Day Trip to Dayton & the Dragons Guildhall for Saga

Pictish mounted hearthguard sit in reserve, ready for their moment to charge forward and seal victory for their lord

Two of our regular attendees to our Saga Game Days have been trying to get a once-a-month meeting started up in Dayton, too. Adrian and have set their monthly game day on the third Sunday of the month at a store in Beavercreek called the Dragons Guildhall. Since our "next generation" -- my friend Mike's son Jason and his cousins Daniel and Thomas -- actually live in Dayton, it sounds like this group should grow rapidly, too. Upon hearing Mike was going to go to Dayton this Sunday, as well, we decided to make the hour and a half drive over.

The Picts, at bottom, deployed levy archers in the right-hand woods, with warrior spear in the center and left. Across from them, the Jomsvikings deploy with warriors in the front line and hearthguard and warlord in the rear

There were two new players who showed up, Keith and Sally, and were interested in trying out the game. Adrian and Jim took them under their wing and ran a Viking vs. Viking game for them, coaching them through the rules. That left the other six of us to pair off and get in a game, as well. Since I hadn't played Mike in forever, we decided to match up in a Clash of the Warlords game. I had brought my Picts (Scots in the Age of Vikings battle board), and Mike was playing Jomsviking. Daniel wanted a rematch with his Norse Gaels against Jason's Last Romans, which left Thomas and Jenny to do another game of Crusaders vs. Jomsvikings, respectively.

On the left, two Pictish spear blocks confidently await the advance of the Jomsviking warriors

I set up a woods on either flank, while Mike place a hill off to the left side of the table. We rolled up deployment method "B", which means none of our units can be within a Medium distance of another friendly unit when set up. I placed my Levy bow in the right hand woods, flanked by my largest unit of long spearmen warriors. Behind them, was Nechtan Mac Fergus, my warlord. In response, Mike deployed his entire army. His four units of warriors were spaced across the front of this battlelines, while the two hearthguard and warlord were behind in reserve. I deployed one of my other warrior long spearmen units in the left flank woods, another one in center reserve on the baseline, and on the far left reserve, my small unit of four mounted hearthguard.

Jomsvikings prepare to open the battle with charges, unaware most attacks will be hurled back by the Pict spearmen

We took our first turn to begin consolidating, using the "Maneuver" to bring the reserve units up towards the front. I began pushing forward on both the left and right with my spearmen, as well. Mike advanced all across his front except for the unit of shield maiden warriors opposite my Levy, who lurked out of range. On my next turn, I advanced my bowmen to the edge of the woods, but did not shoot them, figuring I could wait till next turn. The large spear unit on the right edge closer to the bowmen to protect them.

Nechtan Mac Fergus orders a spear block forward to protect his levy in the woods

Mike immediately proved his Jomsvikings were going to be aggressive. He not only charged with a warrior unit in the center, he also advanced twice to charge his shield maidens against my levy. Not only was this my first time playing against a Jomsviking warband, it was his first game against the Scots. He'd heard about our great defensive abilities, but had not experienced them, yet. In the warrior on warrior matchup, my spearmen lost only one man but devastated his unit, killing six of the eight figures. Mike had poor luck in the woods, too, as he killed only four bowmen at the cost of three warriors, though. First blood definitely went to the Picts, as the combination of the "Long Spears" and "Counter-Attack" abilities on our battleboard meant we took few hits while inflicting grievous losses on the Jomsvikings.

Hulking huscarles hurl themselves on the center spear block, who will lose half its number and be driven backwards

I followed up, edging my spear closer to his shield maidens, but declining to do a second move because of the fatigue it would take. Mike took advantage of that to ignore the larger spear unit and chase down the levy for another attack. He scored enough hits to reduce it to five figures (no longer generating a Saga die), but suffered more losses leaving the maidens vulnerable to my much larger warrior unit. On the far left, Mike brought another warrior unit within spitting distance of my warrior unit in the woods on the left. I took the bait on my next turn and charged them, killing five of eight, while losing only one figure. In the other woods, the spearmen charged in and killed the last of the shield maidens.

