Silhouette decided not to light a campfire, and to take what shelter she could in the mouth of a damp cave. The last few days had brought relentless rain, along with the nagging suspicion that she was being followed... stalked from the shadows. Tonight she would sleep lightly, with the valuable artifact safe in a leather satchel under her head. Sure enough, her fears were confirmed when a gruff and familiar voice awoke her hours later. “Rise and shine, my dear,” taunted the voice, echoing off the cave walls. “I’ll be taking that bag, if you please... and no sudden moves.” The cave was draped in darkness, but Silhouette could faintly feel Bogran’s hot breath on her face. Her old adversary was close. Under the blanket, she drew her daggers...

Welcome to the third preview for the upcoming board game of conquest, adventure, and fantasy empires, Runewars! Over the past two previews, we’ve explored the mechanics surrounding resource management and combat, while at the same time catching a glimpse at two exciting factions, the Latari Elves and the armies of Waiqar the Undying. Today’s preview will be drawing heavily on concepts established in those two articles, so if you haven’t read them yet, you should do so first.

We’ll continue our tour of the factions of Runewars with a sneak peek at the versatile Daqan Lords, and we’ll see how Objective Cards can be used as part of a viable game-winning strategy.

The Faction Sheet of the Daqan Lords. Click to Enlarge.

The noble Daqan Lords of Terrinoth were among the first to see the remarkable potential of the dragon runes, but many believe that it was their reluctance to take decisive and immediate action that has allowed Waiqar the Undying to gain the military foothold he currently possesses. Now, they are beset by enemies on all sides, including former allies, and Waiqar’s dark power grows greater by the day.

A versatile force, The Daqan Lords begin the game with two Tactic Cards and three Influence Tokens, and the setup of their resource dials allows them to quickly replenish both by playing the appropriate seasonal Order Card (check out our first preview for more on using the resource dials). To acquire even more Tactic Cards, however, put the formidable Knights into play. In addition to being of the powerful “rectangle” class of units, their special ability allows them to draw new Tactic Cards. They even have the fast ability, which lets them traverse three areas of the map, rather than the standard two!

The Knights may not get a chance to fight, however, if the quick and deadly Bowmen take out the enemy first. With their Concentrated Fire special ability, they can bring down large units with haste. The Footmen, another Daqan unit, are outstanding shock troops; their abundance on the food dial makes them relatively easy to put into play, and while they are comparable to Waiqar’s Reanimates (see our previous preview), their lower initiative rating makes them faster on the battlefield.

Finally, the massive Siege Towers boast an impressive three hit points. Their strength lies in their special ability, however; once triggered, Siege Towers essentially count as additional units when determining the winner of a battle. At the end of any battle, each combatant counts his or her remaining (alive and not routed) units, and the total is the “strength” of that army. The army with the lower total strength has been beaten, and must retreat to adjacent area, if able. But with Siege Towers in play, the Daqan Lords can easily tip this count in their favor, so enemies would be wise to target these immense structures first, if they can.

So far, we’ve seen three of the factions vying for control over the dragon runes (command of six areas containing them will grant victory), and indeed all of Mennara. Clearly, dragon runes can be claimed through conquest, by raising an army and marching on the areas held by your foes. But what other, more subtle approaches are there?

The fan-favorite heroes of the Runebound universe, including Ronan of the Wild, Verikas the Dead, and others, can embark on perilous quests in search of dragon runes, or can even duel each other for control of them; we’ll take a look at heroes, questing, and dueling in a future preview. For now, let’s focus on another path power, the Objective Cards.

Objective Cards come in two types, good and evil, and they include conditions that a player can meet in order to earn a dragon rune. Each player receives one at the beginning of the game, and under certain circumstances (the drawing of a particular seasonal event), more can be acquired. Kept secret from all opponents, these cards create an exciting level of tension and mystery. Why is your opponent seeking food, when clearly he needs wood? Why is he apparently hoarding his neutral units without using them? Why is he spreading his forces so thin in the late game? What does he know that you don’t? The paranoia created by these secret objectives adds yet another irresistible layer of strategy to the Runewars experience.

Check back throughout the next week! We have yet to preview heroes and questing, as well as the neutral units that populate Mennara and the mechanics of diplomacy necessary to claim them.

Runewars is an epic board game of conquest, adventure, and fantasy empires. Two to four players raise armies, gather resources, and race to collect the elusive and powerful dragon runes in the high-fantasy universe of Runebound.

