The Inspectors

Introduction

This will be just a short post tonight, as I've not been doing much recently (related to the hobby, at any rate).  I've nothing new to show, so here are some older figures of mine that haven't been made public before, so far as I remember.

The Inspectors

Logo for the unnamed corporation

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away I saw that Heresy Miniatures produced a set of 28mm figures that are collectively referred to as "The Inspectors".  These are delightful miniatures and I bought a set just because I liked them.  Having said that, they could be used for almost any modern or near future government or corporate types.  I've painted mine in a style that is deliberately reminiscent of the officers of the Imperial Navy in Star Wars...

From the left: Johnson, "Knuckles", Kane, Bob Jones and Camille Van Towe.

At the left hand end of the line up is Johnson.  Note that I'm using the names from the Heresy catalogue in this article as I haven't got round to adding names of my own.  Johnson is the supervisor, I think.  Both his sunglasses and his posture & attitude suggest to me that he's quite confident as an overseer.

Next in like is "Knuckles".  I've no idea what his real name is, but I suspect that this guy enjoys discovering minor transgressions in his job as an inspector.  Woe betide the poor victim who falls foul of this giant!

In the middle, Kane is examining a data pad and listening to instructions over his headset.  I imagine that he's a stickler for rules and regulations; he will check everything very thoroughly indeed.

In contrast, Bob has been in the job too long.  He's not really interested in anything except making life easy for himself as he waits for retirement.  Smugglers or infiltrators will find him an easy touch, I think.

Finally, Camille is the new recruit.  She's still quite unsure of herself and possibly a bit naive as well.

This shot from the rear shows 2 things quite well:

1. All of these figures have shoulder patches which display a logo; there is a larger version of this symbol at the top of this article.  It's traditional to invent a fictional corporation (usually evil) and associate goons such as these with that entity, but I haven't really got round to doing that yet.  I have the logo on the figures, but no names for the evil company for which they work.
2. The bases are all plastic and come from Champ Industries.  This is an American producer with a small, but very nice, range of 25mm bases.  Individually the bases are very cheap, though as always intercontinental postage is a killer if you're not already in North America.  I bought my bases many years ago, so I've no idea if this company is still operating.

So, what's a good name for a fictional corporation, then?  Not one that's already taken, of course...

SOBH: The Summoning of Asmodai

Introduction

2 battle reports back-to-back?  My last posting was also a battle report, so you may be wondering what's going on.  Well, last Saturday my friend Steve came over for the day.  As well as the Napoleonic game that we played in the morning, we had time in the afternoon to play Song of Blades and Heroes.


We debated briefly whether to use my Robin Hood warbands in our game, but in the end we went with the Witch Hunters.  This was mainly because I was keen to try out the Song of the Ancient Ones scenario from the Song of Wind and Water supplement.  The scenario revolves around magic users from one warband attempting to summon something supernatural from a shrine in the centre of a stone circle.  Sounds like a job for the witches!

The Scenario

The witches Meg and Agatha prepare to summon a demon from the circle of power.  Giant rats and ghouls accompany the hags, whilst a ghost drifts around nearby.

We played the Song of the Ancient Ones scenario straight out of the book.  The witches would be the defenders and would attempt to summon something nasty from the centre of the magic circle, whilst the local humans (soldiers and professional witch hunters) would try to stop them.

Roughly speaking, the witches have to build up 9 "power points" of magic in the circle and then cast a summoning spell to bring forth a demon.  This doesn't automatically grant them a win, but will add to their victory points and will (probably) give them a useful ally.

One thing that we found slightly confusing was the scenario's description of what happened if someone entered the ring of stones.  In the setup part of the scenario, it suggested that such an act would dissipate all the stored power and therefore the ritual would have to start again.  However in other parts of the description, one power point would be lost if someone stepped into the ring.  We went with the latter and further stipulated that each further activation by a character inside the ring would lose another power point.

