Happy Birthday Rebellious Colonials!

 

So to commemorate the Cousin's independence we had a little game of Sharp Practice. The scenario was very loosely based on the events of 19th April 1775, you know, "the British Are Coming!" and all that.

In the wholly fictional town of Danvers Mass, news has reached Colonel Whateley that the Redcoats were marching down the Boston Pike. He quickly called out his Militia and takes up position on the Common and blocked the bridge. However he does not want to be the man who goes down in history as starting a war so his men are strictly under orders not to shoot  unless shot at.

Sure enough, the Redcoats approach down the Pike. They too are concerned not to be seen as the instigators, but are firm in their mission, to search Danvers for contraband arms and powder. 

We had a system to determine if the fragile peace would hold. Whenever a unit did something the other side could think of as provocative, both sides rolled a D6 - if they scored doubles, someone shoots and .....

The Redcoats advanced. Major Bartlett (Rob) in charge moved up to the bridge and ordered the leading troops to clear the obstruction. This had been decided as a task with a target of 18 - each action spent trying to clear it would score 2d6 points, and would be completed when the total reached 18. 

Before he reached the obstacle however he was waylaid by Miss Campion, a local Lady. Politeness (and perhaps a desire to get better acquainted with the young lady delayed him however while he paid his respects. She appeared unimpressed. 

Meanwhile, his Light Company flanked left to secure the woods, "just in case" , and his second Company moved right.

And then a shot rang out! noone was sure where it came from - was it the house next to the bridge?

Suddenly the tense situation turned deadly. The British fired a volley at the Militia, men fell, and then some previously unseen Colonials hiding in the woods started shooting at the Redcoats trying to clear the barricade.

Major Bartlett ordered the obstacle cleared as a fight broke out with more Militia hiding in he woods on the other side of the road. A Redcoat fell. He would not be the last....

Colonel Whateley was horrified, but he knew his duty. He ordered his Minutemen to wheel and deliver a volley at the Redcoats on the bridge. Due to the targets being concentrated on the narrow bridge we agreed to treat them as a closed column, which at least helped the Militia hit something. No kills, but shock started to build. 

The problem for the Colonials was the Minutemen were brave, but were otherwise almost totally undrilled. As soon as they fired their first ragged volley they simply blazed away as fast as they could fire into the cloud of smoke they created, whether Whateley wanted them to or not. On the British side the well drilled Redcoats were delivering controlled volleys (using their "Sharp Practice" trait) and it was starting to hit hard.

On the bridge the lead Redcoats finally cleared the obstacle. Then disaster struck the Colonials. A good volley killed some Redcoats on the bridge, then a random event was triggered by a third consecutive Command Flag card, and the Minutemen, drunk with their success, surged forward uncontrolled. 

Major Bartlett seized the moment. He rallied some shock and then triggered his "Thin Red Line" trait using his command cards. The troops on the bridge fired a volley and then fixed bayonets and charged the Minutemen. The regulars ploughed into the shocked Militia, who broke and ran. Whately was wounded in the melee but fell back with his men. The victorious Redcoats called out to the fleeing Yankees. Just to make the situation worse, the British Light Company shot the riflemen in the woods, injuring their leader.

It was too much for the Colonials. Force morale plummeted. Whateley ordered a withdrawal to regroup and await reinforcements, and Bartlett advanced to Danvers.

It was a great game, which mirrored the historical events at Lexington \ Concord nicely. The Redcoats would complete their search. The problem was, they now needed to get back to Boston through a county buzzing with armed militia swarming towards them.

