'

es

By: Alex Buche!

Development: Alex Buchel with Mike Hobbs
Written by: Alex Buchel, Mike Hobbs and Andy Sherwell
Intra written by: Andrew Sherwell
Graphic Design: Fred Machu
Pictures: Fred Machu and Wyn Rogers
Th e artwork used for the cover is Christos Giannopoulos
Special thanks to: Pierrick Floc'h, Jasper Orrthuys, Dirk van Gorp , Wayne Richards and Steve at Little Big M en Studios
and all our Inner Sanctum brothers in arms.
Figures used in this book are produced by Gripping Beast and painted by
Darren Harding, Fred Machu, Alex Buchel, Dave Woodward, Mystic Spirals, Chris Stone, Tim Dagnall and Wyn Rogers.
.

Check our updates on our website: www.studio-tomahawk.com

and join the Saga community at http://studiotomahawk.freeforums.org/
Northern Fury is published by Gripping Beast under license from Studio Tomahawk SARL, 11 Nouvelle Cite, 67380 Lingolsheim.
Saga, Skirmishes in the Dark Ages and Northern Fury are by Alex Buchel and Studio Tomahawk. ISBN : 978-2-9538053-2-1
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or any means
w ithout the prior written permission of the publisher.
Printed in February 2012 by l'lmprimerie Gantier (59582 MARLY)
Studio Tomahawk 2012

Welcome to Northern Fury, the first supplement for the

SAGA rules system.
In this book you will find details of four new factions for
your SAGA games: the Bretons, the Jomsvikings, the Scots
and the Anglo-Saxons. Along with a description of each
faction, there are all the rules you need to muster yourself
a warband (including new Heroes,) plus of course a brand
new Battleboard for each faction.

Each of these new factions presents new and interesting

challenges, both to command and to face across the table:
The Bretons - These warriors fought on horseback using
javelins and hit and run tactics to disrupt their enemies
before dealing that killer blow
The Jomsvikings - Pagan warriors whose wrath and
ferocity was legendary, historians still argue about their
existence, but now you can field them in your games
The Scots- Descendants of the Irish migrants established
on the western coasts of Caledonia, the Scots whose
spears invited death to all who came near
The Anglo-Saxons - Sons of JEifred the Great, they were
known for courage and tenacity in battle, the Vikings
feared them and rightly so.
As with everything in SAGA, each of these factions has
been extensively play-tested against one another and
against the original four factions in the rule-book to ensure
that every game will be balanced and challenging. At this
point we'd like to say a massive thank you to everyone in
the play-test groups, their feedback and support has been
instrumental in shaping the book you're reading now.
Thanks chaps.
In Northern Fury you will also find a new multi-player
scenario, Wooden Oaths. Multi-player SAGA games are
great for club-nights and bring their own set of challenges
and rewards and this scenario is a great way to start if
you've never tried multi-player games before1
We hope you get as much fun using Northern Fury as we
have had in putting it together.

Hourrah!

The SAGA team .

'

1 Wooden

Oaths is a particular favourite at Beast Towers as it offers great scope for back-

stabbing and winding up LordS!

on:

0--8

The Anglo-Saxons dominated England (which they also called

Middangeard, the Middle-Earth) between the 7th and 11th
centuries. The faction described below covers the period of the
seven kingdoms of the Heptarchy (which started sometime
during the early 6th century) until the conquest of England by
Sven Forkbeard and the establishment of the Anglo-Danish
dynasty (as covered in the Saga rulebook)

Finally, the serfs, or Geburs might be some-what reluctant ly cal led

for. Having a minimum of training, they fought without much
enthusiasm, but could hold their place in the shieldwall, or be used
as hunters or scouts if equipped w ith a sling or a bow. They are
obviously the Levies of your warband.

This period saw the English defend themselves against Welsh,

Scots and particularly the Vikings, both raiders and the fledgling
Viking kingdom of Jorvik centred around Yo rk. It is the period
of JEifred the Great and eventually saw t he birth of England as
a united nation.

lFA(C1l'J[ (QYN lRJU[JLJE

Your Warlord is probably one of t he nobles of the kingdoms t hat

supported the Anglo-Saxon kings or t he Bretwalda. He is able to
call out the Fyrd, the trained militia that was mustered in times of
danger.

Some Anglo-Saxon units may be fielded mounted. M ou nted

units are subject to the f o llowing special ru les:

- The Movement of mount ed unit s is increased to JL but

reduced to when moving from, through, o r into uneven
ground.
- Mounted units may never enter a building but they can
engage in melee any unit occupying a building in t he normal
manner.

Usually, high-ranking nobles such as your Warlord would have at

their disposal a personal bodyguard, which were inspired by the
ancient Comitatus of the German tribes. They could be other highranking noblemen (Ealdormen,) or lesser nobles (Thegns) as well
as retained mercenaries (if your Warlord is rich enough!) These
soldiers, well t rained and well equipped would give their life f or
their lord, and are the Hearthguards of your warband.

- The Armour of mounted unit s is red uced by one w hen t hey

are the target of a Shooting attack.

The rural workers were expect ed to answer t he call of t heir lords.

These peasants, richer than m ost of t heir fellows were known as
Ceorls, and could afford to come to war with proper equipment
such as helmets or even som e pieces of body armour. They trained
regularly and as such they are t he core of your warband, and are
its Warriors.

Apart from the restrictions mentioned above, m ounted unit s

behave like ordi nary unit s. If a unit st arts the game m ounted,
it must remain mounted for t he w ho le game and may never
dism ount.

- Mounted units m ay never benefit f rom any kind of cover, in

m elee or shooting .

Anglo-Saxon Warlords and Hearthguards may be mounted.

Anglo-Saxon Warriors have no special rules.
Anglo-Saxon Levies may be equipped w ith ranged weapons,
either slings or bows. If they are not eq uipped with ranged
weapons, they are considered to carry shields and spears. In
that case, they have an Armour of 4 and generate in melee one
Attack Die per two figures (instead of one Attack Die per three
figures for other Levies).

JH[ JE JR.JQ) lE (Q) JF 1rJH[ JE V J[ lK.J[ N (Gr A (Gr JE

JEifred the Great, first King of the Anglo-Saxons
JE/fred reigned during the second half of the 9th century, and was
one of the sons of Athelwulf, the king of Wessex. Unlike most
of his contemporaries, he was educated, had a good knowledge
of the Holy Writings and spoke Latin. Many related this quest
for knowledge and spirituality to his poor health and physical
afflictions that plagued him during his lifetime.
In these times, Wessex -as were most of the English kingdomswas fighting the Norse invaders and when Danegeld was not
paid, blood spilled and the land was ravaged.
When his brother Ethelred died in 871, Alfred was made King of
England by the Witenagemot. During his reign, he would restore
the former boundaries of the English kingdoms in the south,
pushing back the Danes. He was also a reformist, modernizing
the military and administrative systems that governed England.
He developed a navy for England, reorganised the Fyrd so that
the country was not brought to a standstill in times of war and
fortified the kingdom to defend it against invaders.
JEifred the Great died in 897, peacefully having accomplished
what no other English king of the Heptarchy had achieved:
unifying the patchwork of kingdoms into a powerful nation.
Hero of the Viking Age: As the King that unified the AngloSaxons, JE/fred generates three SAGA dice at the start of each
turn, and not two as other Warlords. A warband led by JE/fred
can at the start of each of its Orders Phase roll up to 8 SAGA dice,
and is not limited to six dice as other warbands.
Poor health: JE/fred is burdened by an illness that remains
unknown and explains his declining health. He only generates two
Attack Dice in melee and does not benefit from the "Resilience"
special rule. But he is also not subject to the "Warlord's Pride"
special rule.
Wisdom & Ruse: These qualities explain the successes of JE/fred
against the Norse. Once per turn, as long as JEifred is on the table,
when you have used one of your SAGA abilities, do not discard
the die (or dice) that paid for it. The die (or dice) remain on the
ability box and can be used later. Note however that if that ability
is one of the abilities that may only be-used once per turn, you
can't use it a second time in the same turn (but it can be used
during your opponent's turn).

In addition any Warband facing JE/fred (as long as he is on t he

table) must roll a D6 at the same time as it rolls its SAGA dice. If
the number rolled with this die is less than the number of SAGA
dice the warband rolled this turn, one of the SAGA dice rolled
must be discarded without effect. The die to be discarded is
chosen by the player that rolled the SAGA dice.
~-

Athelstan, King of the Anglo-Saxon, Emperor

of the Northumbrians, ruler of the Pagans and
Guardian of the Britons
Athelstan was t he grandson of JE/fred the Great. The history
books often forget his name, and his memory has faded away,
but in his own times, he was perceived as the greatest king
England ever had, standing above his grandfather.
He became king in 925 and started a process of unification of the
kingdom and of conquests of the neighbouring rivals building
on the successes of his grandfather. He started with a successful
invasion of the Norse controlled territories of Northumbria,
before subjugating the Welsh and marching to the North against
the Scots who speedily recognised his authority as soon as
his massive army crossed the frontier. In the peaceful years of
his reign, he concentrated on the administration of his large
kingdom, establishing coinage laws, reorganising rural life and
establishing mutually profitable relationship with the continental
kingdoms.

