Sharp Practice V2

(1)

(2)

Introduction

When we published Sharp Practice in 2008, the rules filled the gap between skirmish games using a handful of figures a side and those rule sets which were on the side of the big battalions.

Sharp Practice focussed on the exploits of heroic leaders whose derring‐do and bravery would become the stuff of legend. Every table‐top battle had an exciting narrative which developed as the game progressed.

This second edition remains true to the original. Many of the mechanisms have changed or have been heavily streamlined, but the game still has the feel and charm of the original.

The rules are set out in three parts for ease of use. Firstly we have an overview of what you will need in order to get started and a description of how troops fight. It’s a good idea to read this section before you start playing. It will help you understand some of the key rules and concepts.

Next are the rules themselves. These are intuitive and simple to remember, so that you can focus on the command decisions that make the game interesting and challenging. Command & Control is the most important part of the game, so take care to understand how it works.

Finally, the Appendix section covers the scenarios and the Army lists which allow you to select your forces and get the game on the table and start playing.

You can use any scale of figure to play Sharp Practice, from the diminutive 10mm to the grandiose 40mm, depending on your budget, preferences and eye‐sight.

The rules are illustrated with 28mm figures from our collection and those of friends, as

this is the scale we enjoy gaming in. To the best of our knowledge the figures used are from Black Scorpion Miniatures, Front Rank, Perry Miniatures, Victrix and Wargames Foundry. Thanks to them for their permission to use photographs of their fabulous models.

Our thanks go to the army of play‐testers and proof‐readers in Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom. Particular thanks goes to Pat Connor, Ade Deacon, Jon Davenport, Mike “the Welsh Wizzard” Hobbs, Wee Derek Hodge, Jim Ibbotson, Matt Slade, and many others who were subjected to the rigours of getting the rules into shape. Additional thanks, as always, to Nick Skinner for being a superb sounding board (he’s large enough!), the Lard Island Crew for their tireless work and Gareth Beamish, Dougie Trail, Steve Thomson and, once again, Jim Ibbotson for their fantastic models in the photographs.

Finally, thanks to you for buying the rules. As we said in the original version, if all else fails, remember that it is better to die bravely than a coward, but sometimes dying humorously can be better still. We hope you have as much fun with Sharp Practice as we have. Richard Clarke Lard Island April 2016

(3)

Introdu

Conten

P

ART

O

Before

The Gro

Your Ar

Prepari

P

ART

T

W

1

2

3

4

5

6 uction

ts

O

NE

–

T

HE

G

You Begin

Hardware,

ound Rules

Ground Sca

The Unexpe

rmy

Types of Tr

ing to Play

The Battlef

WO

–

T

HE

R

Beginning Y

Forc

Command

Turn

the

Command

Play

Movement

Troo

Trea

Firing

Iden

Arse

Shock

App

G

AME

O

VER

Cards or Ch

ale, Time Sc

ected, Roun

roops, Unit

field, Terrain

R

ULES

Your Game

ce Morale,

& Control

n Sequence

Table

Cards

ying Comma

t

op Moveme

asure, Cava

ntifying a Ta

enal Table

plication of

RVIEW

hips, Marke

cale, Force O

nding Dice,

Rosters, Fo

n & Visibilit

Deploymen

e, Leader Ini

and Cards, R

ent, Format

lry Movem

arget, Who

Shock

rs

Organisatio

Common T

rce Leaders

ty, The Fina

nt Points

itiative, Dep

Random Ev

tions, Terra

ent

Can Fire? H

n, Unit Inte

erms

s, The Drill M

l Touches

ploying onto

ents, Chapt

in and Mov

How to Fire

Pag

grity,

Manual

o

ter Ends

vement

e,

ge

1

2

4

6

9

18

20

22

26

32

40

50

(4)

7 Fisticuffs

52 Who Fights, Terrain in Fisticuffs, Resolving Fisticuffs

8 Force Morale

57 Testing Force Morale

9 Adding Characters

58 Leaders, Officers & Gentlemen, Foreign Johnnies,

Minor Characters, Affaire de Couer

10 Tasks

65 Task Values, Specialist Tasks, Derring‐Do, En Garde!

P

ART

T

HREE

–

T

HE

A

PPENDICES

Appendix A, The Scenarios

69 Assembling Your Forces, Playing Your Game, Setting

Up Your Table, Choosing Your Scenario, More Character?

Appendix B, The Army Lists

79 The Generic Support List, The Army Lists

French Indian War

86 American War of Independence

92 The Peninsular War

98 The American Civil War

108 The Indian Mutiny

112 Index

117

(5)

To play Sharp Practice you’ll need the rules, a couple of opposing forces and a suitable surface to game on.

There is no fixed ground scale in Sharp Practice. If you are playing with 10mm figures or smaller, we suggest that you use centimetres instead of inches.

How you base your figures is entirely up to you. During the game you will need to remove individual figures, or at least have some way of tracking casualties if you are using multiple bases. We use individual figures on sabot bases to make it easier to move them during play.

