Sharpe's Tiger by Bernard Cornwell

Sharpe's Tiger pits a young Richard Sharpe against the Muslim ruler, the Tippoo, of Mysore. It's another strong entry in the series and for me, was a bit different in that this Sharpe is a little more raw, a little more untested, a little more friendless. While his skill set isn't in question, his lack of fine allies like the giant Harper in later volumes, does set the stage differently.

Bernard Cornwell makes India a fascinating and terrifying place. A land of different religions which the British use to their own advantage. In this it is different than other entries in the Sharpe's series as most often, the British are seen fighting fellow Christians.

Hero, the Tippo is a Muslim ruling over an Indian country. But he is a 'bad' Muslim in the novel in that he still pays heed to dreams and has soothsayers on staff in order to provide meanings to signs and portents.

As chronologically, this novel is set before ever other Sharpe novel I read, it was interesting to see Richard evolve. He's seen at heart as a 'good' person, but has a ruthlessness at his core that enables him to act in ways that the 'proper' officers and other individuals would not.

Colorful characters abound in the story. One of Shapre's foes, Hakeswell, had the honor of not dying from being hung and claims that he cannot die! He's also described as 'twitchy' from a disease that was cured with mercury. He's also always claiming "It's in the Scriptures!" for his foul behaviors.

These distinguishing features allow the cast to be more than just backdrops that Sharpe interacts with. They help give him direction and even when in opposition, help set the direction of the tale.

If you're looking for action filled historical adventure, Sharpe's Tiger hits the spot.

Now onto the ramblings!

One of the reasons I'm always advocating reading more, is that it increases your baseline of information. It allows you to enjoy connections that other people simply aren't going to see.

For example, the Tippo employees jetti. "The jettis were Hindus, and their strength, which was remarkable, was devoted to their religion."In the manga Berserk, there is a fantasy analog to parts of the middle east, like India, called Kushan. Among those in the ranks? Individuals that would be the jetti under any other name.

Having that reference allowed me to get an idea of what the jetti were capable of, and the Tippo here uses them as executioners in a horrific manner including breaking the necks of people like chicken's and driving nails into skulls and brains.

It's why, even as life gets busier and things at work get more hectic, I try to keep reading and try to keep reading a bit of a variety of materials. The larger your circle of reference points, the more interconnected things can be in your own mind if nowhere else.

The Tippo is also a 'tiger' man in motif and theme. Take for example, his unclaimed throne, the tiger throne. "...his throne, which was a canopied platform eight feet wide, five foot deep, and held four feet above the tiled floor by a model of a snarling tiger that supported the platform's center and was flanked on each side by four carved tiger legs. Two silver gilt ladders gave access to the throne's platform which was made of ebony wood on which a sheet of gold, thick as a prayer mat, had been fixed with silver nails. The edge of the platform was carved with quotations form the Koran, the Arabic letters picked out in gold, which above each of the throne's eight legs was a finial in the form of a tiger's head. The tiger heads were each the size of a pineapple, cast from solid gold and studded with rubies, emeralds, and diamonds...."

It's a long and glorious description of a truly masterwork of a throne. As a symbol, it's a powerful image. Much like George R. R. Martin and his now famed Game of Thrones and it's bladed throne. The imagery of tigers prevades the novel and gives this particular foe a specific theme.

When building enemies in your own games, or when making characters, think about having a particular motif. Is there a visual cue that your characters rely on that goes along with a name? Unique weapons and items?

Sharpe's Tiger also bring a different type of goal into the picture: Rescuing a well placed individual and delivering information back to the army.

In many ways, such a rescue is as old as a fairy tale: Rescuing a princess. Change the princess to a specific character with their own goals, motivations and other high end utility and well, you've got Sharpe's mission.

Having to recon the area and gather information is another part of the game.

Having goals that might be different than the standard, and having the opportunity to act on that information, can provide a bit more variety to a campaign that going into a dungeon and killing off all the monsters. You can go into the dungeon and kill off all the monsters for a specific cause!

Sharpe's Tiger is a solid historical adventure book and well worth a read if you're looking for something other than Sharpe fighting the French.

Sharpe's Fury by Bernard Cornwell

Sharpe's Fury continues the trend of Bernard Cornwell to throw Sharpe into all of the interesting parts of history that occur during this time. That in and of itself says a lot about characters and how they get to where they are going.

