Museum of Flight 10/17/09

Dan & I hosted a Sharp Practice game this afternoon at the Museum of Flight up on Seattle. We represented the Puyallup (War)gamers, along with other NHMGS members. There were some DBA games, a Wings of War aerial combat game, Kevin Smyth's air race game, and a Micro Armor WW2 game - besides our game. This was my first time at the museum, and it is a very nice and interesting place. The NHMGS have been able to host games there for several years, and I believe they always get to set up under the SR71 Blackbird.
Since I was fairly busy GMing the game, along with Dan, I was only able to take a few photos. As you can tell, the set up is pretty much the way we've play-tested the game. Basically, the French in garrison and the British coming on the table via blinds. We decided on minimal terrain to allow the two sides to engage as soon as possible. We did manage to get all the basic rules gamed - that is, movement, firing, and a few rounds of fisticuffs. Although this was the first Sharp Practice game for the players, their previous gaming experience really helped out, as they pointed out a few items which Dan & I hadn't tried out before. One was the tests to see if Big Men were hit while attached to formations. All in all, it was a good time and time well-spent.

Aggressive opening moves by the French right - the British were later spotted & blinds removed.
French commander of the garrison at the church ponders the use of his voltigeurs and other troops.
The French and British on this end of the battlefield were both very aggressive and quickly formed groups into formation and advanced to close range. Admittedly, both sides had poor marksmanship (er, dice rolls) and ended up giving each other plenty of shock points, but very few kills.
This was the first round of fisticuffs initiated by the French. A couple more rounds led from either side followed. Which resulted in a few more kills and shock points. As stated previously, these guys weren't afraid to cross bayonets.