But his most important military success was achieved in 937

when at Brunanburh he shattered an improbable coalition of
Scots, Norse and Welsh in what became the biggest battle of the
dark ages. Victorious, his power was consolidated and he could
enjoy a prosperous end to his reign . He died of sickness after
having ruled for fourteen years and as the Annals of Ulster say:
"Athelstan king of the English died the roof tree of honour of the
western world".

Hero of the Viking Age: As the greatest king of England,

Athelstan generates three SAGA dice at the start of each turn,
and not two as other Warlords. In addition at the start of each
turn, after the SAGA dice have been rolled, as long as Athe/stan is
on the table, the player may decide to re-roll ALL the SAGA Dice
rolled this turn. Athe/stan could not have survived and achieved
so much without wisdom and caution. He is not subject to the
"Warlord's Pride" special rule.
The Great Army: Athelstan had a massive army under his
command, and it is likely that skilful commanders assisted him.
During the deployment, a single unit of Hearthguard of up to 4
models may be split between the units of Warriors and Levies of
the warband, with up to one Hearthguard joining each Warrior or
Levies unit. This may bring the number of models in that unit to
13 and this constitutes an exception to the standard ru les.

The Hearthguard's armour is reduced to the Armour of the unit

he joins, and he does not benefit from any of the ranged weapons
that the unit may have (but he does generate his melee Attack
Dice as normal). If the unit is mounted, the Hearthguard may be
mounted as well. Within the unit, the Hearthguard is always the
last model to be removed. You cannot remove a Hearthguard
until all other models have been removed. If this is not possible
without breaking the unit coherency, exchange the Commander
with another of the models of the unit before removing casualties
so and so maintain unit formation.
A Warrior or Levy unit with a Hearthguard Commander is
considered a Hearthguard unit for the sake of Activations. It
will be activated using the Hearthguards activation ability, and
not with its former class activation ability. Otherwise, it is still
considered as a normal unit of its class.
Emperor of Britain: At the end of his reign, many kingdoms
kneeled before the King of the Anglo-Saxons and he could draw

on their manpower when needed. Any Warrior or Hearthguard

unit in Athelstan's warband may choose one of the following
upgrades (each upgrade may only be chosen once in each
warband) :
- Have do uble handed weapons as Norse Pagan subject s
- Have javelins as Welsh subjects

- Be mounted and have javelins as Strathclyde Welsh

- Have bows as continental mercenaries

Truce
Used during your Orders Phase
A good ability when the game reaches a point w hen the fight has
drained both warbands. You disca rd the die during the Orders
Phase w ithout any immediate effects. At the end of your turn,
when you have finished your Activation Phase, any unit that has
not been activated this turn discards a FA TIGUE (two FATIGUES
if made of at least 10 models). Quite useless for a single unit,
but once you have two or three units with FATIGUES and no
immediate plans for them, this ability will shine!

Defenders of the Realm

Below you will find a description of the various abilities available
to the Anglo-Saxon player. We will not deal with the first column
of abilities as they are similar to the ones used in Saga: the first
three are intended to activate the different classes of models of
an Anglo-Saxon warband, while the last one is the Combat Pool.
The Anglo-Saxons don't have any Activation Pool - it is replaced
by "The Muster" described below.

Used during step 3) of any Melee

This is a basic but very useful good combat ability. For the cost
of discarding a single die, you gain two dice (Attack or Defence,
or a mix of both). Good, but not brilliant. But if your unit is made
of at least 10 models you get two extra dice, for a total of 4 dice
(Attack or Defence or a mix of both). And all for the price of a
single Saga die! Of course, these dice are kept even if your unit is
reduced to less than 10 models later in that combat.

The Muster
Used during your Activation Phase
Instead of the Activation Pool, the Anglo-Saxons have a fourth
Activation ability that may activate any one unit as long as it is
made of 10 or more models. The class of the unit is irrelevant,
only the total number of figures (when the ability is used) is
considered. A really useful ability as it allows large Levy units to
be activated as easily as Hearthguards.

This ability is similar to the Anglo-Danish "Shieldwall" with the

added bonus that if your unit is made of at least 10 models, you
gain 2 Defence Dice. The two bonuses when added together
should reduce significantly your casualties in melee!

Stout Hearts

Bretwalda

Used during your Orders Phase or during the enemy's

Used during step 2) of any melee

Orders Phase
Most Anglo-Saxons abilities have effects that depend on the
10-models strong threshold, or have variable effects determined
by the number of models in the targeted unit. Usually, a wellcomposed Anglo-Saxon warband will start with most units
being made of 10 models or more, but as the game progresses,
this number tends to decrease. Stout Hearts is a convenient way
of keeping these bonuses for some units once t he number of
models has diminished.

By discarding a single die, for the who le turn, the number of

models of the target units are considered to be the actual number

Shoulder to Shoulder
Used during step 2) of an enemy Shooting or during step

of models +2 ( +4 if the discarded die was a helmet). This will only

impact the determination of the Saga abilities (your abilities and
the enemy abilities) and won't give you any additional attack
dice or victory points (for the control of objectives for example).
Basically, it will allow your 8 models strong units to count as 10
models strong units, or gain additional benefits with the use of
abilities like "Clash of Shields" or even reduce the effectiveness of
enemy abilities like t he Welsh "Strength lies in numbers" or even
the dreaded Viking " Loki".

3) of any melee

This is a strong defensive ability that has saved the life of many
Anglo-Saxon warlords! By discarding the die, you increase the
Armour of your Warlord by one and he will be able to re-ro/1
any Defence die that fails to cancel a hit. Unless facing an insane
amount of Attack Dice, this ability should guarantee the survival
of your Warlord.

The Fyrd
Used during your Orders Phase
Yo u will have spotted that the Anglo-Saxo ns lack t he t raditional
Activation Pool. This ability replaces it and depending on t he
point of view, is a much bett er trade. You discard your helmet
and immediately roll a number of extra Saga Dice equal to the
number of units made of at least 10 models you have on the table.
As in a 6-points game it is quite easy to field 4 of these units, with
a single helmet you will have a net gain of 3 Saga Dice! It means
that even if your warband due to a limited amount of units only
generated 5 Saga Dice at the start of your turn, you still have
around 6o% of chance to get the helmet that w ill produce 3-4
extra Saga Dice! Think of it when mustering your Anglo-Saxon
warband.

No Surrender
Used during your Activation Phase
"No Surrender" can be a decisive ability if used at the right time.
With a cost of two helmets, it is an expensive one, but when
the dice are discarded it activates ALL your units made of 10
models or more and each of these units immediately discards
one FATIGUE. What also makes this ability especially useful is that
these abilities do not generate FA TIGUE, even if it was the second
or consecutive activation of this turn (if engaging melee, they
would still take FATIGUE as the FA TIGUE would be taken from the
melee and not the activation).

Clash of Shields
Used during step 3)

of any melee

Overlap Shields
Used during step 2) of the resolution of
the enemy's

Shooting

This Saga ability will make your large unit almost invulnerable to a
single volley of missiles. By discarding t his die, you gain a number
of Defence Dice equal to a third of the number of models in your
unit. Most of the time you will be able to roll 2 Defence Dice per
hit taken, meaning that most if not all hits will easily be cancelled.
A good ability against the murderous shooting of Normans and
their crossbowmen, Bretons and their various shooting abilities
or the Welsh and their "Deadly Strike"!

Saxon Kingdom
Used during your Orders
Orders Phase

Phase or the enemy's

A dreadful ability, and we have seen some Anglo-Saxons warbands

built around this one. As soon as these dice are discarded, all your
Levies units are now considered as Warriors.
What does it mean? Your Levies will have an Armour of 4 (even
spear-armed Levies, meaning that their Armour value won't
change), will generate one Attack Die per figure, will be activated
like Warriors, will have an increased exhaustion threshold and will
be able to sacrifice themselves to save the life of their Warlord by
the use of his "Resilience" rule. What won't change is as the Saga
Dice have already been generated this turn, the fact that they
benefit from a temporary upgrade will not add any Saga Die to
your pool. (We do not go backward in the turn sequence). Once
an opponent has tasted t he Saxon Kingdom, be guaranteed t hat
he will look at your Levies differen t ly!

Th is is another pure combat ability. It might appear at first

sight pricey, w it h a cost of two dice, but can be devastating if
used on large unit s (and keep in mind that all fractions in Saga
are rounded up). A mundane 10 models strong unit would gain
4 Attack Dice, and a 12-models strong unit with "Stout Hearts"
(if t hat ability w as used with a helmet) would gain 6 Attack Dice!

Ragnar speaks...

Any warlord who likes to lead hordes

of his fellows w ill love the AngloSaxons! They draw strength from their
numbers, and as early as mustering
the warband, their warlord should
keep that in mind.
This faction
definitely needs to field large units,
and needs to have at least 2 or 3 of
these 10 models strong units to take
advantage of the various abilities of their battleboard.
Unlike the Anglo-Danes, the Anglo-Saxons must act
quickly, as they cannot sustain a war of attrition that
would fatally reduce their numbers below this 10 model
threshold. A determined attack with the objective to
overwh elm the opposite warband is the key to victory.
L-"
"

...

~~

..
~

'

~...

.,_..

