Saga at Guardian Games - much fun had

Last Saturday, the day before Father's Day, we had a table reserved at Guardian Games and had a Saga game. We also used this as an opportunity to promote the game and fielded many questions and let people handle our minis and terrain.

The first game was between some new guys. I lent them 4 points of Vikings and 4 points of Normans. I set up some terrain and let them go at it. Both are experienced gamers obviously and picked up the rules like a kid picks up cold viruses. This is them in the foreground, back ground was Spencer and Kyle facing off Anglo-Danes vs. Anglo-Danes.

Normans, after taking a good drubbing by the Vikings, won this one by a hair. Very effective use of ranged attacks.

Speaking of Anglo-Danes vs. Anglo-Danes:

I did not see the end of that one but I hear Spencer won it as Kyle left his Warlord exposed and forced Spencer's Warlord into a duel. Spencer rolled 5 hits or something like that. Warlord on Warlord violence... such a shame.

We took a little break, I had a few hard ciders offered up by The Critical Sip, Guardian Games' "tavern" within the game area, and we BSed a bit about general gaming stuff. The new guys left and that left me, Spencer, and Kyle. All that was left to do was a game between Spencer and I.

His Anglo-Danes vs. my Vikings. A grudge match!!

We set it up as per the RAW and got terrain laid out, mostly what you see in the middle. My grand plan was to get my slingers into the rocky hill in the middle for cover, force a major engagement in the middle with my 8 Hearthguard unit, Val'serkers, and Warlord doing most of the dice rolling.and warriors on the flanks coming in to pick off decimated Anglo-Dane units.

Spencer's big plan was to roll better than me and kill all my Vikings. His plan came to fruition and he took the day... again!

To close off the blog post - the grand pic of 2 Saga games going on at once:

Adventure (gear) - why I carry a flashlight and what it is

I got up at 4am this morning. My wife opens at Starbucks at 0430 and I need to give her a ride in as the buses don't run that early/late here. We were walking up to where my truck is parked, I had my flashlight on, and I saw a guy crouching and trying to hide in the bushes up by the parking lot. I clocked him the whole time and he ran up to the sidewalk and tried to make it look like he was just walking down the sidewalk.

My wife and I approached my truck and the white male adult said, "Have you seen a small black lab? I'm looking for it."

"Nope." my Surefire Executive Elite was in his direction but I did not pop him in the face with it as it is 100 lumens. He then walked over to the bus stop across the street and sat down.

My wife got into the truck and called non emergency to report it while I scanned the parking lot. Saw my neighbor's scooter's cover was pulled off. I looked closer and you could see the cable lock (to a cinder block) was in disarray. Anyways, it got reported, the guy got up and walked down the street as he saw we were checking things out, and we went about our business.

I'm pretty sure if it weren't for the flashlight I would have not seen that guy when I did (from a good distance and in the bushes). Not going to be all dramatic and say it saved my life but it sure helped me out this morning. On a more mundane note I use my flashlight pretty regularly to find files that slipped off the shelf and fell behind/under it, look under desks for things, signal to cars I am a pedestrian and crossing the street, lighting up an alley so I can use them as a short cut... there are many common tasks I do normally with a flashlight. half the time it's in my pocket, the other half of the time it's in my daily commuter bag.

I used to carry a MiniMag, we've all seen them and we can still find them at almost any store. I used to be in the "who needs all the lumens camp" until I did a search and rescue training course at the local fire department training center in 2005. I was the last guy in the line of my 6 person team, my job was to  make sure we could find our way back out of the structure in case we needed to get out of it. My MiniMag worked fine until the trainers filled the room with smoke and told us we needed to leave and my MiniMag was bright enough to illuminate the smoke in a way I was totally blinded.

I'm "feeling" my team out of the building when the guy next to me says, "Here dude, use this." and he handed me a Surefire G2. Not only did it throw down some serious illumination, I swear it made that training smoke move out of the way. I got us out in less than one minute.

