Gaming in Lockdown: Zoom and the Battle of Fatehpur Redux

 With us being unable to gather to game face to face I decided to try to run a tabletop game over Zoom.  To make life easy I run a scenario we had run before, the Battle of Fatehpur, using Sharp Practice and only 2 player.  I set up two laptops (an actual upside of having to have two for work), one at each end of the table and used my phone both to talk and use for close ups including some photos:

Generally the game worked pretty well, all things considered, but the image quality wasn’t quite good enough for the remote player to see everything on the table.  Having the remote player knowing the rules, the scenario and making their own dice rolls certainly worked so I decided I would have another try but on a smaller tabletop - but more of that in another post!

The Battle of Fatehpur, 12 July 1857

An East India Company force under the command of General Sir Henry Havelock was advancing to the relief of Cawnpore, which was being besieged by Nana Sahib, supported by the rebel Company sepoys. 

Nana Sahib sent an rebel force to check the advance of General Havelock’s column and they met at Fatehpur on 12th July 1857.

Last year, when we were still allowed to gather and game, I decided it was time to recreate the battle on the tabletop.  I decided to use the Sharp Practice rules from the TooFatLardies and my figures from Mutineer Miniatures and Iron Duke Miniatures.  Here are some pictures from the game:

Relief of the Residency

With some interest expressed in a game of Sharp Practice 2 at the club I thought I would get my Indian Mutiny collection out again and stage a Residency sieve game.

The figures are the usual mix of Mutineer Miniatures and Iron Duke with the former predominating (although if I can find a way of storing them - a perennial problem - I may change that balance!)

The Residency itself is from Adrian's Walls and due to the lack of internal support does have a rather annoying tendency to war but is otherwise rather nice.

Here are a few photos:

The garrison only had to hold out until the relief column arrived and acquitted themselves splendidly, particularly some volunteers on the roof of the main building with Enfield rifles who managed to bag two Mutineer officers.  Whilst the Mutineers did inflict some significant casualties and managed to breach the outer defences they were thrown back by the spirited defence!

More Afghan Irregulars

Here is a photo of the two different Artizan Designs Afghan Irregulars with Muskets:

As before the figures were painted by Roger.

Artizan Afghan Irregulars

With Artizan Designs gradually expanding their colonial ranges I was looking to see whether anything from their 2nd Afghan War packs might be usable for my Indian Mutiny collection (with the possibility of expanding out to the Afghan war later using some of my Perry Sudan figures in Indian service dress).  I believe Mike Owen, the sculptor Artizan figures, also did the Mutineer Miniatures range for them and so these are a good fit for style.  Here are some photos of the Irregular Command, Swordsmen and Swordsmen II packs:

As with the rest of my Mutiny collection, the figures were painted by Roger and only based by me.

1st Madras (European) Fusiliers

Most of my Indian Mutiny collection is from Mutineer Miniatures but when Iron Duke Miniatures started producing their own range sculpted by Paul Hicks I found it difficult to resist purchasing some of them.  Initially I have limited myself to a single unit - the 1st Madras (European) Fusiliers or Neill's Bluecaps as they were known:

Of course whether I can hold myself to a single unit remains to be seen!

The figures were painted by Roger and only based by me.  The flag is from Iron Duke themselves.

Besieged in Belhipur

Part of my appalling backlog of posts includes this one from a wargaming weekend over a year ago!  This was the final game of the weekend and a first outing for the second edition of the Too Fat Lardies' Sharp Practice rules using my Indian Mutiny collection.

A small group of ladies have been caught in the village of Belhipur by a large force of mutineers.  But rescue is on the way in the shape of a mobile column.  Their objective was to fight off the mutineers and take the women to safety.

Here are some photos from the game:

Initially all seemed quiet in Belhipur

But then the Mutineers arrived

The ladies all react differently to the crisis!

A small unit of Sikhs is on their way

Followed by some loyal Bengal Native Infantry

The Mutineers form line to fend of the British

But they advance regardless

Mutineer cavalry attempts to outflank the advancing British

The Mutiny: 15th Bengal Native Infantry

I finished basing the latest addition to my Indian Mutiny collection a couple of weeks ago but didn't get around to taking any pictures.  But now here they are:

The figures are from Mutineer Miniatures, they were painted by Roger, based by me and the flag is from Grimsby Wargames Society.

Iron Duke Miniatures

For those of you interested in Indian Mutiny you should check out Iron Duke Miniatures, a new venture from Col. Mike Snook (the author of Go Strong into the Desert).  They are releasing a new range using one of my favourite sculptors, Paul Hicks:

IMBC 1 British Inf, shirtsleeves, covered Kilmarnocks & curtain, P1842 percussion muskets, slope arms,

IMBC 2 British Inf, shirtsleeves, covered Kilmarncoks & curtains, P1842 percussion muskets, charge bayonets

IMBC 3 British Inf, shirtsleeves, covered Kilmarnocks & curtains, Enfields, skirmishing

IMBC 4 British Inf, shirtsleeves, command

These are the first of a number of releases which will include Sikh/Punjabi infantry, 1st Madras Fusiliers and 78th Highlanders.  They are being retailed through Empress Miniatures and should also be available at Salute.

As always from Mr Hicks, these are splendid and the range fills some gaps in my existing collection but the open question is how they'll fit with my Mutineer figures.  Given that they are going to be in separate units I think I may well buy some anyway!