PISS ISIS ISLS SSS SSISS SSL SSSLLLD. Your Saga Begins Here pas » The Basics p78 ~~ The Orders Phase pies ~The Actioation Phase ps Movement pie Charging 20-21 Shooting Daw ~ Melee rey Resting and Fatigue 20-82 Terrain 754-38 Special Rules 9-98-50 Saga Abilities p00, Assembling a Warband pa Clash of Warlords p89 Glossary p PPPSPASIIAIII III SII III ILI LISA. The Son Reboot Alec Gah Desig red Mach Tanto Mat Mart Preet-enig etn Andante: Porn putin Cian Len Sengald era chr me hae Dn! Wego on ed Mad Hunted Mad Farge sown ts cee pricey Gippng Bes Sronghol Teri Vii, VV Pec oer ne Sgn hana rh Fe Upc ery notre oer inares Gents Se, Pagans oo pater ann al hose wo hve conned Sp tag Tests natty anon oo odo eve Rope and Ht Hom oa Torso, Dupe Coen rt Lunt Rly, -Duet Wy, Ging, Ana Won i Pog aban Dba horn au Aad Ce Igoe hice Wooing, hens 10 Giopng Ges. Srengnt-oran, Wagener ames S86 LT and Yisresvennto ta nev et lye ag nev at winavi. rarfceckcomntudetnaner (boss ptsieay utero SA 3 Re Aone, 67380 ingle } Sans aconyt of Sd Tomah SARL 'S8h:979-109850025-8 Pret thea i222 © Sut Tomah 2028 Contentses Your Saga ts begins here! K ss oe Saga allows you to recreate battles between rival . warbands across many periods of history and many : Fantasy worlds. In this heroic age, warriors confront each | other on the field of battle, guided by your instinct and tactical nous (and a bit of good luck too!)! It’s time to write the epic story of your deeds. Let steel be your pen, and blood your ink... % Welcome ‘to Saga! The book you hold in your sweaty, trembling palms is a gateway to playing ‘games in several universes. I contains the basic rules forthe Saga miniatures ‘game, and the Fundamental principles which apply no matter which universe you set your games in. Youll discover that these rules are simple to learn and. memorise, but contain many hidden subtleties which take time to master. To help accelerate your apprenticeship, the rules contain lots of advice, and ‘examples of how to play the game. ‘As well 2s the game engine you hold in your hands, you'll need a Saga Universe. Some are already available, while others will follow later to illuminate the manuséript begun by Saga. You can play during the Viking, ‘Age, in the era of King Arthur and the great invasions, in a Fantasy medieval land, amid the Crusades, and more. The universe you choose should guit your personal tastes & figure collection, and those of your ‘gaming buddies. The rules in this book apply to all these Universes. ‘Are you Frightened by the thought of a warlord on the battlefield, surrounded by the still-warm dead with bloody steel in hari? If not, Saga will be just your cup of tea. IF you are, then we can only advise that you choase a more peaceful hobby, suitable forthose ofa weaker disposition. Like knitting Pe Soribo will guider youWhat You Need To Play Let's start by going over a list of what you'll need to play, Saga. ‘Tobeginwith, since Sagaisa miniatures game, you'll need model soldiers. Each player is the leader of a warband, usually made Lup of 20 to 50 models. The size of the Figures isn’t important, but you'll guess our personal preferences from the pictures, illustrating this tome. We usually ot for 28mm, but the decision. 's yours. We haven't yet established a ‘Saga Purity Brigade’ to control what players choose to do with our products. WRIPLILLIPLLL PSS LSSLISSLS To measure distances, you'll need » four measuring sticks of particular lengths. Saga uses Four different units of measurement: Very Short (V8, Sem or 2 inches), Short (8, 10cm or 4 inches), Medium (U, 15cm or 6 inches) and Long (L, 30cm or 12 inches). These measuring sticks should usually be 2.5em or 1 inch wide - this Goesnt often matter, but some game effects are based on the width of the ruler you use, hence this standard. Official measuring sticks are available, but you can make your own using the downloadable templates from our website (www studio-tomahawk com). Remember that the measuring sticks ‘ill usually be the only things approaching a real weapon in, your possession, You'd better make sure they impress your ‘opponent so you get the psychological upper hand! Because gamers need something to Focus their anger on when Lady Luck turns her back on them, Saga uses dice of two different types, The frst are the traditional sb-sided sort, easily sourced, and possessed by all good wargamers in “ndecently vase quantities The other sort are Saga dice. These are si-sided dice on which appear specific symbols. There are several types of Saga dice, ‘and you can buy them or make them yourself (using the files, avallable on the Studio Tomahawk website). Each player must have 8 oftheir action’s dice, as defined in its Saga Universe You'll also need a gaming surface to put your figures on. A ‘Saiga board is 120cm by 90cm (or 48 inches by 36 inches) ‘That leaves enough space around the edge of the table or the ‘snacks and drinks that re indispensable when players clash this savagely! ‘Scenery is also necessary to decorate the board - the areas ‘occupied by these scenic elements can have an effect on the game. At a minimum, a wood can be represented by its ‘outline on the table, using a bit of material suitably cut-out arid decorated, But honestly, dressing the wood up with a Few model trees doesn't spoil the game quite the opposite in Fact! Finally, you'll need markers to represent your units’ Fatigue. Fatigue penalises troops who fight too long or exert themselves too ‘really. i takes the form of counters placed next to units. Once again, you can buy them or make them yourself, either to your own design or using our files. 6 aa ae a Ceca Oe ea! een er ac ‘or metric units. Similarly, the dimensions of Ne eee eee ees Tea ee a eee ty unfolds Fairly, i’s best to avoid mixing the Ree eae n Decear eet neem ptt accu teeaeas See ucts In most cases, the very small difference between act on the game, but it's STOUT aesIn this chapter we're going to deal with the various elements that make up the game, as well as a few general rules and principles which will apply throughout the book. _Warbands and Factions __ in Saga, each player leads a warband, which as we saw earlier, generally made up ofabout thirty models. This warbandis part ‘of a faction, which can representa historical people (Vikings, for example}, a fantasy race (ores) ora mythological group (the Argonauts). Each Faction is part of & specific Saga Universe, andthe options that they have access to are described in detail inthe corresponding Each faction has a Battle Board. This not a board with which to beat your opponents, but a cardboard sheet displaying the abilities available to your Faction. As we'll see later on, interaction between Saga dice and Battle Boars is what gives SageitsRavour. [A points system allows encounters to be balanced, and generally forces players to collect warbands of similar size and strength, Saga wacbands are between 4 and 8 points. 6 points isthe usual size, but we recommend 4 points For your Rist few games so that you can familiarise yourself with the system more easily. Each point allows you to recruit variable number of models which together form yor warband (see Assembling the Warband. . 