My buddy told me he was National Guard, got deployed to Iraq in 2004, and they all got those flashlights. Said it was the best flashlight he ever had. I bought one for myself for Xmas a few months later. Pricey but worth it. Then I became a flashlight junky.

Anyways, I carry a good flashlight because I found it comes in very handy. Also, a majority of the time I have a pistol near me for self-defense. One of the Cooper Rules is "know your target" and being able to see, clearly, helps with that.

All the above said, when people ask my advice on what kind of flashlight to get (which I turn around and ask what they plan to do with it) and most of the time I end up suggesting the very available and affordable Coleman

It's very bright at 90 lumens, I've seen it go as cheap as $16, runs on AAA batteries, is usable-y sturdy, and is a good utility flashlight. I would not go much cheaper than the price of this thing... I've yet to find a decent flashlight in the sub $15 range that was not a mini light you put on a keychain or something.

Or you could be like me and blow $100 (on sale) on a Surefire.

Veteran of the US Navy

I am a veteran. I joined the Navy in 1989 right out of high school. I did so as it was one of the few choices I seemed to have at the time for some college money and to get away for a bit as I find it important for a young person to cut the apron strings and go try being an adult. Whether joining the military right out of high school makes you and adult or not is another story... but that was my plan back in the late 80s.

I served on the USS St. Louis (LKA 116), noted by President Bush Senior as one of the best in the 7th Fleet. We were an amphibious ship, mission was to get heavy equipment on a combat beach. You'd be amazed how handy an armored up bulldozer is when you're some Marine stuck on a hot beach. A huge truck with a fresh water tank on the back is pretty nice too. That and tanks and APCs and conex boxes of ammo and supplies. It's what we put on them beaches.

The USS St. Louis was forward deployed in Sasebo Japan - so I lived there for 2 years when I was not out to sea. I was a deck ape, a non-rated non-grunt. Lowest of the low; how I got there is, again, another story. I painted, chipped rust, swept and swabbed. I did "brightwork" (shining brass) and got into the PMS system which is a scheduled maintenance system for pretty much everything on the ship. I worked the paint locker and the Bosun locker - checking out paint and cleaning supplies to other deck apes. I also stood endless bridge watches - lookout, Lee Helm, Helm, CIC Board, Messenger, and aft steering.

I got qualified on .50 cal machine guns and was assigned on a mount for General Quarters. I was assigned as a gunner on the M8 Boats for landing operations. I also qualified on M60s, M14 rifles, shotguns, and the M1911A1 pistol.

My second ship I was on the USS Shasta (AE33) out of Concord, CA. It was an ammo ship. It's primary missions is to supply forward deployed ships with the bombs, missiles, and bullets they need to maintain operations in an area. We would physically supply those ships while at sea using UnRep. I had not taken the E4 test while on the St. Louis like I should have so I came on the Shasta looking like a booter of an E3. I learned that a lot of the "brass" didn't like the fact I was on a decorated ship prior to their's so was treated with some disrespect. I learned about that and bore it and went on with my job as a "senior" deck ape.

I learned to operate small boats and maintain them. I also worked the paint locker. I also learned about UnRepping and picked up some skills in what is called "fancywork" which is Navy talk for tying nice knots and macrame. I was doing some of the work of a petty officer but was constantly pulled back and given shit duties. They almost made me mess-crank again. Some of the brass actually hated me and we all knew it. Some of the brass was actually trying to help me but my 21 year-old-ass was too uppity to recognize that.

Some of those "good guys" trying to help me got me some training in fire fighting and shipboard security called SAT-BAF. I got to work on SAR (Sea Air Rescue) operations.

I did my duty but with a combination of my treatment, my friend Keith Reno dying in Dubai, some girl problems (all my fault), an interest in civilian life (actual freedom - I went from the home of my parents and school to the military... got tired of eating off trays), and general tiredness of military life I decided to not stay after my initial 4 year contract was up.

In hindsight I have some opinions on that... another story. I do teeter between "why didn't I listen?" and "why didn't some one help me?". Bottom line - my choice and I need to live with it.

