SAGA Reference Guide

SAGA Reference Guide – Setup & Gameplay WARBAND SIZE Points

•

UNITS •

Description

4

Shorter game / learning game

6

Standard game

A Warband is a collection of models made up into Units of one Faction

•

4-8 points per game is recommended

•

6 is the standard point amount

•

No additional rules to accommodate 7 or 8 point games introduced in The Crescent & The Cross rulebook

SCENARIO SELECTION

Page 39

Models of same class, specs,
 and equipment type organized into Units

CC 58

•

Select a scenario for play – 6 scenarios are
 NF 21 included on page 59 of the SAGA rulebook,
 1 scenario on page 21 of Northern Fury, and
 7 scenarios on page 106 of The Crescent & The Cross

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Agree with other player(s) or select randomly

•

Layout, game length, deployment, and victory conditions are all included in the scenario

Units are 4-12 models each, can be reduced below 4 but never increased above 12

•

Warlords, Priests, and Bards are solo Units

•

If an individual model in the enemy Unit can be reached, the enemy Unit is reached

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A Unit must remain in formation, each model must be within VS distance of one another

•

Unless specified, the death of a Warlord does not end the scenario

•

A point spent to purchase models does not need to be placed into the same Unit

•

Scenery setup rules have changed in The Crescent & The Cross

Page 39 CC 57

• •

Armor

Shooting Dice

Melee Dice

Fatigue Limit

•

M/L

3

1 per 2

1 per 3

2

•

M/L

4

1 per 2

1 per

3

+1 Unit

M/L

5

1 per

2 per

4

+2

M/L

5/6

2

5

4

Points

Levies

1 for 12

0

Warriors

1 for 8

+1 Unit

Hearthguard

1 for 4

Warlord

0 for 1

SAGA Dice Movement

•

Hero stats – see individual Hero rules in Rulebooks Priest stats – see page 3 of this SAGA Reference Guide

•

Foot Units move M, mounted Units move L Warlord armor is 5 for Melee, 6 for Shooting, sounds as Hearthguard for Activation

TERRAIN & BUILDINGS •

Terrain Type: Area Terrain (a perimeter terrain item such as forest or swamp)


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CC 40

•

Terrain Height: Low or High. Low Terrain never blocks line of sight. Can’t cross over High.

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Terrain Cover: Light (Soft) or Heavy (Hard). Light and Heavy impacts Shooting, Heavy impacts Melee. 2/3rd of unit must be within cover to benefit.

• • •

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Terrain Piece: Uneven, Open, or Impassable. Open includes bridges and roads. Uneven Terrain (e.g. woods, rocky ground, walls, building, steep hill, etc.) will slow Movement from

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•

•

M to S. Uneven impacts all the area terrain, not just the individual terrain elements within.

•

Buildings are considered High Terrain with Uneven Ground. Standard buildings (8 models

•

can occupy) and Large buildings (12 models can occupy). •

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Unit may only enter a building if not occupied by an enemy Unit, all models in the Unit can

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enter the building with the same Movement Activation, and room to occupy.

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For Melee or Shooting involving Units inside buildings, see special rules on Page 31.

•

Page 1 of 4

1 Select Scenario (page 59) 2 Build Play Area + Terrain (page 60), agree on Impassible Terrain, agree on building Movement and Shooting in regards to doors and windows 3 Create Warband 4 Roll for turn order (highest goes first, then alternates) 5 Follow Scenario rules for setup and Unit deployment

MELEE MOVEMENT RULES Page 24 Move model in your Unit one by one CC 22 Each model must mode to contact by shortest
 route possible, avoiding impassible or slower terrain Model may not engage an enemy model already engaged by two of your models If closest enemy model is already engaged by two of your models or impossible to contact an enemy unit base to base, your model will move to engage the next closest enemy model, moving gaps between models ok If enemy model deployed behind an obstacle, considered to be in contact and engaged if both models touching the obstacle (e.g. wall, hedge, window of building, etc.) If you model does not have enough Movement to engage an enemy model in base to base contact, it must move as close to an enemy model as possible Movement into Melee must honor the Unit Formation MELEE DISENGAGEMENT

Page 30

or Linear Obstacle (such as a wall or hedge).

