To Quote the Discription Page of Runewars:

"in Runewars' innovative CARD-BASED combat system"

In my experience, cards offer more control and strategic depth than rolling dice around so I'm glad they're out.

me too i prefer diceless combat like Starcraft.. looking forward to first previews

Hagard said:

Yoohoo, missed that one, thanks ! Great news indeed !

Ah, I see it now, I must have missed it.  Of course, it doesn't necessarily mean that there are no dice at all (but rather that the cards are the primary factor), though I think that's more likely now.

Which is fine.  I like me some dice-fests, but I also like the way Starcraft handled combat.

 To me, dice-based systems create a better simulation of combat than do MOST card-based systems.  Real war always has a random element.  The best laid plans don't always go off as expected, and they are not always foiled by enemy action (meaning, because the other guy has a particular card).

I think that card-based systems appeal because they offer more control to players.

They appeal to me because I love the tension of drawing a card to see what I get.  However, they feel less realistic and thus reduce my level of immersion.

I like the card combats, especially the way StarCraft handled it. There was some randomness, but also some bluffing and strategy. Sounds like it could be a nice combo of A Game of Thrones and StarCraft.

The best use of dice in combat that I've seen is in Age of Conan. There you can prepare for battle by playing out strategy cards and kingdom cards before the dice are rolled. I like the fact that if you manage your cards correctly you get a fair amount of predictability in your combat roll.

Despite the fact that I don't like dice to be the determining factor in a game based on combat, I accept that there are ways of reducing thier randomness by other aspects of a game's system.

Tretiak said:

Man, you saved me five minutes. Everything's said, that fully sensible talk. A lot of strategy (cards) reduced by a bit of randomness (dice) makes the perfect recipe to have fun ! (although I've never put conan on my wish list.... hell... suddenly, I realize you might not be that nice with me... that is, with my wallet)

Seboss said:

Depends on how the cards are utilized. If you get a "hand" of card, then yes. Possibly, depending on what the card effects are. If you just draw from a combat deck randomly, then it isn't a lot different. Though if the cards aren't shuffled back in, then there is a default memory system which could possibly be exploited, but if they are then it's just as random as dice. On the other hand, a dice system doesn't necessarily mean a lack of control, depending on what the mechanics behind the system. Sure, dice are random and so are card draws, but dice coupled with triggerable abilities, or card hands, or some combination thereof, and then the randomness gets mitigated a bit. It really depends on the specific mechanics of the game. All dice systems are not equal, nor are all card systems. We'll just have to wait and see.

I imagine that it will be very similar to Middle Earth Quests card combat system which is great because that was the best thing about that game to me

bearing in mind that Corey had a hand in that game too, its all the more likely they will be similar (although not identical)

No dice may be (in some people's opinion) a stupid reason to not buy a game, but I'm with the original poster on this one. I enjoy rolling dice in board games with war and I despise card driven combat.

Obviously not everyone here shares my opinion but the majority of my gaming circle (or at least the AmeriGamers in it) feel the same way and the eurogamers aren't interested in RuneWars anyway.

I was really excited about this game when it was announced. Then I read that Corey had his mits on it and my heart sunk. What's with his new infatuation with card driven combat anyway? In my opinion he's turning into the Ewe Boll of board games.

I'm sorry Corey. Obviously you're doing something right to be in the position you are, but until you ditch the cards you can scratch me off your list of fans.

And how can you have a game set in Terrinoth without dice?? It just doesn't seem right :P

Dice just for the sake or dice can be fun, but if there is another way to implement combat that can still have the random factor, but allow a little more control in the risk management, it can't be all that bad.

Granted, it's a matter of tastes.  But Starcraft is immensely popular (probably moreso than Runebound and Descent), as is Battlestar Galactica - Corey does seem to have a knack for making card-based combat strategic, yet still with an element of "luck". 

The question I would ask, have you tried Starcraft?  If so, and you didn't like it, then fair enough - this game may not work for you.  But I think some of these ideas are nice - they break away from the "norm" and make combat interesting without making it TOO abstract.  Dice can be nice, but dice just for dice sake isn't necessary good or bad - but it can be somewhat bland by today's standards.

I like my Titan-style dicefests on occasion, but sometimes having a little more tactical control can be nice, too.

Dice in wargames are a big plus. Combat can be resolved quickly. It's fun, it's fast, it's active and if you get emotionally involved you can dispense your anger on the dice.

The card-driven combat in, let's say, Starcraft is good but can be a bottleneck with slow, annoying, players. I would always recommend against it in complex games which take an evening to play or longer.

But whatever the system I'd buy Runewars just on looks. :P