'

~--

The Bretons fought the Franks, the Saxons, the Carolingians, the
Vikings and the Normans, using the tactics inherited from their
British ancestors who crossed the Channel to seek shelter from
the invading Jutes and Angles; tactics that focussed on mounted
combat, and an intensive use of enemy harassment with javelinarmed mounted fighters.
The 10th century witnessed a bloody campaign against the Norse
who had settled at the mouth of the Loire River and used the
settlements as bases for their raids and invasions. During this
time emerged great Breton leaders such as Alain Barbetorte
who expelled the Vikings from Breton land. In the 11th century
the enemy was the Normans, who forced the Bretons to join the
expedition of their duke, William, against the English.
Brittany was first a Kingdom then a Duchy. Nobles, Counts and
Barons assisted the regent of Brittany. Your Warlord is certainly
one of these first rank characters.
The heart of the Breton nobility, named Machtierns, traditionally
fought mounted with extensive use of javelins and feigned flight
tactics. At the beginning of the 11th century, the influence of the
Normans progressively changed this approach, and the Bretons
shifted to more offensive behaviour, eventually adopting the
Norman couched lance. These nobles are the Hearthguards of
your force.
The Bretons soldiers that came from the prolific low-ranked
nobility usually fought mounted as well, armed with javelins and
darts, which they used with unrivalled skill. When they had to fight
dismounted, their equipment was usually restricted to a spear and
a shield. They are the Warriors of your warband.

Finally, mustered in the fighting force we find the commoners of

Brittany. These Levies fought also with javelins, as bows and slings
were not popular. In the later middle-ages, they would become
famous as Bidets.

lFA(C1fl[ (QfN lRUU[ lLlE

Most Breton units may be fielded mounted. Mounted units are
subject to the following special rules:

- The Movement of mounted units is increased to JL but

reduced to when moving from, through, or into uneven
ground.
- Mounted units may never enter a building but they can
engage in melee any unit occupying a building in the normal
manner.
-The Armour of mounted units is reduced by one when t hey
are the target of a Shooting attack.
- Mounted units may never benefit from any kind of cover, in
melee or shooting.
-'

'

Apart from t he restrictions mentioned above, mounted units

behave like ordinary units. If a unit starts the game m ounted,
it must remain mounted for the whole game and may never
dismount.
The Breton Warlord is mounted and equipped with javelins.
Breton Hearthguards are mounted and equipped with javelins.
Reluctant to fight in close combat, they only have an Armour of
4 in melee (and an Armour of 4 against shooting due to being
mounted).
Breton Warriors may be mounted. When mounted, they have
javelins. In melee the Armour of the mounted Warriors is
reduced to 3 for the same reasons as highlighted above.
Breton Levies are armed with javelins.

Below are the two Breton characters that are their Heroes of
the Viking Age. For more details about Heroes of the Viking Age,
please refer to page 45 of the Saga rulebook.

Morvan Lez Breizh, The Supporter of Britanny

Morvan ruled the Vannerais, the Domnonee and the Leion,
when (as the foremost Breton leader) he received the visit of an
envoy of the Emperor Louis the Debonnaire who asked for the
submission of Britanny to the empire. The reaction of the fierce
and proud Breton was swift: "Go back to your lord promptly and
repeat to him my words. I do not walk on his lands, and won't
obey his law. He can rule the Franks, I admit. But Morvan can
rule over the Bretons without paying tribute. If the Franks want
war, we will fight back; we have strong arms, and know how to
use them". This harsh answer would lead the cautious Emperor
to send a military force against Britanny in 818. This campaign
ended as a disaster when Morvan who rallied the main Breton
leaders and crushed the imperial army with guerilla tactics. A
second invasion was planned and launched some years later and
this one reached the stronghold of Bretons' leading general.
There, although a duel between the Frankish chieftain Case/ and
Morvan ended in the death of both parties, the now leaderless
Bretons had to accept the rule of the Carolingians. But this
domination was short-lived as less than five years later the fierce
and independent Bretons revolted.
Hero of the Viking Age: Morvan was king of Brittany. He
generates three Saga Dice at the start of each turn, and not
two as other warlords. He may fight dismounted, and keeps his
javelins if fighting on foot.
Supporter of Britanny: Morvan led trained and hardened troops
that gave no quarter to the Franks that were fool enough to fight
them. Any foot Warrior unit in Morvan's warband is equipped
with javelins without any penalty and is considered as mounted
for the sake of the Breton Saga abilities. Hearthguards may be
dismounted, and are equipped with javelins in that case, but still
count as mounted for the sake of the Breton Saga abilities.
The Mighty Arm of A Thousand Darts: The legend says that
Morvan went to war with a chariot carrying a thousand javelins.
To represent this, when shooting, Morvan generates 5 Attack
Dice and not two as other Warlords.

..

Breizh: Morvan knew the landscape like no other. After the set up
of terrain is finished, Morvan may select up to two terrain pieces
that have been chosen and placed by any player (i.e. not any
terrain that appears in the scenario set-up) and either remove it
from the table or move it up toM in any direction.

Alain Barbetorte, the Bane of the Normans

Alain, son of Mathedoi" of Poder was born in the 10th century
when Brittany was suffering from incessant Viking invasions
and conquests that led the ruling family to seek shelter with
the Anglo-Saxons. His father took him over the Channel, seeking
refuge with Athe/stan, King of the English. This later supported
and helped Alain when he went back to his kingdom. At this time
the Breton was known as Al-louan (the fox). In the meantime, the
Vikings had settled and were known as the Normans, and were
imposing their cruel laws in western Francia.
At the battle of Plouviro Alain defeated the Normans and
started the reconquest of the Breton strongholds. He was made
Brittonum Dux, King of Brittany after his victory at Nantes and at
his death in 952, Brittany was free of the Normans, although this
didn't last long.
Hero of the Viking Age: Barbetorte is a Hero of the Viking Age
and is subject to the relevant rules on page 45 of Saga. Note that
he only generates two Saga Dice like any other Warlord.
Breton Knights: Morvan Barbetorte trained his best knights in
the tactics used by the Normans. All Heathguards in Barbetorte's
warband lose their javelins but have an Armour of 5 in melee.
The Miracle of Nantes: During the battle of Nantes, the Bretons
were at the edge of defeat. As they regrouped thirsty and tired,
Barbetorte implored the Virgin for Her help. A miracle happened
when his companions found a spring nearby. Suitably invigorated
they turned and crushed the Normans.

At the start of any Orders Phase, before the Saga Dice are rolled,
Barbetorte may implore the Virgin (only if he is alive and on the
table). Roll a die and if the die result is higher than the number
of Saga Dice generated by your warband units (excluding
Barbetorte himself) you will benefit from God's help for this turn.
If you roll an equal or lower result than the number of Saga Dice
your units generated no help is given but you can ask for God's
help in a subsequent turn but each subsequent die roll to implore
the Virgin will suffer a -1 penalty (these penalties are cumulative).
The Miracle can only be obtained once per game and gives the
following benefits:
- Discard immediately all FATIGUES from your warband.
- Roll 8 Saga Dice this Orders Phase
- All your models have their Armour increased by one until the
end of the turn.
- Each unit will get a free activation this turn that does not
consume any Saga die.
-Until the end of your turn, all your Hearthguard and Warriors
models generate an additional Attack Die in melee.
- Until the end of the turn, all hits suffered in melee are cancelled
on 3 or more, and not 5 or more as usual.

Strong Rain (Giavenn)

Used during Step 2) of your Shooting.
Below you will find a description of the various abilities available
to Breton players. We will not deal with the first column of
abilities as they are similar to the ones used in Saga: the first
three are intended to activate the different classes of models of a
Breton warband, while the last two are the now usual Activation
and Combat Pools. Please note that the Breton Combat Pool may
only be used for and against Shooting and may never be used in
melee.

Backward! (War Drenv!)

Used during Step 3) of any Melee.
This is a very good defensive ability for your mounted units. As
the text explains, it cannot be used if you have any foot unit
involved in the melee, restricting it to any melee where your
mounted units are involved.
When this ability is used, the melee ends immediately, without
resolving any other steps, and your unit(s) immediately makes
a disengagement movement. This is a normal disengagement
movement and as in a normal melee if your unit cannot
disengage, then the opposing side will have to disengage. Any
enemy ability used prior to your use of Backward! that would
have affected a later step is simply ignored, though the costs are
not paid back, obviously. This ability combines particularly well
with Fight! allowing your unit to shoot before ending the melee.
Of course, that won't stop the enemy activating once again to
engage you, but this movement is likely to produce FATIGUE and
cost Saga dice.

Usually the target's FATIGUE cannot be used when shooting, but

this ability creates an exception to this rule. By discarding this die
and removing a FATIGUE from the target, you reduce its Armour
by one.

Fight! (Argad!)
Used during Step 3) of any Melee.
This ability may cause some nasty surprises for your enemy.
The dice are discarded when it is your turn to play some Saga
abilities. You designate one of your units as the shooter, one of
the enemy units as the target and resolve a complete shooting
procedure from step 1) to step 5). This is a standard shooting,
but it does not count as a shooting activation (your unit has
not been activated to shoot so any ability reacting to shooting
cannot be used). During this shooting you may use Saga abilities
that affect shooting
When the shooting is done, the step 3) continues.

Saint Kado (Sant Kado)

Used during Step 2) of your Shooting.
This is an ability that your opponents will hate. You discard the
dice when using your Saga abilit ies, and after casualty removal,
the targeted unit takes a number of FATIGUES equal to half the
number of casualties it suffered from this shooting. Obviously,
it goes well w ith any ability that boosts your shooting to ensure
you inflict a lot of casualties!

