My map of Zubia: The finished article

I finally finished my map of Zubia ... and I am rather pleased with the end result.

I rather enjoyed the process of creating this map, and I am already working on my next map ... a map of Harabia.

My map of Zubia: The current state of play

After the very positive feedback that I got, I have decided to persevere with the map of Zubia that I had begun to create using MS Paint.

I have made a few changes. These include:

• Making the map slightly larger so that it is now equivalent to the size of twenty-four (six wide by four high) mini-campaign boards.
• Changing some of the colours that I have used to make the map clearer.
• Adding some more hills and mountains.
• Adding the course of the Zubian Canal to the extreme right-hand side of the map.

The resulting map now looks like this:

There is still some detail (such as the locations of buildings) that is probably too detailed and too restrictive for a campaign map and I may well replace these with a simple light grey hex or hexes to indicate a settlement. I also need to add the place names, and I hope to do that next.

My map of Zubia ...

... turned into a bit of a monster ... BUT creating me taught me loads of useful lessons!

I started out by drawing maps of all the battlefields that had featured in my previous Zubia-based wargames. The end results looked like this:

Secundria.

Zigazag.

Wadi Halfwa.

Abu Nasir.

Massala.

A-Nahr.

I then created a large hex grid (33 hexes wide by 30 hexes high) and pasted these maps in their relative positions to one another. Once that was done, I filled in the blank areas with hills, mountains, oases etc. My final map looked like this:

The finished map of Zubia. The approximate locations of the maps shown above and shown by the red rectangles.

The finished map of Zubia. Click on the map to see an enlarged view of the map.

I am rather pleased with the outcome but about halfway through creating it I realised that it was far too big to be practical. That said, it has given me the opportunity to use MS Paint to create a relatively simple hex map drawing system.

Starting work on my map of Zubia

I have been thinking about drawing the first map for my Belle Époque project, and having extensively wargamed conflicts in that country, I looked back at the maps and photographs of the battles I had fought ... and realised that they would provide me with the basis of a Belle Époque campaign map of that country.

A selection of these maps and photographs is shown below:

The campaign map of Zubia from the 'Portable Colonial Wargame' book.

The 'Bombardment of Secundria' from the 'Trouble in Zubia' book.

The 'Advance from Port Zub' from the 'Trouble in Zubian' book.

The 'Attack on Wadi Halwa' from the 'Trouble in Zubian' book.

The 'Defence of Massala' from the 'Trouble in Zubia' book.

The 'Evacuation of Abou Nasir' from the 'Trouble in Zubia' book.

The map of the area where the 'Battle of Al-Nahr' was fought in the 'Portable Colonial Wargame' book.

My next task is to see if I can draw a hex gridded map that will incorporate as much of the above as I can. In theory, this should be a relatively simple task ... I hope!

The Army of Zubia: The infantry, machine gun, artillery, and train units

I have just finished renovating, varnishing, and rebasing the rest of the units that will make up the Army of Zubia.

The Army of Zubia has the following units:

• Infantry
• 1st Guard Regiment
• 2nd Guard Regiment
• 1st Infantry Regiment
• 2nd Infantry Regiment
• 3rd Infantry Regiment
• 1st Machine Gun Battalion
• Cavalry
• 1st Cavalry Regiment
• 2nd Cavalry Regiment
• Independent Cavalry Squadron
• Artillery
• 1st Artillery Regiment
• 2nd Artillery Regiment
• Train
• 1st Supply Column
• 2nd Supply Column
• 3rd Supply Column

The Army of Zubia.

The units are shown attached to the magnetic sheet that holds them in place in thier REALLY USEFUL BOXES storage box.

Units shown in italics are militia or reserve units.

Backstories for my Belle Époque imagi-nations: The Khedivate of Zubia

The history of Zubia can be traced back to beyond the beginnings of recorded history. It is one of the earliest cradles of civilisation, and its people live in the shadows of many ancient monuments. However its era of importance as a major power has long gone, and it is now just a dusty, insignificant former province of the Sofaman Empire.

The flag of the Khedivate of Zubia.