Looking at some settings like the Forgotten Realms and Greyhawk, one might wonder how they can use all of the coolest elements of the setting while keeping it consistent. It only has to be consistent to the characters. If the GM wants to run a certain part of the campaign world and then move on to another, it's up to the GM to get the characters moving, not expect the characters to decide on their own where they're going.

The GM can do this through a few methods, depending on what type of campaign the players are enjoying. In a campaign that focuses on dungeons, the easiest way to move the party, is to inform them of a famous dungeon or a ancient dungeon just found where people are either being killed in mass droves as they descend downwards, or are coming out with vast treasure and vast losses making it a combination of meat grinder and Monty haul. Of course what's actually going on may be far different than what people are talking about. Rumors after all, need to be validated.

In campaigns that take the form of the players having a patron, this one's pretty easy. The patron needs the players to leave their regular unit or army and move onto a different location for a different McMuffin of the week.

In games that are player drive, using elements of the character's own previous adventurers or backgrounds, the GM should be able to devise something that ties into the new local he wants to use and something that's in the character's history. For example, if there are undead hunters in the group, rumor of an outbreak of zombies or ghouls, or perhaps hints of a weapon that destroys such entities, can be thrown into the campaign. Those players seeking lost relatives, can hear tales of slavers and other similar themes that lead them to the new local.

Another interesting point in the book though, is night fighting. I know that I'm a child of the city and man, I've been out all hours of the night and because of all the so called night pollution, barely realize that it's night. On the other hand, I've got relatives in Indiana and when I drive out that way, the night driving is a thing of terror resembling something out of Stephen King's The Mist where the only way you know you're still on the road is the splat of massive bugs against the windshield and the occasional dip in the road.

RPG's can negate this somewhat by having races that see in the dark or having torches, magical light and other options, but its up to the GM to note the unusual aspects of night fighting. In some games, if all of the party has night vision, the GM show showcase that potential terror by having them stumble across enemies that don't have it. The benefits of fighting opponents who are effectively blind should be massive and should give the players a leg up.

Also in terms of giving players a leg up, is having them be on an 'inside joke'. Here, one of the wealthy officers, who doesn't like Sharpe, mainly because Sharpe's humble origins, falls for what is essentially a gold digger high class prostitute who passes herself off as a high end woman suffering from the times due to the war. While Sharpe and others know who she is, the officer doesn't. It's a good laugh for the players and a potential piece of information that Sharpe can use at a latter date.

In terms of player ingenuity, doesn't punish them when they use the tools they have at this disposal. Shapre is asked to help another man deliver funds for the blackmail. Shapre takes the imitative and goes to the drop point well ahead of time to scout it out and make plans in case there is a double cross since the last person who went there wound up dead. Its a good tactic. Encourage the players to be smart. Allow them to get the drop of the villains when appropriate.


Another nice touch Cornwell brings, is the city of Cadiz itself in the first few paragraphs talking about the stink of sewage and the direction the wind blows. If you can introduce a city with a few words and enforce that imagery later, the players, even if they only spent a short time there, will come away with memories of that place and a method of distinguishing it.

One of the things that I enjoyed about the book, is outside the war, there are various missions that Sharpe needs to be involved with. One of them involves blackmail as well as the messy business of unfinished business. When NPC's take actions against the characters and those actions are hidden by happenstance, dont' be afraid to let the player's find out later, even if it's years later in the campaign, what has happened. Friendships can grown between those who've been wronged and finding out latter that a man you've trusted with your live has killed a woman you loved or a man you respected can cast new light on such an individual.

In terms of religion, Cornwell shows little mercy to any faction. Here, we have divisions between Protestants and Catholic, using that difference as reason why, for a religious man, it's okay to commit the bloodiest of murders and the breaking of one's word. In most fantasy campaigns, pantheons are used so the opportunity to use a division within a church isn't always available, but that doesn't mean the GM can't use such a schism or break. The Forgotten Realms used one in the Church of Lathander for example.

Despite the year, 1811, the medical field is still way behind current times. For example, Sharpe suffers a glancing blow to his skull and is told in no uncertain terms that "We know almost nothing about head wounds." In most fantasy games, healing is built into the system through magical means. Those few that don't however, often have some harsh penalties. When looking at trying to make a game realistic or grim and gritty, don't forget that players will only put up with so much of that before they make a new character.

Sharpe's Fury, despite having nothing to do with fantasy warfare, provides a wealth of inspiration ranging from character focus and intrigue, to revenge and utility. Well worth a look.