Training Day - learning the ropes in Sharp Practice part 1 - Moving in column vs line

It's not a secret. I've been painting Napoleonics for Sharp Practice. Yesterday I had hoped to get a game from one of the five or six local players but for some reason all of them found an excuse, plumbing, broken down car, working etc. One of them had the gall to say he had plans to go and visit the Tuileries in Paris rather than spend an afternoon at "The Steelies" club in Middlesbrough playing Sharp Practice. I forgive him. This time  :-)

So I was a bit disappointed, but in some ways a bit relieved. Truth is my Sharp Practice experience is mostly American War of Independence, where the units are small and you spend most of your time in line or fighting light infantry style. Napoleonics are different. In particular there is a lot more reliance on Formations and larger units, and to be honest my understanding of the nuts and bolts of all that are not all there.

So I've decided to teach myself a bit more about how Formations move and manoeuvre. Basically do some Drill :-)

I need to be clear this is a training exercise. I'm sat with my copy of Sharp Practice in hand and will be referring to it as I go along. I'm going to make mistakes but hopefully I will learn. Please point them out so I wont screw up next time.

First up I need to learn the nuances of moving in lines and columns. To do this as a bit of whimsy I set up an obstacle course on the dining room table. The object being to traverse the table, cross the obstacles and form up in good order within 6" of the table edge. The obstacles are a fence classed as a minor obstacle, and a hedge row, a major obstacle. I've left gaps one base wide in both with the object of manoeuvring the column through the gaps.

The runners in this obstacle course are two identical units of 24 French Line infantry from the 1809-12 list. Each has a Status 2 Leader. One is set up in line, the other in closed column. I'm not planning on running anywhere, just get the basics down.

Turn 1 - And they're off. Both rolled a total of 6 on their movement die. This brought the line up to the fence. The Column wheeled to fact the gap. Here was my first learning moments. Units wheel on a fixed point and can't split their movement so even though I only needed 4" to wheel, by declaring I was using both movement die to wheel I was stuck with it and "wasted" 2". Reading the rules this is just a matter of my decisions. I could have declared the wheel with one action and then either continued with a second if I had got to the right point or continued ahead with the second if I had got them lined up. Lesson 1. I could have tried moving at an oblique up to 45 degrees if the set up had been better - lesson 2.

Turn 2 - First obstacle. The line crossed this using 2 actions and losing the lowest dice rolled. The Column moved up but were now somewhat behind.

Turn 3 - moving up. The Line rolled well with both die and moved up to the hedge. The Column continued to lag but was lined up on the gap in the hedge.

Turn 4 - The Hedge. The line crossed the hedge. As they are classed as Conscripts and Volunteers they lose the larger of the two dice rolled for movement, the formation breaks up, and each group takes one shock. The column ploughs though towards the gap in the hedge.

edit I moved a hedge piece to make a gap

Turn 5 - At the hedge the line now redresses itself and reforms into a single formation using two "Form Up" orders. It is now carrying one shock on each of the three groups. The column pushes on.

Turn 6 - The line now faces a couple of decisions and I think I got it wrong. I decided to go ahead and advance without rallying shock. The Formation would lose 1 point of movement distance, again here is a little quirk. If I announced I was taking both the unit actions as movement I would lose 1" from the total , so in this case taking two separate move actions. The line is now in place but needs to rally off the three shock it is carrying before declaring a victory. The column is still behind and also needs to get into line.

Turn 7&8  - The line starts to rally off shock. The problem is the Leader is only allowed to rally off shock from the group he is attached to. It follows that a Status II Leader can only rally one Shock per turn then move to the next group. The column uses a formation change and moves from closed column to line while the line is still not quite ready. It's a close thing but a very marginal victory to the column

So in the end, the column won only just. However I was not using Command Cards, which would have allowed the line to boost their Leader status allowing him to rally more quickly. The lessons so far are to be careful as to how you move when choosing one or two move actions. In some cases (wheeling for instance) it may be wiser to do it sequentially, but in others, such as moving when carrying shock, take them together. 

So I think I have a bit of a better grasp of dealing with obstacles and manoeuvring troops. More practice needed.........

