Viking Warband for SAGA

    It's been more than six years since my last SAGA post! I think the lion's share of my posts all these years belong to Bolt Action with second the Lord of the Rings SBG. Anyway, here we are, my warband of twenty nine Vikings!  

   This Viking warband consists of Gripping Beasts, Conquest Games and Black Tree Design plastic and metallic miniatures.

The Warlord is a Gripping Beasts miniature

His veteran hearthguards are Black Tree Design miniatures,

as well as his special warriors, his Berserkers.

The Jarl is accompanied by his two units, Hearthguards and Berserkers.

The eight warriors are Gripping Beasts plastic Saxon Thegns.

   Each Saxon miniature has a cross around their neck, not the proper symbol for the pagan Vikings. So, I cut symbol's lower part to turn them into a Mjolnir, the hammer of the thunder god Thor. I used Green Stuff to give a Viking-like long hair to some of them and to add furs to others.  

   All transfers are Little Big Men Studios products.

And finally the Levies are Conquest Games miniatures.

The Levies are equipped with bows and according to the rules, have no armour at all.

The Viking Warband family photo!

   That's it for today! Stay tuned for more!

The Battle of Pelennor Fields

   Recently, we played an epic Lord of the Rings SBG scenario, recreating the legendary Battle of Pelennor Fields. Note: this is the fourth and last battle we played of a series we started, "the battles of Minas Tirith", so if you wish you can check the previous battles. The text of all these four posts are written by the younger player of our team. His name is Panos and I believe he speaks English better than the rest of us! As his godfather, I am very proud of him!

Forces of Good

The Riders of Rohan and their allies charged to Minas Tirith’s aid:

Heroes and Leaders

King Théoden of Rohan

Éomer, Knight of the Pelennor

Grimbold of Grimslade

Gamling, Banner Captain of Rohan

Éowyn, Shieldmaiden of Rohan

Meriadoc, Knight of the Mark

2 Rohan Captains

Troops

36 Riders of Rohan

2 Riders of Rohan (banner)

4 Rohan Royal Guards

The Army of the Dead (arrived later)

Aragorn (wielding Andúril)

Legolas and Gimli

King of the Dead

15 Warriors of the Dead

4 Riders of the Dead

Halbarad (banner)

4 Rangers of the North

Forces of Evil

The armies of Mordor and Harad sought to crush Gondor completely:

Mordor Forces

Gothmog, Lieutenant of Morgul (mounted on a warg)

25 Orc Warriors (two-handed weapons)

30 Orc Warriors (shield)

25 Orc Warriors (spear)

16 Orc Warriors (bow)

Haradrim Reinforcements (arrived later)

Witch-king of Angmar (on Fell Beast)

1 War Mumak (with 16 Haradrim archers)

3 Haradrim Chiefs

King of Harad (mounted)

15 Haradrim Warriors (spear)

15 Haradrim Warriors (bow)

8 Serpent Guards

4 Watchers of Karna

8 Haradrim Raiders + 1 Banner

Deployment
   The battle began with the forces of Rohan emerging from the north, near the walls of Minas Tirith. Théoden stood in the center with Gamling, protected by four Royal Guards, while Éowyn and Meriadoc moved among the riders to stay close to the king. Éomer led the left flank with a captain and banner, supported by twelve riders. Grimbold commanded the right with a captain and banner, again with twelve riders behind him.

   The Orcs formed a solid shieldwall: Orcs with shields in the center, spearmen supporting them from behind, two-handed orcs on the flanks. Archers positioned behind the lines. Gothmog lurked behind the shieldwall, ready to strike.

   Haradrim reinforcements would later arrive from the southwest, with their mumak at the center of their formation, shieldwalls on the flanks, and elite warriors protecting the archers.

   The Army of the Dead appeared later, sweeping in from the southeast without formation, led by Aragorn and Halbarad.

The Battle

Rounds 1–3: The Riders Charge

   The battle opened with a thunderous Rohan charge. The Riders tore into the Orc flanks, killing over thirty enemies while losing only two of their own. The momentum was entirely with Rohan as the Orcs struggled to form a cohesive defense.

Round 4: Breaking the Orcs

   By mid-round, Rohan’s flanking maneuvers overwhelmed the Orcs, leaving only seven Orcs alive under Gothmog’s command. Though Gothmog personally slew three Rohan riders, he was forced to retreat. Victory for Rohan seemed near, but a darker shadow approached from Minas Tirith’s walls: the Witch-king of Angmar.

