Root - Playthrough & Review (+ Clockwork Expansion)

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This is “Root," a board game designed by Cole Wehrle, and published by Leder Games in 2018. We are also playing with "The Clockwork Expansion." This video includes a rules overview.
JUMP:
00:00​ - Rules Overview + Bot Summary
11:47 - Playthrough
01:02:25 - Review
Check out Root + all other expansions (referral link): ledergames.com/beforeyouplay
Lord of the Board Strategy Guides:
/ lordoftheboard
• Root Strategy Guide
BGG Link: boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2...
Full Disclosure: A review copy of the game was provided by the publisher.
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[@BeforeYouPlay]

What are your thoughts on Root?

[@LordoftheBoard]

Best game on the planet. Period. But that’s just me 😅❤️

[@ChrisCuly]

I've only played digital and I'm not sure I could get it to the table if I got the board game, but I am definitely tempted! Such an amazing design and tons of fun. Thanks for the great playthrough and review and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series!

[@macngames100]

Totally agree. Takes some time to get to know the game! Try to get the Riverfolk! Very interested to see a playthrough with the otters and lizards!!

[@enosfruit]

One of my all time favorite games! great play through in this video, especially that you included the mechanical Marquis 2.0. thanks!

[@michaelgorman2027]

I enjoy Root very much and also have the app. Your run through was very well done. I’m working through all the factions. I’m almost ready to break out the physical game and do 2 mechanicals.

[@xsomeNOOBx]

This is great. You guys did a great job with the rules and are a much needed balance to the VERY exuberant personalities on other channels. A breath of fresh air.

[@jimb5903]

agree 100%

[@releasev]

you guys are the best, the way you play games makes them so easy to understand, also you are really relaxing to watch aha :D i would love to see you play PARKS or campy creatures

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Aww thank you so much, we really enjoy filming these videos and are having a lot of fun with the channel. Still haven't tried PARKS, it's definitely up there with us for games we want to try!

[@ryanscott6300]

Second that! Keymaster games are superb!

[@woodman4046]

You guys are two of my favorite gamers to watch for a play through. I've picked up many games after watching your videos. Cameras are always in the perfect position for gameplay and commentary. Your instruction dialog is second to none. Thanks and keep the play throughs coming!!!!

[@Gothbrooks420]

Your playthrough helped me learn the game much better than any of the rules explanations I have watched. Thank you and well done.

[@swimprincess2]

I really liked how you did this teach. As someone who watched this never playing root before, I liked how you went over some basic rules at the beginning, and then as you played each faction, you explained what you were doing. This really helped me understand the game well without the huge overhead of learning a brand new game. Well done!

[@lumbered8299]

I picked this game up last week, there are a lot of rules that conflict. It's a smashing game. I've watched many you tube video's to try and ensure we are playing correctly. so far your playthrough has been the most infomative and your camera placement makes it easy to follow. This video has been a great help.....Thank you

[@jennylane-smith2022]

This was mine and Joel's favourite playthrough and review that we've watched from you guys! We'd never considered getting Root before as we mostly game 2-player (particularly this year!) but this has totally changed our minds. So looking forward to more of this Root series!

[@loudboomboom]

This is exactly what I was looking for! You explained things so well and I got to see a run through before I subject my family to learning it all. Thank you!

[@thunderwalk]

this was really clear and engaging! learnt a lot and had a great time watching you play ☺️ best one of these videos i’ve seen!!

[@alexavagliano6657]

This video was beautiful to watch! The explanations of your action were precise and clear and I really enjoyed the playthrough and your energy!

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Thanks Alex, we appreciate you hanging out with us!

[@iamlordstark]

Thanks for the video and hard work guys! Really helped me understand how the Marquise works in the Clockwork expansion! Been trying to see someone play against them for ages in a well edited and described way 😊!

[@garmit420]

Loved this playthrough video. I felt so invested in the game the whole way through. Can't wait to see more root videos from yourselves. Also would love to see a playthrough with the vagabot

[@LordoftheBoard]

Excellent video! Great game :) and wow thanks so much for the shoutout guys! ❤️

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Absolutely, thanks for your help!!

