Leder Games | Root: The Underworld Expansion

This game is asymmetrical, meaning each player is playing differently and their turns are different. So it takes a while to learn if you don't have someone teaching you (and even if you do have someone teaching you.) That being said, it makes replay-ability VERY good, because you won't get bored - you can just switch characters. It's balanced well, good quality, and a fun one that we've played quite a bit.

It's about the empire of the Marquess de Cat, which has just taken over the forest, doing battle with the Eyrie Clans of birds who're trying to restore their power while facing internal collapse. Except it's also about the Woodland Alliance which is starting a revolution against them both. And about the Vagabond who's wandering around doing odd jobs and helping the other factions. And with the (first) expansion, it's also about a Lizard Cult and the capitalist otters of the River Company. It's Gambit Pileup, the Game, where everybody's schemes collide.Every faction plays differently and has different ways to get victory points, and it's possible to claim certain special goals. I did pretty badly as the Alliance, spreading unrest throughout the forest and launching one successful uprising and a raid but never establishing a second base or building items besides a crossbow. Meanwhile there were giant armies of cats and birds fighting each other. The Vagabond was absent (3-player game), so we didn't get to see his gameplay, but it involves collecting items made by the other players and then using them to complete quests like "give a speech" or "fight some bandits". The cats rely on building structures to get more stuff, while the birds make increasingly bold Decrees to take more and more actions but inevitably crash at some point. In a second playthrough I was the Vagabond playing against the cats and birds, finding myself playing kingmaker and attacking both to stop either from winning. I finally gained enough gadgets to invoke a devastating one-beaver uprising that someone on BoardGameGeek compared to that supervillain with the doom gauntlet. So I've had two very different experiences already, and bought the game.It's a little intimidating to get started, but the current edition comes with not just a rulebook and a How To Play booklet but an extra sheet that walks you through two full turns. I see that BGG has a printable rulesheet to let you play solo against the cats even without owning the expansion.Seemed like fun despite the tricky intro process. Because there are asymmetric goals, I don't greatly mind that it's focused on an abstract notion of VPs. I can kind of feel like I'm doing something interesting and creating some sort of story, even if I'm not winning. The fact that each side has different rules isn't too hard to understand, because there are common features like crafting and movement that can help you understand other factions, and cards to remind you what the others are trying to do.The board and pieces are well made and pleasant, I should add. Deceptively cute for what is potentially a brutal game.Would I recommend this to people new to modern board games, ie. people who've never heard of Settlers or Pandemic or Dominion or Splendor? No, I'd probably start them off with something a bit simpler. If someone like that does want to play, I suggest starting them off with the cats. It's definitely worth playing if you're familiar with modern gaming though!

Received the 1st Edition, 5th printing of the Riverfolk Expansion with all components in perfect condition.This expansion introduces two new factions--Riverfolk Traders and Lizard Cult. Both are fairly low-reach (meaning their military presence is weaker and their win conditions are less battle-focused), with Riverfolk focusing on selling services to other players and Lizardfolk focusing on building gardens to perform rituals.If you love the political and negotiative aspect of Root, I highly recommend this expansion for the new Riverfolk Traders faction alone. It is personally my favorite faction in the game, being highly focused on peddling your services to other players in exchange for warriors from their supply. A lovely consequence of this in-built mechanism of receiving payment is it allows you to design "custom" services not explicitly defined in the rules of the game (e.g. "I'll attack Cats next turn if you buy this placeholder service"), adding dimensionality to negotiations.Unfortunately, Lizard Cult is slighly lackluster in comparison. Lizards are significantly harder to play and win as, due to their limited ability to move and attack and their reliance on other players' discards to determine where they can perform rituals. For this reason, it is quite a niche pick amongst the community. Nonetheless, this faction can be extremely fun to play with the right table.Finally, this expansion also introduces some new Vagabonds and a Mechanical Marquise faction for solo/cooperative play. Personally, I think you are better off purchasing the full Clockwork Expansion(s) and/or hirelings if you are interested in NPC factions. Furthermore, while the new Vagabond variants are decently interesting, I can't quite recommend playing a game with 2 Vagabonds. The other factions will essentially be stuck playing whack-a-mole to keep them from running away with the game.

The game play for each critter is different but don't let that overwhelm you! The gameplay itself is relatively easy and there are quite a few videos on how to play. We played it through once to learn it, once to understand it better, and by the third time we were well into testing out different strategies. The artwork is adorable, the gameplay seems to be well-balanced (we are generally within just a few points of each other when someone wins), and there are expansions for when you're ready. Great game for those who like the Everdell and Wingspan type of games!

We already have Marauder and Underworld, but now I regret we delayed this set for so long. Both the Lizards and Otters have been fun to play.

Tudo ótimo: caixa, componentes, mecânicas.

Esta genial muy divertido y entretenido

Product arrived quickly in great condition. If you are looking to expand your game of root these insurgent factions have a lot to offer. Just note that they are not really suited to a two player game so I would only recommend this expansion of you can get 3+ people to the table or need the needles for the upcoming clockwork 2 expansion.Ultimately you just can’t go wrong with root so this is an obvious buy for fans of the game who are looking for more variability beyond the base game.

A specific gift request fulfilled. I’m pleased.

Explaining and understanding the rules is a lot of work but the gameplay is very rewarding. Each player gets to choose a faction and plays differently. You always have to come up with creative ideas to deal with the situation at hand (depending on how good your opponents play) and no two games are the same. Best suited for 3-4 players!You can either choose to continuously play as the same faction to hone your skills and tactics, or you can switch it up each game to better understand all factions and make each replay a bit more interesting for yourself.