16th November - Family Saga Game

Viking & Norse Gael View

Anglo-Danish & Irish View

Decided to get a game of Saga with the whole family. The Eldest and The Wife had yet to have a game, so to even things up a bit we decided to put myself and The Youngest on opposite sides. The Eldest and The Wife decided to head out and do the shopping and they'd leave us to carry everything downstairs and set up (It hit about 45 Celsius today so outside in the covered area with a couple of fans running was a necessity). The forces were a coalition of Anglo-Danish (The Wife) and Irish (The Youngest) vs the combined might of some Norse Gael (The Eldest) and Vikings (Myself).

Viking Ford

We decided to play the battle at the fords scenario with the turn sequence suggested in the multiple player scenario (one combined orders phase and rolling off each turn for first active round with play going clockwise after that). The Wife and The Youngest won the roll off for deployment and I'll admit I was worried once they'd finished (they got to deploy half of their troops before us then the remaining in response to our full setup). The Eldest and myself held one ford each where our opponents blended their forces. My ford seemed to have some pretty heavy opposition at the beginning.

Norse Gael Flank

The game went the full seven turns and we ended with a win to the Viking & Norse Gael with nine points to none. The Youngest went for a last minute point grab but unfortunately for her The Eldest had the last turn and killed her last wolfhound and handler.

 The Anglo-Danish hearthguard push the ford to some Norse Gaelic resistance but the hearty warriors with their Dane axes are decimated and thrown back.

The Vikings push over the river with a unit of warriors, they fell two hearthguard but are pushed back by the Irish Curadhs (Champions) in a rather tattered state. Unfortunately they leave an opening behind them for the second warrior unit to push up through.

 This unit smashed through with devastating effect all but destroying a Anglo-Danish hearthguard thanks to one of the men hearing Valhalla calling (Viking ability sacrificing up to three models for extra combat dice) and leaving an Irish Curadh dead before the last standing man holds himself upright on the rivers edge daring the remaining two Irish hearthguard to come in and finish the job. Final tally seven dead Viking warriors in exchange for three Anglo-Danes Hearthguard, one Irish Curadh and two Irish Hearthguard.

 The other ford had bogged down massively with neither side gaining any ground by pushing the ford so they had lined up on either bank and proceeded to weaken each other with their javelins.





Meanwhile the Viking hearthguard rushed through the gap created by their fierce brethren taking down the remaining Irish Curadh.

On the other side the pelt clad beserkers streamed across the ford tearing down the last of the Irish in front of them in an attempt to reinforce their solitary brother upon the bank.

Moments later the Anglo-Danish chief managed to pull down the lone almost super human warrior (he almost survived four hits missing just one save). The beserkers quickly avenged their fallen comrade, with the Viking warlord and hearthguard killing off the Anglo-danish warriors on the other side.

The Youngest made one more attempt to gain a few points for their total.....

But The Eldest didn't like that idea finishing them off and moving across the river for another few points for us

The final view of the Norse Gael flank, four points over the river (warlord and two warriors)

The Eldest and I took the day nine points to none, though there were several times were the game could have gone either way. Tactically the girls are both really improving. The main game changing moments came down to the battle board rolls in the orders phase and the luck of the dice during combat in most instances.

Viking flank, five points for us (Warlord, one beserker, one hearthguard)