In some games, one figure is one man, while in other games a few Groups of figures might represent a larger body of men, such as a Company. Generally one figure represents between one and five real men, but the scale is always flexible in the same way that television dramas will often use fifty or sixty men to represent a battalion.

The core force for Sharp Practice is around forty to fifty figures. A player then chooses from a number of additional support options.

In Appendix B, Army Lists, there are forces for some of the most popular conflicts of the black powder era, from the Seven Years War through to the American Civil War. We will cover other conflicts in future publications.

A 6’ by 4’ table is ideal if you are playing in inches. With smaller 6mm or 10mm figures you can use an area of around 70cm by 50cm and play in centimetres.

H

ARDWARE

Sharp Practice uses six‐sided dice marked 1 to 6 with numbers or pips. We refer to these as D6. Sometimes the rules call for you to roll more than one dice. This is indicated by a number before the D6, such as 2D6 or 3D6.

Around a dozen or so D6 should do, but having a few more is always useful. If you don’t have enough dice, roll as many as you have, note the number of successful rolls, then roll again to make up the balance.

You will also need a tape measure in inches (or centimetres if using 6mm or 10mm figures) to measure how far your troops move and weapon ranges. It is perfectly acceptable to measure ranges and distances

(6)

during play, before you decide what you are

going to do in your Turn.

Wild Cards or the Chips are Down?

In Sharp Practice, the order of play is determined randomly by either dealing cards from a deck or pulling chips from a bag, box or other suitable container.

Whether you use cards or chips is entirely your choice; there are keen supporters of both methods. Whichever you choose, we can provide both options.

Markers

In Sharp Practice, morale is represented by a system of Shock which needs to be tracked for each Group on the table. We use micro‐ dice for this, but some gamers prefer to use counters, or to create specific markers with wounded figures, rocks or discarded equipment, to indicate a Group’s current status. Broken Groups also need to be marked.

Sometimes you will want to keep track of just what your troops are doing. Are they loaded or unloaded, have they presented their weapons or are they firing in an uncontrolled manner?

We have produced a set of game tokens to make this easy. These are available from our web site.

(7)

Before we get into how to play Sharp Practice, let’s have a look at some of the basics to give you a better understanding of how the rules work.

G

ROUND

S

CALE

Sharp Practice is a heroic representation of warfare rather than a precise simulation. The movement rates and weapon ranges are designed to be practical and look good with 15mm and 28mm figures. If you need a guideline for designing your scenarios, then the scale of 12” on the tabletop being equal to 50 yards in reality is not a bad yard stick.

T

IME

S

CALE

A game of Sharp Practice is like reading a book. The action moves from one key moment to another with no respect for time. However, each Turn is sufficiently long enough for troops to stand, reload and fire, which is around thirty seconds. The Chapter End represents a longer lull in the action when our figures take a breather before setting to once again.

F

ORCE

O

RGANISATION

Sharp Practice is a game all about Leaders. They are the heroes of the battlefield, who lead the way to victory through their inspiration and bravery.

Our ordinary figures operate in Groups. A Group will be between six and ten figures for regular troops, and twelve figures for Irregular or Tribal forces. A Group of men has no organisation or Formation.

When two or more Groups are brought together by a Leader they are in Formation. Formations are more rigid bodies and operate in one of the formations from the Drill Manual. They are easier to command than individual Groups and will share the effect of hits from fighting or firing against them, making them more resilient in the face of the enemy.

You can form smaller Groups in Sharp Practice. A single figure on sentry duty is a one figure Group, while two, three or four figures detached off from a Group for a specific task, such as scouting out an objective, will be another Group. These ad hoc Groups automatically re‐join their parent Group when either moves within 2” of the other.

U

NIT

I

NTEGRITY

This is a skirmish game, so we are interested in where our models are in relation to friends and enemy. For a model soldier to be part of a Group it must be within 2” of at least one other figure in that Group.

A figure, or Group of figures, who are more than 2” from the rest of their Group become a separate Group. This can happen if the figures move away from their parent Group or if intervening figures become casualties. When either Group moves back within 2” of the other, they automatically become one Group again.

(8)

Groups in a Formation must remain in base

to base contact with each other, or as close as is possible with the models being used. Each rank must form a straight line.

T

HE

U

NEXPECTED

From time to time, something can come up which is not covered in the rules. When this happens, think about what is and isn’t possible in real life. Discuss it with your opponent and come to an amicable agreement. Sharp Practice is a game where gentlemanly conduct is above all else. Try to remember that in the heat of battle.

R

OUNDING THE

D

ICE

Sometimes you will need to add, subtract or use a proportion of the dice available. You should always round up if the result is not a whole number of dice.

C

OMMON

T

ERMS

Throughout Sharp Practice you will find that certain key terms are repeated. The following are the most commonly used.

