by selwyth
With 1ed, you wanted to acquire 4 dragon runes within 6 years, and would win instantly -- no Road to Victory (defending them for a year). 4 dragon runes because you started with 2 and played to 6.With Revised Ed, you now want to acquire 6 dragon runes within 7 years, and have to defend them for a year.
[hr]
I'm finding that:
1) Revised Ed games take much longer
2) The play-to-6 objective in Revised is almost pointless because at an average rate of 1 dragon rune per year, most players never get to claim the victory, or at best, only claim it late in Year 5 or 6, so it's almost the same as going to time.
3) Requiring each player to acquire 6 to win also means that the player is firmly entrenched by the time he declares victory and it's almost guaranteed he'll win. Whereas before, declaring immediately after gaining your 4th dragon rune was often a 'soft' gambit that could be stopped.
4) I think playing to fewer dragon runes can be more exciting as you get 'reminders' of who the leader is, and all can unite and bash him.
I think it'd be better to play to 4 dragon runes and 6 years.
The one downside is I feel like Runewars games often have ebbs and flows before reaching an 'equilibrium' state in Year 6 or 7, and shortening the game would bias against the 'right' winner. Think how NBA Playoffs are better than March Madness at selecting the best team because it's best-of-7 instead of single-elimination. But then, tough, just adapt to the shorter time-frame or lose.