2018 · Wargame

Root

Four factions vie for control of a sprawling woodland, each with distinct powers, goals, and playstyles. One faction builds and maintains a mechanized industry across clearings, another organizes sympathetic woodland creatures into a guerrilla resistance, a third is a nomadic adventurer who moves about completing quests and trading, and a fourth attempts to reclaim leadership through programmed actions and growing influence. Players take actions to recruit, battle, craft, and score points while managing location control and asymmetric faction mechanics. The interaction of unique factions and multiuse cards creates high variability and strategic depth across plays.

Players: 2–4 best 4
Playing time: 60–90 min
Age: 14+
Complexity: 3.8 / 5

8.2 on Ludoya from $47.99Territory BuildingAnimalsDice RollingHand ManagementAction Points

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Full stats in Ludoya

4,027
Plays logged: 1,666
Players: 1h 31m
Average play: 648
In collections: 79
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8.2/10

from 262 Ludoya reviews

Fun8.5
Interaction8.5
Replayability8.5
Uniqueness8.6
Looks8.7
Accessibility5.7

Max7.0
Root is a game that has me consistently irritated, enthralled, and sometimes left in absolute awe. Leder Games' undisputed masterpiece known as Root is a stunning amalgamation of intricate strategy, deliciously novel asymmetry, and cute little pieces pottering around a forest. The captivating thing about Root is that the very mechanic that transforms it from yet another generic eurogame into an absolute triumph of an experience is the smae mechanic that restrains it from the lucrative title of a classic. Said mechanic is, of course, that of the factions. In Root, each player is playing a completely different game; maybe you are amassing an army of feline minions; maybe you are attempting to maintain utmost order; or maybe you are just waltzing around a woodland selling bits of junk to random animals. Indeed, the commitment to asymmetry on Leder Games' part is so complete, yet so tangibly abusable, that this game is an utter delight, and one hundred percent worth the ten weeks it will take you to comprehend the rules. However, as previously mentioned, it is this same wondrous novelty that ensures that it stays well clear of so many shelves (unfortunately, mine included). Because, when puah comes to shove, this is a disasyrously clunky game. The oustanding aesthetic and cute animal theme are the only thing encouraging new players to sift through the decidedly lengthy rules and intimidatingly complex pile of cards, tokens and sheets. What's more, while the many characters with drastically different playstyles allow for almost endless replayability, it means that the game is almost impossible to teach to new players; who has time to explain the rules and strategy for four seperate games all rolled into one? It's this, and the unfortunate unbalanced nature of the characters, that forces Root into a position of reknowned godhood as the pinnacle of boardgaming, yet preventing it from becoming a household staple, as it so deserves.
Garfield10.0
#37 BgExpansion im Dach und in Box Spielmatten (2) im Dach Very cool asymmetric strategy game. It takes some time to learn and teach it but it's quite simple when you play it. [c] Theme: :star::star::star::nostar::nostar:  Gameplay: :star::star::star::star::star:  Interaction: :star::star::star::star::star:  Artwork: :star::star::star::star::nostar:  Luck: :star::star::nostar::nostar::nostar:  Strategy: :star::star::star::star::nostar:  Components: :star::star::star::nostar::nostar:  Play duration: :star::star::star::star::nostar:  Easy to teach: :star::star::nostar::nostar::nostar:  Rules quality: :star::star::star::star::nostar:  Setup time: :star::star::nostar::nostar::nostar:  No downtime: :star::star::star::nostar::nostar:  Replay value: :star::star::star::star::star:  [/c]
BWizard8.2
[c] (15x) GAMING EXPERIENCE: :star::star::star::star::star::star::star::star::nostar::nostar: (5x) DEPTH / WEIGHT: :star::star::star::star::star::star::star::star::nostar::nostar: (5x) LUCK: :star::star::star::star::star::star::star::star::nostar::nostar: (10x) REPLAYABILITY: :star::star::star::star::star::star::star::star::nostar::nostar: (6x) MECHANICS: :star::star::star::star::star::star::star::star::star::nostar: (6x) PLAYER INTERACTION: :star::star::star::star::star::star::star::star::star::nostar: (3x) SCALABILITY (PLAYER COUNT): :star::star::star::star::star::star::star::star::nostar::nostar: (2x) LENGTH: :star::star::star::star::star::star::star::star::star::star: (2x) CLARITY OF RULES: :star::star::star::star::star::star::star::nostar::nostar::nostar: (6x) COMPONENT QUALITY: :star::star::star::star::star::star::star::star::nostar::nostar: [/c] :thumbsup: I made a fully translated (rulebook, cards, etc) version of the game to myself. :thumbsup: When I first saw, I think this is an ugly game, but in real life, it turns really cute. :thumbsup: Unique.

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Rules questions

Answered from the rulebook by Ludoya's rules assistant.

When I craft a card, what exactly do I need and what happens to the card and any items I take?

To craft you must activate a matching crafting piece in a clearing shown at the card’s bottom-left (each piece can be used once per turn); immediate-effect cards give the item then are discarded, while persistent cards are placed face-up for their ongoing effect, and you cannot craft if the matching item isn’t in the supply (Learning to Play, pp. 6–7).

How does battle resolution work—how many hits do we roll and when can ambush cards be played?

Roll two dice: the attacker’s hits = the higher die and the defender’s = the lower, each capped by that player’s warriors in the clearing (extra hits ignore that cap); before the roll the defender may play a matching ambush to deal two immediate hits (the attacker can foil with a matching ambush), and ambush hits are not limited by warrior count and can end the battle instantly (Learning to Play, pp. 8–9).

What makes the Eyrie go into turmoil and what happens when it does?

If the Eyrie cannot carry out any required Decree action during Daylight (e.g., no warriors to recruit or nowhere to build) they enter Turmoil; resolve Turmoil by losing 1 VP per bird in the Decree, discarding Decree cards except Loyal Viziers, deposing and replacing the leader (tucking Loyal Viziers onto the new leader), then end Daylight and go to Evening (Learning to Play, pp. 12–13).

How do the Vagabond’s items get damaged and how are they repaired or used in battle?

Items take damage when the Vagabond takes hits and damaged items go to the Damaged box in the Satchel; you repair by taking the Repair action (exhausting a repair item) or, if you are in a forest at Evening, all damaged items are repaired automatically, and in battle hits are applied by damaging items of your choice (Learning to Play, pp. 17–20).

How does the Woodland Alliance place sympathy and perform a revolt?

The Alliance spends Supporters (a separate stack of cards) to place sympathy tokens and to revolt; to revolt you spend two supporters matching a sympathetic clearing, remove all enemy pieces there, place a base, then place warriors equal to the number of sympathetic clearings of that suit and add one officer to your Officers box (Learning to Play, pp. 14–15).

How do dominance cards work—how do they become available and what happens when I activate one?

When a dominance card is spent for its suit it is placed near the map (not discarded) and any player may pick it up during Daylight by spending a matching suit card; if you have at least 10 VP you may activate a dominance card during Daylight to remove your score marker and change your win condition to the card’s requirement for the rest of the game (Learning to Play, p. 21).