Let's Talk About Root

Yeah, I decided to bail in the end. Our attention just seems to have moved on so it isn't worth sinking that much into it, particularly when the taxes etc. aren't clear and it could end up being a hundred quid addition. It'll be widely available at retail anyway.

Yep, Leder doesn't do exclusives. And you can pick up the base box at retail and get all the systems and decide from there if you do really end up wanting it.

boardgamegeek.com/thread/2645189/article/37541910

Cole just does not give a shit about trashing things that are working ok. It's wild to see.

Part of me is like I would want to murder him as a boss.

Huh. My reaction to that thread is almost the opposite. I had concerns about exactly the things that were bugging him about the Hirelings, as in the playthroughs that I watched, it was more about the person leading rolling well and keeping them away from those trailing, rather than actually helping out those who were behind. I think his concerns were valid and am glad to see that they sorted out another approach.

Several years ago, after a long, bruising job search, I landed a job with a property management company that was operating a former factory that was now broken up into 100 small studios primarily rented by artists and other creative types. It was an interesting place to work, but I eventually had to leave for two reasons, the low pay and my indecisive micro-manager boss. A micro-manager is bad enough, unable to delegate and overly obsessed with minor details. An indecisive micro-manager is much worse, because nothing ever gets finished and the same work will be done repeatedly on the same project.

It doesn't bother me that a game designer is still creating expansions for a 2018 game, and I appreciate that Cole doesn't shirk from playtesting or making changes based on playtesting. But that post makes it seem like he is still questioning fundamental aspects of the base game, even though it already has a solid fanbase.

So I picked up the original base box cheap second hand recently. Last time I played was via vassal and I think there were no expansions out. My kid is obsessed with this game already. It's basically just me and him. We have already mucked around with some bots. We're having a good time. He is pressuring me to get expansions already, and look, maybe I will if I see 'em cheap somewhere at the right time (i've also told him he can save up himself!). But there's so many of the damn things now! So, where did the dust settle for anyone still playing this? Low player count... are any worth keeping an eye out for?

I haven't played it, but the kickstarter expansion coming out in the coming year is specifically to enhance 2 player games, among other things. It also includes two big army factions which IMO the first expansion probably should have been, no matter how much I like the otters. So if come next spring you're still thinking about a Root expansion, I would get that one

Of the stuff that's out now I would get the new exiles and partisans card deck, which is just better all around and is cheap.

If I was choosing between the other two expansions, I would go with the 2nd one with the moles and crows. I think the base game needs more big army factions.

Agree with Gary all around. The second one is probably your better bet for two-player content, since it adds the Moles who are as numerous as the Cats and Eyrie. The Otters and the Lizards are very cool (the latter probably being my favorite faction to play of all of them), but they're also suited to particular players, moreso than the Moles or Crows, both of whom are easier to play. The Exiles and Partisans deck brings significant change to the game, even with the base factions. I like the original deck, but I agree that the E&P deck is more dynamic.

Thanks guys. I'd sussed that the underground would probably be better.

So the exiles deck is just a new deck to play with? Can you mix with the original deck at all or does that mess things up?

And what's the deal with hirelings?

New alternate deck you swap in completely. It has more interesting powers at much more palatable costs, makes the crafting game much more dynamic. Coffinmakers a touch OP to me but I'll take the tradeoff.

Hirelings are in the new expansion. They've been reworking them since the kickstarter. They look like an interesting way to add army mass to the board for lower player count games, which I think could be great... all depending on implementation.

Ah okay, got it. I'd seen a "hirelings box" or something somewhere but maybe that's more content post the next expansion or something.

There is a new vagabonds (6 iirc) box if that's what you're thinking of. It's cheap so it isn't bad value, if your son likes the vagabond it might be worth getting.

Some of the vagabonds are brutally strong once you realize that they're often best played as murder animals---1 VP per hit or 2 if you hit a building is really nuts.

Yeah as much as I love the factions in the Riverfolk expansion, I can’t recommend them for 2 players.

Oh, overall don't bother with the bots, though they aren't a bad choice to add to 2p to add some chaos. You can get better ones by the same designer pnp using the better bots project.

So I finally got around to playing Root last weekend. After all the hype I was left mostly nonplussed. It was okay, I guess, but seemed to invest a lot of energy into being mechanically clever for clever’s sake. I’d play it again but probably won’t seek it out.