The Sword & The Flame Rides Again!

How has TSATF stood the Test of Time?

My 1e and 3e Rules pictured

Periodically, I have been very tempted to get my 1994 3e. TSATF out onto the table and give it a play strictly "Rules As Written" or RAW.  That's usually prompted by my long-standing weeknight gaming group running a game with some confusion! They've played it for so long that no one remembers which rules have been tweaked, dropped, or are still "as written".  

But I've also wanted to get this on the table because my memory says - without confusions - it is a classic, fun design with strong narratives and even some aspects of Role-Playing Games [RPGs].  Have I been blinded by nostalgia?  Or is it really as great as I remember it?  Let's see!

My 15mm French Foreign Legion and Arabs need to get on the table. I bought them as a set, with a cardboard fort [long since lost in the Sands of Time] from Stone Mountain Miniatures [remember those guys??]. They're still in production thanks to Wargaming Miniatures [CLICK]. They are a solid bunch of sculpts, with animated Arabs and disciplined French; some pics [HERE]. 

Plus, they are a nostalgia trip - I got them some time in the 1980s, and they have survived at least a dozen moves and numerous Significant Females! They did get lost in a box for a few years, quite forgotten. I did eventually re-discover them [looking for something else], which sort of started a nostalgia trip that I blogged about [HERE] at "Up The Blue!" [being a desert themed project, they are VERY suitable for this blog]. After a few forays using them with a couple of other rules sets, I got them organized and even bought a few extra packs.

This time around, however, it is TSATF 3e all the way,! I decided to play out a variation on The Battle of Chamla Valley from the rules, a skirmish that's still a  pleasure to read:

Poor Lt. Rigby - did not fair well in his first action.  What did his dear wife Eleanor think?

Enough now of rules, charts and measurements!  Let us leave them behind and journey to another time and place...!

Lt. Gaston Merlot has been entrusted with urgent supplies for Fort Zinderdix. To escort the caravan, he has two squads of 10 Legionnaires, a Maxim Gun, and two mounted scouts.

The bold Grognards of 1st Squad are eager for a fray! The Gunners are looking for the enemy, and ready to deploy at any moment.

Second squad is eager to get shooting!

Waiting to ambush the caravan - and redistribute wealth to the needy - are a unit of spear-armed Camelmen...

...a Heroic bandit, erhm, Leader, Sheik Ali tum-Bali, and his 20 closest cousins. He makes a suitable speech: "Friends, Bedouin, Countrymen..." he has heard this somewhere, but can't place it. The best speeches are like the best goods - acquired from others, he knows...

The Sheik's other 20 closest cousins, lead by the notorious "creative acquisitioner" Le Souk Noir.

Far up the dusty road, Ali tum-Bali waits with most of his force, ready to pounce when the moment is just right...

...and the moment will be just right when the French interlopers have cousins to the left of them, cousins to the right of them, and cousins behind them!

Lt. Merlot heads into the valley, but it is quiet - TOO quiet! His veteran sergeant, Jacques Singar, whispers in his ear... "Perhaps, mon sieur, the scouts should be out and about?"  Merlot hurriedly tasks them to search over the hills and ridges.

Interesting observation... diced movement distances can force you to slow down to stay together, or hurry to catch up, depending on how the head of the column rolls.  Funny how realistic this is, and without a lot of fancy rules!  Doing some math in my head, I move along at an average pace, or 12" for most of the column.

The Scouts despatched, a droit e a gauche, they move to get their eyes into the dead ground over the hills.  They yawn, one eats an apple, there is certainly nothing out and about in this desolate and forbidding land...

Sacre bleu!  Que-est-ce que c'est?  Les enfants terrible de Le Souk Noir! 

The shout is raised, and the scout points ahead. The Bedouin rifles man the ridge, while their spearmen start to flank the lead squad to attack it after it has been shot to pieces. The French deploy in open order, the Maxim alongside ready to cover anywhere in the valley. They assemble the gun quickly and efficiently.

Behind, the Second squad also spreads out, ready to support the First.

But no sooner are they prepared to meet this threat when a gun shot and wild shouts from the scout on the left are heard.  He wheels about to report back when a shot rings out and brings him down. Bedouin rifles are spreading onto the hill, while spearmen block the road ahead - the convoy cannot advance, unless they attack!

The Bedouin ambush was sprung early. I played each side as well as possible and as in character as possible. I used all RAW, including the fraction shooting mechanic. When I had fewer shooters than could get one hit, I did a quick figure of the % and rolled a d10. On the small table, with small 10-fig units, I didn't want to deprive either side of being able to hit anything at all.

The spearmen moved quickly down the ridge line as their riflemen died under a hail of Maxim and rifle bullets. They caused a couple of casualties against the Legionnaires but couldn't pull a face card for a gunner!