44) TYPES OF TROOPS In Saga, each figure belongs to one ofthe Four types of troops, below @ Heroes ¢ - Heroes are the main characters in any era of Saga. They form Units by themselves and possess extraordinary abilities which greatly outstrip those of mere mortals. They'e the ones who give life to legends. Each warband is led by one hero in particular: the Warlord. He is a seasoned warrior, cunning and powerful, ready to throw himself into the thick of battle. A sort of Fantasy alter ego for ‘most players! Other Heroes appear in Saga Universes, ike historical figures, wizards, and legendary creatures. © Hearthguards Hearthguards are the best troops you have at your disposal. “They: represent: very well-trained solciers with the best equipment available. They generally form a bodyguard for Warlords and Heroes. They'e definitely not the sort. of lads you jostle in a tavern! © Warriors Warriors Form the core of most warbands. They are the typical fighters of any Faction; they've had bgsic but effective training ’ ‘and are equipped with weapons that can be acquired without too much expense. They/re rarely armoured and often rely on ‘numbers both in defence and attack. Ifyou come across them at the tavern door, count them to see ifyou can take them on, without too much risk! © Levies Levies havent provoked anyone, but they stil have to ight = their Warlord forces them tot He relies above al on thee ‘numerical superiority, and makes the most of ary battle to get rid oFhis most wayrard and indolent servants withovt the nuisance of courts. de process or paperwork. f they get in yourwayat the tavern door, make them get you a beer Some Saga Universes’ introduce other troop types, like Elephants or Creatures, and their rules ate described in the relevant books. However, the four troop types introduced ‘above are found in all of them, Guero . ‘Miniatures in Saga have two characteristics: ‘Their Armour, represents the quality of their protective gear and now difficult thei enemies wild putting them out ‘faction. Depending onhow they're equipped, the model might have diferent Armour values against hand-to-hand and ranged attacls, Armourcan never beless than or higher than 6. Their Aggression, which determines hhow many dice they contribute to thelr unit when attacking. Aggression different inhand-to-hand and shooting, andis given either as a number fora fraction, ‘These two characteristics depend on which troop type the miniature belongs to. Thus, all Hearthguards have the same basic characteristics, and the same is true for Warriors and, Levies. Apart from Warlords, which all also™have identical basic characteristics, Heroes are the exception, since their Armour ‘and Aggression vary according to their type. ‘As previously mentioned, a unit's equipment can alter these scores. For example, an archer sacrifices armour to use their bow more easily.Each figure belongs to a unit, which starts the game with, between 4 and 12 figures ~ no more, no less. A Few exceptions, exist, but they‘re described in the relevant Universes. All the Figures in the same unit must be of the same type and havethe same equipment. Units cannot split orjoin other units during agame. Heroes (them again!) are an exception. They form a single- Figure unit, and unless otherwise specified, cannot be accompanied by other figures. Yee Satibe will guide: you.. IS quite comman for Saga fans to model their Heroes on a large base, accompanied by other figures like servants, pages Bec at e iiare et gaey decreed the diorama they create only counts as dsingle medelin terms ofthe game ond the rules RN ‘Once a unit is deployed or has finished moving, it has to ‘conform to some rules on formations. Firstly, each figure must be within V8 of another figure in their unit, so that a line could be drawn connecting all the Figures in the unit without any gaps of more than V8 between two figures. You may never break this chain voluntarily, even whien, ‘removing losses From shooting, hand-to-hand or ther events, Secondly, no figure in the unit can be more than $ away from the unit's reference figure (who you choose and who you can, change at will during the game). Mounted units have a wider Formation radius of M - see Mounts, p.39. All of them must {therefore fit within an imaginary circle centred on the reference figure you choose For the check. This can be a different igure teach time you need to check this rule. The circle has a radius of $ or Mifthe unit is mounted, In Saga, all Figures have 360° vision and can fight at full effect, in any direction no matter their facing. © Bases Figures must be on bases - the shape of which, rectangular, ‘circular or otherwise, i left up to the players’ tastes, They must however Fulfil the following criteria @ he base ofa mounted model must fit within a SOmm square, ‘and cannot be smallerthan a 4mmx20mmi rectangle @ The base of a model on foot must it within a 30mm square, ‘and cannot be smaller than a 20mm square. ~ ©The base of a Hero, whether mounted or on Foot, must fit uwithina 60mm square, The minimum size ofthe base depends ‘on whether they are mounted or on foot, as detailed above. ‘The minimum diameter oF any round base, and minimum width ‘of any square base, is 20mm. Principles of the Game Here are afew elements ofthe game which strate the basic prinepls of Saga. You should keep them in mind wil eading the rest ofthe rls. ‘A game of Saga takes place over a variable number of turns, in \which the players take turnsacting, The scenario you're playing will state how many turns to play (usualy 6, and ths isthe umber of tuins that each player wil take during the game. Soa game with six turns wil see the ist player complete their whole tum, and then, their opponent do the same. This process is repeated six times, ‘0 that both players have played sx player turns. player's turn is divided into two phases: the Orders phase, during which the player rolls theicSaga dice and places them on the Battle Board, and the ‘Activation phase, during which theirunits act according to how the. dice were placed inthe previous phase. Once a player's Activation, ‘phase is Finished, their turn is ver and their opponent begins their own turn,eae Games of Saga are always played according toa scenario which ‘outlines the victory conditions, how the troops are deployed, any special rules, and how many turns each player will have, Atthe end of this book, youll find the basic scenario to set you ‘on your wartorn journey through the merciless lands of Saga, ~ Clash of Warlords. The Saga supplement titled The Book of Battles provides numerous other scenarios with more unusual situations and Ffesh reasons to fight. DEE {swe discussed earlier, Saga has four units of measurement. ‘© Very Short, equal to Sem (or2 inches), abbreviated to V8. @ Short, equal to 10cm (or inches), abbreviated to8. @ Medium, equal to 15cm (or 6 inches), abbreviated to M. @ Long, equal to 30cm (or12 inches), abbreviated toL. IF the width of the neal ‘stick matters