Hoofbeats herald the arrival of the Pictish riders who will trample the huscarles who threatened to break the center

At this stage, Mike's four units of warriors had been devastated. One was completely destroyed, while the other three were down to three or fewer figures. He brought up his second line of two hearthguard, however my spear units were still near full strength. We used "Reach" in an attempt to soften them up, destroying the remainder of one warrior unit and causing only a single casualty on one of the hearthguard.

The vicious bloodbath on the other battlefield between Jenny's Jomsvikings and Thomas' Crusaders

All along, I had been declining to give him the "Wrath" tokens that Jomsvikings can get when a player decides to cancel the Saga abilities he is attempting to play. I simply let him play what he wanted, preferring the danger of the his chosen action over the unknown danger of what he'd do with the Wrath tokens later! On my end, I often sacrifice dice to move my own units to make sure that I have the appropriate defensive/offensive abilities on my board ready to be used. In fact, I try to limit the engagement tactically to no more than two melees per turn. One of those will normally use the Long Spears and Counter-Attack combination, while the other will be mostly defensive with "Hold at Bay" and closing ranks when charged.

Although they did not secure outright victory, Jenny's Jomsvikings fared better today than Mike's

Like a good Viking, Mike was undeterred and hurled on of his hearthguard units at my center long spear unit, whittling it down to four figures and shoving it backwards. Now was the time for the warriors to get some assistance. Once again, I used Reach to soften up the enemy and then charged my small unit of mounted hearthguard into the depleted enemy hearthguard. They were destroyed at the cost of one of my mounted troopers. Mike was quickly running out of offensive units. When his next hearthguard unit was beaten, he had little left except for his warlord. After one of my warrior units destroyed one of his remnant units (you receive bonus victory points for completely destroying enemy units), he conceded the game. We counted up the points, and Nechtan Mac Fergus' Picts had triumphed over the Jomsviking invaders 26-10.

My Pictish warriors have won the day with their doughty melee abilities -- they look good and fight well in Saga!

In the other three games, Jason's Last Romans had pin-cushioned the Norse-Gaels to death with their missile fire. Daniel had suffered a similar fate earlier that week when the two had played a game. The rematch went no better for him, and the Last Romans triumphed 22-5. On the other battlefield, Thomas and Jenny were having another knock-down, drag-them-out fight between Crusaders and Jomsvikings. Two weeks earlier, they had fought to a bloody draw. History repeated itself, and this match ended in a draw, as well, with Thomas scoring 23 points and Jenny 21.

Pictish noble troopers ride in to save the day with a devastating charge

The new players had a blast, they said, and really enjoyed Saga. Sally had defeated her significant other, Keith, earning bragging rights in the household. Once again, Adrian and Jim proved they were the most generous hosts ever, buying five $20 gift cards for the players. I snagged one of them for beating Mike, while Jason, Keith, Sally, and Jenny won the others. I immediately used it to purchase more Pegasus hobbies terrain -- this time a modern bridge for my 28mm urban city.

What I bought with my gift certificate (courtesy of the immense generosity of Adrian and Jim!)

As the six of us retired to Cassano's for celebratory pizza, Adrian and Jim were setting up a game for themselves. Adrian's Saracens would face Jim's Eastern Princes, though we left before the battle got underway. So, with 10 players in attendance, the second Dragon Guildhall Saga Game Day was a success! If you're interested in attending, mark the third Sunday down in your calendar and join Adrian and Jim and the rest of the crew at noon. It was a fun day, and I'm glad Jenny and I decided to drive over for it. Thanks to all the players, and especially Adrian and Jim for their generosity!

St. Jennifers - a Catholic Church for my City

St. Jennifers Church, along with its garden, being staked out by the Hilltop Highlanders -- one of my 28mm gangs

Last month, I attended the Dragon Guildhall's Saga Game Day in Beavercreek, Ohio (Dayton area). The hosts (thanks, Adrian and Jim!) were very generous and gave Jenny and I each a store gift card for making the trip. I decided to buy a Pegasus Hobbies building kit (Gothic City Building Small Set 2) for a church for my 28mm city I'm building. I'm really happy with how it turned out, though I did modify it a bit from "out of the box."

