About - Harlequin Games

Legends is possibly the most in-depth fantasy game on the market today, combining powerful game mechanics with vibrant and original game worlds.

The Legends game system is rich in both complexity and potential, allowing thousands of different stratagems and options, so that one can play for years and only begin to scratch the surface of the possible. The various modules each offer an entirely new world to be explored and conquered, all with their own unique races, monsters, histories and politics.

Explore on your own, or work as part of a larger faction. Roam the land as dragon-slayer, hero or sword for hire; lead a group of mercenaries or clan of orcs; command cities, armies, fleets. Rise to power through the use of steel, magic, politics, or perhaps a little of each. The worlds of Legends await you; what you do in them is down to you.

Our games are not simple ‘coffee break’ games. You can expect to spend hours exploring your position, weeks thinking about your tactics, and years becoming an expert. In fact, many of our players have been playing our games for decades, and are still discovering new things to explore!

So if you are looking for something that is quick, mindless, and easy to play, then our games are not for you. But if you are want something a little more challenging, then read on…

Key Features

Real Opposition

Legends is played with and against real people. Even the most experienced players are constantly faced with new and unexpected situations, and even the newest player can prove a threat.

Play when it suits you, not your opponents

There are other games, of course, in which you play against real people. But most of these require you all to be available at the same time. The unique format of our turn-based games, on the other hand, means that you can play when it suits you, whether that is at 3am in the morning, or on the train to work, or, in fact, whenever you have the time.

Time to think

Success does not rely on quick reflexes or feats of manual dexterity, but instead on strategy, on team-work, on out-witting and out-manoeuvring your opposition. And with time to think and prepare your moves, you can fully consider the possibilities and options open to you.

Explore fascinating fantasy worlds

We run games in many different fantasy worlds, each with their own flavour and lore. This includes our One Ring™ module, set in the world of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings™.

Mentors

To help you get started, we offer up to 10 hours of free, one-to-one personal advice from one of our experienced game mentors. They are there to help you with all aspects of playing, from how to set up the software, to how best to defeat your enemies! To take advantage of this, simply select the mentor option when joining your first game.

What Exactly is it?

Legends is a Turn-Based Long-Term Strategy Team game.

But what does this mean?

Team Game

Up to 200 players are divided into factions who battle against each other. You can join with friends to form a faction of your own, or, if you choose to join on your own, you will be placed in a faction. Although there are some individual victory conditions, the game is generally won or lost as a team, and only by working together can you hope to be victorious.

Turn-Based

Most games, whether played online or around a table, take place in real-time. The action is either continuous, or, at most, you have a few minutes to think about what to do next. Legends, on the other hand, is turn-based. At regular intervals you will receive a report, or results, giving all the information about your position in the game. Then, based on this report and those of your team-mates, you decide what to do next. All of which means that you have plenty of time to think and plan your next move. Results are spread out across the week, so different members of your team will receive their reports on different days, meaning there is always some new information to discuss and consider.

Long-Term

An average game of Legends lasts up to two years, with up to a fortnight between your turns. This may sound like a very slow way of playing a game, but during that fortnight you can talk with your team-mates as their results come in, discuss your options, and make plans. And, since each position can have hundreds of different pieces, each of which can be instructed to do many different things, you will find that a fortnight is not a long time at all!

Strategy

Legends is a strategy game. Which is to say that it is played with pieces on a map, and these pieces move and act according to fixed rules, based on the orders that are given to them. However, the rich history and mythology of each setting gives the game a truly unique feel, as you are immersed in the world, its mysteries and its lore.

A Look at the Details

You can control up to 40 individual characters who have a variety of statistics, skills, titles and possessions. You can also control a similar number of armies, cities, markets and guilds, if you like a busy game. Alternatively you can enjoy the simplicity of playing a hero and sidekick – making your reputation and leaving politics and powerplay to others.

Players can compete individually in many different contests, or ally into factions that attempt to achieve wildly varying victory conditions. You can also set and seek to achieve your own goals, such as winning the Knight Championships three times in a row or developing your city to house the greatest market in the world. Or maybe you will simply be content to explore the incredibly detailed module in which you are playing, hunting out secret missions and fulfilling obscure prophecies.

We are also proud to present LPE, a computer software package for the game. This not only allows you to easily enter orders and view turns, but also create and maintain databases of everything you discover, map the land, and exchange information with team members.

There are at least four different styles of game you can enjoy in Legends depending on your start-up choice. They are detailed below, and it is worth noting that Legends is designed to weight equal significance to players who are on a limited budget and choose a Hero position (which rarely costs more than minimum turn cost), as those who play the expansive Overlord position. Thus you cannot buy your way to victory…

Hero

Heroes are the most powerful player characters to stride the face of the Legends worlds. If you want to be a Conan or a Gandalf, this is the set-up choice for you. With no responsibilities for running towns and economies, the Hero is free to pursue whatever takes his/her fancy, often selling their unique services to the highest bidder.

Adventurer

Whilst the Hero excels in their own narrow field of expertise (Combat, Magic, etc.), being in control of an Adventuring party which typically consists of around six characters (normally one main and five secondary characters) gives enough breadth to the abilities and skills that your position possesses, so that you can competently turn your hand to any task. Some modules even allow the new Clan setup with a total of eight starting characters.

Mercenary

The Mercenary starts with a small castle populated by denziens of the same race as your main character, several secondary characters and a complement of above average soldiers. For the best starting mix of a wise general and veteran soldiers at game start, this can be the position of choice.

Overlord

The Overlord position has the “weakest” of all starting main characters. However, to make up for this he has typically five secondary characters, a large population in his fortified castle, and a goodly sized complement of militia soldiers. From the start, then, you have an economy to run, and often form a base for Heros that would like to build guilds in your town or fight in your army.

Game Costs

To start up in Legends costs £6.

After that, turns cost £0.08 per order (with a minimum turn cost of £4.50, and a maximum £12.).

Note that The One Ring module is slightly more expensive to cover royalty payments, with an order cost of £0.10, minimum turn cost £4.90, and maximum turn cost of £13.

(Costs are inclusive of VAT in countries where VAT is charged.)

How to Get Started

Ready to start playing? Fantastic!

First, take a look at the games currently accepting new positions, and decide which you would like to join. If you are uncertain which is for you, please do Get in Touch and we will be happy to offer advice.

Then just click on the Join Game button, and complete the form there.

Alternatively, if you have any questions, please do to hesitate to Get In Touch.

Harlequin Games

Harlequin Games is a business which designs and moderates postal and email games. We fuse wild imagination with good game-play in everything we produce and do so with professionalism and love for the hobby.

Established in 1994, Harlequin has quickly grown into one of the largest postal/email gaming firms in the world, and we look forward to maintaining a long and happy relationship with our players.

Did you know that Legends has been translated into German, and is run by SSV? Find them here!

Meet the Staff

Edward Lane

Edward is the main Legends GM, and is pretty sure that gremlins have been sneaking work into his in-tray when he isn’t looking, otherwise his workload really ought to fit more easily into a normal day.

When not working he plays board games, juggles, and spends the rest of his time doing stuff with his wife Michelle.

Ross Inglis

Ross Inglis is the Canadian guardian of the Legends code. Before he joined Harlequin he had some Legends success, managing to be in a winning team five times, and in another two that he foolishly dropped before his side went on to win.

These days he goes paragliding when the weather is good, and plays board games when the weather is bad. His enthusiasm for games is so great he has willingly playtested new ones for Reiner Knizia on a weekly basis for the last 10 years.

Harlequin Games is a trading name of Game Systems International

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