Sharpe's Prey By Bernard Cornwell

My apologies for yet another Bernard Cornwell book. I know they've got to be getting boring by now in some aspects. I only have a few more to ramble out and I'll be done with Bernard for a little while. I've got a few others, like Jade Man's Skin, Vampire Wars, and Revelation, all by different authors, to hit soon.

Neutral won't cut it. Denmark isn't part of the war between France and England but they have resources, in the form of a navy, that France wants and England can't allow to fall into enemy hands. As President George W Bush said, "You're either with us, or against us."  When the giants are clashing, trying to sit back on the side lines either to try and get the best deal out of the situation or an honest fear of becoming enrolled in the war, will not cut it.

In gaming campaigns, you might think, that doesn't necessarily have to happen. One of the best examples of thing in television would be Babylon 5 when Kosh, states something like, "Once the boulders roll, the peples cannot speak." as his people, the Vorlons, begin to destroy any planet or civilization that hosts the Vorlon enemy, the Shadows.

Even in the modern world outside my window, America invaded its ally Pakistan in order to get a mass murderer who was essentially hanging out outside one of their military schools. In other areas, American unmanned drones or other air strikes, are killing civilians. This collateral damage creates a lot of hatred for the countries inflicting it, but it doesn't stop it.

Another potential problem for players, may be that their own contacts and allies in a location are under threat of death. In this book, one of the inhabitants of Denmark has been an ally to England, providing information and intelligence. He will not leave Denmark and so, to England at least, he and his daughter, become dangerous to the safety of all of those other people that the spy has contact with. A spy that cannot act as a spy and is probably going to fall into enemy hands? Not long for this world.

These are not the acts of good people. These are prudent and coldly calculated thoughts. These issues may be things that players cannot find themselves doing but may see being done around them.

The Sharpe series continues with all of the hailing points of previous books in the series. We have Sharpe in need of a mission, in need of service. We have the typical beautiful woman who Sharpe will romance and know. We have the villain, a clever man whose proven his worth already by killing the man Sharpe is to replace on this misson. Like James Bond, the signature elements are there and Cornwell weaves them into quick and entertaining story.

Shape's Gold by Bernard Cornwell

I've quickly become a fan of Bernard Cornwell's material. It is easy to read and makes good popcorn fiction light yet satisfying, leaving the reader wanting more, and when we get it, devouring it eagerly. I haven't read many of Sharpe's books in the series but thanks to the destruction of Border's Book Store by modern science and market forces, I did manage to pick up a few of them on the cheap.

Sharpe's Gold stands as a great potential adventure for any Game Master that wants to rip it apart.

1. Sharpe: He's a rogue. Well, not really. He's a damn hell of a warrior who uses a sword that he's not supposed to and has an Irish ally that uses a seven barrel gun that he's not supposed to. But he gets the job done and gets the girl. These elements make him prime character material.  How many Dungeon Master's have seen the player who picks the Whip Sword or some other obscure weapon that looks cool? That's Shapre. Getting the girl? Well, we could look at various heroes who get the job done ranging from Conan to Bond, but that's also Sharpe.

2. The Gold is Gone. Regardless of how awesome the task or how mighty the reward, Sharpe is sure not to keep enough gold to do anything other than continue to serve. Why you might ask? What's the motivation if he doesn't? Sure, he receives acknowledgement on some occasions from those who are his 'superior' but the real thrill for Sharpe is in doing the job and having some reward for those who are with him. If he's got all the money and happiness he needs, why would he ever adventure again? The loves of his life are temporary either through his own transient nature or through their own untimely death. His riches go to fill the armies coffers, pay for his friend's expenses, or to win women some freedom.

3. The Action is Fast: Sharpe is not a patient man. Sharpe is not invincible. Shapre is often captured and thrown into prison or into a state that most players would blanch at. These failures only serve to hone Sharpe to an even more dangerous weapon whose vengeance is terrible to suffer yet entertaining to read.

In Sharpe's Gold, the mission Shapre is given is to retrieve Spanish gold.

In theory, it's to give to the Spanish government, but well, at the time of this book's writing, the little guy of France has managed to beat Spain so badly that there really isn't much of a government so what is all that gold for? None of Sharpe's business but by England he'll get it. So it starts off with much the same bravo that many an adventure has. Sharpe being told by his patron "hey, go get this."

The villains are not all obvious and indeed, are named men. This is a common theme through the Shapre books that his foes are greatly skilled, intelligent, and often, well connected men. This works well as we don't want Sharpe to face a bunch of weak willed fools to whet his blade on.

