Davik Island raid starting to unload ( Imaginations mini campaign )

 The story so far:

The ships were anchored beyond the shallows sand and pebblebars, somewhere near a dozen small boats were lowered, filled with occupants.  A light breeze brought the smell of salt and a few sounds of the endeavors unfolding before them

The local shepherds decided to send a fellow to the village to alert of the authorities . Mounted on the swiftest ram, he  could not provide a, good idea of the size of the effort but could identify the landing site. The would frame the first reactions to the Daharan raid.

By nightfall the landing party was ashore,  a camp set up and local patrols set up to prevent surprises in the night. A force of two battalions of consolidated Marines and Sailors  were ashore,  and a pair of ships guns were being assembled for extra firepower. 

A patrol leaving the dunes of Davik. 

Boring part:

The story will spin out over a few games that will use several different rules sets.  The entire raiding force is not huge one.  The more interesting mechanics will likely be the next moves by the local opposition.  We might use Chosen Men in scenarios where patrols cash, Rebels and Patriots for larger actions and even the engine behind Silver Bayonet for a really small mission.  

The background on the island has been done in broad strokes in the prior blog entry.   

(  The size of the island may provide the best challenge to both sides. )

Back to the thrillin' narrative. 

  Area of landing.

From the Daharan point of view:

As the locals fled with their flocks,  the raiders looked at their map and decided to move West to the village of Brigadoon  in the attempt to find something worth taking. The column of Sailors and Marines stretched out to the firm landscape just away from the beach.  The line infantry battalion left a unit behind to guard the stores still near the beach. The rest marched East on a more verdant area hoping to find the riches that might await in the village of Eastview.

The Daharan fleet took up station, with the S.O.L. Azreal and two large merchantmen covered by the frigates  Daemon  and Purson; the picquet line was manned by the sloops and brigs of the fleet.  So far, so good.  

The first day for the Naval party column was uneventful if unrewarding with no opposition and little collected loot. COL. Rigg was annoyed, the Prophet hierarchy seemed to think that the raid would steal as much as the Cossack raids on southern Dahara.  There would be pressure to take something of value from the priests back on the ships.  

  

 Reaching into the pile of not painted for suitable landing party members.

 

The major in command of the 7th infantry column was equally unimpressed with the prospect of high value loot, the coastal village was remarkably ordinary.  The lack of fishing boats was very telling about the lack of surprise to the locals the raid had managed.  Push farther, as his orders stated, and maybe better loot-----but probably more likely opposition.  

During the first night of the raiders stay,  locals were looking the watch fires, trying to make sense of the size of the raid. They'd alerted the island's administrator in the ferry port.  The locals were slowly gathering their armed   members into small groups  to snipe at the enemy when the time came.

The crews of the picket boats were watchful but quickly becoming bored. Just far out enough to have the land lose all detail to the unaided eye, seaward had a monotonous tableau in that few ships were sighted . 

Back to boring part:

In setting up the map for campaign (raid) movement,  I noticed the map shows a village in 27A3. This is the leftmost square in the map above.  The marvelous atlas for the Warplan 5x5 has no entry for the square having a village or other man-made place located in  27A3.  Literally the first time this has happened.  So the location and any actions here are likely to be "non standard " in setting.  And since the village,  if indeed that's what it is, had no name, I christened it Brigadoon.

  

  

 St Patrick's themed, or possible Brigadoon denizens?

And lest the other side is to be ignored:

Colonel Montglas was surprised by the news of raiders. He wasn't sure what size force landed on Davik, but he had to react in any case. The two permanent units, the Wermland and the Savolax regiments started off within hours of the news. His second in command, Major Anton, was to follow up with the temporary battalion formed from the companies that were at the training center for light tactics.   This should be the next day. His staff officers were sent to each island village and the ferry port to determine whether the Daharans were in any other areas. Raid or invasion,  the Colonel knew the best use of the units available was to find the enemy force quickly.