Following on from last week’s remembrance blog I thought it would be good to reminisce on what else happened on this day:

• 1863   Longstreet defeats the dastardly Union at Bean’s Station – “yah”;
• 1941   German Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel orders the construction of the Atlantic Wall – “boo”;
• 1799   George Washington dies on his Mount Vernon estate – ”keh?”.

I also visited Berwick Wargames Association on Saturday for a Dark Age skirmish game but ended up playing a 7 Years War game using Black Powder. Now those of you who know me will be aware that other than for the French Indian Wars the 7 Years War is my least favourite period of history. I just do not like the linear tactics involved. I am also not a fan of the Black Powder suite of rules. Despite this I had a great time (copious quantities of red fluid helped to deaden the pain), as the Prussians whooped the Austrians.

My boys from Nancy with pink flags and uniforms would not have looked out of place at any Sydney Mardi Gras, however with expert leadership, they charged and defeated a cavalry unit and smashed two units in the flank to almost win the game single handed. The most pleasing part of the day was to beat Wal’s cavalry with a unit of skirmisher who were charged, held, and with the hand of the Nancy boys routed the cavalry. All in all any time you beat Wal, especially with skirmishers, it has to be a great day.

Enough of that, now for this week’s game.

Saga Game 14 December 2016

Well for the third week in a row we had all three of the little pigs in attendance, this time for a Saga game playing the Wooden Oaths scenario. For those of you not familiar with the scenario that is found in the Northern Fury supplement it is a game for four players (for us three players and a dummy hmmmm??), in two sides. Allegiances can change at the end of each of the first four turns. This allows for a fun game where you have to watch your back at every turn – well it is Saga isn’t it?

The three player armies were the same as for the 2 December blog so I will not detail them again here. The fourth “dummy player” was a Breton army consisting of four mounted hearth guard units and a mounted warlord. The “dummy player” would be controlled by the player who does not have an ally. In the first four turns all three players cannot be on the same side. Should this occur all players are fighting separately, with the “dummy player continuing allegiance with the last player that controlled them.

The initial set-up had the Anglo Danes and the Vikings deployed conservatively and the Bretons and Irish deployed to launch an attack on each other.

 

 

The Vikings and the Bretons were allied for the first turn and the Anglo Danes and the Irish were lined up against them. The Anglo Danes and the Vikings moved as conservatively as they had deployed and cautiously advanced. The Vikings in particular had witnessed the “Sons of Dana” cause chaos in previous battles and used their micrometer and slide rule to ensure their troops could not be attacked by the faeries (Vikings used these didn’t they?).

 

Fortunately for the Irish of Rudraige mac Dela they moved before the Bretons and unleashed a ferocious attack before the Bretons could obtain some Saga dice. The warriors moved, unleashed javelins against the Breton Hearthguard, and then moved again to charge the remainder. When the dust settled one warrior had died but no Bretons were left standing.

 

A Curaidh did likewise. He moved, unleashed javelins against the Breton Hearthguard taking one out, and then moved again to charge the remainder.  Demonstrating that he was a true “Seed of Ireland”, as he drew his last breath he hit all three who promply failed their armour saves. The Breton warlord had now witnessed two Hearthguard units destroyed in front of him.  Taking advantage of the fatigue this created Rudraige mac Dela charged the Breton in mortal combat. With the “Blood of the Kings” running in his veins Rudraige ignored three of the four hits against him, with the fourth being “saved” by a loyal warrior who took one for the team. Fighting alone and with reduced armour the Breton warlord fell, becoming the third head of an enemy warlord to decorate the halls of Rudraige mac Dela.

 

 

A second Curaidh charged down from his hilltop advantage into the flank of a third Breton Hearthguard unit and died gloriously for the loss of one Hearthguard.

The Breton response was quick, but with only 2 Saga dice remaining, was not very effective.

With such a ferocious first turn the red team had a huge advantage.

 

The second turn commenced with a truce between the Anglo Danes and the Vikings and the subjugation of the Bretons by the Irish. Other than an attack from the “Sons of Dana” most of the turn passed uneventful. The leaderless Breton Hearthguard moved last, and following their Irish overlords charged.  The Anglo Danes stood to take the charge wiping one unit out on contact. A second charge destroyed them but only two Breton knights remained on the field. Although the Anglo Danes gained some points for the black team the reds were still well in front.

 

Turn three began with the Anglo-Viking alliance breaking down. A charge by the Danish Hearthguard saw a Viking warrior unit extremely prepared with Saga defence dice quickly destroy them. The Vikings, still in the grips of “Sons of Dana” paranoia, were advancing very slowly and the Irish had finally recovered all of their fatigue from the first turn.

 

The final two turns saw the Anglo Danish and Viking alliance re-instated as the red team and the Irish as the black. For two turns the Vikings retreated content with their victory points already built up for the reds (virtually all by their Irish opponent) and the Irish trying to make up the difference for the black.

 

The pawn in all of this was the Anglo Dane Eadric Wulfssige, for it was his losses that would determine victory.

 

The remaining two Bretons were charged by the irish and wiped out.

 

A ferocious Irish attack over the last two turns on the Anglo Danes saw their Warlord Eadric Wulfssige (a fourth warlord head) and two Hearthguard units fall before the might of Rudraige mac Dela.

 

Despite the mighty effort of Rudraige to bridge the gap that he had created between the red and the black teams, there just were not enough Danish “kills” left on the table to do so.

 

Of the 53 kill points achieved most were by the Irish, but it was the cunning of Viking David K. that tasted victory 27 to 19 (David S.) to 7 (Andrew).

 

The efforts of David K will be sung long and loud in the Viking Saga of Infamy as the only Viking player not to have initiated at least one attack for the entire duration of a Saga game.