A Saga of SAGA

 A Saga of SAGA

 About two weeks ago, I was able to return to the Hamilton Road Games Group at the Crouch Branch Library in London, ON. My time there was limited to about 4 hours, so Andy and I decided to run a game of SAGA, the "Dark Ages" skirmish game by Studio Tomahawk. It's a fun game with some odd twists based on a special ability "Battle Board" that each faction has. Andy fielded his Normans with some heavy cavalry while I fielded my Irish who barely have armour!

I conceded the game after about 6 turns. I couldn't hold up under the armoured onslaught of the Normans. Even my pack of war-dogs - my favourite unit - wilted under arrow fire and the stomping of spears. (The war-dog unit ignore terrain and fly through rough terrain the would slow other troops down. That's why I love 'em!)

The chieftain and his Fianna (household troops) advance through some woods.

Norman heavy infantry face off against Irish Kern with javelins.
Guess who got the short end of THAT stick?

Norman crossbow-armed infantry vs. Kern with slings.
Crossbows are deadly, but take time to load and have a few other disadvantages.

The pack of war-dogs slide through the woods and try to attack some Norman bowmen.
The battle puppies did not to well.

Kern flanked by Danish-axe-armed Fianna face down Norman infantry
... at least until the Norman knights came forward.

The knights cleared the hill but took some casualties.
Actually a lot of casualties.

I hadn't played SAGA in years and both of us were very rusty. However the game was fun and it fit into the time constraints we had to work under.

Last week, I didn't go because I didn't feel well for a number of reasons. This week, Bear and I hope to shoot it out on the streets of Lerado with some Old West Gunfight rules. We're breaking in the rules and I hope to report on them shortly after.

El Lobo with Ignatius the Iguana

Some Christmas events and gifts

December was a busy month for me. Advent and the Christmas season can be over-whelming in a number of ways. We also had some really cold weather with the associated travel issues. In any event, I survived and here I am, wanting to blog again.

I took some mediocre photos of some of the things I've been painting and I thought I'd share them. (This is the blog equivalent of dumping my virtual trash basket into your living room. Still, you'd do it to me.)

We ran into a company in the UK called Bad Squddo Games, which specializes in "realistic" female miniature figurines, marketed by a number of manufacturers. Chain mail bikinis and skin-tight cat suits are not to be found there. Both my wife, Beth and my daughter, Katie - both gamers - thought some of those would be great. My son, Rob also got some female Vikings, some of whom bear a great resemblance to the female characters in the TV show "Vikings." They're on his painting table now.

First, a gift for my wife, one half of Star Trek: TNG's Duras Sisters, Lursa and B'Etor.

And the other half.

And a body guard with a bat'leth. Much more classic than the disruptors carried by the other figures.

These were fun figures to paint and turned out pretty well. Beth made suggestions
as to the painting schemes. The figures even depicted the famous (or infamous)
"Klingon Kleavage."

Katie's figures were WWII female Soviet snipers. The standing set of snipers was
not completed in time for the photo session. There's a shooter and a spotter in each set,
both in camouflage cape and pilotka forage cap.

The Mosin-Nagant scoped rifle really does look rather nice.
The figures are smaller than male figures but are not overly petite.

I also -selfishly- painted some figures for myself.

One of my Christmas presents was a box of Gripping Beast Plastic Late Roman figures.
I opted to paint them as legionaries, but a white tunic paint job would be right for Auxila.
They are quite nice and glue together very nicely.

The legionary spearman of  Legion palatinae Pannoniciani seniores.
(Pray pardon me if my Latin is off.)

A bucinator of the same unit.

Lastly, a centurio or officer of that legion.
I hope to make a Saga warband  of these because I've heard that rules are coming out for that.

WWII Polish cavalry bugler by Warlord Miniatures.
Their use in the Polish campaign as mounted infantry is a minor fascination for me.

Then some older figures I've gotten around to painting.

A werewolf.
I don't know where I got him, which manufacturer made him, or what I'm going to do with him,
but I've painted him and he looks seriously troubled.

A regiment of the Union Iron Brigade of the West for the ACW.
15mm Old Glory figures.
I haven't decided what unit they are yet. I've got to check what I've already painted.
However, the garage is REALLY cold right now.

The regimental command stand.

Regiment Royal Pologne for my small French SYW contingent.
Essex miniatures obtained at a bring-and-buy...
... where bargains go to die.

Finally, my son, Rob and his dog, Atlas.
They live up in London, but were here for Christmas weekend.
A serious case of "puppy love."

Saturday of Saga and Tanks

There was only a light gathering at the Hamilton Road Games Group this past Saturday. I arrived a little later than usual with a box of books to give away. A friend of mine was cleaning out his library and gave me a few books to share with the gang at the Group.

When I arrived, Andy and Ralph were already playing Saga. Andy's Vikings were facing Ralph's Skraelings. The Skraelings are a late addition to the Saga list of armies and they are quite unique. Based on the First Nations bands the Vikings encountered upon their arrival on the coast of Labrador, the Skraeling army list and battle board are only available on-line and are not included in the commercially marketed supplements to the original game. They have no "elite" level troops and can only realistically have one "peasant" class unit, who are armed with bows. The rest of the warband are "warriors" armed with javelins and very little armour. Both they and the warlord are armoured at a -1 level compared to other factions. From what I've discovered, "Skraeling" was the Norse word for the local natives encountered in Labrador and it means something akin to "screachers." (Photos were taken by the author and by Martin.)