The Pegasus Hobbies boxed set that I constructed St. Jennifers from

The first thing I noticed is that there were few to no instructions on how to put it together. When I opened up the box, there were a bewildering array of hard, gray plastic pieces. Just looking at did not tell me how to construct it. There was one small sheet with three diagrams for specific portions, but no general, overall directions. So, I did what every 21st century gamer does when confronted by something they don't know how to do -- I Googled it! I found a couple videos on YouTube which were useful. One thing I would not have figured out how to do without the videos was to attach the doors to the entrances. Once attached, it is VERY cool how they built it so you can swing them open and closed even after painted.

This is a TALL building, as you can see from the 28mm figures, but detaches in an upper and lower section

The video was fairly thorough, though when it said there are plenty of extra pieces it was dead wrong. You are given j-u-s-t enough pieces for all the various details, like gargoyles and such. One decision I made was to NOT use the flying buttresses. Those are simply too medieval for a 20th century building in downtown America. There are plenty of old, Gothic, neo-Gothic, Romanesque -- whatever -- church is the U.S., but I've yet to see one that has flying buttresses (a term which makes my 7th graders giggle every year when I teach them about Gothic cathedrals!).

My scratch-built roof with its lovely shade of tiles -- the Pegasus kit does NOT come with a roof

Another thing I discovered that the Pegasus set doesn't have is a roof. Really. It is open to the sky. Yes, you can configure it in different ways, so that you could argue that you'd have to include multiple roofs, but that reason falls short a bit for me. I would say that, besides no instructions, that was the biggest shortcoming of the set. Luckily, I am fairly adept at scratch-building. So, using textured styrene, bass wood, and craft sticks, I was able to make a fairly nice looking roof for St. Jennifers -- as I decided to call the church. I have been naming my city buildings lately in honor of my gaming friends, so the church was obviously named after Jenny.

I really like the color and the details on this building -- and apparently, so do the Hilltop Highlanders!

The first step was putting it all together. It snaps together fairly well, but some joins aren't as good as the others. So, I decided to epoxy all the pieces in place permanently. The video suggested disassembling it and reassembling it every time, which was clearly an indication that the video blogger has succumbed to madness. I assemble each of the two levels, and immediately noticed the top story does NOT "easily snap" onto the bottom, as claimed. So, what to do? I decided to saw off the square "tongues" of the tongue and notch construction. Instead, I would put rare earth magnets on the top of each pillar of the bottom level. Where the top level would rest on the pillars, I cut flexible steel bases I'd ordered by mistake from Litko (thinking I was ordering magnetic bottoms for my figure bases). These were glued to the bottom of the pillars on the second level and the magnet and steel join is strong enough that the top level won't slide or move if bumped, but not so strong that you have to pry them apart.

A side view showing all the cool gargoyles and eagles that you can attach onto slots in the pillars

Next, I attached all the trim, which included gargolyes, eagles, knights, and flat blank pieces. There are numerous rectangular holes or slots on the exterior of each pillar. Since I wasn't using the flying buttresses (they also attach to the slots), it meant I actually didn't have enough trim pieces to cover all the holes. I improvised and used some tiny crosses that I'd bought at craft stores to cover the holes on the front and back. My first thought was to put the flat pieces on the bottom level and the gargoyles on the upper level. However, each level looks very much alike and I lost track of what I was doing. So, their are gargoyles and eagles on both the upper and lower levels. I really like the way Pegasus designed this aspect of the model. I just wished they'd given extras of each type, so you could go with all gargoyles, or all eagles, or all flat pieces, etc.

A gang member going in for confession? The doors are richly decorated and swing open and closed after painting

For the church's color, I decided not to go with a gray stone look like the box shows. There is an old church in downtown Columbus (Trinity Epsicopal, I believe) which is done in a beautiful tan-colored stone. I wanted that look for my church, so I knew I would have to paint the interior and walls -- I couldn't use the gray color the plastic was cast in as a base coat. I began by spray painting the interior and exterior of the walls with a medium brown acrylic spray paint I had. Once dry, I brushed on medium brown craft paint that I use for most of my bases. Next, I dry brushed it with a "Fawn" craft paint color. I am actually out of my Howard Hues Khaki that I normally use, and probably won't get a restock till next month.

