Embarking On a New Saga...

On Saturday I "discovered" a new wargaming show in Bristol - Bristol Independent Gaming. As SWMBO wanted to visit the nearby (wonderfully named) Get Knitted for some wool I thought I'd pop in this new shop (I say new, it has been here three years and is door to door just ten minutes from Bleaseworld in quiet traffic!). I had a nice chat with Jim Harding who runs the place and found out that the shop also has two floors of gaming tables and in addition to the regular 40k gaming, the shop has a historical gaming night on Wednesdays.

The current "in" games are Chain of Command, Sharp Practice and Saga, all of which are periods I have some miniatures for but no experience of the rules and how they play, so tonight I went along to have a go at the new edition of Saga.

The Bóndi Matt leant me about to outflank the Anglo-Danes!

I have to confess I had been put off Saga due to all the additional non-miniature bits and bobs seemingly needed to play the game beyond the rulebook and some miniatures, so not really given it much of a look at, but Rich Coombs offered to give me a game and Matt (Evil Bear) Houghton lent me his Vikings and helped with the rules.

We played a simple "kill the warlord" game but I found it an enjoyable experience, the rules (as probably most of you know) are simple to play but hard to master. The Gods of dice rolling favoured me hugely tonight with my Thrall bow unit exceeding expectations and causing heavy casualties for Rich's Anglo-Danes, who subsequently disintergrated as my Bóndi and Hirdmen smashed into the remnants of his army from both flanks!

The kickass Thralls having lost three men, but inflicted eight losses on the Anglo-Dane warriors...

Unfortunately I am away working in Paris next Wednesday but Rich has promised me another game in a fortnight, though this time he is bringing along his beloved Jomsvikings. He has leant me the rules and Age of Vikings to see if I can come up with some cunning tactics to defeat them!

All I need to do now is find those boxes of Gripping Beast plastic Vikings I've had sat around for ages to make my own army...