Sharpe Practice - introduction game

 Whilst I was away from Yorkshire over Christmas, my two regular opponents Mike and Ned played a number of Sharpe Practice games.  It's 28mm and set at a very low operational level - so completely opposite to BBB - a bigger scale but much smaller part of a battle.

Week one saw Mike and I command an Anglo-Spanish force, with the simple (!) task of escorting a wagon up a road and off the opposite table edge.  What could go wrong?  I took charge of two 8 man units of British line and three 8 man units of Spanish.  I also got the wagon.  Mike had Brits and Spanish light infantry, plus the force commander.

Sharpe Practice is driven by card (or poker chit) activation per unit, with special cards allowing you to save actions or act out of sequence.  Each turn is ended by a counter as well, so turn length is also random.    The rules are produced by "Two Fat Lardies" and are meant to give an interesting game with a bit of theatre, rather than a strictly historical refight of a particular action (or at least that's what I reckon) 😀.

Mike was a useful source of information/rules clarification as my Spanish took the left flank, with my Brits in the centre.  Mike took the right.  We advanced solidly, with the wagon slowly plodding behind us.  We got half way up the table and my Spanish, harried by French voltigeurs, decided to open fire.  Unfortunately this meant they went un-controlled, so they stood there, firing away, not hitting much but resolutely ignoring orders.  Oops!  In the middle my British troops were having issues deploying, whilst Mike was beating down Ned's troops to his front.

1st week photos

My Spanish, to the right, advance

Two lots of Voltigeurs take cover behind the standing crop to harry the Spanish line.  Now I know why doormats go missing.....

On the second week my Spaniards started to break up, my Brits took casualties whilst Mike also slowed down.  Ned and Johno (4th player - turned up for week two) kept up the pressure until a final bayonet charge slammed into my Brits and broke through to the wagon.  It was an interesting game that certainly incorporated a lot of Napoleonic flavour.  Interesting to fight at this level, given my usual big battle/small scale preference.  

Photos from week 2

The thin red line, Spanish reeling from the voltigeur needling, whilst French slam into my Brits.  The final move of the game.

Mike's thin red line

My Brits mid picture, with Mike's troops at the top.  Spanish taking hits and officer unconscious....

All in all it was an interesting break from BBB.  The figures are big enough to go to town on detailed painting and the emphasis is on action and dice rolling.  

It will be interesting to see players use these rules for re-creating small scale historical actions - and with what results.  Does it work historically, as well as being a fun game?

So, despite getting quite severely mauled by game end, it was fun and the rules started to go in.....