Star Wars Legion Game Review
If you’re a Star Wars fan and a tabletop wargaming enthusiast, you’re in luck! I still vividly remember, 20 years ago, how I kitbashed my Warhammer 40K Space Marines, trying to make them look more like Stormtroopers. Of course, I would have preferred having a legitimate Star Wars tabletop wargame instead of kitbashing miniatures and homebrewing 40K rules, but there was just no way back then.
Star Wars: Legion is my 20-years-in-the-making dream come true! This game lets you be the commander in battles across a galaxy far, far away. Finally, I can have my own Wookiee Warriors (I guess the Kroot came kind of close, but they were still not the real deal) fighting alongside the rest of my Rebel army. Obviously, if the Imperials, droid Separatists, or Republic clones are more your jam, Legion provides those as well. No matter your choice of army, Legion totally captures the thrill of large-scale Star Wars warfare.
So, if you're a Star Wars fan and a tabletop wargaming fan, jumping into Legion is a no-brainer. However, if you're undecided between Legion and other wargames on the market, let me give you a rundown and show you why Star Wars: Legion is (or isn’t) the right game for you.
So, what makes Star Wars: Legion such a standout tabletop wargame in my opinion? Let’s break it down.
Gameplay
Star Wars: Legion is all about massive, cinematic battles between the great factions of the galaxy! You’ll command squads of troops, vehicles, and legendary heroes like Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, or General Grievous across sprawling battlefields filled with terrain, cover, and mission objectives.
Unlike skirmish games that focus on a handful of heroes, Legion lets you feel like a true battlefield commander. You’ll issue orders, manage suppression and morale, coordinate units, and make difficult choices as your opponent tries to ruin your plans. The cool thing is that it really feels like Star Wars. Every engagement could be a scene pulled straight out of a movie. Whether you fight alongside Ewoks on the sanctuary moon of Endor or join the Grand Army of the Republic on Naboo, choosing the aesthetics and lore background for your army is entirely up to you.
Battle on Endor (Spiel 2025)
Clones on Naboo (Spiel 2025)
The immersion is great, but there usually comes a downside with large-scale army games: they can be mentally draining and feel more like simulations than actual games. But Legion has some super cool mechanics that make the game feel fresh and dynamic. While it doesn't reinvent the wheel, it takes the best modern mechanics from other wargames and combines them into a coherent rules system.
A typical Legion game lasts around two to three hours and offers dimensions of strategic depth. From army composition (Listbuilding) to unit placement and timing of activation. Every decision matters and impacts the outcome of the game.
The rules are relatively accessible for a tabletop wargame. It takes time and practice to learn everything, but that’s to be expected. Luckily, the rulebook is well structured. Another plus is that it's a living rulebook that's digitally available for free! Check it out on AMG’s website and see if you like it. It gets errata’d once in a while, so you’re always up to date without needing to buy a new rulebook. If only other companies were this progressive.
The Rulebook is available for free
Before a game even begins, you’ll make key strategic choices while putting your army together. This is called listbuilding: Should you deploy elite troops or a swarm of infantry? Add vehicles for extra firepower or rely on nimble strike teams? What upgrades or Force powers should your Jedi or Sith wield? This pre-game planning adds a fun dimension of strategy. It’s perfect for players who love optimizing their forces and testing new ideas. Sometimes when I commute I catch myself mentally optimizing my army. That’s escapism for you!
Here’s the cool thing about listbuilding in Legion: in many wargames, choosing an army pretty much locks you into one playstyle. If you choose the shooty army, you’ll be shooting. If you play the swarm army, you swarm. Legion has archetypes too, but with a twist:
Empire = Heavy armour
Rebel Alliance = Glass cannons
Separatists = Horde army
Republic = Few but elite soldiers
While the factions do have these themes, the listbuilding in Legion is so granular that you can totally switch up your playstyle. You love droids but don’t want to play hordes? Just run a few heavily upgraded units like B2s, Aqua Droids, and some heavy vehicles led by Count Dooku. Boom! Elite droids.
There are excellent online tools like LegionHQ or Tabletop Admiral that help you craft your dream army. You can try building lists even before buying a starter set. It’s fun!
A glimpse into listbuilding on Legion HQ
Once the battle begins, the real tactics shine. Legion’s rules are tight and well-designed, but I want to highlight three mechanics I especially like: the initiative system, the activation system, and the action system.
The initiative system decides who goes first, and it’s basically a mini-game. Before every round, you choose a command card with 1 to 4 pips. The lower number goes first, but you have to discard your card. Additionally, every card is thematic and gives you specific bonuses for the round. It’s a fun little mind game of anticipation you play with your opponent instead of just going back and forth.
