Stormin' Normans

This is another old article previously posted on Scary Biscuits Studios.  Posted here for searchability & Posterity!

So, I'm taking a break from Flames Of War for the moment, mainly because I don't really have the time to put into quality painting and article writing. The reason for that is quite amazing! My wife, Caroline, and I have received the best gift ever in our little Theodore David Allen Haught, born 2 April 2012. So between feeds (that word sounds so "Stargate Atlantis") and getting shot-gunned by thunder poops, I can only really concentrate on small painting projects. In steps SAGA!

With all the discussion on the WWPD forums and having my Normans staring me in the face for the past few months on the painting queue shelf, I decided to power through my SAGA stuff. So far I have several figures done and I'm not far off from completing my Normans. Using the Bayeux Tapestry as my painting guide, this has been a fun and educational project to work on.

3 Point Clash of Warlords (Vikings vs Normans)

Jon and I played our first game of Saga- 3 points each and the mission was "Clash of Warlords". Though we didn't have TOO many rules fumbles, we are definitely not good enough yet to give a detailed AAR- so we'll largely let the pictures do the talking! The mission is the most straightforward- you win by killing your opponent's warlord!

Steveaux The Handsome's Normans Warlord on Horse 4x Norman Knights (hearthguard) 4x Norman Knights (hearthguard) 4x Norman Knights (hearthguard)

Jonvi the Dirty's Vikings Warlord 4x Hirdmen (hearthguard) 4x Hirdmen (hearthguard) 8x Bondi (warriors)

More Painted Normans!

Just some pics today.  This is now an old post, but still showcases the second unit of Normans I painted.  The figs are the excellent Conquest plastics.  Shield transfers are by Little Big Men Studios.  Bases are Flames of War.

Norman Warlord

Just a few pictures of my recently completed Norman Warlord!  He is a Perry Norman Commander mounted on a 40mm Display base.

First Painted Vikings

This is a repost from the WWPD Site a few weeks back- posted here for history's sake.
WWPD has talked on both our podcast and our forum about SAGA lately.  I present for your amusement Dirty Jon's Vikings for Gripping Beast's SAGA!

The Battle of Maldorn: History & Scenario Suggestions

This is a guest post by Gareth Humphreys (user Windy Miller on the WWPD Forum)

The Battle of Maldon

Marauders from the Sea

It was late summer in 991. The people of Essex, mostly Anglo-Saxon farmers, were looking forward anxiously to harvest, watching their crops every morning for any sign of an early frost. But at least one man realised that this year, a shortage of grain was not the only threat to their land.

On August 10th, Viking raiders sailed up the Blackwater, and landed on Northey Island, a strip of land separated from the mainland only by a river, near to the town of Maldon. The Earl of Essex, Brythnoth son of Beorthelm, had anticipated the invasion, and raised an army of his fellow Saxons to oppose them. Most of what we know about the battle that followed comes from a poem written by an unnamed monk, shortly after the battle, which has become one of the best known pieces of literature of the age.

Norman History 101

Norman Cavalry Charges the Anglo-Saxon Shield Wall.

Who were the Normans?

The medieval Normans were the inhabitants of Normandy, an area in the north part of France settled by Viking invaders in the 10th century.  They quickly acculturated to Christianity and to the Old French language.  Along with other peoples of Northern France, in the 11th century they developed a powerful new combination of arms, armor and social structure.  Their mounted knights became a superior force on the battle-field, and Normans became mercenaries, conquerors and lords all over the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean -- wherever they could find an opportunity.

Revenge of the "Mad-Priest" (part two)

More pics from our game with some mechanics explained.  Here is the attack of the Mad-Priest up the center. The Priest gets 5 dice for being the leader and needs 5s to hit the enemy Heathguard.  But, since the Heathguard are Beserker Babes and unarmored he needs 4s to hit. The Beserker babes swing back with eight dice since only two are in range needing 5s to hit.  Both the Priest and the Babes hit twice, the babes save none, and the Leader Priest saves one but can ignore one hit in combat so he lives and two babes die.

Also in the picture are the 4 Norman Mounted Heathguard hitting the Viking Levy.  The 4 Normans swing 8 dice needing 3s to hit, the 12 Levy swing 4 dice needing 5s to hit.  Joe rolls well and gets 4 hits! Good thing the  Levy are easy to hit - I get 8 hits.   Now - here is where the battleboard dice come in - see the two dice in the bottom corner? Those double my hits,  so now Joe's Levy is sucking down 16 hits.  

Revenge of the "Mad Priest" (Part One)

     Eric and I got together on Sunday to start the first of many Saga Sundays (or Saturdays) to come.  The scenario chosen was "The Escort" and we actually read the victory conditions prior to the end of the game this time.  That had been a challenge in our last game as we played "The Challenge" and I ended up with seven wounds on my warlord to Eric's two - winner, winner chicken dinner!!! 

Jo-mer King of a few guys I found in Norway

Sourcing Saga

Hey all,

Over on the WWPD forums, PrivateSnafu asked a great question:

"Is there a consolidated list of manufacturers that produce models that are compatible with the system? Everything on Gripping Beast seems to be out of stock. I think that is the single biggest hurdle for me right now. What do I need and where can I get it?"

I'll be honest and say this was my biggest hurdle as well. Dark Ages figure ranges are plentiful, but sometimes they are hard to find, and few sources have a full range (with the exception of Gripping Beast, which has it all), making it difficult to gather your band of warriors. Here's a few figure ranges that I have come across that I reckon would be suitable for Saga.

Saga Mechanics: First Thoughts

The Saga mechanics give life, complexity, and interest to a period when most European armies had a lot of character, but not much variety.

I picked up Saga not expecting very much.  Many skirmish-level games are (frankly) not very interesting - with little variation between the figures and not much in the way of tactical complexity. I was quickly bored by Necromunda or Mordheim, and their micromanagement of (not very impressive) equipment and (not very meaningful) levels of skill or toughness. Yawn.

Viking History 101

What's in a Word?

The "vikings" were raiders, traders and settlers from Scandinavia who were active in Europe from the late 8th to the early 11th century.  "To go Viking" is a Norse expression meaning something like "to become a pirate,"  so technically it should refer only to a small part of the population only some of the time.  But historians tend to call all the Norse Vikings, and to the whole period when they were active as the Viking Age.

Norman Knights

Just a few pictures of my first painted Normans for Gripping Beast's SAGA!  This is a re-post from WWPD's Something Else Sunday edition for Posterity's sake.  New pics of new Normans coming!

Battle Boards For Dummies

Saga is a brilliantly simple game system. Movement, melee, and morale are all handled with simple mechanics. However, if the game's heart lies in its simplicity, its soul is the Battle Board. Each nation (or faction) represented in Saga has a battle board that sets it apart from the other nations. The battle board is where the game scores its seriously cool flavor. For the new player, the battle board can be the most daunting thing to conquer in Saga. So over my next few articles I'll have a quick look at them and I'll share a few tips on coming to grips with your battle board.

Welcome to The Tapestry!

Hi, and welcome to The Tapestry!  We hope to make this a great resource for fellow Saga players around the world.  The Tapestry is a joint effort between WWPD, Scary Biscuits Studios, and the I-95 gamers.  You can expect Battle Reports, Gallery posts, Tactics chat, and much much more.  So stick around, "follow us" with your favorite RSS reader, and check back often!