Viking Raiders in Ireland ADLG Game

Viking raiders and Irish allies deployed

Opposite end

Dubgaill attackers advance

Finngaill defenders advance

 After painting more Vikings and Irish recently I thought I’d try a solo ADLG game set in Ireland between rival Viking raiders with Irish allies. The opening chapter of Life in the Viking Great Army; Raiders, Traders and Settlers gives a good background on this:

The written sources record multiple groups of Viking raiders active in Ireland in the 850s and 860s, sometimes working together but often in conflict with each other. For example, the longphuirt at Dublin and Linn Duachaill were attacked by a newly arrived group of raiders described by the Annals of Ulster as the Dubgaill (‘dark foreigners’), who went on to defeat the Finngaill (‘fair foreigners’) the following year at Carlingford Lough. Viking raiders regularly found local allies amidst the complex political situation in Ireland, where over 150 different kingdoms were subject to the authority of six regional overkings of Connaught, Ulster, Munster, Leinster, North Ui Neill and South Ui Neill. Internecine disputes were extensive and ripe for exploitation, while Viking armies could prove useful allies in fighting off other groups of raiders.

Dawn Hadley and Julian Richards, Life in the Viking Great Army; Raiders, Traders and Settlers, Oxford University Press, Oxford , 2025, pp.13-14.

The two sides were very similar with the Dubgaill (‘dark foreigners’) attackers having slightly more Irish infantry in their allied corps while the Finngaill (‘fair foreigners’) had more Viking infantry and two units of Irish light cavalry (just because I had some). The Dubgaill charged in the centre and on their left flank and before long the Irish and Viking allies had also charged in to combat. The Irish slingers and light cavalry spent the whole game faffing around, nothing decisive was achieved there. The rival shieldwalls battered it out and eventually the Dubgaill centre with their huscarls was weakened and the entire army on the verge of breaking.

Dubgaill charge in the centre and on their left flank

Irish and Viking allies close in combat

Rival shieldwalls batter it out

Dubgaill centre is weakened

Dubgaill are on the verge of breaking

Dark Age Irish Warriors

 

Here are some Dark Age or Early Medieval Irish warriors that I've just finished painting. They're a mix of plastic and metal ranges including Gripping Beast, Wargames Atlantic, Footsore Miniatures and Crusader Miniatures. They're all nice figures that mix well, the only oddity is the over size shields the Wargames Atlantic plastic Irish have. Both the GB and WA Irish plastic sets come with a choice of bucklers and shields, for future units I'll be sticking with the GB shields! Shield transfers are by LBM and Wargames Foundry and the banner is by LBM.

First Game of Pillage

 

Vikings initial deployment

Irish initial deployment

Irish warriors

Irish slingers

Irish chieftain and warriors

Irish warriors

Last Sunday Rick, Gary and I met down at the Vikings Club in Conder, for the monthly meeting of the Canberra Regional Wargame Group. We played our first game of Pillage, a new set of Dark Age/early Medieval skirmish rules written by Guillaume Rousselot. The English version has just been published by Victrix and is available as a 131 page pdf or hard back rule book that is beautifully illustrated. We diced for sides and played a pitched battle with Viking and Irish forces of about 1020 gold pieces which is the point system used. Each side had a chieftain with two traits, there are no fixed unit sizes, with movement, shooting, combat and morale done with individual figures. Rick said many of the basic mechanics of the rules are derived from the Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game.

We deployed twelve inches in from the table edge to speed things up. The Irish had a slight advantage in numbers with twenty seven figures, while the Vikings had twenty four figures who were more heavily armoured. The Vikings also had a berserker, banner bearer and figure with a war horn. The two forces closed with Irish slingers and Viking bondi archers shooting. Irish warriors charged the Viking bondi on the right, after several round of combat, the Irish warriors were destroyed. On the Viking left the bondi archers shot at the Irish warriors, forcing them to charge, eventually picking them off with bow fire. Back in the centre the Viking hirdmen formed into shieldwall to reduce shooting casualties against the Irish slingers. The hirdmen advanced in shieldwall and were charged by the Irish chieftain and warriors. Eventually the more lightly armoured Irish warriors were ground down by the hirdmen, losing more figures after failed morale tests.

This wasn't a very satisfying or balanced first game of Pillage, the Irish didn't have much of a chance. The rules are very simple which may appeal to some but for me they are far too simplistic. There are more nuanced and satisfying skirmish sets already available with Lion Rampant, Saga and Barons' War. There is no index in the rules and specific rules are hard to find. There are also typos in the rules and QRS with the armour class abbreviations, some of these still have the French rather than the English version. The faction lists have limited options with the Irish, Scots and Picts lumped together but have no option for cavalry, while the Welsh have no option for armour. There is a generic list of costs so you can choose your own force regardless. 

Forces close

Bondi archers shoot

Irish warriors charge Bondi

Bondi archers pick of the remaining Irish on the left

Irish warriors charge Viking hirdmen
who are in shieldwall

Irish lose more figures from morale tests,
Vikings clear winners

Norse versus Irish Midgard Games

 

Irish and Norse deployed Game One

View from the Norse side

Norse attackers and Irish defenders advance

Irish light riders scout ahead

Bondi charge and Irish heavy riders counter charge

Irish army commander and hero are killed,
a very quick and easy victory for the Norse!

 

Game Two Norse advance

Last Sunday Rick, Gary, Rob and I met down at the Vikings Club in Lanyon for the monthly meeting of the Canberra Regional Wargame Group. We used to play down here every month but have only been a couple of times since the pandemic. We diced for sides, Gary and I were the Irish defenders and Rick and Rob, the Norse attackers. It was a pretty good turn out for the meeting considering it was a long weekend. Ian and his mates were also playing a Hundred Years War Midgard game. 

We ended up playing a second game as the first game was over very quickly, when the Irish commander and a hero were killed. This was a very quick and easy victory for the Norse before lunch! After lunch we swapped sides, Gary and I were the Norse attackers and Rick and Rob, the Irish defenders. This was a much closer game and the Irish performed a lot better on their second outing. The Irish heavy riders accounted for a Norse hirdmen unit but it was the Irish Norse allies who accounted for the Norse beserkers and bondi, sealing the game by killing the lone Norse army commander. It was good to get my Irish and Norse troops on the table and a real bonus to have two quick, fun Midgard games.

Irish light riders charge the Norse bondi

Norse hirdmen guard their right flank

Norse bondi and beserkers fight
the Irish Norse allies

Norse hirdmen are at half strength

Irish Norse allies have the upper hand

Norse hirdmen are winning but about to rout

Norse right flank is gone!

Norse army commander dies,
Game Two a closer victory for the Irish

Heroes and Slingers

 

Above are some Irish heroes and a single Norse hero. We have a Norse vs Irish and a Norse vs Anglo-Danes Midgard game lined up in the next week so they will see action then. Figures are by Crusader and Gripping Beast. Below are more Irish slingers and some Anglo-Saxon slingers. Figures are by Footsore Miniatures, Crusader and Gripping Beast.

Dark Age Irish and Norse Gael Warriors

 

Here are some Dark Age or Early Medieval Irish and Norse Gael/Hiberno Norse warriors. Figures are by Gripping Beast and Crusader Miniatures with LBM transfers. I have more Irish I'm working on at the moment, Footsore Miniatures, Gripping Beast plastics and Wargames Atlantic plastics. I'll post photos of these, including some comparison shots, once I've finished painting them. The back drop photo was taken in the Orkney Islands in 2011.