Overall, Ravenfeast is the definition of a fast-playing "beer & pretzels" system. This is exemplified by the movement mechanics, which are extremely liberal. There is no command and control radius, and models may move 360 degrees in any direction. Terrain is either "good" or "rough," which halves movement rates. It's all very quick and intuitive.

Every mechanic in the game uses standard d6 dice, and models have a rating for Movement, Missile, Melee, Armor and Morale. In melee, if you hit an opponent, he gets an armor save attempt to shrug off the blow. If failed, the model takes a wound. And in Ravenfeast, most of your models have just a single wound, so the pace of play is fast and deadly. Leaders, elite huscarls or mounted troops may have multiple wounds they can endure. Some units (berserkers!) also have multiple attacks, making them quite nasty. There are just a few modifiers to remember in Ravenfeast, and these tend to involve penalties for being attacked in the rear or by multiple enemies at once.

In terms of Dark Ages tactical flavor, the decision of when to form shieldwall is your primary decision point. Three or more shield-armed models can declare a shieldwall, offering them bonuses. But these formations are not maneuverable. Death Worthy of a Song is perhaps the game's most colorful mechanic. In melee combat, if you roll a 1 to hit (rolling low is always good here) and your opponent fails his armor roll with a 6 (the worst possible result) there's a sequence that allows for the chance of a spectacular, heroic moment. It's the kind of thing that happens a couple times in every game and gets players around the table cheering with delight (or anguish).