Root: Riverfolk Expansion

Root is a truly original game design. It's part area-control, part card/action selection and part war game with an amazing set of four totally different factions, and I do mean TOTALLY different factions! Each factions is almost playing an entirely different mini-game with the larger game! I kid you not. And as strange as that sounds, it all works...brilliantly! In principle, Root is simple: the first faction to gain 30 victory points wins. The board is a giant forest with several clearings marked by a 'suit' (fox, mouse, bunny, birds). Players compete to control these clearings. Players play suited cards to do actions in said clearings that match the suit of the card they're playing (i.e. need to play a bunny suited card to do an action in a clearing with a bunny suit.). Some cards also can be 'crafted' to gain a special ability, again matching suit of the card to the suit of the clearing where you want to do the action! Movement is based on area control. You can only move into or from a clearing you control (i.e. having the most units/buildings). Combat is super simple: the attacker rolls two dice and takes the higher total, eliminating that many of the defenders units; the defender does the same with the lower numbered dice. However, the attacker/defender can never eliminate more units then the size of his attacking/defending force. For example-attacking with 4 units and rolling a '5'. You only get to kill 4 units, not five. The same applies to the defender. Furthermore, there are cards and various faction abilities that can modify battle results in interesting ways. That in essence is how root plays....simple....but....the factions turn all this on it's head! At its heart, Root is a war game between the ruthless denezins of a fairy tale-like forest setting: THE CATS: The Cats run the forest as a vast labor camp. They score victory points by developing structures within the forest clearings and keeping the 'status quo.' THE BIRDS (EYRIE): The Eyrie used to run things until the cats came along, and they want their power and control back. They're fast, ruthless and are the strongest military power! They gain VPs by expanding their influence! They can spread like wildfire and crush the mightiest of foes! BUT....they have one great flaw: Their government is highly unstable! One wrong move can bring down their entire power structure and thwarting their plans! THE WOODLAND ALLIANCE: The Alliance represents all the other woodland creatures suffering under the yoke of the cats. They're the rebels! They want the Cats overthrown, and they want the Birds gone too! POWER TO THE PEOPLE! The Woodland alliance fights a guerilla war to free the forest of tyranny! They get VPs by overthrowing the Cats and the Birds. THE VAGABOND: The shifty Vagabond are the allegedly "neutral" raccoons. They've decided to become the merchants of death and profit from the growing war in the woodlands! They can 'aid' and/or hinder each faction for their own selfish reasons, hoping to become wealthy from the chaos! They can gain VPs by helping the various factions at crucial moments, and even side with a faction and ride their coat tales to victory! To win, you HAVE to be ruthless! There's no room in this game for care bears! The first faction to get a VP engine going can run away with game if the other players are not careful! Such VP leaders must be crushed! And the asymmetricral design of the game really brings this to life. The factions really to play that differently and have their own special way to victory. No two are even remotely similar! The game has only two downsides. 1) It's MEAN as heck. You can show no mercy in this game. 2) It's incredibly hard to teach because it is so different. Watching videos is pretty much mandatory.

First of all, Root is a phenomenal board game. As asymmetrical strategy games go, it’s tough to beat. I’ll be honest, it’s complexity is on the higher side (3.81/5 BGG weight rating) so if you’re inexperienced with hobbyist board games and are simply reading Amazon reviews to decide whether you’ll like it, Root might not be the best place to start. For more on Root’s fundamental merits as a board game, visit its page on BoardGameGeek. If you’re coming from BGG and wondering about this box as a physical product: man this game is a pleasure to interact with. Everything about it is endlessly charming. The artwork is superb - maybe my favorite of any game, ever. The print quality is extremely high across the board (no pun intended). Just opening the box feels luxurious. This game has excellent replay ability value due to the asymmetrical factions (which also make it more difficult to learn, but the payoff is worth it), which just makes you want to interact with all the lovely little bits even more. As you move your army of cats through the forest bent on extinguishing the critter rebellion, you’ll see the adorable vagabond exploring caves and collecting cute little items and you’ll think “Gee I want to do that” and you’ll be excited about your second playthrough before your first is even complete. This is a staple of my board game group for a good reason. If you’re a seasoned board game hobbyist, or a new gamer ready for a challenge, I highly recommend Root.

Root has been on my radar since its first Kickstarter. I finally picked this up, along with the first expansion. The second expansion should be releasing later this month in fact. There is a genre of games known as asymmetric. In these games, each player is effectively playing an entirely different game from one another, but together. Probably the best example would be Android: Netrunner where one player plays the corporation and the other plays a hacker. They are effectively fighting against each other, but even the very nature of their turns have no resemblance to one another. While some games claim to be asymmetric, they really just give each player a unique power or ability. This is not the same thing at all. Root is a truly asymmetric game, much like its predecessor: "Vast: The Crystal Caverns". Each player takes on one of four different factions (more with expansions) to either vie for control of the forest, or to meet their own personal goals (as is the case with the Vagabond character). Our family has really taken to this game within a few plays. This include my wife and our 8, 10 and 13 year olds. While our 8 year old does need help even with the faction that is labeled as having the lowest complexity (the cats), she still really enjoys it. My 10 year old has no issues at all and was giving us some pretty heavy competition. Still, the game is not light-weight and does come with a pretty steep learning curve. That said, once you have one of the factions down, it is VERY easy to break out the game and have everyone grab the same faction they played with last time, and get down to business quickly. If you are looking for a game that has great production value, is unbelievably well balanced, offers solid replay-ability and is guaranteed to provide many fun evenings of making your friends and family hate you (in love, of course), Root is definitely a solid option.