The stained glass rose windows are simply Google Images printed in color at the local print shop & trimmed to size

But what to use as a wash? I think that a wash over dry brushing softens the look, and kind of "blends" it. I haven't had the best luck simply mixing paint up and watering it down. Normally, I premix Vallejo matte clear with some brown (or black) for a final wash of my figures. It would take ll of my pre-mixed bottle and more if I chose that method, though. So, I decided to purchase and try one of Vallejo's pre-mixed washes, choosing a Dark Brown one. It worked great, I thought. It softens the hard brush strokes of dry brushing, and seeps into the crevices and low spots nicely. Good find! I'm glad I decided to take the plunge and try out their premixed washes, finally!

A look at the magnets I placed on the pillars of the lower level

Next, I built the roof. For the base of the roof I cut two pieces of bass wood to be the main sloping roof sections. However, due to the way the upper level is constructed, simply running them along the triangular eaves and resting them on the stone didn't work -- the angle was slightly off. I had to cut and attach another piece of bass wood to the bottom so it reached the roof and rested on it. Kind of two-tiered roof. To make sure my triangular angle matched the model exactly I attached the two pieces together with duct tape "hinge." That way, they simply fit onto the stone slope perfectly. I set this on the roof, and then cut two pieces of textured styrene for the actual roof surface, epoxying them to the upper sections of the bass wood roof. There was about an 1/8th inch gap between the styrene and lower tier of the roof, which I filled with craft sticks or other pieces of bass wood. I capped it off, literally, with a triangular piece of styrene from the local model train shop. An unexpected bonus was it fit onto the upper story so tightly I would not even need to glue it. I pulled it off again, and spray painted the upper section black. The roof tiles were dry brushed dark red, then Howard Hues Middle East flesh. I loved the color of the roof and am very happy with not only how it looks, but I especially like how well I was able to make it fit!

A look at the interior and textured styrene floor -- note the lamp you can glue onto slots in the interior

Next, I used another piece of textured styrene I'd picked up long ago for the interior floor of the church. I spray painted it black with Krylon arcylic mate, then dry brushed it medium gray and light gray. I epoxied it to the bottom level of the church. Next, I cut a thicker styrene base for the model to sit on and epoxied it to that, too. I flocked the stryene with blended gray fine ballast to appear like concrete, and I was done! Well, of course, I did a coat or two of clear matte arcylic spray for protection, but St. Jennifers was complete. It is a very tall building, but fortunately fits in the snap-together boxes I carry my terrain around in. I'm very happy with how St. Jennifers turned out, and think it will make an excellent addition to my 28mm cityscape!

I built the little church garden using Hirst Arts plaster blocks, Halloween decorations, a spare 28mm girl figure, and plastic fencing from the local train shop

Picts Avenge Insults and Repel Invasion at Saga Game Day

Nechtan Mac Fergus leads his Picts against Roman invaders beyond Hadrian's Wall in our February Saga Day

Thirteen is my lucky number, and that was the number of players we had at February's Saga Game Day at the Guardtower East, here in Columbus, Ohio. I was able to get in two games with my newest warband, the Picts (using the Scots board from Age of Vikings). Lately, I'd been getting in only one game, as either mine ran long or I was letting others play and taking on the role of odd man out for one round. This week, Andy decided to take the bye in our first round, because he wanted to get in a game of Age of Magic, and there were only two other players for that (Steve and Jeff).

Bob and Jim, right, face off in the second round while Jeff, in hat, wages war with Steve

My first opponent was another newer player, Todd, who had only played once previously. He was using Andy's Anglo-Danish warband. I'd used Anglo-Danes a number of times, as those who read my blog have seen with the saga of Sigurd Skullsplitter. I gave Todd advice on how to use his battle board, though he seemed fairly confident. We rolled and I was the "first player" (essentially the Attacker), so I rationalized this was Nechtan Mac Fergus' punitive raid into Northumbria to avenge last month's bloody battle against Joe's Anglo-Danes. We set quite a bit of terrain on the board, and then I rolled to have us fighting diagonally across it. This meant that Todd had large woods on either flank, which would slow down his hearthguard's movement towards the front of the battle.