Its current ruler – the Khedive of Zubia – is a middle-aged, fat, and indolent individual who lives in luxury whilst the peasants live in abject poverty. He is descended from an Stalbanian soldier who was made Khedive over one hundred years ago by a grateful Sofaman Sultan (the Stalbanian had saved the Sultan’s life). The country could be rich – it has the potential to grow far more food crops than the population can eat – but the Khedive has done little to improve the lot of the population. Instead he taxes them hard and uses the money to buy fine wines for himself, fashionable dresses for his numerous mistresses, and to build himself bigger and more lavish palaces.

The River Zub is Zubia. Without it the country would not exist. The river brings the silt that makes the land fertile. Its water is used to irrigate the fields. It also provides an easy means of movement from one end of the country to the other. Along the banks of the river everything is green; away for the river everything is desert.

The majority of Zubians are hard-working peasants who live in the villages and settlements that dot the fertile area along the edge of the River Zub. They tend their fields, grow their crops, and pay their taxes – often under duress. They are not generally a warlike people, but when roused they can be formidable opponents. Most towns are populated almost exclusively by urbanised Zubians, whereas a cosmopolitan mix of foreign traders, bankers, and civil servants, Stalbanian army officers, Levantine businessmen, and Zubian servants forms the population of the capital city – Zubairo – as well the main towns of Secundria and Port Zub.

A few Zubians still follow the old ways and live nomadic lives. They move from one oasis to another as the seasons change, and they depend upon their herds of camels and goats to supply them with almost everything the need. They rarely visit the fertile area along the River Zub except to buy essential supplies and to trade camel or goatskins.

The army of Zubia is small but reasonably well equipped. Its recruits are ‘taken’ from amongst the Zubian peasants, and the officers are mostly second or third-generation Stalbanians and Khakistanis, although a few Zubians have been promoted from the ranks.

The Army of Zubia: The cavalry

I have been slowly but surely continuing to renovate figures from my existing 15mm Colonial collection as part of my Belle Époque project. The latest batch are the cavalry for the Army of Zubia.

They comprise two cavalry regiments and one independent cavalry squadron.

Unlike the other imagi-nations that have been created for this project, Zubia has been around for some time and can best be thought of as being a simulacra of late nineteenth century Egypt. The troops of Zubia look like Egyptian troops. They wear white uniforms with red fezes or tarbushes, and are armed with modern-ish weapons.

Two more books are now available in PDF format

I have added another two books in PDF format to the list that are currently available from Wargames Vault. They are:

A Winter-ish War

Trouble in Zubia

This pretty well concludes the process of migrating PDF editions of my wargame books over to Wargames Vault. I may add HEXBLITZ and LA ULTIMA CRUZADA at some point in the future, but I am unsure when that might be.

My latest book sales figures

It is just over six months since I last looked at my book sales figures. What with the on/off COVID-19 lockdown, problems with Lulu.com, switching over to Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), and my major surgery, I just did not get around to it. I have managed to do so now, and my book sales figures look like this:

It is interesting to note that sales of all the books in the PORTABLE WARGAME series seem to continue to sell well, and form the bulk of the total sales to date. WHEN EMPIRES CLASH! and HEXBLITZ attract regular sales, and THE MADASAHATTA CAMPAIGN has gone through the 150 sales barrier!

The contents of 'A Winter-ish War' and 'Trouble in Zubia'

Unlike my previous books, I have not included any indication of what is inside each of my latest two books. I have been asked if I could provide that information ... so her goes:

A WINTER-ISH WAR

• Contents
• Introduction
• A map of the southern border between Opeland and SPUR
• The background to the war
• The Opelandic Army
• The SPUR Army
• SPUR's Air Force mobilises!
• The outbreak of war
• Day 1: The attack in the left-centre sector
• Day 1: The attack in the right-centre sector
• Day 2: The attack in the right-hand sector
• Day 3: The attack in the left-hand sector
• The armistice and its aftermath
• An untold story: The fighting in the far north
• Bibliography

TROUBLE IN ZUBIA

• Contents
• Introduction
• Zubia: A short guide
• The crisis begins
• The bombardment of Secundria
• The advance on Zubairo
• The advance from Port Zub
• Background to the southern revolt
• The revolt begins
• The evacuation of Abou Nasir
• The defence of Massala
• Bibliography

Two new books!

My final proof copy of a A WINTER-ISH WAR arrived just before I left to attend COW2019 ... and on Monday morning the proof copy of my second mini-campaigns book TROUBLE IN ZUBIA was delivered. Having checked them I am please to announce that they have now been released for sale via Lulu.com.

