Three rounds a minute in any weather

I’ve been pretty enamoured with Sharp Practice since I saw the Let’s Plays. Thanks to TFL’s healthy approach to social media, podcasts and now video it seems like a great time to take the plunge.

After picking up a copy of the rules and cards on eBay (sorry lads) and a set of tokens, poker chips, and The Compleat Fondler supplement from TFL direct I started obsessing over exactly what I was going to be putting together for a force.

Growing up with Sharpe and Hornblower the Peninsular War is a straightforward place to start.

I did some research into my local regiment – the 32nd Regiment of Foot (Cornwall). It’s been a pretty intense process shall we say. There’s always something to learn and sources can be pretty scattered. It’s especially tough if you’re not a military buff!

The regiment were in the peninsula though the early stages of the war through Portugal and up to the retreat to Corunna in 1809.

The 32nd didn’t return to Spain until 1812, in the meantime they went on the Walcheren Expedition in the Netherlands where many of the men contracted malaria and in 1810 they were posted to Ireland.

It’s the early war period following the first invasion of Portugal that I’ve chosen to model my force on.

1808-1809 covers two contrasting situations in the war. For most of 1808 Spain was still an ally of France, however Napoleon had his suspicions and by the beginning of 1809 had encircled and captured Madrid and occupied Spain.

In terms of scenarios that gives me a lot of flexibility and a Spanish force would be useful for both sides of the conflict.

Shout out to the 32nd Regiment of Foot reenactors for helping me with my research on the right colour trousers(!) and the various Too Fat Lardies forum & mailing list members that have helped me to stop panicking and buy some figures!

It’s a bit of an iffy photograph but here’s a rough breakdown of my ridiculously over the top British starter force.

From Perry:

3x mounted colonels in bicorns

I will only be using one of these at a time I’d expect to represent my highest-status leader in a game.

2x British Line Infantry boxes + 2 extra sprues of riflemen

This has worked out to 12 flank company and 48 centre company figures arranged in 2 groups of flank skirmishers and 6 groups of line.

From the riflemen in the box and the additional sprues purchased I’ve got 12 riflemen in two groups.

From Warlord Games:

1x peninsular war british foot artillery 6pdr

Warlord games had a free postage thing on so I picked up an artillery piece. Complete impulse buy.

From Front Rank:

I’ve been quite taken with Front Rank’s figures, they’ve got a really nice selection.

Set of flank company command. The perry box doesn’t have options for a full set of flank company so there’s no flank company officers available (they wore stovepipe shakos much earlier.) – half of these are just in a pile because I really wanted a sergeant and an officer, but never say never!

6x flank company firing. An extra group of flank company skirmishers.

Rifleman officer and sergeant (Sharpe and Harper, how could I not!)

Infantry officer waving his bicorn.

A foot artillery officer and extra crewman – Sharp Practice specifies five crew to one gun but they tend to come in fours.

From Wargames Foundry:

1x 9pdr gun

Set of foot artillery crew w/ officer

OK this one was a total impulse buy, but while I was asking for recommendations for single crew members I was sent to Wargames Foundry and I really liked this set. At least I now have support options around the artillery.

The rulebook’s most basic starter force for the British in the peninsular is five groups of centre company and one group of flank company skirmishers, so I think that’s covered.