ROOT

The player’s mission is to take over the forest by achieving victory points and completing the domination card. For a long time, good board games have always been tense battles of wits between players to win and the board game Root is also attracting the attention of many players.

Video tutorial on how to play the game

1. Giới thiệu về board game Root

Root is the name of a board game with adventure and combat to compete for the territory of creatures living in the forest. The game is for 2 to 4 players aged 14 and up and each player will take on the role of a faction to fight and use decisive tactics to gain control of a large forest.

Root playing time can range from 90 – 120 minutes and each player will control the story under a different role to create satisfying and interesting interactions with each other.

2. Đọc 5 phút biết ngay luật chơi board game Root

Game rhythm

Each player’s turn will be divided into 3 phases: Early morning, day and night. When the player completes all the stages in order, the turn ends and the person on the left begins their turn. These three stages will be described specifically on each faction’s board.

Victory conditions

Players can win by reaching 30 win points or playing and completing a domination card with one of four chosen factions including: Cat Countess, Bird’s Nest Dynasty, Forest Alliance, and Rogue.

Arrange the game

If there are 3 players, you must remove the rogue’s side and if there are only 2 players, remove both the rogue’s side and the forest alliance side. You will start the Root board game in the following specific order:

• Choose a faction: Each player will choose a faction board and take the components of that faction according to the instructions on the back.
• Place the scoring pad and hand out the cards: Place the scoring pad of your chosen faction in box 0 on the scoring scale. Then, shuffle the 54 cards in the community deck and give each player 3 cards. You should look at the back of the card to distinguish between the common cards and the separate cards of each faction.
• Place ruins and create inventory: Place 4 ruins in the 4 empty spaces on the map marked “R” and place 12 items in the corresponding spaces on the map to create an inventory.

Place two dice near the map and each player will see their faction placement instructions behind each selected faction board.

Map

The forest will be divided into 12 lands connected by many white-spotted roads. You can move from one land to another with any number of warriors through white-spotted paths.

However, to move, you must own the land you are leaving or are preparing to go to by having the highest total number of warriors and buildings in that land. If you and other players have an equal number of warriors and buildings, no one owns that land.

Land

Each land will have from 1 – 3 empty plots with each cell containing a player’s building and each land will also have an additional animal species present there such as a fox, rabbit or mouse.

Each land area will have 1 – 3 empty plots with each plot containing a building

Card

While playing, you will draw cards from the common deck to your hand to call and ask creatures to help you do something. Therefore, each card will also have a corresponding animal such as fox, rabbit, mouse and even bird.

Crafting cards

Almost every card will have a second use which is to craft a card to receive an effect by activating the crafting tool at the land listed on the card. You can only activate crafting tools once per turn and each faction will have different crafting tools.

If a card has an immediate effect, you must apply that effect immediately and then discard the card. If it is a permanent effect, you must tuck the card under the faction board and only reveal the effect part.

Fight

You can fight other players to remove other player’s pieces by choosing the land where you have warriors, then you will be the attacker and choose an enemy with pieces there as the defender.

First, you will roll 2 dice and judge by counting the number of buttons, the attacking side will deal damage corresponding to the higher number of buttons and the defending side will only deal damage with the lower number of buttons. The player only deals maximum damage equal to the number of warriors he has in that land.

After that, both sides will remove pieces at the same time corresponding to the number of buttons on the dice and the player who takes damage can choose the piece they want to remove.

Besides, before rolling the battle dice, the opponent can play a raid card of the same species as that land to deal 2 damage to the enemy. However, the attackers can also use raid cards of the same species to hinder the defenders.

3Cách chơi board game Root

Cat countess faction

Cat Countess will try to build structures to gain as many victory points as possible. To have enough resources to build projects, this faction will have to ensure an abundant supply of real wood.

The cat countess’s castle will have two characteristics: no one but the countess can place chess pieces on the land where the castle is located. Next, when the countess’s warrior is eliminated, she can use the healing feature by using a card of the same type as the land that warrior is in and placing them on the land where the castle is located.

The stages of cat countess include the following:

• Early morning: Place 1 piece of wood at each wood workshop

Day: You can first craft the cards in your hand using the workshop and perform up to 3 of the following actions:

• Combat: Start a battle
• March: Move 2 times
• Recruit: Place 1 warrior at each barracks and can only be done once per turn.
• Construction: Consumes a number of pieces of wood equal to its cost to place a structure on the land you own. When you place a structure on the map you will receive bonus points shown below.
• Overtime: Use 1 card to place a piece of wood at a lumberyard in a land of the same species as that card.

Night: Draw 1 card and 1 additional card for each additional drawn card opened. If you have more than 5 cards, discard them until you have 5 cards left.

Bird’s nest dynasty

The Bird Nest Dynasty will earn points based on the number of nests made on the map. Besides, the bird’s nest will have to carry out the actions contained in the edict or else it will fall into chaos.

The bird’s nest can own a land even if they are equal in number to the enemy, but the crafted items will have fewer points.

The stages of the bird’s nest dynasty include:

• Early morning: Add 1 – 2 cards to any column in the edict and maximum 1 bird card.

Day: Craft cards, use groups, and carry out orders in the edict from left to right. In each column you can play cards in any order on a land of the same type as that card. Some actions include:

• Recruitment: Place a warrior in a land of the same species as the nest
• Move: Have at least 1 warrior move from a land of the same species.
• Combat: Start a battle
• Construction: Own an empty plot of land by placing a nest in the land of the same species.
• Night: Get the win points shown below the last empty space on the nest count scale. Then, draw 1 card with 1 additional card on each additional card drawn. If there are more than 5 cards, you must remove them until there are 5 cards left.

Forest Alliance

The Forest Alliance represents the oppressed creatures of the forest. They will receive victory points based on people’s sympathy. Supporters are alliance cards used to cause uprisings. When in defense mode, the alliance uses higher dice and the attacker uses lower dice.

The stages of the forest alliance include:

Morning: You can rebel and spread sympathy as many times as you want.

Day: You will have to perform actions such as crafting cards from sympathy pieces, adding 1 card to the favor pile, and training 1 warrior into an officer.

Night:

• Move 1 time
• Start a battle
• Place a warrior in an area with a base
• Place 1 sympathy piece in an unsympathetic land with no warriors.
• After that, you will also draw 1 card plus the number of additional cards drawn. If there are more than 5 cards, you must discard them until there are only 5 cards left.

Lumpen

Based on the conflicts between factions, the rogue will receive points by improving relations with the sympathetic faction or eliminating the opposing faction’s pieces.

However, the scoundrel cannot own a land or prevent others from owning the land, but he is very agile so he can move without paying any attention to who owns the land. The rogue has only one rogue piece and this piece can move and attack like a warrior.

The stages of the scoundrel include:

Early morning: Can flip 2 – 5 items and move into any land

Day: You can move, fight, craft, repair, attack, explore, assist,…

Night: If you are in the forest, you are entitled to repair all broken items. Besides, draw 1 card and add 1 card based on each additional card drawn. If there are more than 5 cards, remove them until there are exactly 5 leaves left.

4. Note, tips for playing the board game Root

Because Root’s game rules are relatively complicated, you will spend a lot of time researching how to play and understanding the cards as well as the action mechanism in each turn to bring the most benefits.

One notable thing about Root is his strategy and creativity in his gameplay. This is also the deciding factor in victory for your side, you must make a plan for your own side and consider your opponent’s moves.