My first few games of Sharp Practice left me impressed by the range of rules that covered so much of large skirmish warfare. However me and my gaming friends were also frustrated by the time it took to play a game. We are time poor wargamers.
After much hypothesising we decided to see what a game on a half sized table would
feel like.
This 50 point encounter game is set in the Indian Mutiny (First War of Independence) and is on my new 3 x 4 foot table. The Mutineers/Freedom fighters are deploying from Raja's elephant and the top of the picture. The British column is deploying out the wagon on the bottom left.
The mutineers have already deployed a few groups, so is a British minor character urging the British column forward.
As more Indian surge down the road, I realise that if the Indian's had brought on cavalry they could have overrun my deployment point already.
Luckily a small unit of miffed Indigo Planters arrive to protect the wagon, and their profits.
As yet more mutineers surge down the road, the British commander; Charles Wutherington Inbred Smyth arrives with a column of the 9th regiment of foot.
Instead of pushing up the road to confront the Mutineers, Wutherington Inbred Smyth sends the column to the west of the building in the hope that the Indigo planters can hold the road. This will put them in an excellent flanking position.
As the mutineers attack down the road is they are delayed as one company complains of thirst (random event). In sorting this out, the mutineer commanders failed to spot a naval gun positioned next to the building. (it hadn't deployed yet) Imagine their horror as their ranks are swept by grapeshot.
The naval gunners have their own problem as sparks from the gun set fire to the building next to them (another random event).
The dogged indigo planters keep up a steady fire to keep India, British.
The 9th regiment step-out around the house, deploy toface some sepoy rabble who get in their way. There are enough command cards in the next line to do a "thin red line" on them. It was over so quickly there wasn't time to take a photograph.
The exultant 9th then step-out and cross the field, leaving a company to observe some sepoy rabble lurking on the flank.
The 9th regiment sweeps around to take the mutineer formation in the flank. A combination of grapeshot to the front (shock doubled), and crashing volleys to the flank (shock doubled and doubled again) is more than any troops could be expected to stand. Their commander order them to retire. Victory to the British, long live the queen!
Perhaps to our surprise, Sharp Practice works better on a small table than on a large one, and we will be playing it this way from now on.
