The Siege of Runedar

Defend a dwarven fortress from orcs while tunnelling out with your gold.

Designer: Reiner Knizia
Published by: Ludonova
Editions by: Ghenos Games, Lucrum Games, Conclave Editora

The Siege of Runedar (2021) is a co-operative game for one to four players, in which dwarves have found a fresh vein of pure gold and now sit in an old fortress surrounded by greedy orcs. Defend the walls, and at the same time dig a tunnel under the mountain so you can carry the treasure to safety. You manage your own deck and a shared pool, drafting new cards, using once-per-game abilities and rolling dice as the orcs press in. The two goals pull against each other, which is what keeps the evening tense. About 90 minutes, best with three, and playable solo.

Defend walls and dig an escape tunnelDeck and pool buildingOnce-per-game special abilities

Who it's for

You like cooperative fantasy games where the team must juggle two goals, and you can bring two or three allies.

Not for you if…

You dislike dice swings or hard-to-win co-op. Luck can turn a run, and the pressure is high.

Vibe's take

Tense and communicative. You plan together, then dice and card draws force quick pivots between defending and digging.