Attached: A Leader is attached to a Group as long as he remains within 2” of it. He can only be attached to one Group at a time.

Broken: (See Section 6, Shock). If a Group’s Shock is double, or more, the number of figures in the Group ‐ including Leaders ‐ it will break. It immediately retires 6” plus a further 2D6” directly away from the enemy. Any attached Leaders will retire with them.

If, at the end of the Chapter, a Group has double or more Shock than the figures present, it will Rout from the table. Any Leader with them will also Rout.

Chapter: (See section 3.3) Just like a book, a game of Sharp Practice has Chapters. These represent a significant break in the action when a range of possible dramatic events occur, such as troops routing from the table, burning buildings collapsing, and wounded Leaders recovering.

A Chapter ends when the Tiffin card or chip is the first to come up in any Turn of play.

Deployment Points: Deployment Points are markers which indicate the point, or points, on the table from which a force commander can deploy troops. The primary Deployment Point also represents a force’s line of

(9)

communications and, potentially, retreat. It

should be protected as its loss will have a negative effect on your Force Morale.

Secondary Deployment Points provide greater flexibility of deployment and are normally present when a force has good local knowledge. These do not need to be protected in the same way as the primary Deployment Point.

Fisticuffs: (See Section 7, Fisticuffs). Fisticuffs takes place when two or more opposing Units come into contact with each other. It represents a violent fight which will oblige one side, or sometimes both, to withdraw.

Force Morale: (See Section 8, Force Morale). In addition to the effect of Shock on individual Groups, Sharp Practice also tracks the morale of the force as a whole. This determines how well a force functions and when, potentially, it must leave the field. Formation: (See Section 4.2). A Formation is an Infantry, Cavalry or Artillery Unit made up of two or more Groups. Group: A Group is an Infantry or Cavalry Unit comprised of between six and twelve figures, or an artillery piece and its crew of five figures.

Leader: (See Section 2). Leaders are the officers and NCOs who lead your force. Leaders use their Command Initiative to influence the figures around them. They are

key to keeping your figures operating effectively in the stress of battle.

Leaders are ranked by Status, from Status I, the most junior, to the lofty heights of Status IV, a figure of some considerable standing. The higher a Leader’s Status, the more influence he may have on the battle.

Rout: (see Section 6, Shock and 7, Fisticuffs). Groups Rout when they leave the table due to excess Shock at the end of a Chapter or if they are forced off the table during play.

Shock: (See Section 6, Shock). Unit morale in Sharp Practice is represented by the accumulation of Shock. As Shock increases, performance will reduce proportionately. Shock is not permanent; it may be removed by a Leader rallying the Unit.

Turn: A Turn represents the shortest period of time on the battlefield in which anything of substance can be achieved. Although Sharp Practice has no fixed time scale it is generally around thirty seconds.

The length of a Turn is determined by the run of cards or chips as they are dealt or drawn. The Turn ends when the Tiffin card or chip is dealt or drawn and any Command Cards are played through. When a Turn ends, the cards or chips are shuffled before a new Turn begins.

Unit: Used when referring to Groups or Formations where no specific Unit size or structure is relevant. So, when we say “any Unit can fire” it is just a simpler way of saying “any Group or Formation can fire”.

(10)

A Force in Sharp Practice represents a detachment, possibly sent out on a mission or perhaps fighting as an independent column near the main Army.

We have provided Army lists in Appendix B for the some of the main conflicts of the era of black powder, but how do you organise your troops and how do they fight?

T

YPES OF

T

ROOPS

There are a five troop types in Sharp Practice, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.

L

INE

T

ROOPS

Line Troops are trained to stand in the line of battle and trade fire with the enemy. Most Line Troops fight in Groups of eight figures, Militia being the exception as they fight in Groups of ten men.

Line Troops are further defined by their quality.

Elite

Elite troops are long‐service regulars who have been trained to operate at the peak of their capabilities. Elite troops can fire controlled volleys, are led by the best officers and NCOs and better able to maintain a Formation when moving through poor terrain.

Regulars

Regulars are long‐service troops who have been trained to the standards of the period. They can usually fire controlled volleys, are led by professional officers and NCOs, and better able to maintain a Formation when moving through poor terrain.

Conscripts & Volunteers

Conscripts & Volunteers have been enlisted for the duration of the conflict. They may be enthusiastic but have received limited training. Conscripts & Volunteers are less able to fire controlled volleys or perform elaborate drill swiftly and maintain their Formations in poor terrain.

Militia

Militia are hastily raised troops with limited training and of suspect quality. Normally, their fire is uncontrolled, they have limited abilities in drill and their Formations are penalised when moving through poor terrain.

S

KIRMISH

T

ROOPS

Skirmish Troops have been trained to operate in loose order to harass the enemy or screen friendly troops. While some Light troops may have been able to operate both in Line and as skirmishers, only Groups selected as Skirmish Troops are treated as such during a game. Skirmish Troops fight in Groups of six figures and are rated according to their training and abilities.

