Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Bad Squiddo Shieldmaidens for Saga

Painting projects take longer these days.  These ladies have been on my work bench for a while over a month.  So long that I've actually done several WIP images over on facebook. 
 The banner woman is one of several great sculptures in this set.
 She looks balanced and alert but relaxed as if she is on guard.
 I might need to do a little extra dry brushing so she looks less dirty.
 This gal from the unarmored sword woman pack will be my Valkyrie when I use these laddies a Shield maiden unit in Saga.
 Her stance is almost like one form the I.33 manual she's ready and waiting for her foe to make the first move at which point the counter attack will be devastating.
 I decide to give her some scalp tattoos you can decide for yourself what these might be.  I figure her top layer is leather armor of some sort over her upper class tunic.
 The  other sword women have similarly balanced but more aggressive stances both having a variation on a guard similar to the "wrath" guard.  
Our second sword lady is in a similar guard in dead I think its exactly the same one except she has started her step forward with her rear leg so her whole weight will be behind the blade.  
 The Spear women are also great figures striking a nice balance between an active pose and a resting position.
 The Sax style daggers/short words are a nice feature on many of these models.  This one's is very visible.  The Sax was a common secondary weapon in the dark ages something more than a knife, not quite a sword.  
 The final spear woman has an almost tentative body language.  I imagine this lass in in her first battle, she'll probably go with the unit of female militia (Levys in Saga) I plan to field.  A noble woman gainong a little experience by guarding those who fight with slings and bows.   I tried to use colors that fit with the Dark Age color pallate  and I wanted them to look like they come from a common background with out looking uniform.

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Devens Game Day: Gunfight on the Arctic Circle.

For the annual Fort Devens Museum Game day I oped to run my Gun Fight on the Arctic Circle game.  For the historical back ground take a look here though the OOB is not the same.   I simplified the forces.  USS Washington, USS Tuscaloosa and USS Wichita Vs. the Tirpitz and Hipper.  The USN Commander would have the option to call in Destroyers form convoy PQ-15.  The German Player had the option to call for Subs and Air support.  I had determined a head of time that the Allied Air support would be fighter cover only with one torpedo bomber strike on the Germans.

 I had two very good players Mark who I Gamed with several times on the left and John who I met for the first time. John is a Navy vet who served in fleet Tugs and he told me with a twinkle in is eye that he had been shot at by three navies, while towing target sleds😁The Washington arrives from off table on Turn 3 giving the Germans a few turns to maneuver.
 John Played a very cagey game working toward the convoy but keep at extreme range with were the Germans gunnery had a slight but important advantage.  He was helped by two U-boats.  One of them landed a light hit on the Washington (doing very minor damage) and another who missed the Wichita but forced the ship to make evasive maneuvers slowing its efforts to close on the Germans.
 Fairly early on the Wichita was put out of action.  American Damage control got the fires under control but Mark move her out of the battle area.
 Mark managed to claw the Washington int range but took some serious hits form the Tirpitz's longer reach.
 Tirpitz landed several high angle shots threw causing flooding and a list.
 US damage control managed to get things under control and the Washington was showing good gunnery.  The Tirpitz also fought off an attack by a flight of 4 Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers
 Tirptiz and Washington closed from extreme to long range and Washington's heavier punch began to really tell.
 The Tuscaloosa and Hipper had been battling and Hipper made a turn for home Tuscaloosa got in one really heavy broad side causing both flooding and setting Hippers torpedo mounts on fire. The Hipper struck back sinking the Tuscaloosa.
Washington however had found the range and with Tirpitz no longer able to take advantage of plunging fire her return fire though as accurate as before was not able to punch through the American's armored belt. The 16 inch shells of the Washington smash the Tirpitz and she sinks.  The Hipper makes good her escape was the Washington is down several points of speed.  I think the modified scenario gave the Germans a much better chance of winning. John held his air and sub support in reserve (Mark did the same with his destroyers).  The attack on the convoy lead to two large merchants being sunk by German air craft but the U-Boats had a bad day getting 0 hits thanks to US Destroyer men's excellent defense.  

Friday, October 19, 2018

Saga Into the Salughter Norse Gaels Vs Vikings

   Last nights game was a scenario called "Into the Slaughter" basically fight until one of the warlords dies or is driven M away from any of three makers (the bushes you can see above).  By Norse Gale warlord is facing off against John's Vikings.
John's boys are lead by Ragnar but the rest of his force is quite different from his normal mix.  Two Levies armed with javelins are backing up two units of four hearth guards. 
He's also giving his steppe nomads a try a very coll looking unit with great power to annoy. 
 My Army has one big unit (12) of javelin armed warriors, two six man units of Dane Ax armed warriors.  I've also got four Hearthguard with Dane Axes and another unit of six Hearthguard with standard equipment.
 John had a unit of levies run up they took out my Dane Axe men but took serious damage themselves.
 My warriors fall a bit short to reaching their target they got charged in turn by Johns Hearthguard and lost four of their number
John used Odin to Exhaust my Javelin men who fail to score any kills.
 The Huns make a quick strike but do no damage  then fall back.
 John's second Heathguard unit cripples my Javelin men laving only two! I kill one Hearthguard in return...
 Then John tightens up his formation.  My Dane ax armed warriors drive off then Huns
 My Hearth Guard crash into John's Levy and kill half of them at the loss of one of their own.
 There has been lots of death on both sides but nothing decisive. I deiced to force the issue.
 With King of the Isles in effect (and loaded battle board) I move my warlord in and dare Ragnar to come for me. John hits me first with is last two Hearth Guard.  I take a chance and don't use as many battle board abilities as I could...
 I survive just barley... then Ragnar comes in.
Its an epic battle with buckets of dice thrown on both sides the result is both of us die.  I imagine the final scene with us both wrestling on the ground choking and stabbing each other like mad.  It was a good game but it needs a some slight modification.  since the survival of your warlord is the only way to win it encourages a bunker mentality John and I both mostly ignored this instinct so we hit a resolution but had both of us played more carefully the game could have gone a very long time.