Initial setup.  The men chose to place the mad monk and a few soldiers on the southern edge, whilst a large number of musketeers and various characters would approach from the north-west.  As well as their forces near the ritual circle, the witches placed a couple of enormous hellhounds just behind the trees near to the southern group of men.

The Game

John Sterne (the witch hunter) and 3 musketeers climbed the hill overlooking the dark ritual.  Immediately the ghost came drifting out of the darkness towards them.  One of the musketeers fled immediately in terror.  The remaining men, afraid to charge the awful creature, fired their muskets and pistols at it.  However, their shots passed straight through the apparition without harming it at all.

The ghost then turned on one of the other soldiers and gave another terrible shriek.  The man went pale, turned and fled!

Brother Matthew, the mad monk, ran as fast as he could towards the stone circle.  He was screaming threats, or maybe prayers, and waving his staff wildly.  Because he was frothing at the mouth, he was somewhat incoherent and nobody could work out what he was saying.

The troopers who had been with him followed cautiously.  They hadn't seen what lurked on the other side of the trees, but they were still uneasy and nervous.

Matthew ran straight for one of the witches in an attempt to prevent her from chanting the horrible ritual.  However, he was followed by one of the hellhounds; the monk had barely reached the hag when he was lifted off his feet and mauled by the monstrous creature.  It scored a gruesome kill on the poor madman but, fortunately for the humans, all of his friends were too far away to see his death in the darkness.

Deciding that the ghost was just a distraction, John Sterne came down off his hill and approached the stone circle from the north-west.  He was joined by Colonel Brandon, who had ranged ahead of his soldiers.  Frustratingly, the men found their way blocked by ghouls who had moved to intercept them.  Even though they were slightly over-matched by the humans, the evil creatures proved remarkably resilient.  Whenever one of the ghouls was knocked down it would just get back up.

The witches continued to chant their dark incantations, building up the power to a critical level (8 of the 9 necessary points for a summoning).  The monk had died a grisly death, the witch hunter and Colonel Brandon were blocked by ghouls and all the foot soldiers were quite a long way off.  What could the humans do?

John Sterne and Colonel Brandon both backed away from the ghouls that were in front of them, but neither man was able to get close enough to hinder the black ritual.  Instead, Major Fairfax came running through the night.  He dodged past the waiting ghouls and stood defiantly in front of the runestone at the heart of the circle.  "Hah!" he cried.  "Foul hags!  Your filthy work is undone!"  One power point was dutifully removed from the ritual.

As the major strutted, the witches redoubled their efforts.  Agatha chanted sufficiently to add 2 more power points, thus giving the circle the required charge of 9.  Meg then called on the infernal powers to summon and bind an agent of darkness to her will.  We rolled on the summoning table and got a '2', thus bringing on Asmodai, a Minor Ancient One.  Not the most exciting result, but a demon nevertheless...

"Oh, CRAP!" the major cried, as the fiend charged straight at him.  He wouldn't get any help from the witch hunter either, as John Sterne was still being obstructed by the ghoul pack.  Mind you, there were now so many figures milling about inside the magic circle that all hope of starting another summoning ritual were abandoned!

Meanwhile, where were all the soldiers?  Sergeant Stone and his squad had been ambushed by a hellhound as they came out of the woods in the south.  After a long fight in which the advantage swayed from one side to the other, the men eventually managed to knock down and then slay the brute [this was something of a sideshow for us; the figures involved were a long way down the priority list for activations].

The soldiers then jogged forwards towards Agatha.  Their attack was disjointed though, with some men lagging far behind the others.  Sergeant Stone was in the lead but to his dismay he found himself fighting a hellhound all on his own.  Worse, the witch caught his attention and he found that he could not avert his gaze.  As the savage beast tore him apart, all the poor, transfixed sergeant could think was "Those eyes!"