All Skirmish Troops deploy in an open formation with up to 2” between men. In appearances a Skirmish Group will look almost identical to any other single Group, what is different is their training and abilities.

Light Infantry

Light Infantry are well‐trained troops who have been drilled for their particular task. They receive a bonus for all firing and make the best use of terrain. Light Infantry are trained to move and fire, gaining an additional movement dice.

(11)

Light Infantry are trained to avoid contact

and may evade if an enemy attempts to close to Fisticuffs with them. However, if contacted Light Infantry are no walk‐over. Skirmishers

Skirmishers are troops trained for this role but are likely to be part of a conscript force, or volunteers rather than professional troops. They are not keen to get too close to the enemy, but receive a bonus for firing at effective or long range. They make the best use of terrain, and are trained to move and fire, gaining an additional movement dice.

Skirmishers are trained to avoid contact and may evade if an enemy attempts to close to Fisticuffs with them.

Irregular Skirmishers

Irregular Skirmishers have little training but their experience makes them well‐suited to a more informal type of fighting, particularly harassing an enemy from the safety of cover.

Irregular Skirmishers receive a bonus for firing from cover at effective or long range and make the best use of terrain.

Irregular Skirmishers are trained to avoid contact and may evade if an enemy attempts to close to Fisticuffs with them.

M

ASS

T

ROOPS

Mass Troops have not been trained to fight in a regular or structured manner. They are normally irregulars with little or no concept of drill in the traditional sense, but are not inexperienced warriors. Mass Troops fight in Groups of 12 figures. There are three types of Mass Troops. Clans Clans are the best of the Non‐Regular Forces. They represent highly coherent social units based on a shared history or familial line and a culture of perpetual warfare.

Clans normally benefit from an ability to move rapidly and are powerful opponents in Fisticuffs. Clans may use Close Column Formation.

Tribes

Tribes benefit from familial links similar to Clans, but they are more used to a peaceful existence and less warlike.

Tribes benefit from an ability to move rapidly and can be powerful opponents in Fisticuffs. Tribes may use Close Column Formation.

(12)

Wallahs

These roughs, toughs and ne’er‐do‐wells are the lowest form of Mass Troops. From mobs of village peasants with a grievance to the sweepings of the bazaar or the drunken patrons of a saloon, all can be considered Wallahs.

Wallahs do not normally have access to military equipment. They are just as likely to try to hit you over the head with a cricket bat as they are to shoot you. Where Wallahs do have firearms they only roll 1D6 for every two men in the Group. Often Wallahs will only be armed with hand‐to‐hand weapons which are only used in Fisticuffs.

Wallahs may never operate in Formations.

C

AVALRY

T

ROOPS

Cavalry are in Groups of 8 figures. They are rated by their function rather than quality. Scouting Cavalry Scouting Cavalry are ideal for reconnaissance and riding down stragglers but are less effective against formed troops or heavier cavalry. Scouting Cavalry includes Lancers, Chasseurs and Hussars. They always operate mounted and will never dismount during play. Impact Cavalry Impact Cavalry are the army’s heavy clunking fist, designed to overcome opponents by the shock of the charge. Impact Cavalry includes Cuirassiers and Heavy Dragoons, although in some theatres, such as North America, lighter types may be considered Impact Cavalry.

They always operate mounted and will never dismount during play.

Dragoons

Dragoons are specifically trained to operate in a mounted and dismounted role. Dismounted Dragoons operate in Groups of six figures and are treated as Skirmishers. They may begin the game either mounted or on foot. If mounted, they may dismount and remount during the game, but will always require two mounted men to be left to take charge of the horses. If they begin the game dismounted, they must remain so throughout play. Irregular Cavalry Often volunteers, supplying their own horses. Irregular Cavalry are useful to harass an enemy but lack the discipline of trained cavalry. Some Irregular Cavalry Groups favour the sabre, lance or even close‐quarter firearms combined with an attack, while others may prefer to dismount and fight on foot. When dismounted they will operate in Groups of six men and are treated as Irregular Skirmishers. They may begin the game either mounted or on foot. If mounted, they may dismount and remount during the game but will always require two mounted men to be left to take charge of the horses. If they begin the game dismounted, they must remain so throughout play.

A

RTILLERY

Artillery is one troop type. Depending on the training of the crew, the artillery has different abilities listed on the Unit Roster. Artillery crew are trained to avoid contact and may evade if an enemy attempts to close to Fisticuffs with them.

(13)

Unit Rosters

Unit Rosters tell us a lot about the capabilities of our troops and give the ability to tailor the capabilities of a particular Unit to suit the scenario. They contain all the details we will need to know about our troops in order to get them to perform to the best of their abilities on the battlefield. Full Rosters for a variety of Armies and periods will be found in Appendix B. Here is a sample from the American War of Independence.

