Saga is Alive & Well in Ohio

A historical refight at our Saga Game Day - Andy's Normans advance against Lee's Normans

Despite the fact COVID seems to show little signs of letting up, the Saga wargamers of Ohio were gathering (masked and socially distanced) at the Guardtower East in Columbus. Due to a couple last-minute conflicts, we dropped to eight players this time around. Half of the players got a second game in, as well. We had one brand new player (welcome, Lee!) and plenty of familiar faces across the table. I decided to give Count Drogo the Carolingian Count another battle this time around. I've been very successful with my Pictish army, but I felt it was time to change things up!

Count Drogo's Carolingians (at bottom) take on Jenny's Vikings in the Desecration scenario

 In addition to my Carolingians, we had two Norman armies, one Pagan Russ, one Viking, one Irish, one Anglo-Saxon, and one Last Roman army take the field, this Sunday. In the first round, Jenny asked for a rematch of her Vikings against Count Drogo. Apparently, the Vikings were back for another raid on Frankish territory. We decided to try a scenario from the Book of Battles. A week or so ago, I had posted on of the Saga Facebook groups asking which were the most balanced scenarios from that book. Behind Clash of Warlords was Desecration in 2nd place. So, we thought we'd give it a try.

Count Drogo's warrior spearmen advance on the right, intent on seizing an objective marker

In this game, each player places three objectives markers on their half of the table (only one of which can be in uneven terrain). The opponent is trying to destroy these, which then affects the "cap" a player can receive in massacre points against their opponent. If you destroy none, you can receive only 10 points, for example. But for each objective you melee (or shoot) and destroy, your cap is raised. This forces you to go on the attack, I feel, and so I examined our terrain to figure out how best to take one or more of Jenny's' markers.

Jenny ponders how to react to the Carolingian advance - she gets more and more skilled each game!

There were three pieces of terrain. A field in the center, a marsh on my left, and a woods on the right. I placed my forward-most objective in the marsh, guarded by my two warrior bow units. Jenny placed her forward-most marker in the woods, which she occupied with her levy bow. I sent a unit of warrior spear into that woods to seize it, backed up by another warrior spear. So, both of my warrior spear units were on the right and both my warrior bow on the left. Each was backed up by a small 4-man mounted hearthguard unit. The warlord stayed in the center to discern what the Vikings battle plan would be.

My Carolingian warriors charge and drive off Jenny's Viking levy archers - a key part of my plan!

Jenny placed her two 6-man hearthguard units opposite my center, with her 8-man warrior units on each flank. The levy bow were lined up opposite my right, where my main thrust would go. I immediately marched my two warrior spear unit forward on the right, while advancing and launching arrows against one of her hearthguard units in the center. 

My victorious warriors prepare to "desecrate" the Viking objective marker hidden by the trees

The Carolingian battle board has good shooting abilities. I used "Ardor" every turn, which allows a number of units equal to your "Proelium" (where I kept the maximum 3 dice all game) to move or shoot for fatigue-free. This means that if I activate my warrior bow with Saga dice (or the Warlord's "We Obey") I can then activate them again with Ardor, getting off 4 shots with no fatigue to me. And if I throw "Vinco" in, as well, one of those shots includes two automatic hits. And if I'm lucky enough to roll a rare flag die (happened only 3 times in the game), I can play "Domine" which allows me to duplicate Vinco and get another shot with two automatic hits.

The bitter end for the Viking thrust towards our closest objective marker

I've listened to a number of Saga podcasts and weblogs, and none of them rave about the Carolingians. However, I think they are very, very strong. This is not to brag at my success with them (only 2-0), but rather to point out that players must immerse themselves in the strengths and weaknesses of their army. I plopped those three Proelium dice on my battle board (two in turn one, and the final third one in turn two) and kept them there all game. This makes my Ardor movement more efficient (3 free moves) and my Vinco (2 automatic hits), Fortis (gain Attack or Defense dice equal to Proelium and opponent loses the corresponding dice), and Potentia (reroll misses equal to x2 Proelium) more effective. Honestly, I sometimes wonder if I turn the Saga armies I play into "one-trick ponies." I never seem to use a good 1/3 to 1/2 of the advanced Saga abilities on my battle board. I seem to pick a good 3-4 and use them every turn. Or is it, I am simply choosing the abilities that work best with the way I have fielded my army? Maybe. It is hard to tell, but I feel I have been successful with my methods, so why quibble?

Andy prepares to teach Lee, our newest recruit, the Clash of Warlords scenario

Back to the battle! After dealing out damage to one of the Vikings' center hearthguard units, I hurried my warriors towards her archers. She shot them on her turn, but caused only one casualty. The warrior spear charged in and killed five of her levy at the cost of another archer. More importantly, this cleared the way for us to charge her forward-most objective marker in the woods the next turn. The warrior unit caused two hits on it, and she saved only one of those, so one of her markers was mine! In response, Jenny began to maneuver her hearthguard unit and warlord towards the woods which I had seized. I responded by attacking the archers again with the same warrior unit, rolling a phenomenal seven hits! Jenny responded with an even more impressive five saves, though. At this point, I had taken her levy unit down below wher it generated a Saga dice, so I pulled my warriors back to avoid her counterattack.

