More Monday Midgard

This is the third game of Midgard we have played in a row in an effort to cement the rules in our heads, and it flowed quite nicely.

In this scenario my Vikings are defending (in a very un-Viking way) a ridge line against some advancing Saxons. To even things up the scenario calls for the defender to keep two units off the table until turn four of the allotted six, which means the Vikings are outnumbered at the start:

The obelisks represent objectives and the defender gains a reputation token for each where a Viking unit manages to maintain contact at the end of a turn:

The Saxons commence the advance. For something a little different they also include a unit of light riders which I can see are going to work their way around my left flank:

It takes two turns for the Saxons to get up into the Viking faces while the cavalry works its way around in a sweeping arc. This is when I decide that the Vikings should revert to type and abandon their position on the hill to charge the Saxons. 

The obelisks are only worth a single reputation point each, and you can gain a reputation point for initiating the first charge anyway. 

Likewise being uphill helps in turns of being allotted two saving throws, but charging gains the initiative and means that any dice rolls of a 1 can be re-rolled, with a five or six being a hit. Hits are then compared against the armour value of the defending unit, with light troops being a 2, warriors a 3, and up-armoured troops 4.

Most warrior units throw a base 12 dice so a charge seems like good value at this stage. The other nasty surprise I have prepared is that I spent a bucket load of points on the center unit to make them 'brutal' meaning they hit on a 4,5 or 6:

Before the first combat is resolved the Saxon leader calls out the Viking leader for single combat.

Leaders can refuse but the army then loses a reputation point, besides which I have packed the leader with several attributes including again the 'Brutal' characteristic which also allows him to hit on a 4,5 or 6. The combat is short  and the Saxon leader loses a stamina point before both return their units.

The rest of the combats are resolved with in some cases up to nineteen dice per unit once various factors such as attached leader status have been added in, resulting in three Viking wins and with all Saxon units pushed back. This means the Vikings maintain the impetus and will continue to reroll any 1s in the next round of combat. 

The Saxons do however have a win on their left flank and push back a Viking unit in front of the newly arriving Viking reinforcements. The scenario called for a dice roll to see where on the table edge these reinforcements would arrive, and it looks like they are entering at just the right spot, or so I thought at the time:

The combat continues and the Vikings continue their success, dispersing all three Saxon units in the left and center sector. The Saxons do the same to the Viking unit of warriors on the right flank, while their cavalry finally gets into position and smashes into the rear of the Vikings on the left flank:

The Vikings only fight back at half effect, throwing six dice instead of the usual twelve, but manage to hang on.

Meanwhile the Saxons, fresh from their success against the lone Viking warrior unit on the right flank, manage to force the two newly arrived units from the table and secure that flank:

In the middle the 'brutal' Viking unit continues its rampage, doubling back and dispersing another Saxon warrior unit:

The Viking skirmishers also do their bit, ganging up on and eliminating a unit of Saxon archers.

Each time a unit is lost, the owning player loses two reputation tokens. The Viking have lost three units, but the Saxons have now lost five which means their reputation collapses and they quit the field at the end of the sixth turn.

The action was certainly fast and furious and quickly devolved into separate skirmishes across the field, which somehow felt right. The Viking 'brutal' unit, costing twice the points of most other units, and accompanied by a Level 3 brutal leader, certainly did some damage and accounted for two Saxon warrior units without losing a single figure. 

A fast and fun game which took around two hours to play, but not overly taxing on the mental faculties. Just right for a Monday evening.

Monday Evening Midgard

 My Monday-evening gaming partner Dale has been busy assembling two armies for Midgard, a Viking and a Saxon force, in 28mm and he has finally got them to the stage where he can put on a decent-sized game of Midgard of 300 to 400 points a side.

The first game was very much a run through with two very small forces, and we ended up making so many mistakes in the second game that we essentially abandoned it, so the third encounter was our first real game. 

For this one we used a scenario from the Midgard rules called 'None Shall Pass' where the attacker has six turns to force the crossing of two bridges; a difficult task for which the attacker is allocated 300 points to the defender's 200. 

The table Dale prepared as per the scenario looked like the following, with groupings of his force arrayed around the two bridges:

I chose the Vikings comprised of six warrior and three missile units, and a Level 1 Hero with enough attributes to put a Tiger II tank to shame, and readied them for the attack:

Movement is by 'spear throw', with most foot units able to conduct two moves per turn. The first is 'free', and the second requires a command test which is passed by anything but a 1 or 2 on a D6. 

Heroes can use a 'mighty deed' to reroll a failed command test, of which they are allocated either one, two or three each turn depending upon their status. Consequently it doesn't take long to get to grips with an opponent, although I had one unit who failed several tests and started to lag behind:

Units can be assigned attributes such as increased armour, extra combat dice while at full stamina and the ability to pass discipline tests on lower rolls. I grouped my two less able warrior units together, supported by a unit of slingers and a more experienced warrior unit, and sent them against the left-hand bridge:

While the veterans attacked the right-hand bridge:

Combat is joined on the right-hand bridge while the missile troops pelt away at each other. Combat is a very bloodthirsty affair with warrior units starting with a base 12 D6 and adding additional dice for attached heroes, mighty deeds and special attributes. 

This resulted in me throwing up to 19D6s at times with a hit being recorded on a 5 or 6. Hits are compared against the defending unit's armour value, so if they have a typical armour value of three they lose a stamina point (represented by the removal of a figure) for each three hits. Charging and following-up units also get to re-roll any 1s.

The Saxons had charged my Vikings, but I survived the first round of combat and managed to push them back, while my slingers on the right flank dispersed their opposite number and were therefore able to support the warriors in combat:

At the same time I allowed myself to also get charged on the left-hand bridge, but my less resilient warriors here were pushed back:

The right flank is performing well, with the defending Saxon warriors now dispersed along with their other supporting group of bowmen:

I charge on to the bridge to disperse the last of the defenders, but they manage to hang on and even though I temporarily gain control of the structure am repulsed.

I never gain control of the left-hand bridge however, in spite of managing to surround the defenders when they follow-up on to my side:

The narrow frontage and the defender's rear support prevents me from pushing home my numerical advantage:

Six turns have been completed and the Saxons comprehensively retain control of one of the bridges, meaning a Saxon win.

The rules play well and are clear and well-written, although as Dale observed they do feel a bit beer and pretzels. When you are throwing up to twenty or more dice a side to resolve a single combat it is probably going to feel a bit like that, although it must be said there is a definite feeling of excitement as you count up all your fives and sixes.

The game took us just under two hours to play, which is not bad especially as we spent a bit of time looking things up. My attack on that left-hand bridge could have been better judged and I suspect greater familiarity with the rules may have made it a more even fight.

Dale has been having great fun building up his 28mm Dark Ages collection, which my hastily taken pictures don't do justice to. Just right for a Monday evening and we will no doubt play a few more games over the coming months.