Khyber Rifles. AAR of Khyber Rifles: Britannia in Afghanistan

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1 slows the march. The Afghan forces will likely employ various guerilla tactics and wait for opportunities to arise. A specific advantage afforded the Afghan warriors is their ability to use trails to traverse the terrain. Most of the British forces are regulars and must use the roads or rivers to maneuver. Turn 1 November- December 1841 Winter The Afghan player selects a Campaign Card from his deck. It is Tribes Go Home. This is not a good card! Most of the Afghani units are irregulars and these have to pass a die roll to remain on the map. Otherwise, they lose their motivation for fighting (looting perhaps?) and go back to their normal life. This time, half of the Afghan forces go home. What is worse, there is no recruiting nor movement allowed this turn and hence, no combat either. by E.R. Bickford Production: Lise Patterson 2012 Decision Games Bakersfield, CA. AAR of Khyber Rifles: Britannia in Afghanistan This is a game of British campaign in Afghanistan. Players accrue Victory Points (VP) for territorial objectives and/or enemy losses. Each turn is one or two months depending on the season. The Afghani player is first. Game set up begins with the British player moving Elphinstone s Army of Cabul toward India. It has a contingent of civilians traveling with it, which The British player selects his Campaign Card. It is the King of Cabul event. This allows the British to select one Afghan formation to retreat. The Ghazi Warriors in Kalat I Ghizai (a fort) are moved back to the clear area near Ghazni. The fort is a VP area for the British so it seems like a sound move to force the enemy out. Only the Shah Shujah formation may move with this card, but it does not seem advisable. Because this is a winter turn, the British are going to have some supply problems as units not in a fortress or British Base will be out of supply. Out of supply units have their move ability reduced as well as a weakened combat strength. The Cabul force is in a dangerous predicament in the Cantonment. Also, the Khyber Rifle unit in Khyber Pass is out of supply. The only saving factor is the Tribes Go Home event has reduced the size and potency of the Afghan army. Turn 2 January-February 1842 Winter The Afghan player selects the Ambush card. This allows two Afghan units to be recruited (done randomly and hidden from the British player). A Ghizai cavalry and infantry are raised and deployed with Mohammed Akbar Khan in the open area that AFTER ACTION REPORT A1

2 Mini Series: he occupies. Five units can move this time. The Afghans advance against the British fort in Ghazni. This is defended by a lone infantry brigade of Shah Shujah s formation. The British forces are quite outnumbered here. However, the British receive a +1 modifier to their tactical rating due to defending in the fort, but the Afghan force has elite units which give them a +1 DRM to their tactical rating too. The units involved are spread out in a battle board type display. The Afghans win the tactical superiority die roll and the opportunity to fire first. The Afghans get a kill and a panic result, so the British unit is destroyed before it can even react or fire. The fort at Ghazni falls to Akbar Khan s warriors. (The British player receives VP for occupying forts at the end of the game so this action potentially reduces the British VP level.) A2 AFTER ACTION REPORT

3 The British player selects a weak card, Pollock On the March. It is weak because the Relief Force is not in play yet. The British player can activate one other force though. He selects Elphinstone s Cabul Force as this formation is out of supply and will continue so if left in their present locations. A large contingency of the Cabul Force moves back to Cabul, while the Khyber Rifles are pulled out from the Khyber Pass back to the British Base at Peshawar. There are no attacks and the out-of-supply units are able to obtain supplies now. Turn 3 March 1842 The Afghans select the Tribal Raiding Campaign Card. This allows another recruited unit to be deployed within three spaces of Kandahar. The Afridi Cavalry is placed in the fort at Kalat I Ghizai. Again, five Afghan units may move per the card text. One warrior unit moves to Kalat I Ghizai, and the leader, Akbar Khan, moves with some forces to the Peiwar Khotal Pass. Since his units are irregular, he uses the trail, which is impassable to regulars. The pass gives the Afghans a +1 DRM on the tactical roll if they are in combat there, so this is a good place for Afghan warriors to hide out. The British player draws the Political Officers card. This allows him to recruit up to two irregular units. (The only one available is a regular. Oh well. So it goes for the British.) This card also allows the activation of one command. The British player decides to use the Cabul formation. So the Broadfoot Pioneers (Afghan mercenaries under British command) and Khyber Rifles move into Khyber Pass to secure it. (The Khyber Pass is worth a VP to the British player at the game s end.) Then the Wild Brigade moves from Peshawar to the town of Kohat. Finally, the other forces in Cabul march southerly into contact with the Afghans in the open. This results in a battle. The British player generally does not want a battle like this as the Afghans collect VP by eliminating British regulars. Sometimes, though, the terrain needs to be cleared and it is worth the risk. The Afghan forces gain tactical superiority and are allowed to fire first. During the first round, one British unit is eliminated and one Afghan unit panics. In the second round the British player eliminates the other Afghan unit. The Ghizai Cavalry unit flees to Shatar Gardam Pass. Turn 4 April 1842 The Afghan player draws the Central Asian Allies card. Two Afghan units are deployed. Two units a placed in the town of Charikar (north of Cabul). Again, a total of five units may move. Two warrior units move into the Shatar Gardam Pass. Then Akbar Khan and his cavalry move to the Khyber Pass, where they engage with Captain Broadfoot s Pioneers and Khyber Rifles. Akbar Khan s warband receives a tactical modifier for attacking in a pass and another for having an elite unit in the combat. This yields a +2 DRM. The British also have an elite unit in the battle (the Broadfoot Pioneers) for a +1 DRM. This time the British win the tactical superiority. One of AFTER ACTION REPORT A3