Andy's 8-man, mounted hearthguard unit prepares to turn the tables on their Norman foes

Jenny charged a warrior unit in the center against an "Odin"-exhausted archer unit closest to my objective marker in the swamp. She paid for her fortunate roll with the levy and actually lost the battle (to be fair, her warrior unit had been depleted to four figures from shooting previously), recoiling. Things were not going well for the Vikings. She had sent a counterattack forward on my right, but I pulled back out of its way. Her thrust at my center had failed. And now things were about to get worse. On each flank, one of my small mounted hearthguard units swept around the terrain to put them into position to charge.

In our fastest game of the day, Tyler studies how his Irish can best attack Anthony's Pagan Rus

On my left, my mounted hearthguard charged a unit of her hearthguard that had been depleted to one figure, and eliminated it. On my right, my unit of hearthguard charged an objective marker on her baseline. Both charges were successful -- the last Viking died, and the objective marker was taken. About this point, Jenny began to feel helpless against my shooting and my "Ardor" ability. She was in no position to take any of my objective markers and I had taken two of hers. She was losing on the Massacre Points that would decide the scenario. She did get revenge when a unit of 6 hearthguard charged in and massacred three of four figures of my mounted hearthguard unit on the left. Her warlord similarly charged the one who had destroyed the objective on the baseline, killing three of four there. I was fine with that, though, and withdrew both units on my next turn.

Battlelines formed, Anthony's Pagan Rus (at bottom) advance upon Tyler's Irish

The points were going to work out in my favor. She could get no more than 10, and with two objective markers and lots of enemy kills, I would have a much higher total. Jenny rolled to allow us to play a turn 6, but she declined, and we counted up victory points. Count Drogo won 16-9. Jenny felt that the Ardor ability was way too tough, though I pointed out to her that "Odin" and "Loki" are similar game-changers on the Viking battle board. 

It was good to have my friend, Mike S, back and running his Last Romans again at our game day

The results of the Round 1 games were:

• Mike D's Carolingians defeated Jenny T's Vikings 16-9 in Desecration
  
• Tyler P's Irish crushed Anthony B's Pagan Rus 24-9 in Clash of Warlords
• Adrian J's Normans came from behind to win Battle of Heroes against Mike S's Last Romans 10-9
• Andy S's Anglo-Saxons defeated Lee P's Normans in Clash of Warlords
  

Adrian J's Normans, at right, advance upon Mike S's Last Romans in a round 1 game

A number of players had to leave after Round 1, so we ended up with only two battles round two. Tyler P got a rematch against Jenny's Vikings (who he'd fought a month ago), and Anthony's Pagan Rus took on Adrian J's Normans. I actually missed most of round 2 as I went outside to talk to Jim B. He works in the medical field and was on call and unfortunately got called and had to monitor an operation from his vehicle. I gave him a Viking warlord stand I'd painted for him in appreciation for all the gift certifications he'd given to participants in the Saga Game Days at the Dragons Guildhall in Beavercreek, Ohio. I was gratified that he seemed to really like the stand I'd painted and based for him. Hopefully, I'll see it across the table one day soon!

Never one to shirk a fight, Tyler P's Irish advance through the woods towards Jenny's Viking army

Round two's grudge match between Irish and Vikings was a complete and total bloodbath. Tyler plays very aggressively with his Irish, using their shooting ability to inflict lots of casualties on his opponents. Jenny gets better and better every game with the timing of win to use the "Odin" and "Loki" abilities on her battleboard. She held off the Irish and the two battled to a vicious draw, 23-22 in favor of Tyler. It was our only tie of the day, but considering that it was Irish vs. Vikings, it seemed appropriate!

The Irish warlord (at left) and Viking leader trade blows to decide the outcome of their battle

On the other table, it was another battle royale! Trying out the seldom (in our area) played Pagan Rus battle board, Anthony was giving the very skilled Adrian a challenging game. Time and again his warlord shrugged off attacks by the numerous Norman mounted troops. In the end, Adrian came out on top, 21-16, but both admitted it was a very close game. Learning a new battle board is difficult, which is why I tend to play the same one in streaks until I feel comfortable with it. Anthony enjoys the challenges, though, and if I remember correctly, has played a different army every month he has attended our Saga game days!''

Norman cavalry flow around the right flank of the Pagan Rus army seeking a weak point

For those interested in joining us, we have a schedule change for the Dayton-area Saga game days. Instead of the normal third weekend, our Saga Game Day at the Dragons Guildhall will be NEXT weekend, Sept. 13. Join us there at noon and play one or two games of Saga. We have plenty of loaner armies, so this is the perfect chance to try out a fun and challenging game. Honestly, that is one of the appeals of this game to me. I like trying to figure out how to field an army (composition and armament) and how best to utilize it on the army's battle board. Your success at Saga is not due only to good die rolling (which helps, as in all games), but also due to how cleverly you capitalize on its strengths and attack the enemy's weaknesses.

