Rorke's Drift -Little Wars 2019

This was the first time I had the opportunity to run Rorke's Drift at Little Wars as I did not have it complete last time I was there in 2016.  Then we ran Isandlwana.  As a result it seemed appropriate since it was the 140th anniversary of the battle this past January.  I would have liked to run Isandlwana followed by Rorke's Drift like we did at Rock Con last October, but being solo Isandlwana is a bit much for one judge.

The event started at 5PM, but since snow and sleet were in the forecast the Little Wars organizer found me an empty table and I was able to set up in the morning and leave it up as a display throughout the day.  As I was assisting with Mark's ACW game next door I did notice it attracted a lot of attention throughout the day. 

Unfortunately the scenario really only accommodates seven players unlike Isandlwana where we have had 12 or more.. At game time all the tickets were sold and the table was full, there were a couple extras hoping to get in.  We had one no show, so we were able to accommodate an extra and a few other hung around to watch the action.

Only a couple players had experience with Black Powder (BP) which was fine as the system is so easy to teach and this particular scenario only uses BP as a framework with a lot of scenario specific components.  The beauty of BP is that it is so scalable and easy to bolt on additional mechanics to make a historical scenario.

For those not familiar with the history the battle occurred in the afternoon/evening of January 22nd 1879 into the early morning hours of January 25th.  Approximately 4500 Zulu attacked the drift which was defended by about 140 British Soldiers.   The Zulu did not coordinate their attacks well and the British under the direction of a Royal Engineer, LT Chard and their commander LT Bromhead were given ample warning that the Zulu were on the way and had constructed a hasty, but formidable defense around the hospital and store house using mealie bags and crates along with wagons.

Historically the British held out and 11 Soldiers were awarded the Victoria cross as a result of the Action.  While casualty figures are not exact the Zulu could have suffered as many as 1000 casualties of killed and wounded.  The British had less than 20 killed and about an equal number wounded.

Depending on perspective our players were either hoping to repeat history or drastically change it.

Rorke's Drift Set up for Display

Our scenario began with the British defenders alert that the Zulu were quickly approaching and manning the defenses while work parties continued to construct some of the unfinished defenses.  The British players did not know what direction the Zulu would come from or how many, just that there were a lot of Zulu off board on hand (39 units).  The British would only have 12 units plus their commanders available.

Redoubt in place

The Zulu players are only allowed to attack with only 1 eight stand IMPI the first phase which can come from only two of the three possible jump off points.  They are also given a number of fake stands (also 8 on phase 1) to place to simulate the fog of war.  These are revealed when they are shot at the first time.

Quick disclaimer, unfortunately my phone failed me and did not capture all of the great action that occurred throughout the game, so the report will be a bit abbreviated.




Defenders at the Karaal

Initial Assault from the garden

 The Zulu achieved some success in the first phase of the battle.  They were able to break two British units before wisely deciding the initial attack was spent and withdrawing.


Attack developing behind the hospital

Hospital being pressed

Hospital overrun

A chink in the armor as a second British unit gives way

 The Zulu commander wisely chose not the let up the pleasure and renewed the assault with portions of the other 3 fresh IMPI.  In attack phase 2 and each their after they are allowed to attack with a total of 12 units with 4 feints.

Assault from the front renewed

The second assault phase is all it would take.  Keep in mind that each phase can last multiple Black Powder turns, but no units are allowed to recover until the Zulu player withdraws and declares a passive phase.  This never happened.

The Zulu continued to press the attack. British commanders were slow to respond and probably kept troops defending the karaal and building barricades longer than they should.   This allowed the Zulu to break through the outer defenses and drive home the attack.

Ultimately they were able to destroy or shake more than half of the British units resulting in a complete victory for the Zulu.

This is not the first time the Zulu have won this scenario, but I believe it is the first time they have done it with only two phases of the possible 12.  Some of this is contributed to some excellent saves on the part of the Zulu and the overall inexperience of the players as a whole.

The most important part was that win or lose both sides seemed to enjoy the scenario and at least 5 were completely new to Black Powder so they learned the basic rules.

Hospital on fire

One of the more comical parts for me was when the Zulu started the hospital on fire and I placed the fire markers (Tea light candles that light up inside) all play stopped and everyone had to get up and take pictures.

Again, I apologize for the brevity of the report and lack of pictures.  I thought I was taking pictures throughout the event, but it may be time for a phone upgrade which I have been putting off.  :)

You can find the scenario I use here:
Rorke's Drift Scenario

If you want to check out the other Anglo-Zulu battle reports you can find them here:

Previous Rorke's Drift battle report

I always enjoy hosting these scenarios and this was no exception.  We had a great group of players who were great sports throughout the evening.

As this year is the 140th anniversary of the war it is my hope to present these battles a few more times at upcoming conventions.