Skraeling bow-armed "scouts" advance across the table.

The Vikings appear to be surrounded.
One of the Skraelings abilities - if the Saga dice cooperate - is the ability to bring reinforcements in made up of figures
who have been killed in the game. The dead still count as dead for points and they aren't zombies; they're simply reinforcements.

Ralph uses a measuring stick to move his warriors forward.
In the previous photo, the multicoloured stick is Andy's measuring stick, converted from a knitting needle.

Ralph tells me his Skraelings are Gripping Beast figures that are no longer available.

Andy contemplates the Skraeling advance. The Vikings were whittled down all through the game.
Sad to say, I can't remember who won.

Meanwhile across the room, Bear and Martin, later joined by Derek, were playing a game simply called "Tanks." Apparently, this game is a 'thing' right now. It appears to be a packaged and laid-out table top game for a very few tanks. I saw that Bear had only one Panther, while Martin had two Shermans. I've not played the game myself, so I can't say much about it.

The M-4 and the Mk. V square off in what seems to be a North African village setting.

Bear moves aggressively.  It appears that even the measuring devices are part of the package.

First blood! Andy asked why you'd put a tank so close to the side of a building anyway.

Ronson... lights first time, every time.

A "ghost tank"? I don't know if the tanks were Martin's although the terrain was.

Two down!

Another view of the carnage.

The Panther seeks other prey... another day.

Ralph and I got to play Saga after we ate lunch. He took my Irish and I got to try out the Skraelings. It made for an interesting game. One thing I forgot to tell you about the Skraelings is this: they get to use their opponent's battle board. They can block certain abilities on the board and can mimic others. This makes them tough to play, but quite effective.

The Irish hearthguard and warriors advance.

To their right, kern and more hearthguard.

I deliberately made my units smaller than normal to cover more distance.
Beyond the trees, the Irish hound warrior band can be seen. They charged and fell back. They're tough to play at times.
I use them to "jackel" enemy bands since they can move like mounted troops and ignore most terrain.

We advanced toward each other, although I kept my scouts in the woods to fire their bows from cover.
That's my measuring stick. Very conventional/

Irish warriors advance on my Skraeling warriors.

We're up close and about to come to blows. The Danish axe is a nasty weapon, doing extra damage, but reducing the user's armour by 1.

The Irish warlord and his Fianna (hearthguard) face the Skraeling warchief.
The little shield indicates a "fatigue" on the unit. Fatigues show how fresh or motivated your unit is.

I like this figure of Ralph's so much, I took a portrait of it.

Since neither warlord was killed (the victory condition required in the scenario called "Kill the Warlord"), Ralph and I totaled up points to determine the winner. I won by one point!

And here is Martin's YouTube video of the unusual occasion!

Some "work in progress"

For some unknown reason, I've been getting a good bit of time to paint lately. I wish I knew how this is, because then I could do it again!

I've been doing some "contract" work for Bear and I've been enjoying it. (photos by my phone-camera at my painting table. Not the best studio, but it'll do.)

From the Bolt Action line from Warlord, late WWII SS troops.
Some are in the tunic, some in the late war field blouse (waist length), while a few are
covered by the Zeltbahn shelter half/poncho. I used the late war SS "spring" camo pattern.

This rifleman is in the camouflaged tunic and helmet cover.

An example of the Zeltbahn. Notice the lack of gaiters and the rolled socks.
That's a nice touch.

Field grey field blouse and Panzerfaust.
Another nice touch are the rolled-up sleeves.

One of my favouites - Zeltbahn and captured PPSh Soviet SMG.

For some reason, Warlord loves the soft officer's cap for their sprues. I'm not a fan, but these aren't my figs!

the ubiquitous and necessary MG-34.
I dipped this fellow in the basing sand a little too early.

Also for Bear, Perry Afrika Korps.
Slightly smaller than the Warlord figs, but they look good.
Helmets, field caps, and both long and short boots are in evidence.

A little closer and in better focus.
I used three or four different light tan colours to get different shades of khaki uniforms
with a brown ink wash to pick out the folds and corners.

I also finished a Sci-fi figure my daughter had begun a long time ago for use in out Traveller games. She could be carrying a large sci-fi gun or a wrench worthy of the Titanic's engine room, so I used both. (Reaper Miniatures)

I like Reaper's figures - well-detailed, lots of whimsy.
Katie did the face and hair.

Also for my daughter, some Reaper "Mouselings." These are anthropomorphic mice in various human costume. I have a "Thanksgiving" set, but this pack was for magic and Japan.

Merlin Mouse? Hairy Potter? 

A Samurai-mouse in his robes. He is carrying two swords... as he should.

I've been slowing assisting my wife in her Welsh army SAGA project. She likes slingers and these fill the bill nicely.

I have to get out all of my "drab" colours for this medieval project. The figs are nicely detailed and fun to paint.
Again I use a brown ink wash to pick out details.

And...

For the family's on-going Steampunk projects, this officer came straight from the Northwest Frontier.
Another study in khaki.

I've done a few other things - for my 15mm Napoleonics and SYW projects, my son's Imagi-nations army, and some clean-up things on the painting table. (I tend to be easily distracted in my painting.) I hope to show some of those off soon.