The Norman cavalry charge home against the Pagan Rus warlord in one of many attempts to slay him

I hope our Saga Game Days continue to have good turnout until that day when the whole COVID crisis is gone, and we can go back to gaming in person full time. Yes, wearing masks can seem a pain at times. But to me it seems like a small sacrifice to pay for the joy of in-person gaming and the panorama of Dark Ages army battling it out for supremacy on the tabletop!

Tyler's Irish warlord encourages his followers to charge into their Viking foes

Moorish Cavalry Rides Again - 2nd Batch

Six more Gripping Beast 28mm Andalusian cavalry for my Saga Moorish army

I decided after painting my first batch of Andalusian cavalry for my Saga Moorish army that I would reduce my batch size. Painting 8 28mm horses and riders is a slog. I have always preferred painting in smaller batches, including way back in my 15mm painting days. It always seemed to me that you were rewarded with seeing progress on a more consistent basis. So, I tended to stay inspired more when seeing batches get finished. 

Closeup of three of the figures - I particularly like the cloak on the guy on the left

With 12 mounted figures left to paint in the army I had bought at Advance the Colors 2019, it made sense to do two batches of six, instead. I decided to save the armored cavalry (hearthguard troop class in Saga terms) for last. So, I picked out six of the unarmored riders and selected horses for them and got them primed and ready to go. For the riders, this meant giving them weapons. Unlike the first batch, I gave all six riders shorter spears, as the Moors in Saga are armed with javelins. I had actually forgotten that when I painted my first batch of eight...oops! I use the North Star wire spears, which I purchase from Brigade Games. I highly recommend Lon Weiss of Bridgade Games for all your Saga purchases. His service is quick and congenial. 

My favorite horse coloring, Cremello, (and my favorite robe pattern) of the batch

I pulled out the horse color chart that I talked about (and posted) in my post on the first batch. I selected six horse colorings that I hadn't used yet. I opened up my drawer of paints and decided which colors I own would match up the best with that particularly coloring of horse, and set those paint bottles out behind the horses themselves. As mentioned last time, I decided to paint the horses alone without riders first, and then epoxy them on after the riders were finished. My favorite of the ones I picked out was one I almost didn't choose. I really like how the "Cremello" turned out. I used a linen color for the base coat of the horse, with white speckling. I also liked how the "Sooty on Chestnut" turned out, as well as the Red Dun. 

New floral robe pattern I created for this batch -- I like it and will do it again

As discussed in earlier posts about the army, I like to mix up the patterns I use for the Andalusian robes. I am going with a softer, pastel pallette to represent the silks and fine linens the wealthier Andalusians might wear. This time, I decided to try a new pattern I'd thought up: four red dots in a rectangular pattern with a larger, kelly green dot in the center. I was hoping this would give the effect of a flower, and think it came out very nice. I also used the oval pattern I'd liked so much on the last batch, this time with tan dots on a medium green robe. In fact, this particular figure turned out to by my favorite of the whole batch. One of the reasons I like to save the commander and other special figures till the end is that I can find out what color combinations (and robe patterns, in this army's case) that work out particularly well. I'll use those on the general figure and his bodyguard so that they are deservedly the most striking figures on the table. 

One of the Gripping Beast riders with a helmet rather than headdress

Typically, when I am painting a 28mm miniature, I begin with the flesh tone and then work my way out, so to speak. The main tunic or shirt and pants would be next, then cloaks or whatever garments are on top. Then, I do the equipment and finally the details, like shield patterns, tattooes -- whatever. However, with the Andalusians, I am painting the robes and headdresses first. These actually show so little skin it is easier to do the my base coat and dry brush of it first, then go back and fill in their faces and hands. I've stuck with the three basic skin tones for this army -- a deep brown, dark leathery tan, and lighter but not Caucasian tone. I will organize my painting by pulling out the three paint bottles in those colors and literally lining the figures that will receive that tone in front of the bottle. I do this fairly often -- including when I am deciding what color trousers or shoes to give them. It lets me change my mind and switch things up so that the army looks even more irregular and each figure unique. 

The 3 dots pattern has been a standby I've used for this army since the very first batch of spearmen

After the skin tones and their highlights in the next shade up, is the most time-consuming stage: the robe patterns. I turn on my lighted magnifier, grab my tiniest brush (with the handle trimmed to half length so it doesn't bang up against the magnifier), and take my time. I clean the brush regularly while at this stage to prevent the paint from gathering up on the brush and blunting the tip. I do the lines for hem and cuff borders first, then proceed to the robe patterns. Most of my patterns are simply a series of dots in various arrangements, though I have taken to painting some spirals and "S" patterns. Typically, I am hunched over the painting desk for at least an hour at this stage. If I do all the patterns in one session, the plan is for the borders to be dry by the time I finish the dot patterns. That way, I can add dots or even tiny patterns to the borders, too. I try to force myself to take breaks and get in some walks on the day I am doing the robe patterns so that I don't end up with a sore back. Again. 

