Late Romans versus Britons Saga Game

Late Romans' side of the table

Britons' side 

Late Roman infantry

Late Roman cavalry with Briton warriors withdrawing

More Late Roman cavalry 

I haven't played Saga for quite a few years but did pick up the Saga 2 rules at Wintercon in July this year. I had a copy of Aetius and Arthur but had never played any of the factions in it, until last Wednesday night down at the Vikings Club, where Craig and I played a 6 point game with his Britons against my Late Romans, using the standard Clash of Warlords scenario. Although I was bumbling around with the rules and loading up the battle board after a few turns, I started to get the hang of it again.

Craig patiently explained aspects of the rules that had changed. The game was pretty much level pegging with casualties and fatigue mounting on both sides. Craig rolled his usual rubbish dice, his bad luck seems to be a feature of our games, for some reason! In the final turn as the only option, I  attacked and then killed his Warlord, with my battle board loaded with a couple of dice in the Combat Pool and the Ardor ability. More good luck than anything but still a fun reintroduction to Saga.

Briton warriors are destroyed on the right flank

Britons' Warlord inspires an attack

Casualties and fatigue mount

The late Roman Warlord kills the Briton Warlord

Battle of Ashdown 871 AD Dux Bellorum Game

View from the Vikings line with Alfred's division deployed on the hill

Aethelred's division behind the hill

View from the Saxon lines with the Viking King's and Earl's divisions L to R

Both armies advance

Viking Earl's division refuse the left flank and move to the right

Viking King's division advances

Last Sunday down at the Vikings Club, Craig, Bern and I met and we played a Dux Bellorum game of the Battle of Ashdown 871 AD. Both sides had two divisions each with six leadership points per division. On the Saxon side, Bern was Alfred the Great (with an additional two leadership points for the great man) and Craig was Aethelred. I commanded both Viking King's and Earl's divisions. The scenario we used was similar to the Battle of Ashdown scenario in the new Hail Caesar Shieldwall supplement (pp.68-69). The order of battle was determined, to some extent, by the available painted troops we had!

Alfred's division were already deployed on the hill with Aethlred's division moving up behind. The Vikings were the attackers but didn't fancy attacking Alfred's shieldwall on the hill. The Viking Earl's division refused the left flank and move to the right. The Viking King's division advanced and attacked and the Saxons suffered early casualties. Soon both sides on the Viking right flank were engaged in a protracted shieldwall slogging match. Alfred's division eventually advanced down the hill hoping to catch any straggling Viking units on the hop. In the end we ran out of time but it was minor victory for the Vikings with Aethelred's division on the verge of breaking.

Saxon cavalry advances

Viking left flank maintains cohesion

Viking and Saxon forces close on the Viking right flank

Alfred's division advances down the hill

The Shieldwall slogging match continues

Things are getting messy!

End of the game Saxon left flank under Aethelred is about to break

Indian Four Horse Chariots

Here are two Indian Four Horse Chariots and crew that I've just finished painting. The first one is by Newline Designs and the second by 1st Corps Miniatures. Since posting my last batch of Indian Cavalry and Infantry for King Porus' army I've realised the shield designs on the cavalry, based on the reliefs at Sanchi, are incomplete. They're missing the horizontal or east-west line on the compass type shield design. It is pretty easy to fix and I have already added in the line on some of the chariot crew's shields. Hopefully I'll have time to finish another four horse chariot unit before the Command and Colors Ancients Hydaspes game at Little Wars Canberra in November. The elephants are trumpeting to be finished, as I have four that are about half complete, so I better get cracking on that next!

Battle on the River Glein Dux Bellorum Game

Saxons far side, Romano-Brits foreground

Both sides advance towards the river crossings

Saxons charge across the river

Last Saturday afternoon Craig came over to my place and we played a second Dux Bellorum game, using the Age of Arthur WAB supplement campaign, The Raiding Season (pp.133-135). The scenario was the Battle on the River Glein (pp.98-99) with Craig's Early Saxons regrouping from their previous defeat to attack again with both sides' objective to control the two river crossings. This turned out to be a very quick and one sided game with Saxon's suffering a very bad run of luck with the dice. The Romano-British didn't lose a single unit and scored another mighty victory. The next game will be scenario nine with The Cattle Raid (pp.114-115). We have a much larger Dux Bellorum game lined up at the club next Sunday, with the Battle of Ashdown 871 AD, so it will be interesting to see how that goes.

