If you aren't a huge fan of the pirate stuff, the I'd say give RotR a shot. Both are great though.
If you get RotR, get a second printing of RotR each product (it will say Second Printing. Printed in USA on the back of each box). That will take care of lots of the errata. Then check the FAQ as you start each adventure for anything that wasn't caught before the second printing.
Plus there is no guarantee how long any of them will stay in print, and I'm sure RotR will be the first to go out of print.
But in all honesty, S&S is great. You say you aren't a fan of the pirate them. I don't know if you are familiar with "piratey-ness" in the RPG and you aren't a fan of that, or you just aren't a fan of the general idea of pirate theme. I was the latter, but I really like S&S. The pirate theme doesn't bury the fantasy theme.
And if you go with S&S you could subscribe and still get all the promos.
So bottom line, you probably can't go wrong.
RPG Superstar 2011 Top 32
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Both are lots of fun. Picking based on theme won't steer you wrong. If you go Runelords you can buy the adventures at your own pace too, so if you go through them quickly the next one is already available.
Runelords is probably a little easier than Shackles, at least so far. I don't know if that factors into your choice or not.
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The other option is if you have a nearby gaming store, see if they have a copy of RotR or S&S set and play it with a couple people. I'd suggest playing with at least 3 characters as the dynamics change as you add more characters.
I know that one of the stores near me has both the RotR and S&S set available to play.
They've put out a demo (script) for the S&S set that is a shortened game but allows you the feel of the S&S play. If you do find someone with a S&S set to try out, you might want to just try doing the demo. I've played it at GenCon and it did give a good feel for the game and the new mechanics.
It really depends on how not-into the pirate theme you are. That really is a big part of Skull & Shackles, although it does still have a lot of classic fantasy elements to it as well. Theme wise, RotR definitely has more of a classic fantasy theme. In S&S you'll be dealing with pirates pretty regularly, be on a ship, and have guns and such infused with your fantasy. If you can get beyond the theme, I would say totally go for Skull & Shackles. Here are some other things to also keep in mind:
-The new set is coming out of the gate with more refined rules after lessons learned from the first game. This doesn't make it a perfect game by any means, but it will likely have fewer errors and tighter rules.
-The new set supports organized play if that's something you're interested in while the old set has almost no presence in the system. One of the only things that RotR can bring in is alternate character options (as long as they're of the right class), but those can be obtained via PDF.
-If you're a completist, it may be difficult or nearly impossible to get all of the promo cards for the old set at this point without paying a pretty penny for them. As of now, it looks like you still have time to subscribe here from the beginning of S&S, letting you get all of the promo cards if you start fresh with the new set.
-All of the chapters of the old set are out NOW. Although they are increasing the release speed with the new set, you'll still be waiting a month for each new chapter. Depending on how much you like the game and how often you are able to play it, having a complete set available to you can be a very good thing to have.
So if you're only going to pick one for now, think of these points. If the theme is a really big issue for you and the negative points against it don't bother you too much, definitely get RotR. Even if you are interested in organized play, you might be able to convince someone else to get S&S and run the scenarios if you have a good local game store. All you'd need in that case is a class deck. Also, in February Wrath of the Righteous will be coming out which will likely be much more fantasy centric with demons and such, so if you space out your RotR play time you might be able to roll right into Wrath after you are done, skipping S&S all together with little consequence.
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I believe that Runelords will forever be known as the "beginner" set, with a gentler learning curve. If you want to ease into the game, I might suggest going with that.
On the other hand, many complained that Runelords was "too eezzee" (as we jest loudly with a particular accent every time our group gets together to play the game, in honor of a fairly outspoken gentleman who used to comment on BGG and here). If you'd prefer a challenge, and would find a lighter level of difficulty more fun, then you may like S&S better.
Theme can be important for some, but I for one think that it shouldn't be the overriding factor. The game mechanics are creating the interest level, really; the theme is largely secondary.
I think S&S is the better set. It's not just a question of difficultly, the designers clearly learned a lot from the process of making RotR. I find S&S more interesting mechanistically, more challenging strategically, and ultimately more fun play (and that's before we even talk about the pirate theme).
The being said, you want be able to finish S&S for 5 months. If you are a new player who wants to be able to binge with the game, RotR offers a complete AP that you can dive right into.
I think S&S is the better set. It's not just a question of difficultly, the designers clearly learned a lot from the process of making RotR. I find S&S more interesting mechanistically, more challenging strategically, and ultimately more fun play (and that's before we even talk about the pirate theme).
The being said, you want be able to finish S&S for 5 months. If you are a new player who wants to be able to binge with the game, RotR offers a complete AP that you can dive right into.
Would that be Oleg? :)
I am not much of a fan of the pirate theme, but it also looks like S&S has been reviewing better than RotR.
For what it's worth, that's probably because people who didn't like RotRL probably didn't pick up S&S.
I would recommend RotR myself. I'm not much of a fan of piraty stuff in RPGs either, and I did find some of that stuff in S&S to be a bit of a distraction. I also think the RotR characters are just more fun to play. Also, the potential for failing a scenario seems higher in S&S (we've seen reports on these forums of veteran players failing the first few scenarios 4-5 times a piece). If you have plenty of time you're able and willing to commit to the game, that's probably not a big issue... but for me I only have so much gaming time per month so I really hate wasting it on scenarios that have significant chances of failure designed into them. One of the biggest things people seem to like about PACG in my groups is the progressive leveling up of the character and deck building mechanics, and that stuff tends to become very sluggish the more the difficulty of scenarios ramps up.