It’s been a little over a year since the second version of SAGA skirmish rules have been released. So, it’s well past time I through in my two cents on the system! This version of the rules is more that just a cleanup and minor update. Where as the previous version started with the Age of Vikings and then appended on additional period, ST has resent the entire system to allow for different timeframes (and Genres) from the ground up. The new core rules are just that, core rules. The give you the basics to play the game using any of the period/genre army books that ST releases for the game. Interestingly, ST has opted to go with soft cover for the core rules and hard cover for all the army books. This does make it cheap to pick up the rules and makes them handy at the game table to reference. So, this really is a new age for the game. With that said, let’s get into the product and see you many battle axes it deserves!
Truth be told, while I purchased the original SAGA and sat in on a game, I never really played it. That little dabble did not stop me from buying all the books and collecting and painting multiple armies though! I had just finished my Huns when the new rule book came out and finally found a few folks that were as excited as I was to play. This game me the jumping off point to get into the game seriously this time around
For the uninitiated, SAGA is played with between 8 and 72 figures per side. An average game will probably have between 25 to 50 models per side. This really all depends on how many “points” you want to play with and how you construct your army. As you can start by playing with the more expensive Hearthguard, it is possible to get started with a small two point game (one for each unit of four figures and a commander). This can get you playing quite quickly, as you work on more figures to expand your army to your liking. If you already have SAGA armies, nothing has changed in army creation, so you will have no problems adapting your lists.
The game itself is still scenario based, so it keeps the game interesting. Of course you can also still just line up until you beat the snot out of each other and once side concedes! The table side needed is small and you can be as creative as you like with your terrain. As this is a skirmish game, you have total flexibility with your terrain set up and are free to even set up complex vignettes.
Entry into the game is very easy, considering the ability to start playing with a low model count, straight forward scenarios and concise rules. I would have to say that SAGA gets 5 out of 5 Battleaxes for Ease of Entry.
Army Composition: SAGA is a game were each player has their own warband. Each warband is led by a commander of great fighting prowess (characters are even more powerful in v2 with their eight attacks!). Nest to your commander is the Hearthguard. These are your elite warriors, with both the best attacking and defending capabilities. These come in units of four for one point. You Next you have your warriors, which are your normal soldiers. These have stats a step below the elite Hearthguard. However, you get eight of these per point. Lastly, you have your Levy. These generally have somewhat low stats compared to your other units. However, they can give you numbers, as you get twelve for each point you spend on your army. Depending on the army, you can even mount your units (some armies require this). There are also variations in choices of close combat and missile weapons that very from one army to the other.
You can start with a small two point force and go all the way up to eight theoretically, however, the game seems like 4-6 is the sweets pot. How you do have some additional flexibility, in that you can rearrange the size of units by combining or splitting units. So, you have a lot of options to keep things fresh. Of coarse the various army books have some additional options the add some flavor to your force, this is really true with the fantasy army book (Can I interest you in Giant or a dragon anyone?). A lot of the decision on troop types are dependent on the army you are playing, as the assigned battle boards (more on that later!), gives advantages to army composition choices.
With all the periods covered and all the armies available for each period, a player has a lot of options. Add on to this the options for mounted troops and weapons options, there are endless possibilities. If that is not enough, many armies are even usable with variations in multiple army books! Considering this, SAGA gets 5 out of 5 Battleaxes for Flexibility and Variation of Play.
The Battle Board: The heart of the game (and what makes it unique) is the battle board. Every army has its own unique battle board. At the beginning of the turn, you roll your army specific SAGA dice (you can use normal D6 if you do not want to pay the extra expense). You then assign your battle dice on your battle board based on the die roll results and the needed value for each ability. The abilities start with simple activation for your unit types. There are then combat buff options and a way to roll for more activation dice if you get the “6” result on your initial die roll. These choice are normally the same for all armies (there are a few variations though). What makes the boards unique is the special ability options. These are totally unique for every army. They give buffs to melee, shooting, movement and can even cause casualties or fatigue to your enemy. Some abilities can even be used in your opponents turn! This is really were the meat of the game is and what separates the game apart (as well as the ability of the players!).
Now, the battle boards themselves are not included with the rules, you will have to buy one of the army books to get these. With that said, ST has a free army and battle board download on their website for those that want to save a little money up front.While no battle boards are included in the rules book, every faction has one. These board show which set of custom SAGA dice to use, and what that faction’s abilities are.
