Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Age of the Big Battalions => Topic started by: Elk101 on June 11, 2016, 12:06:18 AM
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We had our first proper run out of the new Sharp Practice rules tonight. Points were relatively equal but a small British force of Regulars under Sir Bernard Haggard was sent against a much larger Colonial force consisting of a force of minutemen under Major Henry Hump and a force of State Line under Colonel Charles Bigger.
The Colonials had a primary and secondary deployment point and the attacking British had but the one primary point. The British deployed first and boldly advanced across the bridge with their main force under Sir Bernard, while a unit of skirmishes under Sgt Fiddler poked around the river bank on the left flank. A few groups of Rebel skirmishers under the command of Sam Crump pushed through the woods adjacent to the riverbank on their side to counter the British lights. A lucky draw saw the Colonial skirmishers under Sgt Banger appear in front of the advancing British, who were very near to the Colonial primary deployment point. They used their Command Cards to launch an Ambuscade, causing damaging shock on their opponent.
Later in the game the late Colonel Bigger arrived on the British right flank, courtesy of their secondary dp, causing significant casualties and shock on the British centre. Sir Bernard ordered his line to fire on the Colonial centre twice (using 4 Command Cards) and obliterated the Colonial centre. Units broke through other groups who then dropped back due to excess shock. It was too late for the British however, as some excellent firing from the State Line forced them back, in good order though. The Colonials had fled their primary deployment point but the British could not capitalise on it. Sir Bernard will be back!
Cracking game, cracking rules!
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Nice report and table.
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Looking good matey :)
cheers
James
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Nice looking game Steve! 8)
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Nice AAR - will you be keeping us abreast of Sir Bernard's future attempts a crushing the rebellion?
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Rivier crossings are always tough but this one sounded close.
Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks Furt. I volunteered to umpire since I was the only one who had read the rules. Two of the players struggled with some of the rules but the third player (Sir Bernard) picked them up very quickly and really enjoyed the whole command decision aspect, telling the others at one point that a big part of the game was about choice; does your leader take shock off with his initiatives or does he activate his groups and keep up their fire?
The Command Cards were used at critical points in the game. The Ambuscade launched by the Rebel skirmishers held up the British advance and the deployment of the state line on the flank with Crashing Volley pretty much turned the game.
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That's what I get for taking so long to put a post together! Thanks guys.
Nice AAR - will you be keeping us abreast of Sir Bernard's future attempts a crushing the rebellion?
The use of the named leaders worked very well with the group. They warmed to Sir Bernard and Colonel Bigger much more readily than Red Leader 1 and Blue Leader 1. Tiffin prevented the Colonel from getting on the table for the first three turns but his appearance was critical. The AWI collection is a friend's and this was the first time he'd ever fielded them. As Sir Bernard withdrew in good order he'll get most of his forces back for the next game, while the Colonial 2IC was less careful with his Militia.
The Colonials were not as fragile as I anticipated and the weight of firepower they could bring couldn't be matched by the smaller British force.
I made the British roll a task for crossing the river and half of Lieutenant Ffing's men eventually found a point to cross while the other half fired volleys across the river.
The players were initially surprised at how far units could move but once they realised the game scale was much closer to 1:1 than normal they appreciated the game's level. I kept pointing out that these were not battalions on the table but companies, etc.
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Lovely looking game Steve, really nice terrain and beautiful figures. Glad to hear your chum appreciated the command choices that the game is all about.
Rich
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Nicely done Steve. 8)
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Lovely looking game Steve, really nice terrain and beautiful figures. Glad to hear your chum appreciated the command choices that the game is all about.
Rich
Thanks Rich. Interestingly enough by the end of the game even the guy who couldn't get his head around deployment points (and whose figures they were) said "you know. I think I prefer these rules". I'd call that a successful set of rules. There was a bit of a post game analysis of deployment point location which I thought was a good sign too. I just received some stuff from Warbases and ebay to crack on with mine for the TFL competition.
I'm actually really enthused about playing again. It's got me wanting to get on with painting.
Nicely done Steve. 8)
Cheers Steve. I'd heartily recommended the rules.
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Hi Steve
I know what you mean about painting. I keep thinking that it's "only another fifty odd figures" and buying new armies. Cape Wars for me next.
