I have very recently gotten in to Rune Wars. With some of the prices being quite cheap have picked up 2x Core Set and 2x each of the Latari Elves and Uthuk Yllan Core Sets.

What else is vital to pick up? I don't plan to get everything but want to get the important units for each faction. I see that the Death Knights and Viper Legion seem to be quite good? Are the Infantry Upgrade expansions important? Curious which non Core Set/Large Faction expansions are the most important to get. Also, please also state if a Vital Expansion requires multiple for that expansion to be worthwhile.

Congratulations on getting into the game. As you’ve noted, the prices are quite cheap right now and there’s a lot of game to play....

The Latari and Uthuk both fight very differently. The Latari tend to “stick and move” while the Uthuk play, “Killdozer”.

The Death Knights are an expansion for the Waiqar (Undead), so unless you’re planning to play that faction, you may want to avoid that one.

For the Latari, the two stand-alone heroes, Maegan and Prince Faolan are both highly useful and give you a lot of force building options. The Ventala (the last expansion for the Latari) are very helpful but generally require some additional training to fully use. If you bought another box of Archers (to field a 3x2) a couple of Scions (trees), and some Leonx Riders (to make a 2x2), you should have a pretty good force.

For the Uthuk, it’s about damage and Ravos with his Spined Threshers does that quite well. I like to put in the Viper Legion to give a ranged threat. I don’t see a lot of love for the Flesh Rippers and Obscenes, so maybe you stick with some Threshers and Viper Legion. Kethra seems to be the more popular of the two heroes available beyond the core set.

Thanks for the response. Are Death Knights pretty required for Waiqar or are they just a decent option? Do any of the Death Knights or Vipers require buying multiples to maximize their effectiveness or are you pretty good with just 1 expansion of each? How about the Ventala?

Also, what are your thoughts on the Infantry Command Upgrade expansions? Are those pretty important or are they just kind of whatever?

So I have armies without Death Knights to be sure, but they tend to be a bit slow to get across the table. The Death Knights provide a speedy and very resilient force as they have Defense 3 and ignore the first Mortal Strike each attack. They can also carry an artifact which allows they to be very good at killing heroes with Obcasium’s Gauntlet. Again, the Death Knights are for Waiqar but you said you have Latari and Uthuk.

Typically, you want to have more than just a couple of trays for a unit unless it’s designed to be a blocker or a support unit. I find that small units can get knocked out without getting a chance to swing back effectively. Also, units with two or more ranks get a free re-roll and so you can use that upgrade slot for something else. There are some effective 2x1 Archer units built around giving out banes, but again, I like the 2x2 for unit building flexibility. The game has a real nice mechanism whereby larger units gain access to more upgrade types than an equivalent number of smaller units.

I really like the Infantry Command boxes since they give the basic infantry and archers lots of upgrade options. Some of the Latari champions are a bit weak but there’s other useful cards in the box. The Uthuk has some good stuff as well. Again, you get a lot of army building options for a small monetary cost.

Hope this helps...

On 8/14/2019 at 2:25 PM, sarumanthewhite said:

So I have armies without Death Knights to be sure, but they tend to be a bit slow to get across the table. The Death Knights provide a speedy and very resilient force as they have Defense 3 and ignore the first Mortal Strike each attack. They can also carry an artifact which allows they to be very good at killing heroes with Obcasium’s Gauntlet. Again, the Death Knights are for Waiqar but you said you have Latari and Uthuk.

Typically, you want to have more than just a couple of trays for a unit unless it’s designed to be a blocker or a support unit. I find that small units can get knocked out without getting a chance to swing back effectively. Also, units with two or more ranks get a free re-roll and so you can use that upgrade slot for something else. There are some effective 2x1 Archer units built around giving out banes, but again, I like the 2x2 for unit building flexibility. The game has a real nice mechanism whereby larger units gain access to more upgrade types than an equivalent number of smaller units.

I really like the Infantry Command boxes since they give the basic infantry and archers lots of upgrade options. Some of the Latari champions are a bit weak but there’s other useful cards in the box. The Uthuk has some good stuff as well. Again, you get a lot of army building options for a small monetary cost.

Hope this helps...

He said he had 2 core and the two others so I assume we are talking about all factions.

I am also getting this because cheap, my assumption is 2x each starter and upgrades for each faction then the unit that the factio;is missing and hero eg death knights for skeletons and cross bow for humans ect

That’s a perfect way to start. The figures are cheap right now and if you look on eBay long enough, you’ll probably find someone selling an army or two.

Sounds like you have a good path for things. I do think having the Crossbows for Daqan and the Death Knights for the Waiqar change their army building options dramatically... 😀

Enjoy!!!

On 8/20/2019 at 7:02 PM, Embermore said:

I am also getting this because cheap, my assumption is 2x each starter and upgrades for each faction then the unit that the factio;is missing and hero eg death knights for skeletons and cross bow for humans ect

This makes sense, and is a great starting point.

Infantry Command: Probably my favorite expansion. It can really change the play style of your infantry, and often affects the way you're whole army plays. Plus, a single box goes a long way. I love it!

*****

Death Knights, Heavy Crossbowmen, Viper Legion, and Darnati Warriors all introduce new tools for their respective factions as follows:

Death Knights: gives speed to a generally slow faction

Heavy Crossbowmen and Viper Legion: introduces ranged units to an otherwise melee faction.

Darnati Warriors: not only do they add a good frontline melee unit, but also are a natural fit for some of the Infantry Command Upgrades that don't really have a place in the Deepwood Archers.

For each of the above units, you'll want at least 2 boxes, probably 3 if you can find them cheap enough. But you might still get some enjoyment out of a single box.

*****

Don't underestimate heroes. They come with new terrain, and they often have abilities that affect the way your army works, which makes them a ton of fun. They're really the focus of the game imo. After all, the box says, "A miniatures game of epic battles in an age of heroes."

*****

One last note is that units that come in the core sets gain additional cards in their individual expansions, but you could probably proxy those. The main one that comes to mind is Flesh Rippers, who gain unique upgrades, but I know others come with good upgrades exclusive to their individual expansions.

I Just made my last purchase to help FLGS and in order to avoid proxying. 1 (second) box of DKs and Wraiths each and 2 (to make Total of three) ventala. many shops in Poland full of stuff

I only got into the game via the sales.

Got most of the range now with multiple starter sets of the core,Latarri and Uthuk.Then been getting all of the Heroes and unit expansions.

I think it best to try to get them now to avoid missing out on them later on.Only two Heroes to get now.