The Sands of Sudan at the Wargames Holiday Centre

The wonderful Dave Docherty has certainly one of the best Sudan collections on the planet. Photo borrowed from WHC site - please see the link below.

It has been an age since I posted so please accept my apologies as I have been very, very busy stuff which has kept me away from blogs etc.  All good stuff but busy nevertheless!

A most wonderful thing happened recently.  The very clever Mark Freeth and Dave Docherty decided that it was time that the Sudan returned to its spiritual home at the Waregames Holiday Centre where Peter Gilders games originated (albeit at a different locale).

With their enormous effort, alongside some like minded chums such as Dean Whitehouse etc, they pooled to together some of the finest figures you would ever like to see put on a wonderful weekend of modified "The Sands of Sudan" for a campaign.

How good does that look.  Once again the photo was grabbed from Marks FB site but please visit hi wonderful YouTube channel for some fantastic videos.

Both Mark and Dave did a great job capturing so much of the action and the feel and look of the entire weekend looks simply amazing.  If you want to see more please visit the following wonderful sites:
Firstly the mighty Dave Docherty who is such a wonderful proponent of the period the figures as well as the rules I produced alongside the excellent Blackpowder as well.  You are a star Dave!

Of course the equally sensational and supportive legend that is Mark Freeth.  Great guy, so keen to see the hobby show-cased to the globe and a wonderful host by all accounts.  Check out his wonderful videos here!

Just a reminder that the rules are still available for AUD60.00 including laminated Quick reference sheet, a deck of random event cards and international postage by contacting me at;

carlopagano@bigpond.com

28mm Connoisseur Sudan Collection - taking stock

The cupboard is far from bare!  The lads awaiting another outing.

With the exciting news that Mark Freeth and Dave Docherty are taking the Sudan back to its spiritual home at the Wargames Holiday Centre for a Sudan mini-campaign week, I thought I would quickly have a look through the collection and see what additions may be required.


Anyone who looks on at Daves excellent One man and his brushes blog would see his Sudan collection is absolutely sensational.  He and Mark intend to put on a campaign week with a mix of "The Sands of Sudan" and "Blackpowder" in order to even further expose this great Colonial period to more wargamers globally.


Well done that man!


With that in mind I thought I would do a quick stocktake myself and see whats in the cupboard and what else needs a bit of work.

The first of the shelves heaving with Mahdist Camels and cavalry

The mighty Fuzzy Wuzzies as Kipling would call them.  Sensational and savage Beja warriors.

A mass of Egyptians, Sudanese Regulars and some Royal Marine Light Infantry on this one

Highlanders, Yorks and Lancs as well as some Nordenfeldts and Artillery

Camel Corps, Lancers and Hussars dominate here.

Naval Brigade, Bengal Lancers, Vignettes and commanders abound!

You can never have enough Hadendowah!

As you can see there are quite a few figures in the collection with more awaiting basing.  Quite a few plans for the next twelve months so we will need to keep the motivation high and watch on for the wonderful videos and pictures coming out of the WHC later in the year.


It should be magnificent.


Sudan skirmish at the NWS

Young Stan, whose collection this is, contemplates the lay of the land

A great game was played the other week at the club which, though not a "Sands of Sudan" game, was an absolute stunner.


Stan, Craig and Chris decided to play a game of "The Man Who Would be King", a skirmish style game very different in size to the rules we normally play for this period.  I thought the table looked spectacular and simply ha to put some photos on the blog to sparkle the visual senses.

The baggage is placed on the table - wonderful sculpts

Its amazing how the right trees can instantly transport you to the Dark Continent

The Imperial patrol makes its way up the track

The outpost awaits some relief

Beautiful signal tower

The Mahdists are yet to make their appearance but I had to race...

Wonderful looking collection.

Theatre of Operations Overview

The overall campaign map - direct photocopy from an early Wargames World

With two battles having been fought and a wonderful series of orders from players with some hopefully entertaining returns, the campaign was kicking along nicely.  It was always important to be able to have an overall understanding of who was where and with whom, almost the plot for most episodes of "Real Housewives" but I digress...


The campaign map was given to the players showing them approximate locations of reported enemy as well as their exact positions.  It certainly did not contain the level of information as shown in the particular image accompanying this post.


The squares with the orange "x" designated areas where the Mahdi's influence was growing and where Imperial encounters with enemy forces would be of a more "voluminous nature"!  In other words, "There would Mahdists sir, thousands of 'em".


