A quick game of SAGA

Over the Easter weekend, I did indeed get the couple of planned SAGA games in by way of a taster for our forthcoming (in July...) campaign.

The first game came down to the mutual extinction of our respective warlords in single combat, so draw it was. That was against Nephew Nick, who then promptly got all confused in his second game, against Nephew Paul, and threw away the victory with indecision and poor play. That left me to take on Nephew Paul for my second game, which was a rather different affair, though killing the enemy warlord was still the objective.

Terrain was selected by our usual throw it at the table and see where it lands method, with a dice roll off to see if it stays or not. I very handily won a hill on my baseline, though too far back to be fully effective.

Set up. My plan was to suck him in and spit him out, which worked very well indeed (sort of...)

When I deliberately split my front line apart to reveal my levies as bait, Paul duly charged in and pasted them - all going to plan so far, as I was then able to smash a big hole in his line as planned and isolate his warlord by swamping his victorious but in dire trouble hearthguard with their standard bearer (centre of shot)

One massacred enemy hearthguard later and he was rapidly trying to bring up troops and retreat his warlord, having seen the trap at last. It did cost me dear however - I should never have lost four of my own Hearthguard, but Paul's dice are usually good.

This is the last shot I took, as Paul, with usual cunning, tried something desperate and jammily pulled it off. He kept moving and attacking with his remaining Hearthguard unit (centre rear of shot, with axes aloft), moving sideways first and then beating my Bondi (just in front of my warlord at left of shot). My warlord beat them, however, but he had a dice left to send them back in one last time and they were just able to finish me off....One more turn and his warlord was toast, but it was not to be. With such a profligate use of his best troops, I wonder how well he will do in the campaign!!! Well done for his win though. He took the chance of building up all that fatigue and pulled off a close run thing.