SAGA THORSDAY 80 - Battle Report - Vikings vs Anglo-Danes (2nd edition)

[@martinteasdale542]

Lord of War is an Activation ability, which means that it is used in the Activation phase. But it doesn't activate your warlord, so it doesn't give him a fatigue. Activation abilities that activate a unit are are worded in a different way, like the shock ability, and they always state a type of activation.

[@RodgeRules]

Thanks for chiming in! After going back over the abilities section you are totally right! (Although I think they could have chosen a distinct term between activation abilities that are activations and activations that are not activations!) I will mention it in next week's vid for sure!

[@HerrRoehrich]

While you're at it, are you aware of the fact that the developers clarified on Facebook that Njord (removing fatigues from all units within M of your warlord) affects your units *and* your enemy's as well? That info caught me completely by surprise. :P

[@RodgeRules]

I did see that!! That's huge!

[@DarkReaperRedeemer]

Very comprehensive video. This "step by step" kind of batrep is the best way to present it. I hope you are going to do more, would be awesome to watch one with Irish, the faction I am playing.

[@RodgeRules]

Thanks for watching, Elias! There will definitely be some action featuring the Irish in the future!

[@Rapman21]

The play by play showing the battleboards is great! I like the format and the tactical discussion.

[@RodgeRules]

Thanks! I'd like to get some more done soon!

[@hillarymumm684]

I'm not quite shure and also I only own the german rules, but I think it says, that only if you do a movement, charge or shooting activation after you already did a movement, charge or shooting activation you get a fatigue.That being said: if you had sacrifice one of your hearthguards, you would end with two fatigues on your warlord and with "Lord of War" you could trash this two fatigue tokens and end up fresh and clean, ready to smash him finaly. I think...

[@hillarymumm684]

Yeah, just read the answer of Martin Teasdale. I think he is right, so you could trash all three fatigue-tokens without any sacrifices.

[@RodgeRules]

Agreed!

[@HerrRoehrich]

Very nice video! Can't wait for our first game(s) come Saturday! On an unrelated note, I'm kinda sad that the Anglo-Saxons, due to the nature of their army composition and battle board, aren't as accessible as the likes of the Anglo-Danes or Vikings - since the "real" classic Viking Age match-up would (or rather, should) be Anglo-Saxons vs. Anglo-Danes/Vikings. The Anglo-Danes and Vikings are, after all, two sides of the same coin, which is also why I never understood why the Anglo-Danes use the Saxon dice - they aren't Saxons, they're Danes! But that is but a nitpick.

[@RodgeRules]

Thanks for watching! I agree with you on the "iconic" matchup aspect. Bernard Cornwell's Uhtred series was my initial inspiration for getting into the game! I think they went the Dane route as the initial release was focused on 1066. It was only after people really picked up the game that they went and backfilled the earlier factions so to speak.

[@HerrRoehrich]

Haha, same! One of the best book series I've ever read! What you say does make some sense if you consider that by that point in time the settled Danes had become mixed with the original Saxon population. But I still think it's weird the Anglo-Saxons were omitted from the original Saga, when Hastings was literally all about the Normans defeating... well... the Anglo-Saxons. Harold Godwinson wasn't even a Dane, he was a Saxon. The last Anglo-Danish king was Harthacnut, who died in 1042. I know it's a game and all, and a great one at that, but things like that trigger my history OCD. :D Aaanyhoo, back to painting those Berserkers... Cheers!

[@Rapman21]

Cornwell for the win!😉

[@RichardStevenson92]

The “Anglo-Danes” were essentially limited to the aristocracy of England in the early 10th Century. After Cnut’s successful conquest of England in 1016 he installed himself as King of England and firmly entrenched himself within the existing English structure. He was Christian, had his capital in Winchester and has been regarded as “more Anglo-Saxon than the Anglo-Saxons themselves”. He was obviously a Dane and his hearthguard were also a professional body of English and Danish soliders commonly referred to as Housecarles. The incumbent English Anglo-Saxon aristocracy appears to have been subject to a number of purges to ensure that Cnut was surrounded by loyal men and this saw a number of new noble houses come into the spotlight, notably that of Godwin who married a Dane and became the father of Harold Godwinson. The Anglo-Danes thus became a term used to explain the strange (and rather short lived) group that was essentially limited to the King, his companions, his courtiers and the new aristocracy. To the fighting man on the field at Hastings or Stamford Bridge he would have likely considered himself an Englishman or more likely still a West Saxon, a Mercian or a Northumbrian etc etc.