All was confusion in the northern part of the table.  The ghouls finally slew John Sterne and settled down to feast on his corpse.  Indeed, they were completely oblivious to everything else for quite some time after this [i.e. they failed every single activation roll that they attempted for many turns in a row].  The demon killed Major Fairfax, though not without some trouble.

This took the human side perilously close to half their starting strength.  They had lost all bar 1 of their special characters as well as several unnamed soldiers.  If they suffered even 1 more casualty then they would all take a morale test; this would probably destroy any hope they had of continuing to fight.  On the other hand, the witches had only lost one ghoul and a single hellhound!

Colonel Brandon retreated a little, but not from fear.  Rather he was now encouraging his troops; the musketeers fired as they advanced.

More humans attacking them was the last thing that the witches wanted, so the demon leaped forwards and snarled at the good colonel.  He wasn't having any of that, so he drew a pistol and blew its brains out!

Colonel Brandon followed up by attacking Meg herself, while 2 of his musketeers hovered close by to protect from any marauding enemies.  Despite Meg's screeches for help, the remaining ghouls were still far to interested in their meal and the witch had to fight alone.  With her back to one of the standing stones, she had nowhere to run.  Several times, the colonel stabbed the hag and she fell backwards across the rock, but each time she staggered back to her feet.  Finally, the old soldier thrust his sword deep into her heart and she fell for the last time.

On the other side of the circle of rocks, the soldiers were trying to face down the second hellhound.  Agatha ordered her giant rats to attack the men as well, but this proved to be a bad mistake.  The rodents approached one-at-a-time and the first such creature to come into reach was skewered on a halberd.  It died in agony [another gruesome kill] and its terrible squeals unnerved the hellhound, which then blundered about, trying to flee from the sound.  Escape was impossible: the beast was trapped against one of the standing stones and slain by the exultant soldiers.

Seizing their chance, 2 of the men charged straight at Agatha.  The witch wasn't expecting their fierce assault and fell beneath the repeated blows, never to rise again.

This last loss was too much for the evil side to bear.  Since they were now below half their original numbers, they took a morale test - which resulted in some of the rats running off at top speed.  The remaining ghouls decided that they didn't like the odds any more and slunk off into the night.  Only the ghost was left, endlessly drifting about the hills and fields...

Conclusion

That was a fascinating and very eventful game!  It went very much in the witches' favour to start with, but the humans made an amazing comeback.  When we added up the victory points at the end, we came up with these totals:

• Witches: 12 VPs for kills + 3VPs for a successful summoning = 15VPs
• Humans: 15VPs for kills = 15VPs

So, it's a draw!

• Man of the match was definitely Colonel Brandon.  He destroyed the demon and slew one of the witches personally, as well as coordinating his men in their final attack.
• On the evil side, the ghost was possibly the most fun.  It scared 2 musketeers so much that they are still running and frightened several more pretty badly.  In return it seemed invulnerable to all the shots that were fired at it.
•  Most useless: probably Brother Matthew, although the witch hunter John Sterne didn't accomplish much either.  Mind you, the giant rats were worse than useless for the evil side...

Black Powder: The Russians are coming!

Introduction

It's some time towards the middle or end of the Napoleonic wars.  Somewhere in central Europe, a Bavarian brigade is quartered in the sleepy town of Kufstein.  In the early morning, a frantic messenger arrives with news: an entire Russian division is approaching and will be here imminently!

General Hausmann, the Bavarian commander, quickly arrays his forces for defence and sends his own courier for help.  The nearest allied force is General Cotillard's French brigade, but can they reach the town before the Bavarians are attacked?  Even if they do arrive, the allies will still be outnumbered; can they avoid being overwhelmed by the Russian assault?

The Scenario

Terrain:

There is a small town (Kufstein) in the centre of the board.  The town is split into 2 districts by the road that runs through it; each district may be garrisoned by 1 unit.  All of this built-up area provides substantial defensive bonuses for any troops who are garrisoning it.

A few fields are scattered around the table.  The hedgerows which surround these provide some cover from shooting and a minor defensive bonus in melee.

