It's 2:00 AM and I just woke up from a fever-induced dream/dillusion/hallucination where I was playing BattleLore, but it wasn't BattleLore. It was like Runewars, the board game because we all had order cards that determined our initiative. But then, we were moving and attacking units like some sort of miniatures game. After waking up, I realized that the way units change initiative from round to round in RuneWars: TMG is a spiritual successor to Runewars: TBG.
In Runewars, you play one order card each season. The order card tells you the action(s) you take during that game round. Each order card has an initiative value (up to 8) so the order you play also determines player turn order for that round. It's a neat mechanic for several reasons. First, turn order is not decided for the whole game, which mixes things up a bit. Second, the theme is great where moving troops to a neighboring area is faster than say, harvesting resources or building a stronghold. Third, this adds a great strategic element because sometimes, for example, you really want to Recruit some new units at a poorly-defended stronghold, but you know your opponent could play a lower-initiative order like Conquer, and take over your stronghold before you even get a chance to Recruit, so you may be better off with a Garrison or Strategize order that could let you get a defense bonus or move units into the stronghold from elsewhere. Of course, your opponent can predict a Garrison order and hold off on attacking for one season, so maybe the Recruit IS the right order.
I don't know why I didn't see the similarity between order card initiative and action initiative on the dials between Runewars and RuneWars. I find this very exciting because I've been wondering what — other than theme — is the same between Runewars and RuneWars? Why give them the same name? This initiative business ties these games a little closer together, which I find neat. So I guess I have to thank my fever-dream for this added clarity.
Edited by Budgernaut