Excellent game, and the expansions not only add more players but mroe variants, a must for Root

It's about the empire of the Marquess de Cat, which has just taken over the forest, doing battle with the Eyrie Clans of birds who're trying to restore their power while facing internal collapse. Except it's also about the Woodland Alliance which is starting a revolution against them both. And about the Vagabond who's wandering around doing odd jobs and helping the other factions. And with the (first) expansion, it's also about a Lizard Cult and the capitalist otters of the River Company. It's Gambit Pileup, the Game, where everybody's schemes collide. Every faction plays differently and has different ways to get victory points, and it's possible to claim certain special goals. I did pretty badly as the Alliance, spreading unrest throughout the forest and launching one successful uprising and a raid but never establishing a second base or building items besides a crossbow. Meanwhile there were giant armies of cats and birds fighting each other. The Vagabond was absent (3-player game), so we didn't get to see his gameplay, but it involves collecting items made by the other players and then using them to complete quests like "give a speech" or "fight some bandits". The cats rely on building structures to get more stuff, while the birds make increasingly bold Decrees to take more and more actions but inevitably crash at some point. In a second playthrough I was the Vagabond playing against the cats and birds, finding myself playing kingmaker and attacking both to stop either from winning. I finally gained enough gadgets to invoke a devastating one-beaver uprising that someone on BoardGameGeek compared to that supervillain with the doom gauntlet. So I've had two very different experiences already, and bought the game. It's a little intimidating to get started, but the current edition comes with not just a rulebook and a How To Play booklet but an extra sheet that walks you through two full turns. I see that BGG has a printable rulesheet to let you play solo against the cats even without owning the expansion. Seemed like fun despite the tricky intro process. Because there are asymmetric goals, I don't greatly mind that it's focused on an abstract notion of VPs. I can kind of feel like I'm doing something interesting and creating some sort of story, even if I'm not winning. The fact that each side has different rules isn't too hard to understand, because there are common features like crafting and movement that can help you understand other factions, and cards to remind you what the others are trying to do. The board and pieces are well made and pleasant, I should add. Deceptively cute for what is potentially a brutal game. Would I recommend this to people new to modern board games, ie. people who've never heard of Settlers or Pandemic or Dominion or Splendor? No, I'd probably start them off with something a bit simpler. If someone like that does want to play, I suggest starting them off with the cats. It's definitely worth playing if you're familiar with modern gaming though!

