Runebound probably hasn't been reprinted because...

By Artaterxes, in Runebound

...it would compete with Talisman, which Fantasy Flight also makes. I doubt Fantasy Flight thinks Runebound is a bad game to reprint. I think they just want Talisman to finish.

They stopped making Runebound two years after they started Talisman , and have focused on Talisman alone for four years.

Talisman is either already finished with The Woodland , or it is close to finishing (perhaps another small and big box expansion). Either way, they do not need to have Talisman completely finished to announce a new Runebound ; it just has to be close to ending.

Similarly they might not have released any new expansions for Runewars because they just introduced a competitor: BattleLore 2 . They will probably see which game sells better, then kill one and focus on the other.

This is all just speculation of course.

But if I'm right, we could see a new Runebound announcement sometime soon.

A third edition of Runebound would really be amazing. Think about all that Fantasy Flight has learned from Talisman . They would make Runebound 3 ridiculously good.

Edited by Artaterxes

You may be on to something there. I doubt RB would have fallen under GW's "non-compete" clause in their partnership, being a pre-existing product, but they may well have decided two fantasy wanderlust games was too many.

Well, I sure wish they'd at least do =something= with RB - prices on Ebay and the like are soaring.

The Witcher Adventure game, although based on an entirely different IP/universe, looks a lot like I picture a third edition of Runebound could look in terms of mechanics…

Edited by TwiceBornh

Further to my previous post...

The Witcher Adventure game looks a lot like standard competitive Runebound.

Legends of Andor looks like it would fill the niche of a cooperative Runebound: http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_minisite.asp?eidm=219&enmi=Legends%20of%20Andor.

I've never played Talisman, but the Witcher and Andor presumably overlap somewhat with Talisman's niche, as well, and there is some speculation that Talisman may be nearing the end of its run.

Beyond that, I hate to say it, but both Witcher and Andor look pretty good, judging by the limited info I've seen/read about them (I haven't tried them yet, but I am considering buying them, either for myself or as gifts for other gaming buddies). Legends of Andor already has several expansions printed for it in German (the language it was first published in) and other languages… so if FFG's English version sells well, one would expect the expansions to be released over the next few years as well.

If both the Witcher Adventure game and Legends of Andor (both release din fall 2014) do well, then I don't expect we'll see Runebound 3e hitting the market for several more years... but perhaps we'll see a limited edition or anniversary edition released later in 2015 to mark the tenth anniversary of Runebound 2e? Just speculating, of course.

EDIT (Dec. 3, 2014): Just realized that the English version of Legends of Andor was actually released in 2013, and given its award-winning status in Europe, I'm surprised that FFG has not done more to promote it (i.e., no translation/release of German-language expansions). Maybe now that FFG has joined the Asmodee Group, they'll do more to support Legends of Andor? Or perhaps the game sold really poorly in North America and has been deemed unsuccessful by FFG (I thought it had recently been reprinted)??? If it has not fared well, that may benefit an eventual resurgence of Runebound (especially if The Witcher Adventure Game also has limited success).

Edited by TwiceBornh

Seeing as how ANdor is being reprinted by another comp[any now and they are actually do the expansions I would guess FFG gav eup on a winner. The Witcher although a brilliant property and computer game is a complete failure as an adventure BG. They tied the designers hands to much in making it a mass appeal game to stick in every big store. It just isn't worth your time to play. Hopefully this will convince FFG to put out a 3rd edition of RB.

I was surprised to find that Rune Age is listed on the "Upcoming" section of the site as "Awaiting Reprint." Does this mean there is still demand for Rune Age? And might that bode well for the eventual resurrection of Runebound (always thought RB was more popular than RA)?