In Runebound, you and your opponents take on the roles of heroes questing across the land in search of adventure. Along the way, you will find magical artifacts and cunning allies help you in your quest. You will also encounter terrible villains and fiendish traps you must overcome in order to complete your quest.

The heart of Runebound is the adventure. The adventure determines the object of your quest, and what wonders and obstacles you will encounter along the way.

The adventure included in the base Runebound set is "Rise of the Dragon Lords." In this adventure, the vile necromancer Vorakesh is trying to find the ancient Dragon Runes and use them to resurrect Margath, the long-dead High Lord of the evil dragons. As a Hero of the land, it is your duty to stop Vorakesh from carrying out his mad designs.

Runebound expansions, such as Shadows of Margath and Island of Dread contain further adventures.