In search of Miss Alison, part one

Hi, here's the battle report of a solo wargame I've played some time ago using some of my painted miniatures, jungle pieces and Heroscape hexes! I hope you enjoy the write-up.

At noon, the rescue expedition was finally gathered and ready to leave Fort Henry. The expedition consisted out of four Ironclad troopers, seven Royal Navy soldiers, four native porters and Royal Navy Officer Stanley Morton, all united under the command of the famous Ironclad Captain Henry Helford! The expedition made quick progress as no native would wage an attack within one mile of Fort Henry. But as soon as they left the relative safety of the British controlled territory, the natives started to shadow the expedition, patiently waiting for an appropriate moment to attack! The rescue expedition had now been marching for over three hours and had finally reached the Twisted Peak region.

Suddenly it started to rain spears upon the expedition, several natives jumped out of the surrounding bushes and sprinted towards the Ironclad troopers which were the leading elements of the expedition. Captain Helford was severely wounded at the head while he was evading several throwing spears but in the end the attack was repelled leaving several dead and wounded native warriors behind. Cautiously the rescue expedition continued his advance as Miss Alison could be in great danger as war drums were heard in the distance. The head wound of Captain Helford severely affected his ability to lead the expedition and the inexperienced Royal Navy Officer Morton took over command. He immediately gathered the Ironclad troopers to scout the area, leaving the rest of the expedition without any form of close combat protection. With the deadly Ironclad troopers out on a patrol, the natives decided to launch a second attack upon the rest of the rescue expedition.

What followed was a fierce melee as Royal Navy soldiers engaged the natives with their bayonets. Unable to protect the wounded Captain Helford he found himself surrounded and outflanked by several native warriors. Firing his pistol and evading the first attempts to stab him, he was finally overwhelmed and brutally killed by the savages! The first Ironclad trooper who risked his life to recover the body of Captain Helford was also killed. It was only when the remaining Ironclad troopers joined the fierce melee that the tide turned and the body of Helford was recovered. With the help of the brave Ironclad troopers, the rest of the expedition was able to repel this brutal attack. The advance stopped as the Ironclad troopers decided to give Captain Helford a military funeral. After a short but emotional ceremony, the expedition decided to move on as thunderclouds were gathering above the jungle canopy.

Now not only slowed down by the natives but also by the heavy torrential rains, the expedition’s marching speed fell dramatically! During the evening, the natives launched their final attack of the day losing dozens of warriors and causing the brutal death of four Royal Navy soldiers. For the Ironclad troopers it had been enough they decided to counter attack, the huge native force in what followed huge numbers of Kapiti warriors were killed and routed as most of the native weapons were unable to pierce the Ironclad armor! The most experienced Ironclad trooper, William Ewart was outnumbered 4 to 1 and still he was able to kill half of his attackers and managed to rout the others. For the rest of the evening the expedition camped at the most northern border of the Twisted Peak region without further harassment by hostile natives.

Will the decimated rescue party be able to rescue Miss Alison?

Stay tuned for part two!

Greets,