In All Directions (Dre-Holl)

Used during the enemy Orders Phase
If there was a life insurance for Bretons, it would be called In All
Directions. Simply said, it allows your mounted units to move
before the enemy starts its Activation Phase.
During the enemy Orders Phase, you discard these dice, and it
activates ALL of your mounted units. They can freely move but
may not voluntarily end their movement within M of an enemy
unit. By voluntarily we mean any move that is not dictated by an
enemy ability. If this movement is made impossible (e.g. if your
unit starts its movement within VS of an enemy unit that it would
have to engage), it is simply cancelled.

Lady Mary (An lntron Varia)

Used during Step 2) of your Shooting.
This is a simple ability that will sh ine in some special circumstances
or scenarios. It just cancels all benefits the target gains from its
soft or hard cover. As an added bonus, the target will cancel
the hits on ss rather than 4s, increasing slightly your chances
to inflict casualties. Do not disregard it, as it might be a gamewinner in the Homeland scenario!

The Shadow of Deatll (Skeud an Ankou)

Used during Step 2) of your Shooting.
Generally speaking, shooting can be largely ineffective against
heavily armoured targets, such as Hearthguards or Warlords.
This ability offers a solution to this problem. By discarding the
required die you will reduce the enemy's Armour by two. But
the cost is that you will have to discard half the Attack Dice your
unit generates. Note that after using this ability, you can still add
dice to your shooting, and this ability combines really well with a
Attack! or (if the target has FATIGUE) Strong Rain.

The Devil's Dance (Dans an Diaoul!)

Used during Step 2) of your enemies Shooting.
This is an ability that will really upset your enemy and also give
some protection to your units against shooting. Play this ability
and any Attack Dice rolls of 5 or 6 made against you w ill be
ignored

Attack! (War Raok!)

Used during Step 2) of your Shooting.
Attack! is a standard but effective Shooting ability. It gives you
three or four Attack Dice, a good way to ensure that heavy
casualties are inflicted on the enemy!

Britanny Forever (Breizh Atao)

Used during Step 2) of your Shooting.
Another ability that is quite simple in its use. The die is discarded
and during step 3) of the shooting you may re-roll once any die
that scores a 1 or a 2 (remember that you cannot reroll a reroll!).
Really good against troops with a low Armour as it means a
re-roll on every fail!

Ragnar speaks...

If you thought that the Welsh were

painful, you'll hate to face the Bretons!
They combine the disgusting Welsh
habit of throwing pointy sticks at
any enemy that approaches with
I!
the vile mobility of the Normans. As
their Battleboard shows, they are
the faction with the most Shooting
abilities, and all their efforts should be aimed at literally
covering their opponents with a storm of javelins.
Usually, they will focus on one unit at a time, eliminating
it before moving to the next. They will struggle against
a determined and unimpressed opponent who forces
melee, but staying cold and focused when your pals die
in droves is easier said than done!

.,
~

'\.w

The Jomsvikings, or Vikings of Jomsborg, are mentioned in some

Icelandic sagas and are at the heart of one of them, justly named
the Jomsvikings Saga. They were a group of mercenaries based in
the stronghold of Jomsborg (which as far as we know is located in
modern Pomerania) and organised in a selective brotherhood. Any
pretender to the rank of Jomsviking would have to pass a number
of physical tests, with the last one being a ritualized challenge
(holmgang) against another member of the brotherhood.
A strict code ruled the life of Jomsborg and any member violating this
code of conduct would have to be punished, and being sentenced to
death was not unknown.
During their existence, which lasted less than two centuries,
the Jomsvikings took part in the endemic wars between the
Scandinavian kingdoms, serving whoever paid most, and betraying
their current employer if needed. If a code of honour ruled life in
Jomsborg, it is clear that it never affected their relationship with the
outside world!
The Jomsvikings disappeared in the first half of the 11th century,
when the King of Norway, Magnus the First decided to get rid of
these annoying mercenaries and he crushed the brotherhood,
burning their stronghold and slaughtering the inhabitants. Even
if their existence is questioned by historians, the Jomsvikings left
their mark in the Vikings Sagas, and could not be ignored when the
opportunity came to include them in our game.
Jomsborg was ruled by a Jarl. It seems by the sagas that strength
and cunning was needed to achieve such a rank. This Jarl is the
Warlord of your warband.
The brotherhood was made of veteran fighters, the Jomsvikings,
whose bravery and fighting skills were unrivalled. They swore to
never retreat unless largely outnumbered. These men are the
Hearthguards of your force.

Younger recruits were less experimented than their elders, though

they could match most soldiers from other nations. These Dreng
(young lads) are the Warriors of your warband.
No Jomsvikings would ever fight alongside a serf or a slave. Hence,
the Jomsvikings don't have any Levies.

WRATH
Most Saga abilities at the disposal of the Jomsviking player
depend on his level of WRATH. This level is indicated on the
Battle board by a m arker on the scale at the top of t he board.

This level starts at o and some abilities will make it increase.

When a Saga ability allows you to increase your WRATH level,
move the marker to the right by a number of circles equal to
the increase.
The WRATH level only decreases when a Saga ability says so
and will never increase beyond 6 which is the maximum level.
Some Saga abilities allow the opponent to choose between a
given game effect and an increase of WRATH. If your WRATH
has reached the highest level, your opponent may not
choose to let you increase it further and must select the other
option. In a multi-player game, when it comes to resolving
such abilities, if they are Orders or Act ivation abil ities, the
Jomsviking player gets to choose which opponent will have
to make that choice. If using a Melee or Shooting abil ity, then
the player involved in that melee or shooting has t he choice.

JFA(C1['l[ (Q)N lRJUJLJE

Any Jomsvikings units may be armed with double-handed Dane
axes. They are subject to the following rules

-When engaged in melee, a unit with Dane axes will not use
its shields and so suffers a -1 penalty to its Armour value.
Hence, if the unit has an Armour of 5, it counts as having an
Armour of 4
-Attack rolls made by a unit equipped with Dane axe gets a
+1 bonus. To hit an Armour 4 unit, you'll only need 3s. This
makes the enemy easier to hit in melee.

Jomsvikings Warlords, Hearthguards and Warriors may be

armed with Dane axes.

Sigvaldi Strut-Haraldsson, Lord of Jomsborg

Son of the Swedish Jarl Strut-Harald, Sigvaldi clashed with the
Danes over the love of (or desire for) the daughter of the king
of Wendland. Using deception, he captured the king of the
Danes who he ransomed in exchange for the independence
of the Wends and the Jomsvikings. Later he allied himself
w ith Sweyn, the Danish king who was once his prisoner, and
invaded Norway, only to flee during the battle of Hjorungavagr.
Machiavellian rather than brave, he disappeared from the sagas
around the year 1000, when he betrayed the king of Norway
during the battle of Svolder.
Hero of the Viking Age: Sigvaldi Strut-Haraldsson survived
situations would have killed more than one hero and knows
well what can lead to a man's doom. He is not subject to the
rules of the Warlord's Pride, and generates 3 Saga Dice at the
start of each turn, rather than two like the other Warlords.
Only the best: Sigvaldi will only take w ith him seasoned fighters,
and his warband may only include Jomsvikings Hearthguards.

.,-

"

"

]1.,.......

.:--

~ ~
...

. .. . .. . .

Wandering warriors: His men have followed Sigvaldi in his wild

advent ures and are ready to do his bidding. Any warband led by
Sigvaldi starts with its WRATH level set on 2 instead of o.
Spoils of war: During their career, the Jomsvikings have
collected the best suits of armour and equipment from their
fallen enemies; therefore all models in a warband led by
Sigvaldi Strut-Haraldsson have a Armour of 6 against shooting.

Vagn Akesson, Fearless Brother of the

Jomsvikings
Vagn appeared as one of the major characters of the Saga
of the Jomsvikings, when at the age of twelve he became
the youngest boy ever to be accepted into the brotherhood.
During his time with the Jomsvikings, Vagn never ceased to
display bravery that won him the respect of his brothers and
his ship's crew, his brutal and fearless behavior was a sharp
contrast with Sigvaldi who he almost defeated when passing
the Jomsviking invitation combat.
Hero of the Viking Age: Vagn is a fighter rather than a
commander. He generates two SAGA Dice at the start of each
turn. He will never fight with foreigners on his side, so if your
warband includes Vagn, it may not include any Swords for Hire.
Pride of the Jomsvikings: Vagn is the living embodiment of the
Jomsvikings aspirations. He is strong, fearless and proud. Vagn
generates 4 Attack Dice, plus a number of additional Attack
Dice equal to the current WRATH value of his warband. In
addition, the number of hits cancelled by his Resilience special
rule is equal to the current WRATH level of his warband.
Leading by example: As Vagn is leading by example, and won't
let his brothers steal any glory from him, he does not benefit
from the "We Obey" special rule but any Jomsviking unit that
is engaged in melee within M of Vagn generates a number of
additional Attack Dice equal to the current WRATH level of the
warband.

Jomsviking's Code: The Jomsvikings w ill never retreat or

surrender and w ill fight to death. Units in Vagn's warband may
not Rest w hen activated, unless Exhausted .

