The New Zealand Wars

 The plan

After spotting some cheap 28mm 1840's British in Kilmarnock cap on eBay, I decided to look into the New Zealand Wars, I reckon these are absolute gold for skirmish wargaming, and using Firelock Games Blood & Steel, one of my favourute rules sets, is a clever fit.  It already “thinks” in terms of small-unit friction, activation pressure, morale collapse, as well as character-led action rather than Napoleonic lines.

I won the bid, not quite as cheap as I thought, as it turns out, but still great value for Foundry miniatures.  Hope they fit with my Empress Miniatures, although they may be small.

Somewhere between 6 a side skirmish up to 40 a side is a sweet spot where I can start with narrative scraps and grow it into proper bush fights.

Probably narrative games following characters

The figures

• Kilmarnock capped Regulars red tunics blue trousers.  I've seen conversions of Perry ACW into British regulars, but i really wil have enough.
• Militia, blue tunics blue trousers, variety of headgear.
• Constabulary. As above I think.  Mounted as scouts maybe.
• Civilians are a case of using cowboys on foot and a few Victorian types.
• Maori, I already have a dozen Empress Miniatures actually.  For the rest those Frostgrave tribals are essentially Maori, although I use them as Carib Indians.  I have a few sprues of these guys and they are cheap enough to add a few more, just adding muskets rather than bows and blowpipes.

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1) Why I think the 1840s NZ Wars will work on the tabletop

This is not a game of “big battles” but:

• raids
• ambushes
• stockade / pā assaults
• night alarms
• bush movement
• split forces + confusion
• political/moral tension baked in

That makes them perfect for:

• skirmish rules
• linked scenarios
• small forces with big consequences
• personalities & named figures

I don’t need 200 models, just a few dozen per side. 

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2) The “look” — Kilmarnock caps are bang on

I'm thinking early period, but, this was a look until the 1870s.  These guys are good for half a century of wars.  Quite apart from fictional wars in Europe  they could fight in the America's, India, African Cape Wars, China.  Useful.

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3) Forces: what I actually want on the table

Blood and Steel already has this period covered with army lists.

A) British regulars

These are:

• disciplined volley shooters
• bayonet morale threat
• slow in bush, better in open
• prone to overconfidence

Table role: “hard core, brittle if surprised”.

B) Militia / Volunteers.

• brave, nervous, vengeful, reckless
• local knowledge (or totally none)
• often badly coordinated

Table role: unpredictable, scenario-dependent.

C) Armed Constabulary

• semi-trained colonial paramilitary
• patrols, escorts, warrants, arrests
• protection of roads and supply

Table role: small professional patrol force with local authority.

D) Civilians

Civilians make this period special because they:

• create dilemmas
• trigger panic
• cause mission shifts
• are why the fight happens at all

And in Blood & Steel terms they’re fantastic as:

• objective markers that move
• morale hazards
• “burden” units (escorts)
• witnesses / hostages / rescued captives

E)  Māori friendlies 

Māori working in their own interest for the Crown.  

 

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4) Māori forces

Māori on the table become tactically fascinating.

I can represent them as:

• fighters with superior movement and concealment
• Blinds!
• ambush specialists
• pā defenders with engineered advantage
• sharpshooters
• small groups of 4 figures with initiative and aggression

Also: Māori aren’t one homogeneous group. I can do:

• allied iwi vs rival iwi
• Māori vs Māori with settlers/constabulary as third party
• mixed war parties with different motivations

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Blood & Steel scaling: 6 → 40 per side

Skirmish scale (6–12 a side)

Perfect for:

• patrol encounters
• messenger missions
• prisoner rescues
• bush ambushes
• night alarms

“Proper fight” scale (20–40 a side)

Perfect for:

• pā assault / pā relief
• convoy defence
• village raid
• holding a ford / bridge / track junction
• two groups converging without full knowledge

But I want to keep command control limited.  The New Zealand Wars should feel like:

“we think the enemy is over there… wait—where’s the firing coming from?!”

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6) Constabulary vs Civilians

Lets me game the period without turning it into:

• “Colonials vs Māori” every time because frankly that's uncomfortable, and not historically correct.

