Lead Legionaries: 'Tale of Challenges' first of Saga games for Yule Event

The climax of our Tale of Challenges: Moorish mounted hearthguards charge the Rus Shield Maidens

The gamers of Saga Ohio decided to host a virtual event and invited players across the world to take part in it. On the first day of the event, Andy S was gaming with his roommates on east side of town, while on the north side of Columbus, Jenny and I sat down after dinner to a game. The idea was for people to play Saga with someone in their "bubble" -- those that they have regular contact with. With most gaming areas in stores closed due to COVID, this would hopefully be a way for people to get in one or more games of Saga. The event was named Yule Saga Game Day Celebration (in honor of the Norse winter solstice festival), and would run from Saturday, Dec. 19 though Sunday, Dec. 27. So, feel free to join in - no matter where you are in the world! If you're not on the Saga Ohio group on Facebook, click here to join so you can post your photos and battle report on the event.

Jenny's photos came out much better - here is her shot of my left wing of spearmen and cavalry

Jenny has been steadily trying out the various Norse options in the Age of Vikings. She had yet to play Pagan Rus, so she decided to try that warband out. I handed her the Book of Battles and let her thumb through it to pick one out. We ended up deciding upon A Tale of Challenges. In this scenario, each player alternates choosing from a list challenges in the book. They must choose a minimum of two up to a maximum of four. I chose First Blood, since with my Moors I should be able to strike quickly and at a distance. It is one of the lower point challenges of the dozen listed, awarding your three points if you succeed or penalizing you three if you fail. Jenny responded with "We shall leave only widows," a very difficult one that awards six points in success or penalizes the player six points if failure. To succeed, Jenny would have to ensure none of my units were at six figures or higher by game's end. I responded with another one I felt would be easy for my Moors to accomplish, "I will sack your home." To do this, I would need to have three units of at least 4 figures within Medium of her board edge at the end of the game. I misread this during the game as ONE unit of at least four figures. So, I ended up failing on this one due to not reading it closely enough!

My warlord Majik ibn Battuta al-Waqaa directs the larger right wing of his army forward

Jenny responded with her second and final challenge, Invincibility. With this challenge (6 points success, 3 points failure), she choose a turn from Turn 3 on in which she must lose no figures. It says the player selects when to announce she is attempting it, which we interpreted as meaning she could actually chose NOT to invoke it. That ended up being the case because she never felt confident enough that she wouldn't lose a figure for a turn during the game. We ruled she didn't lose the 3 points because she never invoked the challenge. Perhaps we were wrong? My final challenge was "I will be your armor," in which I vow to my army that I will lose no more than 1 unit this game.

The deployment of the Moorish and Pagan Rus armies

The deployment is fairly standard, and I placed a large gentle hill on the right flank. She responded with a marsh in the center of my deployment area. I countered with one on the right side of her deployment area. Two more woods followed, with me shoving one near her baseline and her countering with one in the center of the board. I ended up deploying one foot warrior unit on either side of the marsh, with the levy bow as close to the center woods as I could get them. A 6-man mounted hearthguard unit backed up each warrior unit, while my warlord, Majik ibn Battuta al-Waqaa began the game with the right hand side of the army. Jenny deployed her levy javelinmen and mercenary shield maidens in the center, backed up by her Rus warlord. On her right was her foot warriors, while on her left -- opposite the gentle hill (where she expected my cavalry to go) were two fierce, 6-man foot hearthguard units.

The Pagan Rus levy were the victims of 'First Blood' - dealt by the Moorish cavalry's javelins

I opened the game sending my cavalry on the left galloping forward to toss javelins at her levy. We scored two hits, fulfilling the First Blood challenge on the first turn. I then pulled them back with Perseverance to where they started next to the foot warriors. Others nudged forward as best they could with Maneuvers. Jenny countered by sending the levy towards the cover of the woods and bringing up the foot warriors opposite my left up in support. The shield maidens also began redeploying towards the left where she felt she needed more strength. Wary of the reach of my mounted hearthguard, her own two foot hearthguard units edged forward only slightly. They would spend the early part of the game watching, and later Jenny admitted she was too cautious with them (as they represented half of her army points).

