Root Review

Root Review

Intro (00:00); gameplay overview (01:57); final thoughts and review (12:48);

by

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[xWhackoJacko]

We used to play a LOT of Scythe before we discovered this game. And, I've got to say, as great as Scythe is I feel like this is even more strategic and has more replayability (even before the expansion to 6 players) simply because each faction plays WILDLY different games. You have to both know what other players are trying to accomplish, while also executing your game plan. It's a great balancing act, especially when you have shifty Vagabond players. My only real complaint is that the rules aren't SUPER clear sometimes about certain stuff (particularly the vagabond), and the Eeyrie seem to be very RNG dependant and are incredibly open to being obliterated simply because you can anticipate their moves via their Decree.

[stoic_squirrel]

I'm glad you mentioned the flaws in the rule book, because I had the same issue, and it bit me when trying to teach the game the first time. The walkthrough isn't as intuitive as they make it seem, and it's best to just go directly to the full rule book and read the whole thing beforehand. That said, I really like the game so far and I want to play it more.

[vryc]

I played Root. Didn't mind it. But I don't think it really is asymmetry done right. It feels like a thesis on what's available in the design space for asymmetry and decides how far it can stretch that thesis. But I think it goes too far to be a truly effective game design in that the amount of time the players have to give over within the actual game to paying attention to other players who have completely different capabilities is both time consuming (in a bad way) and incompatible with what makes for a good/great strategy game (which this game wants to be).

You pointed out that the COIN system revolves around asymmetry with large portions of player's actions being either very similar OR identical (maybe just named differently). This is far more effective asymmetric game design because the amount of unique information all players need to constantly be aware of is limited. This makes for much more strategic play, IMO and thus an overall better game design while still having asymmetric design in which the players can explore radically different goals and strategies.

I do admire the attempt but feel the result(s) fall short for a multi-player asymmetric design.

And, the COIN games might be more complex than Root but I've found it far easier to teach than Root simply because the real-world allusions one can draw upon (especially for Andean Abyss) are easily understood by nearly everyone, while Root relies on some in-game lore to detail faction motivations which means a whole other amount of unique information to suss out (precisely as you pointed out).

[buddylove]

I have several issues with the game actually. I find that it is essentially a race for points. The problem is that if a player gets ahead, the only way to slow them down is for another player to actively do something to slow them down. In doing so they do not score points during that round, like they would have normally. This allows a third or fourth player, who did nothing to actively stop the leader, to reap the reward. Teaching the game as mentioned is very difficult. Also, Im not sure anyone could say for certain if the factions are balanced. Perhaps, if the same group of people played for over 20 games (and who does that now a days), kept a tally of the factions scores, maybe we could validate if the factions are equal. I think ultimately people are enamored at the uniqueness of the game but that does not mean the game is good. After every game we played I see everyone with the same puzzled look on their face, almost with the expression of "well the game has to be good, right?"

[earthhopper]

Joel, diggin' the music during the end credits. Do you know what it's called or where I can find it?

[GhostKingGeorge]

I cant wait to get my copy of this. It really doesn't bother me that my group and I will need to play a second game in order to really start playing. Tons of games are like.

are you going to do a review of the river folk expansion? I'm really interested in what that has to offer.

[bgm-]

I'm glad you mentioned the comparison to COIN games. I was going to bring it up here if you hadn't. I don't own Root, but am interested. So I wonder if Root would become the COIN style game for the non-COIN gamer market? Might actually bring some non-COINers into the COIN community. Just thinking out loud.
Anyway, I'm hesitating on purchasing it exactly for the barriers to entry which you mentioned (the teaching hurdle, and needing to devote the first 1-2 games to learning).
That last barrier especially - as for those who don't have a dedicated small gaming group, and instead perhaps play with a larger MeetUp group or something like that - it's a tough ask to get three other members to devote two gaming sessions to only learning a game when there are so many other new games to get through in such a limited time.

[szajko]

You usually mention how the game works with different player counts. Does Root work well with less than four? Personally, I found Vast very disappointing as a 2-3 player game, it only started to shine at 4. How about Root?

[reluctantartsy]

I hope you have a spare 45 mins 😜. I think the community would benefit from a clear explanation of the rules in more detail. Sadly at the time of commenting, there isn’t a strong video teaching the rules. And yes, the rule book isn’t an easy read.

[Eckendenker]

The first turns of the demo are mostly bad choices too. Not really nice if you continue the game like that

[Prettykitty]

Thanks for sharing Joel!
Root looks interesting, but I'm skeptical. I'm not sure when this trend started, but it feels like clever mechanics make the game and everything else is designed around that.
My point is board games that play like video games in that player interaction is nearly nonexistent, for me, is disappointing.

Root sounds like it would be a great online game though!

[randothomas]

Nice review. The art design is beautiful as most of the components, but why in hell they the board so f*** uneven. It drives me nutz. Besides that, the dice are ugly too.

[supark]

Would love to play this but dread teaching it. Teaching the game kills the idea of purchasing it.

[PyramidofGeezer]

A triple-whammy of reviews, Joel? Don't you know it's bedtime in some parts of the world? Awesome!

Erm, am I right in assuming this is the company of Chris 'Shut Up And Let Dice Hate Happen' Leder? If so, I don't care how good his games are... He needs to stick to his true talent of broadcasting hilarious satirical spoof gaming reviews.

Is this why he hasn't broadcast in so long? Because of alleged 'game design'? Pfft.