I'll run scenarios like:

• settlers illegally raiding a village / property
• constabulary trying to stop reprisals
• civilians refusing orders
• militia officers with grudges

This gives:

• three-way tension
• “law vs vengeance”
• arrests, escorts, riots, hostage situations
• moral ambiguity without lectures

And Māori can be:

• third party
• informants
• victims
• opportunists
• allies of one side

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7) Scenario ideas (short, sharp, playable)

Here are 10 scenario ideas I've trawled up for this project and Blood & Steel:

1. The Track Patrol
   Constabulary patrol + guide. Ambushed. Must withdraw without losing the guide.

2. Burn the Storehouse
   Militia raid to destroy supplies. Māori defenders delay until civilians escape.

3. Flagstaff Alarm
   British detachment must reach a signal point. Māori attempt to cut them off.

4. The Warrant
   Constabulary attempt to arrest a settler agitator. Civilians resist. Māori scouts watch.

5. Escort the Prisoner
   One side must escort a captive through bush. Opponent tries to free him.

6. Night Raid
   Māori raid a camp for muskets/ammo. British must hold until dawn.

7. Crossing at the Ford
   A bottleneck scenario. Perfect for small forces scaling up.

8. The Lost Child
   Civilian objective that moves randomly. Both sides try to secure (or exploit) it.

9. Pā Recon
   British must map/locate weak point. Māori must prevent intel extraction.

10. The Retaliation Party
    Militia trying to burn huts. Constabulary tries to stop them. Māori arrive mid-game.

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8) Terrain: don’t need much, just the right stuff

This period is won by:

• cover
• movement restriction
• sightlines

So the essentials are:

• bush/fern patches (LOS blockers)
• stream gullies
• rough tracks
• fences / small clearings
• A log cabin or blockhouse, call me crazy but I intend to make it from scratch using twigs from the sycamore tree behind my house!
• pā works (Simple palisade sections)

I can do a pretty good looking table with:

• a cloth mat
• scatter bush clumps
• 3-6 palisade sections
• a single “objective building”

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9) Miniature shopping list (minimal but expandable)

Start small, but actually I have the Maori, just mostly unpainted.  The eBay buy of those guys in Kilmarnock caps will be the Colonials.

Core (for the first games)

• 12 British (Kilmarnock caps)
• 12 Māori (mixed firearms + hand weapons)
• 6 militia/civilians
• 6 constabulary/colonials

Expansion (for 40-a-side Blood & Steel)

• +20 British
• +40 Māori
• +10 militia
• +6 Constabulary
• +4 Scouts
• +10 civilians (women, elders, kids as markers) but maybe also as a small fighting group.
• packhorses / carts / boats

For the games to feel New Zealand Wars, add named personality figures.  :

• My Officers, and NCOs
• Guides
• Missionaries
• Interpreters
• Chiefs / rangatira
• Scouts

This use of personalities should steer it away from generic colonial gaming.

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10) Campaign structure 

The idea is to run a District Trouble Campaign.

Each game changes:

• public order
• settler fear
• Māori anger
• government authority
• who has the moral high ground

So the “winner” isn’t just who kills more — it’s who controls the district narrative.

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Some pictures:  where I am so far...

Some Maori

Northstar Tribals and an Irregular Shaman.  These have been my Carib Raiders up to now, repurposed as Maori.  Added to my Empress Miniatures it's still a few dozen left to paint.  And the basing needs work.

Terrain making

Pieces of coir doormat, pan scrub and some dried green moss, all on hardboard bases. Drying out from the pva.

Quite pleased with that.  Stand alone trees added

And the På village, on a retouched battle cloth.   I'll work on those pallisade bases.

The Budget

Horsehair and fern "bush" £3.50 (still have a big bag of it left.)

Flock hardboard, paint.  Call it £5

The Maori.  Already had the Empress Miniatures and the Tribals.  Call those £30 all in, 30 figures.

The eBay Foundry 1840s Colonials.  £25. 30 infantry, 5 horsemen and two cool guys carrying a stretcher, great objective marker.

Civilians.  Some of my wild west civilians, just the less wild looking ones.

The Naval Landing Party, a £5 lot I bid on at the wargaming club, complete with rowing sailors, guns and mortars, with crew, and the usual cutlass and pistol wielding guys.  It's a scratch build project for a couple of Maori war canoes, and a pair of British Naval boats.

