Sharp Practice: A Hero in Peril at Roganjosh!

Back to a turbulent India with Phil and Andy, and another Sharp Practice game was the British race to rescue Colonel Flashman, captured by the Pandies and about to be fed to a crocodile!

As the unfortunate British hero was about to become croc-kibble, Badmash skirmishers kept an eye out for any last minute British rescue effort...

Hold on Flashy! The British army is marching to your rescue...

With the Gurkhas protecting their flank, the North Somersetshires' march boldly into Roganjosh...

Whilst the South Gloucestershire Light Horse canter around the town seeking an alternative entrance into Roganjosh to rescue old Flashy.

Meanwhile in the town Andi Pandi is rousing his fanatical Ghazis into something of a lather.

Resolutely advancing forward, the Piffers (Punjab Field Force Sikhs) fire a volley at the Badmash bounders on a roof top killing one.

The other Badmashes try to shoot down the advancing Gurkhas, but make a complete hash of it.

Kai Kai! Andi Pandi looses his frothing Ghazis on the stout lads from North Somerset...

The North Somersets give the Ghazis a volley seeing them off. Min Jeeta then sends her Badmashes in on the gallant Brits...

Who beat them back with stout British courage and fortitude!

With the efforts of the rebels focused on the main road into Roganjosh, the Piffers scale the walls on the right and given some retreating Badmashes a volley...

Whilst the steady fire of the Gurkhas sees the Badmashes forced from the buildings to their front.

And then the coup de grace... With a cry of Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal! the Piffers go in, bayonets levelled into the Badmashes routing them.

At this point the Indian Force Morale hit zero and the rebels fled from Roganjosh. Flash Harry was safe, a soldier of the North Somersets put a bullet into the crocodile, which Flashman subsequently had skinned and made into a nice handbag for Elspeth...

Another atmospheric game of Sharp Practice and my first win of the year!

Force on Force: Candy Shop Casevac!

Trawling through some photos of games played last year I realised I hadn't posted about a great game of Force on Force that Andy and I played last December - indeed I then realised I hadn't posted here we'd been playing Force on Force at all!!

August, with Phil on his annual sojourn to pastures foreign, sees Andy and I try a few different games and it was Andy who expressed a desire to try out Force on Force having picked up a copy of the Osprey hardback. I also had a copy - and some 20mm modern US and Soviet troops which I'd painted up for my much stalled Whirarwistan '88 project, which led to a trial game (pictured above).

We both enjoyed it, and despite the rulebook looking extremely daunting, found the rules easy to follow, not mired in ridiculous detail and really quite intuitive. Andy bought some Caesar Miniatures 20mm Insurgents, painted them up and we subsequently played a couple more games set in the fictional neighbouring state of Uruk, riven by civil war and insurgency, which has seen the US drawn in to prop up the friendly incumbent regime.

Anyway, fast forward to December and Phil off on some pre-Xmas jolly somewhere we played a game loosely based on the Candy Store scenario from the Force on Force Fallujah supplement...

In the scenario the US forces have occupied a large building (the Candy Shop) in down town Falafel, the second city of Uruk, currently largely in تمرد الغراب (Tamarud Alghurab) Insurgent hands. One of the Americans has been badly wounded and needs urgent CASEVAC. With six turns to get in, load the casualty and get out, this was going to be a challenge.

The Alghurab Insurgents occupy many of the buildings surrounding the Candy Shop and await their opportunity to attack the foreign invaders.

The US force occupying the Candy Shop has its Fire Teams on Overwatch, waiting for the opportunity to teach the Insurgents a lesson and ensure a clear route for the CASEVAC.

The Insurgent commander الغراب العظيم (Alghurab Aleazim) makes the first move, a group of his fighters moving to outflank the Candy Shop and cut off any route to it.

A second group are caught by American fire...

Whilst a third pop up opposite the American position and start trading fire - and coming off far worse.

The M249 SAW covers one flank...

