregular horse : 5

NNC : 4

Zulus : Married Impi =  5    Unmarried = 6

Unit Morale is taken on the following circumstances –

1) Fired at by rifle, musket, Gatling or artillery in a move.
2) Unit is SHAKEN.  

When a unit takes a morale test, take the unit morale rate and add to it the roll of one average die. From this total figure add or subtract the following;

+ 1 Senior commander attached to unit, ie in base to base contact.

+1 Brit infantry firing volley fire from prepared positions.

-1 unit officer killed.

-1 Retiring or Routing unit passes within 10 inches .

-1  unit has taken 20% casualties in the game and is classified as DISORDERED. (e.g 2 figures from a 10 man unit.)

-  2 Unit taken 50% casualties in the game. And is classified as permanently SHAKEN.

-  2  second morale test in a row.

- 4 third morale test in a row.

Result;

Total 6 or over unit OK.

Total less than 6;

= Zulus lie down or crouch for following move and are pinned down. If this result occurs 2 moves in a row on the second move the unit retires 2 moves away from enemy. Unit cannot fire for the rest of the game.

= Brit regulars, minus 1 from next move firing die rolls.

= Colonial Irregulars now counts as permanently SHAKEN. Retires one move away from enemy.

Routing or Retiring units move to the nearest table edge via the safest route.

MELEE

Melee is simply done by placing two fighting figures opposite against each other and rolling a D6. The highest score is the winner. If a figure has more than one opponent each fight is taken as a separate engagement up to a total of 4 fights in one move.

Additions & deductions.

 + 1 figure behind organised defences.

+ 1 figure on higher ground.

+1 Regular cavalry attacking steady Zulus

+2 Regular cavalry attacking disordered Zulus

+3 Regular cavalry attacking Shaken Zulus