The Caribs Raid Port Royal.

Port Royal.  On my refurbished battle board.  The buildings nowrest on thin carpet sections and are not so easy to slide around any more.  I probably need to do more flock work on it all though.

The divided party

and angry citizens!

Random draw, Crown forces versus the Caribs.  It's the Crown who are divided. 

Port Royal.

Solo play.  Both sides bid three and roll three dice.  The crown pass two, but the Carib win with three 7+

Initiative win the Caribs spread around the board.  It's a loot grab.

The Militia bunch up.

The Clique drags some loot away.

The Carib Shaman dashes out of cover and hurls a stinkpot.  Two militiamen are caught in the blast.  Both test and are shaken.

The NCO swings his halbard and knocks the Shaman's head.

With the Shaman shaken, Captain Stanley gets another hit on him. No more stinkpots in this game!

Wayai takes the high road

And he makes it to the Second rooftop.

But we get an Event.  Silas is grabbed by a gigantic crocodile.

Silas is dragged off,  never to be seen again.

The Shaman falls, run through the chitterlings by Stanley's hanger.

First time I've tried a video

(Music by Bensound.com/free-music-for-videos Artist: Roman Senyk. License code: DHEAFXKTDCQZKPBV)

Divn't fires his ancient smooth bore into the approachng NCO.  His shoot score is 6, it's under 4" so three hits!  All failed, he goes shaken

A Blowpipe dart from Nev'aa gets a single hit on the NCO, finishing him off..  Old School these Caribs.

The Caique fires at the Captain.  It's a ten on the critical dice.  The Captain fails his roll and falls.

That's game over as the rest of the Crown forces run away.

But we left Wayai on that roof.  He has one last leap to get to the prize

And he makes a great effort, over the 2" gap.

The Carib line up for a hero shot, escaping with the loot.

Still some terrain work to do but getting there.

The Queen's Own North Durhams at Gallipoli

The Queen's Own North Durham Fusiliers

Lt. Cecil “Strangely” Browne

County cricketer, peculiar under fire.

OFFICER (1) Cost 6. Experience 6

Fight 6/6 Shoot 6/6 Resolve 4

Special: » Command » Fate(1) » Drilled

Equipment: Revolver, Rifle, Whistle, Field Glasses

Fatigue: ☐0 ☐1 ☐2 ☐3 ☐4 ☐5 ☐6 Wounds

Cpl. Thomas “Old Sweat” Armstrong

Veteran, Boer War.Calm-resolved.

Leader* (1) Cost 5. Experience 5

Fight 6/6 Shoot 7/6. Resolve 4

Special. » Command. » Fate(1) » Drilled

Eqpt: Rifle, Revolver, Bayonet.

Fatigue: ☐0 ☐1 ☐2 ☐3 ☐4 ☐5 ☐6 Wounds:

 Pte. William “Bomber” Hargreaves

Section / marksman Patient Shot

SOLDIER Cost 4. Experience 5

Fight 6/6. Shoot 6/7. Resolve 5

Special » Drilled » Marksman

Equipment: Rifle, Bayonet, 2 x. Grenades

Fatigue: ☐0 ☐1 ☐2 ☐3 ☐4 ☐5 ☐6 Wounds:

L/Cpl. George Whitfield

Schoolteacher Slower- hesitates

NCO. (1) Cost 4 Experience 5

Fight 6/7 Shoot 6/7 Resolve 5

Special. » Brawler

Equipment: Rifle, Bayonet, notebook

Fatigue: ☐0 ☐1 ☐2 ☐3 ☐4 ☐5 ☐6 Wounds:

Pte. Robert “Bobby” Robson

Poacher- scout. Long sighted.

