Sharp Practice thoughts - Characters

Lt. Frederick Pike, of The Royal Barchester Regt. at the ready

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One of the things I like about the Sharp Practice rules is the element of role-playing involved. Each Big Man has a number of dice-generated characteristics which lead to him developing a personality. This in turn leads to the gamer investing a deal of interest in him, which I think leads to more realistic handling of units under the Big Man's command.

I don't have the Terrible Sharp Sword supplement to Sharp Practice - yet - but the blurb promises the means to develop a unit from the ground up.  

Terrible Sharp Sword includes a complete campaign system, allowing you to recruit your force, appoint officers and NCOs, equip and train them then take to the field. A range of scenarios and tabletop maps allows you to fight your war, to develop your men's skills and your leaders' abilities, to take your force from being greenhorns through to veterans and beyond.

All good stuff.

My initial games will be between a weak platoon of British infantry supported by a mountain gun, with a small RAMC contingent, against a tribe of natives, mostly spear-armed, supported by a small mercenary force armed with outdated firearms.

To lead them, here's the first cast of Big Men I generated.

British. The Royal Barchester Regt. 

Lt. Frederick Pike. A fine fellah, he's an average stamp in terms of health. Unfortunately in terms of looks he has a face like a dog's arse with a hat on. Pike has never done anyone any harm, and comes from the humblest of beginnings - the workhouse. In spite of this disadvantage, he's an accomplished swordsman and shot, and an occasional horseman. A man of letters, he has a talent with figure-work and coding.

Sgt. Albert Harrington. A young buck, strapping fellow and a pleasant lookin' chap. A popular cove with an honorable disposition, he's a gentleman ranker from serious money, who has risen in the ranks through sheer ability. An accomplished swordsman, shot, and occasional horseman.

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Natives. The Ukrazi Tribe & Allies.

Chief Bubbalazi. A jolly good chap in terms of influence, he's a sickly cove, with plain looks, and is universally detested. A nouveau-riche type, lion-hearted, and a good hand with a spear, honorable - up to a point - envious of success in others. 

Sub-Chief N'Kwana. A cock o' the walk, average stamp, and a handsome, lecherous devil with an eye for the ladies. To the manor born, he has serious wealth. A fair spearman, he's also a cad and a lush. He has his eye on Bubbalazi's throne - and Bubbalazi suspects as much.

Sonny N'Sher. Mercenary. A young buck and strapping fellow, N'Sher has a face like a warthog. In spite of this, he's universally loved and his men will do anything for him. To the manor born, his family is in serious decline, so N'Sher lives in abject poverty. His life experiences haven't embittered him however. He's chivalrous, and an accomplished shot. A countryman, his expertise in reading sign is much admired.

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So, a good cast of Big Men, with interesting characteristics, all randomly generated through dice rolls. On balance, the native leaders have a greater level of command influence than the British platoon's. How this will serve them against modern weaponry remains to be seen. I aim to play out an encounter between the two forces in the next week or so.  

The River War

For those not averse to e-book formats, one of the classic works on the Omdurman Campaign in the Sudan is available for free through the Gutenberg Project at ManyBooks.com.

The River War was an early foray into literature by Winston Churchill, and describes his adventures during Kitchener's successful campaign of reconquest. His description of the railway laid to carry supplies around a wide loop of the Nile is one of the most evocative passages I've read. Recommended!

Battlefields tour

The blog has been quiet for a week because my wife and I took a road trip to visit relatives. This gave us the opportunity to stop off at four Civil War battlefields along the way - Chickamauga, Franklin, Kenesaw Mountain and, shown above, Lookout Mountain.

Following their defeat at Chickamauga in September 1864, the Union army retreated into defences in and around the railroad hub of Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Confederate army under General Braxton Bragg enclosed the town from three sides. The northern area of the town is ringed by mountains which, at the time, had very primitive roads that were often rendered impassable by the unusually wet fall that year. The Union army supply line was further threatened by Confederate cavalry raids.

The photo shows me looking out North-Eastward from one of the Confederate battery positions that were established above the rock palisades that run around the northern face of the mountain. The Tennessee River flows below the height, and just visible above my arm is the line of what was known at the time as the Memphis & Charleston Railroad. The peninsula of land showing just under the gun muzzle is Moccasin Point, site of several Union positions.

The batteries were sited to interdict any supplies and reinforcements moving to the Union army along the river. Confederate artillerymen worked extremely hard to get their ordinance to the mountaintop. Even these days the road switchbacks all the way up the 1,400 feet height, with sheer drops to one side most of the way. Once in position they were able to lob shells onto the Union positions in the town and Moccasin Point, but to little effect, due mainly to the heavy cloud that often rings the summit. We were fortunate in having a nice clear day and could literally see for miles.
 