Rich
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Looks great...there is nothing better then a cool fight for a bridge...;)
DV
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Great stuff, looking forward to reading and playing SP2. :)
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I've yet to have a fight for a bridge that ends well for me :)
Great game and nice terrain!
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Great report and good advertisement for SP2.
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Great report and good advertisement for SP2.
It certainly deserves it, I haven't been as enthused about a rules set for a long time.
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And now? Is it worth spending time with reading. I think the first edition was very confusing, not good in the structure.
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It's a great set of rules. Solidly my favourite for now.
There are a few confusing bits but they have been clarified on the Lardies forum: Lardy Rich answers all the questions pretty quick!
Once you are over that it's great! There are so many tactical choices and options!
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And now? Is it worth spending time with reading. I think the first edition was very confusing, not good in the structure.
I never played Sharp Practice 1 but I found the rules fairly ok to pick up and as Rich H says, Rich has clarified most points.
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Looking at using the rules for The Hungarian Revolhtion 184o
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Nice set-up and report, mate.
:-* :-*
I may have to check SP2 out so that we can skirmish ACW before we have enough done for bigger battles.
:)
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AWI report:
Following the retreat of the British under Sir Bernard Haggard at what came to be known as the Battle of Greasy Creek, Colonel Charles Bigger decided to take the fight to the enemy. He brought his forces to the temporary British camp at Dunghill Farm for what he hoped would be a decisive encounter.
Sir Bernard was at Dunghill Farm reorganising his forces and had sent Lt Ffing off to meet up with Little Heap, a minor local indian leader who had agreed to help them. Sgt Fiddler provided the picket.
The attacking Colonials had one primary deployment point placed 6" from the road edge they selected. They had the option of coming on from the north east road or the south east road; they chose the north east entry point, apparently due to the increased cover offered by the woodland. This decision was to prove pivotal later on.
The British then placed their primary dp centrally on Dunghill Farm. The British player had already been told that only Sir Bernard could deploy from here.They were then given a second dp to place by the north west road which represented Lieutenant Ffing's entry point and that of his new ally Little Heap. A third dp was then provided for the British that could be placed anywhere within 36" of the western table edge. This was only for the use of Sgt Fiddler and his recently replaced skirmishers. The Colonial player didn't know that the British dps were severely restricted however.
The game commenced with Colonel Bigger leading his 2 groups of State Line off the road and into the woods that covered the eastern edge of the battlefield. They were followed by Tom Banger and his skirmish group. Luckily for the British Sir Bernard was alert and he and his line rushed from the farm and lined the fencing to await whatever was coming through the woods. There was a delay in the Colonial advance as they awaited the rest of their forces (Tiffin card) but finally Major Hump and his remaining Militia marched down the road supported by Sam Crump's 2 groups of skirmishers. Sir Bernard had placed Sgt Fiddler on his right at the edge of an orchard and he now deployed to protect the British flank. There was no sign of Lieutenant Ffing and his men at this point.
The Colonial centre advanced to the edge of the woods and exchanged fire with the British line, though to no great effect on either side. Banger moved his men through the woods to confront Fiddler and Major Hump continued to march his men down the road pushing the skirmishers of Crump out towards the woods on Sir Bernard's left flank. It was at this moment that Little Heap and his men pushed through the very same woods, shortly followed by Lieutenant Ffing and his line who marched through a clearing directly towards Major Hump's Militia.
The defining actions of the game now took place as Banger hesitated against Fiddler on the British right flank only to allow the brave Sgt to seize the moment and charge across the road straight into the Colonial skirmishers. The combat was evenly matched until the Colonials took one too many casualties and withdrew back into the woods. On the British left flank the skirmishers of Crump under the command of Major Hump threw themselves into the woods in front of them only to meet the braves of Little Heap. The Colonials were thrown back across the road carrying the now unconscious Crump. Little Heap had also been wounded and it was up to Sir Bernard to spur his new allies on. The natives viciously counter attacked the Colonial skirmishers causing them to flee back to the safety of their own lines.
Meanwhile Ffing's men who had made a relatively slow progress, firing at long range to harass the advancing Militia, suddenly rushed headlong towards their opponent (random event) allowing their closed column to crash into the Militia, destroying them to a man despite taking fairly heavy casualties themselves (5 out of 6 Militia dice causing kills). Major Hump himself was captured.