SOLDIER Cost 4. Experience 5

Fight 6/6. Shoot 6/7. Resolve 5

Special » Drilled

Equipment: Rifle, Bayonet,

Fatigue: ☐0 ☐1 ☐2 ☐3 ☐4 ☐5 ☐6 Wounds:

Pte. Alfie Briggs

Dock labourer turned infantryman. Impulsive-)oud

SOLDIER Cost 4. Experience 5

Fight 6/6. Shoot 6/7. Resolve 5

Special » Drilled. Brawler

Equipment: Rifle, Bayonet,

Fatigue: ☐0 ☐1 ☐2 ☐3 ☐4 ☐5 ☐6 Wounds:

Pte. “Dinger” Bell

Former Miner / runner poet

SOLDIER Cost 4. Experience 5

Fight 6/6. Shoot 6/7. Resolve 5

Special » Drilled

Equipment: Rifle, Bayonet,

Fatigue: ☐0 ☐1 ☐2 ☐3 ☐4 ☐5 ☐6 Wounds:

Pte. Colin “Wee Bairn” Thompson

Farm lad. Keen-eyed, eager, too brave by half.

SOLDIER Cost 4. Experience 5

Fight 6/6 Shoot 6/7 Resolve 5

Special: » Drilled

Equipment: Rifle, Bayonet

Fatigue: ☐0 ☐1 ☐2 ☐3 ☐4 ☐5 ☐6 Wounds

Pte. Ernest “Ernie” Lumsden

Lewis gunner. Former mill worker. Steady as a metronome.

SOLDIER Cost 5. Experience 5

Fight 6/7 Shoot 6/6 Resolve 5

Special: » Suppressive Fire » Drilled

Equipment: Lewis Gun, Sidearm, Spare Drums

Fatigue: ☐0 ☐1 ☐2 ☐3 ☐4 ☐5 ☐6 Wounds:

 

Pte. Harold “Pip” Pilling

Bomber. Ex‑chimney sweep. Quick hands, quicker temper.

SOLDIER Cost 4. Experience 5

Fight 6/6 Shoot 6/7 Resolve 5

Special: » Grenadier » Drilled

Equipment: Rifle, Bayonet, 2 × Grenades

Fatigue: ☐0 ☐1 ☐2 ☐3 ☐4 ☐5 ☐6 Wounds:

The Turks

OTTOMAN PATROL

Çavuş Osman Kaya
Seasoned NCO
SOLDIER Cost 5. Experience 5
Fight 6/6. Shoot 6/7. Resolve 4
Special. » Command. » Fate(1) » Drilled
Equipment: Rifle, Bayonet

Topçu Ahmet
Grenadier
SOLDIER Cost 4. Experience 5
Fight 6/6. Shoot 6/7. Resolve 5
Special » Drilled
Equipment: Rifle, Bayonet.2 x Grenades

Onbaşı Hasan Demir
Scout from the local villages
NCO. (1) Cost 4 Experience 5
Fight 6/7. Shoot 6/7. Resolve 5
Special. » Brawler
Equipment: Rifle, Bayonet, notebook

“Beardy” Kemal
Machine-gun assistant / marksman
SOLDIER Cost 4. Experience 5
Fight 6/6. Shoot 6/7.Resolve 5
Special » Drilled
Equipment: Rifle, Bayonet

“Tall” Ali
Young rifleman
SOLDIER Cost 4. Experience 5
Fight 6/6. Shoot 6/7 Resolve 5
Special » Drilled
Equipment: Rifle, Bayonet

Young Yusuf
The boy
SOLDIER Cost 4. Experience 5
Fight 6/6. Shoot 6/7. Resolve 5
Special » Drilled
Equipment: Rifle, Bayonet

More Turkish soldiers

Mehmet 

Mustafa 

Ahmet 

Ali 

Osman 

Hüseyin 

Halil 

Süleyman 

İbrahim 

Kemal 

The Game

PATROL GENERATOR (d6)

Mission: ☐ Wire Work ☐ Prisoner ☐ Trench Probe ☐ Bombing ☐ Rescue ☐ Courier

Time/Visibility: ☐ Pitch ☐ Moonlight ☐ Pre-dawn ☐ Dawn ☐ Day ☐ Dusk

Approach: ☐ Gully ☐ Beach ☐ Dead Ground ☐ Trench Line ☐ Scrub ☐ Wire Lanes

Enemy Alertness: ☐ Drowsy ☐ Routine ☐ On Edge ☐ Expecting Trouble ☐ Twitchy ☐ Fully Keyed