Below you will find a description of the various abilities available to

Jomsviking players. Some of the abilities give a choice to the
opposing player to either let the Jomsvikings use their ability or
increase their WRATH. This Wrath is used as the indicator of the
effectiveness of the abilities of the third column of abilities on the
Battleboard.
When a Jomsviking player discards the dice for a Saga ability that
gives a choice to his opponent, that player must make that choice
before knowing what unit(s) will be targeted by the effect or what
the intent of the Jomsviking player is. For example, if the
Jomsviking player discards the die for ''Pagan Fury" the opponent
must choose if he wants to let the Jomsvikings use it or increase
their WRATH before the units that will be activated are designated.

You will have noted that the first column of Jomsviking abilities is
quite different from other Battleboards. ((Pagan Fury" may
activate two different units but leaves the choice to the opponent
to let you increase your WRATH. The same applies to the ((Attack
Pool" that is significantly more effective than the Attack Pool of
other factions, but can be cancelled if your opponent lets you
increase your WRATH. Finally, the Activation Pool depends on your
current WRATH level.

Punishment
Used during your opponent's Activation Phase
This ability is used as a reaction to an opponent's activation.
After your opponent announce its activation(s) you may use
Punishment to let him choose between cancelling his activation
(without any other effects), or increasingtheJomsviking's WRATH
by two. Note that all activations are cancelled by Punishment so
if your Welsh opponent uses ((the Rising Out" no unit would be
activated unless he chooses to increase your WRATH. The same
would apply to any unit activated by the Warlord with his uwe
Obey" rule: both activations are cancelled.
If the opponent chooses to cancel his activations, the dice are still
spent or the capacity is spent (as the We Obey special rule of the
Warlords).

Northern Tempest

A Storm Gathers
Used during your Activation Phase
This is another very useful ability. If your opponent chooses
that you will use this ability's effects instead of increasing your
WRATH by two, you immediately take two FATIGUE markers off
your warband and discard them. They may come from the same
unit or from two different units. After this ability has been used,
your Activation Phase continues.

Pagan Armour
Used during step 2) of an enemy Shooting or step 3) of any
melee

A defensive combat ability that is really nasty. When these dice

are discarded your opponent has the choice to either let you
increase your WRATH by two or must discard half its Attack Dice
generated by the unit/s in combat. If he chooses to discard half
his Attack Dice (rounded up as usual) he may gain new Attack
Dice later that are unaffected by this ability (for example if you
were the attacker, your opponent has still an opportunity to play
Saga abilities that will increase its Attack pool). Defence Dice are
unaffected. It is especially useful against the best enemy units
that generate a lot of Attack Dice.

Pagan Faith
Used during step 2) of an enemy Shooting or step 3) of any
melee
Pagan Faith is simpler than Pagan Armour but remains effective.
Your opponent has the choice between increasing your unit's
Armour or increasing your WRATH by two.

Jomsborg!
Used during your opponent' s Orders Phase
An ability that can potentially shatter the best laid out plans
of your enemy. You discard this die and designate a number
of different enemy units equal to your current WRATH level.
You immediately activate these units for a movement and will
actually move them yourself. For t his movement, all t hese unit s
are considered to be moving in uneven ground, so unless a
special rule or Saga ability dictates otherwise, t hey w ill have their
movement reduced. The activated units may not engage melee
or (if you wondered) be moved off the tab le.

After the effects of this ability have been resolved, your W RATH
level is decreased by two.

Used during your Orders Phase

This is a really terrific ability that will most often raise your
WRATH than actually produce its effects. When these dice are
discarded, your opponent must choose to either remove from
t he table three of his figures or let you increase your WRATH by

two.
The figures may be of any class, and do not need to come from
the same unit. The figures must belong to his own wa rband, so if
in a special scenario he has control of special figures (as civilians)
hecannotchoosetoremovethese.

Holmgang
Used during step 3) of any melee
Holmgang is a real feast of combat dice! When you discard the
die you gain a number of combat dice equal to twice your current
WRATH. These dice may be At tack or Defence Dice or a mix of
both. So for example, with a WRATH of 3, the Jomsviking player
would gain 6 dice, that may be for example; 6 Attack Dice, 6
Defence Dice or 4 Attack Dice and 2 Defence Dice.
Once you have chosen t he mix of At t ack and Defence Dice,
decrease your WRATH by one.

..
Hammer of Thor

We are Legends

Used during step 3) of any melee

Used during the Orders Phase of your opponent

This ability is potentially t he m ost devastating melee Saga ability

on any Battleboard. When t he die is discarded, the Jomsvking
player chooses if he wants to inflict an additional number of
automatic hits equal to his WRATH (so these hits will come in
addition to any normal hits scored by his Attack Dice) or cancel
a number of hits taken by his unit equal to his 'tiRATH (the hits
cancelled by Hammer of Thor are cancelled after the Jomsviking
unit has rolled its Defence Dice). Note that the number of Attack
or Defence Dice you rolled does not restrict these cancellations or
hits. If your unit already has the full amount of Attack Dice (twice
what it generated) it would not stop the use of Hammer of Thor
in other words. This is a great ability when facing high-Armour
enemies!

This ability cancels effectively a number of act ivations equal to

t he WRATH level of t he Jomsvikings. Th e activations cancelled are
the first the opposing player w ill use, and how they were gained
is irrelevant. For example, if the WRATH of the Jomsviking was at
4 when this ability was used, the first four Activations (to move,
rest or shoot) are cancelled without effects, disregarding the way
they were done (by a free Warlord activation, with an Activation
ability, etc. .. ). If an enemy Saga ability activates more than one unit
(for example the Norman Hail of Arrows) each of these activations
count toward the number of activations cancelled. Any special rule
that grants a free activation that has been cancelled with "We are
Legends" is considered to have been spent.

Immediately after this ability has been used, decrease your

WRATH by one.

Dance of Steel
Used during your Orders Phase or the Orders Phase of your
opponent

..

Dance of Steel can be used in your own Orders Phase or during

the Orders Phase of an opposing player. You discard this die and
designate a number of units equal to your WRATH. Until the end
of the current turn, all these units have their Armour increased by
one (against shooting and in melee). You can add a small marker
near these units to help you remember that they are benefiting
f rom the "Da nce of Steel".
After you designated your units, decrease your WRATH by one.

After you unleashed this mighty ability, decrease your WRATH

by two.

.
Ragnar speaks. ..

My lads of t heJo msvikings brotherh ood

are quite different from the other
Norsemen. W hile we t ry to get into
a good and bloody melee as fast as
possible, the Jomsborg boys tend to
be mor e patient, raising t heir W rath
steadily. Good advice for Jomsviking
players w ould be t o wait for their
W rat h to build up before sending their best units into
melee. Once t he W rath reaches th ree or four, the abilities
of t he last column become deadly, and your opponent
will think twice before letting you increase it f urther. "We
are Legends" if played w it h a high Wrath can shatter t he
best laid out plans and bring victory by itself!

_,

scot:s

on:

Descendants of the Irish migrants established on the western

coasts of Caledonia, the Dai-Riada Scots forged themselves (after
the disappearance of the Romans) a reputation as pirates and
raiders. As the Dai-Riada prospered and expanded, they clashed
with Pictish kingdoms. Emerging victorious the Scots unified the
patchwork of clans and lordships in the north of Britain, crafting
a powerful kingdom that would stand fast against the Normans
during their conquest of England.
Standing at the side of the king of the Scots we find Mormaers,
regional magnates that ruled on their estates in the name of
the king. They are often mentioned in contemporary chronicles
and this nobility was the cradle of more than one usurper and
kingslayer! Your Warlord is most-likely one of these esteemed
nobles.

'

The bulk of the nobility was made of the Thanes (also known as
Toisech). They served as bodyguards for the king or Mormaers,
and were certainly the best equipped soldiers of any Scot army
and the only ones that could go to war mounted on horses.
They are the Hearthguards of your warband.
Scots freemen were known as Soer-chele. With minimal formal
training, they generally fought in close ranks, equipped with
thrusting spears in shieldwall like formations. They are the
Warriors of the Scots.
In contrast to the Soer-chele, the Doer-chele were subjects of
other men, either rich Soer-chele, Toisech or Mormaers. They
are untrained, and likely to run away when danger becomes
imminent. They form the Levies of any Scot warband.

lFA(Clr J[ (QfN lRlU[ lLlE

Some Scots units may be fielded mounted. Mounted units are
subject to the following special rules:

- The Movement of mounted units is increased to lL but

reduced to when moving from, through, or into an
uneven ground.
- Mounted units may never enter a building but they can
engage in melee any unit occupying a building in t he normal
manner.
- The Armour of mounted units is reduced by one w hen they
are the target of a Shooting attack.
- Mounted units may never benefit from any kind of cover, in
melee or shooting.
I

Apart from the restrictions mentioned above, m ounted units

behave like ordinary units. If a unit starts the game mounted,
it must remain mounted for the whole game and may never
dismount.
Some Saga abilities may only be used by spearmen, and
indicated on the Battle board by their name in green.
Scots Warlords and Hearthguards may be mounted. If fighting
on foot, Scots Hearthguards are spearmen.
Scots Warriors are spearmen.
Scots Levies have bows or javelins.

Macbeth, the last Celtic King of Scotland

Kenneth Mac Alpin, King of D'Aiba
Son of t he king of Dal Riada and a Pictish mother whose blood
gave him some claim on the throne of Pictland, Kenneth
MacA/pin (Cinaed mac Ailpin in gaelic) was the legendary unifier
of Scotland in the 9th century. During the famous episode of
MacA/pin Treason, he invited the Pictish nobility to a banquet,
during which they were slaughtered, opening the way for the
unification of Dal Riada and Pictland: Alba. MacA/pin's reign was
plagued by the attempts to overthrow him and the numerous
Viking raids that tried to establish a foothold on his territories.