My Picts close in quickly against Todd's Anglo-Danes to minimize their galling missile fire

I deployed with my three larger units of warriors in the center (10-figure, 12, and 10). My levy bow guarded the spearmen's flank in a rocky area to the left. On the right, my small unit of mounted hearthguard watched the woods for the approach of the Anglo-Danes. Nechtan Mac Fergus followed behind the warriors, encouraging them on. Todd deployed his levy slingers in the woods opposite our left, with a unit of warriors guarding the gap between it and another woods. His two small units of hearthguard were advancing through the thick woods towards our left. Another unit of warriors threatened to encircle our right, so my hearthguard moved up to keep an eye on them.

Todd's Warlord urges two small units of Anglo-Danish hearthguard through the woods to face my Picts

The warriors are the strength of this list, with numerous battle board abilities that give them bonus defensive dice. They also have one or two offensive ones that can really pack a punch. Since Todd was rolling better and the missile fire was going his way, I sped up my advance with my left and center long spearmen. One unit of spear drove the Anglo-Dane levy out of the woods, while another drove back his center unit of warriors. Neither victory was overwhelming for my Picts, so I decided to soften them up even more with the "Reach" ability. This lets my non-missile armed troops make a "javelin" attack on the enemy. I rationalize this as darting forward and using the long spear's reach to cause casualties, then backing off. I also targeted the closest of his small hearthguard units advancing through the woods and managed one casualty there.

Bob's warlord urges his Welsh forward against Jim's Byzantines, who had been on a victory streak in recent months

The next phase proved more decisive as my spearmen eliminated the weakened unit of Anglo-Dane hearthguard and the center unit of warriors. When his second unit of hearthguard emerged from the woods, they were destroyed, too. At this point, with all my units still intact, I was willing to back off and take my victory on points. The Anglo-Dane warlord was still at large, and any too-aggressive pursuit in the center could run afoul of him. Todd urged me to charge his unit of warriors which was standing off my small hearthguard cavalry. He said if I charged them, we could call the game after the fight. So, I loaded up on battleboard abilities and obliged him, which was another Pictish melee victory. We counted up the points, and my Picts had won 16-9.

Jason, at right, examines his Roman battleboard for clues to defeat my Picts, while Mike, left, and Joe face off

One of my favorite gamers of the "next generation" -- the kids of my gamer friends -- is Jason Stelzer. He always has a wry sense of humor and enjoys having fun in games. We had yet to play in Saga, so I told him we should match up in the second round. He was using Romans from the Age of Invasions (Aetius & Arthur) booklet, this week. He's also played Vikings and Anglo-Danes quite a bit. I was the Defender in this game, and adjusted his center hill towards my side of the board, but otherwise, it was a battle that would feature an open center and woods and rocky areas on the flanks.

Opening stages of the Roman-Pict clash, with my spearmen calmly awaiting the invaders' charge

I deployed my three warrior spearmen units on the center hill, backed up by the mounted hearthguard and Nechtan Mac Fergus. My levy archers raced through the woods on my right to get into shooting range of the enemy. Across from us, the first line of the Roman center was composed of missile troops -- levy javelinmen and warrior bows. They were backed up by cataphract hearthguard cavalry, his Warlord, and a large unit of warriors. Another 12-man warrior unit extended to his left, aimed at rousting my archers out of their woods.

Nechtan Mac Fergus exhorts his troops after repulsing two Roman charges

After doing little last game, my archers made up for it against the Romans, scoring hits every time they shot. The "Diversionary Volley" battleboard ability is a nice one, granting two extra attack dice and preventing the target from utilizing bonus defensive dice. As his warriors took hits, advancing towards my archers, I moved one of my spear units into the edge of the woods to intercept them. Meanwhile, Jason decided to open up the fighting with a surprising charge by his levy javelinmen against my largest unit of spear. He insisted it had been successful in previous games, though I don't think he knew the capabilities of a fully-loaded Scots battle board. It was a slaughter, and only two levy survived to flee back towards their lines, while my Picts celebrated, virtually unscathed.

