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Runebound is a classic adventure game from Fantasy Flight Games in which mighty heroes must take on the perils of Terrinoth. The game can be largely played without conflict between the players but victory can only be claimed by the first player to defeat the Dragonlord Margath, so the players are actually in a race to level up and acquire powerful weapons, armour and allies in order to take on the final adversary.
Runebound features a series of 4 Adventure Decks that helps to pace the speed of the game and ensures that the players level up by acquiring experience before they are ready to take on a harder set of challenges (events and monsters).
Several of the key features of Runebound are that combat is played out in 3 phases, Ranged, Melee and Magic and a player has the ability to specialise in a particular discipline, although this may make them vulnerable against certain creatures. The game also features a novel movement system using a series of terrain dice.
Runebound is playable solo and is expandable by many adventure packs that alter the final challenge (replacing the Dragonlord for example). Runebound 2nd Edition also has a series of big box expansions that provide a new map or central map overlay to alter the game in some way.
Runebound 2nd Edition is different from 1st Edition in that the original game featured a d20 and this was replaced by 2 10-sided dice, which helped to better balance the luck factor.
- rich expansion ecosystem
- huge world to explore
- solo-friendly with expansions
- heavy rules burden
- setup and teardown can be lengthy
- epic fantasy sandbox with a sprawling map
- fantasy realm full of questing and exploration
- open-world, quest-driven progression with modular content
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Campaign-style progression — persistent character advancement across sessions
- deck-based item/power system — equipment and abilities come from decks that shape play
- Exploration and questing — players explore a large world map and undertake quests
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a really really simple game you basically do the same thing every turn you move your character into a new room you draw an encounter card you face that encounter rinse and repeat
- if you are into pulp fiction if you are into adventure fiction this is the game for you
- Dungeon Crusade has the best dungeon tile art and i've ever seen i absolutely love the way that various dungeons look
- there are a ton of expansions from the small box expansions which just kind of add a whole bunch of cards
- it's absolutely dripping with theme this game feels like you are playing an old hammer house of horror movie in a board game
References (from this video)
- Strong sandbox potential and openness to house rules
- Fan-made expansions add significant variety
- Rule tweaks can speed play
- Base rules can feel long or slow without adjustments
- Sandbox exploration, progression, and questing in a shared fantasy setting.
- Fantasy world designed for exploration with a hex-based map and open-ended adventures.
- Array
- Talisman Second Edition
- Shadows of Brimstone
- Folklore: The Affliction
- HeroQuest
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- character progression / leveling — Characters improve over time to enable deeper exploration.
- Combat: Deck/Hand — Decks provide quests, monsters, and encounters during play.
- hex-based exploration — Movement and exploration on a hex grid with varied regions.
- Hexagon Grid — Movement and exploration on a hex grid with varied regions.
- market and item acquisition — Items and equipment influenced by market rules and optional additions.
- quest and encounter decks — Decks provide quests, monsters, and encounters during play.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- "I am a huge proponent of house ruling"
- "if there's a game you somewhat like and there's just one little thing that you could change to make it better"
- "HeroQuest is my number one game to play with house rules"
- "these decks of cards make the sandbox style gameplay more varied and more exciting"
References (from this video)
- Influential for later adventure games
- Too much luck; older design compared to modern games
- Questing, exploration, companions and dragons
- Fantasy adventure world
- Story-driven adventure with modular missions
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Adventure-driven exploration / combat — Dice-driven movement, treasure, and encounters; dragon-themed missions
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- "The concept of jumping out at the right moment, I think it's amusing"
- "Doom was the precursor. Doom the board game, which was 83 for me in 2005, fell off the list instantly"
- "Waterfall Park has better components. It's brighter"
- "It's a very strategic, very fun game"