Round 5–6: Haradrim Arrive

   From the southwest, the Haradrim entered the field. King Théoden rallied his troops, but Rohan now faced a terrifying dual threat: the Mumak and its archers, alongside the Witch-king moving toward Théoden. The Army of the Dead arrived from the southeast, charging immediately.

   Éomer’s forces crushed the Haradrim cavalry on the left, though Haradrim archers felled three riders. Grimbold’s forces struggled against elite Haradrim shieldwalls on the right, again losing three riders.

   In the center, Théoden advanced toward the Mumak but could not reach it, while Haradrim archers on the beast killed five riders.

  The Witch-king approached Théoden, heralding a confrontation that would decide the battle.

Rounds 7–9: Heroes Rise

   The tide turned as the heroes of Rohan and Gondor intervened:

   On the left, Éomer killed the King of Harad, rallied his few remaining riders, and shattered the elite shieldwall. Only two riders were lost in the action.

   On the right, the Army of the Dead split: half aided Grimbold, while half charged the Mumak.

   In the center, Théoden, Eowyn, Meriadoc, and the Royal Guards engaged the Witch-king. After a brutal clash, Théoden, though wounded, slayed the Witch-king. Legolas and the Rangers silenced the Mumak’s archers, killing eight of the sixteen on top.

Rounds 10–12: The Tide Turns

   The left flank struggled under relentless pressure, but Éomer’s survivors countered, killing Gothmog in a final desperate duel.

   On the right, Grimbold’s forces, bolstered by the Dead, destroyed the shieldwall and advanced toward remaining archers.

   In the center, Théoden, Aragorn, Gimli, and their allies wounded the Mumak repeatedly. The beast began to falter, while Haradrim archers were largely neutralized by Legolas and the Rangers.

Round 13: The Mumak Rampage

   The Mumak, finally spooked and wounded, stampeded into the elite shieldwall, annihilating the Haradrim defenders. The remnants of Harad realized the battle was lost and fled across the Pelennor fields, leaving the plains strewn with fallen Orcs, Haradrim, and Riders alike.

Aftermath
   The Pelennor Fields lay silent but scarred. Rohan and Gondor had suffered grievous losses: Éomer’s left flank was nearly destroyed, and Grimbold was severely wounded. Théoden survived, as did key heroes including Éowyn, Meriadoc, Aragorn, and the King of the Dead.

   For the defenders of Gondor and their allies, victory had come at a steep cost, but it was a victory worthy of song.

Mercenary Element for Spectre Operations 3rd edition

    A very good friend of mine plays Spectre Operation 3rd edition, which is a nice system of rules for wargames set in the modern era.

   Each player has a force that consists of elements. One category of these elements is the Mercenaries. When my friend gave me two sprues of Wargames Atlantic (WA) Operators, I decided to build a seven-man element of a sargent and six mercenaries.

The Mercenary Element

   I wanted the mercenaries to have a look that would distinguish them from the original  Operators. So I kept only three of the Operators' heads, the ones with berets, and for the rest four mercenaries I used three spare Perry Miniature (PM) Sudanese tribesmen heads and a Gripping Beasts (GB) Arab Heavy Cavalry head. Also I gave them a chin curtain beard of Green Stuff like the one that Abraham Lincoln had, to unify them.

Mercenaries WIP

The Sargent

Chin curtain beards of Green Stuff

PM head

WA head

PM head

GB head

   I trimmed this mercenary's hair behind his ears and gave him a long hair of Green Stuff to cover the gap at his neck.

   I didn't want them to have a full uniform, so I painted their trousers black.

The sargent

   Sargent's binoculars are from a Warlord Games Germans WW2 sprue.

   All the bases have an urban style. The asphalt is pieces of black sandpaper, the rest are little rocks, sand and parts from various sprues.

   That's it for today! Stay tuned for more!

The Battle of Pelargir

   Recently, I played a Lord of the Rings SBG scenario recreating the desperate struggle at Pelargir, where the fate of Gondor’s southern fiefs would be decided upon the decks of the Black Ships. What unfolded was a fast, brutal, and wonderfully thematic battle. Note: this is the third battle we played, of a series we started, "the battles of Minas Tirith", so you should check the previous battle, and wait for upcoming content!

