The Last Train from JinShui

Shamelessly stolen from the Major General.
Have a look at the original scenerio: The Last Train from Goldwasser, adapted with the kind permission of the author.

Scenario Outline

Thigimi Province lies along the coast of China, just up the Moucao river from Shuisha. Prior to the outbreak of the war, the Emperor had allowed (anachronistically, as fate would have it) a railroad to be built into the rich mine at Jinshui to bring in European goods and opium. With the outbreak of war with China, General Lord Parsley Garnish has comandeered a train to take himself, his command and Sir Rand McNally, as well as the last of the garrison's ammunition and opium from the warehouses out of Jinshui. Unfortunately, by the time the train is loaded, the small irregular force in Jinshui have barricaded the bridge and called up an Imperial relief force from Fatcao.

Scene

The railway line runs from the town to the bridge which crosses the Moucao River and then continues on to Shuisha. A stone barricade blocks the railway bridge, courtesy of the Imperial Chinese Ragged Banner Army. The profile mountains in the center of the table divide it into two theatres: the coast and the pass. The mountains end at the ruins and this area represents the mouth of the pass.

Objectives

Forces

British
On Train
1 unit (20) of 99th Infantry + Lord Garnish & Sir Rand with staff + trainmen
At Ruins
1 unit (20) of Royal Marines + 1/2 unit (10) Royal Navy Sailors + 1 Cannon (may set up anywhere between ruins and hills in the pass)
At Town
1/2 unit (6) of Bengal Lancers
In Launch
1 Bow Chaser gun + 1/2 unit (10) US Navy landing party + 3 sailors
In Cliffs, at pass
1 unit (20) French Turcos (cannot be meleed or move out of cliffs; need not be evacuated).

Appropriate Officers.

Imperials
At Bridge
1/2 unit (10) Citizen's Army Infantry (rifles) and barricade of 12 stones.
In Pass
2 units (20) Imperial matchlocks, 1 unit (20) Imperial Archers, 1 unit (20) Imperial Pikes, 1 jingal (enter between trees)
1/2 unit (6) of Bannermen Cavalry + 1 unit (20) of Ragged Banner Army Melee Arms (enter between trees and mountains)

Commanders and Appropriate Officers.

Special Rules

Adapted and reprinted with kind permission.

Terrain
Hills
3" penalty per contour going up. No cost going down.
Two hill contours blocks line of sight.
A figure behind one hill contour is Class 3 target to firers on the same level as target figure.

Road
+1D6 movement bonus to any figure making at least half of normal move on road. Roll the normal move first, then bonus if figure qualifies. Road is 2 figures wide.

River
Not fordable. Figures transferring to or from Launch take a 3" penalty.

Tree bases
Rough Terrain (half speed). Block line of sight except for figures at edge.

Ruins
Rough Terrain (half speed). Figures in ruins are Class 4 targets.
Cavalry may not enter ruins or melee troops in ruins. Ruins block line of sight except for figures at edge.

The Train
Train may accelerate by 1 speed-level per turn, decelerate by 2 speed-levels per turn. When accelerating, the train must take its basic move and may take any part of its die-roll bonus. When decelerating or at constant speed, it must take its entire move.

Figures attempting to board a moving train die if they fail to make the boarding die roll.
Train is carrying horses for general and staff.
Firing figures aim at engine or individual car. Engine range measured to stack, cars to front coupler.
Figures in train are Class 3 targets. Trainmen are key figures.
Each car can hold 20 men; 10 can fire from each side, 2 from each end.
Against small arms, Engine is a class 2 target. Ace causes one damage point to engine.

For each damage point, roll 1D6 each turn thereafter and reduce rolled speed by that amount. A trainman may repair one damage point per turn on a roll of 4,5,6 but not on the same turn the damage is caused.

Against artillery, Engine is a class 2 target. Face card causes 1 point of damage (trainman is killed if face card is a heart). Red ace derails train. Black ace causes boiler explosion (see below).

Launch starts at 1D6, accelerates by 1D6 per turn. Max speed is 3D6. May stop anytime. Moves forward or backward.
Launch is a class 3 target. Measure from stack. Damage to launch and sailors as for train and trainmen.

Barricade
The Barricade may not exceed 12 rocks.
1 soldier or crewman may move one rock per turn if not moving or fighting.

If train (stack) runs into barricade, roll 1D6 for each level of speed and subtract the number of rocks still in the barricade. Cross-index the result with the speed-level.

Example: the train is moving at Level 2 (Low) speed, so rolls 2 dice and gets a 7. The barricade has 5 stones remaining, 7-5=2. The result is read by cross-indexing +2 with the train's speed-level, and the result is a Successful crash of the barricade.

Success
Train keeps moving,pushes barrier aside.
A - Barrier destroyed, but train stops; may move next turn.
B - Barrier destroyed, but train stops; may move on a fix roll of 3+ (one attempt per turn, only if there is a live trainman)
C - Barrier intact, but reduced to half. Train stops; may move on a fix roll of 3+ (one attempt per turn, only if there is a live trainman)
D - Derailed; may not move again.
X - Boiler explosion; all in engine killed; all in second car or within 6" save on 6; all in third car or within 6-12" save on 4+.

On a result of B, C, or D, every figure aboard must make a saving throw - if the throw is LESS than the train's speed level, the figure is dead.

Return to the dispatches to read about more encounters.
View the figures and scenery for this scenario.
Go back and reread the exciting tale of the Last Train from JinShui.

The Last Train from JinShui