I like to mix in patterned headdresses, too -- typical just randomly spaced dots

I've also taken to doing patterns on a couple of the headdresses in each batch. I really like throwing in this variety. Even if only one out of every 4-5 figures has a pattern on the headdress, it is the effect it gives that is important. Your eye "fills in" the rest, and you see a more respendently patterned army. The ones that have only borders on their robes, for example, give your eyes a rest and present a more visually appealing (and not overwhelming) tableau. Or, at least that's what I think! 

I wasn't crazy about this shield pattern until I added the red dots in the middle of the yellow balls

The interesting thing I've found is that after the robe patterns and faces (beards and eyes) are done, painting the rest of the figure is somewhat anti-climactic. I feel like I am done, even though I have a number of equipment details yet to complete. This has led me to occasionally forget to do sword hilts, sheaths, and various other tiny details. Then I have to go back and hurriedly add them in before washing the figures. Speaking of skipping things, this batch I did not do my usual research phase before sketching out what patterns these six figures would have on their shields. I think it kind of shows, as these aren't as eye-grabbing as some of the previous batches. Maybe not! Anyway, I hand-paint all my shields for the twin reasons that I've never had success getting shield decals to go on properly, and that I am a cheapskate and don't want to buy them! Still, I think in general the shields came out just fine. 

Andalusian cavalry armed with javelins - we'll see how they fight in Saga!

One thing I started to do on this batch that is completely new is listening to Saga podcasts or video blogs while painting. For example, I really enjoy the conversation of "Northern Tempest," as two or three Brits talk about their Saga tournaments they've played. They analyze their armies and those of other contestants and give tips on how to use various factions' battle boards. One word of warning if you're going to follow suit and give them a listen is that their earliest podcasts deal with version one of the Saga rules. So, maybe start with the most recent and work your way backwards? I've also taken to listening to a couple video blogs - the ones by Herkus Monte are my favorite, I think. Saga Thorsday is another one you may want to give a listen, as well.

So, all in all, I am very happy with how this batch of Andalusian cavalry came out. I am getting really excited to get this army on the tabletop. However, with another batch of cavarly, two more of archers, and a final one for the warlord still to do, I don't expect it to happen at the next Saga Game Day. I think I will be lucky to have them ready by the Dragons Guildhall meeting on Sept. 20. Another reason for that is I am actually taking a mini-break from this army and painting up a batch of Vikings, next. These are mostly shield maidens for Jenny's Viking army. She wants to be able to field the figures not just as the "Shield Maidens" mercenary unit, but just as generic warriors. There's one other surprise in this batch, but you'll have to wait till my next post to see that!

Mystic Helps Picts Overcome Strange Invaders at Dayton Saga Game Day

Nechtan Mac Fergus' Picts advance to contact against their Saracen foes

Six of us gathered to play Saga at the Dragon's Guildhall for our monthly meeting in the Dayton area. Adrian and Jim hosted, and had brought along two newer players, Adrian's brother Aaron and Jim's friend Mark. Jenny and I drove over from Columbus, which made for three games. Jim set the matchups, with Jenny helping Aaron in an Viking vs. Irish battle, while he coached Mark in a Viking civil war. That left my Picts (Scots in Age of Vikings) to face Adrian and his Saracen army.

The right of the Saracen battleline - horse archers, foot warriors, and more Saracen horsemen

Adrian is a big fan of Saga's Book of Battles, so he randomly rolled one of the scenarios for us to square off in. "Old Feuds" was the result, which meant each of our armies would be bolstered by a "challenger" -- a single-figure "hero." As first player, I chose the Mystic -- not because I thought his abilities would be useful, but simply because I have a great druid-looking figure that would be perfect for him. Adrian chose the Brute for the same reason -- he had a great, loathsome slave master figure terrorizing a slave with a whip. The goal of the scenario was to kill the other's hero. If one player did that while preserving their own, they automatically won -- no matter what the army losses were. If both challengers died (or survived), the scenario would be decided by slaughter points. My Mystic's special ability was to possibly give me additional "Saga dice" to roll for my board, though I think that happened only once or twice. Luckily, I never rolled a "1-2" on 1d6 and lost Saga dice, though!

The Pictish spear advances obliquely on the enemy, while archers race through the woods on the left

Otherwise, battle setup was fairly normal for Saga. We each placed terrain, with me putting out several woods to mess with his horse archer's abilities to shoot at us (or scoot around the board too quickly). Examining the Saracen battle board, I noticed "Ruse" which he could use to remove a command dice from my Saga board if he isolated one of my units with two of his. Thus, my plan was to keep all of my units within at least a Short distance of another to prevent him from using that abilitly. Our Old Feuds deployment helped with that, as all units must begin within a Very Short of another friendly unit. My warlord, Nechtan Mac Fergus, planned on keeping his units close together and under his control -- much like when he faced the Huns many months ago. 