There is a line of low hills to the east; these give height advantage when firing but they are too shallow to impede movement.

Forces:

The 3rd and 13th Bavarian line regiments garrison the town of Kufstein, whilst a couple of companies of the 6th light infantry hide behind hedges in a nearby field.

Allies:

• 1 brigade of Bavarians (2 battalions of line infantry, 1 battery of artillery, 1 regiment of light cavalry and 1 small unit of light infantry).  These are deployed anywhere on the table before the game starts.
• 1 reinforced brigade of French (2 battalions of line infantry, 1 battery of artillery, 1 regiment of light cavalry and 1 unit of light infantry) will arrive on the southern table edge from turn 2 onwards.  They need successful command rolls to move onto the table.

Russians:

• 2 brigades of infantry, each with 4 battalions of infantry and 1 battery of artillery.
• 2 brigades of cavalry (1 light, one heavy), each with 2 regiments plus a battery of horse artillery. 

All of the Russians start on the northern table edge and are available from the start of the game.

So, the Russians outnumber the Bavarians by about 4:1 .  Even if/when the French arrive, the Russians will still outnumber the combined allied force by about 2:1 .

Victory

This is determined only on possession of the town by the time the game ends (because we run out of troops or exceed a given time limit.  Or because we need to stop for lunch).  If either side holds both districts of the town then they win outright.  Otherwise if each side holds 1 district then it's a draw.

Our Game

Before the start of play, we decided to roll for the command abilities of each general and brigadier.  We used the very simple method of starting with a rating of 8 (competent) and then rolling a 'fudge' dice to adjust this up, down or not at all.  The results were thus:

• Bavarian: General Hausmann has an average rating of 8
• French: Both the allied commander in chief (Gen. Cotillard) and his brigadier (Gen. Leboeuf) have a dashing rating of 9.
• Russian: The Russian commander, General Raevskii, has an efficient command rating of 9.  Sadly, all of his brigadiers are plodding 7s.  Looks like Gen. Raevskii will need to do much of the work all on his own!

Early Moves

Unsurprisingly, the Russians advanced straight away.  A dense block of infantry in the centre made good progress, but the cavalry brigades on the wings were less eager and only moved slowly.

Initial contact was made between the lead Russian infantry and the Bavarian light troops.  The Russian column suffered significant losses in the attack, whilst the small unit of defenders drew back in good order to look for another hedgerow.

Stagnation

The French relief force came marching on at the double as soon as they were permitted.  This didn't look good for the Russians.  General Raevskii was tearing his hair out; his cavalry (which should have been ranging far ahead and interfering with the French advance) sullenly refused to move.  Even the 2 Russian infantry brigades were only just bringing troops into action - and that was only because Raevskii was issuing many of the orders personally.

A couple of Russian battalions did make it into position to attack the town, but they suffered very badly from defensive file.  The Bavarian position benefited from thick stone walls, so the Russian musketry made little impact in return.

A lone Russian battalion made its way to the eastern side of the town.  The Bavarian light horse moved forward to threaten it and force the Russians to form a square.  If that happened then the nearby Bavarian battery would have been able to pummel the infantry.  However, in a (for them) rare command mistake, the cavalry regiment didn't move far enough and left itself vulnerable to being shot.  Russian marksmanship was poor, though and the light horse escaped serious injury.

The Bavarian cavalry soon rectified their mistake, made a feigned charge and forced the Russians into a square.  Once that happened, the horsemen retired a short distance and let the cannons do their terrible work.

The Assault

The main body of Russian infantry now attacked.  One battalion charged the Bavarian light troops in the ploughed field and were savaged in doing so.  Another unit attacked the town, but their support failed to materialise.  The attackers did well to hold on briefly, under the circumstances.