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CC 106

http://bit.ly/sagaguide

SETUP STEPS

Page 59

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CLASSES Class

v0.8, 28 December 2014

TURN ORDER

ORDERS PHASE

Page 10

CC 12 1 Roll SAGA Dice • Max of 6 can be rolled at start of Orders Phase • Max of 8 total can be placed (Activation Pool) 2• Orders/Reaction abilities from the opponent 3• Allocate SAGA Dice to Abilities boxes • SAGA Dice symbol must match to Abilities box • Multiple symbols present, any can be used • Multiple symbols with +, all must be used • Colored background boxes (or bottom section in CC) can only be used once per turn (the Faction special Abilities boxes) • Left column (white boxes) (or top section in CC) can be used multiple times per turn with proper number of SADA Dice allocated 4• Orders/Reaction abilities from the opponent

ACTIVATION PHASE

Page 27

CC 36 Each player counts casualties Player that inflicted the most casualties is the winner Defeated Unit must disengage If Defeated Unit cannot disengage (e.g. terrain), then the winning Unit must disengage instead If both sides inflicted the same # of casualties, the attacker must disengage, but not counted as disengagement for any special abilities or effects Disengagement made by the Unit owner Each model in Unit moves up to S away from Melee Must move as far away from enemy models that models were fighting, as possible May not finish disarrangement within VS range of any enemy model in the victorious Unit Disengaged Unit must end in Unit Formation If one Unit is wiped out entirely, no disengagement

Page 9

1 Orders Phase CC 11 2 Activation Phase Turn is complete, next player • Player loses the game if no SAGA dice at turn start

Page 14 CC 16

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Activated units may Move, Shoot, or Rest

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Melee is the result of a Move Activation and is resolved immediately following the Movement

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An individual Unit may be Activated as many times in a turn as allowed by SAGA Dice placement in the Ability boxes The order of Activations is determined by the player, resolved one at a time, SAGA dice removed as used

•

•

Orders used during your own turn, except for Reaction and Melee Orders, which can be used during the opponent’s turn, including Activation/Reaction abilities

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Abilities do not need to be used. SAGA Dice can remain on an Ability box for use later

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SAGA Dice in an Ability box can be removed at the beginning of an Orders Phase and rolled

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Any SAGA Dice saved on your battle board will count against the number of SAGA Dice you roll next turn

SAGA Reference Guide – Gameplay SAGA DICE

Page 10

Activation

SHOOTING

CC 10 Dice

Range

Levies do not generate SAGA dice

+1

per Warrior or Hearthguard Unit

M

•

•

•

Hearthguard

2 attack die per model

Abilities that remove Fatigue do not count as a rest Activation

Warlord

5

Type

Impact of Cover (2/3rd of Unit) Cancel hits on 4+ instead of 5+, defender only No benefit from cover

Levies

1 attack die per 2 models

Levies

3

3

Warriors

4

4

Hearthguard

5

5

Warriors

1 attack die per 2 models

Heavy

Hearthguard

1 attack die per model

Mounted

MOVEMENT

Page 12

Type

Impact of Cover (2/3rd of Unit)

Light

Cancel hits on 3s

Heavy

Cancel hits on 3s, +1 armor to target

Mounted •

•

Range

#

Description

VS

2” / 5cm

S

4” / 10cm

Moving from, in, or through uneven ground or crossing an obstacle

2

M

6” / 15cm

Foot models in open terrain

3

L

12” / 30cm Mounted models in open terrain

1

Models can see and move in 360 degrees - no facing All models in Unit must move together Models in a Unit must be within VS of one another You may not move through your own models or Units If you move within VS of an enemy model, you must engage it in Melee, base to base contact with a single enemy model per model, or stay back at least VS distance Starting with the second Activation of a Unit in a turn, if you are within S of an enemy Unit, you must engage the closest enemy Unit in Melee if activated for a Movement, unless exhausted Allowed to activate for Movement but not move, is still considered a move

