The Short Lived Return of Snorri Borrison - The Sequel

Hollywood has this habit of re-doing films from yesteryear and trying to make them better/ more interesting/ exciting etc for today's audience. This "re-booting" of films sometimes works for the better - Star Trek springs to mind, sometimes they don't - "The Hulk" anyone? And some we have yet to see, for example, Spiderman, although the fact that the re-boot will not have Kirsten Dunst in it is an immediate fail as far as I'm concerned.

Sorry, slight pause while I wipe the drool of the keyboard following that Kirsten Dunst moment.......

So after the travesty that was last week's game with Alan as reported in "The Short Lived Return of Snorri Borrison" as it had taken longer to set the game up than it did to play it we agreed that we would re-boot and this time hopefully make a better/ more interesting/ exciting etc game of it.

Re-booted and ready to go

This time, however, Snorri is ringed in steel by his loyal and ready to die for their Lord, bodyguards. No fancy charging the Warlord this time Alan!

 

The scenario, lest ye forget was for the Vikings to capture all of the buildings in the Anglo-Danish village (if you can regard 3 buildings as a village, but hey we didn't write the scenario) within 6 turns and avoid losing their Warlord.

 

The problem for the Vikings in this new game, however, was the fact that the Anglo-Danish Warlord, Harold Two-Bellies, was a bit miffed at missing out in the action in the first game. Alas, he was about to more than make up for it......

Although perhaps someone should have told him his axe is upside down

 

Perhaps not surprisingly, the Vikings opening moves were similar to the first game (with the one obvious exception that I was keeping Snorri well out of harm's way)

 

The Viking Bondi on the right flank once again attempt their outflanking advance

The Viking Bondi on the left flank rush off their hill and head for the Church

The Viking Levy once more prepare to fire their weapons

Snorri, making sure that everyone else is in front of him

 

Alan, realising that he wouldn't be able to repeat his underhand and slightly gamey manoeuvre of the last game decided to use one of my tactics that I have been using when playing with the Welsh boyos. He runs forward with his Javelin armed Levy and starts chucking their javelins at my poor defenceless Levy

Once there were 12

Now there are 7!!  5 hits suffered from the Javelin throwing pastry munchers!!

 

On Alan's right flank, his Huscarls, now denied the opportunity to repeat their low down trick from the first game turn their attention to the Viking Bondi that have descended from the hill.

Alan should have received a penalty from his "to hit" roll for leaving his battle board intruding on the photograph. As it was the Bondi died to a man from the onslaught, although they did dispatch a couple of Huscarls before they set forth to Valhalla.

The Viking Berserkers about to avenge their fallen comrades.

Snorri, slightly rattled at the loss of the Bondi, decides to head towards the Anglo Levy as a more fitting target for his martial skills

On the Viking right flank, the Bondi continue their inexorable advance towards the nearest building.

While in the meantime my final unit of Bondi continue to lurk in the forest

The Bondi hack their way through the flimsy Anglo-Danish dwelling house and claim it for the glory of their Lord Snorri. Unfortunately, nearby was a unit of Anglo Huscarls and although the first assault of the Huscarls was beaten off

The Pastries would not be denied next turn and claimed the hut back for Two-Bellies. Two-Bellies, in the meantime had slaughtered the last of the Viking levy and now started barking orders at his own levy to meet the advance of his foe, Snorri. With a blood curdling cry, Snorri's bodyguard rushed forward to teach the impudent peasants the meaning of warfare

For a moment it looked like the Levy would buckle from the furious onslaught. However, the timely intervention of Two-Bellies steadied their frayed nerves

For a man with his waistline, he fair gets about the battlefield and soon puts the Vikings to the sword.

Finally, the Viking Bondi in the forest break from their cover to charge Two-Bellies and his peasants.

"Go Bondi! Go!"

The Bondi came

The Bondi went

 

By this time it was turn 5, only 2 turns left and the Viking war host comprised, Snorri, 2 Berserkers and 2 Bondi and only one building cleared of pastries and that was the Church. The other 2 buildings were occupied with cowering Anglos but were too far away for me to reach in time. Accordingly, the only way that some honour could be gained was to take out Two-Bellies. First the Berserkers. They get to roll 4 dice each because, well, they are berserk.

Surely there would be 2 hits scored from this frenzied attack?

Eh no!

 

So now Snorri, having survived all game through his natural wits and intellect decided now was the time to abandon all caution and charge the blubber mountain

"Yield, or my dog will bite you!"

But the two Titans simply bounced off each other. And the dog decides he's seen enough

 

Then Two-Bellies summons his last remaining peasant to his aid and rumbles back into contact with Snorri. Surely a rash move?

A De-ja vu moment for Snorri.

Two-Bellies then hunts down the last remaining prey, who will not be cowed by the thunder of his approach  and will meet him in combat

"For the memory of Snorri!"

 

The Bondi rolled their dice......

Yup that just about sums it up.

And Two-Bellies finishes them off, just in time for tea.

 

So no glorious re-boot for Snorri.

We didn't realise it at the time but the fight for the building on the Viking right flank was the key combat. If I could have hung on there then I would have had more options to close in on the building in the centre of the village. But alas, it was not to be, so hats off to Alan for winning.

I think I will need to play a few more times with the Vikings to get the hang of them and the different activations on their battle board, but I think we are giving Saga a miss next time, cos hopefully there's going to be some Blood Bowl!!!!!