The ululating cries of the Bedouin echo in the valley. Down the road they come, and Merlot knows they are behind and to his right also. He hopes Sgt. Singar slows them down. Lt. Merlot insists on disciplined volleys which have a telling effect on the Bedouin shooting from the sandy ridge.

"For what we are about to receive, mon Dieu, let us be truly thankful," mutters Sgt. Singar. The Bedouin are very close, close enough to throw their spears if they want. "Fall back, fall back" he cries to 2nd squad.  He knew he had to trade space for time yet stay close to Lt. Merlot.

On the road, the cunning Arabs dash up and over the sandy ridge, out of the French field of fire. Meanwhile, Arab riflemen advance off the hill and close with Lt. Merlot, 1st Squad and the Maxim. Somewhere, we must advance! he thinks - the ridge line is too easy for them to hide behind.

What's the difference between a pincer movement and a badly coordinated attack?  Timing, mostly.  Due to some low rolls - despite 5 d6 for their movement - I moved the camels behind the ridge line also. Too late, I realized that with most of the Arabs behind the ridge the French were now free to move across the open against the 10 Arab riflemen. These would never stop 20 French and a Maxim gun. The best part about playing solo, is that I still make mistakes for both sides...!

Lt. Merlot signals the convoy to keep moving left, followed by the Legionnaires. They stay close enough to the Arabs to keep them chasing, but outside of spear range. Lt. Merlot thinks they just *might* make it around the hill and back to the road...peut etre...

The thin line of Bedouin skulk in the bush, led by their Mad Mullah, Ali tum-Bali. He hurls insults, imprecations and implications against the French while his men hurl lead, wounding more Legionnaires. Still, the Maxim accounts for a cluster near tum-Bali though missing Himself.

1st Squad was in a bad way, caught in an Arab crossfire. Several wounded were carried away from the savage ambushers, which meant less French firepower. The Maxim still had no casualties, as the Bedouin seemed unable to pull a face card when firing upon the area with 1st Squad. 

>>Thought: the area fire rules are unique, and solve one problem with Unit-based shooting and targeting mechanics. I quite like it!<<  

The situation is becoming serious - French casualties are at 25%.

As Lt Merlot and his men assist the wounded, Sgt Singar forms a tight square to anchor the flank as the Le Souk Noir's spearmen crest the ridge. The French are ready to stand, and the Arabs are ready to hurl themselves down the hill...

Screaming, the Arab spears race against the - tiny - French square. A couple of Les Bleus back off into the square after one Legionnaire is caught in the chest by a spear. Another is down with a shaft in his chest. But the grim veterans of many desperate moments fight back fiercely, bayonetting and firing at point blank range. 

Shouting wildly, a black-garbed Arab with a graying beard enters the fray swinging left and right - surely this must be Le Souk Noir Himself!  He cuts down a Legionnaire in a spray of blood. On the return swing, he tries to repeat this performance but is parried by a rifle, the sword ringing out against the barrel. Then the scout fires his carbine into Le Souk's chest and he falls back, spitting blood.

The Arabs pass their Close Into Combat roll, and the French their Stand and Fight roll. The spearmen use the value of a die roll, with no bonus [might have to change this?]. The French are +2 being in square. Despite this significant advantage, The French lose some of the fights and barely win the Close Combat. Partly this is due to Le Souk Noir's cutting down one Legionnaire, before being cut down himself.

"Aha! Your father was a hamster!" shouts Le Souk.

"But your mother smells of elderberry!" responds the Scout.

With Le Souk down, the few surviving spearmen flee, leaving dead and wounded behind, littering the slope. The Legionnaires catch their breath, sip their water.

The French managed to hold out, but lost 3 figs, more than expected. Overall, the French Infantry are perilously close to 50%, with only 12 of 20 left.  They are the heart of the French force - if they Rout, the game is over, man!

As Turn 4 ends, things look bad for the French. Although they have destroyed one unit of foot [10 spears, 10 rifles] they have taken significant losses and have not advanced very far down the road. I decided they need to head as quickly as possible away from the main Arab force, now maneuvering behind the ridge out of the French line of fire. The Maxim will cover them while they carry their wounded to safety.

The camel-van grunts and brays its way to the French left, and...safety?

The French load up their wounded - the camels may stink and it will be uncomfortable, but it is far better than being captured!

Below, the vulture's view of the fight. Obviously, I've over-concentrated on the right, and the French are now free to move to the left against only 7 Bedouin.

"Allons, allons! Tout vite!" The French dash forwards, a few glancing behind, but they seem to have thrown the Arabs a surprise. Still, the White Sheik shouts and gestures, and his rifles quickly move onto the ridge the French plan to escape along - now they will have to force a way through! Some hesitate, but they have no choice except to take up positions in the rough ground.

