With Runewars’ core box, you’ve all of two factions to start. The elves are on the way, so that’ll be a few months before we see them at least.
No matter the faction, each unit has a unique point cost based on formation. How many trays wide by how many trays deep sets the price. (Prices are on the opposite sides of the card so thus, not shown)
There are the Daqan, basically the ‘good’ guys, with 4 different units.
On the most basic level the Spearman the 1 shield, 1 wound basic infantry. The double surge ability giving them an inspiration boon token is a pleasant ability to help protect them from panic and other bane tokens.
Oathsworn Cavalry is the next step up 2 shields but only 1 wound. In my play testing, they can romp, but they’re brittle in a stand up fight. Hit and then get out of there if what they hit is still standing. Like spearman, a double surge for an inspiration token is ‘nice’ but the impact 1 to hand out a panic token as part of contacting with a charge gives the unit a bit more power. I do kind of which that as part of the impact of the charge there might have been an extra attack die involved, but none the less, FFG went with panic instead.
Rune Golems with 4 shield and 2 wound immediately suggest a lumbering, powerful beast, that if you get through it’s armor will go down. With the variability of magic, the Brutal keyword can really make these things effective in melee especially when combined with 2 red die. Best case, you might score 4 hits, add in Brutal for a 2x or great multiplier and that’s some serious damage. If they magic isn’t there tho, they won’t do well against Ardus or Carrion Lancers.
Kari is the one hero in the core box. What seems to be reserved to heros she gets to roll the 12 sided white die in both melee and ranged combat. Unfortunately she’s also the only ranged unit the Daqan have at the moment. Further her surge ability to hand out damage during melee to nearby enemy is fantastic. For targeting say reanimates or reanimate archers, nearby that can really help turn the tide. Add in 3 shield and 4 wounds, she can stand and hold her place in your battle line.
Next up we have the Waiqar, and their ‘bad to the bone’ units…
The Reanimates are the basic foot soldier. With 1 shield, 1 wound, pretty much grunts but regenerating grunts as depending on how the magic falls that round, they could get back some number to refill their ranks. A really nice variable but undependable way to keep the unit viable.
The Reanimate Archers are the only unit in the Waiqar that have ranged attacks. They are likewise 1/1 in melee and will have a hard time standing in a fight. They also have the great ability to hand out blight tokens with a double surge result using their arrows. Blight gets ride of an attack die when used so it’s a nice ability. The Archers also pair well with the Carrion Lancers.
The Lancers are sort of a Cav like unit for the Waiqar, with 3 shield, 3 wounds, they’ll stick around. Best of all during Melee if the unit you are attacking has a blight token, and the lancers get surges, they’ll do an unblockable wound. Great way to burn down something with lots of shields. The Lancers also have a great secondary ability and that is they can hand out blight tokens to any enemy unit at range.
Last is Ardus, the hero of the Waiqar, rolling a double white in melee unlike any other current units on the table. His attack ability pulls in the surge abilities of nearby allies. As an example, if he’s distance 1-3 to a Carrion Lancer and he’s attacking he gets to take advantage of doing an unblockable wound if the unit he is attacking has a blight token.
All in all that’s what we have to work with for a few weeks/months before the expansion boxes are to show up. For me the next interesting brain exercise is how to get to 200 pts and with what. Having two core sets now, that doesn’t get you there since you can’t field a unique hero twice. Upgrades certainly will take up some amount of the points, but I’m not sure with the current set of upgrade cards, even spending 30-40 some points in upgrades seems to be somewhat hard.