Our Lady of Kapusta

I got this Sarissa Precision 20mm Russian church done and decided it needed to be in a game.

I went with the 20mm model to save a few Pounds on the price, save some space on the footprint and to have it match my 20mm Russian buildings which honestly work just fine with my 28mm Napoleonics.

During assembly I noticed that the base was on it's own sheet of MDF, and nicely centered. Eureka! A few minutes with an electric drill, some glue, a few coffee stirrers and bamboo skewers and I made a fenced church yard for it.

The onion dome was supposed to made from MDF disks, but that doesn't look so great, so I replaced it with a foam ball and a washer from the craft store. I coated the ball in Mod Podge to seal it before spray painting. The Celtic style cross niggles at me. I'll have to gather my courage and replace it with an Orthodox cross, perhaps made from some thing sprue.

Table set up

The objective for the game was to seize the hill with the church on it for the building of an artillery battery. Roughly equal forces were dispatched by both sides. Placement of Deployment Points was a random die roll. The Russian DP was in the center behind the village. The Bavarian DP came up opposite the church.

Both sides came on strong with their main infantry formations and skirmishers deploying first.

Hauptmann Wahl leads his Fusiliers forward behind a screen from the Light Company

Russian musketeers get to the church on time

Jaegers sweep through the village, picking up stray cabbages and pigs

Bavarian light company rushes forwards to the wood and starts some heavy musketry on the approaching Russians

Some bonus volleys from Random Events and Command Cards pour the fire into the green coats

Meanwhile, Russian Uhlans try sweeping around the other flank and are driven off by the Chevauxleger

The Fusiliers deploy beside the Lights and begin heavy, controlled effective volleys into Russian Grenadiers and Jaegers

Jaegers fire fight the Bavarian Fusiliers.

Light company dashes forwards to seize the church. More musketry sees the Grenadiers collapse under a pile of shock and Russian Force Morale collapses with them.

My expensive Sharpshooter detachment took forever to come on table. I used a Command Card on the Tiffin to push them up into the woods in the center where they could support the Chevauxleger and shoot at the Jaegers. But the game ended before they fired a shot.

Meanwhile the Bavarian artillery is stuck in the mud, moving only 7 inches all game

The Russians got their unicorn howitzer unlimbered just as the Grenadiers broke and ran.

I think the game would have been very different if the Bavarian Deployment Point had been at the other end of the table. Or the cards fell differently. Or they hadn't rolled seven 6s for effect during a volley on the Russian Grenadiers. Or anything. But it was fun that reminded me why I like Sharp Practice so much.

Scott loaned me all three volumes of  Thunder on the Danube, so some 1809 Austrians are up next!

"Kapusta" is Russian for "chickens".