2

Requires: Base to base contact or adjacent across obstacle of two opposed models, equal to or less than Unit Movement range engages in Melee, move one model at a time Melee Steps: 0 Melee/Reaction abilities, Attacker goes first Determination of Attack Dice (Attacker & 1 Defender both), must be in base contact of enemy, within VS of enemy in contact, or in contact with friendly model contacting enemy 2 Defender may reduce its Attack Dice for Defense Dice, remove 1/2 of Attack Dice, for every 2 removed, gain +1 Defense Die

FATIGUE

4

5

•

•

No benefit from cover, -1 armor

Requires: At least 1 model in Unit must have line of sight and range to an enemy model in a Unit, each model eligible may shoot Line of sight blocked by any models except own in Shooting Unit, spaces between any models, scenery items higher than average foot model, ~35mm (high terrain) Shooting Steps: Declare target, determine eligible Shooting models, and calculate Attack Dice to be rolled Attacker then Defender use their SAGA Shooting abilities, multiple abilities allowed, Defender can spend shooting Unit Fatigue Attack Roll - Target # is enemy’s Armor or higher - Max # of Attack Dice = 2x eligible Shooting models generated dice pre abilities Defense Roll - 1 die per attacker hit - Cancels hits on 4+ - Max # of Defense Dice = 2x hits taken Remove casualties (defender selects), cannot break Unit formation, any model in the Unit, even those models not in the line of sight Cannot re-roll a die that has already been re-rolled (no re-re-rolls), second roll is final Natural 6 roll automatic hit, roll of natural 1 as automatic failure removed as a rule in The Raven’s Shadow errata

3 Attacker then Defender use their SAGA Melee abilities, multiple abilities allowed, spend Fatigue 4 Attack Roll (Attacker & Defender) - Target # is enemy’s Armor or higher - Max # of Attack Dice = 2x eligible Melee models generated dice pre abilities 5 Defense Roll (Attacker & Defender) - 1 die per hit - Cancels hits on 5+ - Max # of Defense Dice = 2x hits taken Remove casualties, defender first, any model in 6 the Unit, cannot break Unit formation, must leave one model in base to base contact with enemy 7 Fatigue: 1 per unit in Melee 8 Loser must disengage •

Ranged Units will also fight in Melee

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Natural 6 roll automatic hit, roll of natural 1 as automatic failure removed as a rule in The Raven’s Shadow errata

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A Unit can only be in Melee with 1 other Unit, if multiple Units options, must declare one

•

Cannot re-roll a die that has already been rerolled (no re-re-rolls), second roll is final

Page 28 CC 37

Fatigue Action +1

Movement or Shooting Activation after the 1st non-Rest Activation for that Unit per turn

+1

Melee (Attacker & Defender)

+1

Friendly Unit removed from game in Melee within S distance of Unit

+1

Mounted Unit ending movement in uneven terrain

Class

Fatigue Limit

Levies

2

Warriors

3

Hearthguard & Warlord

4

•

CC 19

•

1 attack die per model

# of Attack Dice

Activation

•

Warriors

Class

5 6 Warlord Crossbow Units are -1 armor (Shooting or Melee) • Armor of 4 means must roll 4+ to hit • Armor must be 2-6, regardless of modifiers

•

Resting must be the first Activation for that Unit during a turn, only once per Unit per turn

-1

•

•

•

•

Shooting

CC 38 Resting removes 1 Fatigue token

1 attack die per 3 models

for every SAGA die left on your Battleboard, unless removed before rolling

Melee

CC 31

Javelins, Composite Bows

Hero (unless specifically noted)

Class

Page 28

# of Attack Dice

Bows, Slings, Crossbows L Javelins may be used for free after Movement as long as not in Melee, no extra Fatigue Crossbow impact target enemy Units -1 armor

Warlord

RESTING

Activation

Levies

+3

CC 68

Page 24

Class

Warlord

Page 39

MELEE

Page 2 of 4

Type

+2

ARMOR

After Movement

http://bit.ly/sagaguide

•

•

Max of 6 SAGA dice rolled, max of 8 SAGA dice placed

•

Page 19 CC 26

Description

0

v0.8, 28 December 2014

A Unit may gain Fatigue past exhaustion limit Unit equal to or higher than Fatigue limit it becomes exhausted and cannot be activated for Movement or Shooting, only Rest, loses 1/2 of Attack Dice in Melee Spending The Enemy’s Fatigue: •