[@MsPackman4]

You two are THE BEST at explaining this complex game, thank you so much. ❤ I love how you explain each of the moves and why you’re doing each one. I learned so much. Thank you again!

[@anthonychilds8193]

this was so fun. you two are wonderful. thanks! crazy this is 2 years old!

[@en4crcdn]

Great review! High-quality presentation and explanation of the game. Looking forward to more content. Cheers.

[@terrytoriq]

I really really love this game. Awesome series, and you explain the game whit ease and joy. Thank you for that

[@batsteve1942]

I’ve been watching a few Root playthroughs lately and this is by far the best one I’ve seen. Very clear way of explaining as you play and it made what is a very daunting game not so daunting 😅. Nice to see a 2 player version of the game too, now just need to convince my wife that we should play this!

[@IronHamR]

Really great video. I’m trying to learn Root and this play through was super helpful. Thank you both for doing such a great video.

[@realarete9544]

Great video and gameplay/discussion. Very well done you two!

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Much appreciated!

[@thalleslopes817]

U guys make the game look so easy to play and smooth to watch. I'm from Brazil and love your channel.

[@mrsegundas3988]

Superb playthrough. You covered the rules brilliantly.

[@garyfaust6769]

I am looking forward to this series!!! Root is my favorite board game. Theme, art, replayability, so much to dive in to!!! Thank you!!!

[@Hisokegon88]

Enjoyed it a lot and look forward to see the next playthrough

[@cesarpim]

I love this game and I love this video gameplay. You guys "get the game" and it's fun to watch. Also congrats on the production quality!

[@jefflaflam7685]

Nice job guys! I played it once and also kind of bounced from it. I totally get what you guys are saying about getting to that level of understanding to appreciate it. Maybe someday I'll be able to try it out.

[@tracieperez2629]

Thanks for your playthrough videos! They always help me so much. I have had Root for a good while and had not felt ready to play it, but it's time to stop being afraid and take off the training wheels. 😁

[@subafiam1987]

I was just looking for the “Root” playthrough video. Right on time. Thx

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Glad we could help!

[@dillonheadley9204]

Loved this play through!! I have all of the expansions and looking forward to the new one coming. Also you should def get the exiles and partisans deck. It adds a whole new set variety to every faction you already own. Looking forward to the next play!

[@TheKAktUs39]

That was the best play through I've seen of Root! I've been on the fence for a while, but I 100% want to get it now after watching this 🙂

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Hey Michael, so glad we could help out! It's a great game, definitely one you will want to replay with the same group if possible, explaining the game to a newbie each time may be the barrier.

[@WheelUpTime]

Ordered root 3 days ago. It turned up today, havent played it yet but watched this video and now ive ordered the clockwork expansion, as ill likely only be playing it with 1 other human! Cheers for the great vid :D

[@Cissewis]

Awesome playthough again! The year of the Naveen haha! This game looked a bit daunting to me but your excellent rules overview and playthrough made is easier to grasp. Loved seeing having that luch fun in a wargame ;-) Cheers!

[@garishere]

I've been playing the digital version so much, it was much more refreshing to see a real game! It was a lot of fun watching you both play!

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Haha, there's something about the real version that feels so much more tense. The digital version is fantastic!

[@jurds216]

I’m so excited you’re playing this game!!! I’ve been looking for a play through by some gamers I trust! Finishing up obsession and then I’m headed here!!!

[@popgas3821]

Gosh, I've been studying this playthrough a lot and the more I watch these videos again and again the more I'm, dare I say, ROOTing for this game 😅, but honestly I wanted to buy and play it with my friends! I've also watched the other two Root videos you guys put out and thanks for the very clear and understandable playthroughs! ❤

[@Beepkris]

This made me buy the Clockwork expansion. Really well made (and narrated) playthrough!

[@leejames929]

This was great. I love the different ways the factions play.

[@michaelalmaraz3750]

Very straightforward and helpful, even though you guys messed up once I really learned a lot to take to my games

[@ryanscott6300]

Ah, at last the long awaited Root play through! Makes for a great evening to watch on this blizzardy night!

