Norman Crossbows

Finished these a bit ago, but just now getting around to posting it. Enough for a Saga game!

These are from Black Tree Design. Nice figures, but it does mean there are two of each pose in the unit. I can live with it. Painted with the usual mix of Vallejo and Testors.

I now have a full four points of Normans for Saga, five if I add a priest. I have a few more odds and ends to paint, but what I would really like are some mounted warriors without armor, and some archers. Gotta have some archers in a Norman force.

While Saga places a great emphasis on mounted Normans given the options on the battle board, I'm not convinced it was all horses all the time back in the years after 1066. Horses are expensive, and transporting difficult. And the terrain wasn't always suitable. So I will probably do at least one or two more units of foot troops.

Need to get a game in one of these days!

The full force so far

More Normans

More Normans! Four knights on foot with spears, and a warlord! And a banner! And two extra guys for good measure.

I know, they would do better in Saga with horses. But as I noted before, I have to believe a significant portion of the Norman army still fought on foot. So there it is. And don't worry, I have at least one more unit of mounted knights to paint. And with word of Footsore Miniatures Normans coming, I surely will be tempted to get a unit of mounted warriors. And some archers.

Wait, wasn't this supposed to be a quick side project?

I actually thought I would need to paint up at least one more unit to reach a four-point Saga force, then I realized I could just spend a point on a priest. So technically, I think they are good to go. Anyone?

Oh, the knights with spears are from Black Tree Design, while the warlord and his pals are from Crusader Miniatures. All very nicely done, clean and easy to paint with the usual mix of paints. 

One final note, I had planned on using some Little Big Men Studios transfers on the shields, and while they are very nice and I have had great success with them on Saxons and Scots, they didn't quite fit these shields as well. Not their fault, they weren't designed for BTD. So I used them as a guide to paint the shields. They turned out all right, I think.

Normans on Foot? Without Armor?!

I really like Saga. A lot. I mean, there is a lot to like about it. A warband creation system that is easy to grasp, right-size units that won't break the bank or the painting queue and, of course, the differentiation between factions using the battleboards.

For all that, there are still a few puzzling bits. For example, I've always wondered about the lack of rules addressing attacking uphill. Seems that should get at least a fatigue or something. But that's not the point here. Another puzzling bit has been the total eschewing of Norman foot troops.

Now, don't get me wrong. The sight of a line of Norman knights mounted on their hardy warhorses is surely something to stir the heart and the imagination. It's a great basis for the factional character in the game. But what about the chaps on foot? Those who couldn't afford a horse? Or, perhaps, had to leave it behind in Normandy? Surely the Norman army had a large contingent of good old fashioned poor bloody infantry.

So that's where I'm going with my Norman force. This is my first painted unit of foot troops, some unarmored warriors. They don't count for much on the Norman battleboard, but that's what house rules are for, right? I'm sure I'll think of something. After all, I have quite a few more of these fellows to paint. I also have about three units of dismounted knights awaiting the brush as well.

These particular minis come from Black Tree Design. They were very easy to paint, using the usual mix of Vallejo and Testors. One downside is there are only four poses spread amongst the eight, so there is some repetition. But then again, who's looking at them? Everyone is watching the knights on their mighty steeds!

Watch this space for more Normans!

A Start on 1066 and All That

As a Saga player, I suppose it's inevitable one would eventually start thinking about 1066 and all that, with visions of shield walls standing stalwart atop a hill in Sussex, and the sounds of the thundering hooves of mighty Norman horse approaching. Banners are unfurled, battle cries are screamed.... Well, you get the idea.

Of course my Saxon force is the most "complete," with a good six points ready to go at any time. I could probably scrape a few more, maybe eight? Just a few more to paint and I'll call it Anglo-Dane as well. And my Viking force is nothing to scoff at either. At least four points there. Maybe six? I'd like another unit of hearthguards.

But I digress. Today marks the start of something new - the Normans! These have been languishing around a while, but I am happy with how they turned out. They are Black Tree Design figures, with the usual mix of Vallejo and Testors paints.

This is the first Dark Ages cavalry I have done, horses always being somewhat of a challenge. But I think I am getting better at them.

These mounted men of Normandy will form the nucleus of my Norman force. They will serve as mounted hearthguard. I will probably do one more unit of mounted hearthguard, then I have some warriors, and even a unit of crossbowmen.

I should probably get some archers. After all, someone needs to shoot at Harold's eye.

This faction will probably never quite get as big as my Saxon/Anglo-Dane, but who knows?

Sdkfz 221 ... Finally

Actually, this has been done for a while. I just now got around to taking a photo. I had to look, I first made a post in March of last year showing this Black Tree Design Sdkfz 221 in all its multi-piece gory, I mean, glory.

To put it bluntly, this was a challenge. Lots (and lots) of glue, filler, sanding, priming, more filling, and finally it started to take shape. I wish I had some in progress pics, but there it is. In the end, it turned out not bad. I still think it's a bit large for 28mm or 1/56, checking in at 1/50 or so, but as long as it's not parked next to my Warlord resin pieces, it should be OK.