A command card with 2 pips
Once the round starts, the alternating activation system means you’re constantly reacting to your opponent’s moves. No long down times while someone takes an entire turn. At the start of each round, you give orders to your troops according to your command card and other abilities, which means you can’t activate every unit whenever you want. You have to be smart about placing your orders. Order tokens show which units you directly command and which must activate randomly from your order pool. This creates a cool tension between controlled activations and random ones. It also kind of feels like playing an RTS on PC.
The action system is fairly typical for wargames, but again with some fresh twists. Activated units have two actions, choosing from options like move, aim, dodge, attack, etc. I especially like the movement system for two reasons: unit cohesion is measured from the unit leader, making positioning easy, and the measurement tools are designed so your bases fit perfectly into them. That is making movement quick and precise. I’m also a fan of the standby action, which lets you take the first shot if an enemy moves into range. A great tactical option.
To put it into numbers: the gameplay is 10/10. Even if I try to be nitpicky, I can’t come up with legitimate criticism.
The Hobby Aspects
Star Wars: Legion is a tabletop wargame, and the tabletop hobby is not just about gaming but also about collecting, assembling, crafting, painting, and diving into the lore of the IP. Legion lets you explore the creative side of wargaming.
You’ll be assembling squads of troopers in 32mm scale, crafting vehicles, and painting your favourite Star Wars heroes. It’s a relaxing and rewarding process. Many players compare painting to meditation. Watching your army come to life in your chosen colour scheme adds a personal touch. Ultimately, it’s your unique army.
Because Legion uses a large 6×3 ft board, terrain plays a big role too. Buildings, barricades, forests, and craters all shape the flow of battle. You can buy terrain kits or craft your own.
Of course, more models mean more hobby time and a higher initial cost than smaller games. But the payoff is huge: when you set up a fully painted army on a complete terrain board, it’s a different feeling entirely. No skirmish-level game can match this sight.
But don’t let the investment in time, money, and assembly deter you: if you’re new to wargaming or prefer smaller boards and shorter rounds, Legion has you covered with the Recon Game format. This is a shorter, 600-point version perfect for learning the ropes before jumping into full-scale 1,000-point battles. But it’s more than just an introductory mode. It’s the full gaming experience, just short and sweet. Even veterans switch between Recon and Standard modes. So that’s cool!
And the design of the miniatures and artwork looks amazing! While Star Wars: Shatterpoint leans into a stylized, cartoonish look, Legion opts for a grounded, realistic tone. The models and art direction echo the films more than the animated series, giving your battles the look and feel of classic Star Wars. The miniatures are well designed. They are dynamic and crisp. I personally think they’re right up there with the best miniature companies.
The artwork looks fantastic
There is one criticism I have at the moment: while the general artwork looks great, the new upgrade cards completely lack original artwork. In the earlier edition, they still had art.
The design altogether gets a 9/10. I deduct one point because of the missing artwork on the cards.
The Community and Competitive Scene
Since its release, Star Wars: Legion has built a strong community with many fans of the game. Chances are that it might be the most popular game behind those from Games Workshop (just an estimation based on search results. There are no official numbers). There are local clubs, online forums, Discords, podcasts, and blogs (like yours truly), as well as tournaments around the world. The balance in the game is pretty good, too. I haven’t seen huge power creep like in other games.
Atomic Mass Games continues to support Legion with new models, updated rules and errata, and new game modes, so the game keeps evolving.
Verdict
If you’ve ever dreamed of commanding your favourite faction from the Star Wars universe, Star Wars: Legion is the game for you.
A quick overview and personal rating of different aspects of the game:
Rules = 10/10
Game Balance = 8/10
Replayability = 10/10
Immersion = 10/10
Miniatures = 10/10
Artwork = 9/10
You should play Legion if:
You want to recreate massive Star Wars battles with squads, vehicles, and heroes.
You enjoy building, painting, and personalizing a full army.
You like strategic and tactical gameplay with tons of replayability.
You love the grounded, realistic look of the game.
You have the space, time, and passion for an immersive tabletop experience
You should not play Legion if:
You don’t like army scale games (consider a skirmisher like Shatterpoint instead)
You don’t want to assemble a lot of miniatures (though you should give it a try)
You absolutely don’t like Star Wars
You have restrains regarding your ressources like time, space and money (again, consider a skirmisher)
Ultimately I can only recommend Star Wars: Legion. It is one of the best tabletop games I have ever played. The rules are great, it looks great, and because it’s Star Wars, it should be relatively easy to get your friends engaged as well.
May the Force be with you! Utinni.
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