Quality cards

Root is a four player, asymmetrical war game. Players are trying to obtain 30 victory points or complete an object on a dominance card to win. For Setup, each player receives one of four factions (Marquise de Cat, Eyrie Dynastie, Woodland Alliance, or Vagabond) pieces and player board. The board itself will either be placed on the autumn or winter side. On the game board, players will place score markers, ruines, and crafting resources. The shared deck (54 cards) will be shuffled and 3 cards given to each player. Then players in faction order will place their starting pieces on the board. Gameplay General: Movement- when players do a move action they will be able to move one or all Warriors from one clearing to an adjacent one. The rule for movement is Warriors must be the rulers of the clearing they are moving from or to. To be a ruler, players must have the most combine Warriors and Buildings (square tokens). Battling- When a battle is initiated, the attacking player will roll the two costume dice. The attacker will gain the highest rolled die and the defender will have the lowest die (ties are possible). During the start of a battle a defending player may play an ambush card matching the clearing (remove two enemy Warriors), but it can be cancelled if attacking player plays an ambush card in response (also matching the clearing). Eliminating player tokens (square or circle tokens) will give one victory point for each one taken off the board (Warriors do not give victory points). Cards- players will use the cards drawn to either activate locations with suits (bunny, mouse, fox, and birds) matching the clearing, or they will be used to craft. Birds are wild and can be used for any clearing. In order to craft, players must have crafting pieces in the required clearing/s found on the bottom left of the card. Each crafting pieces can be activated once per player turn. Crafting cards will give victory points listed on the card. Factions- each faction will go through three phases and then the next faction to the left will take their turn (Birdsong, Daylight, Evening). Each faction will have alternate ways of scoring victory points. Factions: Marquise de Cat (additional victory points by building) Birdsong- place one wood at the sawmill. Daylight- Craft a card using workshops built. Three actions are then able to be taken which can be Battle, March, Recruit (one time), Build, and Overwork. Additional actions can be taken if the player spends bird cards. Evening- Draw one card and one additional card per uncovered draw bonus. More than 5 cards, player must discard down to 5. Eyrie Dynastie (additional victory points for each roost built) Birdsong- add one to two card onto any column in the decree. Only one card can be a bird card. Decree is found above the player’s board and will have actions listed for each of the four spots found. Daylight- Craft a card using roosts. Decrees must then be activated in order from left to right for each column of cards. Order is Recruit, Move, Battle, and Build. If a player is unable to do one of the actions listed, the Eyrie Dynastie falls into Turmoil. Turmoil will cause a player to lose one victory point for each bird card in their decree. All cards are discarded in the decree except the two Loyal Viziers cards. Current leader is discarded, and a new one is chosen (begin game with four leaders). Finally player in Turmoil will immediately go to the evening phase. Evening- Score victory points that match the rightmost empty roost tracker on player board. Also, draw one card and an additional card per uncovered draw bonus. Discard down to 5 cards if over 5. Woodland Alliance (additional victory points for spreading sympathy) Birdsong- First, a Revolt can occur which will cause the player to discard two supporters that match the clearing that has a sympathy token. All enemy pieces are removed from the clearing and a matching base is placed in the area. Secondly, sympathy can be spread from one clearing to an adjacent one. This is done by discarding supporters that match the clearing suit. Supporters come from the supporting deck on the player’s board. This is an additional set of cards that are not in the player’s hand. They begin the game with three support cards. Daylight- Craft a card using sympathy tokens. Mobilize, add a card in hand to the supporter area. Train, spend a card that matches the suit of a built base to put a Warrior in the Officers box. This will create officers that are needed to do military operations in the evening. Evening- Per officer will allow the player to perform Move, Battle, Recruit, and Organize. Finally, draw one card and one additional card per uncovered draw bonus. Discard down to 5 cards if hand is over 5. Vagabond (additional victory points for aiding other players and completing missions) Birdsong- Un-exhaust three items, and an additional two for each teapot token. Slip action, player can move the Vagabond to any adjacent space including the forest space. Daylight- Exhaust item tokens to complete actions like Move, Battle, Strike, Explore, Aid, Quest, Craft, Repair, and activate special action. Player begins the game with three quest cards. When one is completed another is drawn. Evening- If in forest, repair all damage items. Draw one card and additional one card for each coin item. Discard cards over five. Finally, discard items in satchel and damage area that is more than 6 items (plus 2 for each bag token). Winning the game: When a player has obtained 30 victory points, they automatically win the game. An alternative way to win is by playing a dominance card. It can only be played after a player reaches 10 victory points. They will permanently remove their score marker, and will be trying to control designated clearings listed on the dominance card. If they can control the clearings by the start of their next Birdsong phase, they win the game. Root is a phenomenal war game that has wonderful art, and fantastic gameplay. Players will feel different with each faction played. Learning the game is the only thing that feels daunting in the game. Reading the rules gives a good idea of how the game flows, but it needs to be played to be understood. The game gives a lot of ways to learn how to play from a walkthrough, learn to play rulebook, and a rulebook for people that want to know the rules in a straightforward manner. It is after the first game that players will really understand what they are trying to accomplish in the game with their faction. Each faction has their own strengths and weaknesses, but none feel overpowering. The general feeling will be the ease of play between each faction with the Marquise de Cats being the easiest to learn while the Vagabond is easy too, but understanding how items work may be difficult. Each faction also have additional abilities not mentioned like Eyrie Dynastie rule even when tied, or Marquise de Cats are able to return Warriors removed. The game is fast, especially for the first time as the cats are constantly moving their victory point marker forward on each of their turns. When players learn how the game works it will be around an hour and a half. A flaw can be seen in game with the fact that if a player gets ahead they may win the game as it could be difficult to catch up, but this is mostly a first game issue. The luck of the draw also helps players, but it is never a “this changed the game” type of event. It is more like “that helped a little”. Usually after the first game, most players will stay group together on the score marker track as obtaining victory points becomes easier to accomplish after the first play through, since it is easier to understand how a faction scores. This game is great as players will feel unique, and the ease of play that is found in this game will quickly make players want to play again. Teaching the game: Make it clear to the players that victory points are obtained from any token removed (square or circle), ruling include buildings, and crafting items is limited to what is available on the board. Players will have to play through the game at least once to really get a feel for the faction they are playing as in the game. Easiest faction to be in order are Marquise de Cat, Eyrie Dynastie, Woodland Alliance, and the Vagabond. When choosing factions, think about the type of games people like to play. Knowing someone likes building an engine would like the cats while someone that enjoys planning all their moves would like the Eyrie Dynastie.

Root is a pretty fun game, after you learn how to play it. It's not as complicated as first glance may suggest but there is a small jump to get over when you first start it. Add to the fact that each faction has its own set of rules as to how they interact with the board and it again, seems extra complicated. But if you focus down on just one faction and not worry about how the other work at the start while still learning it. You will quickly realize that they are all actually very strait forward in how they work. Once you learn one move on to the next, and the next, and the next. The nice part is that while at their core every faction has the same basic stuff, move, battle, build, and craft. The nuance comes in faction specific abilities or rules that makes playing as other factions like a fresh game. That said while the box says 2 players and it's technically true, it's not really that fun with only 2 players unless you also buy at least one of the hirelings packs.