Root at Two and Three Players: Faction Mixes That Work

Root plays best with four, and many groups learn it that way. But a lot of game nights have two or three people, and Root still works there if you choose the mix with care. The Learning to Play guide gives recommended mixes, and the Law gives a number to check them against.

The reach check

The Law gives every faction a reach value and a total to aim for at each player count. For the base four:

Reach is roughly how much of the map a faction pushes against. A high-reach faction like the Marquise touches everything from turn one. A low-reach faction like the Alliance needs others to fight near it before it can grow. A mix below the total tends to leave one player unchecked. The Law adds that adventurous groups can try any mix with a total of 17 or more.

Two players

Marquise against Eyrie (reach 17) is the guide’s ideal two-player learning game. The guide says the Eyrie must grow explosively to keep the Marquise in check, and that matches the reach math: the Marquise starts everywhere, so the Eyrie must take ground fast.

The guide adds three two-player rules worth following:

• No dominance cards. Take all four out of the deck at setup. The Law requires this too.
• Play two games. Each takes about 30 to 45 minutes. Record your scores, swap factions, play again, and add both scores to find the winner. This cancels out any edge one faction has on a given map.
• Other duels exist. The guide suggests Alliance games as a way to hone Alliance skills in hard spots, noting they usually fare better against the Eyrie than the Marquise. Against the Vagabond, it warns the Eyrie to build a Decree that can withstand his quick strikes. Both of these fall below 17 reach, so treat them as practice, not balanced contests.

Three players

The guide’s default three-player setup drops the Vagabond, leaving the Marquise, Eyrie, and Alliance: a reach of 20 against a target of 18. Its notes for three players describe the other mixes too:

• Marquise, Eyrie, and one more. The guide says the struggle between the Marquise and the Eyrie defines these games, and the third faction, Alliance or Vagabond, must pick its friends carefully so it does not create a situation it cannot control.
• The Alliance and the Vagabond together. The guide notes the Vagabond has a natural friend in the Alliance, and warns them both to watch out for dominance and not to neglect their military strength.

Check the totals. Marquise, Eyrie, and Vagabond reach 22. Marquise, Alliance, and Vagabond reach exactly 18. Eyrie, Alliance, and Vagabond reach only 15, below even the adventurous total of 17, so that mix needs the Marquise or an expansion faction.

What changes with fewer players

• Fewer police. With three players, there are only two players who can stop a leader. Talk about the board even more, using the habits in the table talk lesson.
• No coalitions. The Vagabond can form a coalition only in games with four or more players, and he can never activate a dominance card for its normal victory. At three players, he wins only by reaching 30.
• More room. Fewer factions mean more open slots and quieter clearings. Factions that build, like the Marquise, have more space, and factions that feed on conflict, like the Alliance, have less of it to feed on.
• Ruins without a Vagabond. If the Vagabond is not in the game, ruins stay on the map all game, and those slots stay blocked.

Filling an empty seat

If you want a four-faction game with fewer people, the Clockwork Expansion 2 adds automated bot factions that run themselves from a set of rules. It needs the Riverfolk or Underworld expansion to play.

Choosing for your group

• Two new players: Marquise against Eyrie, two games, swap.
• Three new players: Marquise, Eyrie, and Alliance.
• Three experienced players: try Marquise, Alliance, and Vagabond, a reach of exactly 18, for a tense, scheming game.

Our article on player count design explains why so many games built for four change shape at two and three. Root’s answer is reach: at any count, make sure every faction has a clear rival.