Cheating Frogs

I think I mentioned I was stalling painting my Sharp Practice French Napoleonics? Before Christmas Wargames Illustrated were giving away a sprue of Warlord French Infantry, and I picked one up to have a closer look - it was free after all. There were six figures on the sprue, all in greatcoat at March Attack. Hmm

Anyway I got a few more sprues by begging from friends (thanks Dave) and then picking up some from the Sprue Shop as I didn't need that many figures. Actually I needed sixteen. Each sprue had four line company guys and a pair of flank types with epaulettes. I needed sixteen line, so four sprues, and I would have eight spare figures to paint up as Grenadiers if I needed them in the future. I suppose I could have carved the epaulettes off them but that seems like a bit of a faff.

As I considered greatcoats cheating and as I was damned to hell for that I felt I should go all the way and just use Contrast paints. May as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb.

So after a couple of tries I discovered that the Warlord ones were very quick to paint and look ok (to me) at table distance. The minimal straps and the greatcoat covering the damned waistcoat really helped. I found I could paint them about twice as fast as the Perry models. In fact the main issue was waiting for the contrast to dry before putting another colour near - my eyesight is getting a bit meh so I do wander over the lines a bit.

So I have rattled out the sixteen needed which brings my Sharp Practice French up to complete for the core force. I will still need some supports adding before they can hit the table, but it feels like the back of this one is broken.

As for what supports? That's an interesting question. The basic French infantry unit is sixteen guys in the 1809-1812 Peninsular list. My usual first call for supports is to chuck in a gun, but the sixteen man units worry me because I think they lack the weight to carry either a melee attack in column or shoot it out with a British line. So my first option will be to add another stand of eight to each of the line units. They're surprisingly cheap at 4 support points each so shouldn't break the bank in points. Then if I have some spare support points I can take a gun, or maybe some Dragoons........

The sharp eyed (should that be Sharpe eyed??) out there will have spotted the problem. I only had sixteen greatcoated figures. So I decided I needed two more sprues. I consulted the Sprue Shop and they were a fiver each, give or take, plus a bit extra for postage. But a full box could be had for £22 inc p&p so it made sense to do that, it would give me all the expansion option I needed, plus a command group.

Which is why my "I've not bought any models this year" meme has lasted a whole seven days. Ah well.

 .  

The plans of Mice and Ken

 apparently oft go astray

So this was my Christmas break 2024 hobby plan

1. Print and Paint some Lizardmen for Warmaster

2. Repair a Pegasus Hobbies Log House - I have one with a missing roof bit so I've ordered some tiles from Warbases and my m8 Dave has laser cut me some new roof bits and bases so that's an easy one

3. Construct and paint three Pegasus Hobbies Log Houses - in addition to the above. That will give me a full log built village that will cover both WW2 Ost and AWI 

4. Construct my DMH buildings - I've "quite a few"

5. Repair \ bodge a few buildings for Irish Revolt \ Civil War

So a clear and well thought out plan.

Instead I've started painting bloody Frenchmen! My Sharp Practice French have been hovering at half done for months. I've decided to cheat and switch to Warlord models in greatcoats, err and contrast paint. Feels dirty but it does seem to work :-) 

Project update - err stuff is happening

I've not posted for a while so I thought a generic post would maybe be relevant.

So where to start.

Blood Red Skies. Over the last few years this has been my main game. Over the last few months progress has stalled a bit (pun intended). I played a few games at the Middlesbrough club and also did a demo session at the Warlord Opening Day - all good, but I've mainly been painting and playing other things. This is hopefully going to change. We have a small tournament planned for mid November so hopefully that will run ok.

Quar. Ive been quite taken with The Clash of Rhyflers starter set and have been busily expanding. I've hit a bit of a bump in the road as my core Crusader force is just about done, but for reasons I cant really explain even to myself I have started two new forces, Royalists and Arnyarans (it's the bikes). This means I have a pile of unpainted models - oh dear.

Sharp Practice. French are stalled but I hope to get them back running soon.