Twist: ☐ Flare ☐ Wrong Bay ☐ Lost ☐ Patrol ☐ Screams ☐ Hero

Complication: ☐ Ammo ☐ Officer ☐ Proof ☐ Quiet ☐ Timetable ☐ Terrain

Mission 3 Trench Probe

Time Pre Dawn

Approach. Dead ground

Enemy Alertness.  Routine

Twist.  Lost

Complication  Officer

Cecil "Strangely" Browne 2nd Lt of the Queen's Own North Durham Fusiliers, has decided to accompany 1st section on a Routine Trench Raid.  It's pre Dawn, and the Approach is through Dead ground.  The enemy are not especially alert tonight, but Browne has lost his bearings.  The Complication is that Browne is determined to press forwards, but dawn is approaching.

The Front Lines

Looking towards the Turkish trenches

1st Section muster at the redoubt.

2nd Lt Browne, Cpl Alfie, Bill, George, Eddie and the Old Lad.

The Old Lad goes into the gully.  The Turks are unaware!

Eddie and Corporal Alfie join him in the rocks.

But the Turks react with a grenade.

Meanwhile Strangely Browne leads the rest of his men to the Turkish parapet.

The Old Lad is wounded. And the Corporal carries him back.  Eddie carries out a rearguard.

After killing a Turk on the parapet, Browne grabs a prisoner.  "Beardy" Kemal comes quietly.

The Turks lead by Osman chuck a second grenade.  Bill cops some shrapnel.  Two fatigue.

Browne leaves George to get Bill home, and rushes his prisoner to Marble Arch

Butchers Bill, two wounded. All men lose one nerve.  Old Lad loses two, and Bill loses three.  He will need a rest, but the next mission is calling!

The Warlord: Naval Game Scenario 3.5

“Wolves on the Water” Interlude Scenario. 

Between Scenarios 3: The Marsh of Broken Reeds and 4: The Forest Clearing

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NARRATIVE SETUP

Word reaches Alsuum that two supply vessels are sailing upriver from the Duke, bearing:

• Reinforcements
• Supplies
• A rival lord’s authority

Among them sails Serjent Lambert, one of Crispinus’ trusted Sergeants at Arms, sent to guide them through the river mouths and dykes.

They do not sail alone.

Three Viking longships, under a newly risen chieftain, lurk among the islands and tidal channels — raiders, mercenaries, or something worse.

THE VIKING CHIEFTAIN (INTRODUCTION)

Hróðgeirr Black-Oar

Sea-Wolf of the Wädden Coast

• Ruthless, calculating, not a berserker
• Interested in plunder, hostages, and leverage
• Will return later in the campaign regardless of outcome

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FORCES INVOLVED

Frankish Convoy

• 2 Supply Vessels
  • Each carries:
    • 1 Foot Serjeant unit (reinforcements)
    • 1 Missile unit (archers or crossbows)
• One named Crispinus retainer, Serjant Lambert, aboard 

Vikings

• 3 Longships
  • Each carries:
    • 1 Foot Men-at-Arms–equivalent unit
    • Optional missile support (javelins or bows)

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TABLE SETUP

• Long table (river or coastal channel)
• Narrow navigable lanes
• Sandbanks, islands, tidal flats
• Cogs start together; longships may start hidden or staggered

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OBJECTIVES

Frankish Player

• Get at least one cog safely off-table
• Prevent capture of the named retainer

Viking Player

• Capture or sink at least one cog
• Capture a character (preferred over killing)

HRÓÐGEIRR BLACK-OAR

Sea-Wolf of the Wadden Coast

Role in the Campaign

• Naval raider, opportunist, hostage-taker
• Prefers leverage over slaughter
• Will retreat if victory is uncertain
• Returns stronger if not decisively defeated

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HRÓÐGEIRR BLACK-OAR (Leader Profile)

Counts as: Foot Men-at-Arms (Viking Hird)
Leader Type: Commanding Villain

Combat Stats (base unit)

• Attack: 5+
• Defence: 3+
• Courage: 3+
• Armour: Heavy
• Weapons: Axes, spears, shields

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SPECIAL TRAITS (choose ALL – he is a major villain)

⚓ Sea-Born Commander

• Units within 12” may re-roll one failed Activation if they are:
  • Embarked
  • Within 6” of water terrain
• This represents disciplined ship crews and naval confidence.

