I'm almost certain I have managed more plays of Runewars faster than most any other game I've played, which is fairly impressive. Yes, it still has the newness factor going on but our group has really been enjoying it. Here are a few more thoughts on the game:* Fantasy Flight lists an estimated playing time of three hours. I think for many that will be a pretty fairly accurate (without learning time included). We've been trending more towards four to five hours but we take longer on nearly all games.
* Starting position is crucial. It seems like you will initially be short on one of the three resources, so plan accordingly. Choke points tend to be an even bigger deal as they can really restrict your movement options. You also have to consider all your opponents' choke points as well since they may force your neighbors in directions you otherwise would not expect! There are more factors to consider when building the map than I originally thought. Overall I'd consider that a good thing although it is possible to end up with a somewhat imbalanced map that you originally thought would be relatively fair.
* I really love the variety from game to game. Sometimes there are lots of heroes running around attempting quests and battling for loot. Other games you will see a lot of military action and jockeying for position and key territories. Neutral units will be wildly important one game and nothing but an afterthought in the next. There's no single path to victory and how you play your race will really depend on your starting position and what your neighbors are doing. Add in the random season events that can really change up your plans and you have a game with extremely high replay value.
(image by Firepigeon @ BGG)
* The fate deck is a pretty slick mechanic but also introduces a few small annoyances. I really like how it works for combat: you simply draw cards equal to the number of units you have and see what the result is. My only real complaint is that you will do a fair amount of shuffling. It isn't enough to be a hindrance (you'll shuffle more in a few rounds of Dominion then you will in a full game of Runewars) but it can be a little irritating when you are in mid-pull and need to shuffle the deck to finish resolving combat. As one of my friends pointed out, it is very important to try and do a good shuffle as you naturally tend to sort the combat cards as you resolve them. This can end up with a really uneven distribution if you shuffle poorly.* I like the flavor the optional exploration tokens add but I recommend caution when using them. Two of the tokens act as dragon runes and their position on the board can wildly turn the tide. We had a great game going one night then two dragon runes via exploration tokens popped up right near one of us and there was nothing the other players could to do stop him. It was a somewhat hollow victory and only happened due to those random exploration tokens. If we play with them again I think we'll only have the chance for one of them to result in a dragon rune; the chance for two seems a bit much.
* Elves seem like the most challenging race to play well as their units are generally weaker than the others. Undead are great fun with the necromancers that can raise more units mid-battle. The barbarians have some strong units but and are formidable in combat but I feel like they rely a bit more on their special abilities to do well. So far my favorites may be the humans. It may just be my perception but I feel like they can put up a really solid defense but have good offensive capabilities with siege engines as well.
Overall, Runewars is fantastic. It has the agonizing decisions of a good Euro-style title mixed with the healthy dose of luck and combat you'd expect from an "Ameritrash" game. Unlike other big epic games I find the ending to be just as satisfying as the process of playing. Skilled players may run into bad luck but solid planning and properly timing your actions will generally make you a contender.
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