Forces of Good

The defenders of Gondor were led by the heir of Isildur himself, reinforced by the Army of the Dead and the Fellowship’s finest warriors:

Aragorn, Strider (with Andúril), Legolas, Gimli, The King of the Dead and Halbarad (Banner of Arwen), 2 Rangers of the North, 2 Riders of the Dead and 16 Warriors of the Dead.

Forces of Evil

The Corsairs of Umbar arrived aboard two warships, confident in their numbers and firepower, unaware of what awaited them at the docks.

Ship One: Dalamyr, Bo’sun, 6 Corsair Arbalesters and 7 Corsair Warriors

Ship Two: Corsair Captain, 5 Corsair Arbalesters and 7 Corsair Warriors

Reinforcements from Mordor were expected once the ships docked: Morannon Orc Captain and 22 Morannon Orc Warriors.

Deployment
The Forces of Good split their strength to meet both ships simultaneously:
Aragorn, Halbarad, the Rangers of the North, Riders of the Dead, and 7 Warriors of the Dead waited at the docks, poised to assault Ship One and confront Dalamyr.

The King of the Dead, Legolas, Gimli, and 9 Warriors of the Dead prepared to strike Ship Two.

The Corsairs remained aboard their ships, arbalests loaded, ready to cut down anything that dared approach.

In Round 7, once the ships reached the docks, a force of Morannon Orcs would arrive, forming a shieldwall near the ships to secure the landing.

The Battle

Round 1: The Charge at the Docks

As the battle began, Aragorn led the charge against the first ship, while the King of the Dead advanced on the second. Crossbow bolts flew as the Corsair arbalesters opened fire, cutting down several Warriors of the Dead — though far fewer than expected.

The Rangers of the North returned fire but failed to find their mark. Then Legolas loosed his bow, killing two Corsair warriors with effortless precision, announcing the beginning of the end for the Black Ships.

Rounds 2–5: Blood on the Decks

The fighting quickly descended into vicious, close-quarters combat.

On Ship One, Aragorn was unstoppable, cutting down Corsair after Corsair as Andúril flashed through the press. Halbarad remained at his side, banner held high, ensuring the King of Gondor was never left unsupported.

Despite their supernatural terror, the Warriors of the Dead were slowly overwhelmed by the Corsairs’ numbers. In a surprising turn, nearly half of the Dead aboard Ship One were destroyed, dragged down by sheer weight of blades and crossbow bolts.

On Ship Two, the battle was more evenly matched — until the heroes intervened. Gimli stormed aboard from the left, hacking down two arbalesters in moments. Legolas leapt into the fray, drawing his elven knives and killing the Corsair Captain outright in a blur of steel.

Throughout the fighting, the Rangers of the North exchanged fire with the arbalesters, eventually killing two of them and easing the pressure on the Dead.

Round 6: The Fall of Dalamyr

At last, Dalamyr charged Aragorn, seeking to turn the tide himself. Halbarad and the Rangers moved to support their king — but **Aragorn needed no aid. With a single, decisive strike, Andúril cleaved through Dalamyr’s head, killing him instantly.

With their captain dead, the Corsairs’ resistance crumbled. Heavy losses were suffered on both ships, and on Ship Two, Legolas, Gimli, and the King of the Dead finished off the last remaining Corsairs.

Rounds 7–9: The Coming of Mordor

As the ships finally docked at Pelargir, a shieldwall of Morannon Orcs awaited them. But from the Black Ships did not emerge Corsairs. Instead came a Man, a Dwarf, and an Elf — followed by the Army of the Dead. The clash was short and utterly one-sided.

The Warriors of the Dead proved unstoppable, cutting through the Morannon ranks with terrifying ease. Gimli charged the Morannon Orc Captain, killing him almost instantly. Aragorn and Halbarad carved through multiple orcs, while Legolas and the Rangers of the North fired relentlessly from behind, thinning the back ranks and cutting down any who tried to support the shieldwall. Within moments, the Morannon force was completely annihilated.

Aftermath
When the battle ended, Pelargir belonged to Gondor.

The Corsairs of Umbar were utterly destroyed, their Black Ships taken and their crews slain. The Morannon reinforcements from Mordor were wiped out almost to a man, never standing a chance against the Dead of Dunharrow.

Despite fierce fighting aboard the ships, the Forces of Good suffered relatively light losses — roughly a quarter of the army — a small price for such a decisive victory.

A fast, brutal, and incredibly thematic battle — and without question one of the most cinematic games I’ve played.