Battle boards make each faction unique. Although stat wise there is no difference between a warrior of one faction and any other, the battle board will see that they play very differently.
The game turn is divided into two phases; order, and activation. You assign dice to the desired option on your battle board first. Then you just remove a dice for each action you take during your turn. For example, you may activate a unit of warriors to move, shoot or remove a fatigue marker using an order dice. You complete that task and then move onto the next order dice until you have done everything you wish and end your phase and turn it back to your opponent.
You may activate a single unit as often as you like, so that unit of warriors could be activated several times to shoot and/or move. However, each activation after the first cause a fatigue token to be placed on the unit. Fatigue tokens are like morale results on your unit, get too many and it has adverse effect. They can also be used by your opponent to make your unit more vulnerable in shooting or close combat. For example an opponent may remove a fatigue token from your unit and reduce the ability to wound in melee
Going through the steps of moving, shooting and melee, you will have many opportunities to spring nasty surprises on your opponent through canny use of your battle board and opponent’s fatigue. Even the most outnumbered unit can turn the tables, if the player has set up their battle board well and/or can engage a unit that is already fatigued.
A player can quickly figure out the straight forward mechanics in one of two turns of play. The use of the battle board is straight forward to learn, but will take time to master. This makes the game really easy to get started on the table and provides players with ongoing learning opportunities to master their battle board. The more armies you play, the more variation you have to keep interest going! Considering the straightforward mechanics and subtlety of play, the game does have something for all types of players. I have to give SAGA v2 5 out of 5 Battleaxes for Playability.
Presentation and Quality: The rule book (and army books) is clearly laid out. There are many examples included, as well as directed commentary to add some flavor and context. It has many great looking photos of armies from different periods and genres. Just looking at the photos, you can get a good idea of what future army books ST have in store for us. There is a one page QRG in the back of the rules (you can also download a copy from the ST website, along with other game aides).
As mentioned before, the rule book and army books are separate, so you will need to buy both (if you are not satisfied with the downloadable army option). At the time of this review, there are four army books available (with at least one more coming). In addition, they have a soft cover “Book of Battles” that give even more scenario options, campaign rules and multi player game options. You can even buy matching tokens and movement sticks, for a full immersion. Finally, they have multiple sets of SAGA dice that you can use for each faction. Many factions use the same dice, but even with that, there are twelve different sets available so far!
You will still need to have your own D6 to play (they have not come up with their own versions of these, yet…). So you can see that if you really go full bore, it can get quite expensive. If you love the game, then it will be worth it. If your on the fence, just buy the rule book and download the Skraelings army from the website and use some D6 and a ruler. If you get the bite, then you can delve into which ever army book that suits you or just buy everything like I did! While you can get into the game for as little as $20 (not including miniatures)., a serious player will end up buying at least one army book and a set up SAGA dice. This pushes the price up to almost $80. Start adding more books and dice and you will be well above $100 (maybe $200). If your really into the game, it will be worth it. If your an occasional gamer, it could be a little steep. This gives a new player a low entry price, but makes the game somewhat costly for the serious player. Considering the balance I would have to give SAGA v2 3 out of 5 Battleaxes for Cost and Value.
Summary: Overall, one cannot complain about the quality of the product. It is a fun and easy game with a lot of subtlety. The various army books and large numbers of armies to choose from provide a level of variation that not many games can match. The print and editing quality is top notch. Overall, SAGA v2 offers the miniature gamer a dynamic skirmish game that will provide for hours of enjoyment. You can play it straight up, as a narrative driven fight or even in matched play. With the options for fantasy and historical gaming, there is something for everyone.
You can find more about the game on the Studio Tomahawk website, along with a number of game aids: http://www.studio-tomahawk.com/en/saga/
If you like the early version, you will like the streamlining of mechanics of this version on one end and the added variation on troops types on the other. Overall, I would have to give the game 4.5 out of 5 Battleaxes for both the new and the veteran SAGA player!
- Ease of Entry: 5 out of 5 Battleaxes
- Flexibility and Variation of Play: 5 out of 5 Battleaxes
- Playability: 5 out of 5 Battleaxes
- Cost and Value: 3 out of 5 Battleaxes
- Overall: 4.5 out of 5 Battleaxes
Mantueffel