Broken Legions AAR

[tim in saskatoon]

Tried out Broken Legions: Fantasy Skirmish Wargames in the Roman Empire Friday afternoon. We played Scenario #5: Darkest Before the Dawn with a Germanic Barbarian Warband ambushing a Roman Soldiers of the Eagle Warband in their camp.



Fun little game.

A full report of the action and loads of pictures can be found on my blog:

http://saskminigamer.blogspot.ca/2016/09/broken-legions.html

[Saucy Jack]

Wonderful report. Thanks for posting. I never tried the campaign system myslef during playtesting, but you raise some important points. Maybe there is a problem with experience gained and the amount of points needed to advance and maintain auxiliary.

[rumacara]

Nice report.
About the rules. Are they simple or complicated?

[tim in saskatoon]

Nice report.
About the rules. Are they simple or complicated?

Cheers!

I found them simple and straightforward enough - and I'm no rules genius.

[tim in saskatoon]

Wonderful report. Thanks for posting. I never tried the campaign system myslef during playtesting, but you raise some important points. Maybe there is a problem with experience gained and the amount of points needed to advance and maintain auxiliary.

Thanks Jack!

Well, as i said, I didn't actually play through all the campaign sequence for this game - let alone played an actual full campaign. So my comments were just based on trying to wrap my head around how it MIGHT have worked out based on how this game had turned out. Surely SOMEONE play-tested the campaign rules!?

Also, this game may not have been a "typical" game - where one side is pretty much utterly wiped out. The warbands themselves might not have been "typical" warbands - I get the sense that it was meant for players to have more than one hero in the warband and perhaps less henchmen...? (this is mostly based on the fact that the downloadable roster had spots for five Heroes/Auxilia - where I had one or two - and there are spots for seven Henchmen - where I had seven and TEN!).

[Lawn Dart]

Remember when paying for auxillary/equipment, it comes from XP, but there is a conversion factor of 1 XP = 5 pts.  I much prefer Legends of the Old West that had different XP/money counts.  In Legends, I seem to remember getting XP for every kill - not just if I won the game or not...

[tim in saskatoon]

Remember when paying for auxillary/equipment, it comes from XP, but there is a conversion factor of 1 XP = 5 pts.  I much prefer Legends of the Old West that had different XP/money counts.  In Legends, I seem to remember getting XP for every kill - not just if I won the game or not...

Oh yes, I am aware of the 1 XP = 5 pts - it's just in our game one warband lost three or four dead (including the leader!) would have gotten ZERO xp (because they lost and the only enemy they took out were Henchmen who are worth 0xp if you lose or draw and 1 xp if you win)- so if they'd had any Auxilia, they would have left as well, and they'd have no ability to replace their losses.

The other warband, by comparison, lost only one dead and would have gained 11xp (potentially 55 more points they could add to their warband or pay for Auxilia).

It seems to me if we'd continued a campaign from this game it would have gotten very one-sided or asymmetrical, very quickly! But, as I said, it was only one game and it may not have been how a "typical" game plays out, so I'd be willing to give the system the benefit of the doubt. I was just trying to point out what seemed, from my admittedly limited experience of the system, like they could potentially be problems.

[Sterling Moose]

It seems to me if we'd continued a campaign from this game it would have gotten very one-sided or asymmetrical, very quickly!

I believe that this is also a criticism that has been levelled at Frostgrave, another horse from the Osprey stable.

[seldon]

What an awesome battle report !

Thank for sharing..

Love the minis, the setting, the night pics...

really cool

thanks
Francisco

[Argonor]

I believe that this is also a criticism that has been levelled at Frostgrave, another horse from the Osprey stable.

But not from the same author, though.

I think that, if the core rules system is solid, and it is only a matter of the xp system, such problems can easily be addressed by tweaking that - for instance award more xp for just playing, and giving xp awards/penalties based on points differences between warbands.

[tim in saskatoon]

I think that, if the core rules system is solid, and it is only a matter of the xp system, such problems can easily be addressed by tweaking that - for instance award more xp for just playing, and giving xp awards/penalties based on points differences between warbands.

Exactly. I had likewise thought of awarding points for simply surviving, and though I hadn't considered it for this system, we've use a system for bonus xp for the less experienced wizard in Frostgrave campaigns (+10xp for the less experienced wizard per difference in levels) - I'm sure something similar could be sorted out for this.

[Saucy Jack]

I think a basic point system, similar to this would work:

Warband won: 10 XP
Warband drew: 7 XP
Warband lost: 5 XP

Per model still on the board: 1 XP

I would also give points for "Per enemy henchman removed as a casualty" for Warband Lost and Warband Drew.