I can't wait to see 40 warbands out on the tabletop. I was planning to paint up a new warband to throw in for the "Best Painted" competition but I just picked up a huge 15mm painting contract. No worries as I have 5 warbands to choose from.
I've been playing Norse-Gael lately so I'm taking them. Personal challenges make up half of their battleboard and that means you have to win a pre-melee dice-off to unlock these abilities. This makes them a bit of a gamble as losing a challenge costs you all the dice you parked on that ability!
A number of our local players have registered for the Melee and we've started weekly games to tune up. As much as I enjoy painting and playing SAGA, I'm an average player. I lose focus during the game, I fail to see the "long game" and if I have a beer on an empty stomach, victory is lost! My chances of winning the Melee are equal to my chances of winning the Triple Crown. I do want to make a good show of it and practice games are perfect to that achieving that end.
With batttleboard abilities like Howling Axes and Slaughter, I'm buffing up my warband. I've got some Footsore Miniatures axemen on the table and wow, they're lovely sculpts! I should also put in a plug for my new Nordic dice bag from Broake and Thumb Studios on eBay. Here's hoping the raven rune brings me the lucky dice I'll need on game days!
Monty: I see SAGA is popular as ever - there will be a more modest event going on in our parts this coming Saturday. My buddy is hosting a SAGA "tournament" with about 20 players. I put tournament in quotes as it'll be more of a friendly scene - basically everyone gets some kind of swag just for showing up. It'll be my third (or fourth - can't remember for sure) SAGA game ever :). I'm playing Crusaders from the new C&C book. I plan to run 4pts of mounted Hearthguard - in two units of 8; and 1 pt each of Warriors with bows and crossbows. Just wanted to keep things simple as I still don't have the rules down, much less my faction's special abilities. Since folks are coming up from Portland, OR, I have no excuse not to travel a few miles to the event. Plan to post images afterwards. Best, Dean
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a fabulous event, Dean! If only I lived within driving distance, I'd be there. Looking forward to your post!
DeleteAh, I wimped out at the last minute; there still were about 20 folks who showed up and had a great time. The NHMGS facebook has a lot of nice pictures from the game.
DeleteI bet you will have a great time and good luck in the tournament! Say, the SYW Convention is in South Bend the weekend of March 27-28, are you planning to hang around for that too?
ReplyDeleteLOL, I've never traveled for a Con until the Grand Melee.
DeleteAre you going to the SYW one? I'll probably have to rely on your AARs.
Looks like a great event, good on you for getting involved. I'll be very interested to see how the tournament is run and scored. We've had a couple locally and they need some fine-tuning! Best of luck :-)
ReplyDeletePaul, you are the master of this kind of thing, right? What is the motto, "train hard, play easy?" I think I've botched it. ;-)
DeleteThis sounds like an epic event and I'm sure you'll have a grand time. If you did enter the Best Paint competition, you'd be a real contender for first place.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the large commission project!
I'm so excited! It is a bit of a splurge but you only live once, right? The new commission helped because it will more than cover my hotel. Thanks Anne!
DeleteGreat figures, if the perform as good as they look, you should have no problems!
ReplyDeleteThat dice bag is possibly the most Norse Gael-appropriate piece of kit possible - the Viking Raven repeated three times to show connection with the Morrigan, the Gaels' triad of war goddesses (Celts love stuff in threes). You cannot possibly fail!
(And if you do, take as many of the other guys with you as you can!)
Evan! I can't wait to see if the new dice bag brings me the kind of luck that only a triad of war goddesses can bring. Here's hoping!
DeleteGood luck in the melee Monty! Looking forward to seeing the new additions painted up and of course a report from the event itself.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jonas! I did the math and realized I might as well order even more axemen. In for a penny, in for a pound.
DeleteSounds like a blast Monty and I'm loving the look of those new axe men - can't wait to see them after they've had some of the Luhmann treatment.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Michael! This is a first for me so I'm a bit excited to buckle down, train and go have fun.
DeleteThat sounds like crazy fun. Footsore used to be Musketeer, correct? They always had nice figs. Looking forward to seeing them painted.
ReplyDeleteFMB
Exactly, Marcus! Musketeer was tops and these are tops as well.
DeleteHi Monty,
ReplyDeleteI wish to you all the best for the Tournament !
try to paint the figures for the best painted challenge during your commission, a cool diversion for your mind when you will paint the long series.
repeat after me one hundred times: the best painted prize is mine, I' m a good painter!
Cheers
Gilles " Monty's fan club supporter!"
Gilles! If I can sneak in some SAGA painting, I will. As for you, you'll be busy with the challenge starting on the 5th. Good luck sir!
DeleteSounds great Monty, good luck!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Phil!
DeleteSounds like a grand time, Monty. I am sure with your tooled up war band you'll give them all a run for their money.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of SAGA, do you know of anyone who's adapted the rules to the Lord of the Rings setting? I am taking with a friend about adapting the Too Fat Lardies Dux Brittanorum rules since I don't really like the GW ones.
Cheers,
Michael
Brilliant idea Michael! There is a 4 page thread on this very topic. Some of these fellows cook up their own battleboards so take a look here: http://studiotomahawk.freeforums.org/using-saga-for-lord-of-the-rings-t465.html?hilit=lord%20of
ReplyDeleteSAGA is indeed fun so I wish you a great time when you go Monty! Try and keep focused.:-)
ReplyDeleteChristopher
Thanks Christopher, I'll do my best! Oh, a butterfly!!!
DeleteHope you have a blast! I'm trying to convince the wife that going would be a great idea, but she ain't buying it! Not that I have a painted SAGA force anyway, but I'm sure I could kick together something. Good luck w/ the Norse-Gael!
ReplyDeleteChristoper! I have to laugh. The only way I got the "green light" was to take my wife with so she could shop. This is gonna cost me.
DeleteGood luck and have fun pillaging Illinois!
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ReplyDeleteThanks for the props Monty and welcome to the big Thinge! Adepticon is a huge sea of games and things to look at. It's the Disney world of miniature gaming.
ReplyDeleteWe have our own hall and it's going to be filled with heroic gamers and awesome looking minis!
I'm very excited you are coming friend. :)
I cannot wait for the Big Day. See you in Chi-Town, Eric!
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