Burning Banners

I saved this little monster for last, and I understand why so many of you are eyeing it suspiciously without blindly hitting the buy button. It is Compass, after all. In practice, though, Burning Banners is an asymmetric light wargame, with a difficulty level and combat system roughly in Commands & Colors territory, but with lots of dice, lots of magic, and a heavy Ameritrash flavour. In my head, it is the illegitimate child of Memoir ’44 and Black Rose Wars. The catch is that its rules demand reading, its errata demand attention, you will probably visit the rules forum, and it is almost certain that you will make mistakes in your first advanced game. With a little patience, though, it pays you back with thematic and genuinely enjoyable sessions.

Even though it is hex-and-counter, it almost never felt like a traditional game of that type to me. Its heart is roll-and-hit, with an emphasis on rolling huge piles of dice — and because those dice come down by the handful, they create the sort of epic moments everyone remembers afterward. Combat is not grand strategy in the classic sense; it is more a matter of getting the timing right, especially once non-cantrip battle magic enters the picture. Sloppiness is not forgiven there, and some ambiguities in the rules may even push you toward house rules. For example, we prefer siege engines not only to cancel the -1 defensive bonus, but also to remove the restriction against strikes, because that makes sieges much more interesting.

Its asymmetry runs deep, and the fantasy theme properly comes through on the table. The Orks & Goblins have some of the most interesting horde mechanics I have seen, although some scenarios may need the one-lair-per-turn house rule: an especially strong opening can otherwise end the game before it has properly begun. The Kingdom of the Night, with its vampires, is gloriously silky-underwear nonsense, but in the hands of a capable dark lord it can work miracles. Players are not all solving the same puzzle, then; they exploit different strengths, magic, and pacing while trying not to get lost in the exceptions and timing windows.

It is also worth knowing that this is strictly a scenario- and campaign-based game, not a free-for-all matched-play system. It has carefully made scenarios for every player count, but they do not always give every player an equally engaging role. In Fire in the East, a relatively quick three-hour game for four players, the Dwarves and Orks are effectively the leads, while the Vampires and Empire are clearly supporting characters. In a larger four- to four-and-a-half-hour game we tried afterward, however, everyone was properly involved and it became a massacre full of reversals and tears. I am very happy with Burning Banners, but I see it as a diamond in the rough: do not approach it as a conventional wargame. It is a game of spell management and scenario solving, and once you accept it on its own terms, it has a lot to offer.