for a rule or a game effec itis consderedt6 be 1" wie. In this book, a in all other Saga publications, well only use these aboreviations ~so merhorise them quickly! For example, we wil say thata bow hasaraige ofL, and not that can shoot 12 inches. Saga allows you to measure at any time, in any situation. ‘Therefore, before loosing a shot, you may absolutely use your measuring stick to check that your figures are in range. ‘The need for 8 unit, Figure or piece of terrain to be “within X” will come up tuite Frequently -X being V8, $,M orL. For this to be the case, the condition is Fulfilled if even a part of the unit or terrain pieceis Korless away. Its therefore enough For a part of the base of one ofthe unit's Figures, or one part of the terrain piece to be within X for the entirety ofthe unit or terrain piece to count as being within X The only exception is when you read “entirely within X", which ‘means that the whole unit (the whole unit including the whole oF allits bases, no ticking-out bits or terain piece must be within X. |W Sto wll gute you CEOS ‘Several game effects let you re-roll the dice (we're talking ‘about ordinary dice with six ides). A die can only be re-rolled ‘once by each player, and the final result always stands, even if itwas worse than the original. ‘Acie rollcan be modified up or down during the game (+1 or 2 For example) Alesis mocifed to less than 1 count asa vile any result oF 6 or mare counts asa 6, Note that you could get results of ore than 6 na previows version ofthe rules, so youll oceasionaly see game effects that say"6 or more" Finally, when the result of a die is referenced, i's always the result AFTER modifiers have been applied, not the “natural” roll ofthe die. ‘These rules don't apply to Saga dice, which can be re-rolled as ‘many times as desired and never have any numerical modifiers, applied, GG Saga regularly uses fractions, both as words (a third, for example), oras figures (e.g) Inallcases,a simple rule applies: Fractions are always rounded up to the nearest whole number. If For example, a third of one. ‘of your B-figure units develops a desperate need to relieve themselves in the bushes, 3 figures will attend to their natural Urges out of the enemy's view. RIE kes \When one of your game effects ited to X instances (send 3 units to hell” for example), you can always limit yourself to Fewer instances. In oyr example, you could decide to only consign 2 units to infernal caborisation, Note however that this does not apply toa rule or Saga ability that says “Al. In this case, all means, well “Al, So if rule states that yeu activate al yourunits, you activate all of them. Inludo-seientificjargon, we summarise this as: those “who can do more, can do less ENE Occasionally in Saga, «ifferent rules or abilities will seem to contradict each other and create an unsolvable problem. I's, very common for an ability to require a unit to do something, while another renders it impossible. The rule to follow here is, that prohibition beats compulsion - “can't beats “must Mee eee te See Loe 4-12 figures. Oeste Reet) Cu any point in POSES une eee pear ea Teco ts phase and the Activation phase. Pee ee era Bard ©CO ea ag ee ee ee ee ee ee and the Activation phase. This chapter covers the first and, in the eyes of Saga veterans, Ce een ee Battle Boards and Saga Dice Each faction has its own Battle Board (you'l find these in the Saga Universes you choose to explore), which is used together “with a specific set of Saga dice. Here is an example of a Battle Board and a breakdown of the information it contains. Priel L eel: ame] i The name ofthe faction [Bi theirsaga abitties. Generally there are fifteen ofthese, and while some appear above the faction name, others will be below. We'll see what differentiates them later on. For now, just know that Saga abilities allow units to act during the game. Blithe dice you need to play this Faction. Each Saga ability indicates which die result or results are necessary to activate it. The Battle Board is used with Saga dice. At the start of each turn, you roll a certain number of dice and place them on the. appropriate Saga abilities. ‘FBS Al the Saga dice in the same set are identical, They have one symbol on three sides, a second symbol on two sides, and a rarest third symbol which only appears on one side Youplay with eight Saga dice. No more, no less, Having mare. than eight Saga dice is lke sliding an ace out of your sleeve during a poker game. eee During the Orders phase, you plan your actions forthe coming Activation Phase. To achieve them, just follow these oursteps. @ Throw as many Saga dice as your warband generates. © Let your opponent react with their Orders/Reaction abilities, ifthey want to: $ m ‘@Place each of your Saga dice on a Saga ability’s area - this ‘means you “activate” that ability - and trigger your Orders abilities. You can alternate between these two actions at will © Let your opponent Yeact again with their Orders/Reacton abiltesfthey wantto When the enemy reacts, they trigger Sagaabiltiesthat wil | undermine your well-oled plans You had better get usedtoit | quickly though - Saga opponents who let you do everything ‘you want are very rarel Generating Saga Dice At the start ofthe Orders phase, you must work out how many Saga dice you can roll. There's nothing simpler! Take one die for: (© Your Warlord, iFhe’s on the table, @ Each unit of Hearthguards on the table. @Each unit of Warriors on the table and at least 4 figures strong,@ Each unit of Levy on the table and at least 6 figures strong, @ Add to these dice those generated by your other Heroes on the table, Heroes each generate different numbers of dice, which you'll Find in their descriptions You should also be aware that in some rare cases; some units that aren't Heroes (lke Legendary units) can generate more than 1 Saga die, or none. But it’s al clearly laid out in the rules, For the unit in question! Occasionally your warband may generate more than 8 Saga dice. But whatever happens, you can never throw more than 8 at the start ofyour turn! Pie Shotibe wil guide you.. Imagine Myrmidans about to crash into their Trojan foes. Ate the first blows are exchanged, there area unit of 6 Hearthguords, a unitof 2 Hearthguards, a unit of 10 Warriors, ‘unitof3 Warriors and a unit of 9 Lew lft on the board, ll {ed by theie Warlord Ac the tart ofthe turn, the would-be Achill playing them ‘must generate ther Saga dice. He gets one defor the & Hearthguards, one for the 2 Hearthguards, ane forthe 10 Warriors, ne forthe 9 Levy and one fr their Warlord. The unit of 3 Warriors doesn’t provide di, because they have fewer than 4 figures: total, our player wil role dice during this Orders phase. Rolling Saga Dic Now that you've worked out how many Saga dice you can roll, pick them up. It's possible you might have dice eft on your Battle Board from the previous turn. This usually happens when you prepared an, ability but did not or could not use it. Before throwing your dice, you may choose to remove some or all of the dice remaining fon the Battle Board. You may