Having been introduced to Battles for Empire II (BFE2) at the Williamsburg Muster convention, we were keen to try these rules with our regular gaming group. We decided that our first game would be the Battle of Nyezane. Since this is our first game of BFE2, some brief descriptions of the rules are presented in italics.
BFE2 is a set of rules designed for playing battles of the colonial wars of the late 19th century. The rules can be scaled to recreate battles of varying sizes, thus units can represent imperial battalions, companies, or smaller subunits, along with their native equivalents (native units represent about twice as many men as imperial units). There is no figure scale, ground scale, or time scale — the aim is to produce results that “feel” correct. Based on a limited sample size (two games), it seems that BFE2 does indeed achieve the right overall feel for the battles of this period.
Most units in the game are fielded in a standard size of four stands with as many miniatures on them as you like. The recommended width of an imperial infantry stand is 30mm, so four stands in line formation would give a unit frontage of 120mm. Native units in “mass” formation also have a frontage of 120mm, but have twice the depth of an imperial unit. Smaller units, such as sections of guns and leaders, are on single stands. For our game, we based all of the foot figures for both sides on unit bases that were 100mm wide and 60mm deep (because those were the bases that we had on hand). Those unit bases worked well enough, looked good with our 15mm figures on them, and sped up movement. That said, we will probably use the recommended four stands per unit for our next game, so that we can better show units in march column, company square, or deep mass formation (fortunately our figures are magnetically based!).
The Battle of Nyezane was fought in Zululand on 22 January 1879 (the same day as the better-known battle at Isandlwana). At Nyezane, a Zulu impi of 6,000 warriors commanded by Godide kaNdlela attacked a force of British soldiers, sailors and local auxiliaries led by Col. Charles Knight Pearson while the British were in the process of crossing a river. The battle began when a company of the Natal Native Contingent encountered the leading elements of the Zulu left horn on Wombane Hill. The larger part of the British force was halted on the Zulu side of the river, waiting for the remaining troops and wagons to come across. The rest of the Zulu forces were still moving to the battlefield. That is the point at which we began our game.
Sources: Our main reference was Ian Knight’s book, “Great Zulu Battles,” which devotes a chapter to this action, and which also provides an excellent map.
A very good on-line account of the battle can be found here:
https://www.anglozuluwar.com/images/Journal_4/4)_The_Battle_of_Inyezane_-_BB.pdf
This map is the only one that we found on-line. (Note that “Majia Hill” on this map is better known as “Wombane Hill”):
https://1drv.ms/w/c/700a56c3b17f64ee/Ed4xDe2MNa5Ds8genIyuADsBjDbZaFC47eHnK5tFUo8TkQ
BFE2 has a scenario book that includes this battle, which we also consulted. We used the scenario victory conditions and orders of battle (with several tweaks to the British OOB) and we particularly liked the “Floating Break Point” rule in the scenario, which raises or lowers the Zulu army break point depending on how well or badly the Zulus are doing.
Terrain: Our 9’X5′ table was set with the long axis running north-south. The northern end of the table is a steep, grassy ridge, from which three long spurs descend toward the south. Wombane Hill is located on the ridge near the NE corner of table. Between the spurs are low-lying areas of “bush”. The southern half of the table is a relatively flat and open plain, dotted with some patches of bush. A bend of the Nyezane River cuts across the SW corner of the table. The river is unfordable except at the drift. A wagon track crosses the river at the drift, then curves to the north and runs the length of the table, climbing up the middle spur of the ridge. Next to the track, near the northern end of the table, is a small native kraal (or umuzi in isiZulu). The attached sketch map shows these features and the deployment/arrival areas. (As a modeling note, we built the ridge and the spurs with GeoHex and other hill shapes placed under our mat.)
Zulu Forces and Deployment: The sources give the Zulu impi a strength of about 6,000 warriors. The BFE2 scenario gives the Zulus 30 units, so the average is about 200 men per unit. The Zulu units were divided into three bodies — a center and two horns. The umXapho
regiment formed the left horn, and had about 2600 men, so 13 units are on the Zulu left. The units in the center and in the right horn were composed of men from various smaller regiments and the exact disposition of them is unknown, so we allowed the Zulu players to divide the remaining 17 units between the center and right as they pleased, and they assigned nine units to the center and eight to the right. Only six units of the left horn begin the game on the table, along the crest of Wombane Hill (which represented their first move). The rest of the Zulu army is still approaching the battlefield, and the center and each horn will roll a D3+1 to determine how many of their units arrive each turn until they are all present. Each horn and the command in the center has a leader, and the Zulu commander in chief can arrive with any unit.