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A WINTER-ISH WAR

'This solo mini-campaign was inspired by FINLAND AT WAR: THE WINTER WAR 1939-40 by Vesa Nenye, and saw two imagi-nations, Opeland (which stood in for Finland) and the all-powerful Soviet People’s United Republics or SPUR (which stood in for the Soviet Union) fighting each other over the position of the border between the two countries and possession of the city of Viputa. An early version of the author’s THE PORTABLE WARGAME rules was used to fight the tabletop battles, and the figures, models, and terrain all came from his extensive collections.'

It is on sale as a sixty-page, full-colour hardback book for £24.99 (plus postage and packing) or PDF format for £2.99 from Lulu.com.

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TROUBLE IN ZUBIA

'This solo mini-campaign was inspired involvement of Great Britain in Egypt and the Sudan during the latter part of the nineteenth century. It involves the imagi-nations of Britannia (Great Britain), Fezia (Ottoman Turkey), and Zubia (Egypt), and sees Britannia interfering in the affairs of Zubia, a semi-independent province of the Fezian Empire. An early precursor to the author’s THE PORTABLE WARGAME rules was used to fight the tabletop battles, and the figures, models, and terrain all came from his extensive collections.'

It is on sale as a thirty-two-page, full-colour hardback book for £19.99 (plus postage and packing) or PDF format for £2.49 from Lulu.com.

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Both books are 8.25" x 10.75" (US Letter-size), have casewrap-hardcover bindings, with white interior and exterior paper and full-colour interior and exterior ink. They are currently only available for sale from Lulu.com.

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IMPORTANT: Lulu.com currently has a special fifteen percent off published price on printed books offer that expires at midnight on 11th July. (It does not apply to purchases of PDF format publications.) Just order your book or books before the end of the day and use the code ONEFIVE in the relevant box before paying, and you should qualify for the discount.

Making them pay!: A play-test of the revised Colonial version of The Portable Wargame rules

Having written a new and revised draft of my PORTABLE WARGAME: COLONIAL rules, I decided that they needed play-testing. As the weather outside yesterday was terrible (it had been raining all night, and it continued to rain well into the evening), it seemed like an ideal day to do it ... so I did.

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Scenario The tax collectors are having more trouble extracting money from the tribes in Southern Zubia, and after one of them was beaten so badly that they died, the local Governor decided that the most troublesome tribes needed teaching a lesson. He therefore sent a small but heavily armed column out into the desert to find the tribal encampments and to ensure that the overdue tax was levied ... along with a bit extra to pay for the trouble the tribes had caused.

As the column advanced deeper and deeper into the desert, they became aware that they were being shadowed. As a result they were fully prepared for an attack, and when the tribesmen came into sight, the column deployed to meet the threat.

The Zubian column comprised 8 units:

• 4 Infantry Units
• 1 Cavalry Unit
• 1 Machine Gun Unit
• 1 Rifled Field Artillery Unit
• 1 Command Unit

This force had a Strength Value of 26 and an Exhaustion Point of 13.

The Tribal forces comprised:

• 6 Infantry Units armed with hand-held weapons
• 4 Infantry Units armed with smooth-bore muskets
• 1 Smooth-bore Artillery Unit
• 2 Cavalry Units
• 1 Command Unit

This force had a Strength Value of 39 and an Exhaustion Point of 20.

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The Battle The Zubian troops advanced to meet the Tribal forces.

The Unit Activation Cards turned over were: Red 4, Joker. At this point the battlefield looked like this:

Both sides moved forward, with the Tribal cavalry trying to work around onto the Zubian column's flank. The Zubian Artillery Unit fired at the Tribal Infantry Unit immediately in front of them, and caused the first casualties of the battle.

The Unit Activation Cards turned over were: Black 2, Black 2, Red 4, Black 3, Red 3, Black 4, Red 4, Joker. At this point the battlefield looked like this:

The Tribal Cavalry Units finally moved forward to engage the Zubian column's flank, and whilst the battle continued elsewhere – without much effect – there were a series of close combats between the Tribal Cavalry Units and the Zubian Machine Gun Unit, as a result of which both sides sustained casualties.

The Unit Activation Cards turned over were: Red 4, Black 3, Red 3, Black 3, Black 2, Black 2, Red 2, Joker. At this point the battlefield looked like this:

Circumstances and chance seemed to favour the Zubians who, despite the loss of their Machine Gun Unit ...