And, I have to say, this thing is HEAVY. That's a lot of thick metal there.

One of these days, I need to get an early war game going. I have plenty now for some small forays in Norway, or even some messing about in Belgium or France against the BEF.

220, 221. Whatever it takes.

Bonus points to anyone who gets that headline.

But what we're really looking at here is a 221. Sdkfz 221. German armored car. Sort of. At least the pieces for same. Lots of pieces. Lots of metal pieces. Lots of heavy, metal pieces.

This is the Sdkfz 221 from Black Tree Design, listed at 25mm, but it looks closer to 1/50 or even 1/48 than 1/56 to my eye and compared to the Warlord Games vehicles I have, including the Sdkfz 222. I'll try to get a comparison shot at some point.

I've actually had this for probably 10 years or so, but have never had the courage to attempt it. Now, with my German motor pool finally growing, I think it's time.

As you might suspect with an all metal kit, fit is, well, a relative term. At first it appeared horrible, but as I started filing and sanding last night, it started to get better. Not great, or even good, but not as bad. I think I can make this work. It's going to take quite a bit of epoxy, plenty of squadron putty and lots of good old fashioned elbow grease, but I think in the end it will make a reasonable armored car to support my blitzkrieging early war Germans. (Which, by the way, I thought I had three squads, but can only find two! Another order, perhaps...)

And yes, I've been slacking in the photo department, but I have completed six motorcycles (four with sidecars), a Pz Ib and a Skfz 221. I have a kubelwagen almost done, and am well along on an Opel Blitz truck and a Hanomag. The Hanomag is a Warlord plastic kit, considerably lighter than the BTD 221!

On a related note, I have also prepped and primed a second Belgian squad, so maybe soon there can even be a game.

So did you get the headline?

Black Tree Design Stepping Up Its Game

The bulk of my dark age figures used for Saga come from Black Tree Design, along with some from Gripping Beast and Artizan, and some that have been lying around from Old Glory for ages. I took advantage of BTD's most recent sale to place a small order to fill in some gaps, and this is what arrived yesterday.

The most obvious addition is the nice tin, which will certainly be put to use storing something. Maybe markers for use in Saga?

And the labels on the bags are a simple addition, but lend a whole new level of professionalism to the whole thing. Necessary? No, not really. But nice? Oh, definitely.

The figures themselves, as usual, are excellent. I have no idea who sculpted these, or how old they are, but they still look good. I have several WW2 figs from them, which some are better than others there, to be honest, but the dark age stuff has all been great and paints up exceptionally well.

It appears Black Tree is open to suggestions for how to improve. I've heard horror stories about delivery times in the past, which must be mainly in Europe. I've never had an issue in several orders in the U.S. So, if I had two thoughts to convey, it might be:

1. Expansion of the dark age ranges, particularly the Scots, who need command for sure, and some heavier equipped warriors, and maybe some cavalry
2. Resin WW2 vehicles

So if you haven't before, give Black Tree a look. I wish them well, and can't wait to see what they do next.

Saving the Saxon Village from Marauding Vikings

Sunday I was lucky enough to get in another game of Saga with good 'ol Jon. Despite him being able to seemingly call down all the gods from Asgaard for assistance using the Saga battleboard, and some uncharacteristic good dice rolling on his part, my Saxons were finally able to do in his warlord and save the day. The villagers are safe once again!

We were actually a little confused about inflicting hits on the warlord, and may still not have done it right. But so it goes. I need to look that up some more.

There are still some rules that puzzle us, like the uphill attacks and use of cover, etc., but as has been pointed out, Saga is first and foremost a GAME. It's fun. So we go with it.

I have some Dark Age civilian types on the table that I hope to use as future objectives - monks, women, etc. And I still have a bunch of unpainted Normans, but am inspired really to get a few more Vikings and paint them up. I also need to do something about a Scots/Irish faction. Ah, the list never ends!

Without further ado, the photos...

Goose for supper? Maybe when we're done.

Overview of the battle. Crops are carpet samples from Menard's. :)

My warlord, surveying the scene.

Saxon hearthguard.

More Saxon hearthguard - freshly painted BTD with incomplete bases.

I like how he turned out. Looks like he's been in a few scraps.

Come on, you pagans!

The warlord, joined by his brave warriors.

A Late Summer Saga

After just dabbling in hobby stuff the last couple months, it was time for a full blown gaming day to kick off Labor Day weekend!

So up came my regular opponent, Jon, with his Vikings in an attempt to conquer Essex sometime in the 9th century. Yes, it was time to finally get those dark age minis on the table and give Saga a try!

Certainly Saga has been reviewed plenty of times elsewhere, so there is no need to go into details here. Suffice to say, our voices now join the chorus singing the praises of this system. We had a blast. In only about five hours, we got three games in. Not bad at all considering we were both learning the rules and playing for the first time. And every single game was incredibly even matched and literally came down to the last roll as our warlords went at it mano a mano. In the end, my Anglo Saxons won two of the three.

As we were learning, we basically just lined up some troops and went at it and didn't worry too much about scenarios. A brief recap of our 4-point games...

