Goonhammer Historicals: SAGA Faction Review - Norse-Gaels

Welcome back to our SAGA Faction review series where we cover each different faction available in SAGA. Today we're taking a look at the Norse-Gaels, a faction from Age of Vikings.

Norse Gael levy with javelins for SAGA. Credit: Michael O "mugginns"

Who Are The Norse-Gaels?

The Norse-Gaels were Norwegian Vikings who settled and blended into Scottish and Irish culture. During the 700s, Norwegians settled in Northern Scotland and other inlets surrounding it, built villages and ships. From there they started setting out on raids. The location of these raiders is really important - there are tons of inlets and harbors in Scotland and Ireland that allowed them to move through the Irish Sea (between Ireland and England) and the Scottish Sea (between Scotland and the Hebrides and Ireland).

Norse Gael warlord with bannerman. Credit: Michael O "mugginns"

After they settled Northern Scotland, they raided into Ireland and founded Dublin in 841. Dublin became a huge trading center and seaport. As it became more valuable it was fought over, forging a bond between the Norsemen and the Irish. The Norsemen inter-married with the Irish and became what were called Gall-Ghaeil - Foreigner Gaels. Many places in Scotland and Ireland have names derived from the Norse, as well as the various Clans that became powerful, like Clan MacDonald and Clan MacLeod.

Why Play Norse-Gaels?

Play Norse-Gaels if you're ready for an all-out attack. While Vikings are absolutely offensive, Norse-Gaels are right up there with them. Most Norse-Gael units cannot close ranks - they're either equipped with heavy weapons or javelins. Hearthguard and your Warlord can close ranks as they can have a shield and hand weapon, but that's it. Your warriors and levy are going to get chopped up as they do their own chopping. There are only two defensive abilities on your board, and one of them is your Warlord only, so it's less likely to be used. Everything else is about attacking and your combat bonus.

Norse Gael warriors with Dane axes. Credit: Michael O "mugginns"

Norse-Gaels offer a pretty neat modeling opportunity, as well. These guys are going to be in dynamic poses usually with two-handed axes and javelins. They're wearing big colorful tunics, showing off their bare ankles, and usually sporting bare heads with wild hair instead of helmets.

How They Play

Rolling out of Dublin in a big boat, the Norse-Gaels are going to fight differently from other factions - they're going to run across the board screaming war cries while they attempt to get into combat quickly. While they technically don't have any movement bonuses on their board, they do have an ability to shunt fatigue to Levy - so that may help you move a big block of warriors into combat faster using a double move without the fatigue on them.

Expendable allows you to shunt fatigue onto Levy. Credit: Studio Tomahawk

The key differentiator for Norse-Gaels is your combat bonus. It works differently from other factions - it can only be used to gain attack die in melee or shooting, not defense die. Eight out of the ten abilities on the battle board interact with this combat bonus in some way - and you'll see the combos you can build as we go along.

The Combat Bonus works differently for Norse-Gaels. Credit: Studio Tomahawk

Spill Blood is a foundational ability for your ability to trade up (and it has a sweet name). You can charge in a unit that maybe you don't expect to win a combat with, have them die (or murder your opponent) and then for each model that died, you gain a die into your combat bonus. You'll want to have already activated some units and maybe done an ability or two so you have dice in your available Saga dice pool. Remember that you can only add up to double your starting combat pool with abilities.

Spill Blood throws dice into your combat pool when stuff dies - yours, or your opponent's. Credit: Studio Tomahawk

While I did mention your defensive abilities will be very limited, and with having javelins and heavy weapons on so many of your guys you'll be getting cut down left and right in melee, Determination is an amazing ability that makes it so you can get in, cut somebody up, and not be charged next turn at all. You can still be shot - but maybe you've already taken care of their shooting? This is excellent late game, when you're trying to meet your objectives and give up fewer massacre points.