The photo below is of Moccasin Point itself. The river makes a great loop around the point, and the neck is quite narrow, a matter of a mile or so. On the night of November 23-24, 1864, General Sherman sent a force of infantry in pontoons from the town, the men sailing around the river bend to Brown's Ferry. Here they went ashore on the left bank, capturing or dispersing surprised Confederate pickets. The pontoons were quickly fashioned into a bridge by that consummate engineer General 'Baldy' Smith, and within hours the 'Cracker Line was opened, bringing much needed supplies and reinforcements into the town of Chattanooga. 

Although it seems to practically beg for some kind of military position, the mountain really only possessed limited use as a signalling post and lookout station. It was taken in swift style by General Hooker leading a combined force of Union troops drawn from the Armies of the Cumberland, Tennessee, and the Potomac. General Bragg seems to have been let-down almost continually by his subordinates, including the much-vaunted James Longstreet, but especially by Leonidas Polk, a favorite friend of Jefferson Davis. 

Sharp Practice thoughts - Cards 3

Some more Sharp Practice cards today. In keeping with the British Empire theme I used photos of Martini-Henry ammunition, a classic bhisti-wallah for the Water card, and a Victorian illustration of a nettle. All my cards are printed on card-stock and kept inside plastic card protectors. Since these have opaque white backs there's no need to print anything on the reverse side of the cards. 

I have a few more cards to create. At the moment I'm thinking of having one of Queen Victoria (Gawd bless 'er!) in place of the Vive l'Empereur card. In the rules the shortest player in the room gets a bonus move as a Big Man when Vive l'Empereur is drawn. In my version, when the Queen's card is drawn, the first player to say Gawd bless 'er! or The Widder of Windsor gets the same bonus.    

Arab tower

Some months ago my wife pointed out a useful item in our local Michaels hobby store in the shape of a wooden birdhouse. I bought it immediately, seeing the potential for a little augmentation. The basic form of it is shown below. 

Before...

I added the door and arch, all plaster moldings from a Hirst Arts mold, then covered the wood with a layer of diluted PVA and sand to provide a keyed surface. While this dried I added a flagpole receptacle cut from a short length of plastic coffee stirrer glued into place in a front corner.

The whole was covered with a layer of spackle, making sure to cover the flagpole holder. When the spackle was semi-dry I made firing slits in places where the wood had been cut to represent stonework. Once all had dried I painted the model with Craft Smart acrylics, picking out the firing slits in black. I gave the whole tower an ink wash using 8 drops of sepia ink and one of India ink to about two fluid ounces of water to age the appearance and bring out the texture. A dry brush of antique white then plain white followed. A flag based loosely on a Mahdist version completed the model. This can be substituted for any other flag as the tower changes hands.

After. Sub Chief N'kwana helps demonstrate the size.



Sharp Practice thoughts - Cards 2

Some more cards for Colonial Sharp Practice. The Stand Fast! cards are the same as the regular deck. Breechloader allows more technologically-advanced troops to use their advantage. Ye Gods! The heat! is the same as Siesta. Mad Dogs & Englishmen is a national-characteristic card that counters this. Men of Harlech of course derives from that wonderful scene in the movie Zulu.

The rules have provision both for the French-Indian War and for actions in India around the time Wellesley served there. Native American tribal encounters can be War Parties or Hunting Parties. Indian ruffians for hire feature as Wallahs. I'm thinking of adapting the American tribal pattern encounters for African tribes. Wallahs will suit Zanzibari/Arab ruffian types very well, although more regular units will be treated differently.

In terms of firepower I think using the rules' Light Troops Skirmishing table will work without any trouble. Natives will have muskets with perhaps a few rifled muskets. Askaris will have rifled muskets for the most part with some poorer-equipped troops toting muskets. European troops will count Minié Rifles as Breechloaders. This will keep ranges in proportion without reworking the table. The maximum range available is therefore 48 inches. Troops firing with a Sharp Practice card will get an increased chance to hit instead of longer range.

Sharp Practice thoughts - Cards 1

The mainspring of the Sharp Practice rules lies in the card system. There have been several versions of the classic Napoleonic-era cards posted online, but to date I don't know of any Colonial variant. So much so, I decided to create my own set. Above is the beginning of the British/Imperial set.

As my forces are fairly small at the moment I kept the number of Big Men to just three. A table in the rules shows how this number is worked out. Using images from my own collection and a combination of the Paint and PhotoSuite programs enables me to personalize the cards quite nicely.

Sharp Practice thoughts - 2

Some further thoughts on animal encounters to fit the Colonial variant of the Sharp Practice rules.

Under the rules every area of cover such as scrub, jungle or tall grass can be considered a blind in its own right. As such they can hide animals of various descriptions. Encounters are triggered by a group or formation moving close enough to the area and the type of animal is then rolled on a d6.

A score of 1-5 means whatever was in the undergrowth has run off and won’t pose a threat. A score of 6 means something nasty this way comes. Roll a further d6 to see exactly what creatures are encountered.