A 'Blizzard' meant to protect the levy from the horsemen, did little to deter my Moorish spearmen

She was bold in using the harassment the Pagan Rus battleboard can throw at an enemy. She regularly used Long Winter to prevent shooting or charges at more than a Medium. Every turn except the sixth she played Frozen Wind to hit 2-3 of my units with fatigue. And she had Biting Cold (which freezes a unit in its tracks after it performs a movement, shooting, or melee activation). This had a big deterrent effect, preventing me from duplicating my first turn tactic of riding forward, tossing javelins, then falling back. She also played Blizzard on the levy, which creates an area of uneven terrain a Very Short distance all around them. She did this to protect them from a charge by my cavalry. However, my foot warriors were within a double move, so I sent them forward to drive off her javelinmen. They did so, reducing them to five figures, while losing only two.

Stung by the charge of my spear, Jenny sent in her Shield Maidens to drive off my warriors

This established my left as the bloody ground where we would do most of the fighting. Jenny responded by sending double moving her Shield Maidens forward. They cut down three of my spearmen, who recoiled back towards our lines. They killed two of the maidens, though, and left them exposed with two fatigue at the start of my turn. As Jenny was holding onto a Biting Cold activation, I knew I would have to charge into melee -- shooting wasn't an option. If I moved up to shoot, she would freeze me after the movement activation and before the shooting. So, I launched them forward with Torrent of Iron. I used the first part of the activation to clear off the two fatigues they had and the second part to charge into the Shield Maidens (which inflicts a fatigue, leaving her exhausted). She closed ranks, knowing I was going to use her fatigue to raise my armor to 6 meaning she wouldn't be able to hit. With Wholehearted (which gives me two attack and two defense for each of her fatigues), I was rolling 18 dice. I also played Inspiration with a rare die, which meant I could reroll any 1s, 2s, or 3s in melee. All 18 were hits, not surprisingly. What was a surprise was that she saved 15 of those 18!

Moorish spearmen recoil from the fierce onslaught of the Rus Shield Maidens

The Valkyrie was the lone figure that remained, and she staggered back wounded towards her own lines. The early successes had been mine, but now it was time for the Pagan Rus to go on the counterattack. Her foot warriors bravely charged into my victorious cavalry. Shockingly, they killed three of the horsemen, driving my unit back. That hurt, because it dropped them below the threshold of four figures to accomplish the "I will sack your home" challenge. Things were only going to get worse, though. On my right, one of her 6-man foot hearthguard were barely within range of my mounted hearthguard unit. She double moved them into combat. With the fatigue accumulated in the second move, it meant we would be dead even -- 12 attack dice hitting on 5's (I used her fatigue to raise my armor). The die rolls were anything but even. My cavalry ended up losing four figures while she lost only one.

The 'tit-for-tat' war continues as my cavalry gallop into the Shield Maidens, seeking vengeance

At this point, I knew she was probably ahead on massacre points. My goal had to be to prevent her from dropping my remaining two units of 6+ figures (levy bowmen and foot warriors on the right) below the number she needed to fulfill her "We shall leave only widows" challenge. I was comfortably ahead of on challenges, so should win barring further disasters like this past turn. Majik stroked his beard, sensing victory could be won by withdrawing. I began to pull my army back towards my rear and left. My archers finally got in some shots, whittling her victorious foot warrior unit down.

The sole Rus survivor of the climactic charge was the Valkyrie - Jenny saved 15 out of 18 times!

Her foot hearthguard unit tried to do its part, charging my fresh foot warrior unit. We closed ranks, and used their fatigue and all of our defensive abilities to minimize the damage they inflicted. We survived, and continued to withdraw. On turn 6 (you roll to see if you will play a sixth turn or if it ends on turn five), I dashed my warlord across the field towards her baseline. I thought this fulfilled the challenge, but reread it the next day to see that Majik's ride into the enemy camp had accomplished little except liberating some fine beverages that the Pagan Rus were too uncivilized to enjoy!

As the Valkyrie staggers back to her lines, the Rus hearthguard in the distance move forward

As it was, the Moors won comfortably on the strength of two successful challenges. Neither of Jenny's two challenges were successful. However, to prove to Jenny how well she had actually done, I counted up the massacre points. We tied on them at 11 to 11. Adding in First Blood (+3), I Will Be Your Armor (+6), and I Will Sack Your Home (-5), that gave me +4 more points. Jenny lost -6 on We Shall Leave Only Widows, and possibly (-3) more if you deduct Invincibility if never invoked. I would be curious to hear from those who know how that should be ruled. Can you choose Invincibility and then never invoke it? Or do you have to do so on turn 3, 4, or 5?

The Rus warriors surprisingly drove off the victorious Moorish cavalry with a charge

Either way, we had a blast celebrating Norse Yule with a closely-fought game of Saga. It was so much fun, Jenny wanted to play another game in a rematch. But that tale is for another day...! I hope to read other player's battle reports that are also participating in our online event!