Indian Mutiny - A Sharp Practice Tale

This Sharp Practice tale is set in the 1857 Indian Mutiny where a group of civilians are trying to get to safety. However, the game quickly changed into a rescue mission, where a group of loyal natives ended up trapped in the building.

A group of sepoy rabble deployed on the road...

whilst a group of civilians raced along the riverbank hoping to help their comrades in the building.

Two groups of badmashes headed straight for the building.

The sepoy rabble continued along the road along with support from some skirmishers. Where were the British?

The sepoy rabble deployed into line and poured fire into the building, causing casualties.

 

The civilian skirmishers almost managed to reach the building but were being harassed by the mutinous skirmishers and were soon driven from the field.

 

The badmashes continued their advance on the building.

Hooray, the main British force had arrived and immediately deployed into a firing line.

The best sepoy troops however, had advanced too far and came under a murderous fire from the British line. Soon they were broken and running from the field. At this point it was looking like the British might pull off a victory.

However, the badmashes charged the few remaining loyal natives in the building, wiping them out. 

Meanwhile, the mutinous skirmishers turned their attention to the British line.

A firefight now ensued between the sepoy rabble and the British line. It was a race to seen who whould break first. Unfortunately for the British, their luck wasn't in and they retired from the field leaving the victorious mutineers to lick their wounds.

 

Second Battle of Cawnpore (Can the dynamic duo improve on the first battle)

As previewed last week, last night our reporter had moved to the dusty plains of North India in 1857, and the Second Battle of Cawnpore. The game reprised a scenario played against Dave a few weeks ago, but this time with Phil taking the British and Chris and Tony trying to co-ordinate the Mutineers. Greg ate scampi and chips and drew the chits, whilst I made tea and coffee and took a few photos.

The initial Mutineer deployment saw their cavalry on the right,

badmash on the left working their way through the copses towards the village, and the Sepoys in two divisions in the centre. One formation took up position in line on the hill, with the other forming loose column and preparing to advance.

Phil deployed his HEIC infantry on the left facing the cavalry and Mutineers on the hill.

His gun trundling forward to the redoubt

and Sikh skirmishers on his right facing the Badmash. His “Thin Red Line“ of British regulars held back somewhat “in reserve”, ready to strike where needed most.

Tony’s cavalry advanced at the canter only to be hit by the HEIC 1st fire musketry.

Only one dead but lots of shock, and a 2nd round of Sharpe Practice musketry saw the cavalry retire, only to return much later as shock was rallied off. All was not perfect for the HEIC as Chris’ massed sepoys on the hill began to pepper them with uncontrolled fire and inflict casualties and shock, but at least they stayed in the battle.

On the other flank Tony’s Badmash moved menacingly towards the Sikhs, who started to pour fire into them.

The Badmash with “Big Choppers” faltered but their musket armed compatriots charged into the fray killing half the Sikh unit and forcing it to retire from the battle. Time for Phil to swing his red-coated Regulars into action. Tony did manage another hand-to-hand combat, but this time the British held. Short range musketry with 1st fire did for the Badmash who wavered, and after another round of fire fled taking the “Big Choppers” unit with them. Indian force morale was dropping like a stone.

Chris’ plan to let Tony do all the fighting and dying was going superbly, except there was far more dying and routing than battlefield success. His own six units were remarkably static, with three units stationary on the hill and another three deciding whether to charge the artillery redoubt. When the order was given Phil’s close-range “whiff of grapeshot” broke the formation leaving two units still stationary and the third trying to manoeuvre around its compatriots. It was clear the Mutineers had failed in their objective, and they conceded the battlefield to the British.

Everyone seemed to have had a good time, but comments were made about Chris’ lack of determination to take the battle to the British. He tried to claim that the chits were against him but that didn’t wash with anyone else.

Simon

Games Day at Simons

Thursday saw a double-header at Fort Williams, with an ECW game in the broiling heat of the afternoon, and a Sharpe Practice game set during the Indian Mutiny during the evening. Maybe the timings should have been reversed for added climate realism!