British Forces and Deployment: One company (unit) of Natal Native Contingent (NNC) auxiliaries is climbing the slope of Wombane Hill and has spotted the Zulus, and is the only unit on either side that can move on Turn 1. On the plain below, the British have three more companies of NNC, three companies of British infantry, one company of Naval Brigade infantry, two units of volunteer mounted troops, one section of light artillery, one rocket section, one Gatling gun, six supply wagons, and one ammunition mule. This force is led by the British commander and two leaders, and can be deployed anywhere within the designated deployment zone (see sketch). The men and animals are resting and can do nothing on the first turn (represented in BFE by the “Fix Bayonets!” rule). Across the river is another leader with a force of two British infantry companies, one section of light artillery, four wagons, and one ammunition mule. They are slowly crossing the drift, assisted by one company of Royal Engineers. All of the British infantry, naval troops, artillery and engineers are rated as first rate for shooting, and all the infantry are armed with modern rifles. The mounted units are also first rate with modern rifles, and use the Boer Unit Conduct Charts. The NNC are rated as Brittle and are armed with spears, and use the Zulu Unit Conduct Charts.
BFE2 uses Unit Conduct Charts to reflect how units with different training, doctrines, and cultures tended to operate on colonial battlefields. The rules provide separate charts for the British vs. the Zulus, Dervishes, Pathans, and Boers, the Italians vs. the Abyssinians, and the French vs. the Berbers. Each turn, a D6 is rolled for each unit, or each group of units in a formation, and the appropriate chart is consulted, depending on whether the unit is Steady or Shaken. The modified result determines how far a unit can move in the turn and whether a unit can rally and possibly move after being shaken. Regular infantry generally moves 6″ per turn, but could move 3″ or 9″ depending on the roll, and are likely to rally when shaken. Zulu units move more swiftly — an average of 9″ per turn — and might be compelled to fanatically charge 12.” Shaken Zulu units are less likely to rally than regular units. An attached leader and the presence of a nearby army commander give positive modifiers to the testing unit. Being disordered or brittle, and accruing heavy casualties provide negative modifiers. There are a few other modifiers, but those were the most common ones in our game. Units that are touching can be formed into a multi-unit formation at the beginning of the game or when they enter the table, and all of the units in a formation may move on a single roll on the conduct chart. Once a multi-unit formation is broken up, it cannot be reformed. All of this takes longer to explain than it does to play. We found this mechanism to be very easy to use, and we felt that it gave the rules a nice touch of verisimilitude.
Victory Conditions: The Zulus win if they eliminate four British foot units (infantry, naval troops, or engineers). The British win if they eliminate 10 Zulu units and burn the kraal, or eliminate 17 Zulu units and do not burn the kraal. The Zulu army break point increases by 1 for every British foot unit eliminated, or for every two wagons or other units eliminated (NNC, mounted troops, guns, etc.). There is no turn limit, but after setting up and briefly teaching the rules to the players, we had about three hours to play the game.
After Action Report: The game started with a bit of humor. Our youngest player was in command of the NNC company that had encountered the Zulus on Wombane. The umpire explained that his options were to retreat, stand where he was, or charge the Zulus. He asked, “Why would I charge the Zulus? They’ll kill me.” The explanation was that a melee would break up the Zulu formation, making it harder for them to advance en masse. He opted for the charge, and was told that, according to the army phrase book of Zulu terms, “Baleka” was the word for “Charge.” “Baleka!” he shouted, waving his pretend sword as he did so. He was then told, “You idiot! Baleka is the word for Run! The umpire then moved the NNC to the rear at full speed. Everyone had a good laugh, including our young fire-eater. (This incident actually happened in the historical battle!)
On the next turn, the Zulus won the initiative and opted to move first. The six Zulu units on Wombane chose to move as a formation, rolled a full move of 12 inches, and ran down the hill toward the NNC. The NNC did not get a full move, then were caught in the rear by the Zulus on the next turn, took several hits in the melee and were shaken as a result. On their next move, the hapless NNC rolled poorly to rally, and were dispersed.
In BFE2, the turn begins with both sides rolling for initiative. In our game the British added +1 to reflect their better command structure. The winner then chooses to move first or second in the turn. Both sides then move and/or rally their units. After that, markers, such as disorder, are removed. Shooting is then simultaneous, starting with artillery fire. The turn ends with the simultaneous resolution of any melees, and rolling for possible leader casualties. It is a good, straightforward turn sequence, and the turns went pretty quickly.
Meanwhile, the rest of the British force got themselves organized (Fixed Bayonets! in BOE2 terms). The British on the Zulu side of the river had deployed very defensively at the rear of their deployment area, and were arrayed in a line with the artillery and Gatling gun posted in the gaps between the four infantry companies The two units of volunteer horse dismounted in a skirmish line on the far left, with their left flank anchored on the edge of the table (where the river was running just off-table). The right flank of the line was held by the three remaining companies of NNC, with their right flank “in the air”.
The British troops on the far side of the river began the slow process of crossing. The drift cost an extra 3″ to cross, which effectively halved the movement of those British units. Once across the drift, the artillery section headed for the right of the British infantry line, where it unlimbered. The engineers and the two units of line infantry then moved to the left, heading for a gap between the mounted troops and the naval infantry unit.
