ROOT Board Game - Quick Review

Join us as we tak a look at Root an asymetrical war game published by Leder Games.

[eddie]

officially my go to for game reviews as of today. New to the hobby and I enjoy your vids.

[stevebrown]

With all the recent buzz on this game your review was a great way to cut through the mountain of mechanics info, and deal with the “should I buy it?” Question.
Spot on, great review!

[tabletopcloset]

Gotta say that your rules summary was actually done pretty well despite the disclaimer at the start. Might be worth pointing out that Ambush cards allow you to deal two casualties to your opponent before a battle so won't always prevent it entirely. I can totally see your point about the game - it's certainly not the easiest one to learn and teach, especially for players who haven't had much experience with area control/war games. However there are some great tools that help you get to grips with it. The prescribed 2 turn guide is an excellent way to go if you have the full 4 players. Simply deal everyone a faction and start with the first player. The active player reads out loud what they are doing and why before passing it to the next player. By the end of the 2nd round of turns everyone should have a rough idea of what their faction is all about. As you said the player boards are excellent references. You can't really go too wrong as they all clearly list what you can do in each phase. This isn't to say that you won't need to look up the odd interaction, or that you won't be caught out by a few gotcha rules, but following the guide we were able to get a game with new players finished in about 2 hours, which really isn't that bad for this sort of game. I had a MUCH harder time learning Vast (previous offering from Leder) as the characters in that don't really have ANY common mechanics (e.g. moving, battling and crafting).

Overall Root is an acquired taste and definitely better for dedicated groups who are prepared to get invested in multiple plays, but it really is a fantastic asymmetric war game if that's what you are looking for. As you said it's just not for your group and that's totally understandable, at least you can say you gave it a go. 👍

[StephenRandall]

Great overview and I like your style! Personally I really enjoy Root, I love the asymmetric nature and the fact that factions don't play the same. I came to this having played a number of the COIN (counterinsurgency) games by GMT like Pendragon and Falling Sky, which are a considerable step up from Root. I think a lot of players get pulled in by the woodland theme and then get surprised by a wargame!
Subbed following this review 👍

[jackburtonstwin]

I have to agree with you. No matter how good a game is that enjoyment is tempered by the degree of difficulty I face in learning and/or teaching it to others. This is especially the case as i am the one of my friends who collects games and, by default, is the teacher for everything we play.

[wishmeheaven]

Thank you for the review.
Speaking of Asymmetrical games...
I wish you will review:
1. Tsukuyumi: Full Moon Down
And Leder Games -
2. Vast
3. Oath

[iriis]

I just played my first game of Root ( and won as Eyrie Dynasties)- but I couldn't put my finger on why I didn't enjoy myself playing this game. I think the random nature of the cards and the complex rule set was reason, at least with the Eyrie's mechanics. Reliance on a set pattern of cards you can't mitigate or curve to your need meant either being unable continue the creed of stifling your progress as you focus on lesser key areas just to keep the pattern going, which broke momentum where it was needed. Over all maybe I wasn't a fan just of that faction rather then the game as a whole

[KujoPainting]

Like you say it's more like a wargame than a boardgame, so I think you'd need to treat like a wargame and have your opponents actually buy the box and each learn a different faction on their own, but that's not really practical for most people. They released a follow up to it a while ago, looks even more complicated. o_0

[Apeshower]

From the end sum up, does this game suit people who play fairly often but don’t have 100’s of games or the need to churn through to review? I think the cute nature belies the complexity and may catch some folks out because a light breezy game it is not!

[JohnSmith-pupm]

We tried the more in your face war versions of the COIN system, and even the ightest of them just wasn't worth it in our opinion. I'm sure they are great war games, and yes, they are euro war games, but we couldn't get past the learning curve and found it a bit boring. We thought maybe the cute animal version would work for us, but I just don't think it's for us.

[ThefamousMrcroissant]

Honest but kinda flat review. Not much is said about the actual game outside of very superficial observations ("but why craft? but why Dominance cards?") other than it being too complicated rule wise. I mean... it's a totally valid review, but it kind of feels like it doesn't really justify making a whole video about. It feels like you played a single game, didn't care for it much and then made a review.

[danielastin]

Seems like a great game if you had a reliable group that likes to play the same game over and over. Alas I do not so I shall pass, shame innit.

[biznesstime]

Got root because of the hype, and like you, I enjoyed it but couldn’t get it to the table... until I found the clockwork expansion that creates automa for all the factions (not just the marquis). It allows for a solo experience and learning the intricacies of the different factions (including those in the expansions)

[mihancic]

I think they made the eight sided dice instead of 4 because it rolls better.
And I think dominance cards are ment as a sort of last resort for someone falling behind with points - when you know you'll never catch up you can try to win by dominance card.

[abled]

Thanks again for the review. Teaching others to play is a big factor for me. I am still trying to get my group into board games. Simple to play and enjoyable is the biggest factor for getting a game to the table for us. I love TI4 but can’t get the crew to commit to it because it is too heavy for them. Looks like I give Root a miss as it will probably sit on the shelf with Dune.

[michellehoward]

Love watching your reviews! Best board game reviews out there!

[ralphreeves]

I kicked the tires on this game so I'm glad for your review. I have Vast Crystal Caverns by Leder Games, which I've yet to play, and I'm hoping it's better than Root.

[uplift-yourdailypickup]

I got a copy of Root and the riverfolk expansion for real cheap and was really excited. I finally had a chance to play it but felt kind of disappointed with the experience . It does feel like work to play it. I’ve been hanging on to it because I worry I’ll miss out on something or maybe I just haven’t found the right group yet . Idk... maybe about over hyped of a game? The good news is it has very good resale value.

[onxiaftw]

12 sided dice so that you have 0-3 equaly distributed on the dice

[onxiaftw]

13:30 Pieces are: warriors, pawns, buildings and tokens and items