The attack on the Great Wall of Marzibar: Player briefing

Yesterday afternoon I fought a very interesting Colonial wargame against my usual online opponent. The scenario was based on Joseph Morschauser's famous ATTACK ON THE GREAT WALL OF MOROBAD, but with the actual location moved to the capital of the Sultanate of Marzibar, Marzibar City.

---

THE ATTACK ON THE GREAT WALL OF MARZIBAR Background
The Sultan of Marizbar has been up to his old tricks again, and has been assisting the local Arab slavers to take captives from the British Colony of Dammallia and selling in the great slave markets of the Middle East. The slavers have been using Mazibarian ports as staging posts, and despite the best efforts of the British Government, the Sultan refuses to stop.

In response, the Dammallian Field Force – led by Sir Garnet Diamond VC – has been sent to Marizbar to bring the Sultan to heel by capturing the city of Marzibar and destroying its defences. These are known as the Great Wall of Marzibar.

A map of the battlefield.

A photograph of the battlefield.

Forces involved
The Dammallian Field Force (commanded by General Sir Garnet Diamond VC, who is rated as above average) comprises:

• 1st Queen’s Own Rifles (Elite, armed with rifles)
• 1st Royal Essex (Elite, armed with rifles)
• Port Albert Rifles (Average, armed with rifles)
• British Dammaillian Police (Average, armed with rifles)
• 1st Dammaillian African Rifles (Average, armed with rifles)
• 2nd Dammaillian African Rifles (Average, armed with rifles)
• Dammallian Native Police (Average, armed with rifles)
• 1st Battery, Port Albert Artillery (Average, armed with modern rifled filed guns)
• 2nd Battery, Port Albert Artillery (Average, armed with modern rifled filed guns)
• MG Battery, Royal Naval Brigade (Elite, armed with Maxim machine guns)
• Total strength: 40 SPs; Exhaustion Point: 14 SPs

The Marzibarian force (commanded by Colonel Ahmed Gourd, who is rated as average) comprises:

• Sultan of Marzibar’s Guard (Average, armed with rifles)
• Sultan of Marzibar’s Zouaves (Average, armed with rifles)
• 1st Arab Militia (Poor, armed with muskets)
• 2nd Arab Militia (Poor, armed with muskets)
• 3rd Arab Militia (Poor, armed with muskets)
• 4th Arab Militia (Poor, armed with muskets)
• 1st Battery, the Sultan of Marizibar’s Artillery (Average, armed with obsolete field guns)
• Total strength: 32 SPs; Exhaustion Point: 11 SPs

Initial positions

• The Dammaillian Field Force will advance from their baseline from N1 to N14
• The Marzibarians will be deployed anywhere from row I to row A, but 50% must be within the Great Walls of Mazibar (A11 to A14 and up to E11 to E14).

Rules used
A slightly modified version of ‘The Gatling’s Jammed’ Portable Wargame rules, including the following additions:

• A section of fortifications can be destroyed after the grid area it occupies has been hit three times by artillery fire.
• Units can see a concealed enemy unit by throwing a D6 die. If the dice score is the same or greater than the distance between the two opposing units, the concealed unit must disclose its size and type.