The Mad Fakir on the Arcot road

Game 3. The skirmish at Chinta.

The Mad Fakir has been stirring up trouble.

The British don't initially know whether he is:

• a religious agitator,
• a spy,
• an agent of the Sultan,
• an extremely troublesome chap.
• A mad man who believes he is Lord Hanuman, the Monkey god

Ranjit however knows that he is all of those things.  As well as exactly who he is.  Ram Shackle is another one of Randi's mad brothers.  

British mission

Send a single Company detachment to Chinta and investigate.

At least three British groups must enter Chinta.

But the main column must continue towards Ramesh.

Sultanate forces

Mostly:

• levies
• irregulars
• a few militia
• perhaps 2–3 cavalry
• The Bhuna returns, on an elephant.

The trick

The Fakir has deliberately spread rumours that the Sultan's main army is coming from Chinta.

Random event table

Whenever the British first enter Chinta:

1: Randi comes to believe that the elephant is Lord Ganesh 

2: Villagers provide false information.

3: 2 levy units attack.

4: Cavalry ambush.

5: The Fakir escapes but leaves evidence of Sultanate involvement.

6: The Fakir himself is captured.

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6th (Grahame's) Company — 2nd Madras

Captain Mr Gunnar Grahame III — Company Commander
“Brainy, dark and sarcastic”
HQ Group — The Veterans

• Ranjit “Randi” Ram — Sepoy, Batman to Mr Grahame
• Veteran NCOs/sepoys forming the company HQ group

Four platoon groups:

Group	Commander	Character
1	Subadar III Singh Dhoni	No sense of humour; middle-aged
2	Jemadar II Varun Aaron	Incredibly short-sighted; bold
3	Havildar-Major I Mohit Sharma	A coward of massive proportions
4	Havildar I Yuvraj Singh	Very thin and dour

Strength: 48 men
Training: Drilled
Musketry: Fair shots
Armament: East India Company flintlock musket, 46", with bayonet

LEFT WING (Grahame)

• Group 3 — 12 Veterans in tall hats.
• Group 4 — 12 men

RIGHT WING (Subhadar)

• Group 1 — 12 men
• Group 2 — 12 men

Light Group (Havildar)

• Group 5 — 12 men

The Game

I roll a 1.  Randi thinks the elephant is Lord Ganesh.  This will be interesting...

Chinta, a small village on the North road.

Lt Grahame's Sixth Company of the 2nd Madras march towards the village.

The Company deploys and readies   The enemy can be seen in the village.

It's the Bhuna of Dahl on an elephant and Ram Shackle, the mad Fakir.
Although the fanatical followed of the Fakir wait in cover.

The Bhuna has a large group of 18.  He exchanges vollies with the Left Wing under Grahame himself

Resolve tests passed, but men fall.  Randi reluctantly becomes a front ranker!

Further along the line the 2nd Madras fire is mighty.

And the Fakir waits.  Lately he has come to the conclusion that he is the avatar of Hanuman, the Monkey god.

The Madras tactics of volley fire are having an effect.

The Bhuna's light horsemennget out onto a flank, watched by the dour Havildar Singh with the light group.

And I roll the dice 1-3 Grahame charges the disordered Bhuna, 4-6 he presses on with the volley fire.  Fate rolls a 3 and Grahame orders a charge. "Now then fellows, fix those bayonets, what!"

Six vs five, three Green turbans fall, two Madras soldiers.  The 2nd pass the disorder test, the Bhuna rolls double 1.  The natives surge backwards 

Defeat as the Bhuna's large unit recoils in disorder, leaving Randi with the elephant wondering how the Bhuna vanished from that howdah!

Havildar Sharma, that huge coward, shoots the elephant right in front of Randi!

Confronted with the dying elephant Randi has an out of body experience as he is admonished by Lord Ganesh.  He is told he is a traitor to his people who must serve the British until the end of the Raj.  
Randi is disconcerted.  

The Fakir's attack

The 2nd Madras pour fire into the village.

And the light horse are still neutralised by the lights 

But the Fakir attacks.  It's the Subedars group and he sees them off with the bayonet.

The Fakir is routed and Captain Grahame wins the day.

A great game.  Rebels and Patriots did really well, and was far easier on the brain than Washington's Army.  But, this was a company level skirmish, so it leaned more to the Daniel Mersey set.

Great fun.

I still feel bad about the elephant though!