Star Wars: Legion's 'Tours of Duty' Campaign System
In the sprawling Star Wars galaxy, the grand sagas of Skywalkers and Solos often take center stage. But for every legendary hero, there are countless unsung soldiers, pilots, and operatives whose bravery shapes the course of the war. Atomic Mass Games is now giving players the tools to tell those stories with Tours of Duty, a brand-new narrative campaign system for its hit tabletop miniatures game, Star Wars: Legion.
This innovative framework elevates the game from a series of individual skirmishes into a persistent, evolving narrative. It allows players to guide their unique fighting force through a string of interconnected battles where troopers gain valuable experience, heroes rise from the ranks, and devastating setbacks create lasting consequences.
What is the Tours of Duty Campaign System?
At its heart, Tours of Duty is a comprehensive ruleset for narrative campaign play in Star Wars: Legion. Instead of playing one-off games that reset after the final turn, this system links your battles together. The outcomes of one mission directly impact the next, creating a dynamic story arc for your army.
Players build a personalized force and take it on a "tour," a series of missions against one or more opponents. Along the way, their units and commanders are not static game pieces but a developing cast of characters. This system launched alongside a fresh wave of new Starter Sets, making it the perfect time for both seasoned commanders and fresh recruits to enlist in the galactic war.
Key features of the Tours of Duty system include:
- Persistent Rosters: Your army carries over from game to game, tracking its victories, losses, and changes.
- Unit Progression: Soldiers and vehicles can gain experience, unlocking new skills, keywords, and upgrades that reflect their growing battlefield prowess.
- Lasting Consequences: The stakes are higher than ever. Units can suffer injuries, gain debilitating flaws, or even be permanently removed from your roster, adding genuine drama to every dice roll.
- Resource Management: Campaigns involve managing resources, requisitioning new troops, and making strategic decisions that extend far beyond the tabletop.
Crafting Your Personal Star Wars Saga
The driving force behind Tours of Duty is player-driven storytelling. Pagani and the development team at Atomic Mass Games aimed to empower players to forge narratives as compelling as those seen on screen. The system is intentionally designed to create memorable moments that transcend simple wins and losses.
"Tours of Duty is about telling your own story of an unknown hero's rise to greatness," Pagani emphasized. This vision is central to the experience. Perhaps your rookie squad of Clone Troopers, through sheer grit, becomes a legendary unit of ARC Trooper veterans. Maybe a standard Imperial Officer, after a series of hard-won victories, earns a name and a custom-painted miniature to represent their newfound fame.
The system encourages this level of personalization. It provides the mechanical hooks—experience points, injuries, requisitions—that serve as catalysts for narrative. The recent introduction of new custom character models further supports this, giving players even more options to physically represent the unique heroes that emerge from their campaigns. Your games are no longer just about defeating the enemy; they're about the survival and legacy of your soldiers.
A Living Battlefield: Experience and Setbacks
The true innovation of Tours of Duty lies in its dynamic progression system. As your units participate in battles, they accumulate experience, which can be spent to improve their capabilities. A unit that successfully completes a daring objective might gain a new keyword like "Sharpshooter," while a commander who consistently leads from the front could unlock a powerful new command card.
However, war is not without its costs. The system introduces a real sense of jeopardy through lasting setbacks. When a unit is defeated, it doesn't just get removed from the table for the rest of the game—it could suffer consequences that carry into the next. A key commander might sustain an injury that permanently lowers their health, or a vital vehicle could be damaged, requiring precious resources to repair. These setbacks aren't just punishments; they are story hooks that add character and depth to your force, creating an authentic tale of struggle and resilience.
The Development Vision Behind the Campaign
Creating a balanced and engaging campaign system for a game as strategically deep as Star Wars: Legion presented unique challenges for Pagani and his team. The primary goal was to ensure the rules facilitated compelling stories without becoming an exercise in complex bookkeeping or allowing one player to gain an insurmountable advantage.
The team focused on creating a system that was both robust and flexible, capable of supporting different play styles and all of the game's diverse factions. The result is a framework that provides structure but leaves ample room for players to inject their own creativity and narrative flair, ensuring that no two tours of duty will ever be the same.
Frequently Asked Questions about Tours of Duty
Do I need a new army to play Tours of Duty?No, the campaign system is designed to be used with any existing Star Wars: Legion collection. You can take your favorite, fully painted army and immediately begin their own narrative journey.
Is Tours of Duty for experienced players only?Not at all. While it adds a new strategic layer for veterans, its story-driven nature makes it an excellent way for new players to get invested in their army and learn the game's mechanics in a more engaging context.
Where can I find the rules for Tours of Duty?The complete rules for the Tours of Duty campaign system are available as a free download from the official Atomic Mass Games website, making it accessible to every Star Wars: Legion player.