Sharpe Practice Test Game 1 - The Retreat from Moscow

 

The Rejects got together over the weekend for our first EVER game of Sharpe Practice. 

As you may be aware, Lee and myself have been busy boys in painting up 2 huge armies for The Retreat from Moscow. Our plan is to put on a game of Sharpe Practice at the Broadside Wargames Show in June.

So a hell of a lot later than we wanted, we played our first game, it was rather delayed by the Battle Chronicles book taking all of our spare time. But a game was had.

It was a bigger game than what the rules usually cater for, but with a few amendments the game went ahead. What follows are just some of the photos I took of the action, as I kept forgetting to take pics while wiping the sweat off my top lip!!!

Boy those Rejects made me and Lee work!!! 

The table top, from the French side

The French/Allied Army

The Russians

As we were testing the rules, we kept the game pretty simple.

The French deployment was 15 inches on the table while the Russians were 9 inches.

The French were defending the road in their centre, as the rest of their army were retreating through the woods and rough terrain.

We were running out of time and both me and Lee were flagging bigtime, at the start of the last turn, the French were on Force Morale 8 while the Russians on a very low 4. But some devilish shooting and melees they got the final score down to 2 each. So a draw was called, which tbh, I was a little gutted about.

We made loads of mistakes but learnt a lot. Another game is set for a few weeks time, with hopefully less mistakes and a drier top lip!

Battle Chronicle - 1812, The Retreat from Moscow - Fab News!!!!

Its exciting times at Don't Throw a 1 HQ! 

“Battle Chronicle - The Retreat from Moscow” is a fantastic setting for a campaign, loads of tension, tough decisions, and that constant sense of survival against the odds

This bad boy dropped through my letterbox today. Getting a physical proof copy in my hand is a massive milestone. It suddenly makes the whole project feel real???

I must say I’m feeling ridiculously pleased with myself, Paul and Lee right now. There’s something gloriously surreal about seeing your name in print in an actual wargaming book — who let that happen?!

After a heroic amount of hard work, questionable decisions, blood, sweat, and the occasional dramatic tear, it’s all very close to paying off.

All being well, this bad boy will be on sale from 1st June… brace yourselves!!!!!

If you’d like to know more, head over to the Pazoot website here, and sign up for the newsletter...........go on, you’ll only regret it if you don’t 😉

FIW Batrep - The Battle at Fort Dan

 

The Reject meet up at Posties for a game of Posties, French Indian War, Skirmish Rules.

Call myself a Wargamer? It was my first Face to Face game proper in the shed this year, How ridiculous is that!!

You may have already seen Richard and Lee's posts about the game, if not click their names.

Postie does set up a nice table.

Richard, Colin and myself picked out the French

Dan, Lee and Surj picked the British

If we could we were tasked with attacking and capturing the fort, bridge, burning the town and disposing of as many British Foot and settlers as possible.

I started on the round with the Royal Rousillion ret and a unit of Compaginie Francais se la Marine

Facing me were the Massachusetts Provincial regt and a host of retreating settlers.

The town that needed burning.

Colin's troops some Natives and Courer de Bois were in the woods on the Brit right flank, (the blue circles) We had several of these to place down on the table, some were bluff cards.

The bridge, right across the other side of the table, 14 feet away from our starting point.

It might as well been on the otherside of the moon!!!

Colonel Dan is showing off his troops to Lord Howie's daughter!!!

Lee had 2 companies of the 55th Foot roaming around the table.

Here's the other one.

If we ran, which meant we couldn't fire it would take us 8 turns to get to the fence line.....

Somehow I think the tables a tad too big, and our objectives are errrrr impossible!

Anyhow, we had a fun day.

They all look happy don't they the miserable buggers!!

Colin, Surj, Lee and Dan!

A full move forward for us, meant a full move back for the Brits

And they shot at us..... the cheek!!!!

Nothing seemed to go our way in the game, I'm not sure how many turns we played, it must have been 8ish. But we only won the first move once, that meant Surj would fire and move back each turn.

We just couldn't catch up.

Richard had 2 units of Natives on our right, hidden under the blue circles, he was facing 2 Brits blue circles himself, but were they troops?

Bang Bang!

Colin came outta the woods with the Quebec Militia

Now that is a pretty line!!

I had a sharpeshooter character named The Fish, you can see him waving a tomahawk.

Colin ventured a tad to close to the edge of the woods and had to reveal his Courer de Bois.

Hmm? That looks like dinner over there????

Richard moved his 2 units forward and the blue circles were revealed. His 2 Native companies faced a Rogers Rangers and a Native unit. 

To hit with musketry you had to through a D20, being as we were shooting at long range, most of the time you had to throw 17 or over.....which we didn't manage to do very often!!

Sigh....

After a few turns of shooting and fighting our right flank was looking depleted, both d=sides had taken many casualties.

Jeez, That's around 30 inches I moved so far only another million to go..........

With the blue circled removed its difficult to see who's friend or foe, Richard's just edging it though.

I did say Richard was edging it didn't I?

Well I was wrong!

All four units lost so many men that the stragglers just buggered off. 

That was the end of Richard's command

Or was it???

We did know we had these re-enforcements paddling down the river. But we wanted until poor Dan, who was literally, "holding the fort" got bored and moved out. So when he did...

Four canoes and 16 Natives with ladders arrived!!

Woo Hoo!!!!

Hmm? the bridge or the fort???

To move the canoes, Richard had to throw 3 Average dice, the first time he threw an 11, so a good move, the next time he went back to throwing crap and only moved 6 inches.

Looking at the map, it could take him another 6 turns to get to the bridge....

Surj continued to fire and move back, he had a good turn and killed 4 or 5 figures, with lucky dice.

We didn't get to fire back as it was agreed between the 3 off us, we had no chance of getting to the town, Fort or Bridge, so the towel was thrown in.

We could have carried on, but we'd lost heart, our morale was lower the guy in a red top's expectations of survival in an episode of star trek!

Umming and Arring about what should have been.

Conclusion

It was great getting back in the shed for a game, the game unfortunately just didn't go our way, the dice gods didn't abandon us, they kicked us in the butt! The Brit dice was only slightly better, which helped them out. Some you win some you lose, but the best winner was getting together with your pals and having a great laugh, at each other and at yourself.

Ray