Introductory Saga for a couple of players

Last week while I was playing Tom at Saga fellow gamers Daz and Adie asked if I could give them an introductory game of Saga the following week. So this Tuesday we played a couple of games of Saga at Maelstrom Game's Eye of the Storm venue.

I took along both my Christian Spanish (to use as Normans) and the new Shieldwall Miniatures Vikings that I have been painting - although they did need the bases finishing and some free-hand doing on some of the shields - like a goober though I had forgotten to pack the Warlord so another figure had to suffice.

Daz would play the Vikings and was really happy to hear about the 'most impressive facial hair' rule, Adie would use the Normans. Both players would have a four point warband.

The Vikings were: Warlord, two units of 4 Hirdmen and two units of 8 Bondi.

The Normans were: Warlord, two units of 4 Knights, one unit of 8 Sergeants with Crossbows, one unit of 12 Peasants with Bows.

Big Daz is really happy about playing Saga

 For the first game, Daz deployed his Vikings Bondi in a village with both units of Hirdmen making a attack through a wood on his left. Adie deployed his archers and crossbow supported on each flank by a unit of Knights.

Adie deploys his Normans

Daz won the roll off for first turn and was going to skulk in the village until I told him that was most unViking-like behaviour.

Bondi and Warlord (fellow with two swords doing double duty) are tempted out of the village

And form a shieldwall

Suitably chastised Daz left the village and formed a shieldwall of Bondi and started to advance. Adie responded by downing four Bondi with effective bowfire. Daz of course blamed me for tempting him out.

Emboldened by his success with shooting Adie launched his Warlord and a unit of Knights into the weakened Bondi mopping up the last four figures but losing all four Knights in the process. This was to be Daz's counter-stroke though, the lonesome Norman Warlord was charged by the Viking Warlord supported by his Bondi, there was only ever going to be one outcome as the Viking could pass wounds onto the Bondi the Norman was alone and soon succumbed.

The Norman warlord steams in to the Viking Warlord

Round One to Big Daz

We then set up another game, the second one was much more ticky-tackle as both players now had a firmer grasp of the rules.
Adie started with a pretty similar deployment to the last game, whereas Daz put a single unit of Hirmen on his left flank and the rest of his force on the right flank.
Adie took first turn and launched an absolute barrage of fire onto the Vikings, alas Daz made many saving throws and did not take a casualty. Sensing a weakness on Daz's left flank Adie sent in a Unit of Knights against the unsupported Hirdmen. But these were driven off with a casualty.
The unit of Hirdmen on Daz's left were to be the star players of the game. They had already driven off the attack of the Knights killing one, over the next few turns they killed all eight Norman Knights and four of the Crossbowmen before succumbing. Adie was unable to recover and although his Warlord lasted out the game this time it was a good victory to the Vikings again winning 15pts to 10pts.

Hirdmen skulk in the wood ready to do much damage to the Normans

Norman Knights prepare to round up the Viking raiders