Rome at War: Fading Legions - Boardgame Review

Robert E. Waters | January 11, 2007 | 0 comments | Print | E-mail

I’m a fan of ancient warfare. Since my days in high school and college, I’ve been sending miniature Persians and Byzantines across tabletops and into the teeth of Roman legions, Japanese samurai, and Indian elephants. I love the raw nature of these kinds of battles: Men (and some women if you’re fighting the ancient Khmer of Cambodia) with spears and swords, pike and pilum, lined up across from each other on a deserted field… and had at it. Their military technology extended as far as the power of their arms. So when I was given the opportunity to review Avalanche Press’s most recent release in their Rome at War series, I jumped at the chance.

Rome at War: Fading Legions (Avalanche Press) covers the battles of Rome and it enemies of the 4th Century AD. As luck would have it, this period of history is one of my favorites. I’ve always been a fan of time periods of great change in the world, and this was one of them. Rome, in all it gluttonous, over-extended glory, was finally succumbing to its internal strife, and to the so-called "barbarians" at its gates. The Germans, The Goths, and the Sassanid Persians, were all making in-roads into the Roman state. The bully-on-the-block was finally getting smacked around. Rome would, in time, divide its holdings into East and West, and would ultimately fall. The Byzantines would rise, Islam would take hold in the Middle East and Africa , and the world would change. So is the backdrop on which this game resides.

The structure of Fading Legions is straight-forward. The game itself centers on a series of tactical battles between Roman and it enemies. There are 11 scenarios total, ranging from the battle of Argentoratum (Germanic tribes) to Maranga (Persians), and finally to the well-known Adrianople, where the Goths virtually annihilated the Eastern Roman army. The "sequence of play" is simple. Players first determine any weather conditions that might affect the upcoming turn, then they check scenario notes to see if they receive reinforcements. Then they check to see if all of their combat units are within range of their commanders. Then they each roll dice to determine who will move first in the turn. Once initiative is determined, players go back and forth activating commanders and moving and fighting with units until both players "pass" in turn. Then a new turn begins. Play continues until victory conditions within the scenario are met.

Players are each given a scenario booklet that details every battle, and indicates the number and types of units he/she will field. There are three paper maps of equal size, divided into odd-shaped and numbered boxes where the units are placed. Units are represented by cardboard counters: commanders and light/skirmish infantry are small squares, legions and phalanxes are larger rectangles.

Romans clash with Persians Germans outflank a Roman Legion

The combat system is simple as well. Units move into contact with enemy units, and either conduct charges, close assaults, or fire ranged weapons. Players count up the total combat strength of all units involved in the battle, and roll an equal number of dice. For every 6 rolled (this number can be modified), a hit is scored. Hits are taken in so-called "step" damage, where an injured unit is flipped to its opposite side. Some units have only one step of damage before they are eliminated from combat entirely; some can take up to 4 steps of damage before elimination. Combat proceeds along these lines until victory is determined.

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