Reduce enemy Unit Movement by 1 level (e.g. L to M, not below VS), discard 1 enemy Fatigue

•

When shot at, discard 1 enemy Fatigue from the Shooting Unit to gain +1 armor

•

In Melee, discard 1 enemy Fatigue to gain +1 armor, only bonus against that attacking Unit

•

In Melee, discard 1 enemy Fatigue for -1 enemy Unit’s armor

May only be used once during each Movement, Shooting, or Melee Each Fatigue effect can only be generated once per occurrence (e.g. can’t reduce Movement by 2 levels)

SAGA Reference Guide – Special Models WARLORD

PRIEST

Page 36 CC 60

•

Cost is free, unless using a Hero as Warlord

•

Generates two SAGA dice

•

•

Acts as own unit, activated as Hearthguard

•

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Strongest individual model in Warband

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Death may result in the loss of the Scenario Abilities:

•

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•

•

•

Resilience: Warlords ignore the first non-cancelled hit they suffer in each attack. To kill a Warrior, you must inflict at least two hits in a single melee or ranged attack. A Warlord may eliminate any number of friendly non-Levy model (one hit per) within VS of the Warlord instead of removing the Warlord as a casualty. Determination: Once per turn a Warlord can be activated for free, does not require a SAGA die for Activation. This special ability can be combined with We Obey to activate a unit with the Warlord. We Obey: Once per turn when the Warlord is activated, if you choose a movement Activation, you may also simultaneously activate any one friendly unit within S of the Warlord. That unit must then be activated for movement. Cannot use this Activation to shoot or rest. Does not matter if this unit has already been Activated this turn. Counts as a free movement Activation. This may cause that unit to take one Fatigue. This special ability can only be used once per turn, either as part of Determination or any movement Activation. A unit activated by this special ability may move in a different direction than the Warlord. Side by Side: Allows the Warlord and another unit to engage the same enemy unit when using the We Obey special ability. Move the Warlord to engage in Melee first, followed by the friendly unit. The Warlord and friendly unit generate their own Attack Dice separately. Any SAGA abilities played on one of them do not affect the other, treated as two separate units in this regard. Before rolling Attack Dice, the enemy unit must divide them between the Warlord and the other attacking unit. No more than half of the Attack Dice may be directed against the Warlord, no minimum requirement. Warlords are not restricted by this rule. A Warlord can direct all of his Attack Dice against the enemy Warlord. Positions of engaged units not relevant. SAGA abilities that affect the attack roll are applied to all attacks made by that unit during this melee regardless of the unit it is targeted with its attacks. If Resilience is used with this special ability, but casualties must be removed first. Warlord’s Pride: When a Warlord is activated for movement, it must engage the enemy Warlord if the model can be reached based on the movement rules, unless the Warlord can engage an enemy Unit within the VS or S range rules, which would overrule this ability.

http://bit.ly/sagaguide

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Cost is one point to include a Priest in a Warband with a Warlord, or free to upgrade your Warlord to a Warrior Priest (see below) Limit one Priest per Warband - three types Acts as own unit, activated as a Warlord, but does not use Warlord special abilities Melee attack only, no ranged Treated as Warlords for Battle Board abilities, exhausted with four Fatigue SAGA abilities that target a Warlord cannot be used to target a Priest May be mounted or unmounted, depending upon the model, mounted requires use of a mounted Warlord Worth four Victory Points Warlord Priests: May upgrade a Warlord to a Warlord Priest (no cost) The model takes on the characteristics of the Priest type and does not have Warlord special abilities, except he gets to keep Determination and Warlord’s Pride

The Religious Advisor • •

• •

• • •

• •

SAGA Dice

4/4

2

Attacks

Armor

SAGA Dice

3

5/6

1

Side by Side: See Warlord Abilities We Obey: See Warlord Abilities Resilience: See Warlord Abilities The Blade That Punishes: During Orders Phase, may discard any one SAGA die rolled this turn to gain one of the following benefits: Priest generates three extra attack dice, discards one Fatigue, any non-Levy unit that engages in combat alongside Priest using We Obey + Side by Side generates one extra attack die per every two models.