want to do this ifyou don't have. enough other dice available to roll as many as your warband, generated. Tie Scribe will guide yeu, Lae ge tor Mintle dec et Bate Bord Thy gerd Saga cbt cnc eb Soa a ] | | ‘As we'llsee later on, some Saga abilities need twé dice to be activated, IF you choose to remove dice From one of these abies you must remove tem both, You cat eve sine of the dice needed to activate the ability and take backtthe rest. When you've made your choice, roll your dice. Until they're placed on your Battle Board, these Saga dice are inactive. The dice you haven't thrown yet and which aren't on your board are called available Saga dice. Once you've rolled your Saga dice, your opponent can trigger their Orders/Reaction abilities (we'll come backtto this later).Placing Saga Dice Now that you've rolled your di¢e, you have before you several symbols, which correspond to those illustrating the Saga lities on your Battle Board. Before going over how to use ese dice, take a lookat a Saga ability Wis : A mounted unit which charged. Gain 2attack ice (4ifyouused « BE). “Your unit may gain an extra 3 attack > ‘dice, butwil sufer an extra race ey ~ the end ofthe hole meee ifthe ithe name ofthe ability Bi the ability’s keyword. It indicates the “timing” of the ability, which is when it can be triggered, Here, we have ‘a Melee ability, so you can use it while resolving a hand- to-hand combat. Certain abilities have several keywords, which gives you more freedom in choosing the moment to trigger them, [Bi the description of the ability. In other words, the effects of the ability when tistriggered. Restrictions onthe use ofthe ability may be written in taies directly below the keyword For exainple, certain abilties might be only be usable by certain units of types of troops. This one is exclusively for ‘mounted units in your warband which have charged. Your infantry therefore can't ust. BEE ‘The abilty’s cost, indicated by the symbols on the dice. ‘These show the die or dice necessary to a i teand trigger Ue ably, Welllookat this more casey ‘Above the name ofthe Faction are the basic abilities. Beneath your faction's name are the advanced abilities ‘The basic abiltes can be triggered several times a turn, whereas each advanced ability can ony be used once a turn Its good to bear in mind that a turn corresponds toa single player's Orders phase and Activation phase Each Saga ability has a cost in Saga dice. Thisis the die symbol which appears in the space dedicated to the relevant ability. Sometimes unusual abilities will resolve differently, without 1 cost in Saga dice. The rules for these odd effects are always, described in the book for the Universe they appearin. You can activate this ability by placing on it a die showing either of the two symbols. Once this is done, we say that the ability is activated, and by extension that the Saga dice placed, onitare active Saga dice. Some abilities require two dice to be activated. In this case, the two dice necessary are separated by a "+", ike in this example. | 3 § : ODIN 8 ‘Sitting Reaction % The shooting nit takes as 8 ‘ much Fatigue as necessary fort to become exhausted. 3 You must place both dice at the same time. You may not place just one of the two dice while waiting for Lady Luck to provide you with the second one. Youray activate basic abilities by placing several ice on them and then triggering them several tines a turn, Conversely, you mmayonlyactvateandtriggerthe advancedabiltiesonceatuin That means that you may oly place the de or combination of dice onthem once per Orders phase ane thereFore ony trigger them once per turn. ‘ eae: (nthe other band, ifyou started the turn with dce on the ability and you tigger it during the Orders phase, i's possible foryouto.acivatetagainimmedaely The ue gsimpe-each ably ean only be aetivated once pert, and Only triggered eee parle ‘Triggering Orders Abilities During the Orders phase, you may trigger abilities with the keyword Orders, even if you only just activated them. The Orders abilities often have an influence on the phase itself, since = for example - they allow you to reroll inactive dice or throw extra'dice, Equally, they can have effects lasting for the remainder ofthe turn. To trigger an ability, take the die or dice to pay its cost (in the case of a basic ability, only take the dice needed to pay forit once), and discard them. Discarding the dice consists oF putting the dice you've used into your poo! of available dice(the ones that you didn't rol). Then, resolve the effects of the ability. Once that's done, you may place other Saga dice or trigger anew Orders ability, ete. Continue until you decide to fend your Orders phase. Triggering a Saga CAbilily © The description of triggering an Orders ability Per oes ee caer at ad Neen ues ee exist). To trigger an ability, you just have to remove the necessary die or dice, put them with Neer eae ei cicsed of the ability. Ending the Orders Phase Justbefore your Orders phase ends, you must let youropponent trigger Orders/Reaction abilities. Once this is dane, in the unlikely instance thatyou stillhave any inactive Saga dice (Le. dice you have rolled but not placed on, ‘yourBattle Board), they rejoin your pool of available Saga dice. ‘This concludes your Orders phase, and brings us tothe heart of the turn: the Activation phase. Although the Activation phase isthe most turbulent phase of thetur, wth alts shooting, meles on nothing can be undertaken without a careful considered Orders phase. Sag sa game of planing and anpatin. Even ofteryourfirst games youl often fel the sudden need ‘owhip yourself with fresh netles having suddenly realised that you forgot place a Sage de onthe ably youtooctate you proud Hearthguadst And drng the Activation phase, wile oo late to remedy So prepare your blow during the Orders phas through each move you want to make during the Act phase, ofthe abilties that will render your shooting m ‘effective and your melees more deadly Don't forge the ones you'l need to block the backlash coming in the enemy turn ‘Nothing i better forthis than practice, and a good knowledge ‘of bath your Battle Board and your enemy's Thanks tothe Bate Board, Saga's@ game in which you must rely on yourinstine and tacticalnous above al ese! Niza a Uae race at the beginning of the Orders phase, you roll ‘@The number of dice you roll depends on the units para ee eel 1 place a die on an ability, you activate it (the ability is ready to be used) fol eee eee ere as turn, whereas the advanced abilities can only be triggered once perturn, @ During the Orders phase, you can trigger abilities with the Orders keyword, and only those abilities COE UU ean Reet ey ty me ges ag ecg aes Activation phase. The Onde 1gThe Activation Phase You carefully prepared your turn in the Orders phase, and now it’s time to unleash hell on your unfortunate adversary by triggering one Saga ability after another from among those activated on your Battle Board. That's the purpose of the Activation phase, which we'll ened Activation Abilities The majority of the actions you'll