"Fantasy Flight Games is pleased to announce the upcoming release of the Essential Collection for Runebound! This box of adventure contains six previously released expansions for Runebound, now available in one convenient and specially priced package. Featuring six single deck expansions, consisting of Adventure variants, Challenge cards, Items, and Allies, the Essential Collection is a great way to breathe new life into this beloved game of fantasy adventure."

WOTC made me hate the term Essentials. Now FFG makes me love it!

I already have all but one of these expansions but am tempted to buy this set just to support Runebound so maybe they will make more of the deck variants.

If you have Runebound but none of the expansions this is definitely worth it. It includes my favorite variant "The Cataclysm".

As far as market cards go, familiars and rituals are a nice addition to the market stacks. Rituals in particular allow for some interesting customization and combos if used correctly.

GET THIS SET!

imho

Not really interested, only two of the six packs included hold interest for me (Cataclysm and Beasts and Bandits, latter so-so). Already have Traps and Terrors, no need for a second copy. Had it been Scepter of Kyros instead of Seven Scions and Terrors of the Tomb (or even Dark Forest) instead of Traps and Terrors, would've been tempted.

I agree this is an awesome idea. I won't be buying it myself since I already own 4 of the 6 expansions included, and the 2 I'm missing aren't worth re-buying the other 4, but I am definitely glad to see the card expansions making a comeback in some form or another. Hopefully they'll make more of these essentials boxes. If I see Cult of the Rune and Avatars of Kelnov together, that'll be a must buy for me. =)

For anyone who doesn't own these 6 expansions, I'd say it's definitely worthwhile.

I'm in the same vein. It's nice to see this happen, but even if the package deal were 20% less than the total of individual packs, its no enough savings. But here's hoping it does gathering some interest from new (or old) players who've yet complete their expansion list.

Anyone have a notion of the price on this as yet?

I have two of the expansions already, and having just bought one of them yesterday when I found out about this it is kind of irksome. It would make more sense to allow the buyers to six older expansions for purchase at the reduced cost of $5 per set.

When you already have two or three of them, there is no real savings to buying them all to get the three or four that you don't have (and which may not be your top choices).

Bookwizard said:

Well I think the reason FFG is repackaging them like this is because they weren't getting enough sales by selling them individually. Each Wave of card expansions was manufactured together, but if only two or three of the expansions in that Wave sold well, FFG may have still ended up losing money in the end (or at least not making as much as they were counting on to consider the business model a success.) This way they know they'll at least be making money of everything they print.

You could always ask your FLGS if they'd be willing to break open a few Essentials boxes and sell the expansions separately, or look around for stores that have chosen to do that. It looks like the expansions still have their own boxes inside the larger Essentials box, so it's not entirely out of the question. I don't know how popular a strategy that will prove to be, though. (The store is essentially putting themselves in the same position FFG was previously in at that point, where they paid for the whole deal but might only see serious returns on part of it.)

If any of your friends own Runebound as well, you could talk to them about going in together on an essentials box and then splitting up the expansions inside depending on what portion of the price they paid. That probably has a better chance of success, really.

what still irks me is that all of the expansion are from wave 3. that does not help me getting my collection completed or even start one. for example, friend of mine has the german version of runebound, I thought about getting the english one, and since I'm a completionist, I'd have bought all the expansion packs, starting with wave 1. bummer some packs of wave 1 are impossible to get now.

they might try to just create a bigger box and put in wave 3 because they see the system does not work and try to get some money out of it, which is ok. won't bring them any money from me for runebound at all tho, nor sell all the rest of wave 1 no one seems to want. and with one "essentials" box out already, it's unlikely that there will be another. ppl who bought essentials won't need another basegame with wave 1/2 and are stuck in the same position as other ppl, trying to get unavailable stuff from wave 1/2. they could sell wave 1/2 complete in one box, but if they already trying to wrap the system up this way for money reasons, it makes no sense putting sth out that only a fraction of players will buy (less appeal for new players without basegame, old players have to calculate buying some expansions twice with the box etc).

imho, putting in wave 1 would have made WAY more sense...

or maybe... maybe it will restart the franchise a bit that there is money value in reprinting stuff from wave 1/2 again.

Gray said:

Does the Essentials box have the base game in there as well as those 6 expansions? I thought it was just the 6 expansions in one package. If that's the case, I agree that does change the dynamic somewhat.

