Davik Island story -First Night ( Imagination campaign fiction )

 Using Carlist War figures, Napoleonic dismounted British Light Dragoons, various others as characters we tried to make a low figure count game based on the Davik raid in our Imagination campaign.  In this scenario we have many troop choices based on small groups of figures mounted separately for use in skirmish games such as Chosen Men  or Sharpe's Practice.  

The first game was to be the story of the Line Infantry battalion and a few Sailors moving to occupy the  village of Eastview.  If the village is taken and held by the Daharans,  the small docks will replace the beach as a supply point. Also available for the fleet will be any naval stores located in the village.  Local residents have indicated that there are no permanent garrisons in the villages of Davik. Only the ferry port has a small garrison and of course the School of Light Infantry Tactics has troops.

Of course, things never go quite to plan. What follows  is a small unit story of a recon mission gone bad.  Those of you who dislike the blending of Napoleonic and fantasy elements should know there are no guarantees everything is straight forward. 

 

 

    Several small recon parties were made from sloops.

  Pictured here are the DHS Minnow and the DHS Prophet's Will 

off the portion of the coast . Sketch by author

 

There was a small scouting party of seven commanded by Ensign Bickford, a scion of the company with a lucrative empire contract for black powder.  He was seconded by Midshipman Tanner. 

The  party landed and then proceeded to reach Eastview on the northern shore .  They never returned.  This is the story of what happened.  

Or is it?

Initially following the coastal hills, the lack of moonlight and a series of low clouds and foggy areas convinced Ensign  Bickford  to adjust the line of march to a more inland approach to the village. The group found a road upon which an inn appeared a short distance into the fog. 

Reconstruction of Inn encountered.  Travelers found by scout here.

Travelers three.

      Yeah, I know what some of you are thinking.

It was almost 1 am as the group of scouts left to find the village. A short distance from the inn, another group of three watched the departure of the scout. This group went away in the opposite direction from the inn. 

Cononly and friends

"Observe and report , do not get engaged. They have a lot of nerve, " trilled Sgt. Able. The notices were flying to all ends of the island; the  ferry port administrator, the School for Light Infantry Tactics commanding Officer, you would think it is a full scale invasion rather than a raid. The post office supplied horses when possible, but some requisitioning was inevitable.

 To:  von Nitwix, Island Administrator, Col. Arbranthy, SLIT Commanding Officer 

Report: Unidentified ships off island 's Northern coast. Estimated 20 to 30 ship's boats involved in ferrying troops to the island.. Estimated total troops landed is 500 to  1,000. Scouting patrols reported moving to the neighboring villages searching for supplies, livestock and common plundering.

4am, Day 1 of Incursion.