Blood in the Sand

 A mixed coalition force disembarked from the River Witch and quickly dispersed a Mahdist force and prepared to march inland.  Their mission: to recover hostages held in the distant village or mosque.  To complete the job the "army" was composed of Royal Police, US Marines, German sailors with an Askari unit, and traditional British regulars.  The well-armed River Witch retained her crew for protection.  Rules are the classic The Sword and the Flame with 25/28mm figures.

It is a long trek across the table to the distant village.

While the mission seemed straight-forward enough, there was a kicker.  One of the coalition contingents had been bought off with the promise of gold and a tiny kingdom of their own.  Each of the four coalition players drew a card, the secret holder of the joker could time their treason at their own choosing.  Their mission, to make sure lots of prisoners fell into the hands of Osman Dinkus, the fourth Dinkus to hold the title recently.  (Big family, all bullet magnets.)

The Royal Police in the foreground and Marine squares beyond.

The objective and the worried prisoners.

At an early point a unit of swordsmen boiled out of cover and attacked a British square.  Gunnery dropped some, others became stragglers and some would not close, but one warrior persevered!

Bad picture, but he cuts his way through most of the square,
only being stopped by their officer, he alone retiring unhurt.

Elsewhere, another sword unit emerges from cover to
attack the lead Marine square.

Their charge comes up short, and then....

All paused with bated breath, expecting the American rifles to decimate the Jihadists.  But to their suprise...

Oops.  Lucky me.  I chose to reveal now since my
square had multiple coalition targets available.

Some helped double-team the Germans and Egyptians.

Centrally located, they took and gave a lot of fire.

Despite movement phases being cut short twice by flipping
jokers, the rallied hero charges again!  Eventually shot down.

Other Mahdi units hit the Egyptians as the Marines
fired into the melee.  Oh well.

A few survived that onslaught, only to be gunned down.

The German officer and one other drag wounded past
the British regulars who have fared well.

A laggardly pursuit happens as the coalition forces
seek succor.

Seeing the field littered with dead and wounded, the
Americans stand fast the rest of the game.

Amid good-natured ribbing, I did point out that it was the 4th of July weekend so I was just replicating shooting redcoats from 100+ years before!  The Mahdi units could pursue and I collected my own wounded and dead.

All the survivors converge on the safety of the River
Witch, defeating another sword unit along the way.

But wait, another surprise!  (Not really.)  The ship's crew
has been neutralized and the best cannon manned.  The
other two cannons had been dumped into the river by the
crew before being struck down.

Osman Dinkus rides forth at the bow!

And is promptly shot down by the enraged British.

And so the survivors recaptured the River Witch, taking no prisoners, and escaping with their shocking tale of treachery and deceit.  No doubt protests will be lodged at the appropriate embassies and reprimands issued, but in the end the Mahdist cause continues another day.  One other friendly fire incident took place and needs to be noted though.  As the Mahdi tried to swarm a British square the nearby German officer fired into the melee "to help," striking down a redcoat.  After seeing off the swordsmen, the British returned fire, ineffectively.  Though no more fire occurred, Lt. Baker-Baker, later Major General Baker-Baker, was heard to say "there will be a reckoning.  If not in this century, then the next."