The Enlightened •

Armor

Resilience: See Warlord Abilities Spiritual Advice: At start of turn, if within S of Warlord, increase max SAGA dice rolled per turn by 1 Belief: At start of Activation Phase, remove one Fatigue Faith: At any time during Orders Phase, take any number of Fatigue up to Exhaustion limit. For each Fatigue taken, you may roll two additional SAGA dice or remove one Fatigue from a unit within M distance. Each option limited to once per turn (both allowed in a turn).

The Warrior Priest •

Attacks s 1

Attacks

Armor

1

4/4

SAGA Dice

2 Resilience: See Warlord Abilities Belief: At start of Activation Phase, remove one Fatigue Visionary: During Orders Phase after SAGA dice have been rolled before any SAGA Abilities have been used, may take up to four Fatigues. For each Fatigue taken, may take one SAGA die and change the symbol. If you use this ability, you may not gain any extra SAGA dice during this Order Phase.

Page 3 of 4

WAR BANNER RS Page 4 Each unit of at least 6 Hearthguard
 CC 44 or 10 Warriors may upgrade one
 model to a War Banner, all Factions allowed The War Banner model does not generate attack dice in that unit If unit with War Banner not activated that turn, remove a fatigue at end of Activation Phase May be removed as a casualty from a unit, but that unit will lose the War Banner abilities Unit formation cannot force a War Banner to be removed as a casualty - swap models in unit to resolve If unit is reduced to just the War Banner model, remove the model and treat as unit destroyed and model killed Dogs of War, Legends of the Crusading Age, and special units not allowed to have War Banners Ability: Rally Around Their Banner: Rest activation, remove one Fatigue, resolve at any time during the turn and any number of times, must be paid for using SAGA dice or abilities, once this ability is used, no more move or shoot activations for that unit this turn

CC 63 •

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v0.8, 28 December 2014

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BARD TROUBADOUR

Blister Pack CC 105

The Bard and the Troubadour have the same rules. The model is called a Bard for Dark Ages and a Troubadour for The Crescent & The Cross The special rules for the Bard comes with one of the three Gripping Beast Bard model blister packs • May not be included in any Warband led by a Hero • No cost • Acts as own unit, activated as a Warrior • Mounted or unmounted, depending upon model, mounted requires a mounted Warlord • Worth two Victory Points • If killed, Warlord takes one Fatigue Abilities: •

Storyteller: Warlord may not Rest unless he has two or more Fatigue, Warlord may not use the Side-by-Side ability

•

Inspiration: Requirement – the Bard must be within S of the Warlord, any enemy model killed by Warlord counts as double Victory Points, Warlord may use the Determination and We Obey abilities twice per turn

SAGA Reference Guide – Factions & Special Units

v0.8, 28 December 2014

DARK AGES FACTIONS Faction

Rules

http://bit.ly/sagaguide

Page 4 of 4

THE CRESCENT & THE CROSS FACTIONS

Description

Faction Crusaders

Crescent & Cross, Page 66

European Christian invaders of the Holy Land in presentday Israel and Palestine from the 11th to 13th century

Saracens

Crescent & Cross, Page 72

Muslim Inhabitants of the Holy Land in present-day Israel and Palestine from the 11th to 13th century

Rules

Description

Anglo-Danish

SAGA, Page 43

Early 11th century rulers of England from Denmark and Sweden

Anglo-Saxons

Northern Fury, Page 5

Rulers of England from 7th to 11th centuries

Bretons

Northern Fury, Page 9

Rulers of the Brittany region of France, fought against the Normans in the mid 11th century

Milites Christi

Crescent & Cross, Page 78

Crusader states founded by Europeans in the 11th and 12th centuries in present-day Syria, Israel, and Palestine

Byzantines

Varjazi & Basileus, Page 11

Byzantine Empire of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea region from the 3rd to 15th century

