"Hey up Harpey!"

[Harry Faversham]

“Thar’t in it reyt up to thi neck ageeyn old lad!!!”

Major Harpe is on a mission to find Father Esperanto, a masterspy, who is reported to have the orders of battle for the advancing French Army commanded by Marshal Soult. Harpe, Sharper and the Chosen Men are in cover observing the villa that the good Father is hiding within. Through his telescope the Rifles Occifer sees stragglers from Soult’s advance guard looting the villa…
*From an original screenplay, shamelessly nicked, from our very own Eric the Shed!!! 

 

[Belisarius]

Tha,s luking reet  gud there , lad , by gum .  😎

[Harry Faversham]

Harpe and Sharper set off on the mission…







 

[Harry Faversham]

To say that Harpe’s mission to glean the secret papers didn’t go to plan would be an understatement… it was an absolute farce and debacle!
After extensive recceing through his telescope the good Major decided to start the raid from as far away from the villa as he could get while still remaining in Portugal. Predictably, the Riflemen were spotted straight away and a French looter opened fire. The shot immediately alerted a nearby patrol of Dragoons who dismounted and advanced to investigate.

Despite Harpey frantically urging his men to get on they got bogged down in a prolonged firefight and totally lost the plot of why they were there. A second looter hit Harpe in the melon and took him out of the action. The next exchange saw some magnificent long range shooting from the veteran French Dragoons that wounder Sergeant Sharper and downed all the Riflemen.

Though wounded, Sharper scrambled to his feet, and made ready to meet the charging Dragoons. What followed kind of restored a smidgen of the 95th’s reputation. The monstrous volley gun dropped two assailants and Sharper put paid to two more in close combat before falling to a bayonet in the back from a Voltijoor who snuck up on him. The raid to get the information for His Grace the Duke of Wellington had ended it utter ignominy for the British!

 

[Harry Faversham]

I was so disappointed with Harpe and Sharper (Even though I'd been the Frenchies!) I made a command decision for a rematch with my good self in command of the Riflemen.
A quick recce spotted a back door to the villa, Harpey and the lads stormed in. Before the French looters even spotted 'em they'd gleaned the nearby hiding place of the secret orders and run off... redemption for the 95th!

[BaronVonJ]

Nice back and forth. Very cinematic.

[Harry Faversham]

Yep, but in the first game I think Harpe was played by Stan Laurel.
Wot with him being...

1. A bit of a nutter in HtoH +1

2. The proud owner of a giant chopper +1

3. Chance to glean a HtoH card +1

Harpey could wind up with a D12 +3... making him a big green terminator type thingy!!!

Instead, he just ponced about a bit till a skulking Voltijoor slotted him through the melon.
Having said that I've never seen FFofL shooting like that of the French Dragoons. Long range shooting, at targets skulking in the shrubbery, produced three hits from four shots with two kills and a wound...
now that's proper Hollywood!