In a bravura performance, the Bavarian light infantry in the field destroyed the battalion that was assaulting them across the hedge.  A further Russian unit attacked the town, but the defenders routed the original battalion and drove the newcomers back.  Indeed, the second Russian infantry were driven back to a position from which the Bavarian light infantry could now enfilade them at close range!

The End

As the French infantry started to arrive at the town, the Bavarian cannon made mincemeat of the poor Russian square (which dared not move through fear of the Bavarian cavalry).

To the west of Kufstein, the story was similar.  French infantry marched up, arrayed for battle, just as the 2 companies of Bavarian light infantry shot the enfiladed Russian battalion to pieces.  One Russian dragoon regiment finally advanced tentatively, but this was countered by a French Hussar unit and even though the 2 groups of cavalry were close enough to shout insults at each other, no contact was made.

This was too much for the Russians.  One infantry brigade broke and started to rout off the field.  General Raevskii ordered a withdrawal for his other forces.  There was little hope of taking the town with the 3 remaining battalions of the unbroken infantry brigade and the Russian cavalry probably wouldn't have achieved much even if they could be persuaded to advance.

Aftermath

That did not go as I had imagined it might!  Poor General Raevskii was surrounded by dullards and incompetents.  Even though his plan was quite reasonable and didn't require much finesse, his subordinates just wouldn't behave.  In fact, it looked strongly as if the Russian cavalry commanders were more concerned with their inter-service feuds than with fighting the enemy.  I wonder if Raevskii was an infantry officer before his promotion to General; perhaps the cavalry looked down upon him?

Some awards are due, I think:

• Unit of the match: The 6th Bavarian Light infantry did fantastically well.  This was a small unit (just a couple of companies, really) that was expected to be little more than a speed bump.  Instead, they destroyed 2 Russian infantry battalions and single-handedly held up the entire Russian advance on their side of the town.
• Most incompetent: Major-General Emannuel of the Russian hussar brigade probably wins this.  At least 1 unit of the dragoon brigade did advance a little at one point (though they retreated almost immediately when the French jeered at them), but the hussars just stood where they were for the entire game.
• Most frustrated commander: has to be the poor Russian leader, General Raevskii.  He spent the entire game trying to marshal the 2 infantry brigades into action only to be frustrated by his subordinates.  As soon as the artillery deployed, an infantry battalion would march in front of it and block its line of fire.  Units which were sent to outflank the town would either wander in the wrong direction and obstruct other battalions or would advance too far and find themselves isolated and shot to pieces by the enemy.
• Most bored unit: The Bavarian 13th line regiment spent the game holed up in the houses of Kufstein waiting for an assault that never came.  Even the Russian units which fired at them failed to do any damage.  At one point it looked as if these enemies had been issued sawdust instead of gunpowder: their shots literally couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, let alone the carefully-constructed Bavarian loopholes in the masonry of the buildings.

The Celtic Cross

Introduction

For several months now I have been looking for a Celtic Cross.  Although these days such crosses are most likely to be seen as tattoos or jewellery, I'm thinking more of the large stone monuments that were common near churches and holy sites during the early middle ages.  In other words, I was looking for a piece of scenery for my 28mm games of SAGA!

It's been surprisingly difficult to find what I need.  I did discover one model from a wargaming company a long time ago, but I felt it wasn't suitable for me.  I can't even remember why that was; perhaps it was the wrong scale, or the international postage was too high.  Maybe it was some other reason.

Then I found, almost by accident, that there is a huge variety of moulds of different objects sold on eBay.  These are intended primarily for cake decorating, but a silicone mould can be used for a wide range of materials as well as for chocolate!

The Mould

Most of the moulds I found are of little use to me (flowers, birds, scrollwork and the like) but I did find one for a Celtic Cross.  So, I spent the necessary £3-and-a-bit and the mould was with me in just a couple of days.

The mould itself is about 45mm (1.5") across and is made from blue silicone rubber.  As such, it's heat resistant; the inset claims that it is suitable for casting in chocolate, marzipan, wax, soap, plaster and a number of other materials.

