19th Novemeber - 18th Nov Saga Vs The Wife

Well what a weekend it was, three days (my new standard) and three games! Not bad stats at all. We had a builder out, so we'd spent the day at home and I'd managed to get in a lot of painting and expanded my Across the Dead Earth QRS to include a few more bits to save on rulebook flicking and corrected a couple of errors I'd noticed. But the highlight was The Wife deciding that we'd have another game of Saga after the girls were in bed, this time just a battle between the two of us. We decided we'd play the Sacred Ground scenario which is won by having troops in any of the three terrain features on the table.

At the moment we're still playing with the four point starter boxes, although I have purchased myself another three blisters, one point each of hearthguard, warriors and levies (I wanted a ranged option for my Viking force). The Viking and Anglo-Danish starters are basically the same consisting of a warlord each, two hearthguard options (one Hirdmen and one Berserker choice for the Vikings, two Huscarls for the Anglo-Danish one of which comes armed with the double handed Dane axes) and two warrior options (Bondi for the Vikings and Ceorls for the Anglo-Danish).

We setup the board with the central hill feature and two forest on the sides, one closer to my deployment and one closer to hers. The Wife had won the deployment which gave me the opening turn.



The Viking force surged forwards from the opening part of the battle streaming toward the objectives reaching them on the first turn though it was quite a distance and they arrived accompanied by a few fatigue tokens scattered among them. The Anglo-Danish moved up slower positioning themselves in readiness to drive their foes out of the sacred sites. I had begun to score points from this turn




The Vikings spent the next turn consolidating their positions and readying shield walls. While the Anglo-Danish moved up ready to smash into the Viking lines on the next turn.



The Vikings see their foes coming closer and a unit of Bondi surge forward to hold the forest they're currently occupying driving the Ceorls before back licking their wounds like the curs they are. The Berserkers charge forward into a unit of Huscarls with cry's to Frigg and Ullr (Referring to battle board abilities) but their foes prove to be Hard as Iron and one Huscarl is left standing leaning on his sword breathing heavily as the groans on the dying sound around him. The double handed axe wielding Huscarls head up the hill to pressure the Hirdman holding the top and the Anglo Warlord then rushes over to re-enforce his loan warrior on the flank.

Discipline reasserts it's self in the Viking camp as the warriors once again lock shields and brace for the coming onslaught. The Huscarls stream towards the Hirdman and they ready their shields and raise their voice to Ullr, holding their ground. Two men fall from both camps and the Anglo-Danes withdraw to ready themselves for another charge. The Ceorls seeing the now half strength Hirdman move to flank the hill readying themselves for a charge of their own.

 The Viking Warlord decides that in this case offense is the best defense and cry's for the remaining Hirdmen to charge the Ceorls with him. The hearthguard feel the touch of Frigg upon them but luck runs with the Ceorls and they push back the Warlord and leave both Hirdmen on the ground bleeding their last at the cost of just one of their own. The Warlord decides to quit the hill vowing to keep them from the forests for the day pushing himself to the limit to make the distance.

The next turns sees a lull in both forces movements as they rest and hold their positions daring the other to attack.

All the signs point to Raganarok. The Bondi overjoyed at the prospect of this launch at the Anglo-Danish Warlord with unbridled fury. He manages to pull down three of the warriors before they butcher him before the eyes of his helpless Huscarl. The tattered unit on the other flank draws courage from the proximity of their Warlord and push the Ceorls before them from the forest.

Their is a momentary flicker and the battlefield dims as the shadowy figure of Loki seems to move across the field as it goes so to do the final two Ceorls near the forest seemingly taken by the trickster. The tattered Viking force hold's it ground sensing an end to the days struggle as do the Anglo-Danish on the hill. But the loan Huscarl overcome with grief rushes the warriors to avenge his fallen commander and perhaps manage to drive the filthy Vikings from the forest but they run him through and secure the woods for their leader.

Final Score was 72 point to me and 32 to The Wife. She realizes giving me two turns of uncontested holding of terrain is what cost her the game and is keen to go again when we can fit another one in.