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Get your hot chocolate, you are going to be Scott the Marquise tonight! 😜

[@ryanscott6300]

@@BeforeYouPlay haha bring it on! Sounds excellent! Hope we are playing on the winter map to place my keep atop Snow Mountain!

[@Zonk696]

thank you for so elegant, so smooth and so educational video :)

[@BeforeYouPlay]

You're so welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@rebeljonny]

Been waiting for you to do a playthrough of this to help me work out if I would want it or not! Thank you!

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Hope the video is helpful, the bot does a decent job of simulating the full experience with more player.

[@rebeljonny]

@@BeforeYouPlay very helpful thank you!

[@Show985]

I particularly enjoyed two aspects of this video, the way the rules where explained and her hair. Both pure 🔥

[@BoxofDelights]

super presentation ! Perfect demo of the game. Keep up the great work!

[@Fighterfan69]

This was great! I'm still new to ROOT and am impressed by how different each faction plays. I love asymmetry in games and this i by far the best implementation of it. Merchants Cove may be in contention as well when it's finally released.

[@Mrhofer]

Was super excited to see this! I love Root and have finished a game of it once after getting it to the table multiple times and having it drag on.

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Oh wow, how long were your gaming sessions with it in the past?

[@Mrhofer]

@@BeforeYouPlay Most have ended within 20-30 minutes because people were frustrated and couldn’t figure it out. The one time I nearly finished it was about 75 minutes before someone decided to just be a king maker and everyone decided to end the game because our fourth showed up and we started a game of Arkham Horror (which took 45 minutes to set up and I had to leave 😂). Only time I finished was a 2 player game with my partner.

[@shinylunchbox61]

Glad I came across your channel. I enjoyed your approach to playing the Eyrie. I sometimes get caught up putting a lot of cards into the move column to keep my program working, but at the cost of not using the other leaders as you pointed out is a good thing. Forcing a turmoil can be a good thing but it’s difficult to get past.

[@jtgeorge25]

Love these videos guys. Hope y’all do one for Oath!

[@bgt2701]

I also do alot of online competitive plays, after about 300+ games, I still enjoy the game every time I play, yet still more to learn.

[@BeforeYouPlay]

WOW 300+?!! That's unbelievable! Any tips for us based off the play you saw??

[@yaelakimronzonmorell254]

Thank you for the video, can't wait for the next root playthrough 😃

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Us too!! Coming soon

[@ronsilva7394]

You guys did a great job !

[@Axel_Vrarimor]

This was fun, I have only played Root once and I played as La Resistance, aka The Woodland Alliance and won, of all things. I enjoyed it but felt I had a huge advantage. Your playthrogh was great fun. ¡Vive la Resistance!

[@kbell2660]

This was the best play through that I’ve seen for Root. Thank you!

[@levihoppe388]

Awesome! Thanks for this one!

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Glad you like it!

[@eloidion6793]

I played 100+ time and I´m still Learning the game. Root is amazing by his complexity of strategic interaction. More you play it, more you love it ;) Glad you enjoy it!

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Excited to explore with the Vagabond in the future. We can't wait until we can get a full 4-P game in!

[@eloidion6793]

@@BeforeYouPlay Yeah, Vagabond are strong. Experienced player will hit them as soon as possible to slow them down. They are ticking bomb, infamy point are OP. Root scale better at 4p. But the new expansion (23feb on KS) will have a good 2 players focus with 2 new high reach factions and some NPC mini faction. You can even playtest them now on TTS through Woodland Warrior Discord ;)

[@IanM92]

Love this game. I bought the base game and all the expansions last month. The digital version is good too.

[@BeforeYouPlay]

It's great, we are really excited to explore the expansion factions!

I also bought everything but the clockwork, including the soft maps, resine, new deck

[@IanM92]

@ bought all that too

[@TheWandererGamer]

I play Root mostly solo, so the app is just perfect for me. Great video as always

[@thewitchef]

I have attempted to watch 4 videos explaining how to play this game and have quit midway because I just don't get it. I want to give you kudos because you made the game not only understandable to me but also enjoyable.

[@monstermash4324]

Thanks for this guys! Roots has always intrigued me but the rules and play seemed intimidating. I still don't really get it..haha but looking forward to the rest of the series!

