Saga Ohio

After a 2-month layoff, host Mike Demana welcomes D.J. Andrews, a Saga player from Indianapolis, IN. D.J. was one of the co-champions of the Advance the Colors Saga Ohio Tournament. He breaks down each of his three victories in the tournament, describing his battle plan and how the game progressed. D.J. also talks about his Anglo-Dane army, his troop list, deployment, and what tactics he uses for them. Mike prompts him to describe how he uses Noble Lineage advanced Saga ability and Activation Pool to, as he calls it, extend his Saga dice. The two also talk about what other games D.J. plays, as well as his communitiy in Indianapolis.

Four Saga players gather to discuss the Republican Roman faction and battle board on the latest episode of Saga Ohio. Host Mike Demana gathers a tetrarchy of Roman aficionados in a four-way conversation about this Age of Hannibal faction. Joining Mike are veteran Roman player Bob Boggs, Cincinnati area Saga fan Michael Cooper, and Saga Ohio co-founder Andy Swingle. Each gives input on the way they field the Republican Romans and what their battle plans tend to be. They weigh in on unit sizes, favorite advanced Saga abilities, and more in a slightly longer episode than normal. This was an experiment to see if multiple guests could work in this format and it was a definite success. Check it out and see if you want to play Republican Romans like these players do!

Saga Ohio is back after a slight layoff. Host Mike Demana takes a break from the detailed analysis of a faction to have a fun chat with James Armstrong, a Saga player from Canberra, Australia. James talks about the Saga scene down in Australia, their regular club meetings, tournaments, and more. James also breaks down his recent entry into an Age of Magic tournament -- his first time playing that Age. He talks about differences between AOM and historical Saga and what he enjoyed about it. Both Mike and James talk about their most recent armies they've built and what's in the near future. Mike gives a rundown on the Saga tournaments he's running this year, and the two compare their experiences playing in tournaments and with people from other clubs.

Host Mike Demana welcomes back Saga Ohio player Jim Randall, fresh off of his Adepticon 2022 adventure and the Game Table Adventures 8-Point Tournament. Jim talks about what playing Saga at Adepticon is like. He talks about the fun in meeting all of the other players, how welcoming they all are, and gives plenty of interesting details for people interested in trying out Adepticon next year. Jim took his Byzantine army to the Age of Melee tourney there and went 2-1. He describes his games and opponents. Jim ended up playing the eventual tournament winner in Round 3, so made it all the way to the finals. We then switch gears and talk about both of our experiences in the Game Table Adventures 8-point Saga Tournament held in April 9, 2022. Jim analyzes the differences of commanding an 8-point army and what players should expect if they try that format out. Jim is one of the top Saga players in Central Ohio, and takes his analysis deeper, talking about how he feels he's improved over the last six months. 

Host Mike Demana welcomes Saga Ohio member Dave Eblin onto the show to talk about their similar starts to Ancient wargaming and his Romans from the Age of Invasions. Dave talks about what sparked his interest in gaming, his passion for Ancient Rome, and modeling it in miniature. Dave compares the "old" Roman board to the newly-released one, and analyzes them in detail. He is quick to point out the challenges of running the Romans and what players using this faction will have to watch out for. He talks about recent games and uses them to illustrate his view on this battle board, particularly managing its unique "Impetus" feature. For pictures of Dave's Romans, be sure to check out Mike's Saga after action reports on his Lead Legionaries blog, http://leadlegionaries.blogspot.com/search/label/Saga%20Battle%20Reports.

Host Mike Demana welcomes Saga Ohio player Lee Parker on to talk about his Milites Christi faction. Lee has painted his army as the Knights of St. John, also known as the Hospitallers. He's racked up a couple 2nd place tournament finishes and discusses why he chose the army and his basic strategy. Lee talks about the unique Milites Christi battle board and how he uses it to wrong-foot his opponents. Mike and Lee speculate on ways to use the interesting "Orison" ability on the board to its maximum effectiveness. Lee also provides a rundown of some of his games and talks about armies or units that provide particular challenges to his Hospitallers. Check out Saga Ohio's Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/898250580194501) or Mike's Lead Legionaries blog for more Saga content: http://leadlegionaries.blogspot.com/

Monty Luhmann makes his second appearance on Saga Ohio as my guest. The gentleman of the hobby discusses the Picts with me, a new Age of Invasions faction we are both enjoying playing. We compare our experiences with the army, discussing our builds, what our ideas are on placing terrain, and our basic strategy. Monty and I talk about the advanced Saga abilities on the Pict board we think are top tier, and those that are more situational, and the ones we use less. We analyze the army's strengths and weaknesses, and what armies or troops may give them difficulties. Towards the end, Monty and I talk about how we both enjoy painting and how it is therapeutic part of our life. We discuss upcoming projects and what is going on Saga-wise in our communities. Be sure to check out Monty's Google photos page and its voluminous saga of the armies he's painted: https://photos.app.goo.gl/YKoBPeS62Wr4WPhP6. Also check out host Mike Demana's Saga battle reports using his Picts on his Lead Legionaries blog: http://leadlegionaries.blogspot.com/

For 2022's first episode host Mike Demana welcomes Chicago-area Saga player Terry Doner. The two discuss the Mongol faction, which Terry has played a number of times and Mike is currently painting up. Terry gives tips on how to build your faction, deploy terrain, and use the mobility of the army. The two discuss the Mongol battle board's advanced Saga abilities in detail, lining up abilities for great 1-2-3 punches, or even how to use up to six abilities for a single knockout blow. Terry explains why he uses an interesting mix of unit sizes and what the role of the bigger and smaller units are in his battle plans. Next, the two discuss Terry's ambitious goal to paint and field every faction in the Saga historical universe and the progress he's making towards it. They also talk about Saga tournaments at various conventions in 2022 and which ones they are planning to attend. To check out Mike's Mongols he's painting up (and accounts of his games), go to his Lead Legionaries blog: http://leadlegionaries.blogspot.com.

Host Mike Demana interviews Graham Coates, a British Saga player who runs Graham's Wargame Vault on YouTube. Graham has more than 30 videos of his Saga games with local players on his channel (as well as other games like Sharp's Practice). Graham talks about how he started this project in response to the Covid lockdown, and he and Mike share laughs about his battles with his regular opponent, Wayne. After talking about the various ways he's recorded his episodes, and the pitfalls he's run into, the two branch off to talk about Graham's favorite armies. Graham goes into detail about his personal favorite, the Norse-Gaels. Graham talks about his build, his general strategy, and the two exchange tips for using them to generate loads of attack dice to unleash upon an unsuspecting foe. Graham and Mike then switch topics to Age of Invasions and what armies have caught their eyes. Check out Graham's YouTube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAHErwM-Bu0GoJB3jDgZpxQ. 

If you're interested in checking out Mike's own fledgling YouTube channel for his videotaped interviews of veterans, check out the link here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJX-GtMffkb9DEs-ECavDiA

After a 3-month layoff, I interview Andrew Bertelsen, who was the winner in our CincyCon 2021 Saga Tournament. Andrew brought his Irish to the Age of Vikings tournament and discusses his preparation, the reason for his build, and how his games went. He gives tips for playing the scenarios used from Book of Battles as well as insight into his tactics on the battlefield. Andrew is an Illinois area Saga player who was turned on to Saga at Adepticons past, and is a regular attendee there. He has been successful at those tournaments as well as our Cincycon tourney, of course. Mike and Andrew go on to discuss their plans for Age of Invasions and what lies ahead for each of them.