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Monday, April 6, 2020

Sharp Practice Solo Campaign Conclusion- The Battle for Segurilla Part One


The Campaign
Couchet, never accused of possessing imagination and certainly not shy, declines the opportunity to use the cavalry screen and pushes directly on with an “all-out attack “on the town of Segurilla. As attacker and having won the last battle he retains the initiative and elects to attack. He has three options and decides upon “all-out attack”. This presents him with the option of making a “hasty attack” whereby “both sides are in some disorder, possibly deploying straight form order of march or having been surprised” which involves dicing for each unit as it deploys. A failed roll means it does not deploy and has to roll again.
Couchet is a dullard! No hasty attack here, one gambit per campaign is enough for him.

The Battle for Segurilla
Force Morale is rolled for the plucky British undiminished by two defeats=11, the victorious French=9



Segurilla, a quiet rural town, famed for its walled gardens














Turn 1

The fusiliers of the 104th de Ligne deploy behind the wall of the Northern most garden giving them a commanding view down the road that leads through the town.
Canard deploys the 12 pdr on their South flank and aims his weapon
Ends Turn 1





Codpiddle RHA, deploys his piece in the garden of a small house to the North of the crossroads, he takes aim at the 12 pdr
McPherson deploys his 71st Highlanders behind a hedgerow to the South of the town




Turn 2
Ends Turn 2



Blue flag-tiffin!
Canard fires!



Direct hit! First fire bonus, controlled cannister fire.16 hits from 17 die!!
2 kills 4 shock, Codpiddle’s crew rout, taking their distraught bombardier with them!
Force Morale down one.






 Turn 3


Ends Turn 3
Couchet deploys in gardens forming a line with le Boit. Le Roux deploys adjacent to Couchet completing the French line
Another short, French turn
 Turn 4


Le Boit’s ligne cross the wall and advance on the town.3 flags! Moving Random Event 3. Le Boit has trodden in something unpleasant, how his men laugh behind his back, his status drops to level 1
The RHA crew leave the table Codpiddle runs to join McPherson. It is not recorded what that “vile individual “Erskine McPherson had to say to him!


Tiffin! everything stops for tea
3 red flags on the table, the newly promoted Tolerance Burke deploys the 4 riflemen on the veranda of a town house.











Three blue flags on the table, Estevan Noir deploys his Voltigeur skirmishers in front of the line regiment…











…and begins a flanking manoeuvre











Turn5
3 flags drawn triggers a random event on the unfortunate le Noir whose men are now “spitting feathers” as their canteens run dry. -1 pip of movement per die until they get watered. Fortunately, the French invested in a mule train, unfortunately, it is with Couchet!
At last! Prendergast deploys to oppose the advancing skirmishers. Turn 5! Where has he been!
He must have been coming down the road when he spied the skirmishers.
 

Tolerance Burke directs the fire of the 95th onto Couchet’s Leger, one kill, one shock
ends turn 5









The situation at the end of turn 5.
The British are established in defensive positions at the West end of the Segurilla. 

The French are advancing into the town from the Eastern end


 Turn 6

McPherson, never spoken of as a patient man, leaves the cover of the hedge, crosses the road and orders his unit to fire into the ligne





 
 

Prendergast opens fire on the skirmishers
2 kill 1 shock










Canard fires at the 95th.Their stone balcony appears to be no protection. All are killed Burke takes a knock to the head and is rendered unconscious.
British Force Morale down by two. It’s now lower than the French at 8 to 9




 
Le Roux emerges from behind the hacienda












Couchet advances his leger into the village
 


















4 blue flags! Le Roux fires on McPherson



  Turn 7
3 flags! Random Event!  REF7. A thick pall of smoke forms in front of le Roux’s grenadiers. What is it with the powder on this campaign? Undeterred le Roux advances through the smoke, brings his grenadiers on to McPhersons flank and fires. Shock is doubled when firing onto a flank ,3 kills and 16 shock, the Highlanders are in trouble.



Two groups break and run. Force Morale down 3 points to 5!
McPherson backs up his remaining group to face the grenadiers








Prendergast advances into the town, forms up behind the wall of the first house and fires on Couchet, 1 kill 1 shock











the situation at the end of turn 7. In the foreground McPherson men are running, in the town Couchet and le Boit are advancing and the hapless Prendergast is taking up position behind the wall.
On the veranda of the villa by the fork in the road, Tolerance Burke slumbers on.

Turn 8
Burke sleeps on blissfully unaware of the carnage around him. One aspect of the game is the capriciousness of the draw. Here the British have drawn 3, Burke, who is unconscious, with no command and unable to affect the game in any way, while the French have drawn 4, le Roux, who is on McPhersons flank and ready to fire

 

 Turn 9
Le Roux is drawn, there are two French flags on the table. Pas de Charge, a characteristic that some French units possess, allows them an extra dice for movement and removes 2 shock per group as they charge. 3 dice, minus 1 for the remaining shock, 8 inches and Le Roux is in-just! The grenadiers charge into McPherson!
The fighting is a grim, bloody affair, the Highlanders are wiped out. 17 x d6 v 7 x d6
McPherson and Codpiddle are taken prisoner.
British Force Morale down 1 to 4. 

"I shall have to ask for your sword sir!" 

























In the town, le Boit and Couchet advance.










Noir moves in behind Prendergast and uses Sharp Practice to fire into his rear.
In the tradition of British commanders throughout history, Prendergast got himself outnumbered and surrounded! Someone somewhere is playing the “last stand music”
It’s a slow sad trumpet soliloquy. 



Turn 10
Noir fires into Prendergast who turns and charges him. Noirs sharpshooters evade the charge









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