Interesting note on the passing. Just to clarify - the hirelings can be passed to any player. it doesnt have the be the player in last place for points. for example, the Woodland Alliance usually is around last place until they win the game. So thats why its a choice each time! I liked your review, you are making me want to make a video on my overly long explanation as to why Root doesn't have to be a kingmaking game. Love the stuff alex!
Lol thanks, means a lot coming from you. And yes, definitely don't have to ...but we find we usually do (except when last in points is obviously not actual last as you mentioned)
In Root, almost everything is player-driven. If you use Hirelings to over-police the leader and it breaks the game, that's a decision the table made and it's the job on the players to figure out how much policing is too much. Hirelings are good at 2 player count but the were primarily tested at 3 and I think are perfect for that player count. Passing them to the "correct" player is a difficult decision and requires being really familiar with all the factions and how they can utilize the hireling to synergize with their engines. The inclusion of Advanced setup makes this the most essential expansion to Root yet for the competitive players of Root who are looking for a more robust and equitable way to perform setup that expands player choice and reduces RNG.
I am a bit disappointed you did not go into ADSET, or Advanced Setup. I will always play Root with Adset now. It gives so much more agency over your setup and buffs the weaker factions (cats, corvids, lizards), just making Root better. I highly recommend trying it.
@@ThePetz88 It is more of an alternate setup that gives more control and balance to the game that is in the marauder expansion. I recommend going to Nitrorev's Root Channel where he provides a fantastic overview of it, and even links a pnp to try it out.
Is ADSET and Advanced Setup the same thing? Do you recommend the advanced rules for the basic game as well? Or do they only make sense when you combine and mix parties from the different expansion packs?
I loved Root, but I sold it a few weeks ago when my Marauder expansion came in. It’s a great game, but I’m the only one in my groups that is willing to play it. The rest aren’t up for games this complex or have trouble with this much English to read (I’m Dutch).
I am glad that we get German translations here. I'm with you on the complexity level. The more expansion packs that come out, the more complex it gets. There are more and more if and but conditions and a lot of little extra rules. That's why I would recommend everyone to play only the base game with new people to introduce them to the world of root. When they are hooked, you can add more parties.
The Law of Root says that once you run out of turns with the Hirelings you give them to any other player you choose. So the person in the lead can still receive them
How many people do you have in your group? Did you all learn it at the same time/how many were new the first game? Im trying to bring it to the table and want to make sure everyone enjoys the game. Its my favorite game and want some people to play with regularly in person.
@@naturesfinest2408 their first couple games will undoubtedly be shit, but by the third game my group started craving to play it. Now we have been playing weekly and it's always the highlight of the week. I taught 3 others to play. it was a bit challenging, but we'll worth the effort. Now I'm learning ti4 to bring to the same group in the future.
@@naturesfinest2408 I have 4 to 5 in my group. Its mostly family and were all pretty completive. We don't mind the down time, so it works. I have taught this game in the past, and everyone seemed to really dig it. I found that learning to teach this game well really helps also.
How is the pull down the leader such an issue? Most games I’ve seen with Root is that it’s pretty close most of the way and that some factions inherently get stronger at certain points in the game. If in a three player game the two players are simply targeting whoever has the most points at a given time might be doing that to their demise in my mind.
Hey Alex. Please include a buyer's guide with your recommendations on what to buy when you do video covering all the expansions. I have a group of 3-5 but also play a lot with just my wife so I need games that can cover those variables. So far I have the clockwork expansion and the base game on order from my local shop.
I'm in the same place as you and I'm thinking about which expansion pack to buy next. I love the Otter but the Underground expansion has two new maps. That's why I think you get more bang for your buck with the Underground expansion. However, the Clockwork expansion was too expensive for me for the fact that it doesn't contain any important game elements. You can get the AI moves from the internet just like that.
@@riverwulf6721 Another aspect that speaks for the underground expansion: The moles are a faction with a high range, the ravens have a low one. So you expand the base game with one faction with high and one with low range. This is important if you play with only two players. For this, factions with a high range are recommended. The factions of the Riverfolk expansion, however, both have a low range.
Nice pre roll ;-) Would you keep the game if you could only play it with 2 players (also asked the duck, but the duck didn't feel like replying...) ;-)
Lizards have a convoluted scoring mechanic (think cats, but they reveal a card to score their built buildings instead of immediately getting points for building buildings) and use the suits in the discard pile to set what they can do. A lot of times, it's just difficult to line everything up to have productive turns and score competitively.
Yes, scoring is an issue for lizards - but they have a great map presence. The advanced setup also buffs lizards to start with 2 acolytes, meaning they can perform a conspiracy on their first turn if they’d like.
@S R I agree, the app or steam game has a great tutorial. If you like the gameplay buy the cardboard version. If you hate it you're only out like 5-15 bucks instead of $60 or more