Quar adjacent is the Irish Revolt \ Rebellion \ Civil War. I've been looking for a set of rules that handles the scale and scope of the actions of the period and I think Clash of Rhyflers does this really well. I'm hoping to put this to the test on Thursday night at Middlesbrough Games Club with our first "This Mick's War" game. Report to follow (hopefully).

Printer issues. Yup, that's a thing. Mt Saturn 2, which had previously been rather reliable, had a FEP leak. In attempting to change the FEP I damaged the resin tank. The replacement resin tank didn't quite fit so I have spent some time staring (and swearing) at the machine. I finally have it working again however I noticed the Saturn 4 Ultra was on sale and....... well this happened. 

It's almost Christmas so..... It will be a while before it is set up and running - I may need to move stuff around in the print room.

Phew, so that's about it for October. It has been less productive than I would have liked but hopefully now that will change. Cheers

En Avante Mes Amis!! Vive l'Empereur etc

I realise I've not given much of an update on the Sharp Practice French I was working on. Looking back, I started them in April and now it's October, which tells a story on it's own. Truth is they've been a bit of a slog. I got through the twelve figure Voltigeur unit in short order, but the Ligne have really been a chore. The real issue is the chest area, with all the collars, turn backs, straps and cross belts was driving me to distraction. I decided to give them a break and work on the Quar, but now I'm back on them.

I've finally managed to finish the first 16 figure unit, but it was hard work and they're not exactly my best work, though they will do from "table distance". They all still need the bases finishing but that pretty much is the last step. 

I got so frustrated with the rank and file that I decided to paint a mounted officer, something to look nice. I bought a pack of Perry Miniatures mounted Colonels - way too senior really for Sharp Practice, but looks good. Actually painting him was easy and quite enjoyable. Like the rest, he looks OK from a distance :-)

need to do something with his face :-) 

Anyway, I've decided to try and speed things up. Last month's issue of Wargames Illustrated had a sprue of Warlord Napoleonic French - six figures in greatcoat. Sadly two are flank company, but looking at the others I suspect these will paint up very fast. Thanks to Dave Lakey (Cheers Dave!) I've acquired a second sprue, and I've ordered another pair of sprues from the Sprue Shop which will give me the sixteen I need - I'll also get a base of Grenadiers if I want them. 

To be honest I had considered Warlord when I was starting the project, but Perry's were just so much better value. Getting half the unit free and not having to deal with the metal Warlord command group which looks a bit iffy to say the least certainly helps. I wonder why Warlord went for the mixed material (plastic rankers but metal command)? I assume production cost, but it does make the boxes a bit on the pricey side on a per figure basis. When I was looking at options the Warlord Army sets were reasonable value, but the individual boxes less so. AND I love Perry's models in general.

The other change I'm going for is to add a gun by Victrix. I swapped a metal Perry one with Andy Parkes (Cheers m8). I prefer the plastic Victrix model because it comes with five crew (spot on for Sharp Practice) while the Perry ones only have four.  

Anyway. I've ordered movement trays from Warbases. Once they arrive I'll have all the "bits" I'll need, just need to get them painted. I've had a bit of a think and I'm worried the sixteen man Ligne units are a bit too fragile. Luckily the overall force cost is pretty low so rather than getting another unit I could add some more troops to the original units making at least one of them a much more robust twenty four strong. 

So this is what I'm now aiming for

1 Unit 12 Voltigeurs

2 Units 16 Ligne

Officers and Leaders for the above

Support options:

at least one base (probably 2) of Ligne to be used either as a third unit or to bolster the others

One artillery piece and crew

One small unit of Dragoons

One or two bases of Grenadiers

Musicians \ Standard Bearers - the latter not so much for on table but maybe as a good option for a Deployment point?

That's the "Cunning Plan" anyway  :-)

  

Sharp Practice Naval Landing Party - Safe in the Harbour at Last (almost)

Almost done now so I thought I would update on this project. This was one of those side projects that has taken quite a while to complete. I say complete but in truth there are still a couple of elements missing - more later.