take during the Activation. phase will come from triggering abilities with the Activation keyword. These abilities are simple to identify - it says Activation beneath theicname. Penera Allthe Battle Boards have Activation abilities. On most oFthem, you'l find one ability for activating your Hearthguards and Heroes, one for your Warriors and another for your Levies. The cost of these abilities is variable, and it’s easy to imagine why Levies would be harder to activate than Hearthguards. Afterall, the Levies haven't come to the battlefield oftheir own free will To trigger an Activation ability, the same procedure must be followed as for Orders abilities. Just discard the necessary ‘combination of dice when triggering the ability and resolve the effect. To discard the dice, take the active dice on the ability and put them in your pool of available dice. Nothing too ‘complicated, right? During the Activation phase, you trigger Activation abilities, fone after another until you want ta stop or you have no more. abilities to unleash, To avoid any confusion: an ability with the Activation keyword, represents an ability that’s used during the Activation phase, Ik doesn’t necessarily activate a unit. Activating a Unit is a separate concept that we'll go over below. Actioating Units Abilities with the Activation keyword often let you activate one. ‘or more units. As soon as you use a Saga ability to activate a tunit, it has the choice of four possible actions. It can perform: @Amoveactivation @A charge activation @A shooting activation @A restactivation The move activation allows a unit to move on the battlefield (see Movement, p. 16) The charge activation also allowsit to move, but with one goal: -0 engage an enemy in hand-to-hand combat (see Charging, . 20). If, when the charge move is made, the unit comes into, contact with an enemy unit, you must immediately resolve a melee (see Melee p. 26) The shooting activation is only available to units equipped with ranged weapans or otherwise able to shoot. Itallows them to immediately resolve a shooting attack against an enemy Lunt (see Shooting, p. 22). The rest activation has certain conditions, but allows a unit to recuperate by getting rid of some of the Fatigue it has accumulated. This fatigue takes the form of counters (see Resting and Fatigue, p.30). Some scenarios allow units to activate for specific reasons ~ looting houses, seizing plunder, knitting scarves... andin these cases the scenario will lay out the rules For these activations. In the following pages, youl find a chapter dedicated to each current activation type. You can activate a unit as many times as you want during an Activation phase, as long as you have enough Activation, abilities to do it. You don't need to resolve all ofa unit’s actions, fone after another. You can activate one unit, then another, then retura to the first unit for a new activation, Allthe same, you should know that @ unit which activates several times in a turn receives Fatigue tokens, Fico fctivations Ohienmes Tne en ay eee nat card need to use a Saga ability (nor, therefore, your Peer ey ene rts activation is fi youll ind text along the oesegac aur Mee eras Pe nme eee ct Remeron) ee TT Racers Te pet ea as eur eicrae ae ato inSaga dice.‘Your Activation phase ends when you say so, generally because you have nothing eft to do and no more abilities left to trigger Some game effects resolve at the end ofa player's Activation pphase, and this is the moment when they are resolved, You can of course keep active abilities on your Battle Board at this, point, either to keep them for your enemy's tum, or because you didn't get the chance to use them during this phase. The dice stay patiently in thei places while they wait to be used. (Once your decision is made, yourturn ends. Ye: Scribe nil: guide you. ventful tivation phases! Unlike other mes, there sno specific phase for shooting o possible choice of Oc ao Wust Remember Cet rts Activation abilities and resolve their effects @Anactivated unit has the choice of: moving, ener ett Oe TURE ene See aan cee ao PM user ei ‘@When your Activation phase ends, so does your iy ONE Ca ene etc16 5 Movement ‘Much of the time you devote to Saga will be spent moving your figures around the board, before those delicious moments in which you throw your dice to smash enemy units to a Pega ee ee ee a Cre ad eee ee Moving a Unit Even though it's usually a move activation that lets aunit move, itisn't the only way it happens. Special rules, Saga abilities and, several other elements of the game can lead a unit to change position. All these movements follow the rules written below. Move Distances ‘The normal movement allowance fora figure is M.You'l often see wording lke “a unit has a move of Mt, which means that all the figures in the unit can move M. This distance can be increased (notably for units mounted on horseback) or even reduced, particularly by the effects of terrain, special rules or Saga abilities. The movement distance wil always be one of ‘aga’ units of measurement -V8, 8, Mor but it's possible fora unitto have multiple movement sticks, for example Mr. “This would mean the unit could use both an Mandan Sruleror theirmove, as well see later on ‘Afigure’s move distance is always the furthest they can goina ‘moyeaactivation. A figure can make a shorter move by stopping before the end of the measuring stick Hox ‘to Move _ To move 2 unit, whatever its movement distance, follow the steps below: choose one ofthe figures inthe unit to move. Place iin contact with the measuring stick that corresponds to its ‘movement allowance and move the gure along is length, stopping when you want. You can never bend the stick - the figure has to travel in a straight line, At no point in its ‘movement can the model ross an impassable area, or come into contact with an enemy model. During ts movement, the figure caa freely move through the figures in ts own unit The gurecartendtnelrmevementincontact wth riendly figures from any unit but their own, née the Fest igure has finshed eheir movement, choose another figure and resolve their movement following all he above rules. At the end oftheir movement, this gure must bewithin VSoFanotherfigue inthe unit ANDwithin Sof the first igurein the unit to be moved. Frgure can never exceed their movement allowance. ~ ‘@ Two cohesion checks must be made once all the figures in the unit have moved. Firstly all the figures must be part of a chain with a maximum of V8 between two figures. Secondly, all the Figures must be within $ of the reference figure. You ‘choose ths figure From among the fguresin the unit, andit's justused to determine whether aunitis in cohesion, Itcanbe a different Figure each time the unit moves. For more details, refer to the Formations paragraph on page 8, The unit (1-2:3+4) me referencefigur,Inthis cases the payer chose to makeFe Sie ul ge yu. You will have not sticks while moving a figure. Therefore, their move must ‘always be made ina straight nel Consider that before moving yurunits and leave them ll room to manoeuvre. ed that