British Fusiliers to 1777

Type

Regular

Points Value

7 Weapon

Musket

Size

8 Formation First Fire Controlled

Volley

Crashing

volley

Step

Out

Drill

Characteristics

Always

Yes

2

2 Thin Red Line,

Sharp Practice

U

NIT

R

OSTERS

Sharp Practice uses Unit rosters to provide information about our troops. As well as the troop type and strength, the Rosters include such things as the weapon carried and any special abilities. It is the roster which fine‐ tunes our force to reflect each unit’s abilities.

Name: This is the troop name. For example, in this case “British Fusiliers to 1777”. This Roster can only be used for troops of this type during the opening years of the War of Independence.

Type: This is the type of troops in the Group. For Line Infantry Troops this is based on quality, for Cavalry and Skirmish Troops it describes their function or ability. Some troops can operate as Line Troops or Skirmishers, but they must remain in one role or the other for the duration of each game.

Points Value: This shows the points cost of a single Group of these troops with no Leader present. Weapon: This the main weapon used by the troops. It is assumed that other weapons are carried, so where troops have muskets they will also have bayonets unless it is specifically noted that these are absent.

Size: This is the number of figures in a Group at the start of the game. It does not include any Leaders attached to it during play.

Formation: Some Groups can operate in Formations, some cannot and others may do so only when certain criteria are met. If the box is marked “No”, the Group can never join with others to form a Formation. Where it is marked “Always”, the Group is always able to form a Formation with other Groups. “No Shock” means that the Group may form a Formation with other Groups, but only where none of the Groups has any Shock when the Formation is created.

First Fire: This indicates whether the Group gets a bonus when it first fires in a game. This is a simple “Yes” or “No”.

(14)

Controlled Volley: Better drilled troops in a

Formation with a frontage of two or more Groups can fire controlled volleys, maximising the effect of that firing at the cost of a slightly slower rate of fire. Where this box is marked “Yes”, a Formation of this troop type can fire Controlled Volleys throughout the whole game. “No” means that these troops can never fire controlled volleys. Where marked “First Only”, a Formation of this troop type can fire just one Controlled Volley in a game, its first volley.

Crashing Volley: A Crashing Volley doubles the amount of Shock caused on the target Unit by that round of fire. It may only be fired by using Command Cards. Where the box is marked with a number, this is how many Command Cards are needed to fire a Crashing Volley. If the box has no number, no Crashing Volley can ever be fired by this Unit.

Step Out: This reflects how enthusiastic or thrusting a Unit is. Step Out adds an additional D6 of movement to a Group or Formation for this Turn, so long as it is not undertaking a change of Formation. Where the box is marked with a number, this is how many Command Cards are needed to get a Unit to Step Out. Where the box has no number, this Unit can never Step Out.

Drill: This represents how well drilled a Unit is. Drill adds an additional D6 of movement to a Formation which is changing Formation in this Turn. Where the box is marked with a number, this is how many Command Cards are needed to get a Drill bonus. Where the box has no number, this Unit can never benefit from Drill.

Characteristics: This area is for any characteristics which the Unit has. These are usually positive attributes which can be used together with Command Cards, but may also contain notes regarding the way the Unit is armed or performs, such as lacking bayonets or Aggressive troops.

T

HE

F

ORCE

L

EADERS

Leaders are absolutely central to Sharp Practice and should be based in a way which allows them to stand out from the other figures. Leaders use their Command Initiative to influence the troops under their command, as we will see in Section 2 of the rules, Command & Control.

T

HE

D

RILL

M

ANUAL

Before we commit our forces to the field, it is a good idea to understand how they operate and what drill they are capable of. In the formal warfare of the 18th and 19th centuries, regular troops acted largely in accord with the drill they had been trained to use. In Sharp Practice the following are used.

The Group

A Group usually consists of between 6 and 12 figures. It has no particular formation, it is simply a cluster of figures which operate together. Figures in a Group must be within 2” of at least one other member of that Group, otherwise it splits into two or more separate Groups. However, where this happens accidentally during play, a gentleman will allow his opponent a moderate “shuffle” to keep his men in order.

A Group deploys facing in one direction and, when their line of sight allows, will have a 180˚ zone to their front in which they may engage an enemy and a 180˚ zone to their

(15)

rear which is termed their flank or rear.

Troops may not fire to their rear without turning about to face their target.

Some troops, especially irregular troops, can only deploy in Groups. Where this is the case their Roster will show “never” as the Formation rating.

Formations

Formations are where two or more Groups join together. A Formation can be a very effective and efficient way to fight as it allows a body of multiple Groups to be activated with a single Command Initiative and to spread the effects of combat across the component parts, thereby dissipating its impact.

Formations will normally only be made up of troops from the same unit. Where troops are able to form Formations they will have either the word “Always” or “No Shock” as their Formation rating on their Unit roster. Where this is “Always”, the Group may always join a Group or Formation from the same unit. “No Shock” means the Group can only join a Formation when it and the Group or Formation it is joining has no Shock.