Saracen center - many of Adrian's awesome figures are converted Haradrim from Lord of the Rings

I deployed with my Levy archers in the large wood guarding our left flank, with the Mystic closely following them through the trees. In the center, our three large spear blocks (12 figures, 10 figures, 10 figures) were deployed obliquely, stepping back towards our baseline. Following up behind them were Nechtan Mac Fergus and also his small unit of mounted noble hearthguards. We would keep this relatively tight formation throughout most of the game. The Saracens had five mounted units, and I didn't want them isolating and encircling a lone unit. 

The Saracen's main weapon - their large, composite bow-armed warrior units

Adrian deployed with one of his larger units of composite bow-armed mounted warriors on his baseline opposite my woods with the Levy bow. To their left was a unit of 12 foot warriors. Their center was tightly packed together, as well. Behind the foot warriors was a smaller mounted unit of warriors armed with spears and swords. To their left was another large unit of composite bow-armed mounted warriors, backed up by a small unit of mounted hearthguard. Adrian's left was guarded by his warlord, brute, and a tiny unit of four foot warriors carrying along another cool figure on a palanquin.

With no charge coming, the Pictish spear advance to within Medium to use 'Reach'

I began the battle with a steady advance, the archers darting among the trees to get into firing position against either his horse archers or foot warriors. The staggered line of Pictish long spearmen advanced, followed by its supports. Adrian opened the battle galloping forward with the center unit of horse archers. Composite bows fire as a free action that does not generate fatigue. However, they must move or do something else between shots, and have a range of only a Medium distance (half of foot bow's long). Adrian had a strategy in mind, though, and had no plans on leaving the horse archers dangling, exposed in front of my long spearmen. The horse archers galloped to within Short distance of two of my spear units, firing at one of them using Armour-Piercing Shafts (+1 bonus to shooting). They followed this up by playing Multiple Shots on their battle board, which meant that each of my units within a Short of the horse archers must roll a die equal to or lower than their armor, or suffer an additional casualty. Luckily, we took only a limited number of hits from these initial volleys. 

The Pictish counterpunch of 'Reach' has hurled the first wave of Saracens back, killing many

Adrian then pulled the horse archers back out of my range with Thoroughbred. He would then begin the next turn resting the unit to take off the fatigue all of that shooting and moving had generated. This was an effective use of his battle board, and he employed it time and again during the game. However, his shooting rolls (and my saves) meant it caused fewer casualties than it probably should have. Other than the very beginning of the game, this seemed par for the course. Adrian's rolls were bad to awful, at times.

A close up of Adrian's Saracen foot warriors - great conversion job!

We continued our slow, steady advance. I kept my battle board stocked with my usual defensive advanced Saga abilities, expecting a charge at some point due to some particularly deadly melee abilities the Saracen battle board had. However, after three turns of this shooting and scooting, I realized there was no charge planned. The Saracens were going to try to whittle me down with bowfire. By then, my archers were in range, and they began to pour withering fire into his foot warriors (Adrian's saving dice rolls were well below average, and the unit began steadily shrinking, unable to hit back). Nechtan Mac Fergus then waved the spear line forward and all three units closed to within range to use Reach -- a surprisingly effective counterpunch that the Scots battle board has (allowing them to "fire" at Medium distance). The horse archers began to take casualties, trapped, unable to fall back as the second line of Saracens hemmed them in.

The Saracens have been whittle down, with the reach of Pictish long spears causing many casualties

His center stung, Adrian sent forward the next unit of horse archers on his right, and they tried the same tactics against the Levy bowmen lining the edge of the woods. I was a bit worried when, instead of retreating with Thoroughbred, they darted around the woods, threatening to circle around and fall upon my rear (or worse yet, try to target the Mystic in the woods!). A wave and a shouted command from Nechtan Mac Fergus sent the Pictish mounted nobles wheeling around to meet this threat. As the foot archers softened up the encircling horse archers with a volley, the mounted nobles charged into them, driving them headlong into the corner of the battlefield. Meanwhile, the Pictish spear line used Reach again and again. Soon, few Saracen foot warriors or horse archers remained in the center of the Saracen line. 

The end around attempted by the other horse archers meets its own end on the spears of Pict nobles

At this point, Adrian tried a gambit I had not expected in the least. He loaded up his battle board with four command dice in the Ghulams section of his board, which allows him to active hearthguard or hero units. Then his warlord went for a blazing ride across the battlefield, across the front of and around my spear line. The clansmen from the hills watched in admiration of his horsemanship as he encircled their lines and spurred his horse into the woods towards the Mystic, who was performing ancient, arcane rituals beneath the trees. However, it was a desperate gambit, as the warlord arrived Exhausted from his ride. The Mystic flung crackling potions from his deerskin pouch and wielded his bronze knife dangerously, driving the warlord back. 