[@flamtzer]

I'm actually super excited for their next KS coming in a couple of weeks. They will be bringing two new factions and some 'minor' factions as well as more bots. These minor factions are beign designed with the main focus of improving the 2p game. The future of 2p Root looks so good!

[@BeforeYouPlay]

We are too! When we chose to do this mini-series we had no idea that a new expansion was going to be announced! We are excited about all the news we've heard so far!

[@rodmorenoalves]

I absolutely love your videos! The ONLY aspect I'd like to talk is that I cannot see the text or small icons on your videos. Because sometimes that is the difference between understanding a game or don't understand it completely. I see your efforts on every aspect of the videos but a zoom or closeup camera (or just an image of the icons and text) would help very much and makes a huge difference!

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Hi Rodrigo thank you so much for the support! I feel ya on the small text thing. We would ideally like to have zoomed in moments but it unfortunately requires a significant amount of time in the editing process. We have discussed possible solutions and are still trying to figure out how we can make it better. This one was a table hog so it was particularly harder to see this time around.

[@paolopiccione7470]

Great video, thank you! I was looking forward to seeing you guys play Root. I think the Eire Dynasty is the harder faction to play. I always lose... by a landslide when I play it.

[@BeforeYouPlay]

It's definitely tough, Monique likes to challenge herself with them.

[@alanturingandthetapes5575]

Love your videos! I own Root but haven't tried it yet. Re: asymmetric games I'd love to see you guys try netrunner.

[@Sephyr6]

Late to the party on this one for sure. I just played the iOS app a few days ago and I’ve been binging it. There were some things not clicking with me (i.e. escalated cost of spreading sympathy for Woodland or escalated bonus points for buildings with Marquise), but I ended up buying the game anyway because I think it’s a great fit for my game group. While I wait for it to arrive, I’ve been looking for videos to help me break it down to a teachable level and came across this one. Admittedly not my first time watching your channel, but I’m new and hadn’t seen this series. Thanks for the great video and explanations! You did a better job of explaining these three factions, for me, than the in-game tutorial. Well done!

[@keithjones1929]

I have original plus expansions and still play it regularly with my kids.❤

[@bridgetgilmore1230]

This was an awesome playthrough! I am in the boat of having played a few times at 2 players and we have feeling a bit meh about the hype around the game. Definitely motivated to try out the new expansions and devote some time to get more out of the game after watching!

[@foxmitten1443]

Love Root so much, super excited to see you guys cover it. The Marauders Expansion is going live on kickstarter at the end of this month and has a heavy focus on making the 2 player experience more enjoyable. Me and my partner are looking forward to it :) Also a note that there's errata available for a printing error on the Electric Eyrie board. *edit* Just got to the part of the video where you mentioned the kickstarter haha

[@robertcrist6059]

Fun fact, there is a pizza joint in Nashville called Two Boots, modeled after Italy and....Louisiana. Fun toppings and it was good. Fun find while visiting Nashville.

[@GabrielDFbhz]

Guys, I would love to see you playing through the ages!!

[@BeforeYouPlay]

It's a game on our list that we still need to play! We've heard a ton of good things about the app.

[@GabrielDFbhz]

@@BeforeYouPlay love the app, play everyday

[@olloplays]

I'm excited that there will be more opinions on the 2p experience with this new expansion. I played this game once at 5p and it's as much fun as people say it is, but I know the 2p experience is different. Thank you for this video!

[@adarshdas8364]

Hey! Love the way both you express the game which in turn is really helpful. I wanted to know if the clockwork expansion works with all 4 base factions and also with other expansions like lizards etc. Also how good is the replaybility of Root?

[@FilippoCampana]

I love root 😍 I already have base + riverfolk and have pre ordered Underworld. Can't wait for the Clockwork to be translated in Italian! My favourite factions are Alliance and Lizardfolk and I'd like to see the Automated Alliance 😁

[@doritosp1853]

Just bought this game, and cant wait to try it! Wonder if two will do more of root, or spirit island? 😁😁

[@Marek_Kosciak]

You are the best!