[@crouchingotter]

Two thumbs up from me Rodge! If I had 3, I'd pop that one up there too!

[@RodgeRules]

Three thumbs up! That's high honors! Thanks for watching!

[@e-4airman124]

more explanation on use of shields dane ax spears archers heavy weapons please

[@e-4airman124]

thanks I may get the 2nd ed. we will see.

[@RodgeRules]

I hope you do!

[@johntailby74]

When the vikings tried to charge the hearthguard why didn't he move a guy in the middle of the unit and then move the second guy into contact within VS of the first then the furthest guy would be within S of the first one moved.

[@RodgeRules]

Hi John! If a guy in the middle unit was in range of my Hearthguard, he could have absolutely done that! The problem was the one guy on the end was the only one in range (just barely) and the first model to charge needs to end in contact with the enemy.

[@aricliljegren890]

It was my understading (through watching batreps only - I do not yet own the rules) that individual troops had to be within short range of atleast one other member of the unit; not that all individuals had to be within short range of the first figure to be moved. Is this a special rule for charges or has this rule been misrepresented in other videos?

[@HotDiceMiniatures]

Loved it!

[@RodgeRules]

Awesome! Are you ready to take the plunge?! Autumn bases would look mighty fine with most any faction!

[@HeresyProducktionz]

Great bat rep really enjoyed it

[@RodgeRules]

Thanks for watching!

[@landsknecht1525]

Nice battle report, I just subscribed. What are your thoughts on a Samurai supplement for Saga 2nd edition?

[@RodgeRules]

I'm looking forward to it! I think Saga would be the perfect game for that period. I'm curious how they'll handle firearms. Will they come up with something new or just count 'em as crossbows?

[@landsknecht1525]

If they do the firearms right, they would be shorter range then crossbows but more powerful. They just announced the crusades book. I'm hoping for a later period for crusades around 1460's between Wallachia and the Turks. Vlad the Impaler would be an awesome named warlord in Saga and the Turkish Janissary he would fight would be armed with firearms.

[@RodgeRules]

Vlad would be pretty awesome!! :) The Age of Crusades book looks to be including more Eastern European factions so it's a definite possibility!

[@tinywargamer3863]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the way I see it is basically in SAGA your entire strategy and ahead planning as a commander totally depends on the dice symbols you get at the start of your turn (order phase is it?)... So if the numbers (aka symbols) on the dice you roll don't add up to your thoughtful master-plan your got on previous turn, then you are pretty much screwed for the rest of the game... Pardon me saying, but it does look very generic, and the amount of randomness I sense in this is ...disturbing to say the least... and I already ordered the books...bummer(?). To me it looks like the entire game just depends too much on the good rolls for saga abilities, and if the dice gods aren't on your side, then there is really not much options (in terms of game rules) a calamitous warlord got to correct his bad luck at diceing...

[@callumhowe952]

Damian Sobuś I am pretty new to the game and thought the same as you my first few games. Most boards have enough abilities at the common and uncommon dice level that you can usually do what you want/need to do as long as you aren't heavily relying on a rare ability. It's adds an element to the game that forces you to be flexible and means no 2 games are the same. Hope iv changed your mind a little :)

[@aricliljegren890]

I have a similar concern about this game. It seems like the energy of the battle wanes as the number of dice diminishes. The fact that the large viking warrior unit could not even advance due to a lack of dice seems unrealistic to the extreme. Were they just watching the battle from afar? If so, they have no shot at joining Odin at Ragnarok as one of his Einherjar!

[@TorianTammas]

@@aricliljegren890 They might have plundered enough to go home buy land, marry and become farmers.