Byzantine cataphracts from Jim's army ride to meet their foe

Another neat battleboard ability for my Picts is "No Respite", which allows me to roll three available Saga dice and place them on my board. Essentially, after using up most of my abilities on my turn, it allows me to restock my battleboard for my opponent's turn. So, when his warriors crashed into my spearmen that were blocking his advance towards my archers, they faced the same deadly Saga abilities. My favorite offensive combination is "Long Spears" which allows me to take up to half of my attack dice and convert them into defensive dice. Then, playing "Counter-Attack," each defensive dice earns me a bonus of two more attack dice. Another Pictish melee victory and another shattered Roman unit reeling backwards!

A unit of Jenny's Jomsviking warriors charge towards their foes, blood-lust up

Next, it was time to soften them up some more, so I advanced my battleline to within javelin range and used "Reach" to cause even more casualties. My hearthguard cavalry got into the fray, too, charging down and destroying a remnant unit, inflicting fatigue on all their compatriots within 4" that witnessed their destruction. A key to my success was setting up the battle so we fought only one melee per turn. That allowed me to pile in overwhelming abilities to dominate this one contest. The Picts also have the ability to go defensive, and take few to no casualties when charged. By closing ranks, and then using "Long Spears" to ensure I have more bonus defensive dice than attack dice, I can also play "Beyond the Wall." This makes my saves an additional +1 on top of the bonus for closing ranks. Saving from melee hits with handfuls of defense dice that are successful on 3-6 is an excellent way to protect your troops from casualties!

Jenny's warlord battles four Norman riders, confident of victory

We counted up the points and it was a pretty overwhelming victory for Nechtan Mac Fergus -- 29-7. So far, my Picts were 3-0 in their three games. So, I'm feeling much happier about painting them up than I was in the opening stages of their initial battle against Joe last month (when droves of them were dying to Anglo-Danish axes). I understand, though, that this is Saga. There are armies out there that have battle board abilities that can counteract mine. However, it is fun playing them the way they are supposed to be: scrappy, tough fighters, who can survive lots of punishment and deal out death on the counterattack. And it is also fun figuring out how to maximize the use of your army's strengths while minimizing those of the enemy. I am really glad our Saga group is catching on. Each matchup and game is a tactical puzzle: How to piece together your strengths and the enemy's weaknesses to give yourself the best chance for victory.

Jim's Byzantine battleline draws aim across the battlefield at their foes

There were six battles in our first round of games (one Age of Magic, the rest historical). Adrian had to bow out in the second round to drive back to Dayton, so we had only five games then. Here are the results of the historical battles. Not all players bothered to count up the points, as some simply conceded that they were beaten at the end.

Mike's Jomsvikings prepare to hurl themselves upon Joe's Anglo-Danish warriors

Round One

• Bob B (Welsh) defeated Mike S (Jomsvikings), 28-15
• Mike D (Picts/Scots) defeated Todd (Anglo-Dane), 16-7
• Jim R (Byzantine) defeated Joe M (Anglo-Dane),  no score
• Dave E (Normans) defeated Jason S (Roman), no score
• Adrian J (Irish) defeated Jenny T (Jomsvikings), 30-10

Anglo-Danes advance, carrying long Danish axes known to wreak havoc upon their foes

Round Two

• Mike S (Jomsvikings) defeated Joe M (Anglo-Danes), 31-25
• Bob B (Welsh) fought Jim R (Byzantine) to a draw, 26.5-26
• Mike D (Picts-Scots) defeated Jason S (Roman), 29-7
• Dave E (Normans) defeated Jenny T (Jomsvikings), 31-25

Here were the records for the day for the historical Saga players:
Dave E, Normans, 2-0
Mike D, Picts (Scots), 2-0
Bob B, Welsh, 1-0-1
Jim R, Byzantine, 1-0-1
Adrian, Irish, 1-0
Mike S, Jomsvikings, 1-1
Todd, Anglo-Dane, 0-1
Jason S, Romans, 0-2
Jenny T,  Jomsvikings, 0-2
Joe M, Anglo-Dane, 0-2

Here were out two Age of Magic games:
Jeff (Other Worlds) defeated Steve (Wild), no score
Steve (Wild) defeated Andy (Undead)

Players interested in showing up for our Saga Game Days should sign up for the Saga Ohio group on Facebook.