[@zhivik]

This was a great! I was also looking towards getting into Root, because Cole Wehrle is a really original designer and his games are very much unique. I love that you are going to do several playthroughs of this, I believe it will really accent on the game's strengths. I think Monique took a hard task in this playthrough, as the Eyrie appears to be the most difficult to play out of the base factions, at least at first look. Still, I see how much fun it is to figure out how to play a faction's strengths and look out for its weaknesses :) Regarding the game's depth, I somewhat disagree with the terms you used. Yes, the rules are simple, no doubt about that. However, I don't believe the game's strategy aspect is shallow. This is something I have observed in many players, as they tend to consider a game heavy if its ruleset is vast and complicated. I don't believe there needs to be a correlation between the two. In fact, the games I love the most are those with relatively simple rules but which give you a lot of space to strategize. Here is an example with ancient board games - Go (or Wei Qi, if you prefer) - that ancient Chinese board game, has very simple rules, far more simpler than those of chess, for instance. Yet, its strategic depth outpaces by far what chess offers. From what I have seen from Leder Games and Cole Wehrle, this is his design style and I love it. Also, the vast asymmetry among the factions is great, though some say it makes people focus on a single faction. I am now tempted of collecting the entire game :) As always, thank you for your great work! I love it how you present games in a way that is friendly to people who have never played them and yet it allows to get in deep quickly enough, it is just the right doze of teach and strategic play.

[@alpardal]

Are you guys planning on doing a Gaia Project playthrough? Would love to see that one

[@Projected1]

We love Root! Early impressions say that the new expansion makes 2 player Root even better. I can’t wait :)

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Same here! We are excited!!

[@Kingspawn000]

Would love to see you guys revisit with the new Hirelings and see your thoughts on 2p now!

[@jcw59able]

Love Root and two players!!! Wish I had seen this when I bought it, it would have made me far less hesitant about buying it.

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Haha, what player count do you typically play this at? (Non-Covid times of course) :-)

[@jcw59able]

Irl it’s just my girlfriend and I with a bot, but I play plenty via TTS on the Paddle and Woodland Warriors between 3-5. 5 players is my favorite because of the chaos that can take over

[@gerardmarques649]

I bought Root as a couples gift for my fiance and I for Christmas but we've been busy getting everything in order for a move to a new apartment and havent had a chance to play it yet. can't wait and can't wait for covid to be over so we can bring our friends over to play it

[@joseg.6187]

Thank you! I have some root stuff and tough to learn. Also clockwork had a board errata I think. You playing everything off the box, right?

[@feelfreetoviewme]

It is like a MOBA. You can’t really understand how the games works without playing it multiple times so it tends to bounce off some groups. I love the table negotiation in the game as well.

[@feelfreetoviewme]

@Christian yea it was really fun trying to figure out how your faction worked. It is really cool how they all function.

[@xandermichael78]

I've only played it twice and as much as I love the artwork, the theme, the asymmetry, it did not click with me at all. I actually felt incredibly frustrated through the entire two games. But I'm glad I got a chance to play it - back to Everdell for me for my woodland creature fix!

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Haha yeah the first 2 plays had me (Naveen) feeling that way. Once I downloaded the app it was much easier to understand the 4 factions and truly get the full scope of the game. This is one of those games where you need to know EVERYTHING or else you are in trouble.

[@CptBumFlufff]

Nice playthrough, well s%#t I'm going to have to buy this and the clockwork exp.... Thanks for the video!

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@TristanOnGoogle]

Hey, at 14:35, for the eyrie, u can't rule only the destination clearing : u have to rule the origin clearing which matches your move decree.

[@marcosoenke]

I have Root on the shelf since summer, but not able to play it yet (we're usually playing with two right now, not the best player count). But so excited for it, such a fascinating game. Fortunately the clockwork expansion will be released here in germany soon, so everything will be fine :)

[@lilitayaya]

Very excited that you are doing Root! We are only 2 players and I'm intrigued to see how you use the Clockwork expansion with different combos. (So far we've been playing the app to get more factions into the game but the tabletop meeples are so much cooler and cuter than the app version) Do you think 2 players should not bother with the Riverfolk expansion? will you be playing through this one too? Love your play throughs!