Example

If your force is made up of three Groups of Guards, two Groups of Line infantry and one of Voltiguer Skirmishers, the Guards will not join a Formation of Line troops and the Voltigeurs cannot join a formed Line as they are specifically designated as Skirmish Troops.

Caveat

As this is a skirmish game we are aware that some players may want to field troops from more than one unit, so we allow some leeway for players to interpret this as they wish. For example, you may wish to have one Group of Old Guard form a Line with a Group of Line troops. Feel free to rationalise this however you like. Formations can deploy in a number of ways. Line

A Line is a two rank deep Formation of infantry or one rank of cavalry. This will normally be deployed in a straight line, but may deviate up to a maximum of 45˚ to allow for terrain, such as lining a fence.

Historically some troops did deploy in lines of three or more ranks, but in a skirmish situation we limit the Line to two ranks.

(16)

Closed Column

A Closed Column is the width of one Group in two ranks of infantry or cavalry. Closed Columns are ideal for moving on roads, which gives them a bonus. Only the front Group in a Closed Column can fire and, as a single Group, this will always be Uncontrolled. A Closed column can engage in Fisticuffs with the front Group fighting and one Group to its rear providing support. Any Shock suffered in Fisticuffs, is shared between the Groups fighting and supporting. Any casualties from firing are shared between all Groups. Open Column An Open column is also the width of one Group in two ranks of infantry or cavalry. It is ideally suited to a rapid change from Column to Line, with the individual Groups able to turn to the left or right in order to make that formation change. Even though the Groups are not in contact with each other, it is still a Formation with all of the relevant rules applying. Militia and Mass troops can never form an Open Column. Only the front Group in an Open Column may fire and, as a single Group, this will be Uncontrolled. An Open column may engage in Fisticuffs with the front Group fighting and one Group to its rear automatically closes up to provide support. Any Shock suffered in Fisticuffs, is shared between the Groups fighting and supporting. Any hits from firing are shared between the Group targeted and other Groups within 4”.

(17)

Attack Column The Attack Column is a good formation for combat as it focuses the attack on a limited frontage, but with support in depth. Only the front Groups in the Attack Column may fire. With more than one Group present, this may be Controlled or Uncontrolled. The front Groups of an Attack Column fight in Fisticuffs while the Groups in the second rank provides support. Additional Groups in the Formation not fighting or supporting Fisticuffs will assist the attack by sharing any Shock. Any hits from firing are shared between all the Groups. Square A Square provides all‐round defence and is only really appropriate when threatened by cavalry. A minimum of two Groups are needed to form a Square. The figures on each face of the square can fire directly ahead in an Uncontrolled manner. In Fisticuffs, the Groups in a square which are contacted fight, with the rest providing support. Any hits from firing are shared between all Groups.

(18)

Skirmish Formations

Some Skirmish Troops, as indicated in the Formation box on their Roster, may join in Formations with other Groups. Skirmish Formation A Skirmish Formation is two or more Groups of Skirmish Troops operating together in one Unit. A Skirmish Formation is activated on a single Command Initiative and any hits are shared between the Groups. All Light Infantry and some Skirmishers can form a Skirmish Formation. Skirmish Screen Light Infantry and Skirmishers can protect troops deployed behind them by providing a screen. One Group of Light Infantry or Skirmishers can cover up to a two Group frontage behind them. Any hits on the units to their rear are treated as being in one level of cover better than is the case. Irregular Skirmishers will not reduce the level of cover as they are not trained to operate as a screen.

A Skirmish screen can be activated by the Leader commanding the Formation provided he is of higher Status than the Leader commanding the Skirmish Troops. However, they must be within the Command Range of that Leader in order to be activated by him. A Skirmish screen does not need to act precisely as the main Formation it is attached to, so it may fire and load and still use its additional movement Action each time it is activated.

(19)

Any number of players can take part in a game of Sharp Practice. However, for the purposes of explaining the rules we assume that the game is being played by two players; one controlling each side.

T

HE

B

ATTLEFIELD

Before you can play Sharp Practice you will need to set out the battlefield to be fought over. There are no restrictions on the size of table used. We usually play our games on a 6’ by 4’ area, which is more than adequate even for the larger games. For very large games, a table double that size works well.

A well‐modelled battlefield adds greatly to the enjoyment of a game, allowing players to engage with the tabletop action. This is never more the case than with Sharp Practice.

Try to use scenery which represents the part of the world your game is set in. Remember, buildings almost never stand alone in isolation. In the real world people have gardens and yards, vegetable plots, fences and walls. In a skirmish game adding those details will really bring the game to life.

Terrain and Visibility

Players are encouraged to discuss what the terrain on their tabletop represents in order to avoid any unpleasant surprises during play. You should take a moment before the game to agree on the cover type for each terrain feature. In most cases this will be obvious, but some more unusual features might benefit from clarification.