Verikas crouched under the shade of a large boulder to inspect the spoils of his duel. His winnings had not come easily; his foe had been quick and muscular, and that damnable rodent kept getting in the way... but already Verikas’ wounds were closing, and he could feel his dark master’s power surging through him once again. Nearby, a carrion bird landed, drawn by the smell of death, but it cocked its head in a confused sideways glance and flew off, complaining loudly. Opening the blood-spattered satchel, his eyes gleamed with an unnatural blue light. “I’ve found it,” he muttered. Had his lips not rotted away years before, Verikas the Dead would have been smiling. “My master will be most pleased...”

Welcome to the second preview for the upcoming board game of conquest, adventure, and fantasy empires, Runewars! Last time, we took a look at the mysterious and cunning Latari Elves, we broke down the various parts of a Faction Sheet, and we discovered the significance of resource gathering in a faction’s ability to generate units, Influence Tokens, and Tactic Cards. If you haven’t read that preview, you should do that first.

Today, we’ll catch a glimpse at another exciting faction set to storm the lands of Mennara this winter: the vile undead armies of Waiqar the Undying. We’ll also check out Runewars’ innovative card-based combat system, and we’ll see how the all-important Tactic Cards have the potential to affect the outcome of the game.

Before greed filled his heart and foul necromancy twisted his soul, Waiqar was among the most respected generals in Mennara, and he was a great friend to its people. But it was in response to his betrayal that the wise scholars of Terrinoth spread the Dragon Runes across the realm, and Waiqar the Undying has since been single-minded in his pursuit of their power.

The Faction Sheet of Waiqar the Undying, lord of the undead. Click the above image to enlarge.

In battle, Waiqar the Undying commands legions of animated dead, including monstrous Skeleton Archers, wicked Necromancers, and fearsome Dark Knights. His unholy control over them gives him expanded tactical options in combat, and as you can see from the Faction Sheet above, the undead begin the game with three Tactic Cards. These cards add options that can surprise unwary opponents on the battlefield, and if played cleverly, Tactic Cards can mean the difference between victory and defeat.

Battle Cry can bolster the attack strength of your armies, while Summon Lightning can be used to draw an overconfident enemy into a costly mistake.

Tactic Cards aren’t only about battle, however. Many of them, in fact, affect the more diplomatic or economic aspects of the game. With Establish Trade Route, you can grab a much-needed resource when you need it... as long as you’re willing to similarly benefit one of your opponents.

We’ve demonstrated that Tactic Cards can be vital to your plans both in and out of battle, but how does battle work in the first place? How do you know how powerful a given unit will be in combat?

First, take another look at the units available in Waiqar the Undying’s army. As we established in our last preview, the numbers on the far right side represent Initiative. When combat occurs, it takes place over five rounds; all of the “Initiative one” units attack, followed by the “Initiative two” units, and so on. It is therefore possible that your formidable (but slow) Dark Knights never see any action, if your weaker (but faster) Skeleton Archers wipe out the competition early.

What about the other elements of a unit’s description? First, each unit has a combat ability represented by a shape; a triangle, circle, rectangle, or hexagon can be found near the portrait of each unit (also, these shapes are the bases for the game’s plastic figures). These four shapes are the cornerstone of Runewars’ innovative card-based combat system.

When any number of Skeleton Archers attacks, the player controlling them draws a Fate Card from the appropriate deck. Fate Cards serve as a sort of all-purpose randomizer, and are used in battle, hero duels, diplomacy, and even setup! Take a look at the fate card to the right; if a Skeleton Archer were to draw this as his combat card, we would look at the quadrant of the card that shows a triangle (the upper left, since that is the shape associated with the unit in question). There, you can see an icon indicating that one point of damage has been inflicted.

Had the triangle corner been blank, this would indicate a miss by the Skeleton Archers. The triangle corner might also have revealed a flag icon that routs an opposing unit, taking them out of play (but not killing them) temporarily, or an orb icon that triggers the Skeleton Archer’s special ability, Mortal Strike. These special abilities are yet another way that each faction displays its unique play style; Waiqar the Undying’s Necromancers, for example, can raise Reanimates quickly, and overwhelm opponents with hordes of shambling undead!

Keep checking back! Mennara is a vast realm, full of many perils. In future previews, we’ll look at the two remaining factions. We’ll also see the terrifying neutral forces that roam the land, as well as how they can be tamed through diplomacy!

