Dux Britanniarum from TooFatLardies was released this last week. I'm still waiting for my hard copy and cards (and free miniature) but I was able to download the PDF and have a read through. Here's my initial thoughts.
The rules cover Great Britain in the period immediately following the withdrawal of the last of the Roman legions and the message from the emperor that the Britons needed to look to their own defense.
The system, for it has many interlocking parts, is designed to serve as both rules for tabletop battles and as an integrated campaign system. There are elements of roll playing, with character creation. There are also rules for off table actions that affect both the table top game and the campaign.
The rules are well laid out and have lots of examples. The maps, for the campaign, are awesome, and the images of the minis are great. The layout, overall is professional and slick. This is a very nice rule book. If anyone thinks that TooFatLardies are not a professional publishing house, they should take a look at this book and disabuse themselves.
The pre-game allows for actions such as grand speeches and the passing out of ale, all of which can affect the game itself. The activations are card based and the playing deck adds a nice bit of variety to the game. Some cards are specific to one side or the other, granting additional bonuses. To top it off, the post-game includes a flee/pursuit phase which can affect the outcome of the battle in campaign terms. Some cards can be used to modify those results, if you don't use them to modify the battle itself.
Movement is simple and straightforward. Combat is a bit unconventional, but looks like it will become second nature very quickly. Heroes are the key to the game and using them well seems to be one of the keys to victory.
To summarize, the tabletop rules look easy to learn, characterful of the period and fun to play. When added to the campaign and the pre/post game aspects, this rule set looks brilliant. Once I have a chance to go through them again and then play a couple of games I'll put up a more detailed report. Bottom line? I'm really pleased with my purchase and just wish I had the miniatures in hand to play it.
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