Determination protects your unit that maybe just lost some dudes on a charge. Credit: Studio Tomahawk

While Norse-Gaels are pretty straightforward, they do have a few tricks up their sleeve. Unbowed allows you to roll available Saga dice into your Combat Bonus when your opponent uses fatigue on your guys. Note that it says 'Orders' underneath, so you have to use it in your own turn, not your enemy's. If you're near the enemy already, you could use Dance of Death to put one fatigue on up to three different units in your force, gain that number of dice in your Combat Bonus, then use activation dice to move them into combat, where the enemy might use said fatigue, gaining you more dice in your Combat Bonus.

Unbowed ability- note that it is an Orders ability, so you have to use it in the first part of the turn then remember it throughout. Credit: Studio Tomahawk

There are two more abilities that will mess with your Combat Bonus and provide you more ways to slaughter your opponents - Clenched Fists and Norse. Clenched Fists is rather simple - you add three (or four if you use a rare symbol) dice to your Combat Bonus.

Norse is more complicated - you get to choose one of two effects: change Combat Bonus description to Add an automatic hit to the hits you inflict OR increase your Armour by 1 (if you use a rare symbol, you get both). This is huge! Automatic hits are dastardly, and your units are so low armour to begin with from the heavy weapons and javelins that benefitting your armour is huge. This can be a game-breaker when used at the right time. Note that this can ONLY be used by Heroes or Hearthguards. Closed-ranks Hearthguard using this can be effectively defensive but also doing a bunch of damage with combat bonus dice.

Norse is a little more complicated but a great combo ability. Credit: Studio Tomahawk

If you're planning for a really decisive combat during your turn, consider putting two common symbol dice on Howling Axes. While I tend to find two-dice abilities less appealing, this one works well with warrior units with heavy weapons charging in. It's less dependent on having available Saga dice to roll into your combat bonus, since it just adds an extra attack die each time you trigger Combat Bonus.

F + F = lotsa dice. Credit: Studio Tomahawk

What you can tell from all of this is you'll be attempting to first use a bunch of Saga dice to get them into your 'available' Saga dice area. These are dice that you've already spent during the turn or didn't roll at the beginning. Once you've got dice in your available spot, then you'll be using abilities to roll them into your combat bonus area. It's definitely not simple or straightforward - you're going to be using combos to get yourself worked up to a bunch of attack dice. It may take a few games before you really figure out how to get the machine up and running.

Definition of available dice. Credit: Studio Tomahawk

Where Do I Begin?

If you're all in on offense and spilling blood, the Norse-Gaels might just be for you. Grab a bunch of guys with Dane axes and javelins and get moving to the harbor. Understand that once you hit the battlefield you're going to be foot-slogging and you'll lose a lot of your warband because you don't have much defense, but hopefully you can trade up and be on top.

My Norse Gaels warband for the tournament. Credit: Michael O "Mugginns"

Here's what I've been using so far. I think two levy units are key to grab up fatigue from your guys doing work with Expendable.

Norse-Gael Warlord with heavy weapon
1.5 pt Hearthguard, hand weapon and shield (6 guys)
2.5 pt Warriors, heavy weapon (unit of 7, 7, 6)
1 pt 12x Levy, javelin
1 pt 12x Levy, javelin

The basic idea is to move up the field, keeping the hearthguard near your Warlord to soak injuries and then get into combat with Norse; the levy follow closely behind your warriors and soak up fatigue letting the warriors get into combats of your choosing.

Norse-Gaels are a little harder to source if you're looking for plastic; Dane axes are harder to find, as most kits come with spear, shield, sword, but not two hander axes. The Gripping Beast plastic Viking hirdmen do come with Dane axes, and their plastic Dark Age Warriors will have all the javelins you need. If you're into pewter miniatures (you should be) there are a ton of characterful sculpts from Gripping Beast and Footsore Miniatures that will easily round out your army.

Norse Gael hearthguard with Dane axes. Credit: Michael O "mugginns"

I started SAGA way back when with Vikings, because why not - and I still love them, but Norse-Gaels have offered an opportunity to go a little further in the combo tank and provide some really neat modeling and painting challenges.

Have I missed anything with this guide? A combo or rule tweak that maybe you think deserves a mention? Let us know below.

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Tags: historicals | SAGA | age of vikings | norse gaels