Root Underworld Expansion – The Underground Dutchy Review

We’ve been delving deep into the world of Root over the holidays, and took yet another expansion pack for a spin. The Underworld Expansion for Root not only provides a new board with two new maps to play, but two brand new factions to sink your teeth into. Moving from the shadows, the Dutchy burrows into clearings, sways ministers, and attempts to dominate and attack across the forest. Is this a good faction to use in your next game of Root, or should you leave them buried beneath ground? Let’s take a look!

When playing as the Underground Dutchy, there are a number of things that need to be considered. First and foremost, this is a great faction for those looking to make big attacks, but in very specific locations. While other factions can muster large armies and begin a trail of carnage across the forest, the Dutchy faction is a bit more calculated, burrowing up from beneath the forest floor and targeting specific areas. It’s a very tactical faction, and one I quite enjoyed.

There is quite a bit going on here as well. First and foremost, you want to create burrows in various clearings. The Dutchy can do plenty from beneath the earth, yes, but without some buildings up in the forest, it will be hard to get the engine going and points flowing. The Dutch, despite its military strength, is still a faction ruled by politicians, and if you know politicians, they don’t stand for much and can be easily swayed.

For every clearing that the Underground Dutchy has pieces in, they will need to reveal cards from their hands that match that clearing to keep these politicians on their side. Making these matches will dictate the number of actions you get to play on top of your regular 2 actions, so it’s important to constantly monitor what you have in your hand against what you have on the board.

There are other things to consider as well. Lose buildings in a clearing and your politicians will just up and quit. When they do, you lose your highest ranked, swayed politician, which could lead to fewer actions, and well…you see where this is going.

I find the Underground Dutchy VERY strategic. There is a delicate balance to being present above the forest floor and still being able to satisfy each clearing with a matching card. Expand too far, and you might not have the cards to obtain the actions you need. Spreading too thin also creates a strain on any soldiers you have, your line of defense against invading creatures. Losing out on the aid of politicians because your buildings get destroyed severely limits your actions, and really hampers your ability to move forward.

Unlike other factions in Root, I found that the Underground Dutchy is a hard faction to turn around if too many things go south at once. For some, a few ‘dud’ turns can get your armies back, your clearings repopulated, etc. but with the Dutchy, each and every destroyed building hampers your ability to get more and do more. And it’s not an easy fix to get it all back.

This can make the Underground Dutchy frustrating to play, especially for new players. This seems like a faction you play after dozens of games of Root, or at the least, one you play if others around the table are a bit less experienced.