Tactical flexibility in Star Wars: Legion is made essential by a few factors; namely the mission, the deployment type, and the Condition. We will look at all three of these factors and how it affects the way you will build your forces.

There is 4 of each type announced but i can only find the one listed below if you know what the other Condition and Deployment type is please Comment below.

Mission

Four missions have been revealed so far, and tend to focus around the use of your unit leaders. Many are intended to bring a more aggressive playstyle, ensuring that both sides are given opportunities to inflict casualties on the other.

The Breakthrough mission requires, at the end of the game, for your unit leaders to be within your opponent’s deployment zone. You gain one victory point for each unit leader you achieve this with.

Intercept The Transmission causes you and your opponent to place 3 objective markers on the board along the horizontal half way line(Image below). You will gain 1 victory point on turns 2 and 4, and 2 victory points at the end for controlling each objective.

Key Positions allows you and your opponent to determine the placement of objectives yourselves. Placement of the 3 objectives is alternated between players, beginning with the blue player, and must be placed in terrain outside of either players deployment zone. Players will fight to control each objective by the end of the game, decided by whoever has more unit leaders in base contact with the terrain piece containing the objective.

Recover The Supplies is a lot more free in the placement of objectives. The first must be placed in the centre of the board and then, beginning with the blue player, 4 more objectives are placed at least 1 range away from either deployment zone and any other objective. These objectives can only be claimed by unit leaders being in base contact; and are counted at the end of the game.

Deployment

The most basic deployment type is Battle Lines, an equivalent of the Dawn of War deployment type from Warhammer 40,000. In this deployment type, you and your opponent are placed on opposite sides of the board, within an area equivalent to movement 1 from your board edge.

Disarray is more complicated. Each player has two deployment zones in opposite corners, equivalent to movement 4 along the long board edge, and movement 1 along the short. Splitting your force in two is the aim here, as players will need to ensure they have at least one unit in each deployment zone.

Major Offensive is the third and final mission that has been revealed so far. Each player is based in a corner, with an L shaped deployment as seen Below.

In past games by FFG, players have alternated deploying units, and this will play a big factor in how you decide to deploy your army. Within disarray you may decide to focus on one corner or to split your forces evenly based on how your opponent decides to play.

Condition

The Condition has a huge influence on how the game will be played. From reducing ranges to bringing on elements of your army in later stages of the game; these are sure to mess with a general who only has one game plan.

Hostile Environment prevents removal of suppression tokens unless your Trooper’s unit leader is in base contact with a piece of terrain. In this weather, you may choose to be more defensive with your troopers, or to take a risk to punish your opponents who are away from terrain.

Limited Visibility reduces the effectiveness of long range weapons. On turn one, line of sight beyond range 2 is blocked, while in turn 2 this is extended to range 3. In this weather type, you may choose to position more aggressively, knowing your opponent will have to extend themselves further than they may like to put a dent in your forces.

Rapid Reinforcements is probably the biggest change in how the game would be played. Each player (as usual, beginning with blue) sets aside 2 trooper units and their order tokens and marks each with a condition token. During round 2, at the end of the Command Phase, these tokens are placed back into their order pools. In any given turn from then on, if there are no further unactivated units with a matching rank and the card is drawn, the unit must be placed on the battlefield over range 2 from all enemy units. Once placed, the unit is treated as having been activated.

Final Thoughts

The variety of missions, deployments, and weather is going to ensure that generals will have to think on the fly to adapt to new situations. No one game plan will win it all, and players will have to play around the quirks of each restriction placed upon them.

Check back tomorrow for a post going over the Imperial Forces!

By Chris