Welcome To Faraway. May I See Your Passport Please?

 "No, I thought nought." .... "Bob! Quick! Telegraph Fort Belmont for help!"

A close up shot of a critical point in the battle. 

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The garrison at Ft Belmont was on the alert and a force under the command of Colonel MacDuff soon appeared to meet the invaders. A quick conference led to a decision for Brigadier Ross to command the artillery and a company each from the Rifles and Infantry on the left with orders to pin down the raiders until they got the order to advance. On the right, a company of the Royal Highlanders and one each from the Fusiliers and Grenadiers, were ordered to turn the enemy's left flank, and drive them off the field of battle.

Initially the infantry firefights were even, but the Origawn artillery was inflicting steady losses on the Dominion forces while their guns had trouble finding the range.

As the Grenadiers deployed and extended the line, the Origawn infantry started a slow retreat, hoping for support from their artillery. 

Once the flanking attack had driven back the enemy's left flank, the order was given for the whole force to advance.

The firefight was prolonged and bloody and the sun was sinking. Who knew if the enemy was expecting reinforcements any moment. 

Finally, the Dominion's numbers were starting to tell. The enemy gun was silenced, and some of their infantry wavered, ignored the orders to "Rally Men!" and then ran! There was only a small rearguard to cover the disorderly retreat but the Dominion soldiers were tired and their commander was under strict orders not to cross the border.   

(It appears that the original report that the invaders had a gun and 4 companies of infantry, was slightly exaggerated as only 3 companies were spotted. Oops! ......but it was close with the attacker being 6 vs 4,
so it might have been the intended ratio.)  

Speaking of Trains: From The 2020 Archives:

Lots of domestic duties today, "domestic" including tidying my games room and setting up my table for another game as well as the usual house stuff and errands. I might even get a start on painting something if the various chores leave time, or start a game.....

Anyway, instead of something new, here's a link to a  54mm train game from July 2020.  

Origawn forces had mined the tracks, blown them as a Dominion train passed by, and then opened fire with a battery on the heights, but they hadn't been expecting the cargo to dismount and fight back.....

Here is an excerpt of a 2005 post explaining where the inspiration for the scenario came from: ".......1951 Civil War drama called "Drums in the Deep South". Typical stuff, best friends from West Point now on opposite sides, girl in the middle. However,  one aspect of the movie caught my imagination. The Reb officer has dragged a battery up onto a vertical sided, rocky, hill overlooking a train track feeding Sherman's army, his old Yankee friend of course, is the one given the task of clearing him out. Well, since I now have just such a rocky outcrop, a train, and some toy soldiers...".

Irregular service will continue shortly.....

Old Macdonald's Farm

Old Macdonald wasn't as rich as his neighbor Mr. Hook, so his farm was on a smaller hill with smaller fields, but he was happy with his home, until the Red & Blue armies invaded his property and made an awful mess with not even so much as "Sorry about that, but it was their fault, not ours", let alone a note offering to pay damages! 

Here we have a Balloon's eye view of the two armies advancing on the disputed ridge.

The Dominion cavalry had a sly commander and rather than take the obvious route around the end of the ridge, he decided to drive his men and horses over a pass in the middle of the ridge. It might have worked if he hadn't spent half the first turn giving the men an inspirational address. Apparently many of the Red battalion Commanders decided to do the same, or stopped and swore like troopers because the cavalry was blocking their way!

While the Red commanders were cursing and damning, the Blue army took the first move on the next turn and carried out the cavalry flanking move, while their infantry seized the high ground. The red artillery commanders, happy to not have to drag their guns up the hill, just swung their guns around and opened fire on the Blue infantry while their cavalry commander led his troops at the gallop to meet their mounted rivals, apart from the troop of Mounted Rifles who dismounted, opened fire on the Bluecoats on the hill while trying their best to look like 3 companies of infantry. 

Welllll, it didn't take long for both sides to get at it, infantry and artillery blazing away and cavalry dancing up and back, clacking their swords together and generally having a good time. 

But, there's always some spoilsport who gets poked in the eye or something and gets all angry and next thing you know the two sides were going at each other hammer and tongs, no holds barred. 

It sure looked like those blue guys were gonna sweep the field clean and take home the pennant for game but on the other side of the field, the Red General gave the order: it was Jack Tar vs the Redbacks for a case of spirit's from the Farmhouse cellar. 