The Mormaer of Moray, Macbeth (Mac Bethad mac Findlaich)

became king of Scotland in 1040 by killing Duncan. His reign
lasted for two decades, w hich was a long reign in t hese troubled
times! A respected king, he ruled w isely and many kept him in
high esteem after his death. He fought t he Vikings of t he Orkneys,
and kept the Northumbrians at bay. He even went to Rome on
pilgrimage. But as Scotland enjoyed a peaceful reign, in the south
a storm was gathering, in the shape of Malcolm Canmore, the
rightful heir to the throne. Supported by the Ea rl of Nort humbria
-Scotland's archenemy du ring Macbeth's reign- he launched a
large scale attack at the head of his army in 1054. Macbeth troops
were crushed and the king had to flee for his life.

Hero of the Viking Age: as King of Alba, Kenneth MacA/pin

generates three SAGA dice at the start of each turn, and not two
as the other Warlords.
An Ferbasach "The Conqueror": During step 3) of any melee,

any friendly Scots unit within M of Kenneth MacA/pin gains

Attack Dice if MacA/pin is not engaged in melee himself.

MacAipin's Treason: At the start of the game, after deployment

but before rolling to see who starts the game, designate any
enemy unit and roii 1D6 on the table below to see what happens
to that unit. Deduct one from the die roll if the designated unit
is a Warlord or Hearthguard unit, and add one if it is a Levy unit.

06

-:
~

.,

..
~

"

MacAipin's Treason

Plot unveiled. No effects.

Dead Drunk. Each t urn, the first activation of the unit

t hat uses SAGA dice is cancelled without any effect.

Tipsy. The movem ent of the unit is reduced to if it

was fi ght ing on f oot, 1\\1[ if it was mounted.

Broken Allegiance: The unit starts t he game with a

number of FATI GUES eq ual to its Exhaustion level.

Enraged! The unit suffers an Armour penalt y of -1 for

t he w hole gam e. Unless Exhausted, this unit must
choose Movement activation when it is activated,
and use t his movement to m ove as far as possible in
t he direction of the closest enemy unit , engaging it in
melee if possible.

Bribed! Ken neth M acAlpin p layer may immediat ely

redeploy t he t arget ed unit within his own deployment
zone and th is unit is considered to be a Scots unit until
the end of t he game.

Macbeth died some years later in undetermined circumstances.

He was the last Scottish king to rule in the Celtic way, as his
successors all adopted the Anglo-Norman customs and laws.
Hero of the Viking Age: Macbeth generates three SAGA dice at

the start of each turn, and not two as the other Warlords. This is
for reference only, see the "Great Ruler" rule below to see how
many dice a warband led by Macbeth actually rolls.
Norman Exiles: During the power struggles between Edward

the Confessor and the Godwin dynasty, many Norman nobles

found themselves out of favour in the English court and sought
employment in Scotland. Macbeth retained some at his court.
One unit of mounted Hearthguards (made of up to 8 models)
in Macbeth's warband may be upgraded to Normans. Each of
these Norman Exiles generates one additional Attack Die when
their unit engages in melee with the enemy (but not if they are
themselves engaged in melee) .
Great ruler: As long as Macbeth is on the table, you always roll

6 SAGA dice at the start of the turn, disregarding the number of

SAGA dice actually generated by your warband.

--

. . .,...--.

A(GrA AJBJ[JLJ[lLJ[JE

'
JD)JE(CJR.J[JP>lrJ[(Qf~J

Below you will find a description of the various abilities available to a

Scots player. We will not deal with the first column of abilities, as
they are similar to the ones used in Saga: the first three are intended
to activate the different classes of models of a Scot warband, while
the last one is the Combat Pool (that only provides Defence Dice).

Some abilities are restricted to units armed with thrusting spears

(your Warriors and foot Hearthguards) and are indicated in green.

Without Mercy
Used during the opposing player's Orders Phase

We start the description of the Scot abilities with an unusual ability.

This die must be discarded during your opponent Orders Phase,
usually just before its end, after your opponent has allocated his
Saga dice and used his own Orders Saga abilities. When this die is
discarded, you immediately proceed with an Orders Phase, rolling 3
Saga Dice (the actual number of Saga Dice generated by your
warband has no relevance for this ability, but any leftover Saga Die
left on your Battleboard should be deducted from these 3 dice).
During this out-of-turn Orders Phase, you may freely use any of your
Orders abilities, allocate Saga Dice to your Battleboard and more
generally speaking do what you would do in your own Orders Phase
(your opponent may actually use Orders/Reaction abilities during
this phase).

Once your Orders Phase is finished, the turn resumes with your
opponent's Activation Phase. It means that you won't be able to use
any Activation ability. The focus of this ability is to let the Scot player
prepare some nasty abilities for his opponent's turn.

Hold the Ground

Used during step 3) of any melee
Spearmen only

This is a typical good defensive Scottish ability. Only troops with

thrusting spears (Warriors and Hearthguards on foot) may use it.
When this die is discarded, this ability gives you 2 Defence Dice (4 if
the symbol indicated on your Battleboard has been used) and lifts
the restrictions that limit the number of Defence Dice to twice the
number of Attack Dice. It means that for example, if you have 5
Defence Dice and only suffered 3 hits, you will still roll 8 Defence Dice
instead of being limited to 6. More often than not the dice gained
this way are decisive by ensuring that you do not suffer any casualties.
Great if combined with other Scot abilities.

Give Ground
Used during step 3) of any melee
"Give Ground" is a strange ability that should be read carefully.
When this die is discarded, you immediately roll one die per model in
your unit. For each die with a result HIGHER than t he current Armour
of your unit (the armour rating considered is t he one used in melee),
ALL enemy units in the melee must discard one of their Attack Dice .
So, for example, if used on a 8 models strong Levies unit, you
would roll eight dice, and for each die with a result of 4 or more, all
enemy units engaged with your Levies must discard one of their
Attack Dice.
Really useful for low armoured unit s, or to discourage your opponent
from using your FATIGUE to decrease your Armour value.

Counter-Attack
Used during step 3) of any melee

generate Attack Dice as if they were shooting, and as usual with

javelins, the shooting won't add any extra FATIGUE, as it is not
considered as a separate shooting activation.

Spearmen only
This is a potentially devastating ability t hat works in combinat ion
with other abilities on the Scots battleboard. You discard t his die
and gain one Attack Die. Then, you must discard any Defence Dice
you have accumulated so far (by other abilities or by reducing your
Attack Pool during step 2) of the melee). For each Defence Die
discarded, you gain two Attack Dice. Combined with uHold your
Ground" or the Combat Pool, it can really boost your attack and end
with an intimidating number of Attack Dice. Restricted to spearmen,
it may only be used by your Warriors and your foot Hearthguards.

Tireless

Of Wood and Steel

Used during step 3) of any melee
Spearmen only
This is the second ability at the Scots players' disposal t hat will
exploit Defence Dice to gain At tack Dice. When these dice are
discarded, t he Scots player immediately gains two Attack Dice and a
number of additional Attack Dice equal to his current number of
Defence Dice. It means for example that if your unit has reduced its
Attack Pool it will gain back some of the Attack Dice it forfeited. And
followed by a Counter-Attack it can be devastating!

Used during step 3) of any melee

This ability will prevent your unit being vulnerable during t he
enemy's turn, by taking FA TIGUE during a melee. This die is discarded
during step 3) of the melee, but has no effect immediately. Instead,
during the step 7) you will reduce the number of FATIGUE taken by
one. As most of the time you will only take one FATIGUE at the end of
the melee, it just means that your unit won't take any (but with
Anglo-Danes it might be a different story!).

Keeping the Distance

Used during step 3) of any melee or during step 2) of an
enemy Shooting
Another defensive ability (quite usual for Scots!) but this one may
also be used against shooting and is not restricted to spearmen.
When it is used, your unit counts as being in hard cover. It means that
if shot at its armour is increased by one and will cancel hits of 3s and
if fighting in melee it will cancel hits of 4s. Please remember that
mounted models cannot benefit from cover, and this ability is not an
exception.

A Barrier of Spears
Used during step 3) of any melee
Spearmen only
This one is maybe the most powerful ability on the whole Scot
Battleboard, and if used with a large unit of foot Hearthguards can
unleash hell. When t hese dice are discarded, you roll as many D6 as you
have models in your unit. For each die score lower than the current
Armour of your unit (the Armour value considered is the one used in
melee), you gain one Attack and one Defence Dice. So for example,
with an 8 models strong Thanes unit, that still has its Armour of 5, you
would roll 8 dice, with each roll resulting in a 1 to 4 granting two
combat Dice. On average, such unit would get around five extra
Attack Dice and five extra Defence Dice! It can become insane if your
unit has increased its Armour to 6 with the enemy's FATIGUE.

Running Away
Used during step 3) of any melee
Levies or mounted units only

This cheap ability will hopefully save the lives of many of your Levies
and mounted models! The die is discarded during the step 3) of t he
melee, and as soon as t his ability is used, t he melee proceeds to step
8) with your unit disengaging. This disengagement movement is
increased to ]L (instead of the usual). If this movement is made
impossible, then as usual t he enemy unit will have to disengage.
At the end of the disengagement movement (even if due to space
constraints the enemy unit had to disengage) your unit ta kes 2
FATIGUES.