4 Mini Series: the Afghan Cavalry units is panicked, but both British units are wiped out during the first round of fighting. Akbar Khan occupies the Khyber Pass. The British player selects the Nott on the March card. None of the recruitable units are available so there are no replacements for the British player this turn. General Nott s units march north from Kandahar to the fort at Kalat I Ghizai. There are two warrior units there. The British force has one elite unit. This time the Afghan units panic and one of these is overwhelmed in the rout. General Nott s forces reclaim the fort at Kalat I Ghizai. Additionally, the Cabul forces are activated and General Elphinstone orders them to march to the Jagdalak Pass. Civilians are included in this formation. There is no contact with the enemy. The pass is a dangerous location to stop in, as the Afghans have a +1 DRM A4 AFTER ACTION REPORT

5 in any action there. Hopefully, the British formation will be safe. Turn 5 May 1842 The Afghans select the Tribal Raiding event. One Afghan unit is recruited. Another warrior unit is placed in the town of Charikar. A total of six units may move this time. Akbar Khan organizes a large force to attack the Cabul force in Jagdalak Pass, utilizing the trails again. This is just what had concerned the British player. It seems that the British commander made an unwise move there. The Afghans have an elite unit and a bonus for attacking in a pass. As a result, they win tactical superiority and manage to eliminate the civilians and panic the other two Cabul units (cavalry and infantry). These retreat toward the fort at Jellalabad. The British player draws the Leisurely Command event; nobody seems to be worrying too much. One unit is recruited and two commands activated. General Nott s Force sends the cavalry back to the fortification in Kandahar. Then Shah Shujah s Force sends a unit to hold the Khyber Pass, now that Akbar Khan s warband has abandoned it. There is no contact with the Afghan forces, which is probably a wise course for the British. Turn 6 June 1842 The Afghans pick the Loya Jirga card. Since Akbar Khan is not in Cabul, Jellalabad or Kandahar, the Afghans receive no recruits. On the positive side, all of the Afghan units may move this time. The warriors and cavalry in Charikar, move to the town of Cantonment. Then a large Afghan warband marches to contact with the British units due west of Jellalabad. The Afghans have an elite unit and receive a +1 DRM on the tactical die roll. Both sides sacrifice a cavalry unit in the action. Finally the British infantry unit succumbs as well and the Afghan warriors manage to seize control of the area. The British player draws the Mad Dash card. One unit is recruited and deployed in Peshawar. Elphinstone s Cabul units activate and deploy to Jellalabad and Kurrum. Trying to limit casualties, the British commander does not initiate any combat. Turn 7 July 1842 The Afghan player gets the Uprising card. This event can only occur once per game so it must be a good event for them, right? The Afghan player rolls two dice and gets that number of recruits. The die roll isn t so great this AFTER ACTION REPORT A5

6 Mini Series: time and the Afghans only receive four new units. But, all Afghan warriors can move this time. Akbar Khan decides to launch an attack on the British fort at Jellalabad. The British have an elite unit and the fort modifier, while the Afghans have an elite unit modifier too. The Afghan forces lose a cavalry unit but the British force is completely wiped out and Jellalabad is captured by Akbar Kahn s warband. The British player selects the Retribution card. This allows the civilian unit to be replaced. The British player deploys it in Kandahar. Then three British commands can move. General Elphinstone s Cabul Force activates and the civilians are pulled out of Kandahar. Then General Nott marches toward Kalat I Ghizai. His troops contact an enemy warrior unit and he decides to bring it to battle. The Afghan unit is eliminated and A6 AFTER ACTION REPORT

