"Britannia" is a historical Strategic board-wargame that broadly depicts the millennia-long struggle for control of England, Scotland, and Wales. The game begins with the Roman invasion of 43 A.D., continues through the many struggles between Angles, Saxons, Picts, Norsemen, Scots, Irish, and other tribes, and ends with the Norman invasion of 1066.
Britannia allows players to re-create this epic history, re-enacting important battles in some cases, altering the course of history in others. The game rules discourage players from making historically unrealistic moves, but also give players the freedom to alter Great Britain’s history in important ways, creating countless interesting “what if?” scenarios. What if Boudicca’s Revolt against the Romans had been more successful? What if the Romans and the Romano-British had repelled the Saxon invasions of the 5th and 6th centuries? What if William the Conqueror had died during the Norman invasion of 1066?
In Britannia, the players will determine the destiny of a kingdom.
- High-quality new edition components (board, minis, player aids)
- Dramatic opening Roman invasion as an engaging set-piece
- Core rules are simple and accessible, with thematic depth from faction scoring
- A strong historical recreation with A+ presentation in the new edition
- No solo mode in this edition
- Rigid scripting and highly detailed, restrictive scoring
- Long playtime and high complexity, potentially intimidating for new players
- Historical determinism may reduce replayability
- Historical conquest, empire-building, and the rise and fall of cultures
- Ancient Britain, spanning 43 AD to 1066 AD, with waves of invasions and evolving cultures.
- Historical re-telling with scripted invasions, faction-specific scoring, and event-based progression
- Small World
- Pendragon
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area_control — Players score by occupying and maintaining control of map regions and by reinforcing areas they control.
- dice_combat — Combat is resolved with dice rolls, incorporating terrain and defender advantages.
- faction_specific_scoring — Each of 17 factions has unique scoring methods, creating asymmetrical objectives and timing.
- leader_spawning — Leaders can spawn to extend movement and grant combat dice advantages.
- reinforcement_points — Reinforcements are gained based on regions controlled; for every six points, a new unit is added, with a remainder carried to the next turn.
- timed_invasions_and_raiders — Invaders are timed; some invasions and raiders may start at sea, enabling movement through sea regions and special raiding markers.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- if you have an interest in the history of the invasions of britain from 43ad to 1066ad this is the game for you.
- The best thing about this game is the quality of the new edition the board minis and player aids are excellent.
- However, Britannia adheres quite rigidly to its view of history.
- Leaders will sometimes spawn like boudicca here, they allow armies to move further and also roll dice in combat.
- Not only are the invasions timed the same way each game, the scoring system is incredibly detailed and restrictive.
- The core combat and movement rules are simple and straightforward with the complications being the unique scoring for each faction and the timings of invasions and raiders.