"Saga vs Dux Britanniarum?" Topic

Who has played both of these rule sets? I have Saga, and like it but I am wondering about Dux Britanniarum, I see that they have added a Viking supplement to it, so that has gotten me interested in it. Thanks

Different game concepts. Saga a small number of 'squads' and Dux B more towards set piece battles.

Bit hard to compare. Both are great but quite different.
SAGA is the ultimate pick up game perfect for a clubnight.
Small units, often very bloody encounters frequently enough fought 'to the death'.
Dux Brit ( and I have to admit I feel it's one of the best system I ever played)is built around a splendid campaign system where your troops need proper nurturing. You're much less likely to throw away your single elite group of warriors in a headlong charge if you know you're going to need them in the next fight. Preferably in one piece.

Number of figures is about the same. However, your armies in Dux B wil -hopefully- grow and get better so perhaps just a few more. You start out with 5 units of 6 figures each, three leaders, a champion and 4 archers. Gradually these units will become 8 or 10 and reinforcements will arrive.
My advice is to play them both as they are both unique and represent some of the best rules available nowadays.

WillieB,

Thanks, have played quite a few games of Saga and do like it, but from what you describing of Dux Brit I can see where keeping your force more or less intact to fight again sounds good. Most of our Saga games end up being a meat grinder with no reason not to through more into the fight. Looks I may have to pick up a copy of Dux Brit.

Thom

I own both sets but having read Saga was left with an "oh well" feeling when I finished it. As a result, I haven't yet been inspired to play, even though I already own more than enough Anglo Saxon and Viking forces.

Having bought Dux Brit to see what the fuss was about (the same reason I bought Saga), I decided fairly quickly that it was worth the investment and purchased both starter armies. I have now played around 7 games of Dux Brit and think it is an excellent system. Perhaps I have been unfair to Saga, but it didn't fire my imagination in the same way, and the difference is probably the Dux Brit campaign system.

Thomas,

I think Midpoint may be confusing Dux Britanniarum with Dux Bellorum.

As far as comparing Saga and Dux Britanniarum go, each is on a similar level but, as WillieB points out, Dux is closely related to its campaign system which generates battles in which both sides pursue their aims. I would stress taht the campaign system does not involve all the drudgery and housekeeping usually associated with such a thing. It is a very elegant system that doesn't even need an umpire.

One other difference, and I'm not knocking Saga which I know many people enjoy, is the battleboard – I found (and again I stress this is just my personal feeling) that the battleboard and manipulating it rather interfered with my enjoyment of the game. Decisions felt as if they were based on something other than tactical considerations which is not the case with Dux.

As WillieB also said, no reason why you can't enjoy both but I would recommend you give Dux a try. (There is an AAR of a recent game I put on here this very day.)

22ndFoot,

I agree about the battleboard, it is a nice concept, but it seems that the real game is manipulating the battleboard. I like Saga, and the battlebaords do give each faction a different feel, but I am just looking for something different a little more different.

Agreed about the battleboards in Saga. They are DISTRACTING to me. They make the battle seem more 'gamey' to me (which it is). I pretty much lost interest in Saga once I realized this.

I have the Dux Brit. rules, and they look VERY good indeed. I may just try them out when I get into the era fully (I am a staunch Impetvs player, btw – my 'go to' rules for ancients/med.).

Saga is a great game – but the game play is more like a boardgame than a miniatures game in many ways. I find myself thinking more about in-game stuff than actual historical tactics.
Certainly much more game than history, but a fantastic pick-up game which is loads of fun.

Dux Brit has a great campaign system but the battle rules are also very good – the used of cards (and the need to manage them) makes for some very interesting tactical choices.

I think the off-putting thing for me about SAGA was endless expense for game materials. I ended up buying Dux B and find it both engaging to read and look forward to my first play (just got the hard rules, been reading the pdf).

If you want a serious gamey-game, SAGA is probably the way to go. If you want a game that has historical feel, considerations and ultimately motivations, then TFL seem to have hit a home run with this one.

I have not heard that there's an official Viking version released. I do know that there's an expansion for other warbands such as Irish and Scottish. The yahoogroup would know better, of course.

Let us know what you think!