by Anduin
as you said, Runewars is not a wargame, its an area control game.Battles CAN become rare, but they don't have to. If everyone is playing for themselves and tries to collect runes, the outcome of the game is merely luck. If you want to shift the outcome in your direction, start fighting for your win! ;)
For example: When everyone was looking for runes with their heroes, did anyone ever think about attacking and dueling an enemy hero?