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Asymmetric War Game2018
Root box art

Box art via BoardGameGeek

Asymmetric War Game

Root

Cute woodland critters wage a brutal, lopsided war for the forest.

3.9 out of 53.9/5

Designed by Cole Wehrle · 2018

Players2-4
Play time60-90 min
WeightMedium-Heavy
Ages10+ (14+ is more honest)
Check price on AmazonAffiliate link · supports the site, costs you nothing extra
The verdict

One of the best asymmetric games ever made, as long as you bring a group willing to learn it together. Solo or one-and-done players will bounce hard.

Best for: A regular group that wants to master something deep and replayable

The full review

What it is

Root is a war game wearing a children's book costume. Cole Wehrle's design hands each of you a faction that plays by its own rules. The Marquise de Cat builds and sprawls, the Eyrie birds chain rigid programmed actions, the Woodland Alliance foments revolt, and the lone Vagabond wanders making friends and stabbing backs. Four factions, four basically separate rulebooks, one gorgeous forest you're all fighting over. Reviewers keep landing on the same word: asymmetric. It earns it.

The catch

Here's the honest part. Root is not balanced for you, it's balanced by you. The factions aren't mechanically even, so the table has to gang up on whoever's pulling ahead, or someone runs away with it. Your first game or two will feel lopsided and confusing, because nobody knows what anyone else can do yet. Players on Reddit and review sites say it plainly: early games are messy, and it shines once the group has reps. Teaching four asymmetric factions at once is a lot.

Who it's for

So who's this for? A group. The same group, ideally, willing to lose a couple of games while it clicks. Get there and Root becomes one of the most replayable, talkative, alive games on your shelf, and the art makes it an easy sell to people who'd never touch a wargame. At two players it sags, and solo-minded folks should look elsewhere. But for a committed crew of three or four, this thing sings. Sitting at #34 on BoardGameGeek isn't an accident.

What other players say

This write-up is grounded in real reviews and player discussion, not just one opinion. A few worth reading:

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