Saxon v Viking Skirmish

Dave put in two weeks of Dark Ages Skirmishes running 21st - 28th February, with 28mm figures form his and Mike W's collections and using Mike N's terrain and buildings. Dave used the popular 'One Hour Skirmish Rules' and adapted them for Dark Ages usage.

The game saw three Saxon teams pitted against 3 converging Viking outfits, each team having different victory conditions and back stories...

Saxon village with Rupert's villagers defending

Mike N, Mike W and Steve were the initial 3 Viking teams and Rupert, John and Phil were the original Saxon outfits.

Mike N's Viking team approaching the Saxon Village

It seems the back stories of Steve and Mike N's teams was such that there was a lot of enmity between the two and when Steve's guys advanced towards Mike N's group without due care ad attention Steve's Team leader got taken out by Mike N's Archers.

Stranded in a foreign country and without a leader or boats to get home Steve's leaderless team paid homage to Mike N and joined forces with him.

Similarly there was bad blood between Mike W's mercenary Vikings and a band of Mercians under Phil, who had pursued the errant Vikings trying to get stole monies back. Once seeing each other n the tabletop, the two teams set-to in an epic fight , which ended up in a Mercian victory albeit at the price of the leaders from each group being killed, the Vikings fleeing and the remaining Mercians finding the missing money on the bodies of the dead...

Mike W's Viking Berserker and companion fighting
against one of Phil's Saxon warriors

Elsewhere Rupert's team were defending their village form a grinding onslaught by Mike N and his rapidly expending team - who developed shield wall tactics for pushing forwards and protecting their vulnerable archers.

Steve's leaderless team joins forces with
Mike N's team to attack the village

John arrived on the table early to help support the villagers and Steve was re-cycled in to another Saxon relief column that arrived to defend the village.

More action from the Viking assault on the village

Mike N's Vikings were able to clear out Rupert and John's archers bit the game came to a close when it was clear that they did not have the strength to take the village to exit the table on the other side the table. In effect Mike N was left with about one and a half teams to fight against the best part of 3 teams of Saxons, who held the village....

... good game enjoyed by all.