by Create your own epic battles in the Star Wars Universe. Take command of a small army and face off against your opponent through shared objectives.
What is Star Wars: Legion ?
Star Wars: Legion is a wargame, or in other words, a conflict simulation set in the Star Wars universe. These battles pit iconic armies from the first six movies against one another: the Empire, the Rebel Alliance, the Galactic Republic, or the Separatist Alliance.
Objective of the Game
In a game of Star Wars: Legion, the first player to reach 12 points wins. The conditions for earning these points are established during setup and are divided into two categories:
- Primary objectives
- Secondary objectives
If neither player reaches 12 points by the end of the fifth round, the game ends, and the winner is the player with the most points.
Army and Unit Customization
Before engaging in battles, players must build an army list. This involves planning which units will deploy to the battlefield and how they will be equipped for combat. Each unit can be outfitted with weapons (grenades, rocket launchers) or gear (medkits, etc.). Some units can even be assigned special abilities. These upgrades are represented by mini-cards placed next to the unit during the game.
Players build their forces up to a total value of 500 or 1,000 points, depending on the chosen format. For reference:
- A basic trooper unit costs about 40 points.
- Heroes range between 100 and 200 points.
The cost of units increases with the upgrades assigned to them, as every enhancement has a cost. On average, a 1,000-point army will consist of 10 to 13 units.
Gameplay System
Star Wars Legion employs an alternating activation system: each player activates one unit in turn until all units have been activated. The first round ends once every unit on the battlefield has been activated. Players continue through rounds until the fifth round, which marks the end of the game. This alternating activation system prevents downtime and ensures a smooth, dynamic gaming experience.
Once your troops are deployed, they can perform two actions when activated. These actions include:
- Moving
- Shooting
- Aiming
- Dodging
- Standing by
- Performing special actions (e.g., interacting with an objective)
Through these actions, players must strategically maneuver their troops across the battlefield, using cover to achieve the objectives that will secure victory!
Combat System
The combat system is simple and uses custom dice. It follows an attack-defense logic:
- The attacker rolls dice to score hits or critical hits.
- Critical hits cannot be dodged and are more dangerous to the target.
- The defender rolls defense dice, rolling as many as the attacker’s successful hits.
- Successful blocks are subtracted from the attacker’s hits to determine the damage inflicted on the target unit.
Easy, right?
However, some gameplay elements, such as cover, can influence this process. Units can benefit from light or heavy cover:
- Light cover cancels 1 hit for every 6 defensive rolls.
- Heavy cover cancels 1 hit for every 3 rolls.
What Makes This Wargame Unique?
The Activation System
One standout feature is the unit activation system. To activate a unit, you randomly draw a token from a hidden pool. Each token corresponds to a specific unit rank, which dictates the unit you must activate.
Each unit belongs to one of six ranks:
- Commander
- Operative
- Corps
- Special Forces
- Support
- Heavy Support
At the start of the game, players assign an activation token to each unit based on its rank. For example, an army with 5 trooper units, 1 commander, and 1 special forces unit would have a pool of 7 tokens.
This system captures the chaos of battle and adds a strategic layer. Command cards, played at the start of each round, allow you to assign tokens directly to specific units, giving you control over when to activate key units. Be cautious, though—each command card can only be used once per game!
Suppression: A Psychological Dimension
Star Wars: Legion incorporates suppression fire, adding a psychological element to combat. Suppressed units will hunker down, limiting their actions but increasing their cover. Continuous fire can break a unit’s morale, potentially causing it to panic!
Who Is It For?
Star Wars: Legion is an accessible wargame with simple, cohesive rules. It also allows players to develop advanced tactics during battles. The game defies expectations of wargaming veterans used to marathon sessions, buckets of dice, and hundreds of pages of (paid) rulebooks.
That’s right—Star Wars Legion rules are free and regularly updated to provide a continuously exciting and balanced experience!
