Colonial Games: The Last Train from Goldwasser

The Last Train from Goldwasser
The Kaiser Doesn't Dig Here Any More

This scenario was played at Steve's lovely suburban homestead in November, 1998, meaning that the players enjoyed tidier surroundings than David's sordid bachelor apartment, and much better snacks. The drawback was that all the scenic material had to be hauled overland halfway to Oklahoma, with the predictable result that something was forgotten, namely the cork hills. Fortunately, some corrugated cardboard and scissors were available, which is why the hills are unusually gentle in the pictures.

The rules used were The Sword and the Flame (First Edition, Revision 1), with the exceptions noted in the full scenario description.

The Scenario
Thingimi is one of the princely states lying along Lake Viktoria, separated from German Ouargistan by the fast-flowing waters of the Tinkiwinkidipsilalapo river. The Panjandrum of Thingimi has favored the Germans up to the present, allowing them to build a railroad line to the rich mine at Goldwasser. Hearing that the Panjandrum has switched his favor to the British and that a combined British/Thingmin expedition is making its way up the pass to Goldwasser, General Leopold Zinktrumpet, the hero of Watsituya, has commandeered a special train to carry out the German mining officials and the last load of gold from the mine. Unfortunately, by the time the train is loaded and the mine carefully flooded, British cavalry have siezed the railway bridge and the main body of the expedition has been sighted in the pass. (Click here for full scenario and special rules)

The Tabletop
The railway line runs from the mine to the bridge which crosses to German Ouargistan. A stone (well, cork, actually) barricade blocks the railway bridge, courtesy of Her Majesty's Hussars. The profile mountains in the center of the table divide it into two theatres: the coast and the pass. The mountains end at the ruins and this area represents the mouth of the pass.

The ground is brown wrapping paper, and the river is blue bulletin-board paper, both having been crumpled and smoothed out. The road is buff-colored paper. The railway is Atlas HO sectional track with 15" radius curves; the sharp track switch is by Fleischmann. The ruins are made from six corners.

Table size is 44 x 68" (1.1 x 1.7 m), with round ends.

The Battle
General Zinktrumpet must hold off the British in the pass until his troops have overrun the British cavalry and disassembled the stone barricade at the railway bridge. He deploys a unit of Askaris in a line across the pass, with the Gardner gun in the ruins, and a half-unit of Imperial riflemen in reserve nearby. He puts a full unit of Imperial rifles on the train.

The train, with the gold, the civilians, and Zinktrumpet himself, immediately pulls out of the siding at Goldwasser, accelerating steadily. Dug in behind their stone barricade, the dismounted British cavalry wait tensely. They must hold until the main body fights its way up the pass to relieve them.

The launch, with a Nordenfelt gun and a half unit of Imperial marines chugs laboriously up the river, making slow progress against an unexpectedly strong current.A half-unit of German cavalry gallops up the road ahead of the train toward the barricade.

Meanwhile, in the pass, Gen. Bindon Mudd's combined British/Thingmin expedition confronts the thin buff line of German Askaris. Bullets sing around the redcoats' ears as Zinktrumpet's Hillmen allies on the cliffside open up with their jezails.

The Thingmin camels on the right charge to pin down the Askari left, while Imperial troops and colonial Fellahin advance on the left and center. Imperial rifles and artillery duel with the Hillmen.

The Askaris make the Kaiser proud, but, outnumbered and flanked, they finally are forced back to the ruins. Unfortunately, their disordered retreat masks the fire of the Gardner gun, which will remain virtually useless for the rest of the battle.

As the German defense stiffens at the mouth of the pass, the gold-train comes screaming up the line, with the cavalry in advance and the steam launch falling even farther behind.

Apparently panicked by the nearness of the battle at the ruins, the German cavalry decide not to wait for the infantry and the launch. They impetuously throw themselves away in a wild charge at the barricade and are practically wiped out by the British carbines.

The engineer slams on the brakes, but the train's momentum hurls it relentlessly onward toward the intact stone barricade.

GO ON to the Conclusion of
The Last Train from Goldwasser.

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