 

That charge "done it" BUT Blue still held Church Hill, so the Generals got together and agreed on a another draw. For the series, that's two draws and one victory for Red so they get the pennant for '24.

The Bridge Over The River Blutaip.

After the recent drawn battle, General Douglas  (Red) was ordered to destroy the bridge over the Blutaip River near Lawson's Inn. Having gotten word of this plan, General Lannigan (Blue) decided to prevent this vandalism.

The Dominion force had a slight advantage in infantry, but the Republic had more cavalry, so Lannigan decided to use this superiority to seize the bridge before the Dominion troops could start laying charges. He sent his Cossack volunteers ahead to seize it while his dragoons crossed the river to back them up, but they were quickly decimated by rifle and artillery fire. It was not as good a start as he had hoped for.

Dominion fire continued to wear down the Republican cavalry, while the Dominion cavalry took post to interfere with any future cavalry charges.

By this time, both sides infantry were  engaged in a firefight across the entire field but especially across the bridge. As long as the blue soldiers could dispute the bridge, the Dominion Sappers could not lay their charges.

As Lannigan watched his cavalry disintegrate while the infantry disputing the bridge were wavering after heavy losses, he decided to throw his reserve of infantry into the fight. They inflicted heavy losses on the Highlanders, forcing them to fall back. The day was not over yet. 

Alas for Lannigan, while he was issuing orders to his right wing infantry to wheel and attack the bridge while chasing off the remnant of the Highlanders, his army collapsed. All he could do was order the infantry to cover the retreat. Already he could see the Dominion Sappers at work.

Notes: 54mm figures. Infantry and artillery crew mostly converted homecast figures from commercial moulds, plastic guns, cavalry mostly conversions of Britain's figures.

Rules: home rules available here: Defended Border.

Now The Battle Is Lost And Won

It's a bit annoying sometimes when a stripped down, fast play, focus on outcome not process, set of rules not only plays quickly but sometimes, also seems to reflect historical actions better than many a more detailed set. 

Battle report to follow.

One Test Is Never Enough

The terrain is laid out, the armies sorted, ready to meet the enemy in the morning!

It seems to me, I've seen that scenario look,

It's from an old familiar book .....

So let's Blast Off!!

At Last!

 A free afternoon! 

We pick up the story (such as it is) as the 2 armies engage. The objective was to capture the two cross roads (see overview picture in 1st post)  and control a route across the table.   The "armies" had identical forces: 1 cavalry unit, 4 infantry units, including 1 veteran/elite unit, and one gun. 

Deployment is complete and the battle lines are engaged across the field.

At first the Dominion infantry were slow to move forward and deploy and it looked like the Republic would win the day, but once all the troops were on board and engaged, the battle became fierce. Eventually the Republican armies had to pull back while they still had enough troops to hold onto their crossroad.

The Origawn forces had pressed the Dominion's line back, but as they pressed forward to finish the job, they suffered heavy losses and had to fall back in hope of a drawn battle rather than an outright defeat.

More important than who won, was that the new 'Fast Play' rules lived up to my hopes and expectation. They are way short of detail and options but the turns lasted roughly 10 minutes each, seemed to very roughly reflect mid-19thC memoirs and battle reports, had suspense and turns of fortune. For the last few years, I had adopted the 15 turn game from the  One Hour Wargame, but having timed the turns, I decided to cut that to 12 which would give a roughly 2 hour game on average. There was a time when a 4 hour game was quite acceptable but those days are gone. 

It was a close run thing but with evening drawing near, and the Dominion troops nearly as battered as the Republican force.  General Douglas was set to launch a counter attack but the sun was getting low in the sky and the odds were against his battered army being able to punch hard enough to take the opposing crossroad in the time that was left so he decided to play it safe and settle for a draw.

So, all in all, things are looking promising, but its only one game so I'd better clear the table, come up with a different scenario, and play again, maybe a bigger one or I may keep that for later. Luckily, I'll be home alone for the coming week........ 

The one page Quick Reference as used can be found here: The Defended Border 

News Flash: Convoy to Ft. Henry Ambushed!

 Renegade Kree have broken the truce! 

Her Majesty has summoned the house. 

Does this mean war or can the treaty be saved?    

That hopeful day 18 months ago.

More details of the fighting to follow!

