Root – The Marauder Expansion Review

Root is quickly turning into a game I really, REALLY love, despite it being a game I thought I would really hate. Thanks to Leder Games, I took the dive into Root and I am so glad I did. The base game factions are perfectly fine, but it’s fun to mix and match with some of the expansion factions. While I don’t have access to all of them, Leder Games was nice enough to send over The Marauder Expansion, and it was great to have options for our next play!

The expansion comes with two brand new factions to play as, the Lord of the Hundreds and Keepers in Iron. Both new factions bring brand new ideas and plots to the table, and it’s great to have more options. The downside, of course, is having to learn two brand new factions, but with a little bit of prep time for all of those at the table, we had a good idea of how these two new factions played.

The Lord of the Hundreds

Mood swings are in full force here as you lead your team with a specific Lord who has some pretty crazy mood swings. These moods can be played and provide benefits for the round, but are limited. You cannot play the same mood twice in a row, and if you have an item in your pack that matches the icon on a mood card, that card can no longer be used. There is a lot more here than just moods, but learning how they each work and when you should use them is the difference between winning and losing the game.

There is a warlord that drives this faction, and he moves around the board and takes troops with him. Getting rid of the warlord is easier said than done, but when it does happen he will come back into play later, replacing one of the factions regular units. As these rats expand across the forests of Root, they will be constructing strongholds and earning points. This is an incredibly aggressive faction to play, so not only does it take an aggressive person to play them well, it takes a group of players ready to respond in-kind; and depending on who the other factions at the table are, this could be tough.

I find the Lord of the Hundreds to be one of the most powerful factions in the game, at least from what I have played so far. That mantle used to be held by the Cats, but these rats aren’t scared to pull punches with whomever gets in their way. That being said, this faction scores points by being oppressive, which means having control of clearings with NO other player pieces alongside you. And you’ll need to control a good number of clearings to make the points roll in. That means a steady, strong approach is required, not one that has you scattering your troops out as thinly as possible. You might make a quick gain, but it’s better to hold your positions, than to constantly be fighting to get them back.

The Keepers in Iron

The Keepers in Iron is a unique faction to play as. There are a lot of prevailing thoughts on this faction, some who think they are super powerful, and others that find them incredibly under powerful. This to me highlights one thing – they are an incredibly difficult faction to play.

And that is pretty much the truth. Unlike the Lord of the Hundreds which has a very obvious, aggressive way of working across the board, how you choose to play Keepers of Iron is much more difficult. You will be playing cards down that will allow you to take actions, but you will need to stock these cards as you go, and make sure you always have options.

The Keepers in Iron, in my opinion, is a card management faction through and through. Figuring out which cards you want in Move, Battle, and Recovery is key, and when required, which to get rid of (usually suited) and which to keep. You’ll also be prioritizing these actions in different ways at different times throughout the game, and knowing when to put more cards into Recover and less cards into move is going to be really important.

What’s all the cards for? Relics, and lots of them. Building way stations across the map and getting relics is how the Keepers in Iron are going to win, and like with most factions in Root, that is easier said than done. There are a number of strategies that people will try to get you to use, and I’m sure they all work to some degree. But ultimately for me, card management is the name of the game here – making sure you have the cards and actions you need, make sure you are controlling what you need to control to limit the loss of cards, and so on.

Without cards in the slots above the board – yes it has a name (Retinue) – Keepers in Iron are dead in the water without actions they can take. I’ve played quite a few games of Root at this point, and I’d call this an advanced faction for sure, and one I’m not even sure I’m going to grasp any time soon!

I like the Keepers in Iron because it’s a more complicated puzzle in my opinion, but the prize in this box, at least in my opinion, is the Lord of the Hundreds.

Hirelings

The Hirelings’ addition to this expansion is actually pretty interesting. It adds a few abilities and pieces into the game for some factions that are not present in the current game you are playing. During the game, these factions can be hired, and have a certain contract length that, when it runs out, will have these hired denizens leave your control.

What is cool about this is that once you lose control of the hirelings, you are required to give them to another player. It is an interesting idea that makes some really difficult decisions in a 3+ player game, although is less interesting at 2 since you just give it to the other player.

That being said, this addition makes a 2-Play game of Root much more interesting, and I’m always here for that. 2-Play Root has been notoriously bad in most people’s opinions as there just isn’t enough happening in the clearing to keep things interesting. Some factions don’t work as well as 2-Players, and others don’t work at all (maybe that is a personal opinion). Adding in Hirelings did make our 2-Player games feel more enjoyable, although that still doesn’t make 2-Player a preferred way to play in my opinion.