Runewars is an epic board game of conquest, adventure, and fantasy empires. Two to four players raise armies, gather resources, and race to collect the elusive and powerful dragon runes in the high-fantasy universe of Runebound.

Pico’s ears perked up, then he chattered noisily and scurried behind a nearby bush. “What is it old friend? What do you hear?” muttered Ronan as he hastily smothered the campfire he had lit the night before. Pico had already disappeared into the undergrowth when his master heard it... a great rumbling from above. Rushing beneath the cover of a nearby tree, Ronan of the Wild squinted toward the eastern sky, where like a great black cloud, a massive flock of razorwings began to block out the dim morning light. Filling the air with piercing shrieks and the beating of a thousand wings, the vile demons flew westward. “Come, Pico,” commanded Ronan sharply. “We must hurry; the Elves must be warned...”

Welcome to the first preview for Runewars, the upcoming epic board game of conquest, adventure, and fantasy empires! Today, we’ll take a look at the one of the exciting factions in Runewars, and we’ll explore some of the mechanics that make each faction unique.

We’ll begin our tour of the factions of Runewars with a look at the enigmatic Latari Elves. These forest-dwellers are from an ancient society, and their countless generations of experience and influence give them the edge in diplomatic situations. Their military might is not to be trifled with, however. Keen hunters possessing an uncanny oneness with nature, their innumerable Archers are renowned throughout all of Mennara... and in combat, their armies move with a wind-like swiftness.

To understand the unique personality of this faction (and indeed all four of them), we need to see how a Runewars Faction Sheet breaks down.

A Faction Sheet for the Latari Elves. Click the above image to enlarge.

The Latari Elves are a “Good” aligned faction, as indicated by the icon in the lower left corner of the above Faction Sheet, meaning that heroes that share this alignment are more likely to stay loyal (we’ll see more on the heroes of Terrinoth in a future preview). Just to the right of that information, you’ll see two more icons accompanied by numbers. These are the number of Tactics Cards and Influence Tokens that the faction begins the game with.

A peaceful people, the Latari Elves were caught unaware by the vile forces of Waiqar the Undying, and only reluctantly took up arms to defend their age-old way of life. That being the case, they begin the game with only one Tactic Card, the cards that offer surprising and powerful maneuvers in battle. Their ancient ties to the realm, however, give them formidable influence over its people and politics, so they begin the game with four Influence Tokens. These tokens act as a currency in several diplomatic situations, from adding neutral armies to your own forces, to claiming powerful political titles that can help you acquire Dragon Runes and win the game!

But how do you acquire more Tactic Cards and Influence Tokens as the game progresses? It is chiefly a matter of adeptly managing the dials on your Faction Sheet, which means controlling resource rich areas and harvesting those areas (through the use of Order Cards, which we’ll detail in a future preview) at opportune times.

As you spread your armies across the map, you’ll take over areas that entitle you to claim more of Runewars’ three resources: food, wood, and ore. Let’s take a closer look at the food dial from the above Faction Sheet.

The Latari Elves' food dial. By playing an "Acquire Power" Order Card as his seasonal order, this player could gain one Influence Token from this dial. Similarly, he could gain one Warrior unit by playing a "Recruit" Order Card. In either case, the dial remains unmoved unless a "Harvest" Order Card raises or lowers it.

The Latari Elves begin the game with two food, three wood, and two ore, meaning that their respective dials start out pointing at these numbers. Part of what gives each faction a unique play style, therefore, is the ease with which they can gather certain units, as well as Tactic Cards and Influence Tokens. With only two food icons controlled, the Latari Elves can claim one Influence Token whenever they execute the applicable Order Card. And if you look at their wood dial, you’ll see that they can quickly establish a sizable force of Archers, as long as they control enough wood-providing areas. When you play a "Recruit" Order Card, you may claim all units at or below the chosen resource's dial. In other words, the Elves may recruit two Archers based solely on the three wood they begin with!

Two resource rich areas, highlighting the resources they hold (the southern one provides three food and the northern one provides two ore). By controlling these areas and playing a "Harvest" Order Card, a player may readjust his resource dials to include his newfound wealth.

Finally, take a look at the right side of the Latari Elves’ Faction Sheet, which provides details on their available units. The number at the far right gives the Initiative rating of the unit to its left, so an Archer has an Initiative of one, while a Warrior has an Initiative of four. Other factions may have slower, more powerful units that occupy the “5” space of the Initiative track, but the Elves’ are generally quicker (though perhaps less robust) in combat, and this contrast is masterfully represented through this initiative mechanic. We’ll take a closer look at initiative and combat in a future preview, however.

