Usuthu!

Time to dust off the impis of Chief Bykelezi, time for those brave warriors to wash the spears in the blood of their enemy. Time in fact for the Zulus to finally win a game! In short, this week's game in GHQ: a Black Powder Anglo-Zulu War game pitting the cunning Chief Bykelezi against his long time foe Lord Rawnsley commanding the Imperial force invading Zululand, again.The scenario is inspired by a well known British defeat in the war, taking the idea from Warlord's supplement, Zulu, and adapting it to my forces and available scenics.
The British force comprised the 13th Somerset Light Infantry and the 24th Warwickshire Regiment, supported by a Hales light rocket team and a company of the Natal Mounted Police. The personalities present were Rawnsley, Durnford and Flashman, all rated at 8! Chief Bykelezi is rated at a 9 and his subordinates at 8. The British are all Steady and Stubborn, while the Zulus are unmodified. The British may only fire at full effect for two moves, then need a resupply from the camp, otherwise firing at 2 x D6 instead of 4. This resupply is represented by a single figure who must pass a Command roll of 8 to carry out the resupply. Only one infantry unit can be resupplied in any turn. The rocket has D6 shells available ~ in our game 5.  The Zulu army enters randomly from any one of six points, corresponding to perimeter tiles on the two table edges. Once two elements have appeared the rest follow from either location. To enter the table all Zulus must pass a Command roll test set at 9.The game is set at 12 Turns, as is our usual practice. To the action ~

The British are surprised at dawn by a Zulu Impi while still rousing
themselves from slumber. There is a real anxiety the Zulus may be in among
the tents!

The British manage to deploy to defend the perimeter just in time. A savage
and prolong hand to hand fight begins over the temporary barricades. The
rocket troop and the Natal Mounted Police are still in a tangle.

The Zulus are unsupported and although inflicting many casualties cannot
break the 24th!

Finally, in Turn 6, the 24th's morale crumbles and they flee. The scenario
allowed them to try to exit the table for one Victory point, while the Zulus
got 2 for routing them and 1 bonus if they could defeat the routers.

While a fresh Impi attacks the 13th, now defending desperately, another fresh
Impi catches the routed 24th! Amazingly the 24th beat them off!

The 24th escape as the Zulu are Disordered and cannot attack again. The
situation in the camp looks desperate for the British! The rocket fires!

Two direct hits from the Hales rockets! The Zulus don't like it much and flee!

Four direct hits in two turns! I ask you! Two Impis destroyed and fleeing for
their lives! Chief Bykelezi is not happy!

The heroes of the hour, the stubborn 13th, though they would admit they
couldn't have done it without the support of the rocket team and the Police!

The game lasted the full 12 turns, with Turn 12 seeing all the Zulus either fleeing or disordered and thus unable to press the attack. The British had earned a breather we were sure! The rocket was out of shells and the infantry would have fired at half rate, if only the Zulu could have closed one more time! A narrow victory for Lord Rawnsley's force and a further defeat for Chief Bykelezi! Will the tide ever turn in the Zulu favour we wonder...