... managed to advance and pour a deadly volley of rifle fire into the line of Tribal Infantry Units.

The Unit Activation Cards turned over were: Red 4, Red 2, Red 4, Black 4, Joker. At this point the battlefield looked like this:

As so often happens, things now swung in favour of the other side, and the Tribal forces were able to charge forward and engage the Zubian troops in a number of close combats. As a result the casualties on both sides began to mount. (The Zubians had lost 8 of their initial total Strength Value of 26 and the Tribal forces had lost 16 from their initial total Strength Value of 39.)

The Unit Activation Cards turned over were: Red 3, Black 3, Black 3, Black 3, Joker. At this point the battlefield looked like this:

The course of the battle moved towards its climax. The Zubians lost their Field Artillery Unit ...

... but in achieving this minor victory the Tribal forces reached and passed their Exhaustion Point.

The Zubians were able to exploit this, and inflicted further casualties on the Tribal forces.

The Unit Activation Cards turned over were: Red 2, Black 3, Black 3, Red 4, Joker. At this point the battlefield looked like this:

At this point it was obvious that the Tribal forces were beaten, but that the Zubians were only a hairsbreadth away from reaching their Exhaustion Point. As a result, both sides fell back to lick their wounds. The Tribal forces did so in the knowledge that the dreaded tax collectors had not been able to enforce their demands, and the Zubians were well aware that although they may have won the battle, they had not achieved their main objective.

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Lessons learnt As expected, the rules work fairly well and produced a fun battle that did not take too long to fight. The combat results were reasonable, and the Unit Activation Cards ensured that there was a degree of uncertainty as to what was going to happen as events unfolded.

I think that the clear casualty markers (they are plastic Roman Blind rings) are less intrusive that the normal white ones, and make it very easy to keep a tally of the Units that have suffered casualties. I do need to have a better method of recording each side's overall losses, and I am thinking about buying a cheap cribbage board to fulfil that function.

One aspect of the rules that I think does require a minor change relates to flank and rear attacks. At present the tactical advantage this should give to an attacker is not factored into the rules, but it would be fairly simple to do so. I have therefore made a note of this and will make the necessary changes to the next draft of the rules.

The attack on Atmara

This battle was fought as the second play-test of the existing draft of my MEMOIR OF BATTLE (MOB) rules. Although there has been considerable discussion between myself, David Crook, and Kaptain Kobold about certain developments and improvements that the rules could incorporate, I planned this second play-test before the discussions began, and wanted to keep to my original intention of testing the extant rules with at least two play-tests. I suspected that doing this would confirm that some of the developments and improvements were necessary and it would help prepare me to make the required changes.

Scenario
As a result of the massacre of Bimbashi Bumble's Punitive Expeditionary Force there was a general upsurge of discontent and violence in Southern Zubia, particularly along the border with Sadun. The Khedive seemed unable to respond, and as a result the commander of the Zubian Army sent one of his best young officers – Miralai Ahmed Kurti – to the nearest provincial capital – Atmara – to ensure that it was properly fortified and able to resist an attack. The commander also sent a consignment of new magazine rifles to arm the town's garrison.

The garrison comprised:

• Four Infantry Battalions
• An Artillery Battery
• A Machine Gun Battery

(N.B. Each of the units that made up the garrison had supernumerary figures that were included so that they could be removed to show casualties. It also allowed the units to fit into the Hexon II trenches, which would otherwise have been impossible. The garrison's Exhaustion Point was 11.)

This proved to be a very sensible course of action and when Miralai Kurti arrived in Atmara he found it to be almost devoid of proper fortifications. Within days he had ensured that the town's defences were repaired and improved, and that the garrison were trained how to use their new rifles and were ready to resist an attack.

The attack was not long in coming.

Turn 1

Atmara's defences.

A large Native army advanced out of the desert to attack Atmara. Thanks to the successful destruction of Bimbashi Bumble's Punitive Expeditionary Force, the numbers of insurgents had greatly increased, and besides Infantry (two bands of rifle-armed Native Infantry and six bands of spear-armed Native Infantry) and Cavalry (two bands each of Native Cavalry and Camelry), it now had a battery of ancient smooth-bore field guns. (N.B. The Native army's Exhaustion Pint was 23.)

The Native army on the march.

Turn 2
The Native army's advance brought them within range of the Zubian Field Artillery ...

