Star Wars: Legion Demo – GenCon 50
Fantasy Flight Games announced Star Wars: Legion at GenCon 50 and we got a demo game – come check it out!
One of the biggest announcements at GenCon 50 was that Fantasy Flight Games was returning to the tabletop with a brand new Star Wars Miniatures Game. Star Wars: Legion has the forces of the Empire and Rebellion at your disposal in tabletop warfare. We grabbed a quick demo of the game in action and we’re excited to bring it to you:
In the demo we got to experiment with some of the core concepts of the game. We were just getting a taste of the basics of movement, shooting, and close-combat. We did NOT apply all the special rules for the demo (otherwise Vader would have completely wrecked a Rebel Squad), but we got enough of a taste to understand the core of the game.
Starting with the basics, each side will have an equal force based on point values. The starter box will come with approximately 500 points per side and most games are most likely going to be in the 1000 point range. The game is based on an “I Go, You Go” mechanic with unit activation. There are also cards which determine which player will get priority and which units you’ll be able to activate normally, and which unit(s) you’ll activate randomly.
Star Wars: Legion also features a couple of new accessories for the game. It has it’s own movement sticks, a unique range-finder (broken up into segments 1-3 with an extra 4th segment you can detach), and custom dice. The Dice are different color and are a combination of D8s and D6s.
In the Demo we got to use a few different units on both sides – but again, we didn’t get to use all the special rules. However, looking at the cards, I noticed a lot of similarities between the names and how they worked compared to other FFG systems like Runewars or Star Wars: Imperial Assault. I think if you’re a veteran of those types of games then you’ll easily pick-up the special rule mechanics as well. The Dice have things like Hits, Crits, and surges on them as well. So again, it’s all very familiar and easy to learn.
Each unit also has very helpful unit card. These are quick references for how the units work and what they have access to. The Upgrades just list what upgrades the unit has access to, the Rank is what “type” of unit it is. Weapons list what types of attacks they can perform. And finally, Speed lists which movement sticks they use. Also on the card will be their heath per model, what type of defense die they use, and what surge abilities the have (if any). One thing to note is that the game also has a suppression mechanic which we didn’t get to use in the demo. Again, there are lots of special rules that really add a lot but the demo team was just showing us the basics of the game.
If you’d like to learn more about the game be sure to visit FFG’s page as it covers a lot of the details in written form. Overall, from what I’ve seen of Star Wars: Legion, I’m interested in learning more about the game and I really want to try it out with all the rules in place. The demo certainly made me interested and here at BoLS, we’ll be following this one as it develops closely!
Star Wars: Legion
Warfare is an inescapable part of the Star Wars universe, from the Rebel Alliance’s defeat in the Battle of Hoth to a few elite Rebel strike teams taking on a legion of stormtroopers on the Forest Moon of Endor. You can seize your chance to get your boots on the ground and lead your troops to victory with Star Wars™: Legion, a miniatures game of thrilling infantry battles in the Star Wars universe!
Star Wars: Legion invites you to enter the ground battles of the Galactic Civil War as the commander of a unique army of miniatures filled with troopers, powerful ground or repulsor vehicles, and iconic characters like Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker. While innovative mechanics for command and control simulate the fog of war and the chaos of battle, the game’s unpainted, easily assembled minis give you a canvas to create the Star Wars army you’ve always wanted to lead into battle—whether you fight for the monolithic, oppressive Galactic Empire or the ragtag Rebel Alliance.
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Let the Rebellion begin! Star Wars: Legion is slated for release in early 2018!