Saxons suffer heavy casualties

Saxons charge again for a last ditch effort

Saxons rout

Indian Cavalry and Infantry

Here are some Indian cavalry and infantry that I've just finished painting and that will be used in the Command and Colors Ancients, Battle of Hydaspes participation game next month at Little Wars Canberra 2018. I've finished all the infantry and cavalry for the game, now have four elephants and four, four horse chariots to finish off. Phew! The figure ranges are by Old Glory, 1st Corps and Newline Designs. I actually painted the armoured Old Glory Indian cavalry a couple of years ago but just removed the round shields they came with and added bell shields from 1st Corps, so had a fair bit of touching up to do on them.

Battle at Bassa's Ford Dux Bellorum Game

View of the table from the Romano-British side

View from the Early Saxons' side

Saxon Foot Companions, Noble Warriors and Ordinary Warriors

Saxon Ordinary Riders and Ordinary Warriors

Romano-British Noble Riders charge

On Sunday afternoon, a couple of weeks ago, Craig came over to my place and we played a 32 point Dux Bellorum game with his Early Saxons attacking my Romano-British. We used the scenario, the Battle at Bassa's Ford, in the Age of Arthur WAB supplement (pp. 102-103) but forgot to do the single combat at the start! The idea was to link our Dux Bellorum games with the Age of Arthur WAB campaign, The Raiding Season (pp.133-145).


The Saxons were the attackers and quickly surged across the river to attack the Romano-British Ordinary Shieldwall units. It was a close and exciting game that came right down the wire to the last turn, when my skirmishers managed to destroy the Saxon Foot companions by shooting, causing an automatic 75% casualties Saxon rout. This was a mighty victory for the Romano-British so our next game will be Scenario 1, the Battle on the River Glein (p.98).

Saxon Warriors charge across the river

The Romano-British Ordinary Shieldwalls hold firm

Romano-British Skirmishers destroy the Saxon Foot Companions by shooting

The Saxons rout 

Rome: City to Empire Exhibition Part Five

Ivory and copper part of a Pyxis (Cylindrical Box), probably Alexandria, Egypt, 6th century CE
Glass and Gold Vessel Base of Saint Peter and Paul, Rome, Italy, 4th century CE
 Glass and Gold Vessel Base of A Scribe, Rome, Italy, 4th century CE

Glass Goblet with Biblical Scenes, Cologne, Germany, 4th century CE

Fragment of Gilded Wall Painting, Nero's Golden House, Rome Italy. 54-65 CE

Terracotta Amphora, made in Spain, excavated in the Baths of Titus, Rome, Italy, 1st-2nd century CE
Terracotta Amphora, probably made in Italy, 75-25 BCE

Silver Wine Cup, Chaourse, France, about 220-270 CE
Glass Rhyton, Syria or Palestine, 50-100 CE

Terracotta Plaque of Satyrs Making Wine, probably Italy, 50 BCE-100 CE

Wall Painting Fragment of A Man Drinking, Pompei, Italy, 50-79CE

Terracotta Plaque of Bacchus, Rome, Italy, 1-25 CE

Silver Ibis Toothpick from the Hoxne Treasure, Hoxne, England, late 4th-early 5th century CE

Pottery Oinochoe (Wine Jug), Smyrna (modern Izmir), Turkey, 50-25 BCE
Glass Jug, Kerch, Crimea, modern Ukraine, 4th century CE
Silver Wine Cup, Chaourse, France, about 220-270 CE

Funerary Monument, Italy, about 100-110 CE

Marble Sarcophagus of the Wedding of Bacchus and Ariadne, Rome, Italy, 2nd century CE

Marble Sarcophagus with Scenes from the Life of Moses, found in Bedoin, France, late 4th century CE

Marble Burial Chest, probably Italy, 1st-early 2nd century CE

Mummy portraits of a Woman and a Man, Rubaiyat, Egypt, 160-170 CE