Sunday, 11 August 2013

SAGA: Vikingar!

Introduction

Some time ago, I became interested in the SAGA rules by Gripping Beast/Studio Tomahawk.  They seemed to fit my idea of a quick, fun, narrative game very well.  Despite not knowing anything much about Dark Ages warfare, I ordered myself a 4pt starter warband of Vikings.  This was back in February 2011, so about 2.5 years ago!

I painted up the Vikings quite quickly (for me) and in 2012 I ordered a Scots warband as well so that I could field both sides and actually play the game.  These have taken me much longer to paint, though I'm making some progress now.

In order to try to keep my enthusiasm going, I thought I'd show my Vikings today and see what all my readers think of them.

The Warlord

Here is Leif Gunnarson, the leader of this small band of raiders (and yes, I do see this warband as raiders rather than as settlers, merchants or anything else).

Someone has been shooting arrows at him.  That's just not on; I think he's in a hurry to show the perpetrator how a real warrior fights!

Hearthguard

Leif's trusted lieutenants are well-equipped, with mail shirts, spear and sword.  They also have ornate shield designs.


Berserkers

Whether historically accurate or not, these frothing, unstoppable fighters are colourful for SAGA.  They certainly make the Viking warband a little different from any other force!


Warriors


The less well-off members of the band aren't as heavily equipped, but they're still good at fighting.

Typically, they don't have a sword or armour.  Only a few have helmets.

They're more numerous, mind!  Each warrior has a sturdy spear or axe and a big, round shield.






Conclusion

So there we have it: 4pts of Vikings.  I'm probably 1/2 of the way through painting their Scots opponents; if I can keep up the current flow then another month should see them finished.  Then I'll have to see about setting up a game...

Of course, by the time I'm finished I'll probably find that everyone else has moved on to something else that's even more "shiny".  Ronin, anyone?

[Update: my starter Scots warband can now be seen here: http://colgar6.blogspot.com/2013/08/saga-macbheathas-scots-warband.html]

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22 comments:

  1. Hobbyworker11 August 2013 at 15:14

    Great looking vikings

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    1. Colgar611 August 2013 at 17:21

      Thanks, Hobbyworker. It would be so easy to order more and expand this force, but I must try to stay focused!

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  2. rhingley11 August 2013 at 15:30

    Great looking set of Norsemen.

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    1. Colgar611 August 2013 at 17:22

      Thanks, Robert. I haven't quite decided if they come from Norway or from somewhere else (perhaps Orkney or the Outer Hebrides?).

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  3. Mathyoo11 August 2013 at 16:15

    I think they're great mate! Especially berserkers.

    Nothing much to say about warfare in middle ages - armies became smaller compared to those of antiquity and there was a general degeneration in art of war. From Canae we came to frontal assaults, where armies beat each other up until one gave up.

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    1. Colgar611 August 2013 at 17:24

      I used to think this about the Dark Ages too - that all warriors were pretty much interchangeable! However it looks to me as if Saga does a good job of representing differences in *culture*, even if the basic man and equipment are much the same for most of northern Europe!

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  4. wardy-la11 August 2013 at 18:13

    Lovely work there - I like the idea of 'naming' each model, it gives a great sense of character.
    Mark

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    1. Colgar611 August 2013 at 19:24

      Thanks. It wasn't too hard to find 25 plausible Viking names, but names for a similar number of Dark Age Scots was more of a challenge!

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  5. Simon Quinton 11 August 2013 at 18:25

    Great looking force mate. Love the shields and the berserkers pelts

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    1. Colgar611 August 2013 at 19:26

      The shields are, of course, decals - though the decals were a touch too small for the models and I had to fill in the perimeter with appropriate colours. It can be seen on some of the figures, if you look closely enough, though overall I'm very pleased with the way I managed to blend them in.

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  6. Endtransmission11 August 2013 at 18:49

    Brilliant work on those, especially the shield detailing. Saga is something I keep meaning to look into at some point as it sounds fun

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    1. Colgar611 August 2013 at 19:27

      Thanks, Paul. Yes, Saga sounds like fun - one of these days I'll have 2 forces ready and will be able to try it out :-) !

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  7. Zabadak11 August 2013 at 19:04

    You can't beat a bit of thud and blunder and you're right up with the cool kids with this warband as Vikings, Saga from gripping Beast seem to be all the rage atm
    Good looking and quite substantial bunch all told, bring on the Scots !

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    1. Colgar611 August 2013 at 19:29

      Saga does seem to be very popular right now, doesn't it?

      My Scots will be along soon - perhaps within a month. Until then you'll just have to imagine what they might be like :-) ...

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  8. Sean11 August 2013 at 22:12

    Nice work. Appropriately named Vikings. As usual you have a knack for drawing the observer/ player into the story. I want to know what these guys get up to.

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    1. Colgar612 August 2013 at 06:42

      Whatever they're up to, I'm sure it's not good! Hopefully we'll find out when we see the start of "Leif Gunnarson's Saga" real soon now.

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  9. cedric12 August 2013 at 17:43

    viking as raiders? what an idea. I always thought they were peaceful teachers going around with a strong sense of using their swords to make a philosophic point in their discussion.

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    1. Colgar612 August 2013 at 19:08

      I know. Crazy, isn't it? But I think I may be onto something :-) ...

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  10. Tito Pullo12 August 2013 at 18:24

    Great work! I have those vikings too and my girlfriend wants buying scots.

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    1. Colgar612 August 2013 at 19:09

      It would be good to see what you (and your GF) make of these models.

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  11. blacksmith13 August 2013 at 11:53

    Lovely vikings. Congratulations!

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