Game 1 saw the Vikings attempting to advance on a Saxon village. A line of Saxons came out to meet them. After an initial volley from my archers, Jon moved in and it turned into a nice slugfest. After eying each other for a couple turns, our warlords finally advanced on each other to settle the matter. I won. :) Lessons learned here were a 12 model unit of levies doesn't do much. Better to split them up. On the other hand, Anglo-Saxons definitely do better in larger groups, and may be better suited to a 6-point game.

Game 2 had a road running down the center, mostly open terrain. Both sides advanced, with me placing a unit of 12 warriors in the center, with two groups of six levies on the flanks. It worked for a bit, but my hearthguard was unexpectedly taken out. Some of those Viking abilities are wicked! Loki? Wow. And when my warriors got knocked below the 10 threshold, it turned into another even match before his warlord finally mustered the courage and (with a lucky roll ;) ) took mine out.

Game 3 we experimented with terrain. We put lots of trees and hills on the table, which really slowed movement and made us think more about our approach. In the end it was another close fought game, with my warlord finally putting an end to things. The thing that bothered us most in this game is the lack of any sort of penalty for attacking uphill. We thought perhaps one's armor could be reduced by 1 when attacking up hill, or at least be given an automatic fatigue beforehand. Doesn't seem like it would be that tough to employ, and would reward a player for gaining the high ground. Or perhaps the defender could simply be considered to be in cover? Something needs to be done there.

Anyway, without further ado, some photos of the festivities. Figures are a mix of Old Glory, Black Tree Design and Crusader. Jon's Vikings are plastic.

Too many levies put in one place.

Some warriors from Black Tree Design.

Sneaky Vikings trying to come through the woods.

Battle is joined!

Whew. Getting tired.

You looking at me, punk?

Hey, where did everyone go?

All right, let's do this...

Game, 12 Anglo Saxon warriors ready to rock.

Splitting the levies up helped.

Table overview. Love that Saga doesn't need much room.

Another view.

Game 3. That's a hill, not a Mayan pyramid.

Claire checking out dad's toys. And yes, the table is set on my Mustang. Poor Mustang.

Anglo Saxons go over the top! Sort of.

It's a race to the top!

I won. But did it matter?

My warlord, on the hunt for Vikings.

Random archer shot.

First Gaming Purchases of 2012

Post-holiday, budget constraints have not been lifted. Oh, there is plenty I would like to buy for my hobbies, but I'm reaching a few realizations:

1. I'm never going to get to everything
2. I need to sell off some of what I have and use the proceeds to fund the hobbies
3. I need to finish (or at least make progress on) what I have, both "hot" projects and those long put aside
4. The Mustang is going to eat up some cash this spring, and I need to be prepared

That said, I have budgeted some funds to take to Spartacon this weekend with the intent to buy some CY6 planes from Dave at I-94, who will be in attendance. I think the CY6 project is a worthy one at this time, especially given I've actually played a couple games! An anomaly, to be sure.

That said, the second, I did spend a small bit of money over the weekend on gaming. To wit:

1. The Black Tree Design sale was too good to pass up, and I ordered some fallschirmjagers. I don't really need them, but I already have a small collection of FJ, and this fills in a couple holes. So when I do paint them up, I should have all I need. I ordered a mortar team, a communications team a few riflemen and a PAK 36 (that was the frivolous one), all for just over $20. Not bad, especially with free shipping.
2. Three files of paper models from Paper Tiger, including a Russian truck, a German truck, a kubelwagen, Sdkfz 251 and Sdkfz 222. I just couldn't justify ~$30 for each of those given how infrequently they will likely see the table. $3 is a great deal, if I can figure out assembly!

Next what I need to do is compile a list of what I want for 2012 and start prioritizing. I'd like to do that this week, and maybe create one of these posts that I can come back and edit as needed.

Turn the Dark On

The Dark Ages. Whew. I haven't pulled these out in quite a while. But after talking to my buddy a few weeks ago about Saga, and resisting him trying to talk me into buying some plastic Saxons, I thought I would take a peek to see what I have already. Just in case Saga comes to a gaming table near me, of course.

The verdict is, I think I could probably put something together based on what I have read about the game, at least in terms of Vikings and Picts. I have a start on Saxons, and have a more (Black Tree Design) that I could paint up.

The bulk of the Picts are from Gripping Beast, along with some from Foundry. The Vikings are a mix of Old Glory and Gripping Beast, while the Saxons are also a mix of those two manufacturers, along with the aforementioned BTD.

The full spread, Picts on the left, Saxons in the middle and Vikings on the right.

A Pict mounted leader. (Gripping Beast)

King Harold his ownself. (Gripping Beast)

A Viking leader type. (Gripping Beast_

I will try to put some specific numbers up on the Dark Ages page soon, but for now here are some photos to whet the appetite. This remains a lower priority project, but it is on the radar and these shall not be passed along to the Moving Out eBay pile.

Oh, and to explain the post title: One of my little girls doesn't quite get the lights go on and off, only that light comes on and then dark comes on. So at bedtime, she tells mom and dad to "turn the dark on." Gotta love it.