'Sharke's Bait'
A Flintloque Scenario by Paul 'Wiggy' Williams
Sharke and his Elite Rifles must set a trap for a unit of Elf scouts to prevent them from reporting back to Ferach command...
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Recent Events
The destruction of the Elvish cannon, Big Eric, enabled the beleaguered Orc Brigade to pass through the canyon to the Elvish garrison town of Santa Barbara. Meanwhile, Sharke's Rifles were forced to seek shelter in a ruined farmhouse overnight. After despatching a small force of Elf scouts the Rifles moved on towards Santa Barbara.
As the Rifles neared the town they heard the sound of cannon fire - the attack has already begun. Moving towards the town the Rifles were approached by a scout officer, Lieutenant Hobnob.
He reports that the attack is going well and that the garrison will be destroyed before nightfall. However, small sections of Elf scouts are moving through the canyon towards the rear of the Orc lines. All of the Colonel's men are needed to capture the garrison but the Colonel wants the scouts stopped before they can report the strength and position of the Orc army to their commanders.
As such, the Rifles have been ordered to set an ambush for the Elves further back down the canyon.
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Action at Iago's Bluff
Sharke took the Rifles back along the valley and choose a suitable point for an ambush. He knew that the Elves keen eyesight meant that an ordinary ambush would be out of the question and so he devised a plan.
Sharke decided to set his ambush near an outcropping known as Iago's Bluff. He found some abandoned wagons and turned them over. He then gathered some Elf weapons and strewed them around the area. Lastly he ordered his men to take positions on the canyon floor - and pretend they were corpses!
Time passed and eventually the scouts arrived in the area. Through half-closed eyes the Rifles watched as the Elves approached closer and closer. Although they were moving slowly it seemed that the Elves had fallen for the bait.
The Rifles begin the game in their half of the table, which should only be a few feet wide at most to reflect the canyon's width. The Elves start at the far end of the table. Three over-turned wagons should be placed near the Rifles, but not obscuring any of them from view by the Elves.
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The Elves
The Elvish force consists an advanced element of the 3rd Royal Guard, an elite force of troops containing two Experienced Elves, four Average, and four Raw troopers. They are all armed with muskets and knives, and the unit is Regular. The unit is lead by a sergeant, Henri Bovril, and his aide, Corporal Jean-Pierre le Gateau. Both Elves are Experienced.
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Victory Conditions
Sharke wins the encounter by killing or driving off the Elf scouts. The Elves can win by routing or killing at least half of the Rifles, so allowing a cavalry attack to strike the rear of the Orcish line.
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Webmaster's Notes
'Sharke's Bait' was originally published in Valkyrie magazine #17 (Vol. 2, Issue 6) as part of its regular Battlelines column way back in 1998.
The scenario was first published on Orcs in the Webbe on the 10th December 2024 as the tenth entry in that year's Advent Calendar and, of course, is part of Orcs in the Webbe's ongoing Flintloque Archive Project.
Any comments in maroon in the article above have been added by me either to provide additional information or clarity. I may also have made small changes to grammar and layout but have not marked these.
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