Root is a Redwall-inspired assymetric strategy game for 4 players. We have the Riverfolk expansion which allows us to expand that up to 6, and we're ignoring the recommendation of the developer and playing it with seven because we can. The game is won by the first faction to 30 points, or to secure a special win condition they declare for themselves via a mechanic called a "dominance card." How points are scored is unique to each faction, and good gameplay involves maximizing your own point production while understanding how opponents win and seeking to limit their potential points. I expect to see lots of diplomacy and nominations for the Kader Award by the end of this game, as its very hard to win this one without smart deal-making and diplomacy with other players. You're rarely too close to victory that a well-timed dogpile by the others can't bring you down.
For a full run through on the base game, click here.
For the Riverfolk expansion, click here.
This is probably the most difficult or second most difficult to learn game in the Decathlon, but our play group has only one new player. The contestants are thus:
Game #1, 8pm
Jonathan Fish - The Eeyrie
Daniel Halford - The Lizard Cult
Danielle Harris - The Vagabond
Dave Harris - The Riverfolk Company
Hubert Lee - The Vagabond
Caralee Shepard - The Marquise De Cat
Michael Williams - The Woodland Alliance
This is actually a surprisingly difficult game to figure out 2nd and 3rd place for, as the game ends when someone hits 30 points with a strong possibility of ties among the remaining players, and there are ways for players to team up.
With that in mind, here are the tie breaks I have laid out for point ties. I acknowledge these are not perfect, but there had to be something.
First Tie Break: Number of warriors on the board (instead of warriors, the Vagabonds count items).
Second Tie Break: Total number of all warriors and cardboard (buildings, trading posts, etc), on the board. For this tie break, the Vagabonds count completed quest cards to add to their item count.
Now for the second problem, playing a Dominance Card removes your point counter. I am going to generally strongly recommend that players do not seek dominance cards this game because of how it hurts your ability to place, but if you do, and the game ends with you having an uncompleted dominance card, you will be placed as if you have 15 points.
Finally, the third dilemma, what to do if the Vagabond teams up with a player in last place? In the event the Vagabond - X team places, points will be divided according to the following rubric:
1st Place - 2 Points to the Vagabond, 2 Points to their Ally
2nd Place - 1 Point to the Vagabond, 1 Point to their Ally
3rd Place - 1 Point to the Vagabond
This decision was made under the logic that due to the game rule that the Vagabond can only team up with the last place player, they're probably the senior partner in a given pairing. To offset the chance of them grabbing an unwilling partner, I'm instituting the following rule for this game.
Vagabond team-ups must be friendly, and the last place player has the right to refuse the team-up if they so desire.
Okay, I think that's everything.
Hopefully there is not a scenario I missed XD
Dave & Dani's Players to Watch: Dave & Dani
A little self-indulgent perhaps, but I would be remiss if I didn't warn newer players about the threat the two of us pose in this game largely stemming from the factions we got. Dani has more wins on the Vagabond than anyone else (four), and is extremely good at sailing under the radar until the last minute to secure the win. Meanwhile, my most dominating win came while leading the Riverfolk Company and cleansing the forest of my enemies using two "Favor of" cards. We both have more games of Root under are belts than anyone else and are extremely dangerous on the factions we're playing.
Dave & Dani's Game Advice
It's hard to give general game advice for an assymetric strategy game, so I will try to give a little advice for each faction.
Marquise de Cats - Your first turn is basically hacked: build, overwork, build. Don't neglect getting sawmills out. Work that diplomacy hard, you suffer from being everyone's default player to attack.
The Eeyrie - Just take the charismatic leader, and don't forget to recruit multiple times per turn during the opening rounds. Try to get out to three roosts by round 3 and go from there. Don't neglect crafting - Disdain for trade doesn't mean you should completely ignore it.
The Woodland Alliance - Slow and steady wins the race. Set up your sympathy to tax people, and rein in the winningest players. Don't forget you don't need to remove sympathy to craft. Aim for the "Favor of" cards.
The Vagabond - Make sure you get more boots, tea, and sacks early. Coins are also extremely good. You should be gifting cards away like crazy to collect items in the early game. Remember you can actually hit pretty hard when you want to, and once a faction is hostile, you get points for killing them.
The Riverfolk Company - Don't overset your prices, especially on Riverboats, Mercenaries. More often your mercenaries won't actually die and just give the person the confidence to pursue an attack they wouldn't otherwise. You win through spamming trading posts and items, not through dividends. Leaving a lot of money in the bank is the quickest way to get whacked.
The Lizard Cult - Get a bird card in your hand early to sacrifice your people. Make sure you're recruiting all over the board in annoying places to force people to kill you. Don't forget you can build multiple gardens per clearing. You need to start scoring early and often if you are to get anywhere by the end of the game.
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