A Saga of Wagons

This week's Saga 2nd edition battle consisted of the 'Prized Possessions' scenario. We'd played the Battle of Heroes quite a few times (12+) and I decided something else was needed. 

The Saxons became the defender (?) escorting the wagons across the table. The Vikings - who I'm trying to work out - were there to stop their progress. 

It was a 7 turn scenario - quite a long one by Saga standards. We used the universal terrain deployment method with the Vikings trying to create corridors of rough terrain that were hard to drag wagons through. This would partly offset the later deployment of half the Saxon army providing an advantage as the defender could see the full troop positions of their enemy. A canny commander - and this Saxon warlord was clever - would place two wagons in the second group being deployed. 

Playing for time the Vikings deployed well back in their deployment zone. Initially, I envisaged a rush at the Saxon left flank to overwhelm one side and fight my way into the wagons. However, this plan was changed after the Saxon warlord moved himself and his mounted hearthguard onto this flank early in the game. The battle would be won in the centre. 

Above are the wagons. The Saxons relied on their defensive power, hoping the Vikings would waste their strength in furious charges against their lines. This waiting game approach would eventually cost them the game. 

The Saxon warlord and his hearthguard were part of this watchful strategy. The warlord threw himself on the Vikings only in the final turn. 

Above the Vikings are shown hedging their bets and trying to block up the passages from the table as best they could. The defender would get a huge boost to victory points (survival in this case) for each wagon leaving the table. 

The Viking thralls whittled down their advancing foe who mostly stood in large 12 warrior blocks. These would block the shooting of the Saxon levy for several turns as combat drew near in Turns 4, 5 and 6. One brave Viking unit stepped out to protect the centre from multiple charges and was hacked apart by Saxons barely placing a wound in reply for their trouble. 

The Vikings fed more and more warriors into the centre of the table as this became the only route applicable for the Saxons. After several turns of inactivity with the wagons, they had no option as moving around the woods would take too long. 

One Saxon unit was reduced to but 4 levy but the Vikings were taking many casualties. Defence rolls were being made far too frequently by the Saxons - their shieldwall could not be broken. 

The Viking warlord and hearthguard stepped in the plug the gap in turn 6 and 7. Clumsy placement of these (by me) enabled some easy charges in Turn 7 of the game allowing the Saxons to kill the warlord reducing the Viking survival point total. I should have been more wary about such desperate lunges for blood once the Saxons realised their wagons would not reach camp in time. 

A couple of Viking units stayed out wide for around 5 game turns to keep the hearthguard and one warrior group occupied. This ultimately prevented the hearthguard from playing any combative role in the battle. 

In the later turns of the game, the Viking stopped attacking and allowed the Saxons to do all the pushing. There was no point to fighting in each turn as their losses were already too high. 

Despite losing almost all of the combats for the evening, the Viking tactics proved to be more effective. They prevented all wagons from leaving the field but when the survival point tally was counted, the Saxons were ahead 17 points to 9 on losses alone. However, they then lost 9 points (3 per wagon) for not achieving their goal leading to the narrowest Viking victory by a single point! It was a good game with both players reserving their strength. This only played into the attackers hands as delay and obfuscation were key. It didn't feel like a win, but I was pleased with my troop position, tactics and terrain placement which were probably the factors leading to victory. 

 

Medieval Turkic ADLG Rebasing

It wasn't a flashy or especially artistic job but it has been on the drawing board for 18 months. 

The, originally, Ottoman army that I painted for FOG then Sword and Spear has been rebased. It WAS covered with coloured saw dust flock and mounted on card bases I'd cut by hand. 

Now it is much better on laser cut MDF and Vallejo Earth Texture Desert Sand. After that its a little green flock (the desert isn't entirely drab) then lots of pebbles and soft tufts of longer dry grass. 

Then army is much larger but I've done enough bases for many different feudal and medieval muslim armies for ADLG. Where once I needed 12 cavalry for a single unit in FOG (or Sword and Spear) I now need but a single base of 3! Therefore, my 10 units of cavalry (120 miniatures) and some more light horse .... go a VERY long way.