Sharp Practice breaks terrain down into four main groups as follows: Open Ground: This is terrain where a figure can walk unimpeded such as a road, track or open, dry grassland.

Broken Ground: This could be a ploughed field, light woodland, fords, muddy or saturated ground or steep hills where movement is slightly impeded.

Heavy Going: This represents heavy undergrowth, dense forests, rocky hillsides, rubble or marsh where movement is badly restricted for figures on foot and extremely difficult or impossible for mounted or wagons.

Really Heavy Going: This is terrain at the extreme end of the spectrum. Virgin jungle, swamps, deep snow or similar. All movement is very difficult indeed and limited to a very slow pace.

(20)

It is very likely that the terrain will influence

how easily a Unit can be seen. However, it is worth noting that sometimes a Unit can be moving in Broken Terrain, such as crossing a ploughed field, but be as clearly visible as if on hard ground. Alternatively, the Unit may be moving freely on hard ground, but be difficult to see because of intervening linear terrain such as a wall or hedge.

Cover

In Sharp Practice, there are two types of cover, light and hard.

Light Cover: This often makes the target harder to see but does not offer much physical protection. This could be hedges, standing crops, low garden walls, fences or similar.

Hard Cover: Cover such as heavy stone walls, buildings, entrenchments or similar, offers some worthwhile physical protection to the Unit.

T

HE

F

INAL

T

OUCHES

Once you have your terrain, you’ll need to pick a scenario. We have provided six standard scenarios in Appendix A but there is no end of story lines that you can build into a scenario using the ones presented here as a guideline.

You have your Armies, your terrain is set up, your dice and tape measure are in hand, and, most importantly, your scenario is ready to go. You are nearly ready to start playing Sharp Practice.

Learning the game rules will help make your games flow more smoothly. This may take a few games before you get the rules completely under your belt. Try your first game with just infantry. Using the basic forces from the Army lists is usually a good starting place, even if the forces are not perfectly balanced. You can progress by adding more support options such as artillery and then, finally, cavalry.

The Most Important

Rule of All

When playing we should always attempt to make the experience enjoyable for all participants. There are times when your opponent may have the opportunity to interrupt your turn, in the same way that you will have chances to interrupt his play. A simple way to make your games run smoothly, is for a player to say what he is about to do before he actually does it. State your intent out loud so that your opponent has an opportunity to interrupt before you actually make your move.

Please remember, Sharp Practice represents warfare from a more courteous age. If we aspire to behave in the best spirit of friendly competition and good manners then we go some way to imitating the heroes of yesteryear.

(21)

A game of Sharp Practice begins with establishing the Force Morale of both sides and placing Deployment Points onto the table.

1.1 F

ORCE

M

ORALE

Each side rolls a D6 to determine its Force Morale level. This is adjusted as follows for the number of infantry Groups in the force.

T

ABLE

O

NE

F

ORCE

M

ORALE

M

ODIFIERS

More than half are Militia ‐2 More than half are Regular or Tribe +1 More than half are Elite or Clan +2 An adjusted total of zero or less gives a Force Morale of 8. A result of 1 or 2 gives a Force Morale of 9. If the total is 3 or 4 the Morale level is 10 and 5 or more is a Morale level of 11.

You can keep a track of Force Morale using dice or tokens. You can also download and print out the Force Morale Tracker from the TooFatLardies Yahoo Group or copy the one below.

1.2 D

EPLOYMENT

P

OINTS

Deployment Points determine where your forces can deploy.

Both forces will have a Primary Deployment Point which represents their line of communication and potential route of retreat if they are defeated. You should protect your Primary Deployment Point as its loss will affect your Force Morale.

Some forces may add additional Deployment Points determined by the scenario and particular troop types, as indicated on the Unit Rosters, and purchased as a support option for your force. Additional Deployment Points give you greater choice of where your force can deploy. Their loss will limit your deployment, but will not affect your Force Morale.

Moveable Deployment Points

Some troop types have a “Moveable DP” on their Unit Roster. If any troops have this designation, this allows the purchase of one Moveable Deployment Point for the force as a support option. This may be placed on any part of the table within 24” of the Primary Deployment Point and further than 30” from any of the enemy Deployment Points. Each

(22)

time the Leader commanding the force’s card

is dealt (not on any bonus move due to Command Cards and regardless of whether the Leader is on the table or not), this Deployment Point may be moved up to 12” for no cost in Command Initiative, providing it begins and ends its movement out of line of sight of any enemy units or Deployment Points. Once any unit has deployed from the Moveable Deployment Point, that Point can no longer be moved.

Any Groups can deploy from the Moveable Deployment Point provided it has already been used by a Unit specified as having a Moveable DP on the Unit Roster. This represents these troops leading other troops onto the table by this route. The deployment distances and restrictions are the same as those for the other Deployment Points.

Moveable Deployment Points do not represent the lines of communications and therefore, if captured, will not trigger a Force Morale test.