The brave gambit of the Saracen warlord and his hearthguard leaves them in the midst of the Pict army

Seeing their lord in danger, the Saracen hearthguard embarked on an equally impressive ride of excellent, Bedouin horsemanship. They arrived tired, but their bodies blocking their lord from archery fire by the Levy foot. Nechtan Mac Fergus knew this was the moment when he could break the enemy army. He pondered for a few seconds. Too much haste could spoil this opportunity! In response to his gestures, the archers poured fire into the Saracen hearthguards, halving their numbers. The nearest unit of spear then shouted a battle cry and charged into the horsemen, spearing them to the last (using Wall of Spears). Nechtan Mac Fergus heard a trumpet blast that signaled his nobles charging in again to slay the last of the cornered horse archers. 

Archery fire, the charge of a wall of spears, and Nechtan Mac Fergus' own blade ends the gambit

The moment had come for the stout Pictish warlord to unsheath his own sword. With his Scottish deerhound Broch bounding at his side, the warlord charged his Saracen counterpart. Nechtan still bore the scar from his last clash against the Jomsviking warlord a month ago, that had left him bleeding at his enemy's feet. He'd been saved that time only by Broch who leapt and snapped ferociously at the startled Viking driving him back until his men could rescue him. The old wound seemed completely healed, though, as he swung his sword. With a few strokes, he cut down the exhausted, dazzled Saracen commander. Behind him, his men roared in triumph, knowing the battle was won.

My Mystic exacts revenge for the Saracen intrusion upon his arcane rituals in the woods

At his point, Adrian and I called the game. He had no more chance to get the quick victory by killing my Mystic. I could possibly charge and kill the Brute, but there was no need. The slaughter points would favor me, as I had lost only a handful of spearmen and none of my Levy or Hearthguard. I felt bad that Adrian's rolls handicapped his good battle plan so thoroughly. He had structured his army around utilizing his horse archers as his main weapon. When that failed, the only thing left was to charge me. The Picts have great defensive abilities in melee, and he knew that probably wouldn't come out in his favor. His gambit with the warlord could have worked, especially if my consistently good die rolling had picked that moment to fail. I have to confess when I rolled those saves for my Mystic, I was worried. My luck didn't desert me, though, and the Picts triumped over their strange, new enemy from the faraway deserts.

Viking levy archers under attack by Irish warriors and an Irish hero in Jenny & Aaron's match

Meanwhile, Jenny and Aaron had a bloody confrontation that turned Ireland's green shores red with blood. Jenny came out on top, led once again by her shield maidens (along with her skillful use of the Odin battle board ability to blunt the Irish javelin fire.

Jenny's Shield Maidens (with banner) advance on the Irish in support of a unit of Viking warriors

In the remaining game, Jim fell into the trap that many of us veteran gamers have when playing a novice -- teaching them so well, and giving such good advice -- that he lost. Mark's Vikings triumphed over Jim's in a bloody battle for lordship of Norway. In addition to being a good coach, Jim is an amazingly generous man. He gave all five of the other participants $20 gift cards to the Dragons Guildhall. I found the store's stash of 28mm Dark Age figures, and picked up three packs of leaders from Warlord games. Jenny picked up a supplement for Terraforming Mars for us to try some Saturday evening.

Jim, at left, coaches Mark in the bloody slaughter that is a Saga Viking vs. Viking game!

Since it was getting late to start another game of Saga, Jim invited us all to play a game of Wingspan (which I had purchased at the Guardtower East on our last Saga Game Day there). It was a tight game, with me eking out a narrow victory over Adrian and Aaron. All five of us enjoyed the game, though. We closed out our trip to Dayton with our usual pizza dinner at Cassano's -- which Jenny, as a Dayton native, loves. All in all, a great way to spend my last day of summer (tomorrow, school starts up for me). Thanks to the Dayton crew for being such excellent, generous hosts! I am pondering a way to return the favor...!

Moorish Archers - First Batch

My first batch of 28mm Gripping Beast archers for my Saga Moorish army

 

When I opened up the tin where I have kept my unpainted miniatures for my Saga Moorish army, I was surprised to see that I had 24 archers -- not a dozen like I had thought. My first thought was, "Sigh...so I am NOT half done with this army!" My second thought was how big of a batch size to paint them. I decided to split them into three batches of eight rather than doing 12 and a Saga "point's" worth. In the old days, I rarely painted more than six figures at a time. I've been creeping that up, and eight seems like a good amount. I prefer small batches over large because you see progress much faster. Getting a certain number of figures based up, flocked, and ready to go (and posted here) is encouraging. That last batch of eight mounted figures took WAY too long!

I am painting my 24 archers in three batches of eight, so that is why most of these are the same pose

 

Anyway, I had been kind of avoiding these figures because they needed the hands holding the bow glued onto the figures. This is a new thing with figure manufacturers, and I wish it would be a passing fad. Readers of my blog are probably aware that I hate gluing anything together in my miniatures. I will never paint up any of the new style of plastic figures which require you to glue the arms, torso, heads, etc., all together! Yes, I realize it allows you to "mix and match" and customize your figures more. However, as someone who is super glue challenged, this would be a self-defeating proposition. So far, I have loved my Gripping Beast miniatures for this army. This was my first "hmphf!" moment.