Middleton Hill: The Last Day

The morning was spent deploying the two armies while the generals studied the terrain and the enemy's disposition. With the Grey Brigade having been defeated in the first encounter, (see Crossroad) the Origawn Republic's army needed to win here or give up this campaign and withdraw. 

The two armies traded artillery and long range rifle fire as the reinforcements deployed. With all of their available units now on the battlefield, the Republic launched an attack designed to take out the Dominion's artillery and cut the road, isolating the Fusilier Brigade from their supply line and any reinforcements. 

Casualties were heavy on both sides and soon it was time to go all in, or retreat. Brigadier Strombecker drew his sword and led his men forward to take the enemy battery but despite having suffered heavy losses, the gunners loaded double cannister and blasted the Bluecoats as they advanced.  

The repulse of the attack on the guns allowed the Highlanders to fall back and let the Naval Brigade take their place in the line. The Cossacks did not hesitate to take advantage of this opening and once again charged the gun, cutting down the last gunners  before they could react.

On the Dominion's right, the Fusiliers who had been firing effectively from the cover of the woods, were now ordered to advance, supported by the remaining Highlanders and Sailors. A brief but fierce close range firefight ensued.

As casualties rose and the line started to waver, General Lannigan rode forward to steady the line but he was too obvious a target. When he went down, the line broke, the soldiers pausing just long enough to lift their beloved General and carry him to safety. Brigadier Ross deployed his horsemen to cover the retreating infantry but the redcoats stopped on top of the hill, waved their hats, gave three cheers and then let their enemy go. Enough paint had been scraped on both sides.

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54mm figures, mostly homecast, many converted, but a few original Britain's figures. 
Rules: the latest version of my The Square Brigadier.

First Battle of Middleton Hill

While the action at the crossroads was taking place, Colonel MacDuff's column, heading for Middleton Ridge, bumped into the advance scouts of Colonel Nolan's column. 

Lancers!? The small territory of Neurus must have thrown off its neutrality and joined in with the Origawn Republic. 
(Word has it that they left the 54mm or Fight blog to come join the fight in the NorthWest.)

The armies deploy. Once again opposing minds thought alike and each force consisted of 4 infantry companies, a field gun and a troop of cavalry. The Bluecoats seemed to have marched a bit faster however and are closer to securing the dominant ridge.

The affair gets serious as the Blue artillery opens fire on the NW Mounted Rifles. 

The steep, wooded hill slowed Blue's deployment but also gave cover to some of their infantry.

After a prolonged firefight, the Highlanders and Fusiliers, supported by their artillery, drove the Bluecoats off the crest of the ridge. 

While Col. Nolan rallied his men on the reverse slope, he ordered his cavalry to chase off the Mounted Rifles who looked a bit shaky after a prolonged bombardment. The Mounted Rifles fired a hasty shot, mounted, and headed for safety.

As the sun sank lower, MacDuff ordered the Highlanders and Fusiliers to make one last effort to drive the enemy off the ridge. They took the crest, but not the woods and the cost was too high. As the dusk settled in, a parley was held and both sides agreed to cease hostilities till daylight as stretcher teams began their dreary task.

Will the opposing armies reinforce and fight on in the morning? Or will they manoeuvre again?

Meanwhile, On The Other Flank.....

 The second action in the Winter campaign has been fought. Who will seize the high ground?

.....full story of today's battle to follow. 

Fifty Years Earlier

Seemed a waste to clear the table after just one game.

To be continued.......

The Bases Are Loaded

A scenario has been chosen, the units selected, organised, and based. The bases still need to be painted and flocked but that's a quick job. 

Oberhilse's forces closest to the camera, Faraway in the distance.

Friday, I'll finish the bases, set the table up for my chosen scenario and......hit the yard. Unless the rain comes back.

A Call For Volunteers

 It's been nearly 20 years since my 1812 shrank from 54mm to 40mm and then had to go through various reorganizations and drill books. 

Homecast from my own sculpts. 2 new recruits waiting for uniforms.

"Never say never " but I'm satisfied that my old ways suit me best so I'm once again settling on 60mm wide bases for almost everything.

More to follow.