I did good. My overall evals were on par with a college student doing well and getting some accolades for it. I even got a good conduct medal. For a career deck ape my ribbon bar is actually quite impressive. Some I did, most are from the commands I was attached to (mostly the St. Louis).

The jist of this whole thing is that I know of a guy named Sean Davis. He is a current combat vet and Portland artist. He has written the book Wax Bullet War:
 Wax Bullet War

He's knee-deep in working and organizing veterans art projects. I like what he is doing. His most current blog post is about looking for vets to help him work on some of these art projects. Here is a link:
Current Vet Projects - Sean Davis

If you are interested or know some vets share this. Art is good.

In the mean time here is Jason Isbell with a good vet song about coming home called Tour of Duty:

Saga, Battle of Heathend Hill - Anglo-Danes vs. Normans

Spencer and his host of Anglo-Danes and me with my troop of Normans (inaugural game for them, still smells like fresh Minwax).

Scenario was Sacred Ground - 6 point armies, score at the bottom of the round as per what figures you have on specific terrain features, 3 terrain features.

Spencer came up with the name and I will come up with the impetus of the battle. The location is a perfect place for a small outpost for both the Anglo-Danes and the invading Normans. A hill for a fort, a rock quarry on one side and woods on the other for raw materials for said fort. The Battle Of Heathend Hill.

Spencer's Anglo-Danes:
Warlord
Hearthguard
5 points of Warriors (40 of them)

My Normans:
Warlord
2 Hearthguard (knights) combined into 1 unit
3 Warrior (sergeants) units - mounted, crossbow, standard
Levy (peasants) archers

My strategy was straight forward enough - I had the advantage of mobility (horses) so I planned to use this to my advantage in 2 ways: Take terrain for points and attack Anglo-Danes before they had a chance to. This I did and it was working great for the first 3 (of 8) scoring rounds.

 Left to Right: Spearmen move to take the quarry while Norman Knight rush up to Anglo-Dane lines to harry them. Norman Count and a band of mounted soldiers go up the middle to take Heathend Hill. Archers and Crossbowmen move into the woods.

 Archers and crossbowmen

 Mounted warriors.

Count Maynard de Colvin (actually my mini I use for my Rise of the Runelords Pathfinder Game)... (I did not have time to finish painting my Norman Warlord)

All was working out perfectly until the first clash of the day. My knights plowed into an Anglo-Dane shield wall, 16 attack dice to roll and all I needed was a few 5s and 6s.

 Watching from the hill, brother knights give some to the Anglo-Danes!

All I needed was some 5s and 6s.

The one hit was avoided by the defensive Anglo-Danes. The Norman Knights lost 2 and retreated. Suddenly the game changed. Norman crossbowmen had entered the woods, though effective in melee the woods prevented them from getting clear shots with crossbows. Peasant archers did move forward providing a screen for them though.

 Forward archers!

Unlike Vikings, Normans do not have much ability to suck up exhaustion. Anglo-Danes were laying it on thick via special abilities. After moving into the screening flank between the woods and Heathend Hill the peasants were just too tired and afraid to do much else but occupy the spot.

The Anglo-Danes moved onto Heathend Hill in force and killed many Normans leaving Count Maynard alone. Not having enough forces to take it back and all archers and crossbowmen too exhausted to provide missile fire from the flanks, Count Maynard decided to leave the hill to the Anglo-Dane warlord and move to the woods.

The Anglo-Danes have Heathend Hill; Count Maynard and the last 3 of his retinue retreat to the woods on the right.

Meanwhile, at the rock quarry...

 The Knights chase off some Anglo-Dane ceorls.

Norman Heavy Infantry take the quarry. Knights use mobility to keep Anglo-Dane ceorls and huscarls away.

 The Norman Knights first decimate the huscarls then turn to finish the ceorls.

It just wasn't enough though. Via the point scoring system the Anglo-Danes won the day by 8 points. Only if I had parked my knights and kept them on the defense a few rounds earlier!