I tried to use duller tones and less patterns in the archers. Not sure I was successful, though!

 

That said, I had recently purchased Gorilla Glue super glue to repair a lawn ornament (didn't work, of course). So, I thought I would give it a try again. I drilled out the wrist stump deeper so that the peg that comes on the end of the separate hand would go all the way into the hole (as cast, it did not). I then put a single drop of super glue on the wrist stump and then pressed the hand peg into the hole, counting to 45 seconds like the instructions recommended. And lo and behold! It worked!! I actually superglued something together successfully for the first time in my life...ha, ha!

The guy in the light brown is my favorite from this batch, with his oval pattern of dots on his robe

 

I had separated the batches by pose, and this group of eight had seven of one pose and one of another. Even though it may seem more boring to paint the same pose, it is a good way of making sure you don't end up having two figures with identically colored clothing. I decided that I wanted to make these archers slightly less fancy than the spearmen and cavalry. I supposed that, as levy, they won't be able to afford the best material for their clothes (read fancy patterns on their robes, here) -- though the Emirate of Cordoba was quite wealthy. So, three of the figures were done in robe patterns, while the remainder were given just borders at most. I also decided to do a few patterned turbans, as well, to mix it up some more. 

Note the one non-conformist pose in the off-white robe. I think I like this pose better than the firing one

 

I also used less bright colors and more dull ones -- at least that was my intention. Some colors I used were the same as the spearmen or cavalrymen, but I introduced some duller ones, like a light gray and light brown. After seeing them completed, I am not sure an observer would immediately notice that the archers are meant to be less bright and colorful. Oh well. I do have two more batches of archers to do, so I can tone them down even more if I desire.

I have begun painting the headdress in a different color from the robes as I  progress on this army

 

I like how these guys came out, as well. So, I am really excited about how the Andalusians are coming along. Besides the two more batches of archers, I have 12 more cavalry to do (likely in two batches of six) and the warlord's base. I have picked out a "pet" for his base, as well. No, I won't reveal the secret, but it won't be a dog. Muslim society doesn't go gaga over dogs like Western European ones. So, it is going to be something different and within the realm of historical possibility. So, no polar bears or anything like that! You'll have to wait and see, though, to see which animal it will be!

Andalusian Cavalry for my Saga Moorish Army

Four of my first batch of eight Andalusian cavalrymen -- 28mm Gripping Beast figures

For the longest time, I had a "standard" way that I painted horses. I had black horses, dark brown, medium brown, tan, dun, white, light gray, and dark gray. I usually gave them "socks" white coloring near their hooves and a splotch of white on their foreheads. All the horses I painted for my various armies had the same basic coloring. Then I saw a colorful, cartoonish chart on the internet that showed various colorings simplified - dappled grays, buckskin, black "blue" roans, and more. There were more than 70 varieties depicted.

The cartoonish color guide I found on the internet and use for painting horses - feel free to download!

I decided to experiment and try to use the chart as a guide for my color choices. I was VERY happy with how they came out. So, when it came time to paint the cavalry for my Andalusian army for Saga, I found the chart again and swore to myself I would not take a shortcut and paint my old standard way of doing horses. This batch is the first of three batches of mounted Andalusian troops for my Saga army. I'm very happy with not only how the horses came out, but also the troopers atop them. In fact, the richly colored robes kind of overshadow the poor mounts and you have to pay attention to notice the markings on the horses. Hopefully, the two complement each other rather than detract from the other's effect.

All eight of the cavalrymen lined up and ready for battle

I was a little disappointed that most of the riders have the closed fists that you need to drill out to place spears or other weapons into. I prefer the open hand that Gripping Beast used for the Moorish infantry I'd painted already for this army. However, most of my drilling attempts worked out with only a few misaligned holes resulting in the hand being half open, half drilled. I took the worst of those mistakes and widened it with an X-acto blade to place swords instead of spears in their hands. But that is getting ahead of myself!

Close up of the other four Andalusian cavalrymen for my Saga Moorish army

I actually began with the horses, and painted all eight of them completely before beginning the riders. I even had them based and flocked before the riders had anything more than primer on them. This was a change in my methods, as well. Normally, I epoxy the figure to the horse before priming. However, with the patterns on the robes being so intricate, I thought it might be better to paint the riders separately and then epoxy them to the horses after completed. It did make turning the riders around, sideways, and upside down easier, which allowed me to execute the patterns with a minimum of struggle. Wait a minute...am I getting ahead of myself again??