The ECW witnessed a second foray with Simon Miller’s “For King and Parliament” (FK&P). This week’s scenario was bigger and more complex, with additional troop and terrain types. The battle of “Lessie’s Moor” was a fictitious scenario written by the author during the development of the rules. Rob was much confused by the Archers-inspired unit names and the setting of “Borsetshire”. I guess having been raised in a grim Northern Mill town, Rob’s exposure to Radio 4s daily tale of honest yeoman farmers in rural England was pretty minimal or non-existent. Dave appeared more knowledgeable.

Anyway, on with the game. Both sides adopted a conventional deployment with an infantry centre and cavalry wings. Following Rob’s initial and ineffectual artillery salvo, Dave’s Royalist cavalry charged hoping to take advantage of Rob’s lack of experience. However, the attack on the Royalist left faltered, leaving one Royalist unit dead and only a disrupted Parliamentarian regiment of horse. The Royalist right had more success charging round the enemy flank but found a determined enemy holding their hedged, defensive positions frustratingly easily.

Back on the left Dave witnessed a second cavalry unit receive an attack from the rear, plus a unit of “commanded shot” ridden down. Ouch! Cue five more Victory medals go the way of Parliament, plus the resultant morale tests further worsened the Royalist position.

Dave’s momentary sense of exultation when a Parliamentary cavalry unit pursued off the board was dashed when a closer reading of the rules revealed that unlike TTS he received no Victory medals.

Things went no better in the centre as desultory musket fire brought several double-disorders and another foot unit broke.

Having inflicted no unit losses and with only three coins left Dave conceded to Rob as it seemed inevitable that a further round of fighting would see the rout of more infantry. A second defeat in a row for Dave, and an ecstatic if somewhat bemused Rob.

Once again FK&P had given us a fun game that seemed to model quite well tactic of the ECW. The mechanics are obviously different to TTS with some nice touches such as the “pursuit” rule. There are still a few things to clarify our understanding of, but we reckon we now have understood most rule mechanics. Next, I need to persuade Mr Banks to complete his Scottish “Montrose” army which is apparently languishing in a box fully painted but unbased. Why he doesn’t finish this but instead is seen painting Goblins and Orcs is beyond the wit of man…

The evening saw a Sharpe Practice scenario loosely based on the second attempt to relieve the British Residency at Lucknow in November 1857. The game was a straight “Encounter” scenario played across a 6 x 4’ table. As the British advanced through the Dilkusha Park to the East of Lucknow, the Mutineers sallied out of the city, across the Grand Ud-Din Haider canal from the direction of a local landmark known as the “Bank’s House” to attack them. Greg and Dave commanded the British, with Tony and Rob taking the Mutineers led by the Ghazi of Kazi.

The British moved off from their two deployment points with Greg taking the HEIC force of Gurkhas and HEIC infantry, and Dave the Regular Army force of rifled musket armed infantry and light troops. The Indian side witnessed the usual chaos of too many troops trying to deploy from two deployment points. We can’t make it too easy for them! Tony took the various Badmash and cavalry in a long detour to the North, leaving Rob to contest the centre and South of the table. Dave pushed his lights into a small wood to threaten the Indian force in the South, leaving his powerful infantry to try and dominate the centre of the table.

Greg’s problems began when Rob managed to manhandle his artillery piece into action. The British were surprised to see the Indian artillery enjoyed “Sharpe Practice” which of course enhanced their effectiveness, and soon troops began to die plus receive multiple shocks.

Tony was struggling to move his Badamash, especially as he tried to send them through a swamp.

Several single inch moves did little to improve his mood, although he brightened up when his cavalry charged home into the unit of Gurkhas. The cavalry won, but it proved a Pyrrhic victory as both units retired heavily depleted.

The centre saw Dave’s musket fire finally force two Sepoy units to retire, but the deadly Indian artillery finally did for Greg’s HEIC troops., with one unit breaking and the other retiring out of the artillery’s firing arc back towards Dave’s regulars.

