Official UK SAGA Grand Melee Players Pack

Derby 3rd & 4th October

Thank you for registering for the Official UK SAGA Grand Melee 2015. In this booklet you will find out how the
tournament will be organized and which scenarios will be played, including the scoring system. We have tried
to make these things as easy to understand as possible, but should you have any questions after reading this
pack, or if we have missed anything, please feel free to drop us a line at grippingbeast@btconnect.com and
we will do our best to answer your questions.
Registering
The first thing you should do when you arrive at the venue (Castle Donington International Exhibition Centre, DE74
2RP) is to sign-in with the over-all competition organisers and then head to the SAGA registration desk. Waiting for
you there will be your tournament package including your exclusive Grand Melee participant figure and fatigue
counters. To pick up your package you will need to swap it for a copy of your completed Warband Roster Sheet for our
records (see section below on Warband Roster Sheets.)
Factions.
You can enter the UK GM with a six point warband from any officially published faction i.e. anything in SAGA Dark Age
Skirmishes, Northern Fury, Ravens Shadow, Varjazi & Basileus or SAGA The Crescent & The Cross. You can also
use the Skraelings and the Steppe Tribes lists that were published in Wargames Illustrated. All Heroes of the Viking
Age, Heroes of the Crusading Age, Swords for Hire and Dogs of War may be used as per their rules. You may not use
the SAGA Revenants or the Arab lists from Wargames Illustrated.
Please note, while this is the Official UK SAGA GM, you are free to use figures from any manufacturer so long as they
are What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) so no Space Wolves pretending to be Vikings, no Riders Of Rohan
masquerading as Normans. Furthermore, all figures must be painted and appropriately based. They dont have to
be mini-Mona Lisas but any unpainted or unbased figures will not be allowed. For consideration in the Best Painted/
Modelled Warband category, you must have painted the figures you are using yourself.
Warband Roster Sheet
Each Warband Roster Sheet must contain the following details: player name, faction, the points spend breakdown and
the Warband composition. By point spend breakdown we mean, for example, 2 points Hearthguards, 2 points
Warriors, 2 points Levy. For Warband composition, please indicate for each class of troops the number of models
fielded, and any equipment or special options selected. These equipment/options are fixed for the whole tournament.
However, you may change the way you field your troop types from game to game (e.g. you could field eight
Hearthguard models with the same equipment as two units of four in the first game and as one unit of eight in the
next.)
Example: Your Norman Warband roster points spend breakdown indicates that you have spent three points on
Warriors. Your Warband composition lists that out of your 24 Norman Warriors, 10 will be mounted, 8 will have
crossbows and 6 do not have any option. You can still organize the 10 mounted Warriors in two units at the
start of a game, it is not mandatory to field them in a single unit, but they will always be mounted.
You will need further copies of this roster so that an opponent may consult it at any time before, during or after the
game. Many people like to keep copies of Warband rosters that they have played against so it might be an idea to
bring a few!
While we are at it, dont forget:
your painted and based Warband

your dice, SAGA & D6 (if you are using home-made SAGA dice, please make sure the symbols are
completely obvious for your opponent. Any knock-off SAGA dice will be ground under foot and the owners
teeth pulled.)

your completed roster sheets

your measuring sticks or rulers (if you are not using Official SAGA Measuring Sticks, please check yours
against an official set (not the printed examples in the back of the rulebooks as bizarrely there are two
versions of these).)
your fatigue tokens

your Dark Age rulebook and the supplement with your faction in it, or The Crescent & The Cross, whichever is
appropriate
a pen and some paper (always handy)

Code Of Conduct
This event is going to be a relaxed affair. Despite being a competition, we expect the players to behave like gentlemen
and ladies, and the fun and pleasure of meeting new opponents should be more important that winning your match.
We wont allow any inappropriate behaviour and it will be subject to severe sanction. You have been warned!
There will be judges at the event who will be on hand to answer any rules questions. Their words are final. Even if they
are wrong.
Unless specifically over-ruled in this document or by the judges on the day, the rules as defined in SAGA The
Crescent & The Cross rulebook (English language version) will be used. This is effectively the same as SAGA Dark
Ages plus the errata but The Crescent & The Cross will be taken as the definitive version of the rules.
Swiss
After the first round, Swiss pairing format will be used to determine opponents and pairings will be based on result,
however, players will meet each other only once, regardless of relative rankings. A results slip will be provided for both
players to complete at the end of each game.
First Round Parings
For the first round, players will be paired randomly. Note that, for the first round only and as far as possible, players
using warbands from SAGA The Crescent and The Cross will be randomly paired with other players using warbands
from this book.
Prizes
We will be awarding prizes for First Place, Second Place, Third Place, Last Place, and Best painted/Modelled
Warband. Each scenario will also have a spot prize that will be announced at the start of each round. We will also be
running the Second Annual Face Of SAGA, a competition for the Most Impressive Facial Hair.
As a bonus, the massive prize stash of GB goodies has been supplemented by our good friends The Dice Bag Lady
and 4Ground.
ADDITIONAL RULES FOR ALL SCENARIOS
No SAGA Dice?
A player immediately loses the game if, at the start of their turn, their warband does not generate any SAGA Dice. The
game ends immediately.
Scoring
Unless specifically mentioned in the additional scenario notes below, the scoring is carried out as per the scenario
descriptions in the relevant rulebook. However, any player who scores at least 8 more Victory Points than his
opponent has won a Crushing Victory and will earn 6 points for the Match rather than the usual 5 points.
Placing Scenery
The tables at the GM will be 48 x 48 with space either side for your Battle Board, dice and assorted gubbins.
Scenery will be provided at each table, players will perform scenery bids as normal. Terrain will be selected from the
pieces available, usually between 7-10 varied pieces. These will be placed according to the terrain rules on pages 106
- 107 of The Crescent & The Cross rulebook. In some cases, the scenario in play may modify the terrain placement
rules. If both players agree, a judge may place their terrain for them.

