Root, the woodland-war game where cute forest critters wage startlingly vicious battles for control of the map, is getting its biggest expansion in years. Root: The Homeland Expansion adds three new factions to Leder Games' modern classic, and a Kickstarter is live now.
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Set up your group for freeThe headline is those factions, because Root's whole appeal is that every player operates by completely different rules. The Lilypad Diaspora are scattered newcomers trying to integrate into the Woodland while tensions simmer into conflict. The Twilight Council swaps the battlefield for the debating chamber, calling heated assemblies to try to end the war by other means. The Knaves of the Deepwood are raiders who ambush barracks and baggage trains, hauling off warriors to ransom from the forest depths. Two new maps round out the box.
For the uninitiated, Root is one of the most celebrated board games of the last decade, prized for asymmetry so extreme that learning to beat an opponent often means learning a whole different game. It supports 2 to 6 players, ages 10 and up, with sessions of 60 to 90 minutes, and the new factions are built to slot straight into that ecosystem.
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Find events near youThe expansion also arrives at a notable moment for Leder. Root co-creator Cole Wehrle and artist Kyle Ferrin, whose hand-drawn critters gave the series its look, recently left to start their own studio, so this is also a statement that Root remains very much Leder's flagship.
The Kickstarter is funding now, with the expansion due in 2026. Root rewards a regular crew who learn the factions inside out, so it might be time to pull a group together.
Sources: Leder Games | BoardGameWire