The Arab rifles take some casualties and then pass their Critical Morale check - barely, thanks to Sheik Ali tum-Bali being present.

Behind, the rest of the Arab force is hurrying to catch up, a disorderly mass of camels and spears. Even the remaining four figures manage to pass their Rally roll.

The Camels are fast - can they slow down the French enough for the spearmen to catch up? The French firepower is whittling down the small force blocking them on the left ridge - soon they will escape!

There! There! points Lt. Merlot to the Maxim gunners. They orient their fire to the right as grunting and braying camels exit a small pass in the ridge line. Several fall, including one who is leading them! The French give a cheer as the advance stalls.

The French push forward with their infantry, then swing the maxim around as the chasing Arabs break cover - four camel jockeys down, including the Leader, dead! This could be the break the French need to escape...

Turn 7, the Leaderless Camels roll a '6' and Stand in Place. The rest chase the French. The French, meanwhile, are advancing rapidly against the few Arabs in front of them. Can they attack Sheik Ali tum-Bali and his remaining loyal rifles? No! He cleverly dodges around behind them, having a later Move Card.

A careless Bleu is suddenly stabbed by a wounded Arab and goes down! 

I completely forgot about the Wounded Native rule until I moved onto them, and decided it was only fair to roll the die...

Turn 8, the French are over 50%, and so are the Camel-cavalry, thanks to some more Maxim fire; both pass their Critical Morale as do the spearmen '4'. The French moved down the ridge, trading space for time, and shooting every chance they got. Most of the deadly fire was coming from the Maxim as the French infantry are carrying wounded. One gunner was finally killed, however, from a lone shot by the Sheik's bodyguard!

And the final three camel jockeys again roll a '6', and Stand in Place!

And they are mercilessly gunned down by French shooting from the ridge.

Lt. Merlot surveys the scene: the camelvan is about to round the ridge's end while the last of the Arabs in the valley are shot down. But the Sheik escapes the carnage and several spearmen are getting very close to the Maxim. Look right! he shouts. The spearmen seem to be double their number as they bound over rocks and brush. Panic suddenly sets in, one Legionnaire drops his rifle and flees...

Turn 9, the spearmen were close!  But the caravan was almost around the hill and ready to move up the far side of the board. The Legionnaires wiped out the final remnants of the Arab force in the valley, except for the Sheik.

Turn 9 Critical Morale...the French roll a '12'!  They Rout off the board at this point - they are too close to the edge and have nowhere to Move for what would almost certainly be a Rally next turn.

The bitter end - 10 French and 5 wounded escape. The rest will have to be abandoned. We hope they saved their last bullet...for themselves...

Well, that was a close encounter! I really thought that the French tactic was going to work, but didn't expect to fail Critical Morale, needing a 10 or less!  Moving along the edge of the board was fine, until the morale failure forced them to move 4d6 towards the nearest edge - as it was a corner, they were heading off board no matter what, and away from the forward corner they needed to exit via the road for a win.

A shame, as with just 7 spearmen chasing them [albeit with a Leader], had their morale held just another Turn, the Arabs would almost certainly fail first, needing a 7 or less to pass. Note that the RAW says you need to roll *under* the Morale number to pass - equal or higher and you fail. Something that I will likely clean up in the future.

While I did make a few mistakes with the rules, I believe I got all the most important parts right. There are quite a few little niggling bits of rules here and there, and TSATF cries out for a good player's sheet that summarizes all the most important bits.

Overall, this set of rules has held up very well, especially for a 1977 design!  With only about 12-13 pages of actual rules, and quite wordy at times, they manage to cover all the essential aspects of skirmish combat well: chaotic events, unpredictable sequences, the difficulty of getting a plan to work. Shooting is likely the most reliable aspect of the game, with just a little bit of variable thrown in; a number of designers would agree that enough firepower averages out, while maneuvering under pressure is unpredictable.

Are there a few little things I'd like to tweak? Yes, but not much!  And what I really need now is a couple more games under my belt, and a good players aid to make it easier for me to keep track of what I am doing.

I can see myself using these rules for several periods, including my Spanish Civil War in 20mm project [despite the tanks], and my Mexican Civil War in 25mm project. They have just the right amount of everything you need for a good game, and I daresay that in many ways they are more "realistic" than lots of other rules that are significantly more complex and significantly less fun.

*     *     *

Lt. Merlot follows his fleeing men in despair. Back at headquarters, he is forced to report that the supplies were not able to get through, after being ambushed by a far superior force. Despite causing 35 casualties, Lt. Merlot lost half his men and failed his mission. 

Reflecting on the action in Shamla Valley, Lt. Merlot considered that the whole affair had been managed well, but panic cannot be predicted. For his first time under fire he had not done too badly. Besides, the entire company was even now preparing to re-enter the Shamla and "tomorrow is another day".