Each unit also has its own special abilities, and they are indicated here. The Pegasus Rider’s Flying ability lets it soar over mountains and rivers that are impassible to other armies, and its Fast ability lets it traverse three areas in a single move.

All of this adds up to create a unique, immersive, and well-balanced experience for a player selecting the Latari Elves. This faction can grow its armies quickly through both diplomacy and judicious resource management, but they should strike early, or risk facing the formidable late-game units of their opponents.

Check back regularly; in our next preview we’ll look at one of the evil factions, and we’ll see the specific mechanics behind Runewars’ innovative card-based combat system!

Runewars is an epic board game of conquest, adventure, and fantasy empires. Two to four players raise armies, gather resources, and race to collect the elusive and powerful dragon runes in the high-fantasy universe of Runebound.

In the distant origin of FFG, three games were published in the “Hexplay” series. The first, FFG’s very first game, was Twilight Imperium (1997), the second Battlemist (1998), and the third Thunder’s Edge (1999).

Twilight Imperium would come to enjoy three editions, a profound gaming legacy, and remains one of FFG’s best-selling active titles today. Thunder’s Edge sold out quietly only a few years ago, never receiving the attention of its predecessors. The first (and only) printing of Battlemist sold out about 20 months after its release, sometime during the year 2000.

At the time the last copy of Battlemist left our warehouse, FFG was embroiled in the (for us, at the time) huge success of our Diskwars game and the creation of the new edition of the Blue Planet role-playing game. Except for working on the second edition of Twilight Imperium and a few small games such as Drakon, and Orcz, we were not very focused on board-games during those years. Thus, Battlemist was forgotten. 

The players, however, would not let us forget. Battlemist has over the years been one of the most requested titles stemming from FFG’s early years. It seemed that no other publisher would rise to the occasion and scratch the itch of a fantasy empire-building, battles, quests, and resource management romp.

So, a little less than 3 years ago, I drew up early plans to resurrect Battlemist. It would be a completely revamped game using the modern game-design principles FFG has followed and developed since the release of A Game of Thrones in 2003 (If you play the 1st edition of Twilight Imperium and then 3rd edition of Twilight Imperium, I think you will be able to see how our game-design philosophy has evolved).

With the publication of Battlelore, however (which we later acquired from Days of Wonder), we became concerned that the title Battlemist would be confusing, or even seem contrived, to a marketplace in love with Battelore (even if our title originated years earlier). With that in mind, we decided to directly make the game fit within FFG’s Runebound universe, which also encompasses our Descent: Journey’s in the Dark game. What was to be entitled "Battlemist 2nd Edition" was instead re-named Runewars. 

In many ways this was a wonderful development, as we could now finally tell the story of how the world and background of Battlemist (which was also shared in Diskwars) tied into that of of the Runebound universe, something that you’ll hear more about in the months ahead.

When it came to designing a new Runewars game, it was clear that few-to-none of the original Battlemist mechanics should remain, but that we wanted to retain the emotion, style, and fun that had been at the heart of Battlemist (which has often been described as a “Fantasy Twilight Imperium”). To forge it, there were none better than FFG’s own Corey Konieczka. From Corey’s brilliant work on Warrior Knights to Battlestar Galactica, as well as his work on the Twilight Imperium: Shattered Empire expansion, and the A Game of Thrones: A Storm of Swords expansion, Corey has time-and-again proven to clearly understand FFG’s vision for games, and that he could bring his unparalleled design and development acumen to great effect in our re-envisioning of Battlemist.

I’m therefore proud to officially announce the spiritual successor to Battlemist, Corey Konieczka’s newest design: The fantasy empire-building board game Runewars. 

Runewars is the sixth game shipping in FFG’s massive “epic” size box, and embodies all the love, craft, and gaming excellence that FFG knows how to place into a board game. In the weeks ahead we will provide you with detailed previews of the various parts of Runewars, which I hope you’ll find half as exciting as I do.

Your’s Truly,

Christian T. Petersen
CEO and Founder
Fantasy Flight Games

Runewars is an epic board game of conquest, adventure, and fantasy empires. Two to four players raise armies, gather resources, and race to collect the elusive and powerful dragon runes in the high-fantasy universe of Runebound.