Armies of Atlantica: Part 2 - The Oberhilse Free State

It is common to see references to Oberhilse as a Republic throughout the 19th Century. In part this is because we are used to thinking of Oberhilse after the 1849 constitution but mostly it is because so many of the accounts originated from visitors to Faraway where they absorbed the local view that any state that wasn't a monarchy, must, by default, be a republic. Oligarchy is probably a better description of Oberhilse Free State in 1841. Technically, the Council of Elders which ruled Oberhilse was elected by all citizens, which is to say, male land owners either descended from the original settlers or granted citizen ship. Since, by the 1830's  Outlanders, those not holding citizenship despite owning land and paying taxes,  constituted over 75% of the population, in fact the government was in the hands of a small number of "Old Families",

Oberhilse Volunteers: (Left to right) Peipur Tigers, San Carlos Grenadiers, Frontier Light Horse in short jacket and hunting short, local volunteer and Bangor Rifles.

In theory, the defence of Oberhilse rested on an armed populace. One citizen in 5 was obliged to maintain arms in good order and know how to use them. Since the militia laws also didn't apply to Outlanders, this system had become obsolete by the 1830's. In its place was a system not so different from neighboring Faraway. There were three components:

1. The Council Guard (later the Republican Guard and often referred to that way). This was much smaller than in Faraway and consisted of a troop of largely ceremonial Horse Guards, a battalion of Grenadiers of the Council and the Guard Jaegers. These were all drawn from the ranks of the Militia, it being seen as the duty of all the Old Families to contribute as least 1 son for a 3 year stint in the Jaegers. Outlanders were not eligible to serve in the Guard prior to 1849. The Jaegers, better known as the Blue Guard were the only component of the guard to see frequent field service..

2. The Volunteers. To fill the deficiencies, volunteer regiments were raised when needed. Most of these were raised primarily from Outlanders at the start of a campaign and the expense was born by the government. Some however, were true volunteer units, amateur soldiers who assembled and trained in peacetime at their own expense while other short term regiments were raised and paid for by wealthy citizens as a patriotic gesture, (especially if seeking a seat on the Council). Occasionally  units were recruited overseas with many of the soldiers tending to settle and become Outlanders when the regiment was disbanded.  Faraway tended to regard these as mercenaries rather than volunteers. Similarly, the regiments raised in Hougal or San Carlos technically served Oberhilse as Volunteers rather than as allies.

 3. The Oberhilse Field Force (O.F.F.). Legally, this was just another volunteer formation but since it was kept in arms from 1836 until the establishment of the Republican Army in 1849, it was a regular standing army in all but name. The O.F.F.  consisted of 2 regiments of Dragoons, 6 regiments of infantry, and 2 batteries of artillery as well as a small technical staff.

Uniforms.
While there were no national uniform regulations prior to 1849, blue coats had been traditional for all arms since the mid 18th century and the cut of uniforms  tended to follow international fashion. Due to close commercial and social ties and heavy immigration, American influence is often evident.

Oberhilse Regulars: (left to right) OFF Artillery, Guard Jaeger (Blue Guard), Dragoon, Infantry Officer and private.

1. The Blue Guard. Battle prints and Toy Soldiers depicting the Guard Jaeger almost inevitably portray the famous 1849 uniform regardless of what era is supposedly being depicted.  Since their inception, the Jaeger have worn a leather helmet but prior to 1849 it was not the helmet of Prussian design, worn with either plume or spike but rather one based on American Revolution Light Infantry Caps. With an eye towards economy, the horsehair crest was changed in 1831 to allow it to be removed. The difference between this cap with its small brass comb and the later spiked helmet is of great interest to uniform enthusiasts but of no interest to the general public. Likewise the double breasted, thigh length frock coat is quite different than the shorter single breasted 1849 tunic but again the distinct is minor and the more familiar later uniform is what the public expects. Cynics might also suggest that the market being small, repainting Prussian Toy Soldiers in Oberhilse colours makes more business sense than commissioning a more accurate model that the public isn't familiar with.

 2. The Volunteers. Considering how many units have been raised only to be disbanded  within a year or two, all uniformed at the whim of the Colonel, or of the volunteers themselves, it is not really possible to lay down firm guidelines for how units looked. Some of the more famous units include the red coated Peipur Tigers in their Tarleton helmets, the Bangor Rifles in Grey fatigue uniforms and the Frontier Light Horse in round or slouch hats and either short jackets or deer skin hunting shirts. The uniforms of the Grenadiers of San Carlos are typical of that widely worn in the 1820's, a shako, blue coat and white pants, though in their case, they hung onto to it until the 1850's.

