What's the word on Broken Legions?

[metalface13]

What's the word on Broken Legions by Osprey Games? Mark Latham designed it so does it share similarities to Legends of the Old West/High Seas and therefor GW's Lord of the Rings?

[Easy E]

Here is my review:

https://bloodandspectacles.blogspot.com/2016/12/review-broken-legions-osprey-wargame.html

and a game of it....

https://bloodandspectacles.blogspot.com/2020/05/battle-report-broken-legions-oracle-of.html



Let me know if you have questions!  I would be happy to answer.

[Inkpaduta]

I have the rule book but have never played it. The early reviews I saw said that it was a slow game that took a good deal of time to finish.
If true it was not what I was looking for in a skirmish game. But I may still try out the rules some day.

[TheDaR]

It's been discussed some here: https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=95935.0.

I agree with a lot of the points brought up by both Easy E's review and in that thread.

It's a mechanically solid system, and you can clearly see the bones of MESBG/LotOW showing through.  Not the fastest or most innovative thing around, but acceptable.

Unfortunately for me, it kind of fell down in the details, probably due to it being done as an Osprey blue book and having limited space.  The warbands felt generic.  The scenarios were few and fairly unimaginative.  The campaign system was... almost insultingly simple to the point it felt like an afterthought.

However, the setting and concept were absolutely fantastic.  Amazing inspiration fodder.   The whole concept of X-Files/Men in Black/Torchwood in the Classical Era is just pure gold.  The bits of flavor that get to peek out from behind the rules are great.

If I wanted to do Broken Legions "right", I'd probably choose one of my favorite fantasy or generic skirmish game engine (Of Gods and Mortals or just core SoBah, Thud and Blunder or its siblings, or maybe 5 Core with some 5 Leagues from the Borderland), steal the Scenario/Complication/Landscape chapter from Thud and Blunder for mission generation, bolt on a Mordheim-like campaign system, and then do a three day bender binge on Weird War Rome, Cthluhu Invictus and Latham's own Dark Osprey Cthulhu Campaigns: Ancient Rome (from which Broken Legions clearly draws) to mine for setting and scenario ideas.

[metalface13]

Thanks for the input everyone. I do really like playing MESBG but it sounds like Broken Legions has a lot of stuff that needs fixing, especially the campaign system, which to me is the best part of playing skirmish games.

I'm not really much of a historical gamer, but I'd like dabble in historical minis while also adding a dash of mythology and fantasy. Also I greatly prefer skirmish games, even better if they have a good campaign system.