Reach
Used during your Activation Phase
Spearmen only
This ability can be a suprise for your opponent. By discarding t his die,
you activate one of your units (two if t he relevant die has been used
for this ability) and all activated units may shoot with javelins at the
end of their activation, but w ith a range reduced to S. The units will

Ragnar speaks...
The Scots will usually patiently await
you, arranged in strong blocks of
spearmen. Do not take that f or
cowardice, as standing their ground
is the best thing they do. As soon as
you come into melee, you discover
that they excel at producing
Defence Dice, reducing your chances
to inflict casualties to ridiculous odds. And when you
have exhausted yourself against their shieldwall, they
are ready to unleash a combination of abilities that
will change all these Defence Dice into Attack Dice that
will shatter your unit. They are incredibly tough but
fortunately, more than often they will let you decide the
pace of the game. Only a foolhardy Warlord will not try t o
get t he best of this advantage.

A special scenario that fields two opposing teams of players,

and featuring some treason and backstabbing...
For this scenario, you will need in addition to the standard gaming material a deck of traditional gaming cards.

LAYOUT

DEPLOYMENT

The game is played on a 72" x 48" table and opposes two teams of players each
composed of two players with their own warband (so it is basically a two warbands
versus two warbands scenario, at the start of the game at least!). Each player
should have an equal sized warband and each player also needs to make a note of
the figures he started with (to help work out the winner)

Starting with the team that won the choice of

table edge, each team w ill deploy 2 units at a time.
However both units have to owned by a single player
and the opponent team chooses the team member
who has to deploy these two units, the choice of the
units to be deployed is left to the player selected by
the opposing team (if a player has only one unit left,
he just needs to deploy that last unit). All models
must be deployed. All models must be deployed no
closer than M[ and no further away than lL+M[ (18")
from their starting table edge.

Before the game, take two Red cards and two Black cards from the playing cards
deck and deal randomly one to each player. The two players that receive the Red
cards start in the Red team and the two players that were dealt the Black cards start
in the Black team. Each player puts the card on top of their Battleboard to show
their allegiance at the start of the game.
Roll 1D3+5. This is the number of terrain items to be set-up. Each team selects
half these scenery items from the chart on page 6o of the Saga rulebook (if the
number of scenery items is odd, roll 106 for each team with the highest scoring
team deploying the extra piece). The team that gets the highest score on the roll of
a 06 starts and deploys all its scenery items.

VICTORY CONDITIONS

Once scenery has been set-up, each player rolls 2D6 and the highest scoring player
chooses one long side edge to be the starting table edge of his team. The other
team will deploy on the opposite tale edge

At the end of t he 6th turn, the victorious team is

determined. Add up the VPs of all models in the Red
scoring space, and divide that number by the current
number of players in that team. Do the same with
the Black space and the Black team. The team with
the highest resulting score is the winning team.

Near the gaming table, you will need two clearly defined spaces for the casualties
inflicted by the Red team and by the Black team. Use a card on top of these spaces
to identify them. When the Red team inflicts a casualty to the Black team, the
casualty model is moved to the Red space. The same applies for the Red casualties
that are moved to the Black casualties space.

Within the winning team, each player now adds up

the VPs of all models t hat have survived t he game.
The p layer that has the highest number of VPs is the
winner of the game. If two or more players are tied,
they share the glory of this victory!

Each scenery item may be deployed anywhere on the table, but not within l\Vl[ of
another scenery item.

SPECIAL RULES
At the start of the game, you will need a way to determine the order of the turn randomly. It can be playing cards (each player being attributed
a card), chits or tokens that are drawn from an opaque recipient or any other means that is available.
At t he start of the turn, draw one card or chit to determine the player who will play his turn. He resolves his Or ders Phase and his Activat ion
Phase. When he has finished, drawn a new card/chit to determine which player will play next. Continue t hat way until all players have played
their turn.

At the end of the turn of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th turns, when all players have played, an Allegiance sequence is resolved. To do so, give a black
card and a red card to each player. Each player selects one of these cards and puts it in front of him, face down. All these cards are revea led
simultaneously and p layers replace the card they had on top of their Battleboard with this new card that indicates their allegiance during the
next t urn. So if a player selected a red card and was previously in the black team, he changes side and during the forth coming t urn, will be
considered as a red player.
If at the end of the Allegiance Sequence of the 4th turn, it happens that all players belong to the same team (quite unlikely but w ho knows?), all
alliances are broken, the cards discarded and each player will be on his own for the rest of the game. The winner will then be determined purely
by adding the VPs value of the models each player has on the table at the end of the 6th turn. The p layer whose warband has t he most VPs left
on the table at the end of the game is the winner.
For the sake of clarity, each p layer shou ld always have on top of his Battle board a card of the colour of his current team.
Players belonging to the same team consider (for the sake of movement only) all models from their team partner(s) as f riendly models. You may
not activate your team member models though, nor use them in any other way (as sacrificing t hem for the Resilience rule of your Warlord! ). A
player t hat has lost his last model is eliminat ed and cannot win the game nor does he belong to any team. It can even happen th at all players
belong to the same team for one turn, and this can be considered as a period of truce!
Remember that there won't be any Allegiance Sequence during the sth and 6th turns, so the alliances of the 4th turn are engraved in stone!

ce s
MOVEMENT
All foot models move M( in open terrain .
All mounted models move

JL in open terrain.

All models move when moving from, in or through an

uneven ground or cr ossing an obstacle.
If you move within V of an enemy model, you must
engage it in melee.
Starting with the second activation, if you are within of
an enemy unit, you must engage it in melee if activated
for a Movement.

SAGA DICE
At the start of the turn, you roll:

FATIGUE
You gain FATIGUE for the foll owing reasons:
- One FATIGUE for every Movement or Shooting activation
after the first Movement or Shooting activation of the turn.
- One FATIGUE after each melee.
- One FATIGUE if a friendly unit is removed from the game in
melee w ithin S of your unit .
You may spend the enemy's FATIGUE to:
- Reduce his Movement from

M[ to or from to V or from

JL to ML
- When shot at, discard one enemy FATIGUE from the shooting
unit to gain one Armour.
- In Melee, discard one enemy FATIGUE to gain one Armour.
- In Melee, discard one enemy FATIGUE to reduce the enemy's
Armour by one.

All these effects may only be used once during each Movement
activation, or Shooting or Melee.

- One SAGA die per Warrior or Hearthguard unit

FATIGUE LIMIT
- Two SAGA dice per Warlord.

CLASS

FATIGUE LIMIT

- Minus one SAGA die for every SAGA die left on your

Levies

Battle board.

Warriors

With a maximum of 6 SAGA Dice.

Hearthguard and Warlord

If the number of FATIGUE markers a unit has is equal or higher

than his limit, it is Exhausted and cannot be activated for

SHOOTING

Movement or Shooting and loses half its Attack Dice in Melee.

Ranges
M( for javelins, ]L for bows, slings and crossbows.

MELEE

NUMBER OF ATTACK DICE

Class

Number of Attack Dice per model

Levies

1 per two models

W arriors

1 per two models

Hearthguard 1
W arlord

Shooting steps:
1) Target determination and Attack Dice
2) Attacker then Defender use their SAGA abilities
3) Attack Roll (roll Attack Dice. Target number is the
enemy's Armo ur. Max number of Attack Dice is equa l
to twice the amount of Dice generated by the unit).
4) Defence Roll (cancels each hit on a 4 or more. Max
number of Defence Dice is twice the number of hits
taken)
5) Remove casualties

COVER
Light Cover allows t he cancellation of hits o n 3s.
Heavy Cover allows t he cancellation of hits of 3s and

NUMBER OF ATTACK DICE

Class Attack

Dice per model

Levies

Warriors

per three models

Hearthguard 2
Warlord

Melee steps:
1) Determination of Attack Dice (Attacker & Defender)
2) Defender may reduce its Attack Pool to gain Defence Dice
3) Attacker & Defender abilities
4) Attack Roll (Attacker & Defender, target number is the
enemy's Armour. Max number of Attack Dice is equal to
twice the amount of Dice generated by the unit)
5) Defence rolls (Attacker & Defender, cancels hits on 5s. Max
number of Dice is twice the number of hits taken)
6) Remove casualties
7) Fatigue is attributed
8) Loser must disengage.

adds one Armour to the target.

A unit in Cover cancels all hits on 4s rather than 5s.
be activated for Movement or Shooting and loses half its
Attack Dice in Melee.

Northern Fury is the first supplement for Saga,

designed to expand the possibilities of the game
with four new factions:
The Anglo-Saxons, defending their faith and
homelands across the centuries against many
bloodthirsty invaders.
The Bretons, heirs of the celtic traditions,
unrivalled horsemen that fought their enemies
using tactics inherited from their British
ancestors.
The Jomsvikings, legendary northern
mercenaries. Their lives have been dedicated
to Odin and Thor and now more than ever, fear
their wrath!
The Scots, unified under the rule of mighty kings,
unbowed they will defend their right to rule the
north with their blood.
In addition to these new factions, Northern Fury
1
also contains a new scenario, Wooden Oaths,'
designed to be played by 4 players, involving
much back-stabbing and table talk!
You will need a copy of SAGA to use this supplement.
This book comes with 4 boards specially designed for use
with Saga. Boards may not be sold separately.