I decided to use casting powder (aka "dental plaster" or "hydrostone"?) to make my model.  I do like marzipan, but I had doubts as to how well it would take paint and glue.  As for soap...

So, I cast 2 crosses from the mould.  These are quite thin; I smoothed off the backs with some coarse sandpaper.  The 2 parts were then glued together, back to back.  I needed to add a little filler around the seam, but that wasn't too hard.

The Setting

My cross was going to be on a little hillock.  I used a little piece of MDF as the base and added some foam sheet on top of that.  This was then sculpted (by hot wire cutter and sandpaper) into a small knoll.  I pinned the cross to the hill with florist's wire, though it might have been enough just to glue it without such reinforcement.

Next, the base was coated with white glue.  I added a few small clusters of grit and then covered the rest with clean sand (taken from the kids' sand pit, dried and sterilised).

Painting

This was a very simple model to paint.  Firstly, it was sprayed with grey undercoat.  The cross was given a black wash and was then drybrushed lightly with a pale grey.  The dirt was painted in a dark, chocolate brown and then drybrushed twice with successively lighter browns.

Finishing

To finish, I glued a fair amount of static grass to the base.  Some clumps of foam were used as bushes.  Finally, I touched the larger lumps of grit with a stone grey paint (I should have done this earlier, before adding the grass, but I forgot).  I'm not totally happy with my basework, but it'll have to do.

So there it is: a Celtic Cross suitable for use with 28mm figures.  I don't think it would look amiss with 20mm or 15mm figures either, though obviously it would represent a correspondingly bigger monument.

I shall probably use it as an objective in the SAGA "Sacred Ground" scenario, or maybe just as scatter scenery.  If/when I ever get round to making my Celtic monastery (Scheltrum Miniatures has just the right buildings!) then this will fit in perfectly.  And of course I can make as many more of these as I want, any time!

Hogni's Saga: the fight at the ford

"By the River fettered Fenrir will lie till draws nigh the doom of the Gods."

This week, there was no meeting of the Helensburgh Games Club.  It's in something of a crisis since numbers have plummeted and we're trying to decide what, if anything, can be done to revive it.

Instead, my sons and I played a game of SAGA at home, so at least my readers can have their regular battle report!

We set up the standard "Battle at the Ford" scenario, with 5 points-worth of troops on each side.  In this game, the field is divided into two parts by a river which is only passable at 2 places (a ford and a bridge for our version).  After 7 turns, the winner is the player who has the most troops on the enemy's side.

My youngest son and I took the Vikings; our plan was for the berserkers to storm the bridge, followed up by a large unit of warriors to hold the ground.  In the south, the rest of our troops would line up on our side of the ford and prevent the Scots from crossing.  Simple, right?

"Týr is the boldest and most courageous, and it is very much up to him who wins in battle. For men of action, he is good to invoke."

With a rush, the Scots charged across the ford before the Vikings had even realised what was happening.  They used their long spears to Reach, causing the first casualty of the game to the startled Norsemen.

At the bridge, much the same thing happened.  The Scots were most of the way across the bridge before the Vikings could react.  OK, change of plan: we need to stem the flood before we're overwhelmed by the Scots' reserves!
 

"Falling in battle is the lot of brave men."

The Viking hirdmen charged in to try to dislodge the group of Scots warriors who had already crossed the river.  Although they felled a couple of the intruders, they were met with A wall of spears and all the hirdmen were slain.

At the bridge, the Vikings rushed the Scots spearmen.  One warrior was slain on each side in a fairly inconclusive fight; the attackers withdrew a short way to consider their next move.  This was not going the way I'd hoped, not at all!

"His own men went to battle without coats of mail and acted like mad dogs or wolves. They bit their shields and were strong as bears or bulls. They killed people, and neither fire nor iron affected them. This is called berserker rage."