Steve-O said:

It's a great idea so long as it doesn't violate vendor / distributor agreements. Some companies selling such packages of multiple products do not allow this by contract, unless there is a clause that covers it. For the combined package sells a cut rate, where the individual packages would then have a higher profit margin, which means the vendor is taking a higher percentage in charging more for the components than was agreed up in the wholesale to retail costs. Or however it's described in the legalese.

Steve-O said:

my bad, it's only the expansions. I always figured it's the base game + wave 3 complete (in retrospect, why did I think that? 0_o)

however, I would have liked wave 1 more. - although it's probably just a test run. if it's successful, we _might_ see wave 1/2

Gray said:

That's what I'm hoping, too. At least for the sake of those who don't have those expansions yet. Having recently unearthed copies of Cult of the Rune and Avatars of Kelnov, I think I've officially got all the ones I really care about.

I've just bounced this thread as I have been pondering about the Essentials Collection (dangerous I know!)...

The Essentials Collection features the six "Wave 3" expansions.

The Polish publisher Galakta has recently made translations of the twelve "Wave 1 and 2" expansions and released them as 4 boxed sets of three.

However it seems that the rules for these four packs have been amalgamated into two rules booklets. Each with the six summaries from two sets.

Coincidence? Are FFG taking advantage of the printing of the next six Polish expansions (due April/May I believe) to print a load in English (which would only require an English text file extra) at the same time and that is why they are "starting" with "Wave 3"?

I thought it was interesting if nothing else!

Oooo! Thanks for the inside dope, Jon. Likely I already have most that's in them, but these may still be an affordable way to get remaining decks.

I don't suppose there are any hints if some cards have been rewritten... or if they all remain exactly as originally released? A few like Relics of Legend and Artifacts & Allies had very mixed responses.

talismanisland said:

Even when they were sold separately, the booklet included in each card expansion box contained the rules for all six expansions from that wave.

If my previous post sounded a bit curt, I apologize. After posting I thought it might and I meant to edit it, but I was summoned away from the computer on more urgent business, and now it's too late.

My point was just that the rules booklets for card expansions were already assembled in groups of six to match each wave, so it was probably just laziness more than anything else that lead the Polish publisher to do that with their repackaged box sets.

Of course, here's hoping you're right about more essentials boxes for RB. It's a great way to get more people into the game's expansions. =)

No worries Steve! I knew about the original expansion rules being lumped into waves. That bit was more for information about the Polish sets.

The "coincidence" question was really directed at how this would fit nicely with a cost cutting exercise by using the printing time to make both sets. Which is why we may be seeing the third wave now. Fingers crossed that the Poles need more lots of Wave 1 and 2 printing!

Just to add a little to this thread. Todd F over at BGG has posted some pics of the Essentials Collection being unboxed. The outer box contains the six expansions in the original boxes that they came in.

Hmmm... looks like there's two in there I haven't picked up - Rituals and Runes being one. I'll need to do some inventory, as at the price, it might be worth it for those. I've paid as much $20+ for a couple rare out of print small boxes.

Indeed it would be good value, even if you were only missing a couple as you say.

I nearly bought a copy of this today, even though I already own all of the expansions it contains. I guess it was a completist urge! I managed to resist though!!

Thinking about that though, if anyone does get this and will be tossing the box, I wouldn't mind getting hold of it for the price of postage

JC et al

If you do pick it up you should have enough generic "spare" cards to use with sticker paper should you wish to make any homebrew cards.

A bit destructive I know, but a good way to integrate homebrews if you don't sleeve...

Yes, I did some "re-facing" experiments in the early days of homebrewing. But overall, the sleeve approach is so much easier. And a few duplicates of some types of cards wouldn't hurt that much in an Adventure or Market deck... a few.

Q: Anyone know about the characters in the illustration for the Essentials main box? Are then characters, from adventure cards, or just new as an illustration?

JCHendee said:

The illustration definitely looks familiar to me. Perhaps it was used for a previous expansion box? I can't put my finger on it, but I don't think it's a brand new picture.

(Oh Snap! It's the image from the party token for Road to Legend!)

I don't think any of them are characters from any of the game, which is consistent with past box designs. For some reason FFG seems to enjoy NOT using "real" heroes in the box art. (Descent/Altar of Despair being the notable exception.) Possibly because box art is done up before other components are finalized? Not sure.

Okay, thanks Steve. Don't know Descent hardly at all, but definitely didn't recognize them from anything in Runebound.

Hmmm... wouldn't it be a nice extra for selling a future Essentials if they included 3 to 6 new characters?

JCHendee said:

Especially seeing as they already have 6 characters ready to go in plastic... all they need is the cards.