Welsh Warband for SAGA

[Stern Rake Studio]

Hey Guys.

Our regional group, NHMGS (Northwest Historical Miniatures Gaming Society) just concluded it's annual "Enfilade!" convention today.  I'm currently sifting through photos now.  In the meantime, here's a post I meant to upload--before the convention--about the Welsh warband I was raising for the convention's SAGA Tournament.

http://sternrakestudio.blogspot.com/2014/05/welsh-warband-for-saga.html

Enjoy!

Ted

[leadfool]

When I lived in Seattle, I used to go to Enfilade and it was a great convention.  I am glad to hear it is still going on.

[fred]

How did you get on with the Welsh, they can be tricky to play well, but if you get the right battle board abilities they can really drive an opponent mad with their volleys of javelins from cover.

[Stern Rake Studio]

Leadfool:

Not only is Enfilade still going on, we had record-breaking attendance this year.  Some years back we started a "Bring & Buy," where folks would try to sell their unwanted game stuff to their fellow members.  This year was also a record-breaker.

Fred:

I didn't do very well at all, but I had fun playing against a couple friends I haven't seen since last year's convention.  My 3rd game in the tournament was against the young lady who won last year's competition.  I'll write more about my SAGA misadventures later.

Thanks for your response guys!

Ted

[Cubs]

From all the battle reports I've read, it seems the way to win with the Welsh is to harrass in waves (one unit retreating into cover as another pops up and stings from another side) without engaging in combat. It seems like hard work to coordinate, but one that would frustrate the mammaries off an opponent who wants to get in close and personal.

[Stern Rake Studio]

Cubs:

Thanks for the advice!  In fact one of my opponents approached me later in the convention and made a similar suggestion:  Try limiting the Welsh units to 4-man teams and avoid melees.  Simply activate units to move and chuck javelins.  This way, opponents will end up wasting valuable SAGA abilities squashing 4 guys bedeviling them with pointy sticks.  I'll give this a try, especially since I lost all three games in this tournament, and it's not like I could do any worse!

Take care and have a great weekend!

Ted

[fred]

The welsh player in our group makes extensive use of Children of the Land to give the welsh good  movement in terrain.

And avoiding combat is key.

[Bone]

In fact one of my opponents approached me later in the convention and made a similar suggestion:  Try limiting the Welsh units to 4-man teams and avoid melees.  Simply activate units to move and chuck javelins.  This way, opponents will end up wasting valuable SAGA abilities squashing 4 guys bedeviling them with pointy sticks.

Multiple small units(MSU) can give some advantages:
- more likely to generate 6 Saga dice through the whole game.
- opponent gets a fatigue counter for every small unit he destroys.
I would rather vote for a majority of 5-man /uneven numbered teams of Warriors.

Concerning loosing with welsh...
Imho Welsh and Normans are the 2 most luck dependant factions.
http://www.sagatapestry.com/2012/11/saga-dice-luck-or-judgment.html

My standard set ups for my welsh are:
1-2 points of hearthguard (either 2x4 or 1x8 with banner)
2-3 points of warriors (depending on hearthguard - either 5/5/5/5/4 or 6x4) so I can loose 3 units and still generate 6 Saga dice.
1-2 points of levy
levy - harder to activate -throw the most pointy sticks per point - may come handy with "strength lies in numbers"

[fred]

Bone - interesting analysis. In our group the same player has both Normans and Welsh!! He frequently comments that he needs 6s (or whatever the symbol) is for his Normans and struggles to get the best abilities, but he complains much less so for the Welsh.

If you are considering splitting up your troops, remember if you buy 3pts of warriors, this gives you 24 figures, who can then be grouped into as  many 4-12 man units as you wish.

[Stern Rake Studio]

Thanks Fred and Bone for the comments and advice!

Ted

[Mitch K]

Thanks to everyone who has posted on this - I've got the bare bones of a Welsh warband, and any tips and tricks are mostwelcome.

[Bone]

Some biased ramblings about welsh warbands in Saga.
As I already wrote, the welsh are a bit luck dependant and fragile.
Otoh do they give lot of options. MSU or Deathstars, footsloggers or cavalry.