In Her Majesty's Name - Hunt for the Russian Witch

America (British Thirteen Colonies, Niagara province), 1888

Her Majesty's grip on the British Thirteen Colonies in America is tenuous at best, what with the rise of American continental power.  

Section 6 of the British Colonial Intelligence Corps has learned of a possible threat from the Russian sorceress Svetlana Pushkin who is suspected of intending to raise a revolt against British rule.

Peregrine Carruthers (Sec.6 007) has dispatched a British Colonial Military section under Captain Easterly, to capture the Russian minx.  His initial efforst found little success.  An attack on her wilderness hut took out her followers but Svetlana escaped and fled west with her brother and their magical allies.  

The British have pursued her into the wooden hills west of Niagara and finally catch up with her as she meets with Shaman Ten Beavers of the Haudenosaunee Iroquois Nation.

Ten Beavers has offered her sanctuary in return for some of her magical secrets.

It's at that moment the British turn up...

Captain Easterly is keen to capture Svetlana, and with her fresh allies, Svetlana is keen to capture the British commander.  She wants to know why they are hunting her so hard, and what the British plans are.

The battlefield in all its forested glory.  Finding Svetlana in this terrain is going to be tricky for the British.

No matter, the British advance towards the river where their mountain men scouts say the Russian witch is meeting with local natives.

The centre of the British line is spearheaded by Corporal Batty in his Vickers Bulldog steam-walker.  Armed with Congreive rockets and a fearsome steam-powered tree saw, Batty is quite a foe.

Svetlana, her brother Yuri, and their ice golem Igor hide behind a hill opposite the British steam walker, with their native allies nearby.  The Haudenosaunee are amred with old muskets, but they are expert shots with these antique weapons, as the British will find to their cost.

Igor emanated icy steam and raw malevolance as he stands resolute in defence of his mistress.

 The action opens on the north flank, as the Haudenosaunee yenaloosi (werewolf) emerges from the forest in a snarling fury.  Taking out Old Bat the Quebeqios scout, Howling Wolf then proceeds to tear the terrified red coats to pieces; despite some stout work from the British bayonets and Martini-Henry rifle butts. 

Meawhile, in the centre, the British receive a second body blow as the native muskets rip into the Bulldog's boiler.  Immobilised, it gouts a huge cloud of steam and rocks on its footings as its rivets judder and threaten to explode.

Eckersly looks on in horror, and spots the renegade Yuri across the river to the north.  Unfortunately he is out of range of the arc rifles carried by Eckersley's men.  However, the native musket-men turn their fire on the British commander and his men, and a fire fight breaks out, with the British electrical arcs raking the natives.  Private Batty also lauches his rockets into the trees causing consternation and injuries among the Haudenosaunee.

To the south, the British riflemen can hear the crackling of musket fire though the woodland, but can't see much of what's going on.

Meanwhile, Igor and the remaining braves advance to the south towards the British leader.

The Russian/Haudenosaunee pincer movement develops as Yuri and Howling Wolf circle in from the north and finish off the Stricken Bulldog.  The yenaloosi's claws tear through the British iron and Private Batty meets a fearful end.

To the south, the braves charge the British line and knife meets bayonet in a desperate struggle.

Eckersly's attack is going poorly along the whole line and the British are making little headway.  Svetlana is nowhere to be seen; nor is Ten Beavers.  As the British Captain urges Bushy Bill forwards to scout out the terrain and find the Russian witch...

Igor emerges, a terrifying sight for even the bravest sort.

The ice beast charges into its quarry and upper lip severely stiffened, Eckersly brandishes his sabre.

The fight is short-lived however, and Eckersly is knocked unconscious.  The remaining British troops are overcome and a few desperate survivors flee back east to civilisation.

Another interesting IHMN game.  The rules are a little simplistic, but make for an interesting game.  There are definitely balance issues, and some odd 'hit and damage' results.

All told though a decent game and my sporadic Victorian Sci-fi series rolls on steadily.