*WARNING - THE FOLLOWING POST MAY CONTAIN UNFINISHED FIGURES - THOSE OF A NERVOUS DISPOSITION LOOK AWAY NOW*
Stephrn at Leighton Buzzard very kindly agreed to give me a game of Sharp Practise using the 1870/1 FPW mods, as several club members have forces to skirmish with, all Dik's fault (I also have several corps for both sides in 1870 in 10mm, but that's my want), I decided to join in. After David misordered his French, and ended up with four boxes rather than two (!) I took two off his hands and after about three weeks of assembly, started painting them last weekend, before the game on Wednesday. Hence why they aren't finished (and the Chasseurs a Pied I ordered arrived the day after our game).
We chose the 'Skirmish' scenario. The two forces met while the French were investigating a fire observed at a farmstead the previous night. Not the usual rolling plains of Alsace=Lorraine, as my forces are from 45em ligne, 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 1st Corps, they must be around Wissemborg/Spirichen area (which would work as we have Zouaves and Bavarians underway at the club too). The French force of five infantry squads was approaching from the bottom left hand corner, while the Prussians (two infantry squads, an excellent jager detachment, and a squad of Landwehr) deployed behind the hill top right. As was right and proper, the Prussians had better commanders, but the French longer range weapons. The French and Prussians both had 'flexible drill' allowing them to fire in single rank lines and claim extra cover, while the Prussians had all sorts of interesting morale rules, the French had 'good shots (the Chassepot puts out a lot of lead) and stubborn (allowing the French to ignore 'lose by one' in fisticuffs, which we never got to).
After turn one, when only one French squad appeared, turn two saw a veritable rush of French infantry from out jump off point with three out of five appearing in one go! By this point, the Prussians had EVERYTHING on table, and their jagers were advancing into the protection of the farmstead while their line infantry had grouped up behind the hill.
Two of my squads jumped the hedge onto the track and started eyeing up the jagers. The rest of my squads try to avoid a patch of newly tilled ground.
The Prussian line crest the hill, and into a hail of Chassepot bullets. Meanwhile, the two lower French units targeted the jagers behind the farmstead wall.
The Prussians on the hill form extended line and fire in an uncontrolled volley at the French below them. The next turn their officer would bring them all back under control. The Landwehr advance through the hamlet walls, while the jager, having suffered under massed chassepot fire, retire to safety having lost 2/3 of their number.
The Prussian line on the hill, despite claiming soft cover, was quickly denuded by three squads of Chassepot armed French using the skylined troops as target practise, with the Prussian leaders having to buy off lots of shock too.
Disaster befalls a Prussian leader! First, he is knocked out by a chassepot shot, then almost immediately, he is wounded. His unit of eight is now a shattered two as the squad behind expands to support, the landwehr, having crossed the farmstead walk, follow the line's example.
The first Prussian line unit is destroyed. With the jagers in pieces, the second line is taking shock and the landwehr are unsure whether they want to advance.
The game ends with the French securly holding their 'position magnifique' while the Prussian retire to lick their wounds and wheel in some artillery! The French lost four figures out of 46, the Prussians 13 (and an unconscious officer) out of 40. A French win, but as we all know, they would have retired and lost the ground on the day!
So, for a first game, Stephen and I were mugging through the rules a bit, but it worked very well. Lots of variations from the Napoleonic base set, I did not use two of the suggested French rules from the forum as I could not find them, but the extra die of shooting did not really unbalance things as teh Chassepot did have a fearsome rate of fire and much better range compared to the Dreyse, but we were right in each other's long range from the start. Yes, it is a skirmish, and in reality the Prussians should have had at least another unit and/or artillery to threaten the French (it's in Stephen's box, lovely figures too). A great game, more painting has happened on the figures, and we will be playing again soon.
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