3. The Oberhilse Field Force. (OFF) Officially all ranks were issued both a full dress uniform consisting of a shako, dark blue coatee and light blue trousers as well as a fatigue uniform consisting of a soft dark blue peaked cap and a short shell jacket, light blue for infantry and artillery, dark blue for cavalry.  The evidence suggests that dress uniforms were never issued and were only seen at social events, being worn by officers who provided their own. Officers frequently also provided their own dark blue frock coats as an alternative to the shell jacket. Once again, it is not hard to find illustrations and toy soldiers  showing the OFF Artillery in 1849 full dress but purporting to represent them in earlier wars..


    

  .

Armies of Atlantica: Part 1 - Faraway

ARMY OF THE QUEEN OF FARAWAY 

The army of the Red Queen consists of 4 main components  The Household Troops, The District Troops, The Militia and the Faraway Trading Company (FTC) Troops.

In theory, Faraway's only permanent forces are the Household regiments but in practice many of the District troops have been embodied for years and are regulars in all but name while the FTC troops have fought side by side with the Queens troops for so long that its easy to forget they are essentially allies. not subjects.

UNIFORMS
There is a great deal of regimental variation in uniform and due to measures of economy, old style uniforms often continue to be issued, in some cases until the new pattern is itself obsolete and of course the Volunteers wear uniforms of their own choosing. There is also a tendency for District troops to wear locally acquired campaign dress items. However, some broad trends can be ascertained.

Cavalry: The Household Cavalry are all dressed in scarlet coatees with regimental facings, regimental headdress and dark blue booted overalls with a yellow stripe. The Queen's Hussars were an exception to this, wearing a scarlet pelisse and dark blue dolman. Supposedly a regiment of light cavalry, the Queen's uncle who was Colonel in Chief had selected the heaviest riders and mounted them on large horses, larger than the average Atlantica draft horse. Horses of this size are not bred anywhere in Atlantica and had to be imported at great expense. After the heavy losses suffered outside Thriegy in 1839, the need to rebuild the army meant that economies had to be implemented and the Hussars were disbanded.

The FTC Bodyguard were initially issued a short blue shell jacket with white facings, blue pants with a white stripe, hussar boots and a white metal helmet. Since the onset of the wars with Oberhilse, there have been several instances of mistaken identity since the Oberhilse cavalry also wears short dark blue stable jackets and plumed helmets though they normally wear peaked forage  caps on active service. As a result, the blue jackets have been replaced by red ones faced white.

Artillery. The artillery has always worn dark blue with red facings and this was adopted by the FTC troop of horse artillery although with their own flair: brass helmets with red plumes, knees boots and lots of lace. The traditional white trousers worn by the Faraway artillery have recently been replaced by dark blue for use on campaign along with the introduction of a dark blue shell jacket. The Royal Artillery replaced their white trousers with light blue during the peace of 1840/41 which led to an outcry due to the prevalence of light blue trousers in the Oberhilse army.

Infantry. Apart from the various rifle corps who wear a dark green uniform,  all Faraway infantry wear red coats with regimental facings. For full dress, and often in the field, this is a coatee, short tailed in the line, long tailed in the Household regiments, dark grey trousers with a red stripe and a shako apart from the Grenadiers who wear a bearskin cap. A broad topped shako had been originally been worn but a lighter straight sided one has been introduced. In the field, a short shell jacket and loose dark blue trousers are usually worn along with some form of forage cap, often covered with a white curtain in summer. When engaged in prolonged periods of bush fighting, it is not unknown for all sorts of improvised and adapted uniforms to appear.

Generally Volunteer units follow the  example set by Royal or District units but there are exceptions such as the New Dundee Highlanders, raised and equipped by Lord Bykirk at his own expense and recruited largely from Scottish immigrants, including many recruited abroad with promises of land grants from his estates in and about New Dundee. This regiment wears the full splendor of Victorian Highland regiments.

THE REGIMENTS
Here is a list of known regiments as of 1841. Those regiments marked in Bold type have seen service within the last 3 years. Those marked in Italic text are said to be incapable of taking the field until major recruitment, equipping and training take place,

       
HOUSEHOLD TROOPS
The Household or Royal troops consist of 2 regiments of heavy cavalry, 1 battery of horse artillery, 1 battery of foot artillery and 2 regiments of infantry. The small staff of technical officers is also attached to the household. Oddly, despite the endemic border clashes, only the Royal Fusiliers and Royal Foot Artillery have been seen in the field in living memory and that only recently. This may explain some of the occasional mis-identification of units in various battle reports.

