Star Wars Legion Is The Best Game To Come Out This Year

Star Wars Legion is out today. Run, don’t walk, to get your copy.

Star Wars Legion, the new table top wargame from Fantasy Flight Games, comes out today. I’ve already talked a bit here and there about why I like it so much. It’s a game that’s truly poised to shake up the gaming scene. This is a game that’s got everything going for it and seems poised to make a big impact. Having played with preview copies for a few weeks now I am personally very excited for the full release. Here are a few reasons you should be too.

A Unique Game

Kind of the opposite of this. 

Legion is its own game. While its firmly a tabletop wargame it doesn’t feel like a clone of any other game. In particular the order system feels pretty fresh and innovative. In it each player has a hand of Seven Order Cards, some are generic and some are unlocked by taking certain leaders. Each turn the players pick one card from their hand to play. This card does a number of things. It not only determiners who is first player for that turn, but also allows players to effect which order their units activate in, while in some cases applying special effects on the game. These orders are a pretty simple mechanic but can have a huge effect on a game.

Don’t be worried however. Despite bearing the hallmarks of an FFG game – custom dice and movement templates, this game feels familiar. If you’re a fan of other major wargames you will feel right at home here. Sure it uses custom D8s, not D6s, but once the dice start rolling the fan takes over and you won’t really notice a difference.

Easy To Pick Up

Just like Lightsaber skills. 

Legion is game that despite having a lot of tactical depth, some might say more than its biggest rival, is still easy to pick up. The rules are pretty straight forward and well laid out. Moreover all those elements that feel strange to some players, the custom dice and movement templates are actually designed to make the game easy to pick up. When I interviewed Alex Davy, the designer, he revealed that an early draft of Legion used D6s and tape measures. Eventually however the game moved over to the current system for ease of use. The argument here is that symbols on dice are easier to pick up and require less math that d6s with numbers. A hit is always a hit, no need to consult a chart and do math to see what number you need to roll to hit. And it seems to work, people here at the BoLS office have been picking the game up with ease. If you want some help going over the basics, here is a video we did to cover just that:

Epic Models From A Galaxy Far Far Away

Look, no really look:

These models man:

I mean come on:

They are simply amazing.

Affordable

You won’t have to bet your ship in a sigh stake Sabacc game to get enough money to play. 

I’ve already talked in length about how cheap Legion is to get into. To recap, the starter box is $89.95. For $259.80 you can get 2 full armies, one for each faction. Split stuff with a friend and your faction’s full 800 points army will only cost you $129.90. That’s the cost of a single nice night out with your significant other. And come on, if they really love you, they’ll be buying the other army to kick your butt with. Remember folks, the couple that games together stay together.

Joking aside its a really cheap game to get started in. And yes there will be the inevitable want/need to expand beyond those first small lists. But when you consider than the unit expansions are only about half, or even less, the cost of unit expansions for other major games it still seems like a good deal.

Get Started Now

I forgot to preorder!!!!!

Legion is a ton of fun. It’s got a tight rule set and a lot to offer to both new and veteran players. It’s by far the best game to come out this year. (yes I know we are three months into the year, still a true statement and one I expect to be just as true in December.) To show off just some of the fun and how much I personally love the game check out this quick battle report I did with Alex Davy.

As you can see this game is a just a real blast and I look forward to playing it for many years to come. This is a game poised to be the hot new game of 2018, if not even more years. So get started now. It’s out, communities are forming, so don’t get left behind in the dust. And as always… may the Force be with you.

Let us know what you think about Legion down in the comments! 

Author: Abe Apfel

Abe is that rare thing, an Austin local born and raised here. Though he keeps on moving around, DC, Japan, ETC., he always seems to find his way back eventually. Abe has decades of experience with a wide range of tabletop and RPG games, from historicals, to Star Wars to D&D and 40K. He has been contributing to BOLS since almost the start, back when he worked at and then owned a local gaming store. He used to be big into the competitive Warhammer tournament scene but age has mellowed him and he now appreciates a good casual match. He currently covers 40K tactics and lore, as well as all things Star Wars, with occasional dabbling in other topics. Abe remains in mourning over the loss of WFB to this day.