Now that players are getting the game in there hands, what is the play time?

I've played the intro scenario (Brother Against Brother) twice now. The first game took us about 3.5 hours but neither of us had read the rules beforehand.

Second game took about 2.5 hours and there was still some heavy rules referencing going on.

I'd say once both players get the rules down, the game could be done in 1 and a half to two hours.

I should note that none of the above times include the initial set up time, which can be a tad lengthy as well.

That sounds pretty good to me, I do not think you could get a game far below 2 hour without lose of stratigic thinking depth, but I do not want an all nighter game out of this either, 2-3 hours is ideal.

First session was largely exploratory, as only one of us knew the rules (and as I discovered, not nearly as well as I'd imagined).

The game is incredibly nuanced with a ton of rules. I for one can appreciate it's complexity, as I favor Twilight Imperium and games like that. Our first session clocked in at 4hrs, and we'd only moved 3/4 of the way across the Initiative count.

I would expect with two well versed players with good purpose could manage a 2hr session. But probably no quicker than that.

My first game when niether of us knew the rules was 2.5 hours long. My second game was 1.5, and that includes 2 short breaks. I am sure hour long games are possible, if there is no screwing around.