you can't bend your measuring Movement of L Ifa figure (usuallya mounted figure) has amavement of L, they can eplace the L: measuring stick with twoM sticks. n this way they can get around the straight-line movement enforced by Using a single measuring stick. ‘When you use two measuring sticks inthis way, the end of the first must touch the end of the second (see the picture below). To be able to use the second measuring stick, the Figure must move all the way along the first - they cannot move only part- way down the first stick and then move using the second. On, the other hand, the figure may end their move at any point on the second measuring stick. ‘The rules above apply to all increases in movement which fequire the addition of a ruler. Therefore, a foot soldier who. receives an increase in movernent of § uses a measuring stick (of M and one of § for their movement. They can only use the second iFthey've moved all the way down the first. IFmore than, ‘wo measuring sticks are used, a figure must travel all the way down one in order to use the next. You can change the direction, ‘of your move after each measuring stick, Pe er Mare Sea oes eae eda) ly change its ees ee see ol ee een cca itself), you need to be able to trace a corrid euce eat like, For example, not crossing friendly figu Peruse ee Cae ie wat naa eee co Trad: ee tet Mea ees aoe scd ‘These horsemen use twoM ‘measuring sticks to move, Allowing them to veer around the woods to ther eft (ts possible to end their ‘movement before they ‘each te tip ofthe second ‘measuring stick fothertind this move isnt ‘lowed Info, the second stick cant ‘beuseduntil the figure has moved down the whole of the first stick. In this example, the blue horseman can't move between the red units because its corridor of movement overlap their besesand thas oned. ampere er eoEffects of Terrain In Saga, there are four types ofterraln © Open terrain has no effect on movement, This is a stretch (of ground not covered by terrain, or an area of clear terrain which therefore has no effect on movement ~a gentle hill, for example. © Uneven terrain coverslltypes of terrain that might reduce movement (woods, undergrowth, rocky ground, etc) Movement By any unit across uneven ground itperformed ith a measuring stick oF, no matter their usual movement allowance or any bonuses they receive. For example, an infantry unit which has a moverneot of M + 8 thanks to a special rule - a measuring stick of M and one of 8 - only Uses a single measuring stick of 8 while they are crossing tneven terrain. This substitution of measuring sticks oceurs, ‘whenever atleast one figure fromthe unit starts orends their movement in uneven terrain, ori their base even partially enters uneven terrain during their movement. Note that in this eas, the reduction in movement allowance applies to ALL the figures in the unt, including those who stayin open terrain during the entirety of their movement @ Dangerous terrain is similar to uneven terrain, but presents risks to those who cross it It could be marshes, bramble thickets or any other spot born from the fertile imaginations ‘of your players. follows athe same rules as uneven terrain Additionally, a unit ending a move or charge activation in {dangerous terrain gains a fatigue (see Accumulating Fatigue, .30), Note that this Fatigue only applies ifthe unit ends their move or charge in dangerous terrain, Crossing dangerous terrain orstarting your movernent init doesn't inflict fatigue. ‘@ Impassable terrain covers all terrain that can't be entered &F crossed, ike lakes, lava its and any other similar terrain features No figure can enteror be deployed into impassable terrain, Also, this second rider can’ be} here. tt occupies space between Figures from another unit whichis ‘impassable terrain fort even amid a ‘Friendly unit). Effect of models Inadtion to terrain he presence ofboth iendly and enemy Agures can considerably dsrupt your uns’ movement. Here Arp some rule to beatin nbd when youte moving gute, @ Friendly figures belonging to other units and all enemy Figures are treated as areas of impassable terrain. @ The space between two figures from the same unit (another friendly unit or an enemy unit) counts as an area of impassable terrain, if the gap is no greater that 8 - or M for a mounted unit You must follow thes®-rules at all times during the game, including when deploying units to the board Manocuores During your Activation phase, some gf your units are able to perform a manoeuvre. The units in question are those further than L from alfenemies and in open tera, A manoeuvre is a free move activation. To use, your units must bein open terran and Further than from allenemy gure. ‘The manoeuvre must always be the unit's fist activation of the phase. So if they've already been activated during this phase, they can’t perform a manoeuvre. & During a manoeuvre, the activated unit can never come within Lofan enemy figure and must make the entire move across open terrain. These free activations simulate manoeuvres which take place far From the enemy, free From the constraints imposed by thelr presence.Be Seu eeu) Ren cu We eco Ce Renee a a eae a eC gE Sete et ae aan ue eas Poe Dea ae ue Ee ae UT Reena ae ee era Units more than | from the enemy and in open terrain may perform a manoeuvre - a free move activation. PEM ae ese aE es gee oe20 One of the most gratifying moments in Saga is when you send your best units to destroy their enemies at the sword’s point before dancing on their corpses and capturing their womenfolk. But for that to happen, your units must make contact with the enemy - and to Cree el dees You wil ee that the rules on ch 1 movement. There are however charging has. The Charge Activation ‘A charge only happens during a charge activation. No other effect allows a unit to charge. A charge s simply a mové which, allows a unit to end up in contact with an enemy and engage them in hand-to-hand combat, Charge Distance ‘A Figures usual charge distance will usually bewritten along the lines of “aunit charges’, which means that athe figuresin the unit move Mwhen they charge. This distance can be increased, usually by being mounted, oreven reduced dueto terrain effects, special rules or Saga abilities. The charge distance wil always be ‘one of Saga's units of measurement: V8, 8, Mor. Charge distance and movement distance are two different things - a unit could have a move of Land only charge M, or vice versa. Effects which increase one of these distances won't, necessarily modify the other, A figure’s charge distance is always the furthest they can, travel. I's rare for the entire charge move to be used, since it ends as soon as the igure makes contact with an enemy model. Ho@ ‘to Charge ‘At the moment when a unitis activated to charge, and before ‘moving the charging unit's figures, you must tellyouropponent clearly which unit you are targeting, “Im charging that unit of warriors” isacceptable, butwe recommend abit more gusto so astoattract the Favour ofthe gods. You can choose any enemy unit. A unit can only charge a single enemy