Indian Mutiny Sharp Practice AAR

Chris Charltons lovely Indian Mutiny collection is pretty much complete so we were keen to get them on table for a game of Sharp Practice. 

We are planning a large Indian Mutiny game for the Christmas game with two tables and inter-connected games so this would be a good test of how different troops worked.

I command a small British releif column and a tiny garrison of one unit of 8 holding a small village with some civilians.

The British forces consist of:

1 x 6 skirmishers

2x 8 British Infantry

3 x 8 Native infantry

1 x gun and cew

Cin C level 3

8 Sikhs in the village with a mixed bunch of Civilians who cant leave until my Cin C gets there.

A force of Natives advance from both table edges commanded by Chris and Steve respectively they have:

On the left Under Chris:

Cin C with Elephant level 2

2 groups of 10 Mutineer rabble with level 2 leader

2 groups of 10 Mutineer rabble with level 2 leader

1 group of 6 mutineer skirmishers with level 1 leader

On the right under Steve:

Cin C Tantia Topi Level 2

2 Groups of 12 Badmashes with big choppers each with level 1 leader

1 Group of 12 Badmashes with muskets with level 1 leader

1 Group of 8 Matchlock Musketeers with level 1 leader

Dark chocolate biscuits this week to fortify our spirits.

In the village Flashman is prominant with his pepperbox pistol and queens colours.

Chris sweeps his mutineers forward towards the village, throwign his skirmishers out onto his flank. The cloth of the elephant has been enhanced with some lovely nail art decals.

The British throw the European troops as quickly as possible down the road in column whilst the beautiful and colourful Baluchi's advance steadily in line to cover them supported by the gun.

Syeves Badmashes are less keen to get forward and hover about in the cover of some light woods.

His muslim Badmashes with big choppers set off down the hill to slow our reinfocements. They are almost immediatley hit by the gun which was deployed the move before.

My European Troops are almost at the Village and the Baluchi are swinging their line to cover the right of the village, Chris's Mutineers are making slow progress and Steves Badmashes even slower.

The Indians are taking some getting forward only the skirmishers swinging around my flank seem to be really getting anywhere.

Finally the Mutineers sort themselves out into a line and fire an ineffective volley into the compound whilst my Europeans now throw really poor movement dice and cant quite get themselves into a firing position.

The Badmashes finally step out of the wood to fire a further ineffectice volley and the Baluchi step forward to return fire, I have however not really got my Baluchi forward enought to get between the Badmashes and the compound. At long range and in cover the Badmashes take a surprising amoount of shock but little other damage.

The Mutineer after their ineffective volley now charge forward but dont quite manage to close with the compound.

The second formation of Mutineers get stuck in a slightly one sided firefight with the Madras Europeans and start to take casualties and shock.

The Mutineers try to break into the compound but are held off.

To the rear of the village the Mutineer Skirmishers have got into the rear of my Europeans and are causing double shock with every hit, they are however takign casualties themselves from my skirmishers takignt hem to half stregnth.

The second rabble of mutineers continue to take heavy fire from the Europeans and are strugglign to move or make any significant headway with their return firing.

Steves Muslm Badmashes keep moving to my flank so the gun doesnt get to fir at them, but they still struggle to close.

The first two groups of Mutineers finally break into the compound and massacre the civilians who are able to put up very lttle resistance.

The Hindu badmashes now charge into the front of the compound to be met by Sikh bayonets and quickley driven off with serious loss.

Hit by further devastating volleys the second unit of mtineer rabble begin to disintigrate.

The first mutineers now charge the Sikhs and are again seen off now having to retreat from the compound. The mutineers are pretty much a spent force but the civilians I have been sent to rescue have all been wiped out.

At this point we call it a day, it has ben interestign to see how Sharp Practice handles the mutiny and given me some insights for the forthcoming Christmas game.