You can see from the map that the railway is taking shape and is making its was to Otoa having already linked with the village of Handeb.


Garrisons can be seen in their last reported positions and the columns and Gunboats are slowly making their way across the desert and down the Nile.

Major General Davis victorious at Osmar Wells



These lads always have a lot of work to do on the campaign.  Lovely Connoisseur Miniatures model through
Bicornes Miniatures in the UK.  Great looking piece of equipment in my opinion.

As reported last  post, the good Major General Davis is very keen to take on the Mahdists at Osmar Wells despite the enemy being present in great force.

Original photos from the battle all those years ago.

The Royal Marine Light Infantry have since been given their correct uniforms

The very rudimentary early paint jobs have all been revisited thoroughly here as well

An early effort at the reporting of the campaign from Fleet Street

What a stirring account!

Roger Fredericks really does have a way with words especially with a victory in the nostrils
and a stiff glass of brandy and a cigar of course alongside his Remington Typewriter

As always the Campaign Roster makes interesting reading

A mini-unit history as every battle and action unfolds

The Royal Marine Light Infantry are already looking a little thin in the ranks

Summary of the columns state of play

Next post will provide an overview of the entire theatre of operations and a map to detail where everyone is at this stage of the campaign.

The Battle of Osmar Wells - OOB and Victory conditions

Not Osmar Wells on this occasion however another vital feature in a game played last year

Apologies once again for the tardiness of campaign updates.  As you recall, the previous series of returns had found our intrepid Major General David facing hostile forces outside the village of Osmar Wells on March 14th. 1884.

As always the players were provided with a detailed OOB

Deployment and initial dispositions were always vitally important.  As the umpire
it was always critical for me to ensure previous standing orders and instructions
were followed to a tee in order to...ahem..hamstring the lads where necessary.

A few added snippets just to stir the rum punch a bit!

Another more recent photo which I really like.

The actual battle report and a few old nostalgic shots towards the end of the week...I promise.

Bengal Lancers at the ready

Two squadron's await orders in a game played last year.

One of my all time favourite units in the collection has to be this unit of Bengal Lancers.  Beautifully designed sculpts from Peter Gilder, they still maintain the character and details within their poses and faces despite having been first made nearly forty years ago.


This particular unit was painted for me by Gerry Web of Castaway Arts fame many ,many years ago.

The Captain signals the advance. Lovely Connoisseur Miniatures available through Bicorne in the UK

Apologies for the delay in posts this year as the other blog has been a bit more active with Napoleonic's and WW2 action.


I promise that this Sudan blog will be re-entering the fray with more campaign updates and some new models relating to the railways during the campaign.

Sudan Heliograph team now complete - is it a sign?

Looking for the enemy or simply communicating with the column.

Finally I have managed to get a few hours to devote to a project that has been on the table for quite sometime:  My Redoubt Miniatures Heliograph team.


This will be in use for the forthcoming games and testing out some scenarios etcetera for possible future articles and publications.

Another view of the excellent equipment kit from their often forgotten Sudan range.

These Redoubt Miniatures have been in the collection for many years.  When I say collection I do mean "lead pile" and has painted up very well.  I have based them on an irregular footprint so that they can have a suitably rugged environment to do their vital work in.

The table covering is an excellent desert mat recommended to me by the very clever
Dave Docherty of "One Man and His Brushes" fame.

A nice Connoisseur Miniatures animal handler and mule managed to make their way onto the base as well.

Hopefully these will be on the table very soon.

"Where is that wily fox Osman Digna?"

Not a photo depicting action from this weeks returns but a favourite nevertheless.

The week two returns were a joy to put together.  As mentioned in the previous posts, the fact that the players who were in the campaign took to the colour and atmosphere of a Victorian Colonial campaign with gusto absolutely made it a breeze.

The first page of Bullers returns from the Umpire, namely me!

Page two...always nice to have a bit of poetic license.

General Stewart appears to have a few things on his mind...

...as well as some challenges.

Scope for a bit of colour is the aim on these returns.

Despite the occasional grammatical error and question marks being omitted I like to
think it still reads well all these years later.



Not all correspondence is one way.  Major General Davis sends off a missive to his
Commander in Chief to make sure he knows whats' going on...



...and to ensure that vital supplies are not lost ion transit.



Gin may not be the first thing on his mind though.

Nothing like the battle being taken up to the boys in khaki.

Short and to the point methinks!