But here, the enemies are the sometimes the ones he's supposed to be giving the gold to. This provides a bit of contrast in that his 'official' yet unofficial orders are to get the gold, but to return it to his patron regardless of who steps in front of him.

In some instance, imagine a group of adventures that has the gold. They have enough to set themselves up as powerful agents in this fallen country. They have enough that should they choose to support one faction or another, that the person they provide the gold with, will become powerful in and of themselves, perhaps a robber baron or border prince. Here the fun is seeing what the players will do with the opportunity. In some ways, this element of the unknown is missing from most adventurers simply because most authors don't have the intestinal fortitude to give the players those options anymore. Part of it is probably related to the whole Adventure Path or Mega-Dungeon madness. If the players take option A, then the rest of the series is fairly useless so we don't want that to happen now eh?

Sacrifices have to be made. Sharpe isn't willing to forgo friends or country, but pretty much everything else is fit to be sacrificed in the name of completing the mission. This makes Sharpe a dangerous man and if most adventurer's don't follow that motto, well, I've been playing a very stranger version of Dungeons and Dragons for years where players are ready to wheel and deal to make sure that their own goals come into the light.

Sharpe's Gold is a short read and filled with beautiful women, swing swords, and a series of small victories and defeats that can inspire some serious gold hunting, regardless of the campaign.

Sharpe's Escape by Bernard Cornwell

A few months ago a reader suggested a trilogy of books by Bernard Cornwell. At this time, Half-Price still hasn't had them, but I didn't think the last book I read by Cornwell was bad so I picked up another, at random, in the Sharpe's series.

The writing seems much smoother and more at play here. I don't know if that's because Bernard is more comfortable with Sharpe or if he feels more comfortable in this genre. Regardless, it made for a much easier read.

In terms of gaming though, one of the things that struck me about Sharpe is that he is an adventurer. Even though he is part of a military unit and has friends, allies, and rivals within that unit, he manages to extract himself from his unit enough that he is essentially on his own with his own foes and goals that just happen to line up with the military.

To me, is an age old lesson. Not only is it wherever you go, there you are, but wherever you go, you're still yourself. Sharpe, and many of the adventuring type, find themselves in these odd situations that only they can handle precisely because they can handle them. The loose skein of fate or destiny or karma doesn't necessarily have to be heavy handed but the fact that person Y can do X will always find himself in a place here X is called on.

Below I will be pulling specific quotes out of the book. This involves some spoilers. If you're a fan of the series and don't want to know anymore, read no further.

So let's look at some specific quotes;

"Slingsby has experience, Richard," Knowles said, "much more than I do."

"But you're a good officer and he's a jack-pudding. Who the hell is he anyway?"

"He's the Colonel's brother-in-law," Knowles explained. (page 31 hardcover ed.)

Sharpe has several enemies and rivals in this book. Slingsby is perhaps the least offensive physically, but the most dangerous politically. Being a brother in law to the colonel provides him with a lot of protection that doesn't necessarily translate into more men, better items, or even respect from the other troops. What it does translate into is a system that is as old as time itself where it is not what you know, but who you know.

When designing enemies and rivals for the party, remember that not everything is done in the heat of battle. There may be instances that political power outstrips temporal power and puts the players in a bin as to what they will actually do and what they can do.

"Cazadores?" Sharpe asked?

"Hunters. It's what the Portuguese call their skirmishers." (pg. 37)

For me, Cazadores is a tequila. Here however, its the name of a type of soldier. I've mentioned before that in Usagi Yojimbo, Stan does an excellent job of sprinkling the setting with specific language and information. Bernard Cornwell does the same. Giving the organizations and specifics of your setting unique naming conventions can be one of the quickest ways to strengthen the setting without changing a thing mechanically.

Another example would be;

"A feitor was an official storekeeper, appointed by the government to make certain there were sufficient rations for the Portuguese army." (pg 109.)


In terms of the patronage system though, that can show up in different ways as the below example illustrates:

"Young Iliffe shaping up well, is he?"

"He's an ensign, sir. If he survives a year he might have a chance of growing up."

"We were all ensigns once," Lawford said, "and mighty oaks from tiny acorns grow, eh?"

"He's still a bloody small acorn," Sharpe said."

"But his father's a friend of mine, Sharpe. He farms a few acres near Benfleet and he wanted me to look after his son."