Scrub and tall grass:
1 = Lions
2 = Baboons
3 = Rhino
4 = Hyenas
5 = Ants
6 = Bees

Jungle:
1 = Gorillas
2 = Chimps
3 = Snakes
4 = Bees
5 - 6 = Ants

Rivers and Riverbanks:
1 – 2 = Hippos
3 – 4 = Crocodiles
5 = Snakes
6 = Bees

Unless driven off by the sound of gunfire lions and hyenas will lurk and watch for three moves, waiting for wounded, stragglers or small parties to separate from the main group or formation. On a roll of 5-6 they will attack such parties. After the third move the animals can be assumed to have decided to seek a meal elsewhere. For Fisticuff purposes lions count as Aggressive, Grenadiers or Guards, and the encountering group is considered Ambushed.

Baboons may attack if disturbed. Roll 4-6 for them to launch an immediate attack on the encountering group. Otherwise they run off. For Fisticuff purposes they count as Aggressive, Defending light cover, and the encountering group is considered Ambushed.

Rhinos will generally move away unless defending young. For Fisticuff purposes they count as Aggressive, Grenadiers or Guards, and add 1d6 for Fervor.

Ants will render an area untenable if a group or formation remains in place for more than one move. The group or formation suffers one Shock point and must retire one move away. Ants cannot be killed or driven off but the area may be passed through after the encounter is tripped.

Bees will render an area untenable immediately they are disturbed. They cannot be killed or driven off, the group/formation suffers one Shock point and must retreat at speed for at least three moves before the bees withdraw. The area cannot be passed through again during the game.

Gorillas and chimps will generally move away unless defending young. For Fisticuff purposes they count as Aggressive, Grenadiers or Guards, Defending hard cover and add 1d6 for Fervor.

Snakes will attack on a 6, otherwise they’ll just slip away. For Fisticuff purposes they count as Aggressive, Defending light cover.

Hippos will attack on a roll of 4 – 6. For Fisticuff purposes they count as Aggressive, Grenadiers or Guards, add 1d6 for Fervor, and the encountering group counts as hit in the flank or rear.

Crocodiles will lurk and watch for three moves, waiting for wounded, stragglers or small parties to separate from the main group or formation. On a roll of 5-6 they will attack such parties. After the third move the animals can be assumed to have decided to seek a meal elsewhere. For Fisticuff purposes lions count as Aggressive, Grenadiers or Guards, and the encountering group is considered Ambushed.

Combat will last for one round then the animals are considered driven off or killed.

Of course, the above depends on what animal models the player has available. Bees and ants don’t require representation as models but a card marked as such would be useful.

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Another couple of National characteristic cards for Tribes.

Witchdoctor = Removes 2 Shock points and adds 1d3 points of Fervor on top of any tribal Big Man’s Initiative. # in deck = 1

Talking Drum = Summons reinforcements within 1d3 rounds. # in deck = 1

Animal encounters - Hippo

Er... I say, chaps?

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Three stalwart fellows of the British Army Medical Corps set out in a steam launch to deliver much-needed medicines to an outpost upriver. They have absolutely no experience in matters mechanical, but as Barrington said on surveying the vessel tied up at the jetty "How hard can handling one of these things be? After all, it's not exactly brain surgery, what?" When the launch broke down halfway to their destination he acknowledged his words had returned to haunt him.

And so we picture the scene. As the crestfallen but determined Barrington puzzles over the complexities of the steam engine, Nugent-King fiddles with the boat anchor in the bows. All seems calm on the river this morning - but appearances can be deceptive, for Petherbridge has espied a bloat of hippos taking a keen interest in the proceedings.

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The waterlined hippos proved easy to make. Simply take a suitable hippo model (in this case a plastic one from a 'toob'), press the head into a flattened lump of air-dry clay until a suitable waterline is reached (just about level with that enormous mouth), remove, and fill the void with plaster (in this case Hydrostone engineering plaster). Allow to set hard, pop the casting out of the clay, paint and varnish. Some sanding may be required to ensure the casting is level.

Willoughby Pond's Trading Post

Bearers carry goods to the go-down as Willoughby Pond discusses trade matters with District Commissioner Carstairs. The ladies admire the bougainvillea alongside the stoop - a home-like touch in the Heart of Africa.

Another feature for Daftest Africa - Willoughby Pond's Trading Emporium. This establishment consists of a single-storey main building, a go-down (warehouse), in the pattern of those found along the River Congo, all surrounded by a palisade for security against animals and theft.

The palisade is made of twigs cut to size and glued to wooden battens using a hot glue gun. Spackle is used to build up and weight the base, before flocking is applied and fixed in place with PVA. The whole is secured with a spritz of diluted PVA mixed with suitable shades of acylic paint.

The main building is made of foamcore with a spackle rendering, with embroidery battening used for the trellis work along the stoop and behind the bougainvillea. Shutters are simple card, painted with acrylics and the slats drawn on with a black marker pen. Its corrugated iron roof was cut from a pizza box and one of the paper sheets carefully stripped off. This is a fiddly job but the results are worth it. The whole is painted with acrylics before given a wash of India and sepia ink. Barely visible to the right on the roof is the stovepipe, made from a short length of plastic coffee stirrer.

A useful little structure, it can also serve as a schoolhouse, mission, hospital or residence.