# Root

Root is a board game for 2–4 players. It plays in 60–90 minutes and is meant for ages 14 and up. Ludoya players call it best with 4. It is rated 8.2 out of 10 by 262 Ludoya reviewers. The cheapest copy in stock is $47.99 (United States).

- **Players:** 2–4 (best with 4)
- **Playing time:** 60–90 minutes
- **Minimum age:** 14+
- **Complexity:** 3.8 out of 5
- **Year published:** 2018
- **Categories:** Fantasy, Wargame, Negotiation, Territory Building, Animals
- **Mechanics:** Point to Point Movement, Multi-Use Cards, Area Movement, Race, Action Points, Variable Player Powers, Action Queue, Hand Management, Take That, Dice Rolling, Area Majority / Influence, Action Retrieval, Variable Set-up, Negotiation, Sudden Death Ending
- **Ludoya rating:** 8.2 out of 10, from 262 reviews
- **Owned by:** 653 Ludoya players
- **Plays logged on Ludoya:** 4,027
- **Unique players:** 1,666

**Designers:** Cole Wehrle

**Artists:** Kyle Ferrin

**Publishers:** Leder Games

## Where to buy in United States

| Shop | Price | Link |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cardhaus Games | 47.99 $ | https://www.cardhaus.com/root/ |
| Atomic Empire | 47.99 $ | https://www.atomicempire.com/Item/245911 |
| Gamers Guild AZ | 48 $ | https://gamersguildaz.com/products/root |
| Miniature Market | 48 $ | https://www.miniaturemarket.com/led01000.html |
| 401 Games | 67.2 $ | https://store.401games.ca/products/root |
| Board Game Bliss | 67.2 $ | https://www.boardgamebliss.com/products/root-second-edition |
| Mathom | 52.76 € | https://mathom.es/es/raiz/41866-root-4-edicion-8437016497388.html |
| Rampi Games | 53.95 € | https://www.rampigames.com/juego-de-mesa/root/ |
| Good Games | 76.45 $ | https://www.goodgames.com.au/products/root |
| Gameology | 79.95 $ | https://www.gameology.com.au/products/root |
| Spelexperten | 599 kr | https://www.spelexperten.com/sallskapsspel/strategispel/root.html |
| La Gameria | 53.95 € | https://gameria.es/juegos-de-mesa/root-363.html |
| Zacatrus | 53.95 € | https://zacatrus.es/root.html |
| Va de jocs | 54 € | https://vadejocs.es/producto/root |
| Mono de Juegos | 55 € | https://www.monodejuegos.shop/juego-de-mesa/root/ |
| Nordisk Spil | 429 kr | https://nordiskspil.dk/products/root |
| Homoludicus Granollers | 59.95 € | https://homoludicus-granollers.org/root |
| Jugar x Jugar | 59.95 € | https://www.jugarxjugar.com/shop/estrategia/4704-root-8437016497388.html |
| Curiosity Shop | 60 € | https://www.thecuriosityshop.es/products/root |
| Fantasiapelit | 60.5 € | https://www.fantasiapelit.com/index.php?main=ai&kat=single&mista=indeksi&etsittava=_188090 |
| Guf | 99.99 $ | https://guf.com.au/products/root-base-game |
| Alphaspel | 699 kr | https://alphaspel.se/491-bradspel/94523-root-en |
| Game Ninja | 699 kr | https://www.gameninja.no/produkt/root/ |
| Zatu Games | 56.25 £ | https://zatu.com/products/root |
| Spielezar | 64.9 Fr. | https://www.spielezar.ch/brettspiele/root |
| Nexus | 10995 kr | https://nexus.is/vara/root/ |
| Ludifolie | 79.9 € | https://www.ludifolie.com/7381-root.html |

## Expansions

- [Root: The Riverfolk Expansion](https://www.ludoya.com/games/root-the-riverfolk-expansion)
- [Root: The Underworld Expansion](https://www.ludoya.com/games/root-the-underworld-expansion)
- [Root: The Exiles and Partisans Deck](https://www.ludoya.com/games/root-the-exiles-and-partisans-deck)
- [Root: The Marauder Expansion](https://www.ludoya.com/games/root-the-marauder-expansion)
- [Root: The Clockwork Expansion](https://www.ludoya.com/games/root-the-clockwork-expansion)
- [Root: The Vagabond Pack](https://www.ludoya.com/games/root-the-vagabond-pack)
- [Root: Marauder Hirelings Pack & Hireling Box](https://www.ludoya.com/games/root-marauder-hirelings-pack-and-hireling-box)
- [Root: Landmarks Pack](https://www.ludoya.com/games/root-landmarks-pack)
- [Root: Riverfolk Hirelings Pack](https://www.ludoya.com/games/root-riverfolk-hirelings-pack)
- [Root: Underworld Hirelings Pack](https://www.ludoya.com/games/root-underworld-hirelings-pack)
- [Root: The Clockwork Expansion 2](https://www.ludoya.com/games/root-the-clockwork-expansion-2)
- [Root: The Homeland Expansion](https://www.ludoya.com/games/root-the-homeland-expansion)
- [Root: Homeland Hirelings Pack](https://www.ludoya.com/games/root-homeland-hirelings-pack)
- [Root: The Squires and Disciples Deck](https://www.ludoya.com/games/root-the-squires-and-disciples-deck)
- [The Outsiders Expansion (fan expansion for Root)](https://www.ludoya.com/games/the-outsiders-expansion-fan-expansion-for-root)
- [Root: Jeu de base + La Rivière](https://www.ludoya.com/games/root-jeu-de-base-la-riviere)

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- [Horizons of Spirit Island](https://www.ludoya.com/games/horizons-of-spirit-island)
- [Gloomhaven](https://www.ludoya.com/games/gloomhaven)
- [Andromeda's Edge: Deluxe Edition](https://www.ludoya.com/games/andromedas-edge-deluxe-edition)

## Rules questions

### 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).

## Links

- [This page](https://www.ludoya.com/games/root)
- [Root in the Ludoya app](https://app.ludoya.com/g/root)
- [BoardGameGeek entry](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/237182)

_Data from Ludoya, updated 2026-09-19. Ratings, ownership and play counts are Ludoya's own._