Mutatawwi’a

Crescent & Cross, Page 84

Muslim defenders of the Holy Land during the Crusades, largely Arab and Turkish religious volunteers

Spanish

Crescent & Cross, Page 90

Rulers of Spain, fought against the Muslim invaders (Moors) during the 8th to 15th century

Moors

Crescent & Cross, Page 96

Muslim invaders of Spain, Portugal. and France from North Africa during the 8th to 15th century

Raven’s Shadow, Page 5

Rulers of France during the 8th and 9th centuries

Raven’s Shadow, Page 9

Rulers of Ireland, battled the Normans and Vikings during the 10th and 11th centuries

Jomskivings

Northern Fury, Page 13

10th and 11th century Viking mercenaries from Jomsborg, along the Baltic Sea coast of Germany

Normans

SAGA, Page 42

From Normandy, France, rulers of England in late 11th century

Norse-Gaels

Raven’s Shadow, Page 13

Viking colonists of Irish Sea region from the 9th to 11th century

Pagan Rus

Varjazi & Basileus, Page 3

Viking colonists of Russia and Ukraine from the 9th to 11th centruy

The Steppe Nomads

Varjazi & Basileus, Page 15

Rus Princes

Varjazi & Basileus, Page 7

Christian rulers of Russia and Ukraine during the 10th century

Flemish Mercenaries

Gripping Beast Blister Pack Heavy infantry mercenaries from Flanders

Scots

Northern Fury, Page 17

Rulers of Scotland, descendants of the Celts

Egil

Gripping Beast Blister Pack Viking warrior-poet from Iceland Gripping Beast Blister Pack Norse-Gael mercenaries

Ltd Edition, Salute 2012

Indigenous peoples of Greenland and the Americas encountered by the Vikings

Gall-Gaedhil

Skraelings

Angry Monks

Gripping Beast Blister Pack Christian Monks

Steppe Tribes

Wargames Illustrated #311
 or http://bit.ly/steppetribes

Nomadic tribes from Mongolia, invaders of Europe

Strathclyde

Raven’s Shadow, Page 19

Rulers of Western Scotland from the 9th to 11th century

Vikings

SAGA, Page 41

Medieval Scandinavians, rulers of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden

Bedouin Scouts

Crescent & Cross, Page 101

Rulers of Wales, descendants of the Celts and Romanised Britons

Daylami

Crescent & Cross, Page 102

M

Persian Muslim warriors subjugated by the Turks in the 11th century

Fanatical Pilgrims

Crescent & Cross, Page 105

C

Christian volunteers during the Crusades

Foreign Mercenaries

Crescent & Cross, Page 102

C

Flemish, Armenian, and Greek mercenaries hired by the Crusaders

Naffata

Crescent & Cross, Page 103

M

Turkish infantry with flammable bombs

Make this SAGA Reference Guide better by sending your corrections to [email protected]

Turcomans

Crescent & Cross, Page 104

This SAGA Reference Guide has been created by Raven Zachary in Portland, Oregon, USA

Turcopoles

Crescent & Cross, Page 104

Franks (Carolingians) Irish

Welsh

SAGA, Page 44

Game Tips: fractions are always rounded up, distances can be measured at any time SAGA Downloads from Studio Tomahawk: http://bit.ly/sagadownloads

SWORDS FOR HIRE Description

Rules

Description

Jarl Sigvaldi / Jomsvikings SAGA, Page 48

10th and 11th century Viking mercenaries

Rules

Use

This does not replace SAGA Rulebooks. Please purchase copies for use. SAGA is © Studio Tomahawk

The Crescent & The Cross only

Description

C / M Bedouin tribes of North Africa, Syria, and Egypt

SAGA Online Forum by Studio Tomahawk: http://studiotomahawk.freeforums.org Page numbers are for the SAGA Rulebook unless noted as another book by its acronym

Nomadic tribes from Mongolia

DOGS OF WAR Description

Dark Ages only

C / M Horse archer mercenaries from Turkmenistan C

Horse archer mercenaries from Turkey, Greece, and Syria