The Scenarios
Please note, timings for each round will be provided on the day once we have sussed out some local logistics (such
as length of queues for food and coffee!) Out of respect to your opponent and other players in the tournament, please
try and finish your games within time. Also, be aware that Ragnar does not approve of deliberate draws..
Game 1 - Saturday Morning - Clash Of Warlords (Butchers Version)
This is the Clash of Warlords from the SAGA Dark Age rulebook. However, only models eliminated during a Melee
(from step 0 to step 8) count as eliminated for Victory Points. Other models do NOT count. Set the models eliminated
outside a Melee sequence apart, to avoid counting them for VPs.
Game 2 - Saturday Afternoon - Homeland
From SAGA Dark Age. As per Rulebook, no GM changes.
Game 3 - Saturday Afternoon - Battle Twilight
From SAGA The Crescent & The Cross. As per Rulebook, no GM changes.
Game 4 - Sunday Morning - The Challenge
From SAGA Dark Ages with modifications as listed below:
Layout: No piece of scenery may be placed within S of the centre of the table.
Length of Game: The game lasts for 6 rounds.
Deployment: Each player sets aside their Warlord, they are not deployed at this point.
Starting with the player who placed the first piece of scenery, each player deploys at least half the models in his
Warband (complete units) within M of his table edge. Each player then deploys the rest of their models, in the same
order.
Randomly determine who goes first. The player going first then places his Warlord within S of the centre of the table.
His opponent then places his Warlord within S of the centre of the table, and more than VS away from the enemy
Warlord.
Victory Conditions: At the end of the 6th round, each player totals their Slaughtering Victory points, and adds the
bonuses described below. If a player has scored at least 2 VPs more than their opponent, then they have won.
Special Rules: In this scenario, Warlords cannot be killed, nor suffer any effect that would result in them being
sacrificed, killed or removed from the game. No opponent may play any ability, nor use any special rule, which would
kill, sacrifice or remove your Warlord from the game, even if that ability or special rule is subject to a choice on the
behalf of the targeted Warlord.
The area that extends within S of the centre of the table is called the Challenge Ground. This area is impassable to all
models other than Warlords. The area outside the Challenge Ground is impassable to Warlords, so they will remain
within the Challenge Ground throughout the game and other units will not enter.
Warlord Special Rules: Warlords fighting within the Challenge Ground are subject to the following special rules:
Warlords do not benefit from their We Obey, Side by Side or Resistance special rules.

Warlords may not shoot at, nor be shot at by, units outside the Challenge Ground.

If the Warlord unit consists of more than one model (as is the case with some Heroes) they are all deployed in
the Challenge Ground.
Any special rule that would force another unit to be deployed within X of their Warlord is ignored entirely.

Warlords are immune to an opponents SAGA abilities. They may never be targeted by SAGA abilities and
ignore all effects of such when played by an opponent. An opponent may play abilities to gain the benefits
(such as extra attack dice, etc) but may not play those that affect the enemy Warlord (such as reducing his
dice pool or armour value, etc). Abilities that affect multiple units may still be played but they just dont affect
the Warlord.

Simply consider that the battle field and the Challenge Ground as two separate game areas, sharing only the
SAGA dice.
Each time a Warlord takes a hit or game effect that should eliminate him, the player who inflicted that hit or
triggered that effect gains a Might Token. At the end of the game, each Might Token is worth 1 VP.

Game 5 -Sunday Afternoon - God Will Recognise His

From SAGA The Crescent & The Cross. As per Rulebook, no GM changes.
What happens if I forget to bring something crucial?
We wont be bringing the Trade Stand to the GM so if you have forgotten your dice, snapped a measuring stick or left
your rulebook on top of the car as you set off (it happened last year!) then you can always stop off at The Dice Bag
Lady stall in the Trade hall. She is 100% Ragnar Approved.
Ragnar says, Good luck and if in doubt, CHARGE!