SAGA - A win for the Normans

First proper miniature game of the year held on Thursday last week. Its still too cold in the shed at the moment so we had to camp out on the smaller board I can use in the kitchen.

A fairly plain board set up - a few buildings, some woods, rocks and fences. Quite like the birds eye photo perspective and I think I'll add these for future aars...

The view from the side...

We were going to give a Robin Hood version of SAGA a go using the battleboards produced on the Studio Tomahawk forum but because I couldn't get the printer to work we had to shelve the plan so we switched to Normans versus Anglo Danes.

Up til now I had always played the Danes and apart from one victory they had always lost. Mark, my regular gaming buddy decided he would play the Danes for a change rather than his violent Vikings.

I used my Fireforge Crusaders for the Normans.

We both selected six point forces with standard leaders.

Normans

Warlord
2 units of Levy - each 12 men
1 unit of crossbow armed warriors
2 units of mounted warriors (each eight men)
1 unit of mounted hearthguard (4 men)

Anglo Danes

Warlord
2 units of Hearthguard in an 8 man unit)
3 units of warriors in 6,8 and 10 men units
1 unit of levy

We diced for starting edges and the Danes kicked off deployment.

Mark chose to mass his troops in the village with one unit of warriors covering his flank.

I marched my Normans forward so they were just inside 24 inches and outside of his levies range.

The next turn Mark continued to maneuver his troops to take advantage of the wattle fence cover.

The Normans advance - levy in front screening the cavalry

The Norman battle line starts to edge forward.

The Danes advance into the Village

Norman Knights

The next turn the Saga dice were kind to me and I got the storm of arrows and the ability that  doubles range of missile fire. All my missile troops fired.  A volley of arrows tore into the Danish levy dropping three men. The Danish warriors also suffered next round.

Missile duel

Mark had no choice he could either stand and take the arrows or come out to get me. As a newbie player to the Norman force the missile fire is deadly.

A unit of Danish warriors charged the Norman Crossbows - five of these were lost in the ensuing melee at a loss of two Danes. I counter charged with a unit of mounted warriors and inflicted a further 4 hits on the Danes for a loss of three of my own.

The following turn I achieved another Storm of Arrows and more Danes fell to the arrows of the invaders.

Mark bravely charged his house carls into my levy on the right flank - decimating the units bar two men but left him self open to a counter charge by the Norman Knights.

With his forces succumbing to massed missile fire and units steadily being wiped out there was little he could do. He capitulated - I'd won another game of Saga !

My units are quite shiny in these pictures - probably need to dull them down with a matt varnish

We then set up a simple 4 point game between Vikings and Normans - The Vikings charged and got shot down by a hail of arrows.

Mark is going to have to find a way of counter acting my new favourite Saga force.

Two games played - two games won - an auspicious start to my gaming in 2014