Though this does not stop the Insurgents effectively surrounding the Candy Shop in turn two and firing an ineffective RPG round into it - before being gunned down.

With insurgents now approaching on all sides, this was beginning to look a lot like the Alamo!

One group of insurgents make a dash across some open ground to a building nearer the enemy...

But are spotted and gunned down.

Here comes the cavalry! Well the AAVTP7's of the Marine Corps. Arriving on Turn Three they literally have to get in, load and get out in the three remaining turns. Nothing can go wrong if they are to succeed...

The two AAVTP7's successfully reach the Candy Shop, Alghurab Aleazim regretting firing his RPG randomly at the building the previous turn now two juicy armoured targets had arrived.

With one AAV providing cover down the main street, the second moves in behind the Candy Shop to recover the badly wounded soldier and a second who has been hit in this battle.

The two casualties are loaded, now to get out of Dodge!

The CASEVAC AAV reverses back to the main street...

Immediately coming under fire from an Insurgent RPG! It is slightly damaged, but not quite enough to slow it down. The second AAV subsequently hoses the Insurgents down with its M2HB HMG...

With the Insurgents desperately trying to get an RPG into a position to stop it, the CASEVAC AAV manages to make it to safety in the final turn, the wounded soldiers taken to Battalion Aid...

Just one more RPG hit and Alghurab Aleazim and his Insurgents would have been able to claim a great victory against the foreign invader, as it was he just had a lot of dead followers littering the streets of  Falafel...

Despite it ending up as an overwhelming American victory, at no point was it easy. Force on Force's handling of asymmetric warfare is really simple with the Insurgents being able to move swiftly around the table unseen, popping up and spraying the First World forces with fire. Whilst that is generally ineffective, a lucky hit can cause a decisive serious wound or kill, and with the scenarios offering very limited time to complete objectives, the First World player cannot sit back and just rely on their superior firepower to win them a game.

Unfortunately Force on Force is currently out of print, but if the subject matter interests you, grab a secondhand copy if you see one at a reasonable price.

Sharp Practice: Rescue Mission From Changezimurgh!

Game two of 2025 saw a return to the Indian Mutiny, Phil devising a Sharp Practice scenario that saw the Rough-Diamonds trying to hold off revolting natives (run by Andy and David) whilst a British force (led by Phil and myself) from Changezimurgh marches to their rescue...

Badmashes! The bally bounders are on the march and making an awful din!

Talking of dins, the not awful, and very loyal, Gunga Din (and his family) get ready for the Badmashes - will the sahibs arrive in time and save them and the Rough-Diamonds?

Ayo Gorkhali! The Gurkhas are coming! Lieutenant Flynt-Ston advances his brave men towards the beleaguered Ruff-Diamonds.

Ah, jolly good show! It's Lieutenant de Poncenay-Bout and the South Gloucestershire Light Horse, we'll soon have the rebellious wallahs on the run eh what?

And more stout chaps arrive to rescue the Rough-Diamonds - Lieutenant Moore-Bacon commanding two groups of skirmishers from the North Somersetshire Regiment, the safety of old Rough-Diamond and the Memsahib must be a mere formality now...

Gad! Pandies, thousands of them! Out of the shimmering heat the dastardly Subedar Poosh Dittin led his rebellious Sepoys arrives and charges towards the poor Din family...

The gallant Gunga and his boys put up a brave fight, but with Mrs Din shockingly killed by the rebels first volley, and the old servant wounded it looks like his time is up. Never mind the Rough-Diamonds are still ok, Gunga would be happy knowing that as he took his last breath.

Deen! Deen! Deen! The Pandies rush down the road...

The Badmashes following on both flanks.

Top hole, Captain Turner-Round and the regulars of the North Somersets arrive, a few rounds paid fire and the Pandies will be bowled out! Spiffing.

Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal! The Piffers (Punjabi Field Force) led by Captain Oulde-Duffer steal a march on the North Somersets and charge down the road into Poosh Dittin's rebellious sepoys! 

Whilst they send the rebels reeling back, Oulde-Duffer is knocked over in the excitement and half the first group of Sikhs are killed. Still good show chaps, that'll teach the bounders!

Tally Ho! The South Gloucestershire Lights go charging into Badmash leader Argi Bargi and his smelly followers...

The charge was fairly effective but the cavalry failed to wipe out the Badmashes and found themselves surrounded by other nasty native types, eyeing up the South Gloucestershires on their blown horses.

Unfortunately at this point your correspondent has some problems with his photographic equipment and failed to capture some of the excitement, which of course had nothing to do with a very bad turn of events for the Brits which saw Andi Pandi and his fanatical Ghazis rout the Sikhs, the South Gloucestershire take a battering from the Badmashes and Memsahib Rough-Diamond struck dead by a Pandy bullet (perhaps it is just as well such shocking images were not captured by photography and the constitutions of delicate readers like yourself upset...

Once your correspondent had cleaned the dust out of his lens (or whatever rubbish excuse he came up with) he did capture the Ghazis failing to charge in on the North Somersets...

And get a volley for their troubles!

Sadly it was too little too late, British Force Morale was in dire straits and Colonel Rough-Diamond butchered, his underpants removed and used as a flag by the Badmash bounders. And no, do not ask what happened to the Gurkhas...

A fun game, the luck being with the rebellious Andy and David. Personally I out all the blame for the British defeat on Phil sending the Gurkhas off on a sight seeing expedition and then getting overly enthusiastic with the Sikhs. On the plus side though, he so enjoyed playing with them so much, he went off and bought himself a new Punjabi Field Force army for future games!

Sharp Practice: Il ponte verso il nulla...

My first game of 2025 last month was fought down a very busy Bristol Independent Gaming with Andy and Phil taking on the role of the dastardly Austrians against my brave men of the Kingdom of Italy in a Napoleonic bash with the Italians trying to capture a bridge before the Austrians blew it up!

The Italians soon came under fire from the pesky Austrian Grenzers!

And before the main Italian force could turn up, a column of Austrian Fusiliers arrived saying "Arbeitet härter, ihr nutzlosen Narren!" to the pioneers fixing explosive charges to the bridge.

The infantry were followed by some cavalry, Chevaulegers I think..

The Austrian side of the field was beginning to look very crowded with Landwehr appearing as well. It was going to be something of a task for the Italians to get through that, especially the the force commander and his Fucilieri were nowhere to be seen...

Whilst I still awaited the rest of the Fucilieri to arrive, I was able to deploy the Volteggiatori of the 1° Reggimento Fanteria Leggera who moved swiftly through the trees attempting to outflank the Austrian columns...

...who marched resolutely forward...

Their way barred by two groups of line Volteggiatori who were screening two advance groups of Fucilieri.

The Grenzers to the right of the Austrian column started firing at the Line Volteggiatori...

Whilst the light infantry Volteggiatori tried to stop the Austrian cavalry from seizing their secondary deployment point - and failing, one dead Austrian short of causing the Chevauleger to fall back. This meant that when (if) the main Italian unit arrived, they would have a long walk to the battle.

Fortune favours the brave - well sometimes! Having flanked the Austrian Fusilier column, the Italian Line Volteggiatori charged into the side of the Austrians! And were beaten off, despite causing a number of casualties...

The Italian Cacciatore a Cavallo charged into the Austrian cavalry and broke them - one turn too late.

Unfortunately I didn't take any more photos of the battle and so you will have to take my word for it that the light infantry Volteggiatori caught the Austrian mina column in the flank, breaking them and routing the Austrian force commander, last seen running into the forest! However it was too little too late and when the bulk of the Fucilieri turned up, the Austrians had the bridge ready for destruction and the Italian Force Morale on the ropes.

Not the best start to 2025!