Brewpub for my 28mm Modern City

The newest addition to my miniature city -- Wallace's Pub, a microbrewery named after on of my home-brewing friends

 I started naming and putting signs on the 28mm MDF buildings that I've been making for my modern city games. So, when I decided to make the next Sarissa Precision building a brewpub, it was only natural that I name it after my friend, Mike W. He is our usual host for our Sunday evening gaming. This is not only because of his spacious downstairs and excellent lighting, but also because he always has two home brews on tap!

The first floor interior - note the travel posters, pub sign, and posters advertising their Scottish Export Ale

The first thing you notice immediately about the building is all of the signs and posters that I've printed off and glued onto its surface. I've realized there is no way my hand is steady enough to hand-paint signs and logos. And why do it, really? Printed things off in color and gluing them onto it is so easy -- not just to make but to customize. The brewpub's sign, for example, is a combination of several images and some tweaking in Photoshop. One part is the Clan Wallace crest, surrounded by a red and black checkered border, along with the pub name.

The brewpub is a narrow, 2-story, brick building from Sarissa Precision in which the roof and upper level separate

The travel posters on the walls were simply found doing Google Image searches, and then resizing them in Photoshop. I print the images off at the local Office Max on their color laser printers. The posters for the individual beers I found online, and then Photoshopped and modified them with the Wallace name. It took a couple hours of work one evening to do it, and was a lot of fun.

The posters in the upper level (Highland Ambush is my favorite) -- the floor is also printed off and glued down

As always, putting together the Sarissa Precision MDF buildings was easy. They truly do go together well with a minimum of parts. I did my usual prime with Krylon Acrylic matte black, followed up (oh, about 3 months later, it seems!) with a 50/50 mix of black paint and water. This base accepts paint well, but the black means you have to do two coats on the walls to fully cover. The interior walls of the building I painted with a warm yellow gold color -- incidentally, similar to the walls of my house! I thought it would look really good with the brick red color of the outer walls.

The Eastmoor Kings check to make sure the coast is clear before breaking in the back door (note door window transom)

The rectangular, brick-like pattern was incised on the outer walls. Although the dimensions of the blocks were a bit large for true bricks, I wanted the pub to be brick, so painted it that way, anyway. I started with a red-brown base coat. Letting the base coat dry overnight, I next dry-brushed Howard Hues Middle Eastern Flesh in the interior of each block. One drawback of MDF over resin buildings is that no real 3-dimensional details can be incised on them. So, this is my standard attempt to give the illusion of 3-D with Sarissa buildings. It tends to turn out well, and this one did, as well.

I had fun putting the images in Photoshop and changing the brewery names to "Wallace"

The highlights were painted a medium blue, including the doors and window trim. I painted the upstairs moldings above and beneath the windows in dark brown. I wasn't sure what color to do. I felt mirroring the medium blue of the other trim would be too much. Dark brown seemed to be a good, muted color to go with reddish brown brick. For the roof, I've taken to painting them gray, and then brushing on white glue followed by coarse, blended gray ballast from Woodland Scenics. I like the effect it gives -- a bit of 3-D in a mostly two-dimensional facade.

A good look at the dry-brushed brick effect to complement the incised lines (perhaps I should have washed them?)

One of the touches I tried this time was the transom window above the door. Rather than leaving it empty, like I usually do with MDF windows, I printed out a colorful, stained glass pattern and glued it into place over the rectangular opening. I like how it looks. Of course, I cheated a bit and did both in regular writing, rather than have a reverse on the opposite like you would see in a glass window!

Saga Warlords & Last of the Picts

My Pictish warlord Nechtan mac Fergus, on his 3-figure base, with his standard bearer and trusty deerhound

When I field my Saga armies, I always like to include a couple extra figures on the base. I think a standard bearer and horn blower really add to the heroic look of the commander. I also don't like how one guy in Saga, the warlord, is equal in attack dice to 8 warriors. So, this is  my way to make it visually more fitting -- a warlord and his close companions packing a punch seems more historical to me. I know Saga isn't a strictly historical game, especially considering the battle board abilities of many armies (Vikings' "Odin," anyone?). However, this makes it fit better into my worldview, and makes it look more right on the tabletop, if that makes sense.

