[REVIEW] Burning Banners

Burning Banners: Rage of the Witch Queen is a great fantasy-themed wargame, for two to six players, set in illustrious world of Khalar. It is really fast playing and intuitive, and features a whopping twenty-nine scenarios, of various size, length and complexity. They range from short campaigns with two kingdoms and one map, to the entire twelve-years war, in which six kingdoms battle over four maps.

We have the possibility to play with the Basic Rules first. They give a good introduction to the core game mechanics, how the battle, movement or build is being executed. Still, the true beauty starts when you move to the Advanced Rules. Here comes the Monsters, Treasures, Spells, Magic and Blessings – all great elements which you would expect in Fantasy game.But that is not all; as mentioned earlier, you can play with one of the six featured factions, namely: Goblins, Orcs, Army of the Night – these are invader armies – or Dwarfs, Fjordland and Eastern Empire – here we have the resistance forces. Each faction is unique, has its own units, blessings, special rules, strengths and weaknesses. Thanks to the great asymmetry, you can significantly prolong joy from the play.

So would you stand-up to the task and manage to crush your opponents, gaining the eternal fame and place in the world of Khalar?

This game accommodates from two to six players. My experience shows that it is best played with either four – making a perfect team play 2 vs 2, or simply with two players – where each side has full control of all factions. The five / six player games tend to last too long / have a big downtime. There is no solo mode yet, but I believe we will get some fan-made scenarios (I am working also on one).

To say it depends is an understatement. Let us take variables into account: from one to four maps, from two to six players, from three up to thirty turns (the latter is extreme, you rather play scenarios or linked campaigns of maximum 6-9 turns). Time wise, it will be from 30 minutes (entry, 2-player scenarios) through 1-2 hours (2 player regular scenarios) up to 3-4 hours (4 player games with Advanced Rules). But if you plan to play with 6 players and try larger, linked scenarios, then the sky is the limit.

This is relatively easy to grasp game; I know I am saying it from the perspective of person playing Mark Herman’s Pacific War or Ed Beach Here I Stand. Still, you have very good rulebook, possibility to start with Basic Rules (although Advanced are not so complex as you might be afraid) and intuitive mechanics.

• The theme is very deep in this game and gives a lot of fun. All those monsters, Heroes and treasures which create great narrative; the magic, spells and specific factions blessings; the whole lore behind the world of Khalar (there is separate book explaining it!). Not to mention map full of mysterious places, which you will be discovering in all the campaigns the game provides you with. Huge fun here!
• There are simply endless ways to play this game. With 29 scenarios, from two to six players, from one to four maps, from 30 minutes to long-hours set-ups – you can choose whatever you need for the particular group and time you have at your disposal. This huge flexibility caused this game to hit our boardgame table pretty often.
• One should also stress almost perfect asymmetry and replayability in Burning Banners. The six factions are completely different in each and every aspect: types, skills & strength of the units; special abilities of the factions; specific blessings and Heroes; win conditions; even how economy of those factions works! On top of this, you will be able to start each scenario completely differently, as you just get pool of gold and it is up to you to muster whatever army you want. 
• One thing which immediately strikes you are beautiful components. And what I mean is not that the game looks nice – it is astonishingly gorgeous, with hand painted maps and most of the graphics. Christopher Moeller, who is designer of the game, is also a fantastic artist and the final product is simply breath-taking.

• While the game is usually not too long – as said before, max four hours with four players on non-campaign scenarios, if you bring five or six players, the downtime between them will be too big. Especially if you play four-map scenarios with all factions, it can easily take an hour between one of your move and the next one. Solution? I play this game in 2-4 players set-up and it works perfectly.

• There are minor ambiguities / edge cases with magic and spells which requires explanation and clarification on Boardgame Geek. Not a huge nuisance; still has to be checked to avoid the questions during the Advanced Game.

If you like fantasy-themed games, with important role of magic and monsters, packed with the wargames elements, a lot of fun dice rolling (and I mean it), which you and your friends will have fun with – that is definitely game for you. It is not complicated simulation nor complex position – its rules are elegant and create a cohesive experience even for the beginners in our hobby..

• Base Game Rules Explanation

• Advanced Game Rules Explanation

• BGG