So anyway let's introduce the crew of His Majesty's Frigate Venus

First up the senior officers. Most of these are unnamed as of yet, but that will come. Left to Right our Gallant Commander (who I now realise probably needs an epaulette but there are loads of them spare in the plastic kits), unnamed Bosun and Midshipman Poopdekker, Sally to his friends

Next the other leaders, a hatless Midshipman (who may actually just be a sailor originally but he looked so damned "Sharp" that I thought he needs promoting), and a Marine Officer

Speaking of the Marines, here they are. Two groups in close order, and one skirmishing.

Next up the Jolly Jack Tars - Two groups of skirmishers and two large groups of sailors with mixed weapons.

Lastly the gunners. Although there are two guns here the plan is to only use one (if any) and swap out the gun to represent different sizes of cannon.

And the group shot

So putting these together and getting some pics has highlighted some shortfalls. Firstly I probably need an option of junior leader for the Marine skirmishers. That's a bit of a pain as there are no really suitable figures except some of the firing line types which have extra braid on their shoulders. I'll see what can be done with one of them. I'll also need a Deployment Point - I'm thinking of a Rum Cask and a Marine guard but while I think it sounds good I don't think it makes much narrative sense. Will have a think.

The Venus's are an interesting force. Theyre going to lack any sort of staying power but I think they will be ok as a raiding unit, which I think seems reasonable. Time will tell :-)

All the nice girls love - oh hold on.............. Sharp Practice Napoleonic Landing Party

I think I used that as a title before when rambling about the Fleet Air Arm. Oh well.

Hornblower et al for Sharp Practice. As I mentioned a couple of post ago, I was having a rethink about the composition of my Royal Navy Landing Party. I'm still doing that, but it's firming up. Mr Parkes has delivered the Marine detachment. This means all I need to do is base and organise, and provide Deployment Points etc. I'm painting the leaders and gunners myself, as much to give me a feeling that I have contributing rather than just piggybacking on Andy's work.

I have answered one question, which was "Do the Marines skirmish?" and reading one of the Hornblower novels (it counts as research!) it does mention a Marine skirmish line, so I'm going with that as almost primary source material. Actual primary source material I suppose as the list is based on what The Lardies would call a "Literary Detachment".  

So the force will be:

Leader Status II

2 Groups of 8 Marines 

Leader Status I

1 Group of 6 Marines skirmishing 

Leader Status III

Leader Status I

2 Groups of Sailors with mixed weapons

2 Groups of Sailors with muskets skirmishing

1 ships cannon landed and crew

I can see some problems with this lot. Firstly I will probably have to peel some off to give some Support options. Possibly more concerning is the Sailors are probably all not going to be able form together as Formations, which will make them hard to keep them doing coordinated "stuff". I can't see a solution there. Also I am very scared about the idea of having two groups armed only with melee weapons - that is counter to my usual playstyle to say the least. 

Into Each Life some Rain Must Fall (according to The Ink Spots) which is my excuse for not painting more French Napoleonics

It's a Fallout in-joke

I'm being distracted from painting Napoleonic French because I watched the Fallout TV series on Prime. It was glorious and so inspired I dug out some Super Mutants to paint and then decided I needed some terrain and set the 3d printer running and...... my steel will to concentrate on Sharp Practice has shattered for the time being.

I've been working on a few Super Mutants, but I suspect the French may try and charge back onto the painting table soon as I umpired a game between two friends David and Rob and I could still very much feel the itch 

Not a lot has actually been done - probably the only miniatures I've finished are a Super Mutant Centaur, Hound, and a French Officer.

Centaur - cos "orrible slime spitting mutant " is too long a name I suppose

Pierre - Status 2 French Officer

I have however assembled another eight French Ligne Infantry which when painted (hopefully soon) will complete my first line unit.