Root

Who goes first?

According to the official rules, your group determines the starting player and seating order randomly (Rule 5.1.1). After the starting player finishes their turn, the next clockwise player begins their turn (Rule 1.5). A common house (unofficial) rule among fans is to have the Marquise (Cat) faction start the game especially at 4 or more player counts.

Is this a good 2-player game?

While some may still enjoy the 2-player gameplay (and I am one of them), it's not the ideal player count due to limited number of viable faction combinations. Every faction has an assigned "Reach Value" that represents the amount of influence they can have over the board state, and Leder Games recommends that the total Reach Value should equal or exceed the minimum indicated for the player count (see table below). For example, for 2-player gameplay using the base game, the only viable factions are Marquise and Eyrie.

If you want to have a fuller experience at a 2-player count, here are some options:

• Get Root: The Clockwork Expansion - Adds simulated opponent(s). This also allows an option for cooperative play where you and a friend can team up against a bot on hard mode
• Get Root: The Underworld Expansion - Adds another viable faction, the Underground Duchy (Moles)
• Back Root: The Marauder Expansion on Kickstarter - Introduces two additional factions (Warlord and Stone Seekers) with high Reach Values. Adds "Hirelings" or minor factions on the board that you and your opponent can compete to influence

I have questions about the rules, what should I do?

Leder Games maintains a Google Doc with answers to the most common rules-related questions. If this doesn't help, you can try sharing your question through any of these channels:

• Publisher's Contact page
• Woodland Warriors Discord group 
• Root Forum on BoardGameGeek
• Root - Board Game Facebook Group
• r/rootgame on Reddit

I own a copy of the game but I've heard of balance updates, what should I do?

Leder Games has offered an update kit containing the minor changes to the boards. You can obtain this kit through one of their Kickstarters for a Root expansion, or print them for free and affix them yourself using this PDF.

How do I know which printing my copy is?

This is indicated on the back of the box right next to the barcode.

Is there a way to play this online?

If you want an experience that closely mimics in-person gameplay, then Tabletop Simulator has a mod that will allow you and your friends to enjoy Root in a 3D tabletop environment. Otherwise, I'd strongly recommend buying the official digital adaptation created by Dire Wolf Digital.

• Available for purchase on Steam, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android
• Modes available:
  • Tutorial
  • Local Play - Includes solo play and unique challenges against AI opponents
  • Online Play

Here's the official release trailer shared by Dire Wolf Digital back in August 18, 2020.