Pictured are lines of 10 heavy bow, 10 medium bow cavalry, 6 light cavalry, 2 impact LC, 4 elite LC, 4 impact HC, 3 generals, 4 LI bow, 4 LI firearms, 4 medium sword/spear, 3 LMI bow, 4 MI Bow/sword Janissary, 2 elephants and 1 heavy artillery. 

Did I miss something?

That amount gives me the troops to do anything from Seljuk, Mameluke, Ottoman Empire, Golden Horde and Timurid - plus quite a few I can't recall. 

But it should be said ... I really can't play this army very well. 

That will be my 2023 gaming project ... figure out how to effectively use a horse archer army. Just how to use horse archers against medieval armies with lost of heavy foot and XB has long been a concern of mine. The addition of some of my own foot bow may help. 

As yet, my elephants have not hit the table. 

And the final image ... wow! That's a lot of turbans. 

 

New Years Painting

Well, another year has arrived and I'm off and painting over my holiday period. My output is not as high as previous years but I'm skimming along still, mostly to finalise several projects. 

One of those were a couple of odd units for my ancients and medieval armies. The first three images show my new Muslim 'death star.' Two elephants flanked by some daylami warriors - although I intend to use these as any old javelin armed medium foot from the east.

The shield designs are pretty much whatever I thought of with a vaguely (very) Muslim theme. I really couldn't find anything about such details. 

Next are more medium infantry. This time the ... Samnites! I've LONG wanted these guys to round out my Pyrrhic forces and give some surprising punch out of the rough to Romans (pause to spit on the ground.) I've seen the hitting power of medium sword with 2HW in ADLG with my Venetian Condotta army - especially lurking out of the scrub and especially hitting a flank. On paper the 'impact' should make these Samnites slap even harder. 

Next are some dedicated troops to stand in as 'Imitation Legion' - although I'm not totally sold this is what the later Hellenistic kingdoms were doing here (prob continued development of the thorakitai?) 

These lads will add a nice option for my Ptolemaic (I hate Seleucids and look down on players that flock to the Seleucids just for the options offered ie: cataphracts, elephants, horse archer and pike.) I'm keen to try downgrading half the pike phalanx to mediocre and adding the imitation legion for the Ptolemaic. Might be fun? 

The last image are of the unit that I thought I painted best - should have taken others and different angles - the peltasts. These are an all purpose that can be included in about 12-15 different armies. I intend to use these enmasse in my Mithridatic army. I don't think they'll be very damaging but I do think the javelinmen could be a great pain in the arse for any heavy army - again Romans (spits on the ground) I'm pointing the finger at you. 

I do wonder what they'll do against a mass of German heavy impetuous sword too ... (die probably when they thrown low on an evade and the warband runs long on a 5 or 6.) 

 

Just ghoulish!

I started the above in lockdown. I think it was nostalgia for fantasy played when younger - understandable emotion since I was in my late 40's at the time - and the strong AOS community I appeared to be witnessing through such things as AOS Coach and 2+ Tough. 

In any case ... I purchased some Flesh Eater Courts models. Imaginatively, I'd also defend the purchase by stated my great fascination for the ghoul in weird fiction. The models were fun to paint and assemble (mostly) and they certainly matched my mental image of a ghoul. 

Two years or so on and I've painted all but three models. I used only the ghouls in Mordheim over the past 18 months and had just about assigned them to forgetful storage when I was compelled to try Warcry. In this I used a few more models from my ghoulish collection but nowhere near the full amount. (Side note: my mind is still not made up on Warcry apart from the fact I think Mordheim is better.) 

And then I finally acquired a copy of Saga 2nd edition under the assumption I would never play the rules (or only 1-2 times) as I'm the only person in my wargames club with any Dark Age figures. 

Then in one night ... Saga kicked off. 

There are now four of us with the rules and two of those grabbed Age of Magic as well. 

