So far, I've played:

-Descent, which I LOVE

-Battlelore, which I like a lot lot lot

-Runebound which I enjoyed for our first game

So, the pros for Runebound for me are:

-I haven't played 4X games, but was wishing for a long time (for instance, I was considering Clash of Cultures)

-I love the Terrinoth universe

-From what I've read, it would fit nicely in our 1/2 couple playgroup

-Units are really close to Battlelore 2nd Ed., despite it is older

Cons:

-It doesn't feel streamlined and elegant, e.g., hero mechanic seems redundant

-FFG is best at 2nd editions :-D So maybe it would be worthwhile to wait for Runewars as well?

-The art seems to be inferior to other current edition of Terrinoth games

-Maybe wait until it is on sale like Battles of Westeros?

So, what would be your advice?

Buy it NOW!!!!

It's one of the best games FFG have done. It got a revised edition instead of a second edition because so little needed changing.

Should I take it together with the expansion right off the bat?

The expansion has a ton of extra content and was released at the same time as the revised edition, you wouldn't be disappointed if you bought them together.

A lot of the expansion content is optional, you pick and choose which bits to include in your game, you would probably want to play with the core game first and then start adding bits and pieces.

Do the units the come with the expansion improve the balance?

Any other folks have any opinion on the topic?

Yes and no.

The new units add more variety and the elves needed the boost from the new units as they seem a little below par with just the base game.

More units does mean that when one player gets out in front they can get even more of a lead due to not being capped by available models so soon.

It's not just about the units though, the expansion adds faction specific upgrades for the units and buildings, a new order to help on defence and more things for the players to aim for (e.g. rise of the free cities mode) so home bases are not targeted as much.

Runewars is one of my favourite games as well as Descent 2ed.

Due to it's playtime (be prepared for 8+ hours for the first games) I haven't played it a ton, but quite enough to be able to say that it's an extremely solid game with very little room for further streamlining. The hero-phase imo adds a nice breeze of adventure that fits so well in the fantasy universe and I wouldn't want to miss the whole hero mechanic.

Also the revised edition features a few mechanics introduced by the expansion, so it got a little bit refinement indeed and isn't something that hasn't been "patched" since release.

That being said, I haven't bought the expansion and I think the game is completely fine and big enough without expansion. If I and my friends had more time to play this more often, I probably would have gotten the expansion by now, because it adds a few more units for each faction and more tiles, which means more variety if you play it a lot, but nothing gamechanging that raises the game to a new level.

My advice: Get the game without the expansion first and play it a few times, there is more than enough content to be overwhelmed for the first few games. Then see how much this gets played and eventually get the expansion if it gets played really often.

I agree with Damaz. No need to buy the game with the expansion at first.
By the way if indeed you enjoy it you will want it as it brings a lot more content. (not really a H&M pack :-) - worth the money)

I consider it as the most tactical and strategic game of the terrinoth universe. Ressources management is pretty cool.
It is the synthesis of Descent/Battlelore&RuneAge.
A musthave if you enjoy Terrinoth.

Definite buy, but it doesn't need the expansion at first.

I have recently received as gift the expansion before knowing that FFG will reprint it.

I hope there won't be changes in the components but only in the rules since there are some mechanics (e.g. commanders) which don't integrate so well with the reviewed edition (which I own).

I have recently received as gift the expansion before knowing that FFG will reprint it.

I hope there won't be changes in the components but only in the rules since there are some mechanics (e.g. commanders) which don't integrate so well with the reviewed edition (which I own).

A reprint is the same as the previous print run, maybe with errata included.

It's a great game and the expansion does add alot. I've enjoyed playing it with friends a bunch and would recommend it for anyone who enjoys strategy-based fantasy games. I like the expansion but I felt like it unbalanced the factions slightly; it's been awhile since I played, but as I recall the demonic faction had only 1 flying unit, whereas the other three had at least 2 if not 3. Still, I play it whenever possible so yeah, worth the purchase.

We played it once 2 player, and twice 4 player - with the expansion, but no add-ons.

I like it, but I think we were able to do max. 4 turns in 6 hours - so that's a bit of a bummer.

We played it once 2 player, and twice 4 player - with the expansion, but no add-ons.

I like it, but I think we were able to do max. 4 turns in 6 hours - so that's a bit of a bummer.

You will hopefully find that as you play you get faster.