Placing the Deployment Points

The scenario you are playing will determine

the areas of the table where both sides may place their Deployment Points.

The player with the lower Force Morale total begins the game by deploying his Primary Deployment Point and any other Deployment Points set by the scenario onto the table, his opponent then does the same. If both sides have the same Force Morale, roll a D6 with the lower roller deploying first. Now both sides take turns to deploy any additional Deployment Points onto the table, the player with the higher Force Morale going first. When all Deployment Points are placed, the game can begin.

Top Tip

Deployment Points can be a noted with a simple piece of terrain, an attractive vignette or even just a piece of card. What is important is that both sides know where their opponent’s Deployment Points are located.

(23)

2.1 T

URN

S

EQUENCE

The sequence of play in Sharp Practice is broken down into a number of Turns, which together make up a longer Chapter. In each Turn the order of play is determined by the dealing of cards from the Game Deck or the drawing of Chips from a bag or cup. To keep things simple, we will use dealing cards from a deck to mean either.

The Game Deck is made up of a card for each Leader, the Command Cards for both sides and the Tiffin card. All of these cards are shuffled at the start of the game. A Turn begins by dealing the cards one at a time and activating the Leaders when their card is dealt.

When the Tiffin card is dealt it is the final card of the Turn. Any Command Cards in play are now used or discarded. All cards are then returned to the Game Deck, which is reshuffled and a new Turn begins.

This sequence is followed until one side concedes defeat or their Force Morale falls to zero, at which point their men rout from the table and the battle is lost.

2.2 L

EADER

I

NITIATIVE

Sharp Practice is all about Leaders and their ability to influence the men around them. The more effective a Leader is, the more he can do and the further his influence will reach.

There are four types of Leaders, ranging from Status I to Status IV. These Leaders are the men who will lead your force using their Command Initiative.

Command Initiative

Sharp Practice emphasises the importance of Leadership through a system of Command Initiative. The quality and abilities of a Leader are reflected in their Command Initiative level. This tells us how many things he can do when he is activated and over what range he can influence the men around him. These are shown in Table Two.

T

ABLE

T

WO

C

OMMAND

I

NITIATIVE

L

EADER

S

TATUS

I

NITIATIVE

R

ANGE

I 1 4”

II 2 6”

III 3 9”

IV 4 12”

A Leader’s Command Initiatives can be used one at a time, with the results being applied after each one, or all together with the results being applied simultaneously. The order is entirely up to the player. Any combination of these options may be used to gain the maximum tactical advantage.

Where more than one Leader is attached to a Group or Formation, only the most senior Leader may activate the Unit. A lower Status Leader can influence the Unit by actions such as rallying or forming up which, are not classified as Activations.

Unit Activations

To influence a unit, a Leader must be attached to the Group or a Group within the Formation, or be within his Command Range. When activated, a Leader can use one Command Initiative to do the following:

Activate a single Group or Formation. When activated, a Unit has two Actions which it may use to deploy, move, fire, load, present or any combination of these. To do this he must be the most senior Leader attached to that Unit or, if activating a unit within his command range to which he is not attached, must outrank any other Leader attached to that unit

Direct the fire of a Formation or Group he is attached to, adding 1D6 of fire for each level of his Status

(24)

Attach one Group to another to form a

single Formation. The Group must be within the Leader’s Command Range to do this. If the Group is within 4” of the Group or Formation it is joining, it may Form Up, moving into position using one Action, if they are further apart they must dice for movement as normal to move into contact.

Add one Group to an existing Formation. To do this the Group must be within the Leader’s Command Range. The Group joining the Formation will Form Up and use one Action to do this if it is within 4” of the Formation. If they are further apart they must dice for movement as normal. Detach one or more men to form a new Group.

Form Up

Form Up is an important command in Sharp Practice as it allows Groups and Formations to join together for one Action if they are within 4” without dicing for movement or join to together for no Actions if within 1” of each other.

The Form Up command is used when Groups are joining together to make a Formation, when Groups are joining an existing Formation and when a Formation is changing Formation. Commands Which are Not Activations Some commands given by Leaders are not considered activations and do not prevent a Unit being activated at another point in the same Turn. These are the only commands which a subordinate Leader can use if a higher Status Leader is attached to the Group or Formation.

An activated Leader who is attached to, or within Command Range of, a Group or Formation can use one Command Initiative to do the following:

Rally one point of Shock from a Group he is attached to or any Group in a Formation he is attached to.

To act independently of any Group or Formation, moving, firing, fighting or undertaking a Task on his own

Call forth a man under his command and within his Command Range who has a specialist skill

Form Up two Groups within 1" of each other into a single Formation as long as both are within his Command Range. The Groups do not use any Actions to do this

Dress the ranks. Combine two adjacent groups in a Formation into one Group. This new Group may not be larger than the original Group sizes. Any Shock on the two Groups is combined on the newly formed Group. Both Groups must be within the Leader’s Command Range. This does not require any Actions.