Root

Root is BGG #34. It has 66,000+ ratings, a 8.07 average, and a near-mythological status in the hobby - the game where woodland creatures wage asymmetric warfare and every faction plays like a completely different game. Cole Wehrle’s 2018 design from Leder Games has been praised as a masterpiece and dismissed as a teaching nightmare in equal measure. Before you drop £60+ on the base game (and inevitably spiral into the expansion ecosystem), here’s what you actually need to know. ...

Root works because it understood something that most area control games get completely wrong. Every faction at the table is playing a different game. The Marquise de Cat runs an industrial engine, building sawmills and workshops, trying to grind the board into submission through sheer production. The Eyrie Dynasties are locked into a decree that grows increasingly unmanageable, balancing expansion against the constant threat of turmoil. The Woodland Alliance builds sympathy quietly - too quietly - until the forest erupts with unrest and suddenly they’re winning without having fought anyone. The Vagabond drifts through all of it, taking quests, making friends, betraying them. Each faction has a completely separate arc, a separate game feel, a separate path to victory. ...

There’s a moment in every area control game where you look at the board, count your pieces, count your opponent’s pieces, and realise you’re one move away from either a masterful territorial sweep or a catastrophic overextension. That tension - the knife-edge between dominance and collapse - is why area control has been a cornerstone of board game design for decades. But “area control” is deceptively simple as a label. It covers everything from the elegant medieval politics of El Grande to the asymmetric woodland warfare of Root, from the mythological brawling of Kemet to the Darwinian survival of Dominant Species. What unites them isn’t just “put your stuff on the map” - it’s a deeper design philosophy about shared spaces, visible competition, and the impossibility of defending everything at once. ...

Down the rabbit hole: which Root expansions actually deserve a place in the Woodland? Root has become one of the defining designs of the modern hobby. An 8.07/10 average from over 54,000 ratings, ranked #34 overall on BGG, with a 3.84/5 weight that sits firmly in “you need to pay attention” territory. It plays 2-4 in the base box across 60-90 minutes, and at four players it’s one of the most tightly contested, gloriously chaotic experiences in board gaming. ...

Cole Wehrle has a problem. He keeps making masterpieces and forcing us to choose between them. Root and Oath are both Leder Games flagships, both designed by Wehrle, both gorgeous, both critically adored. The BGG forums have been arguing about this for years. So let’s settle it. Category Root Oath Complexity 3.78/5 4.22/5 🏆 Theme & Immersion High (asymmetric factions, Kyle Ferrin art) 🏆 High (legacy storytelling, evolving world) Replayability Massive (factions × expansions) 🏆 Moderate (needs campaign commitment) Value for Money $45-55 🏆 $50-60 Player Count Sweet Spot 3-4 players 🏆 3 players Table Presence Stunning 🏆 Impressive Learning Curve Steep Steeper 🏆 Complexity Winner: Oath 🏆 ...