Right, time to send in the berserkers.  Fuelled with the power of Ullr, the 4 frothing Viking fighters charged at the tired Scots warriors on the bridge.  Let's see now: 16 attack dice, hitting on 3+ (because of Scot's fatigue) and re-rolling any misses (Ullr) - that should do the trick!

Of course, one thing about the berserkers is that they're not wearing any armour and are therefore rather easier to hit than average.  They cleared the bridge, but all died in the process.  Not quite what I had in mind...

"To Odin many a soul was driven,
To Odin many a rich gift given.
Loud raged the storm on battle-field,
Axe rang on helm, and sword on shield."

At the ford, both sides rushed in reinforcements, including their respective warlords.  The Scots had more men and most of them were thanes (hearthguard class) against the Vikings' Bondi (plain warriors), so it was looking grim for myself and my young apprentice.

Casualties started to mount up on both sides - but the Scots had the better of it.  They could afford to trade man for man, but the better-armoured thanes were cutting down the Viking Bondi faster than they were taking losses themselves.

"Do you see there that all our men have fallen, and it appears to me most likely now that we will be Odin’s guests in Valhalla tonight... We will never flee from our enemies but rather endure their weapons."

The Scots warriors joined in as well, defeating their opposite numbers and causing the bondi to fall back and leave Leif gunnarson (the warlord) exposed.  The Vikings took great pleasure in using the power of Loki to wipe out the remnants of the Scots warriors immediately after this (Loki only works on units of 3 or fewer warriors or levy; the Scots warrior unit lost a man in their victory over the bondi).  So, that brings the odds down to 6 thanes and Macbheatha, the enemy warlord, against Leif and 3 bondi.  Not good odds!

"Each man must at one time die. No one may escape dying that once, and it is my counsel that we not flee, but for our own part act the bravest."

The warriors at the bridge surged forward, but found their way blocked by a thin line of Scots thanes.  In a bloody encounter, 3 men from each side fell and the Vikings pulled back to lick their wounds.

At the start of turn 6 (of 7), the Scots had 9 victory points for figures on the opposite side of the river (1 warlord and 3 thanes) against 0 for the Vikings.  The ford and the bridge are too far apart for reinforcements from one to reach the other before the end of the game.

"When the watchman of the gods shall blow the shrieking horn, the warrior sons of Othin will be summoned to the final battle."

First things first: the 6 warriors at the bridge charged at their sole remaining foe.  Even though the Scots thane tried to Hold the Ground, he was overwhelmed for no loss to the attackers.  At least that's 6 victory points to the Vikings which cannot really be challenged.

Now the 2 warlords and their bodyguards set to and fought each other.  The initial clash left 1 dead on each side, but the Vikings couldn't afford that rate of exchange.

Macbheatha and his thanes attacked the Viking warlord, but in a burst of enthusiasm, Leif slew 2 of these enemies and sent the Scots warlord reeling backwards.

Sensing a change, Leif called out to Hogni, his last remaining warrior.  "Come on lad!  Let's finish this b*stard off!"  Hogni was fired up with thoughts of Heimdal and gained a number of attack dice, though at the cost of leaving himself more vulnerable.  Whilst Leif and Macbheatha circled each other warily, Hogni charged in and delivered a mortal blow to the Scot.  He didn't escape injury himself, though: the brave warrior collapsed and lay bleeding after his ferocious attack.

Turn 7 - the last turn of the game.  The remaining Scots thanes pondered whether to attack Leif, but decided that this would be very hard to achieve with just 2 SAGA dice.  Instead they fled, hoping to preserve the 6 victory points that they represented.

The final act of the game was for Leif.  He could have tried to chase down one or more of the Scots, but there was a risk that he would fail to kill any; this would leave the scores tied at 6 points each.  Alternatively, he could cross the river himself and thus add 3 more victory points to the Viking total.

Weary and bloodstained, Leif jogged across the ford and the Vikings claimed the victory, 9 points to 6.  Hogni's valour would be remembered for many a day!