Every year, without any special promotion or recommendation, one game becomes THE boardgame to get. So far, it hasn’t been a brand new game, or even the “best game of the year” … it’s been a random, couple year old game that caught on like wild fire. In 2018 it was Azul, 2019 Everdell, 2020 Chronicles of Crime, and 2021 it was Wingspan. This year has been no different. Root is, hands down the number one game that people ask about, seek out, and pick up randomly because of the box art.

So, what’s different about Root? Unlike previous years, this year’s it board game is not easy to learn, teach or master. Root is a heavy, dare I say, wargame. So why has it become so popular? I think the number one factor is the extremely well done computer game/app.

Direwolf Digital has done an amazing job implementing this already well designed board game to make a truly unique and enjoyable experience. The animation, sounds and transitions are so smooth and take the already beautiful art and brings the characters to life.

But visuals aside, the digital version does what a physical board game cannot, it prevents you from making a mistake in a rules heavy game. There’s also an excellent tutorial and you can turn on tips. This makes an otherwise mildly inaccessible game, extremely accessible.  So, this really well done digital game has got people talking about Root. Even people who don’t play digital games, have been hearing about it.

Whenever someone wants to purchase the game in store, we ask if they have played it. A number of people either played the digital version or played it with a friend, but most people have just heard about it. For those we try very hard, not to discourage them, but to make sure they understand what they are getting into, and so far, not one person has decided against the purchase.

We have heard from some of our customers that it doesn’t always go over with everyone in their game group, but most have fallen in love with it. One customer I was talking with the other day even said they have used Root to get their friends interested in War Games. And that is an absolutely brilliant hook. Because, like I said, Root is a wargame, it’s just not a historical wargame. And maybe, just maybe, you can use the hook of cute little woodland creatures to get your friends, or even yourself, into wargames. Or maybe, wargame designers can take a cue from Root and make their wargames with cute characters and scenarios.

If you are intrested in more information about Root, the Root expansions (The Riverfold Expansion, The Underworld Expansion, The Clockwork Expansion, The Maurader Expansion, and The Clockwork 2 Expansion) or the additional Root addons (The Vagabond Pack, The Exiles and Partisans Deck, The Underworld Hirelings Pack, The Riverfolk Hirelings Pack, The Maurader Hirelings Pack and Hireling Box, The Landmarks Pack, The Fall and Winter Playmat, and The Lake and Mountain Playmat) head over to our store or Board Game Geek.