Latham Mark - Broken legions: fantasy Skirmish wargames in the Roman Empire

First published in Great Britain in 2016 by Osprey Games
(part of Osprey Publishing),

PO Box 883, Oxford, OX1 9PL, UK

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Osprey Publishing, part of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

This electronic edition published in 2016 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Bloomsbury is a registered trademark of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

2016 Mark Latham

All rights reserved
You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Mark Latham has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this book.

ISBN: 978-1-4728-1513-2 (PB)

ISBN: 978-1-4728-1514-9 (ePDF)

ISBN: 978-1-4728-1515-6 (eBook)

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Contents

A DARKNESS RISES

For more than 500 years, the Roman Empire exercised control over the civilised world with an iron fist, seemingly all-powerful and limitless. And yet for much of its history, the power of Rome was secured not by its mighty legions, but by covert bands of warriors and agents bent on protecting the might of the Empire from powers beyond the ken of most mortals. In the time before the great civilisation tamed the wildest regions, mythical beasts, jealous gods and dark magic swept the land, and these forces, if unchecked, could do more harm to the Empire now than any phalanx of armed men.

The Emperor has sent forth his agents into the farthest reaches of the Empire, determined to seek out ancient treasures artefacts hidden by the gods themselves in order to ensure the might of Rome and its legions. In ancient temples, forgotten labyrinths and beast-haunted caverns, fortune and glory awaits those brave few who can avoid a painful death. However, the enemies of Rome are many, and in the darkness myriad foes gather to oppose the Emperors chosen warriors. A clandestine war is being fought in the darkest corners of the world; a war for dominion, and for the favour of the gods.

The book that you hold in your hands contains the rules for Broken Legions. But it is far more than a rules manual this is your gateway to an ancient world where magic and superstition is a very real part of life. With this book you can recreate the secret battles of the Roman Empire, a covert war waged against mythological monsters and forbidden cults, and side with the Empire or its foes to help or hinder Romes dominion over the known world.

Broken Legions is designed for two or more players, with each taking control of a warband of finely detailed miniatures. The rules enable you to move your models freely across a scenic battlefield, and utilize a large range of abilities and special rules to give you a tactical edge over your opponents, often dictated by the roll of dice what is a mythical adventure without the role of the Fates, after all?

Veteran tabletop gamers will recognize this book as a set of skirmish-level rules, but newcomers to the hobby should not be put off! These rules are intended to be accessible to all, and newcomers and experienced gamers alike will find all the information they need to start playing.

GETTING STARTED

Before venturing forth into the dark lands beyond Rome, it is advisable to first stop and acquaint yourself with the lay of the land

THINGS YOULL NEED

In addition to the rulebook, there are a few basic things that youll need before you can start playing this game.

An Opponent: Broken Legions is primarily designed for two players, each taking charge of one of the sides in a battle. However, its possible to have more than one player on each side, with multiple players forming teams.

Miniatures: The warriors under your command are represented by tabletop miniatures. The average force, or warband, comprises between 7 and 12 models, preferably of 25 30mm scale.

Dice: You will need a set of 10-sided dice (D10s). It will help if at least a few of these are a different colour from the rest.

Measure: The movement of models and the measuring of weapon ranges requires the use of a tape measure or ruler, marked in inches ().

Counters: There are certain game effects that some players may find it helpful to indicate with counters or markers. The most common are Activated , Broken , Charge! and May Not Shoot . Certain scenarios also require Objectives , which can also be represented with simple counters, or with small scenic elements.

Warband Roster, Notepad and Pencil: A warband roster is available for download from www.ospreygames.co.uk. This allows you to record the composition of your force, and make a note of its statistics and special rules for ease of reference. In addition, you may find a notepad and pencil useful for recording other special occurrences that may crop up.

Gaming Area: You will need somewhere to play, ideally a flat surface or area of floor. The average gaming area is 3 feet (or 90cm) square, but can be larger or smaller depending upon the number of miniatures you want to use.

Scenery: At a bare minimum you will need some model hills and some trees to provide objectives and block fields of fire. Many players go on to amass large scenery collections, with ancient ruins, roads, rivers, walls, hedgerows, Roman villas and watchtowers to populate their gaming tables.

THE RULES

Before diving straight into the rules, its worth spending a moment establishing some of the basic principles of the game. Presented here are some conventions and abstractions that are used throughout this rulebook, so familiarising yourself with them is essential to gain a full understanding of the game.

MODELS & CHARACTERISTICS

Throughout these rules we refer to your playing pieces as models. This is more than just a descriptive term, as we use model specifically to mean a miniature from your collection, such as a Centurion or Chariot, rather than a piece of scenery such as a villa or tree.

All models in the game are categorised as either Heroes or Henchmen . Heroes have access to various special abilities. Henchmen are less powerful, but their numbers are invaluable to any strategy. A good commander will make use of both if he is to succeed.

All models in the game are represented by a profile, which is made up of seven characteristics. Each characteristic has a numeric value, usually between 0 and 5. The higher a characteristics value the better. The characteristics are as follows:

Melee (ML): Skill at arms in close combat.

Accuracy (AC): Skill at arms with ranged weapons.