~
c

~
u.

ClJ

-Q)

E
a.

;::

-E
..-

K EERIN G T H Eu:c..::----J
Activation

Orders/ Reaction

DISJ:ANCE

Discard one die to activate

a unit of Hearthguards or
a \Varlord.

Discard this die and

immediately roll to three SAGA
Dice and perform an
out-of-turn Orders Phase

using these SAGA dice.

Melee or Shooting/Reaction
Discard this die. Your unit
counts as being behind heavy
cover for the resolution of this
shooting or melee.

RUNNING AWAY

SOERCHELE

HOL.D THE GROUND

Activation

Melee

Discard one die to activate

a unit of Warriors.

Discard this die. Gain two Defence

Dice (four if the discarded die was
a ~). During this melee, your unit
is not limited to a number of

Defence Dice equal to twice the

number of hits taken.

DOER-CHELE

GIVE GROUND

Activation

Melee

Activation

Discard one die to activate

a unit of Levies.

Discard this die. Roll one die for

each model in the unit. For each
die with a result higher than its
Armour all enemy units involved
this melee must discard one
Attack Die.

Discard this die and activate on e of

your units for a movement (two units if
the discarded die was a
). For this
movement only, the unit s) is (are)
considered to b e armed with javelins,
but with a reduced range of .

ACTIVATION
POOL

COU N1rER-ATTACK~....,
.

OEWOOD~NDS

Melee

Melee

Discard this die. Gain one

Attack Die and discard all your
Defence Dice. Gain two Attack
Dice per Defence Die discarded

in this way.

Discard these dice. Gain two

Attack Dice, plus a number
of Attack Dice equal to the
number of Defence Dice
your unit has.

TIR tESS

A BARRIER
OF. SPEARS
f

Orders
Discard o ne di e to roll two
additional SAGA Dice.

.~

1Welee or
Shooting/Reaction
Discard one die to gain one
Defence Die (two dice if the
discarded die was a ~).

Melee
Discard this die. At the end of
this melee, all your engaged
units reduce by -1 the number
of FATIGUE they should

take.

,
&

Melee
Discard this die in a melee where
only one of your Levies or a mounted
unit is engaged. This unit immediately
disengages, but may move up to lL
for this disengagement movement.
Your unit takes 2 FATIGUES at
the end of this movement.
No melee is resolved.

Melee
Discard these dice. Roll one die
for each model of your unit. For
each die with a result lower than
its Armour, gain one Attack and
one Defence Die.

MACHTIERNS

AD MARY

Activation

Melee

Shooting

Discard one die to

activate a Warlord.

Discard this die. If you have no

foot unit engaged in this melee,
the melee ends immediately.
Your units must immediately
make a disengagement move.

Discard these dice. Cancel all

benefits from cover for this
shooting. The target cancels all
hits suffered as if they were
inflicted by melee attacks.

ATTACK!

SOLDIERS
Activation

Shooting

Shooting

Discard one die to

activate a unit of
Warriors.

Discard this die. Remove

one FATIGUE from the
target unit to decrease his
Armour by 1.

Discard this die. Gain three

Attack Dice (four if the
1
discarded die was a I~!

MISHERS

FIG8

Activation

Melee

Discard one die to

activate a unit of Levies.

Discard these dice. Immediately

resolve a shooting with one of
your units engaged in this melee,
targeting one of the enemy units
also engaged in this melee.

ACTIVATION
POOL
Orders
Discard one die to roll two
additional SAGA Dice.

Shooting or Shooting/
Reaction
Discard one die to gain one
Attack or on e Defence dice
(two if the discarded die
was a fE ).

).

~INT ~ADO

Shooting
Discard this die.Re-roll once
any of your Attack Die that
rolled a 1 or a 2.

THE SHADO

Shooting

OF DEATH

Discard this die. Immediately

after this shooting?the target unit
takes a number of FATIGUES
equal to half the number of
models that were killed by your
shooting. ,

Shooting
Discard this die. Discard half
the Attack Dice your unit
generates. Decrease the
Armour of the target by 2.

Orders/Reaction

Shooting/Reaction

Discard these dice. Activate for a

movement all your mounted
units. The activated units may not
voluntary end their movement
within M( of an enemy unit.

Discard this die. All Attack

Dice of the shooting unit that
rolled 5 or 6 (after any
eligible re-roll) are discarded
without effects.

WRATH

PUNISHMEN-r

JOMSBORG!

Activation

Activation/Reaction

Orders I Reaction

Discard one d ie.

~ 'Ou,..

opporrent clzooses:

You immediately activate

two of your units
OR Your WRATH level is
increased by one.

JOMSVIKINGS
Activation
Discard one die to activate
a unit of Hearthguards
or a Warlord.

Discard this die. Activate for a

movement a number of enemy units
equal to your WRATH level. These
units are always considered to move
in uneven ground and may not
engage melee with this movement.
r ecrease your ,\ R.lT3 Lv . i / .1 <.

more enemy units are activated.

lOp J'it.ll c]ll}fJSe5.

All these activations are cancelled

t Your WRATH level is
increased by two.

" 'C-- 0 llMGANG

Melee

NORi HERN
T ~ EST
Orders
Discard these dice.

'' o c

t&

..

Discard this die. Gain a number

of dice equal to twice your
WRATH level. These dice may
be Attack or Defence dice

.......

dtoc;s '" ~

He removes 3 figures from

his warband.
) R Your WRATH level
is increased by two.

:Jwe eyaz r-

by Vll

A S~ORM GATirlERS

HAMMER
OF. THOR

Activation

Activation

Melee

Discard one die to activate

a unit of Warriors.

Discard this die.

D iscard this die. Inflict X

automatic hits OR
cancel the first X hits suffered
by your unit (after rolling defence
dice). X being your WRATH level.

RENG

, ' >l>l )

ren '

< os-es

You discard 2 FATIGUES

from any of your units.
R Your WRATH level is
increased by two.

_ ~crease / u:- \ I"\..\ . " b

< L.

'

ACTIVATION
POOL
Orders

PAGAN ARMOR

ANCE Of: STEEL

Melee or Shooting I Reaction

Orders or Orders/Reaction

Discard one die to roll

a number of additional
Saga Dice equal to
your WRATH level.

Discard these dice.

'n c cpo 1f?Jll drooses:
A unit that you choose discards
half its Attack Dice. 0
Your WRATH level is increased
by two.

A1TACK POOL

PAGA

Melee or Shooting!Reacti"" ..

Melee or Shooting/Reaction

Discard this die.

Discard this die.

}our opponent chooses:

You gain 2 Attack or Defense
Dice OR Your WRATH level
is increased by one.

FAITH

.
..
wr opporent cho l.Ses:

Discard this die. Designate a

number of different units equal to
your WRATH level. The Armour
of these units is increased by one
until the end of the turn.
J\ATI I el

'

Your unit's Armour is increased by one

OR Your WRATH level is increased
by two.

Orders/Reaction
Discard these dice. The first X
activations made this turn by the
enemy warband are cancelled (X
being your current WRATH level).

:J'?c-et ~e~ ou. L'R.1T'J

.--'
level fj~ two.

..

EALDORMEN

STO~T AEARTS

Activation

Orders or Orders/Reaction

Orders

Discard one die to activate

a unit ofHearthguards or
a Warlord.

Discard this die. Until th e end of

the tu rn, when determining the
effects of Saga abilities, each of
your units are considered to be
composed of the actual number of
figures 2 (+4 if the discarded die
was a
).

Discard this die. Roll

one extra SAGA d ie for
each of your units made
of at least 10 figures.

THEGNS

TRUCE

Activation

Orders

Discard one die to

activate a unit of Warriors.

Discard this die. At the end of

this turn, any u nit that has not
been activated discards one
FATIGUE (units composed of at
least 10 models discard
2 FATIGUES).

CEORLS
Activation
Discard one die to activate
a unit of Levies.

THE MUSTER
Activation

HE i;RD

0 SURRENDER

DEFENDERS
OF ~HE REALM
Melee
Discard this die. Gain two extra dice
(Attack or Defence or a mix of both).
If your unit is made of at least
10 models, gain two extra dice (Attack
or Defence or a mix of both).

SHOULDER TO
SHOULDER

Activation

Discard these dice. Activate all

your units made of up of at least
10 models and remove one
FATIGUE from each of these
u nits. These activations do not
generate any FATIGUE.

CLASH OF
SHIElDS
Melee

..

Discard these dice. Gain a

number of Attack Dice equal
to a third of the number of
models composing the unit.

VER~AP-

SHIELDS!

Shooting/Reaction
Discard this die. Gain a
number of Defence Dice
equal to a third of the
number of models
composing the unit.

Discard one die to

activate any one unit mad e
of at least 10 models.

Melee or Shooting/Reaction

COMBAT POOL

BRET:WALDA

Melee or
Shooting/Reaction

Melee

Orders or Orders/Reaction

Discard this die. Your Warlord

gains one Armour and may reroll
once each Defence die that did not
cancel an enemy hit.

Discard these dice. Until the end

of the turn, all your Levies units
are considered to be Warriors
(these effects cease as soon as the
unit is reduced below 10 models).

Discard one die to gain one

Attack or one Defence die
(two dice if the discarded
die was a . ).

Discard these dice. Your unit

increases its Armour by + 1.
If this unit is made up of at least
10 models it also gains 2 extra
Defence dice.

AXON KINGDOM