[@tracytroutman7188]

I'm voting for the Vagabot for your next playthrough. I haven't tried any but the Mechanical Marquise. The Vagabond is a points machine in the game so I'm guessing it would make for an interesting bot.

[@BenjaminH_48]

Root is awesome! New Kickstarter next week with 2 new factions + minor factions (that also improves small player count) + new draft and set-up rules AND also more clockwork bots options! Underworld is the better expansion because of the new map and two very cool factions... even though River folk expansion's 2 factions are probably my favorites'. Otters trying so hard to sell goods and lizards converting the other meeples to their Great Journey are so much fun to play! Finally, I don't know if you have it already, but the Exile and Partisan deck is a must - it improves the game a lot!

[@LilBoyHexley]

The clockwork expansion seem very good. To me its less about adding an actual "player" as much as adding an environmental factor that players contend with. So it's not so much about the bot winning than it is giving the players a *lose* condition, a distraction and something to potentially negotiate (which can't really happen in a straight head-to-head) over to avoid the double loss.

[@jonathanpickles2946]

I love it. I hate teaching it though. I have not played enough to really know the mechanics of any of the factions let alone the strategy and it's really hard to get people up to speed on all that when you're a bit ropey yourself. I am not a fan of bots but given the way the world went I sure wish I'd kick started the clockwork expansion with all the rest :)

[@BeforeYouPlay]

The bot does a decent job, we still haven't tried to play with the Vagabond bot. We aren't sure if we will for the other games in the series, we are debating it.

[@yview7315]

Monique seems to be panicking a couple of times playing that wargame :D We can feel the tension! Amazing.

[@matta414]

Great video, thank you! I got Root so that I can play a wargame with my daughters, who think they're playing a cute forest game. It works beautifully!

[@ronthal]

As you mentioned, the app (Android and iOS) is sooo nice and cute with animations and all, it's the best way to learn the game faction by faction, since 1 solo game vs IA on the app takes 20-30mins... And it simply makes you want to play the board game if possible with 3 other players ! The Lizard Cult and Riverfolk from 1st expansion are also interesting. The initial clockwork Marquise from base game doesn't work at all though.

[@timmyz1069]

@33:32 why did the mechanical marquise recruit two?

[@viktorkm]

Clockwork simulate players so well, by far the best bot system I have ever seen. It doesent matter if it doesent exactly everything a real player does. By the end of a Bots turn, you can check the board and say "yeah this made sense, this is what a player would liked to have accomplished" Also I think Im almost like the game the most as a 3 plauer with a Bot. Becouse then you have this faction that does influence the board but doesent do so from anger or in memory of past actions of other players. Its just a cool entety that everyone need to be aware of. MM2.0 or Vagabot is probobly the best fo that experience :)

[@JoostN86]

Great video! Where is the next episode? :)

[@BeforeYouPlay]

It's filmed and now being edited for a better viewing experience! 😃

[@MickRissling]

Bought Root some time ago, played once with my wife. We both liked it but haven't had the chance to play again (been lots of Lacerda and Mindclash games!). Recently bought Clockwork and looking for videos to get ready and you just put one up! Great timing and great video ! Have you played the Electric Eyrie with the errata?

[@BeforeYouPlay]

So glad this timed right for you! Gotta love both Lacerda and Mindclash games :-) We haven't tried the electric Eyrie bot yet (didn't know there was an errata too, so thanks!). We are debating if we will add a 4th player bot in our next play.

[@MickRissling]

@@BeforeYouPlay We played two games, a 2-player with Marquise and Eyrie to get back into it. Then a 4 player with Eyrie and Marquise bots. Super fun with 4 (though my wife won both, nail-biters both times...) Thanks for being part of our Root day! The link for the errata is: boardgamegeek.com/thread/2399229/official-clockwork-errata-electric-eyrie

[@mustafaazmi7106]

I have a hard time to decide either to buy Root or Scythe, any suggestion? Those two look promising collection.

[@Spandau-Filet]

Best explanation of Root online. End of story.

[@creepyshadow]

In the games I've played, the Erie Dynasty can only win (or come close ) by the luck of the draw by the player, otherwise their decree always crumbles