Root is a game of woodland might and right. Stalk the woods as one of the Vagabonds, seize the initiative with the Eyrie birds of prey, rule over your subjects as the Marquise de Cat, or command the Woodland Alliance to create a new order. With creatures and cunning, you'll rule a fantastic forest kingdom in the ultimate asymmetric board game of adventure and war.

The factions: 

• Play as Marquise de Cat: Dominate the woods, extracting its riches and policing its inhabitants.
• Woodland Alliance: Gather supporters and coordinate revolts against the ruling regime.
• Eyrie Dynasties: Regain control of the woods while keeping your squabbling court at bay.
• Vagabonds: Seek fame and fortune as you forge alliances and rivalries with the other players.

Each faction has its own play style and paths to victory, providing an immersive game experience you will want to play again and again.

Staff Recommendation

"Root is the culmination of all of Leder Games’ forays into asymmetrical strategy games, in particular taking lessons from the hit game, Vast: The Crystal Caverns. The game runs roughly a couple of hours once you are at three players or more, and it is at its best with three or more players because the space of the board becomes much more intensely contested and the proximity invites either conflict or diplomacy, depending on how you are roleplaying your unique faction.

Yes, each faction is unique and the individual faction boards provide background and world-building that enriches gameplay immensely, especially since the Marquise de Cat’s strategy of play is vastly different from that of say the Vagabond. On your turn, your faction board will walk you through how your turn occurs step-by-step but it’s up to you how you work within each phase of the turn. Your goal, generally speaking, is to deploy meeples to control territory and use resources from controlled territories to craft or use cards that you’ll have in hand, making items, performing actions/gaining an extra future action, and gaining Victory Points (unless you’re playing one of the many factions that break these conventions). For instance, the Vagabond is only one meeple, and their goal is to complete quests using items that they can get from other players in order to win Victory Points. The first player to reach 30 Victory Points wins the game.

Who is this game for? If you and your friends or you and your family are looking for a crunchy strategy game with beautiful pieces, rich world-building, and amazingly balanced asymmetrical powers, then this is the game for you. I love this game, especially when I am playing the Woodland Alliance, and my partner and I love inviting our friends to play with us—even over Zoom, though some adjustments are necessary to do so.

Who this game might not be for? If you’re looking for a short game, then Root might be not what you’re looking for, as the game takes time to learn, especially if you try a new faction each time, but it is a worthwhile learning period. If you love the theme but want a slightly lighter strategy game, then there are other options that we will be sure to bring to your attention as we add more staff recommendations."