🪓 Measured Brutality

• Once per game, after winning a melee, Hróðgeirr may:
  • Force the enemy to re-roll successful Courage tests
• If this causes the enemy unit to flee, it counts as captured, not destroyed.

🐺 Never the Last Man

• If Hróðgeirr’s unit would be destroyed:
  • Roll 1d6
    • 4+ → He escapes and returns in a later scenario
    • 1–3 → He is wounded and misses the next game
• Only death occurs if defeated twice in one campaign arc.

🧠 Ransom Over Revenge

• If Hróðgeirr captures a character:
  • Viking player gains +1 Campaign Resource
  • Frankish player must roll on a Ransom / Humiliation table (optional later)

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HRÓÐGEIRR’S PERSONALITY (Narrative Use)

• Cold, mocking, pragmatic
• Will parley mid-battle
• Respects competence, not rank
• Knows the coast better than anyone except the Frisians

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SUBORDINATE CHARACTER

Egil Sharp-nose

Hróðgeirr’s Boarding Master

Lost part of his hand to a cog’s anchor chain. Replaced it with an iron hook. Brutal, loyal, hates knights.

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EGIL Sharp-nose (Sub-Leader)

Counts as: Foot Serjeants (Veteran Raiders)
Leader Type: Subordinate Villain

Combat Stats

• Attack: 5+
• Defence: 4+
• Courage: 4+
• Armour: Medium
• Weapons: Axe, hook, shield

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SPECIAL TRAITS

⚔️ Boarding Specialist

• Gains +1 Attack die when charging from:
  • A ship
  • Difficult terrain
  • Marsh, ford, or riverbank

🩸 Cruel Enforcer

• Enemy units Engaged with Egil suffer −1 Courage when testing to Rally or Withdraw.

🔗 Hook and Drag

• Once per game, Egil may:
  • Cancel an enemy Withdraw
  • Forcing a second round of melee immediately

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CAMPAIGN RELATIONSHIP

• If Egil is killed:
  • Hróðgeirr gains Hatred (Crispinus’ Retinue) in future battles
• If Egil survives multiple games:
  • He may be promoted to lead a second raiding force

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RETINUE LOYALTY IMPACT

Whenever Hróðgeirr appears:

• Frankish Retinue:
  • −1 Loyalty if supplies, ships, or men are lost to him
• If Hróðgeirr is driven off:
• +1 Loyalty (men believe the coast can be held)

Sergeant Lambert, the game and the narrative versions!

The Rhine Estuary.  Frankish supply ships sight three Viking raiders

The lines close and the Franks launch a volley of arrows 

But the lead Viking grapple, and fails.

The second d Viking ship does grapple.  The second Frankish ship swings out to bypass.

The Viking shooting is poor.

A boarding action.  The Franks do well.  I'm using e chipboard terrain as rough.  All figures hit on 5-6.

And the Franks get onto the Vling ship

More shooting

And the Viking shooting is poor, again.

Shooting from the second Frankish ship is powerful.  Courage test fail.

The locked together ships drift inshore.

And the third Viking ship comes to the rescue.  But al, three drift around.

Leaving g it's Milites on board the third Viking ship, still locked in a boarding action, the second Frankish ship makes a break for it.

And the Viking ship is taken

A captured Longship and stolen longship escape off table.  Sergeant Lamberg makes it home.

But the locked together ships are aground

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SPECIAL EVENTS (Roll When a double is rolled for activation --> on 1d6)

1. Shifting Tides – Random sandbank emerges

1. Fog Bank – All shooting −1 this turn

1. Oar Clash – One longship loses movement

1. Panicked Crew – Test Courage or lose activation

1. Favorable Wind – One cog gains extra move

1. Boarding Opportunity – Free Charge if in contact

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CAMPAIGN CONSEQUENCES
If the Franks Win:

• One reinforcement unit arrives immediately in Scenario 4

• The Duke’s favor increases (future event bonus)

If the Vikings Win:

• One reinforcement unit is lost or captured

• Hróðgeirr gains intelligence about Alsuum

• Vikings may appear in a future land raid

If It’s a Draw:

• Supplies lost, but men survive

• Both sides gain reason to escalate