The battle was effectively over with only the Colonial centre holding, though they had made no progress against the British centre.
Sir Bernard held the field and it was his opponents turn to withdraw.
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Great stuff!
I've bought the rules myself but obviously that is also all I have managed... I like the size of forces you are using. Should be just the right size for my Texican adventures too.
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Great stuff!
I've bought the rules myself but obviously that is also all I have managed... I like the size of forces you are using. Should be just the right size for my Texican adventures too.
Cheers mate. We're playing with about 8 groups per side at the moment. We haven't introduced cavalry or artillery yet though perhaps next time. This game was the first time we had Fisticuffs though and there was a lot of it, four charges in fact. Leaders can make a big difference in melee but only Sir Bernard and Sgt Fiddler remained unscathed as the four other officers involved in Fisticuffs were wounded.
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Another great AAR and a well done Sir Bernard for seeing off those colonial upstarts!
I trust he will follow up and exploit their withdrawal?
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Another great AAR and a well done Sir Bernard for seeing off those colonial upstarts!
I trust he will follow up and exploit their withdrawal?
Thanks. I suspect there will be more to this with Major Hump now a captive. There are rumours that Colonel Bigger is attempting to bring up some artillery to even the score!
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Bigger to the Rescue
Tonight's game saw Colonel Bigger attempt to release Major Hump from his British captors.
The game started with newly arrived Sgt Boggs guarding the prisoner in a small settlement at a crossroads. The Colonial forces sneaking up on Boggs ' men consisted of Tom Banger and his skirmishers. They immediately fired on Boggs, killing a man. Bigger and his main force entered from the south eastern road (bottom right on the map). The Colonials were incredibly slow however, giving Sir Bernard's men time to deploy. The veteran British sergeant Sgt Fiddler was allowed to deploy from the south with Ffing and Sir Bernard deploying from the northern road (top of map). The combined firepower pushed Banger back to the safety of a stone wall.
A random event saw the Colonial cavalry officer Captain Reckitt fall from his horse shortly after deploying, landing in a big pile of shit (reducing him to zero status). He stopped at the nearby pond and spent some time cleaning up (reinstating his status). Crump took over Hump's Militia and attempted to file past the pond and through some woods, taking most of the game to do so.
The Rebel cavalry charged at the canter at Boggs' men holding the house with Hump (there was a LOT of discussion on movement of cavalry). Boggs stood his ground loosing several volleys into the cavalry and defended their fenceline well but were ultimately wiped out (though Boggs escaped). Reckitt's men were shattered too though and withdraw with an unconscious Reckitt in tow. They left the field.
Bigger advanced his men across the fields but was stuck in column due to space and could not bring his superior numbers to bear.
The game ended with the British firmly lodged in the settlement and Bigger's Colonials hesitant to press forward.
In hindsight I should perhaps have reduced the number of groups available to the British or increased the troops in the advance party.
The map was drawn with a finger on a mobile to help with set up.
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Great looking game, mate.
Sounds like you had some fun with it too.
8) 8)
Could SP2 be the answer for our early ACW games (before we get enough figures finished to get a proper battle in, I mean)..?
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Great looking game, mate.
Sounds like you had some fun with it too.
8) 8)
Could SP2 be the answer for our early ACW games (before we get enough figures finished to get a proper battle in, I mean)..?
I'm sure it would. You only need a few dozen figures per side. We've played quite comfortably with 80+ per side too.
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Do you individually base for SP? Or can small stands work just as well? I'm building some Naps up, but it would be fun to do something before I have to paint enough to play Black Powder.
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I'm sure it would. You only need a few dozen figures per side. We've played quite comfortably with 80+ per side too.
Cheers, mate.
I shall have to have a butchers.
Like Grant, we are sloooooowly going to be building up to BP but it would be nice to have something easily accessible to get going with them before we get to that point.
:)
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Great looking games mate 8) 8)
cheers
James
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Great looking games mate 8) 8)
cheers
James
Cheers. I can't take credit for the table though as it's a mates. He has a games room in his garage so we tend to congregate there a lot.