Chuck Turnitsa's TSATF Variant for battles in Tibet

Several ideas for actions in and around Tibet in the early part of the 20th century
Presented by Chuck Turnitsa for playtest (08/2002)

Most of the information presented here is inspired by the readings in Peter Hopkirk's book, "Trespassers on the Roof of the World" (1982). I usually hate being a "one book wonder" on a history subject, however Peter Hopkirk is such a consumate author on things dealing with 19th and early 20th century Century Asia, that I don't feel it to be a poor start.

This information (and the scenario material presented below) is inspired by Francis Younghusband's expedition first to Gyantse, and then to Lhasa in 1904. The British troops would be treated as standard Imperial British troops from TSATF, being primarily Sikhs, Ghurkas, Fusiliers, and some Maxims. There were also field guns and mounted infantry present, yet I didn't include them in the "inspired" scenarios below, they being too unbalancing.

I hope to find a copy of Younghusband's book about the expedition, and I continue to do more research, yet I believe that my next topic will be the Tibet revolt against occupation in 1918 (at that time, they have allied with the British, and the Tibetan army is under command of British officers).

I have proposed several special rules to deal with the Tibetan army of 1904, listed below. Following that are key game charts.

There are two types of Tibetan troops. Standard troops, and those from the Kham province in the east. These (the Khampo) are considerable more worthy warriors, in the viewpoint of Tibetans and outsiders, and are represented seperately, where appropriate, below.
What few modern rifles the Tibetans had were of a varied, albeit of European, origin. Other firearms are represented as "muskets" in the charts below. It is suggested that some sort of limited firing for the Muskets be presented (only half the unit each turn; or it takes 1 turn to reload after firing - either works well).
The troops seemed to fight much better under the guidance of a Lama, or Bon (the Tibetan version of Buddhism) Priest. Therefore, I've included modifiers to various morale charts, as well as the roll to close-to-combat, and the roll to stand-against-charge where a Lama is present in the unit. It is suggested that in a pick-up scenario the Tibetan player dice for how many Lamas he may have available (1d6) 1-3= 1 Lama; 4-5= 2 Lamas; 6= 3 Lamas.
Tibetan troops made use of Jingal guns. I am assuming these are similar to the Jingals employed by the Chinese, so based my ideas on that. I've decided to treat them as a sort of light artillery. Each Jingal has 3 crew with it, and each crewmen recieves 2 dice when it fires. However, a Jingal and it's crew must be attached to a normal infantry unit (unless it is emplaced in a building, fortress, or sangars). The crew fight as traditional Artillery crewmen, and are hit as key figures from fire.
In their hilly country, the Tibetans built stony block houses, sort of small guard posts, at key passes. These were called Sangars, and could hold 1 Jingal with crew, or 5 infantry men. It counts as a defended obstacle while occupied, and the occupants are treated as target class IV if under fire.

The Sword in Tibet Firing Chart

			\|	TARGET CLASS
			\|	I	II	III	IV

FIRING ELEMENT	\| \|	RANGE	\| \|	Mass or Close Order in the Open	Open Order, Gun Crews, in the Open	Prone or Rough Terrain	Buildings, Entrenchments, Walls

Tibet Rifles	\|	24"	\|	1-6	1-4	1-3	1-2
Mounted	\|	16"	\|	1-3	1-2	1	0

Tibet Muskets	\|	24"	\|	1-5	1-3	1-2	1
Mounted	\|	16"	\|	1-3	1-2	1	0

Jingal Guns*(Short R)	\|	18"	\|	1-7	1-5	1-4	1-3
(Long R)	\|	36"	\|	1-6	1-4	1-3	1-2

Jingal Guns - 1d6 Malfunction roll; 6 = malfunction

The Sword in Tibet Close Combat Chart
Troop Type	Charging in Close or Mass	Defending in Close or Road Col.	Defending in Square	On Top Wall or Barricade	Defending Building or Fort	Regular Cavalry Mounted	Boer, Colonial Mounted	Native Horse Mounted	Camel Mounted	All Leaders	All Mounted Leaders
Tibetan	Wins Ties	--	--	die	+1	--	--	+1	--	+1	+1
Khampo	+1; Wins Ties	--	--	die	+1	--	--	+1	--	+1	+2

The Sword in Tibet - Morale Chart
Major Morale (2d6)		Critical & Pinned (2d6)		Rally (1d6)		Complete the Charge (1d6)		Stand and Fight (1d6)
		With Leader	No Leader	With Leader	No Leader	With Leader	No Leader	With Leader	No Leader
Tibetan	2-6	2-7	2-6	1-3	1-2	1-4	1-3	1-3	1-2
Khampo	2-7	2-7	2-6	1-3	1-2	1-5	1-3	1-4	1-3
Lama - Any unit with a Lama attached will increase the above "With Leader" numbers by +1 in all cases

As I mentioned above, these are inspired by the actual battles that Younghusband's force fought on the way to Gyantse and then Lhasa. They have been scaled back to suit TSATF, and some liberties have been taken with troop compositions to make for (what I hope to be) a better game.

Battle of Guru

What if MacDonald had not returned with his column before Younghusband fought the battle of Guru?

Battlefield

Mostly an open field, perhaps with a gentle hill here and there. The main features are a hastily constructed wall, perhaps 30" wide, about 12" in on the Tibetan (north) side of the table. To the west of the wall, there exists an area of rough rocky ground that is rough terrain.

British Forces and Setup

1 Platoon Ghurka
1 Platoon Sikhs
1 Maxim gun
1 Senior Officer

The British forces move on the south table edge on the first turn, their goal is to force the Tibetans from the field, they block the way the column needs to proceed. Historically, the Ghurkas went through the Rough rocky area, the Sikhs proceeded right up to the wall, before firing, and the Maxim gun got into a supporting position on the right hand side of the wall.

Tibetan Forces and Setup

1 Tibetan Rifle
1 Tibetan Musket
3 Tibetan Swords
1 Senior Leader
Dice for Lamas

The Tibetans can set up anywhere (in front of or behind their wall) within 18" of their table edge. Their goal is to stop the advance of the British.

Battle of Karo Pass

This battle has the Distinction of the being the Battle fought at the highest recorded altitude in history - 16,000 feet. It's also a darn good fight.

Battlefield

Rough rocky hills dominate the eastern and western edge of the battle fields. At the top of each hill, both sides of the table, there exists a Sangar. Between the hills, all across the pass, there is a fortified wall about 12" from the north side of the table.

British Forces and Setup

1 Platoon Ghurka
1 Full Company Sikhs (with Captain Bethune)
1 Maxim gun
1 Senior Officer (Col. Brander)

The British forces move on the south table edge on the first turn, their goal is to force the Tibetans from the pass, they block the way the column needs to proceed. Historically, the Ghurkas scaled the western Hill, and 1 platoon of Sikhs scaled the eastern hill. Captain Bethune with the second platoon of Sikhs charged the wall, and was killed in the action.

Tibetan Forces and Setup

1 Tibetan Rifle
2 Tibetan Musket
4 Tibetan Swords
3 Jingal teams
1 Senior Leader
Dice for Lamas

The Tibetans can set up anywhere (in front of or behind their wall) within 18" of their table edge. They may place 1 or 2 Jingal guns in the Sangars, if not, then they recieve 5 extra riflemen per Sangar. Their goal is to stop the advance of the British.

The Sword in Tibet