While this was happening, the whole Zulu army was coming down from the high ground. Good rolls for arriving units brought the remaining 24 units onto the table pretty quickly, and the Zulus advanced in several multi-unit formations as quickly as they could. However, the shape of the Zulu advance was not optimal. After pursuing the isolated unit of NNC, the leading formation of the left horn found itself in the center of the Zulu advance, moving directly toward the British gun line. The leading formation of the right horn also drifted into the center. Thus the nine arriving units of the Zulu central command were blocked by elements of the left and right horns. The right horn was further encumbered due to having its units grouped into deep formations (with two ranks of units), which impeded the rear units whenever the front units were halted by enemy fire. Once the leading formations came into range, the British guns began to fire.
The British players wisely posted their ammunition mule with their section of light artillery. This enabled the guns to rapid fire without any concerns about running low on ammunition. (Regular units can increase their rate of fire by 50%, but there is a risk of running low on ammunition, which can only be replenished by an ammunition mule.) The artillery was accurate, and caused a Zulu unit to be shaken with nearly every round of fire (two hits or more cause a Shaken result), which broke up the leading Zulu formations.
The British also advanced their three NNC companies to confront the remaining seven units of the Zulu left horn. This was suicidal, but it held up the left flank of the Zulu advance for a few turns, which enabled the British gun line to concentrate its firepower on the units in the Zulu center, which quickly accrued heavy casualties and started to be eliminated at a rapid rate. (Most units in the game are eliminated after accruing 8 hits, and begin to degrade in effectiveness after 4 hits. Shaken native units can also be destroyed by poor rolls to rally.) The surviving Zulu units in the center and on the right went to ground, to reduce the effectiveness of the British shooting.
In our game, we marked Disorder with a clump of lichen, Shaken with a small stone, and Gone to Ground with some foliage clusters placed in front of the unit. Hits were marked with a small die, and Low Ammo with a black ring. You will see these markers in the photos.)
With the Zulu pressure on the center effectively neutralized, the British slightly moved an infantry company and an artillery section to refuse their right flank, which remained under the greatest threat. The wagons began to move back to the drift, attempting to get out of harm’s way. Three companies on the British left advanced to mop up the remnants of the Zulu right flank, and the horse troops on the far left mounted up in order to advance more rapidly. Their objective was the distant kraal on the ridge, which was undefended.
As the game passed into its final phase, only two parts of the Zulu impi were still combat worthy. One was the seven units on the extreme left, which had taken a few losses in the course of eliminating the NNC. The other was the nine units of the Zulu center, whose axis of advance had been blocked by elements of the two horns, and thus they were untouched. The Zulu commanders decided to use these fresh warriors to reinforce the only success that the Zulus had achieved, and directed them to attack the British right flank, along with the remainder of the left horn.
By now, the Zulu formations had been mostly broken up, and the attacking Zulu units were advancing piecemeal. Nevertheless, a few of them made it into contact with the end of the British line. The initial close combats were costly to both sides, but follow up Zulu units were able to finish off the weakened British units, and the British lost two infantry companies and an artillery section (plus the attached ammunition mule). The elimination of these units, plus the elimination of the four NNC units, had raised the Zulu break point from 17 to 22. Zulu losses stood at 20, so there was still a chance that the Zulus could steal a victory from the ashes of defeat.
Alas, it was not to be for the Zulus. Charges against two more infantry units left them badly weakened, but intact, and the Zulus lost three more units, taking them to 23 and thus breaking their army. Further, by this point, the mounted troops had reached the kraal, and it would have been only one more turn before they burned it, which also would have broken the Zulu army.
(Unfortunately, the umpire had to step in for a player who had to leave early, and in the excitement of trying to salvage a Zulu victory, he forgot to take photos of the final stages of the game!)
The result of our game was a narrow British victory, which was the historical result, but it was not quite achieved in the historical manner. In the actual battle, the British units were much more spread out than the British units were in our game. When the Zulu impi was spotted, the British quickly turned to face the Zulu left horn, concentrating their guns and some infantry atop a knoll on the central spur. British firepower halted and then drove off the Zulu left horn before the other two Zulu commands engaged — the Zulu right horn was particularly passive. The British then advanced up the central spur and captured the kraal, which broke the Zulu morale. After 80 minutes of fighting, the Zulus withdrew, leaving about 400 dead on the field. British losses were very light, and were mostly due to inaccurate Zulu rifle fire. No Zulu units ever made it into close combat with a British infantry company, although the Naval Brigade did charge some Zulus on the ridge, who broke and ran before contact.
Our game was much more bloody and intense than the actual battle (which all wargames usually are). The British players were mentally prepared for being attacked, and their defensive deployment to start the game was very effective. Given the manner of the Zulu advance, the Zulus lacked enough space to fully spread out their larger army, and their move against the vulnerable right flank of the British line was delayed by the sacrifice of the NNC. Thus the Zulus were forced into advancing into the teeth of the British defensive line, which was very costly, and the heavy casualties eventually broke the Zulu army.
It had been a very action-packed three hours, and it was time to pack everything up and head for the pub. We lost track of the turns, but we played about 18 turns before reaching the conclusion. All six players enjoyed the game and believed the BFE2 rules had merit. Considering that it was their first game with these rules, the game ran very smoothly, and our tactics should improve the next time we play.
- TJ