7 the British troops, under General Nott, manage to capture the open area south of Kalat I Ghizai. Turn 8 August 1842 The Afghan event is Treachery. The Afghan player notes that there are British units in Cabul (a 5 VP area for them) so these are forced by the event to retreat. Although there are no recruits this time, the Afghan player can move all of his units again, with a liberal movement allowance. A fairly strong force marches into Cabul. (That hurts). Then Akbar Khan brings a force against the weak defenses at Khyber Pass. The only hope for the British cavalry is to obtain tactical superiority and perhaps to withdraw. The Afghans have both the advantage of fighting in the pass and of having an elite unit involved. The Timur cavalry brigade is eliminated. AFTER ACTION REPORT A7

8 Mini Series: The British player draws the Relief Force event. This brings General Pollock s force into play. The Relief Force s brigades will arrive at variable intervals, however. (A die is rolled for each unit to determine the turn of arrival.) General Pollock sets up his HQ in Peshawar. Then General Nott s force activates and launches an attack on the town of Ghazni. It is garrisoned by the Gholam infantry, an Afghan regular unit. The British have an elite unit which helps them to gain tactical superiority and the Afghan unit is eliminated. Ghazni falls to the British. Turn 9 September 1842 The Afghan player selects the Baluchistan Simmers event. Two units are recruited and deployed in Baluchistan. Only the Afghan units in Baluchistan are allowed to move this turn. Afghan warriors beginning in the town of Dardur are moved to face General Nott s infantry in the fort at Quetta. Although the British player gains tactical superiority, he whiffs on the dice roll. The Afghan forces destroy General Nott s infantry brigade and the fort falls. This leaves the civilians vulnerable in the Khojak Pass. The British player selects the Dismal Campaign event. Everyone is waiting for orders. No direction is being provided by the commander. There are no recruits and only one command can move. General Nott s command marches into defensive positions in the fortifications at Kandahar and Kalat I Ghizai. This will secure them for British VP purposes. Some of General Pollock s Relief Force brigades begin arriving in Peshawar. Turn 10 October 1842 The Afghans choose the Tribes Go Home event. Only two warrior units disappear, however. The Afghan player has no recruits and no movement is allowed. Will this give the British enough of a reprieve to recover his situation? Unlikely. The British player obtains the Mad Dash card. Additionally, more of Pollock s forces arrive at Peshawar. Only one command can activate, so the British player chooses General Nott s Force. The British infantry attempts to recapture the town of Quetta. A battle ensues and the Afghans lose one cavalry unit. Unfortunately, the British units panic and retreat to the north, leaving a band of Afghan warriors holding the town (and the potential British VP). Turn 11 November- December 1842 Winter The Afghan player has an unlucky draw and receives the Tribes Go Home event again. This time four units disappear into the wilderness. Worse still, there is no recruiting or movement. The Afghans must wait it out and hope to retain enough VP to defeat the British. The British player receives the Nott on the March event. This allows General Nott to garrison the forts at Kandahar and that area, and he makes a desperate attack on the town of Quetta. The card text says that Nott s men cannot panic in battle this time. As a result, they overthrown the Afghan warband at Quetta. Meanwhile, General Pollock launches an attack at the Khyber Pass. Akbar Khan has lost most of his troops to the Tribes Go Home event. The A8 AFTER ACTION REPORT

9 British forces are out of supply here, so this will reduce their combat levels. Nonetheless, the Khyber Pass is worth VP so the British commander takes the risk. The Afghan leader s force is completely wiped out in the process and the Khyber Pass falls back into the British player s hands. The British player loses one infantry unit though. Since it is a regular, the Afghan player will obtain a VP and this will cancel out the British VP for the Khyber Pass. Conclusion The British do not have Cabul which is their most lucrative objective, worth 5 VP. They do control Kandahar and some of the other forts and Khyber Pass. This totals only 6 VP. The Afghans have 8 VP for British losses. The Afghan player wins. The 1842 Campaign in Afghanistan goes to the annals of history as a British debacle. AFTER ACTION REPORT A9