AAR - First blood in Ukraziland (Sharp Practice)

[Traveler Man]

Hi, a report of the first engagement in my Colonial campaign may be found over at my bog.

http://ajstable.blogspot.com/

It was fought to Sharp Practice rules, with some of my own homespun adaptations.

A J

[sepoy1857]

Looks like a fun game! how do you like Sharp Practice for Colonials?

[Trooper]

Thanks for that, a right good read, and you are developing the characters nicely. I look forward to more of the Barchester's adventures.

[Gluteus Maximus]

Looks like a fun game! how do you like Sharp Practice for Colonials?

Yes, very interesting! I quite like Sharp Practice for the Peninsular, and I'd also like to know more about your colonial version. Do you have a specific set of house-rules you could post?

[Traveler Man]

Thanks, gentlemen! 

I see Blogger is having technical difficulties at the moment and my blog is one of those affected.    They say it should be back up "soon." <Sigh> Watch this space... 

Sepoy: This is the first time I played a game using Sharp Practice rules, and I like them. They flow well, give a good game with what I feel are realistic results. The melee process is a little unclear - I couldn't find any mention of victorious troops following-up so had to wing it.

Gluteus Max: I do have some house rules, specifically different cards, for Colonial play.

In the regular deck I added Breechloader - allows troops so equipped to fire that turn regardless. (It saved the British bacon in my game). It reflects the technical superiority of European firepower - if they get the chance to use it. x3 of these.

The Bonus cards I added are:-

Good Medicine - Natives get a Big Man bonus move. x1

Talking Drums - Played against a Colonial power, causes native guides and bearers to run away. x1 Can be dashed awkward in a tight spot. 

Men of Harlech - British troops lose 1d6 Shock points if defending a barrier. x1

Tzeeee! - Native troops lose 1d6 Shock points. x1

I renamed some cards.

Shadow - Colonial variant of the Native American 'Vamose' card. Allows a native group to revert to Blind.

Ye gods, the heat! = Siesta.

The Queen = Vive 'Empereur. In my game the first to say "Gawd Bless 'Er!" gets the Bonus. 

Oh, blast! = Damnation!

I'll post a lot more post-game thoughts on my blog in a day or so, once Blogger sorts itself out.

[Gluteus Maximus]

The Queen = Vive 'Empereur. In my game the first to say "Gawd Bless 'Er!" gets the Bonus. 

You've sold me on that one alone! 

Sounds good - definitely post some more please!

[Traveler Man]

Blogspot had trouble earlier today, and my original post about my recent Sharp Practice game on my Blog vanished into the ether. Well, it is Friday 13th. =/

I've managed to repost the AAR on the first action in my Colonial campaign. Read it here.

http://ajstable.blogspot.com/

Enjoy! 

A J

[Conquistador]

Very nice AAR!

Gracias,

Glenn

[breaker]

Traveler great report . Im with you sharpe pratice is a great set af rules. Ive started adapting it for colonial myself , but not as advanced along as you are.

[Traveler Man]

A few thoughts on the Sharp Practice game are now up on my blog. 

http://ajstable.blogspot.com/

[Gluteus Maximus]

Some very interesting stuff there - thanks for sharing with us. I've not actually played any Sharp Practice yet - still trying to find my old 15mm Naps 

I have Terrible Swift Sword too, though sadly there are no Gatling rules in there - even though it was sparingly used in that war. I had a look in the TFL YahooGroup and a couple of people have come up with ideas for Gatling rules ie:

"I'd give the Gatling the range of an HMG, but with 4 dice per action point of fire (like an MG08/15 or a Lewis Gun)"

"Once you get to the Gatling gun, reliability appears to be more of a crew issue than anything else. Poorly trained crews will attempt to fire too fast and jam the weapons, while well trained crews could keep up a steady rate of fire for as long as there was ammunition.
I think you do want to add something to represent jamming weapons,  or just a temporary shortage of ammunition, but with very few (if any) machine guns in ACW battles it is likely to always affect the only battery."

Of course, to see how HMGs behave in Lardyland you'd have to get "Through The Mud And The Blood" 

A disappointingly small amount of info I know, but I hope it's of some use.

[Traveler Man]

Thanks, Gluteus Max. Useful ideas there. I shall have to buy TSS soon. 

In Peter Gilder's Sudan rules, the issue of Gatlings jamming is handled by the player announcing how many shots will be fired by the weapon. He/she then rolls percentile dice. If the number rolled is over the number called, the weapon fires without trouble. If the score equals the call or less, the gun jams on that many rounds. I've had it jam on just one round, which sure creates alarm and despondency! 

To clear, the player rolls a d6 each turn, 6 required the first, 5-6 the next and so on down.

Making the weapon's reliability a factor of crew training is more appealing to me, though. SP rates troops as Poor, Average, Good and Elite. I think there's always a chance of Murphy raising his gnarly head and causing the weapon to jam, but the chance should decrease with the increasing experience of the crew.