Thats when my ghouls burst from the crypt and into a new life. My painted FEC courts army (i really had only a fleeting intention of ever played Age of Sigmar - as I knew in my wargaming soul the rules and esp the list as little more than steaming shite) easily gives me 8 points in Saga with a couple of choices too for variety. 

Instead of Flesh Eater Courts, the 'Carrion Realm' will surge from their darkness enshrouded underworld to grasp the throats and savage the entrails of the living. I'm very keen to play a game but must await my much slower (painting and modelling) wargaming companions to amass their forces. 

Out of interest the images show - 5 units of 8 warriors, 1 monster, 1 warlord, another ghoul hero - purpose unclear for Saga, and 2 groups of creatures (one bipedal and the other flying.) This easily gives me a few options to form larger units of warriors or make the creature units larger by adding another model (at the cost of breaking up a warrior unit.) As can be seen, I have the Sigmarite Mausoleum scenery to enable my placement of a sacred ground:crypt as per the Undead Legions rules. 

 

Charging into Saga 2.0

I ordered, after a LONG procrastination period, Saga 2.0 for my Father's Day present. I read it, liked it - as I had done with ALL Studio Tomahawk rules I own (3) - and was keen to play it. 

BUT, I was uncertain that my gaming friends would accept it. We already have so many games in our roster and meet but once a week. 

I introduced the rules to my friends over two weeks. On the third week, we played the pictured game and all have fallen badly for the rules. Two have order the rules plus all the period books they could lay their hands on. Saga 2.0 has taking flight - and I couldn't be more thrilled. 

The images show a 6 point Clash of Warlords, as per the Book of Battles, between Anglo Saxons and the Vikings. The Saxons decided to select 4 points of levy spear, 1 point of levy bow and 1 select fyrd. The Vikings chose 1 levy javelin, 2 hirdmen/huscarls (combined into a single unit) and 2 units of 12 warriors. This somewhat limited Viking Saga dice generation. 

The victory would be decided by survival points giving the Saxons an immediate advantage with their far larger numbers. The battlefield was a marsh. 

The Saxons deployed in a very pretty square. I'm yet to understand why ... but didn't it look impressive. They utilised their movement saga ability to activate units about 12 men. They attempted to flank on their left side but underestimated the short time span. 

The Vikings pushed their javelinmen up followed by the Warlord and hirdmen/huscarls. They invested their Saga dice in special moves rather than movement. For the battle their warrior units struggled to play a role. 

Above and below, the Saxons edge to the left to try and turn the Viking flank. If successful, they would catch the warriors of Ubba Ragnarson between hammer and anvil. 

The Vikings pressed down the centre in depth.

Later in the battle, the Viking huscarl unit was ordered forward to slay as many of the Saxon great fyrd as possible. The Vikings were peppered with arrows and their charged were absorbed by the mass of Saxons. Spears everywhere stabbed back at them and shields were interlocked. 

Casualties began to mount as the Viking elite are called upon to charge, and be charged, again and again. Fatigue mounts. 

Ubba, oh Ubba ... why not order forward more of your bondi?

At the final gasp (the Saxons called to end the game in round 4 - giving the Vikings only one more turn to wrestle victory from defeat), Ubba went forward and finished off one unit of great fyrd before being hacked down by the Saxon select fyrd - bondsmen of the mighty Earl Athelwulf. 

When points were tallied, all gained the bonus for being more than L from their table edge and the numbers of Saxon fyrd did indeed count. It was a victory of 21 points to 25 after survival points were tallied. The Saxons had thrown the invader back! 

And the other result ... players loving Saga! As I've painted around 230+ 28mm Dark Age miniatures, it makes me quite happy. I love the period, the literature and the history of the Dark Ages (or more correctly the early medieval period.) We all can't wait for more Saga and I'll be making another two sets of saga dice this weekend to enable me to use the Welsh, different Viking style armies and others. I may even get a box of Irish gripping beast miniatures - or maybe the Atlantic one with all the doggies. 

Let our saga begin!