Most of my banners, like this Pictish one, are created in Photoshop using images I found online

So, I had been waiting till I was absolutely sure that Saga was catching on in our area before rebasing my commanders onto several figure warlord stands. The first to be based this way was my Pictish warlord. I added in a deerhound and a standard bearer onto his base. I have a supply of large hexagonal bases I bought for another project, so I used those. I know the hexagon shape really adds nothing to the game, but then again, neither is it against the Saga rules. Many people base their figures on round bases, while I use rectangular ones -- it makes no difference under the rules. Using a larger base allowed me to be more creative with my tufts that I put on while I am flocking the figure. Of course, I used a purple for highland heather! The standard is one I created from a black and white Pictish-style image of an owl, colorized in Photostop.

My Viking warlord rebased on a 3-figure base with standard bearer and horn blower

The next two warlords -- and the first two to be rebased -- where my Viking warlord and my Saxon/Anglo-Dane warlord. For both, I chose a horn blower and and a standard bearer to add to his base. All six figures, of course, had been previously painted. I went back and forth on how to do this. The three would not fit on the same hexagonal base without prying them from their bases. I didn't want to do this for the standard bearer, though, because the standard itself is also attached to the base. I didn't want to take the chance of ruining it.

Close up of my favorite Viking figure's shield - love this guy's shaved head and braided, blond sideknot

I ended up cutting a 2.5" wide and 2" deep rectangle out of bass wood for the the new command stands. However, I didn't anticipate such a wide base being prone to warping, which both did once I glued on the bass wood scraps to build up the flat base to the level of the previous figure bases (which all three remained on). So, I had to get inventive on how to un-warp them! I put magnetic material on the bottom (like I usually do), and placed them on a tin cookie container lid. Then I rigged up something to put weight and pressure on the center of the base. I did this after I put the first layer of flocking on, so as the moisture seeped into the wooden base, the magnetic pull and the pressure from the top center flattened it out. You can still see a slight warp if you're looking for it, but in general, I think both warlords look nice.

My Saxon or Anglo-Danish warlord -- one of my favorite 28mm Foundry Anglo-Saxon poses

The Viking warlord is an Eastern Viking that is probably my favorite Viking pose. I love the bald head with blond sideknot. I think I did a good job on the eyes, so he has that piercing Norse stare. The standard is a "gripping beast" design that I created using Photoshop and images I found online. I also like the look of the yellow flower tufts on the base. It makes him look like he is standing in a sunny meadow, surveying the battle about to unfold.

Closeup of my favorite banner I've created for my figures from Photoshop and images found online

The Saxon warlord is a (I believe) Foundry figure that is one of my favorites, as well. He is gesturing with his axe and holding his steel helm win his left hand. I love the mail coif on his head, and the way his shield looks strapped to his back. The portly standard bearer is another of my favorite Saxons. I really like the way his great Danish axe is tossed over his right shoulder and left hand rests on the hilt of his sword. The standard is probably my favorite one I've created through Photoshop. It is simply images I found online of medieval church paintings printed out at the local office supply store. I probably made it too tall, and I am actually afraid to check and see if it fits in the figure boxes...!

Rear of Anglo-Saxon warlord base with shields -- in an oops, I realized afterward that I used a Briton horn blower!

Finally, I've included in this post the last six Dark Age archers I needed to paint up for my Pictish army. I am pretty sure they are Old Glory miniatures, so it is likely they are Vikings or some other Dark Age nation. I try to paint these up generically because I don't want to have to re-paint 12 levy archers for every army I own! So, they should be able to do good duty with my Picts, Vikings, Saxons, Britons -- you  name it!

Six more generic Dark Ages archers that were needed to field my Pictish army -- I think they are Old Glory Vikings

So, what's next on my painting desk? I am finally resuming work on a 28mm Sarissa Precision MDF building. It will be my city's brewpub, and will be named in honor of my local home brewer friend who ends up hosting most of our games on Sunday evening. Stay tuned for pictures of that, when it is finished!