I did my first game of Runewars yesterday, and it seems to be a very great game !

However, I found neutral units very weak when in battle against them, since they are often 2 or 3 in an area and we are usualy be able to attack them
with 6-8 friendly units. Tally their strength usualy could never be more than 2 or 3, and I was always with a tallied strength between 4 and 6 during battles against them...

It seems that neutral units are not real challenges for the players and are more like some "little" encounters which are here to slow (very few) their developement.

Am I right ?

If it were not for neutral units at the start of the game, each player could claim 5 (or more depending on how many hexes their home territories start next to). I thjink they add an interesting part to the game.

The dragons and giants make great allies, but so do the hellhounds, and even sorcerers can be cool if they get their orb off. As has been pointed out before, they also make good boundaries. A rival player sends forces to take over a hex with neutrals, thus activating it. You can then counter attack them after they have hopefully taken a few losses. You can also force them to send 6-8 units now if they have any hopes of keeping said hex :+)

I don't get the impression that neutral units are intended to be a big problem. Your real challenge is meant to come from the other players vying for control of the dragon runes. Neutral units are just one more speed bump to be dealt with. Maybe they attack you, maybe they join you, maybe they just shuffle around the board looking for a home where they'll be left alone (fat chance!) No matter what happens, they aren't designed to be a wall that blocks you from progressing in the game. Although I'm sure, as with any game, there are a few people who just have sh*tty luck...

So far I’m found them a good deterrent for the first couple of years, and it does look menacing later on when you have a dragon fighting in your armies. The only thing I don’t like it how easy it is to make some of the larger ones retreat. Nothing a house rule or two won’t fix.