Factions
Common (1-3)
Uncommon (4-5)
Rare (6)
The different factions available for SAGA.
The original SAGA: Dark Age Skirmishes rulebook and expansions have 16 factions. The Crescent and The Cross is a standalone book with the rules and 6 factions. It is possible to play a game with a Dark Ages warband against the Crescent and the Cross warband.
The factions available in Saga: Dark Age Skirmishes are listed below. Note that there is a core rulebook with four factions and three expansions containing additional factions.
|
Faction |
Play Style |
Book |
Special Rules |
|
Anglo-Danish |
Defensive |
Core rulebook |
Double handed Dane Axes |
|
Normans |
Shooting + Cavalry |
Core rulebook |
Mounted |
|
Vikings |
Aggressive |
Core rulebook |
Berserkers |
|
Welsh |
Skirmish / Hit & Run |
Core rulebook |
Mounted |
|
Anglo-Saxon |
Large units |
Northern Fury |
Mounted; Shields & Spears Levy |
|
Breton |
Shooting / Hit & Run / Cavalry |
Northern Fury |
Mounted |
|
Jomsvikings |
Defensive / Aggressive (wrath) |
Northern Fury |
Wrath; Dane Axes |
|
Scots |
Defensive |
Northern Fury |
Mounted |
|
Franks |
Reactive (abilities in opponents turn) |
Raven's Shadow |
Mounted; Saxons |
|
Irish |
Skirmish / Shooting |
Raven's Shadow |
Mounted; Dane Axes; Curaidh; Wolfhounds |
|
Norse-Gaels |
Aggressive |
Raven's Shadow |
Dane Axes; Challenges |
|
Stratchclyde |
Cavalry / Hit & Run |
Raven's Shadow |
Mounted; Off-table |
|
Byzantines |
Cavalry / Shooting / Unit support |
Varjazi & Basileus |
|
|
Pagan Rus |
Defensive / Control |
Varjazi & Basileus |
|
|
Rus Princes |
Cavalry / Aggressive |
Varjazi & Basileus |
|
|
Steppes Tribes |
Cavalry / Shooting / Avoid melee |
PDF download | Composite bows |
The main difference in play styles of the different factions is a result of the battle boards unique to each faction. However, the different factions do also have access to different weapons or mounted options.
|
Faction |
Elite |
Warriors |
Levy |
|
Anglo-Danish |
Optionally double handed axe |
Bows or slings |
|
|
Normans |
Optionally Mounted |
Optionally Mounted or Crossbows |
Bows |
|
Vikings |
Optional unit of 4 berserkers |
Bows or slings |
|
|
Welsh |
Javelins; -1 armour vs shooting |
Javelins; -1 armour vs shooting |
Bows or slings or javelins |
|
Anglo-Saxon |
Optionally Mounted |
|
Spears or bows or javelins |
|
Breton |
Mounted; Javelins; |
Optionally Mounted. If mounted |
Javelins |
|
Jomsvikings |
Optionally double handed axe |
Optionally double handed axe |
Not available |
|
Scots |
Optionally Mounted |
|
Bows or javelins |
|
Franks (Merovimgians) |
Optionally Mounted Javelins if mounted |
Optional unit of Saxons | Bows |
|
Franks (Carolingians) |
Optionally Mounted | Optionally Mounted or Bows | Javelins |
|
Franks (Capetians) |
Mounted | Optional unit of Crossbows | Bows |
| Irish |
Optionally Mounted or Javelins or Dane Axes Always Armour 4; Curaidh |
Javelins; Armour 3 against missiles Optional unit of Wolfhounds |
Slings or javelins |
| Norse-Gaels | Optionally double handed axe | Dane Axes or javelins | Javelins |
| Stratchclyde | Mounted | Optionally Mounted | Javelins |
|
Steppes Tribes |
Mounted; Composite bows; |
Mounted; Composite bows; |
Bows |
Viking Berserkers have 4 attack dice per model rather than 2 attack dice per
model of normal Elites. However their armour value goes down from 5 to 3.
Anglo-Saxon levy with shields and spears have armour 4 and one attack per two
models.
Frankish Merovingian Saxon warriors have Armour 3 but each Saxon generates
one additional attack dice per model when the unit is engaged in melee (but not
when themselves engaged in melee).
Irish Curaidh are champions (like lesser warlords) and fight as single model units.
Nominally two types of dice are used in SAGA. Normal D6 are used for resolving combat. Specially marked SAGA dice are rolled and allocated to the factions battle board during the player's Orders phase.
These SAGA dice have symbols that can be considered as Common (1-3), Uncommon (4-5) and Rare (6). If you don't own the SAGA dice you could use normal D6, but the battle boards are labelled with the symbols from the SAGA dice.
There are 5 different sets of SAGA dice for SAGA: Dark Age Skirmishes and are used by the following factions.
|
Factions |
Common (1-3) |
Uncommon (4-5) |
Rare (6) |
| Anglo-Danes / Anglo-Saxon / Rus Princes |
|
|
|
| Norman / Breton / Franks / Byzantine | |
|
|
| Scots / Irish / Steppe Tribes | |
|
|
| Viking / Jomsviking / Norse-Gael / Pagan Rus | |
|
|
| Welsh / Strathclyde | |
|
|
There are 2 different sets of SAGA dice for The Crescent and The Cross.
|
Factions |
Common (1-3) |
Uncommon (4-5) |
Rare (6) |
| Crusaders / Milites Christi / Spanish |
 |
 |
 |
| Saracans / Mutatawwi'a / Moors |
 |
 |
 |