The situation with Iliffe is different than the one with Slingsby. Here Sharpe is being asked to do a personal favor, to look over the man because of family friends. Not quite the same as being in the family through marriage, but it is another case of social contracts, social obligations, being thrust on Sharpe due to his own entanglement with a larger organization.

If the players can take others under their wing, and do so successfully, they should be rewarded. This might be a social reward, such as the people knowing what a good job the characters are capable of doing, to some land, to some medals or some type of recognition. Perhaps they get the best pick of bounties or special licenses to do things others cannot.

On the other hand, failure should also have its consequences. This can range from being treated as 'bad people' or people who can't live up to their own standards, to being given the worst assignments.

In either case, these awards and penalties should only last briefly. The crowd is after all, often fickle.

"War is above the law, which is why it is so bad. War lets lose all the things which the law restrains."

"Like me," Sharpe said. (pg. 133)

Cornwell does not shy away from the horrors of war. He does not hesitate to mention the things soldiers due to a freshly occupied land. But the statement above, making war above the law? This has some interesting implications for a group of adventurers that are involved in a war time setting or who are involved in situations that are larger then themselves.

Who is going to know if a group of five or six people leave patrol duty to explore some old ruins? Who is going to notice a small patrol going off to take care of some personal business at a mad wizard's tower? The madness of war can provide a lot of freedom to those bold enough to seize it and lucky enough not to be caught outside of their bounds when the cats come calling.

"None has thought to check the high ground, but they should have known they were up against soldiers and soldiers always sought the high ground." (pg 182).

This is almost a classic case of "the more you know". If the party has some vague rumors or real bits of intelligence about what awaits them in the wilds or in a dungeon and don't follow up on it, then its out of the Game Master's hand. If the GM has devised specific tactics for his own version of 'Tucker's Kobolds' and the party won't follow up on it? Let the dice fall where they may.

"I can hear something," Harper spoke after a while. His voice came from the center of the cellar, from the floor."

"Where?" Sharpe asked.

"Put your ear on the stone, sir."

Sharpe stretched out and put his right ear against the floor. His hearing was not what it was. Too many years of muskets and rifles had dulled it, but he held his breath, listened hard, and heard the faintest hint of water running. "Water?"

"There's a stream down there," Harper said. (pg. 196)

Even when the players make bad decision, the GM has the ability, being the ruler and master of the setting, to allow the game to continue. In the case above, Sharpe and comrades have been captured in what is essentially a large dungeon cell. This should be their end. No way out. Only the inevitable storming of the basement by armed men.

But Sharpe is not a typical soldier and he endures and seeks and searches till not only are all options worn out, but he makes his own.

If the characters can show the same grit and determination, the GM should go along with it. This doesn't mean give them an easy way out. Indeed, the passage that Sharpe and allies take out is one of vermin and filth and does not lend itself well to the glamorous lifestyle, but it is a way out and they do escape. Failure should slow the characters down, not necessarily end the game.

"Didn't want to see the angel of death," Sharpe grumbled. The angel of death was the battalion doctor, a Scotsman whose ministrations were known as the last rites. (pg 225).

Little touches like this give the setting a more solid sense of realism. There is not specific special naming for the doctor, but imagery that is well known and familiar. In the Black Company, the doctor there was known as Croaker. Giving the characters names that they've earned, much as the series The First Law did for the northmen, can provide more flavor to the characters.

A few men tired to prevent the destruction. An officer attempted to pull two artillerymen off a woman and was kicked to the ground, then stabbed with a sword. A pious sergeant, offended at what went on in the Old Cathedral, was shot. (pg. 230)

As I mentioned upstream in this entry, war is hell. The interesting thing about a role playing game though, is that there may be certain assumptions that are turned over on their head. Imagine if the game here is D&D and the officers are the players and they are say, five to ten levels higher than the standard soldiers. Discipline would be kicked in mighty quick.

This is a field where most fantasy novels don't bother with, because the implications and realities are horrible enough on their own. But what would happen if a city was invaded by an army that had strict discipline and was able to back it? Much easier than say the opposite, where it's a monstrous force entering the city. While the rape and plunder may be down with inhuman opponents, the level of carnage would probably be much higher.

Sharpe's Escape provides the reader with a quick escape into a historical setting that's real focus, as in many of the stories I tend to enjoy, is on the characters. Their rivals, their friends, their enemies, and the complications that come with being in situations outside their direct control. If you enjoy military history, Sharpe's Escape provides some quick enjoyment.