"Nomad's Land": a game of greed and adventure

Good to see you posting about your project so soon, YG. Your enthusiasm shows...! I have a couple thoughts about your description.

HEALTH & DEFEATING PLAYER UNITS
A couple ways to address this. I personally would edge toward a more streamlined, abstract approach, but execution hinges on how you want to present this game.

- Individualized, unique heroes. With this option, the game can offer specialized attacks, unique equipment, min-maxing, team-building, and characterization. Games will likely be longer, since there are a fair amount of decision points related to how the players will deploy their heroes, variable weapon damage, retreat, flanking, etc. I would suggest variable hits-to-kill for the different units, and once a unit is defeated it's out of the game. Lots of room for diversified tactics and methods of play (this is the strength of this style of game, IMO). At its simplest, games like Hero Quest, HeroScape, Talisman, or even Warhammer/Mordheim.

- Abstracted "archetypes." This provides quick set-up and orientation, particularly useful for new players. As opposed to "rolling up new PCs" in a typical RPG, think of choosing "skinny, medium, or fat skaters" in the old-skool NES game Ice Hockey. The general gameplay is similar regardless of the type of unit you choose, but each has its own comparative strengths and weaknesses. With this kind of setup, I'd suggest three states of health: Healthy, Wounded, and Defeated. When a unit reaches the Defeated state, they are removed from the board - possibly returned to the player's supply so they can re-deploy and not feel as if they've lost before the game is over.

MAP & TRAVEL
I suggest that there be some known areas on the board, revealed at the start of the game, where players can visit with their units. Places like monster dens, ruins, bandit fortresses, etc. These kinds of locations offer a fair amount of risk, but the payoff is an item or equipment improvement that will provide a temporary or permanent advantage against their opponent's units. This encourages players to move across the map, endure random encounters, etc. in an effort to gain an edge for [inevitable?] conflict.

You can build individual goals/objectives into the game as well: visit X locations first, have a unit on X separate locations, deliver A item to B location, etc.

TIME LIMIT
To prevent a stalemate, you may want to implement a time limit. Here are some suggestions on how to execute, each with their own strengths and distinct approach:

- Players can collect X number of specific items first to win. This has the pleasant side-effect of encouraging players to move all over the map, cycling through your Event Card Deck.

- A "doomsday timer" that counts down to the end of the game, regardless of the state of progress for the players. With this, either one or neither player will win.

- A specific location on the map must be held for X number of turns, or until a specific condition is met. This is pretty much the Crown of Command in Talisman.

You're in an interesting "space" when it comes to your design, from the sound of it. However, I encourage you to make some specific choices: go full-on, EPIC ADVENTURE or go for streamlined, pick-up-and-play face-off. If you try to do both and "make a game for everyone," you risk not pleasing anyone at all - most of all, yourself.

This was a fun way to start my Friday. :) Hope it's at least somewhat useful!

Play-testing will be the most effective way for you to stress-test your ideas, and/or find out what seems the most fun for your and your target players. You've come up with some general ideas, now it's time to put 'em on the table and see what works best.

Try one new thing at a time instead of everything at once.

It's a tabletop game, not a kidney transplant. You have some time to experiment with lots of different ideas. So pick one and see what happens. :)