Attempt to rule the forest as a pack of cats, a flock of birds or a band of critters this family game night in Root by Leder Games!
What is Root?
Root is a board game by Leder Games in which up to four players attempt to gain control of the great woodland in their own way. Unlike other board games such as Monopoly which give all players equal strategies and abilities, Root is known as asymmetric and gives all players completely different ways of playing and winning. The aim of Root is quite simple. Any player can declare themselves the winner if they reach 30 points. However, every player will have different ways of gaining points.
The Marquise de Cat 🐱
The best-known faction of Root is the Marquise de Cat (pronounced Mar-kees deh cat). They start the game with nearly the whole forest at their command. The Marquise score points by building workstations around the map. Unfortunately, as the Marquise, you will need to quell a number of rebellions. Whilst the Marquise are hard to win with, they are necessary as nearly every faction combination requires the Marquise de Cat.
The Eyrie Dynasties 🐦
The Eyrie (pronounced ear-ee) were once the rulers of the great forest but have been quelled by the Marquise and have been secluded to the only clearing that the cats do not rule. The Eyrie must expand their operations under their new leader through a decree built up over time, that if not completed each turn will lead to dire consequences. They score points per each turn per how many of their roosts are on the map.
The Woodland Alliance 🐇🦊🐭
With rulers and war come rebellions, and Root is no exception. In the face of the war comes a band of forest creatures ready for change. Led by the fox troops, the mice crafters and the rabbit recruiters, they strive for a new order in the forest. They earn points by spreading sympathy for their cause throughout the forest. These sympathy tokens can be used to create violent revolts and help the Alliance rule the forest once and for all.
The Vagabond🦝
Creeping through the forest is a lone wanderer, the Vagabond. The Vagabond works very differently from other factions. The Vagabond scores points in a number of ways, through battling other players, aiding other players or completing quests. The Vagabond runs on special collectable items found throughout the map or crafted by themself or another player. While the most complicated, the Vagabond is most certainly the easiest to win with.
The Map & Battling
The map is made up of 12 clearings, each with a different amount of space for buildings. There are 3 clearings suits, fox, rabbit and mouse depending on which type of creature naturally lives there. The suit of a clearing determines what actions can be taken there and what cards can be crafted there.
If you wish to remove enemy pieces from a clearing you inhabit you may choose to initiate a battle. The attacker rolls 2 twelve-sided dice and takes the higher roll. The minimum roll is 0, the highest is 3. If the attacker were to roll a 3 and a 2 for example, the attacker would remove 3 warriors belonging to the defender and the defender would take 2 of the attackers' warriors.
The Deck of Cards
Root contains a deck of cards. Some of these cards can be spent, such as ambush cards, but most are crafted and give effects, such as the Corvid Planners, allowing you to move regardless of rule or item cards, crafting an item for the Vagabond to use. There are 4 types of cards, 3 matching each suit of clearing and another called the bird card which are wild cards as birds roost in the trees across the map.
Overview
Root is honestly one of if not the best board games I've ever played in my life. Be it the asymmetric style, the individual artwork for each card and board made by Kyle Ferrin or the incredible story it tells, Root is certainly one of the best board games on the market and gets a well deserved
10/10
Written by Tom Conmy
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