 The Household Regiments are:

• Royal Horse Guards  (heavy cavalry, scarlet coatees, faced blue, and bearskin caps)
• Princess Charlotte's Heavy Horse nicknamed the "Black Horse".
  (heavy cavalry, scarlet coatees, faced black, brass helmets)
• Queen's Lancers (medium cavalry, scarlet coatees faced blue, lancer caps, lances)
  
• Royal Horse Artillery (braided scarlet hussar jackets, (it is unclear if this is the pelisse or a dolman)  fur busbies)
• Royal Foot Artillery (Dark blue coatees, faced red, broad shako, light blue pants)
• Royal Grendiers (scarlet coatees faced blue, bearskin caps)
• Royal Fusiliers (scarlet coatees, faced blue, broad shakos)

Left to Right, Household Troops: Princess Charlotte Heavy Horse, Royal Artillery, Royal Grenadiers, Royal Fusiliers.

DISTRICT TROOPS
The district troops consist of artillery regiments and artillery batteries based in the 5 districts. Each has a depot and a permanent cadre but are only embodied for local service when needed by calling for volunteers from the militia. The artillery is normally kept in garrison but the infantry has seen constant service and the meaning of "local" has been stretched to include anywhere in South Atlantica.  The regiments have many local nicknames but the following are the offical names.
   
The District Regiments are:

Victoria Rifles (Dark green, armed with rifles)
Belmont Fusiliers ("The Buffs" red faced buff)
Wye Fusiliers ("Green Tigers" red faced green)
Dover Fusiliers (red faced yellow)
Uniake Fusiliers ( red faced yellow)

A, B, C and D batteries are based in Dover, Uniake, Lawfordton and Wye respectively.

Left to right, District Troops: Artillery, Victoria Rifles, Buffs, Green Tigers, Dover Fusiliers, Uniake Fusiliers

THE MILITIA.


All subjects are liable for service in the militia when called up. Lots are drawn for 5 years of service and those chosen are mustered once every 6 months. Little faith is placed in the militia but various volunteer units have been raised and some have done good service. In the central districts these Volunteers provide their own arms and uniforms and while they are sometimes looked down upon as Social Clubs for the rich, they train regularly and perform ceremonial and aid to the civil power duties. In some cases uniforms and weapons are provided by wealthy Colonels while in other cases individuals provide their own, On the frontier, volunteer companies are more likely to be non-uniformed volunteer light infantry raised amongst hunters and trappers, rivermen  and other woodsmen. Similar marine companies have also been raised on the coast from fishermen and sailors. There is no good record of these volunteer companies as yet.

FARAWAY TRADING COMPANY (FTC) TROOPS

The FTC originally raised small bodies of armed men as guards for their trading posts and raised bodies of auxiliaries from friendly tribes as needed. As their interests and the area that they administered grew leading to increased conflict with various native tribes, they found themselves needing a larger force capable of a powerful, rapid response to threats. A regiment of mounted infantry was raised to serve as a combination police and armed force. This became the Director General's Bodyguard. A mounted rocket battery and a regiment of native lancers were eventually added. Once conflict with Oberhilse over the Rahdon gold fields became inevitable, the FTC troops found themselves acting primarily as auxiliaries to the Queen's forces.
The FTC still operates on its own north of the mountains but the details of these operations have not been well researched yet.

• Director General's Bodyguard (Medium cavalry, Originally dark blue faced white later changed to red faced white, white metal helmets. In theory they were to be armed with rifled carbines but I have not been able to confirm that this was ever done)
• Larsen's Lancers (Green faced red, turbans, lancers, light cavalry)
• Horse Artillery. (Blue jackets faced red, brass helmets with red plumes, armed with rockets or 6 pounders.)
• Voyagers. These are various bodies of armed company "servants", hunters, traders, boatmen and the like. There is no official uniform but things such as coats are often provided by the company leanding an air of uniformity. Typical dress is a woolen cap and either a loose woolen shirt or blanket coat depending on the weather. 
• Aeronautical Corps. The FTC has been experimenting with a balloon corps to keep its trading stations  linked together and well informed.
• Native Auxiliaries. These are raised from allied tribes as and when needed.

Left to right: FTC Troops: Director General's Bodyguard, mounted and dismounted, Horse Artillery, Voyager, Larsen's Lancers, native auxilliary of the Saskwatchay tribe.