Although neither sides’ Force Morale broke the umpire decided it was a Mutineer Victory as it was almost impossible for the British to continue their advance as planned. It was noted by Greg that the British Regulars had let the HEIC troops bear the brunt of the fighting and the losses. Dave remained silent on this point…

Sunday apparently sees myself taking on Tony in a game of Bolt Action. Chris has stupidly signed himself and Tony up for a Bolt Action competition in September, and both are in need of some game time. Indeed, Tony claims he has never read the rules. Be prepared for a full de-brief at 17.00 on Sunday!

Simon

Difficult time for the British at Lucknow

Last night saw our indefatigable reporter travel from the Balkans in the 4th century AD to a sweltering and humid Lucknow in the Summer of 1857. The “Indian Mutiny” or “First War of Independence”, depending on your point of view was in full swing and a mixed force of Sepoys and local Badmash converged on the Lucknow Residency intending to repeat the barbaric acts being perpetrated all across Northern India.

Dave and Chris commanded the British, with Greg and Tony trying to command the Mutineers. The Indians started by deploying and then charging their cavalry across the table. The British got lucky, as Captain Banks, recently arrived from public school, deployed their gun and immediately fired canister at short-range into the Indian horse.

Tony hadn’t spotted the location of the 2nd British deployment point! Carnage followed as the Indians broke and ran, and force morale plummeted. Loyal Sepoys flanked the British gunners, turning the position behind the wall into a veritable redoubt which dominated the left side of the table.

The Mutineers decided to give the British artillery a wide berth and concentrate their attack on the other flank. Tony persuaded Greg to charge his Badmash musketeers into Sir Henry Lawrence’s civilian volunteers.

Miraculously the civilians won the encounter and the Badmash retreated losing their so-called officer in the process. Things were looking grim for the Indians, both as regards troop losses and command harmony!

Major Buchanan, the gnarled Scottish alcoholic deployed his line of three HEIC units in the centre, blocking the road to the Residency. Tony responded by creeping his Sepoys forward hoping to stay clear of the withering artillery fire.

Eventually the Indian numbers started to tell. The Commissioner’s civilians lost men and took shock, whilst the Indian artillery deployed and began to pour round-shot into the British units holding the centre. British casualties mounted, whilst the Indian units accepted their losses but continued their business. Life is cheap in the Indian subcontinent.

After its initial success, the Naval gunners proved less effective as a “Random Event” happened and they found themselves shrouded in smoke. Tony was emboldened to start an advance through the centre and Greg began to make progress on the Indian right. Musket and artillery fire continued to weaken the HEIC infantry who eventually retreated losing force morale.

After two-and-a-half hours gameplay the battle was deemed an Indian win. Despite their inauspicious start with the destruction of their cavalry in the first turn, and the fractious command discussions between the Indian leaders, somehow the Mutineers snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

All in all a fun game which everyone seemingly enjoyed. I sense more Indian Mutiny figures will soon be on order.

End of report.

Simon

Can the British relieve Cawnpore?

Sunday the 29th August witnessed a hard-fought SP2 game with the British trying to relieve the garrison besieged in the Residency of Cawnpore. A mixed force of regulars and Honourable East India Company troops were attacking a village aiming to seize a ford and thus allow heavier artillery to pass through. The defenders were the usual Sepoy rabble albeit some better Sepoy troops plus cavalry were known to be en route from Gwalior.

The British pushed their light troops forward on one flank, with cavalry and line infantry advancing steadily through the centre.
 

The Indians had mainly poor troops in the centre, with the Gwalior contingent coming on to contest the walled garden against the Sikhs and British lights. The sight of cavalry trying to jump multiple walls was most amusing.

The British cavalry attacked through the centre but took cannon and musket fire, and were forced to retreat in some disorder.

The British line formation gave fire but the Indians stood relatively firm. 

Even when finally forced back there were more units to take their place.

The cavalry and lights fought to an impasse, with neither side having the strength or will to carry the day.

When a second HEIC unit was forced back it was decided to award the day to the Mutineers. The residency would fall soon after.

A game that I think everyone enjoyed. I noted that the Indians are universally very cheap, and seem excellent value. I’m not sure their cost reflects their actual “combat power and resilience”. One to muse on….!

Simon