unit - there are no ‘exceptions to this rulet OF course, you can't declare a charge against an enemy unit that isn't within charge range. ~ The blue unit charges the red unit: The bie player chooses to move figure A ‘first which entacts 1. Thechargehas suceeded, The then hve wh das HE ‘enough movement to make contact with an enemy and sojust gets closeas possible ie moved neti can't mare nt = contact with , because that would endits move more than VS froma ‘previously moved figure from its unit. ‘Itmust therefore contact 2. * “FigureD is then moved and since ca coss the eran (ecause doing sowouldreduce theentieunits movement to), settles for staying within VS of anather gure while gett as close tothe enemy as possible. Finally, figure E gets as close as po: tothe enemy. Of course the final situation cout been very different if another -moved first. Try it for yourse‘Once the target has been pointed out, give your opponent a chance to trigger any Activation/Reaction Saga abilities - you'll see what these abilities are Further on in the rules. That done, it's time to move your figures! Follow the steps below in order: ‘@ Choose one of the figures in your unit. This willbe your unit's. reference figure during this charge. Unlike moving, when you ‘can freely choose your reference figure when checking the Lupt isin formation, charging forces you to use the rst figure you move as your reference figure. © Place the measuring stckthat matches theirchargecistance in base contact with them and move the modal along the stunt they in base contact with at least one model oF your choice from the target unt chat they ean reach You may never bend the ruler the Rgure must move nas lie, Ano point may the figure cross impassable terain or be in contact with any enemy figures excapt those in the target unit The igure can freelypass through Aguresintheir ‘wn unit during thei movement IF this move doesn't allow the figure to make contact with ‘any models from the target unit, the charge activation is cancelled (see Cancelled Activation, p. 31). This usually happens when the opponent uses, the unit's fatigue to reduce its charge distance, if some spiteful game effect ‘moves its figures between the declaration of your charge and this step, or if the unit targeted by the charge can no longer be reached for any reason whatsoever. Once this charge move has been made, choose another Figure and move it according tothe rules abv. t must end this move within V8 of another figure in its unit which has already moved, and within (rl fora mounted unit ofthe first igure to be moved. while Following the rules above, the igure can come into bbase contact with a figure from the enemy unit, it must doso. @ Ifa figure can’t end its charge in base contact with an enemy igure, it moves as Far as possible towards any figure in the ‘charged unit while obeying the rules above (ending its move Within V8 of another figure in the unit, and within 8 - or M ~ of the ist Figure to be moved). @ A figure can never move Further than their charge distance. {This process is repeated For each figure in the charging unit. Tie Seibe will uide you... cccasonaly whe moving chrgeg resi realise tht faving 0 entireunits charge dstance are the mast common reasons. That's why, before decaring the charge, we recomendhat you tke afew momento cheekthat tere are no models that can comoromisethe charge Andifyou came ta realise thatthe charges impossble during thelemove, he charges canceled andthe fgures return to th original postion ‘Once the charge movement has been résolved, a melee immediately follows between the two units in contact with {gach other (see Melee, p. 26) Movement of L During a Charge Figures with a charge distance ofL can never replace their measuring stick with two M sticks fora chargel A charge must always be made in a straight line. if several measuring sticks ‘are used, they must form one continuous straight line, Pie Soribo will guide you., Charge your troops into the enemy, and immediately resolve the melee It. guarantees quick and excting games! , Effects of Terrain and Gnemy Figures Terrain and figures have the same effects on charge moves son ordinary moves (ee Effects of rain, p17, Therefore, a gute charging out of, nto or across uneven terrain has their charge distance reduced to8, treats riendlyand enemy miniatures (and the space in between them) as being impassable terain, ete ‘Whenever a unit ends their charge in dangerous terrain, they take a fatigue token before the melee begins. Be eee eeu emetic ete! " re) Sree en ee ea impossible, to get as close as possible to them. ee ene tara Cenc ai ecu te SLAC ChaxgingThere's nothing better than ending an ancient feud by burying your axe deep in an old eee eee eg ead Cee ee RL eee a aed a ee particularly true when the victors are happy using ranged weapons to turn their opponents ed gt ares The Shooting Actioation The shooting activation allows a unit able to shoot to resolve ‘shooting attack against an enemy unit. Units without ranged ‘weapons cant activate to shoot, except ifa Saga ability, special rule or other exception allows them to. ‘When you activate a unitto shoot, you must also identify their target. There's no specific shooting phase in Saga - you resolve your shooting after pointing out your intended victim. Certain Reaction abilities may take place between the activation ofthe, shooting unit and the resolution of the attack, but except For those specific cases, the shooting is resolved directly after the target unit has been chosen, Note that Saga abilities or special rules can lead to a shooting attack being resolved: without an activation. Imagine for ‘example a scenario which states that a uit crossing “the river of lava full of flaming pyrogators® suffers a shooting attack as soon as they enter the river. In this case, the somewhat deranged author of the scenario will let you know how to resolve that shooting attack ~ Just notethatin these cases, there's no shooting unit ~and that ‘means no need fortine of sight or range past what’ stipulated ee eee en saeese iracle, or the work ofthe gods! Yeu may aivate a unit to shoot several mesa tur either aiming tthe same target every ime or a various dierent this it othing inthis word fs, so ary uit tat activates several times try takes a penalty inthe fr of fetigueokens al ital aiguels seating to Periqueyou, havea loot the Fatigue chapter (ee Resting and Fatigue p20, Rgeting A Unit ‘When one unit wants to shoat at another, they must be within range and have line of sight to at least one of the figures in the target unit. These conditions only apply to units that are shooting - other sources of shooting attacks (ike the terrifying lava river above) arerit affected Your unit can oniy aim at a single enemy during a shooting activation - they car't split their shots between two or more targets. This applies even if some members of the unit are ‘out of range or can't see the target. We imagine that they are supporting their comrades with encouragement and extra ammunition. of Sight Line of sight is simply an imaginary straight