Indian Mutiny - The Waiting Spy

Some weeks ago I introduced my friend Chris to Sharp Practice. Chris has a distinct dislike for unit based historical game, so what was not to like for him in an Indian Mutiny game. I knew this would be a hard sell, so full credit to Chris for trying out the game. My arguments for him trying it out was the game mechanics and the tactical choice that the game has.

The scenario we played was based around the idea of a British spy hiding out in a cluster of buildings. The Brits were trying to get there in order to rescue him and the information he has on the mutineers, while the Mutineers were attempting to get to him to prevent the above from happening. Mechanics wise this meant that we placed a normal playing card face down in each of the four buildings. Once a building had been searched by a unit, the card would be turned over - and if it was the Jack then the spy had been found.

Chris played the British and went for a small, but well-armed force:

Leader 1 (Status 3)
Leader 3 (Status 1)
2 x British Regulars with Enfield Rifles
Leader 2 (Status 2)
1 x HEIC Regulars with Muskets


Playing the Mutineers I went for a large force of primary Sepoy Rabble:

Leader 1 (Status 2)
2 x Sepoy Rabble
Leader 2 (Status 2)
2 x Well-ordered Sepoys
Leader 3 (Status 1)
1 x Badmashes with Big Choppers
Leader 4
1 x Sepoy Rabble (Status 1)

Since it is some weeks ago that we played, I cannot remember all the details, so here is a brief summary.The game itself went well. In the beginning there was a lot of moving forward, trying to get into good positions and getting to the buildings. I was vary of the range of the Enfields so I was trying to make use of the cover. The British was therefore faster in getting to the buildings, but after searching the two closest by the spy was still not found. The Mutineers were moving into their first building while under heavy fire. The HEIC Regulars had take up a position on top of a building, giving them excellent view of the central area on the board. The Well-ordered Sepoys took on the British Regulars, and were supported by a unit of Sepoy Rabble, but firing volleys made it difficult to close in on the British. All Mutineer units took heavy casualties, but a unit of Sepoy Rabble got lucky and found the spy, who was then promptly escorted outside. Outside the HEIC Regulars continued to fire at the unit, and they were lucky to get away - it took some good rallying from the units leader though. In the end the Mutineers got hold of the spy and managed to get him back to their communications lines. The price paid was heavy though as the Mutineers took a lot of casualties

It was a good game and it flowed nicely - took some 3½ hours to play, but the checking of rules was minimal. Chris thought it was a good game as well, but he really dislikes having to move so many minis around. He agreed to have a go at it again at some later point. I enjoyed myself. While my solo game was a good experience it cannot beat having an opponent.

Here are some photos from the game.