Publisher Slitherine has shared more details about Runequest: Warlords, the upcoming turn-based strategy game set in the same universe as Chaosium’s 1978 tabletop RPG, in an hour-long showcase that lifts the veil off its three playable factions and gives us a good look at one mission from its campaign.
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Developed by Virtuos, the title marks the first time the universe of Glorantha makes its way to our screens in video game format, promising a different flavor of fantasy, this time inspired by the Bronze Age.
Runequest: Warlords Factions, Units, and Other Details
Runequest: Warlords is built on a version of the engine used for Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector that has been updated for a bigger focus on melee combat. That being said, ranged warfare is still present as are magical abilities, thanks to the runic magic that plays a central role in the universe.
The title’s 18-mission campaign follows Hahlgrim, a tribal champion from Talastar’s Bilings, as he gathers allies to push back the invading Chaos forces from Dorastor. He leads the Children of the Storm, one of three playable factions, described as “fast, mobile, aggressive,” and masters of the runes of air, movement, and mastery.
The Lunar Empire favor discipline and coordination while their quartz-armored legions and mages reloy on the moon, fire, and mastery runes. Chaos, on the other hand, is “relentless, corruptive, and regenerative,” boasting a plethora of mutating units that favor aggression while reveling in death and disorder.
Aside from the campaign, Runequest: Warlords also launches with a skirmish mode that lets us challenge AI opponents or go online to face other players in PvP multiplayer.
Its turn-based battles take place on a grid-based map, each unit having its own zone of control that covers the cells in front of it and to its flanks. Enemies passing through them trigger attacks of opportunity, which is part of why positioning plays a major role in obtaining victory.
Units also have abilities granted by runic magic. Some of them need to be unlocked while others are available by default. They include leaping across obstacles and foes to certain cells on the map, using gusts of wind to push enemies away, debuffing foes, healing allies, or, for Chaos, raising corpses to fight anew.
The showcase, embedded below, also includes a lengthy look at the campaign’s fourth mission, during which Hahlgrim is tracking down his father’s killer.
Battles seem to have a relatively slow pace to them, but Runequest: Warlords does encourage careful planning, since units do gain experience and carry over from mission to mission as long as you keep them alive.
The segment also explains the mechanics behind upgrading heroes and units, the effects of certain abilities, while providing a series of useful tactical tips, among other things.
A closed beta for Runequest: Warlords is underway at the time of writing. For a chance to join, head over to the Slitherine website. A playable demo will also be available during Gen Con, in Indianapolis, between July 31 and August 3.
Runequest: Warlords is currently slated to launch on PC, via Steam, before the end of 2025.
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