line connecting the shooter to their target. This line must not be obstructed, byanything, What obstructs line of sight? Any of the Following. All Fgures, Friendly or enemy, except those in the shooting unit @ The space between two figures Froma single unt (friendly or enemy), which isnt the fring or target unit. @The second time thatthe line of sight crosses the edge ofan * area of high terrain (see Terrain, p: 34). Keepin mind that the Facing oF Saga Figures has no effect on the game, 5 Range ‘ ‘ Ech weapon has a range, which is the maximum distance ‘at which they are allowed to shoot. The distance between a shooterand their target must not exceed their range, outside ‘of which the figure cannot shoot. Here are some examplés of ranges for the most common weapons. Ja ymposite bows Bows, crossbows, slings _Measuning ‘Aswe aid atthe start ofthis book, youce any time, Therefore, before choosing whether to activate a unit to fre, ou canchoose to check the number of iguresin range {and ine of sight in order to choose the best target for your men. _ Hoe to Shoot 3 There are just a few simple steps to resolve a shooting attack, which you should resolve in the order below, When resolving a shooting attack, the shooter isthe attacker and theirtarget is the defender from start to finish. ¢ GS oh eer The attacker must work out how many Figures ae going to be shooting, A figure inthe shooting unit must have line of sight tothe target and be in range in order to participate. r\= Note: Between the moment wien you designate the target and when you get to shoot the eremy might reat with aSaga abit!Certain figures might therefore no longer have line of sight or bein, range, reducing your attack dice. fat the stat ofthis step, you no longer have any enemy figures in your line of sightor in range, the shooting activation is cancelled, (Once you know how many Figures can fire, consult the table below to work-out how many dice they'll add to the combat, pool. To do that, just multiply the figures’ ranged Aggression, bythe number of figures who can shoot i Creer | Warlord Fics eel [*"Heaithavards 1 ai | Warriors v2ihalfthe number | ievies of models) | Heroes other than Warlords are in this tabe bacause you'll ind their shooting Aggression in their profile (use the Aggression value in brackets) IF unt coftains gues with diferent Aggression values, simpiyadéup the Aggression oath figures to determine how many dice they ate your combat pool Nate that since fractions are always rounded up, nine Warriors (ortevies) would bring 5 attack dice to the combat poo! nce this is done, add any bonus attack dee granted by any applicable Saga ables or special rules. These bonus attack dice can exceed either the number of attack dice generated by your uit (so bonus attackelce can double the unit's attack dice at most, nor the numberof figures in your unt 0 you can't gain more bonus attack dice than yout unit has gues The Presence special rule has no effect on this count. IF the shooting attack was generated by a special rule or a Saga ability rather than originating with aunt, you can ad all ts bonus dice to your pool even thought contained noice Special rules and Saga abilities can also grant the defender bonis defence dice: This is also when the defending player takes these dice and puts them in Front of themselves. Ganeraly, a game effect producing a shooting attack wil only provide bonesattackcice since theresno snoctingunittogenerte ice inthis case yourpoosmade up sll of bonus, If the combat pool exceeds eight dice, remove any excess. A ‘can only ever have a maximum of 8d6 in their combat pool at the start ofa shooting attack. We call this pool of dice the starting combat pool. Bee Us Starting with the attacker, both players may take turns triggering ‘Saga ability. That means that the attacker can trigger one ability, then the defender, then the attacker has a chance to trigger a second ability, and so on. This step is a back-and-forth between theattackerand the defender, each ableto triggerone ofthe Saga abilities which have been activated on their Battle Board, ‘Saga abilities affect the resolution ofthe shooting attack. They ‘can grant additional ettack dice, ive modifiers tothe attacker ‘or defender, orincrease the target unit's Armour. Ire attacker gain extra atacklc, they areaddedtothe attack dca n-ha starting combat pool If the defender gaisfoorus defence dice they place the dein front of them tus later ‘The attacker can only use ‘Saga abilities which have the keyword Shooting (the keyword appears directly beneath the / abilty’s name), whereas the defender can only use abilities with the keyword Shooting/Reaction, Instead of using a Saga ability, the defender can choose to use. one of the attacking unit's Fatigues to increase their Armour. ‘This willbe detailed in the chapter on fatigue (see Using fatigue, p.31). Ifa game effect prevents the defender From triggering Saga abilities during this shooting attack, they aren't able to, use their attackers Fatigue either unless specifically stated otherwise, Either player can choose to skip an opportunity to use a Saga, ability. This doesn't stop them from using Saga abilities later inthe same phase, but if bath players pass one after the other, the step ends immediately. So ifyou pass, yu risk seeing the step end ifyour opponent decides to do the same. Bog During this step, the attacker throws their attack dice, which is to say the dice in their combat pool and those acquired during Step 2. First however, they must checkthat the number af dice isn't more than double the stating combat pool (the dice provided by the fighting figures’ Aggression and their bbonus attack dice). Ifthe number of attack dice exceeds this total, then any excess dice are discarded. The exception to this rule is that if you started without any dice in your poo (tke when resolving a shooting produced by @ game effect) you can still rll the bonus dice. Logically then - though with some ‘exceptions - you'll neverthrow morethan 16d6when shooting The attacker rolls all her dice and applies any mosifers given by their weapons and triggered Saga abilities, as well as any -rolls they‘ entitled to, Once this is done, the defender applies their own modifies, re-rolis or eFects From previously triggered Saga abiltis to these same cce. Each player applies their on effects in the order oftheir choice. The attacker then compares the final score on each die withthe. target unit's Armour (specifically, their Armour versus shooting, attacks). Each die which has a score equal to or higher than, the target unit's Armour after modifiers have been applied is a hit Ifthe attacker triggered an effect which grants them ‘automatic hits, they ad them to the tally Ysing Saga Abilities One eter ceca arian ert et Per rene a eee eee eter ee ar eos Been Cen fara vy See Eee es acs Pete eee eM cy good enough to render the ability rather useless. Berend Now the attacker has done their worst, the defender must try and stop the hail of missile. They will roll their defence dice in. cordertotry and cancel the attacker'shits,