The dappled gray - I honestly feel the rider overshadows the mount with his fancy shield and dotted headdress

Back to the horses! So, after cleaning up the very minimal flash on the miniatures (I am becoming more and more of a fan of Gripping Beast metal miniatures), I attached the horses to cardboard squares with white glue. Next, I brush-primed them with white acrylic craft paint. Then, I grabbed the chart and wrote onto the cardboard square which type of coloring I would use for each horse. One of my favorite 28mm horses that I have ever painted is a dappled gray in my Welsh army, so of course I would try one of those! Now, before anyone comments at the end of my blog that a particular marking I chose was not around in Andalusia during the Middle Ages, I want them to know I realize that is a possibility. I am trying to make my horses look more realistic than my cookie-cutter method I used before.

I really like using this chart for my horse coloring -- it really makes the mounts "pop" and look more realistic

The horse coloring was done first, and it actually made painting horses more enjoyable doing it this way. Normally, I look at horses as drudgery and focus my enthusiasm on the riders and infantry. However, I like how these look, and it is inspiring to see them begin to look lifelike while painting. That said, there was a lot of horse equipment -- each mount had some sort of saddle blanket, as well as reins, bridle, saddle, straps -- you name it! Quite a few even had tassels. I decided that I would make the horse blankets colorful and indulged my creativity with patterns, stripes, borders, and swirls.

This was the only shield I painted Arabic calligraphy on -- which matches the horse coloring, too (lucky accident!)

As mentioned earlier, once the horses were done, I went ahead and based and flocked them, too. I use 1"x2" rectangles for my horses (infantry are 1" squares). I actually use two of those infantry bases epoxied to a 1"x2" piece of styrene plastic. So, the cavalry bases are a fraction taller than the infantry ones, and if you look you can see the separation of the two bases. Yes, I could probably order some Litko 1"x2" bases, but I haven't painted cavalry in so long that I didn't see the need.  Anyway, I also added in a larger stone on each base (coarse buff talus from Woodland Scenics), as well as the usual scatter of small rocks (medium buff talus). I washed the larger stones with a black wash to give them more depth. I really like how the basing turned it on this batch of cavalry!

One of the riders that was given a spare 28mm sword I had instead of a wire spear

Once I was finished with the horses, I set them aside and began work on the riders. First, I attached their weapons -- North Star wire spears trimmed to appropriate length for six of the riders and 28mm swords for the other two. No weapons were included for the cavalry in the bagged army I had purchased at last year's Advance the Colors dealer room. So, I had to supply my own swords from my dwindling supply (though I recently ordered a restock of 80 wire spears from Brigade Games-- that should last me awhile!).

When I Googled Andalusian shields I saw a leopard skin one, so I HAD to paint one this way -- I like it!

I decided to attach the riders to squares of cardboard like the mounts had been. This is kind of tricky depending on the pose. I essentially leaned them up against something heavy, put a blob of glue on the sole of each foot and placed them upright on the cardboard, leaning against their chosen object. I did have two figures pop off the cardboard during the painting process. Once they were completely done except for their shoes, I popped them off their square. I held onto them with my hands, painting the shoe, and later while drybrushing the shoe and detailing the leather stirrups. Once the riders were completed, I matched them up against the horses, picking out a mount for each. I didn't want them to match perfectly, but I wanted the coloring of each to complement each other.

The double almond shaped shields seemed to be a common Andalusian motif...and tassels, too, I guess

They were attached by scraping off a bit of paint on the horse's saddle and the underside of the rider. This would hopefully give a metal on metal bond with the epoxy. We'll see if I have a problem with riders popping off as time progresses -- hopefully not! Oh, and I guess I lied. The riders weren't completely done when epoxied onto their mounts. I did the black and brown wash on the riders after they sat atop their horse. My system for washing this army is somewhat complex. The lightest flesh tone of the three I am using gets a brown wash. The darker two tones get a black wash. For equipment and clothes, if it is in the white/yellow/tan tonal range, that part of the figure receives a brown wash. If any other color (red, brown, blue, etc.), it gets a black wash. For some reason, brown washes don't seem to show up on the greens and reds and so on.

The pattern on this robe turned out to be my favorite -- that of the horse blanket came out not too shabby either!

I added in a couple new patterns for my robes this time, too. My favorite new one consists of 7 dots - a central dot and 6 around it. I will definitely be using this one, again. I may try to do a light dots on a darker robe color with this pattern next time. The three-tier, two-color floral pattern didn't come out as nicely, though. At least it is not my favorite. All in all, I was very happy with how the robes look on these riders. I'm so glad I went out and bought additional colors when doing my second batch of Andalusian infantry. I think the variety of subtle shades really add to the look of the army.

Trying to balance things, this rider got a simple border for his robe since I knew I would be doing something for his cloak

For the shields, I did a lot of Googling images, looking at Gripping Beast's web page, and of course the one I've mentioned before, Joe/Neldoreth from An Hour of Wolves and Shattered Shields. His artistry is something I can aspire to, but never achieve. Before planning out what I will do for the robes or the shields for each batch, I look through every single one of the images of his al-Andalus gallery on his site. I can only hope that others see these pages of Lead Legionaries and it gives them an idea or two to try for their own tables!