Thanks for checking out our curated review round-up of Root. We’ve pulled together reviews and walkthroughs that resonated with us from amazing gamers and creators. Our favorite board games create an immersive experience and have great table presence. Will Root be your family’s next favourite game too? Let's find out!
Root is the perfect solution for family gaming with player count ranging between 2 to 4 players. The recommended age limit is 10+, since Root is a little more complicated than your average family board game. Still, Root is the talk of the dinner table and is rated as one of the hottest board games out now. We recommend taking the gameplay in bits and pieces as you might want to utilize the “Learn to Play” walkthrough provided on the first try. Once you get the hang of Root, you won’t want to let it out of your hands! The main objective of Root is to reach 30 points before everyone else in their own respective neck of the woods. There are four sectors: Marquise de Cats, The Eyrie Dynasties, The Woodland Alliance, and the Vagabond. Though each sector is fighting to claim the prize, let it be known that each tactic by each faction is in no way the same. Depending on which faction each player selects, the gameplay will vary. Marquise de Cats desire power and perform militaristically on the board. The Eyrie Dynasties are about power too, but behave more traditionally as textbook royals. The Woodland Alliance is the anarchist group, looking to forge unions with the working-class creatures in the world of Root. The Vagabond is the selfish crew, only trading with other sectors if that means more resources for them.
We turned to Alex Singh of iSlayTheDragon to see what it’s like to get a walkthrough. Singh describes his Root experience with gameplay imagery and commentary explaining how the game flows cohesively and smooth like butter turn by turn. Each move that is made is uniquely designed and the game mechanics are what allow Singh to say that Root is one of the best games he has played in 2018. The story really adds an immersive feel to the entire experience.
Shut Up & Sit Down lists some important tips for getting the most out of Root with an enjoyable experience. The first tip is to shake things up and keep it weird! Flipping the board and playing on the Winter themed side will make things exciting during your first playthrough. If you feel like Root has settled within your heart, buying the Riverfolk expansion will create space for an additional Vagabond player. This means more randomness and unpredictability!
Adam Factor of Sprites and Dice shares insights on the asymmetrical aspect of Root and goes into the wargame like strategies behind the gameplay. Adam Factor offers a view of Root’s warlike gameplay and how the mechanics fit very well with the story as a reason to suggest Root is the best bet for fans of war games because of its political undertone. We didn’t think of it as wargame like but Sprites and Dice highlights some great examples, specifically drawing attention to the theme of survival within a conflicted environment.
What we love most about board games is the table presence and how immersive they can be. Root includes super cool features such as:
- A two-sided compact board with exquisite summer and winter graphics
- Two Rulebooks:
- 1. Learning-to-Play (Rulebook) for relaxed and conversational readers
- 2. The Law of Root for precise and strict readers.
- Learn-to-Play walkthrough sheet
- Player Boards for each faction
- Colourful symbolic tokens
- Two 12-sided dice
- Sturdy player card deck
- Uniquely shaped and faction-based wooden board game pieces
Will Root be on your table next?