... who selected as their target a leading band of spear-armed Native Infantry ...

... who suffered 25% casualties from the effects of the artillery shells that were fired at them.

The Zubian Machine Gun battery then joined in, and fired at another band of spear-armed Native Infantry ...

... whom they almost wiped out!

Turn 3
Before the Native Army could move, the Zubian Field Artillery was able to fire at them for a second time at its previous target ...

... and inflicted a further 50% casualties upon it!

As the Natives had the initiative, they surged forward undaunted by the casualties they had already suffered.

The Cavalry and Camelry advanced unhindered towards the flanks of Atmara's defences whilst the much-depleted band of spear-armed Native Infantry assaulted the position held by the Zubian Machine Gun Battery. Their attack was unsuccessful ...

... as was a second that was conducted by another band of spear-armed Native Infantry ...

... but a third assault did manage to inflict a casualty on the Zubian Machine Gun Battery.

An assault by the other much-depleted band of spear-armed Native Infantry of the Zubian trenches also proved futile ...

... and the rifle fire from one of the two bands of rifle-armed Native Infantry cause no casualties on the entrenched Zubian Field Artillery Battery.

The Native Army closes upon the Zubian defences.

The Zubian Machine Gun Battery opened fire on the large band of spear-armed Native Infantry to its right ...

... which it almost destroyed, the survivors falling back to avoid further casualties.

The Zubian Infantry Battalion in the trenches to the left of the Zubian Artillery Battery fired at one of the on-coming bands of Native Camelry ...

... inflicting 66% casualties on them.

The Zubian Infantry Battalion in the trenches just behind the Zubian Machine Gun Battery fired at remains of the band of spear-armed Native Infantry in front of them ...

... whom they wiped out.

On the right-hand side of Atmara's defences, the Zubian Infantry Battalion stationed in the trenches fired at one of the advancing bands of Native Cavalry ...

... whom the forced to retreat after suffering 33% losses.

(N.B. At this point it is worth noting that the Native army is already over halfway to reaching its Exhaustion Point.)

Turn 4
As the Zubian Artillery battery was the only Artillery Unit on the battlefield able to fire, it engaged the closest Native Unit, a band of rifle-armed Infantry ...

... which it forced back out of single-shot rifle range after causing it 25% casualties.

At this point the battle could have gone either way, and whichever side had the initiative during this move might have been able to assure themselves of victory.

The D6 dice were thrown ... and the Zubians gained the initiative!

They began to exploit their advantage by firing their Machine Gun Battery at the nearest full-strength band of Native Infantry ...

... which it forced to withdraw after it had suffered 50% casualties.

The Zubian Infantry Regiment in the trenches to the left of the Zubian Field Artillery Battery engaged the sole remaining members of a nearby band of Native Camelry ...

... which they destroyed with the rifle fire.

The Zubian Infantry Regiment in the trenches immediately behind the Zubian Machine Gun Battery then fired on the nearest band of spear-armed Native Infantry ...

... who were forced to withdraw after almost being wiped out!

On the right-hand side of Atmara's defences the Zubian Infantry Regiment positioned there chose as its target the nearby band of Native Cavalry ...

... which fell back after suffering 33% casualties.

The Native army had now reached their Exhaustion Point, and were forced onto the defensive.

The situation on the battlefield at the point when the Native army reached its Exhaustion Point.

The Native army began to withdraw, suffering further casualties as they did so as a result of Artillery and Machine Gun fire. The uprising was suppressed – for the moment – and the Khedive could sit more easily on his throne ... although the commander of the Zubian Army had shown that he might be a potent rival in the months and years to come.

Conclusions
As in the previous play-test, one side achieved a decisive victory at a very low cost to themselves in terms of casualties. The rules regarding the ability of troops in trenches to resist unsupported Infantry assaults worked very well, and the idea of using supernumerary figures seems to make perfect sense when space is limited.

Although neither side fielded Elite Units, I am now coming round to the view that the rules must be redrafted to include such Units deal with Poorer quality Units in a more workable way.

One thing did strike me during today's play-test. When one is fielding quite large armies on a small tabletop, the move distances as they currently stand are a bit too long, and this is certainly something that I will need to look at again.

All-in-all this was a very enjoyable play-test, and I look forward to play-testing the next draft of the MEMOIR OF BATTLE (MOB) rules.