ROOTbotics Games with bots follow the normal rules, except
SETUP: Follow variant and standard setup.
1. Place priority markers in each clearing,
according to the map charts. (See below.)
2. Assign factions and starting player (as in
Step 1 of standard set up). You may replace
any number of factions with matching bots.
3. Choose difficulty and traits (optional). Using
no difficulty card is the default. Any number
of trait cards may be used. Place the
selected cards near the bot’s faction board.
4. Draw starting hands. With one or two real
players, remove all four dominance cards
from the deck (do NOT use spy cards). Real
players draw 3 cards.
Fall: Winter:
Lake: Mountain:
COOPERATIVE PLAY: To play against the bots as a
team remove all dominance cards, and use the
following rules:
To win, the human players must each score 30
VPs before any bot scores 30 VPs. Bots do NOT
treat bot pieces as enemy pieces when targeting a
clearing to act in, and do NOT target each other
in battle. (A bot still might remove bot pieces as
collateral with other effects.) The human players
still treat the faction pieces of others as enemy
pieces (so you can remove buildings and tokens
for points, etc.).
TWO ABILITIES: Every bot has poor manual
dexterity (No hand of cards; If a human would
take a card from a bot, they draw a card instead;
If a human would give a card to a bot, discard
that card and that bot scores 1 VP) and hates
surprises (ambush cards CANNOT be played
against bots).
for the following changes:
CRAFTING: Bots craft items without activating
crafting pieces (the item must still be available).
Bots ignore the listed VPs and score only 1 VP.
Bots CANNOT craft persistent effects.
BATTLING: When taking hits, a bot removes all its
tokens before any buildings. If it has multiple
buildings to remove, it chooses randomly.
DOMINANCE: Bots CANNOT activate dominance
cards to change their win condition.
Games with bots include these additional rules:
CLEARING TARGET PRIORITY: If a bot must choose
among clearings to target with an action, it
follows all rules listed by the action. If it CANNOT
target a clearing based on those rules, it targets
the clearing of highest PRIORITY from among the
clearings it would have targeted based on those
rules. The clearing of highest priority is marked
“1,” and the clearing of lowest is marked “12.”
PLAYER TARGET PRIORITY: If a bot must choose
among players to target with an action, it follows
all rules listed by the action. If it CANNOT target a
player based on those rules, it targets the player
with highest setup priority (starting with “A”).
TARGET LEGALITY: A bot can only target a
prompted clearing or faction if the rules allow it.
If a bot is unable to target a prompted clearing or
faction, it will attempt to target another clearing
or faction tied in target priority; if it has
attempted to target all such clearings, it will
attempt to target the clearing or faction next in
the order of target priority.
ACTION ORDER: If a bot would take multiple
actions with different targets (that might
produce different results based on order), the bot
takes them in order of highest to lowest priority.
When moving, assess the priority order of the
origin clearings (NOT the destinations).
“SUCH A…”: The term SUCH A CLEARING means
“the clearing that follows all the criteria for
targeting a clearing previously listed by this
action.” (Similar for SUCH CLEARINGS, SUCH A
PLAYER, SUCH PLAYERS, etc.)
HUMANS AND BOTS: The term PLAYER includes
both human players and bot players.
ORDER CARDS: On its turn, a bot draws and
reveals a card called the ORDER CARD, to
determine some actions it takes. The term
ORDERED means “matching the suit of the
current order card.”
MAP INTERACTIONS: Lake. Bots use the ferry with
normal rules, treating clearings as linked.
Mountain. Bots treat closed paths as normal
paths. The pass will always meet clearing priority
condition (highest or lowest).
 Advanced Setup for ROOT fulfill a “two or more clearings between”
Step 1: CHOOSE AND SET UP MAP requirement, you may choose a homeland
If you choose a variant map, follow its Setup that is NOT adjacent to enemy homelands.
Modification. Randomize the 12 suit markers If you are unable to fulfill a “not adjacent”
and arrange them on the clearings. Set up the requirement, you may choose a homeland
ruins, item supply, and dice. that is adjacent to an enemy homeland.
Step 2: CHOOSE DECK
(Basically, think of this as “Try to set up as
far away as possible.”)
With 2 players, remove dominance cards.
Step 9: PLACE SCORE MARKERS
Step 3: SET UP BOTS (optional)
Step 10: CHOOSE STARTING HANDS
Step 4: SEAT PLAYERS
Each player chooses three cards in their hand
Determine the seating order and first player
to keep and puts the other two cards face
randomly. Does this need to be a step?
down on the shared deck. When finished,
Step 5: SET UP LANDMARKS (optional) shuffle the shared deck.
You may play with up to 2 landmarks. The
Standard Setup
last player in turn order sets up the first
1. Assign factions and select starting player.
selected landmark as described on its card.
2. Place score markers.
The penultimate player sets up the second
3. Draw starting hands (three cards each). With
landmark. (You may ignore or override
2 players, remove dominance cards.
placement of landmarks as described in
4. Place ruins in each building slot marked “R.”
variant maps.)
5. Form item supply.
Step 6: SET UP HIRELINGS (optional)
6. Gather other pieces. Place the dice near the
Select 3 hirelings. With 3 players, demote map. Hand out overview cards.
one random hireling. With 4 players, demote 7. Set up factions. In setup order (starting with
two. With 5 or more players demote all three. “A”), each player follows their faction’s
Set up each hireling as described on its card, setup instructions, listed on the back of their
beginning with the last player in turn order. faction board (and updated in the Law).
Place hireling markers on the score track.
REACH: To set up an interesting game, choose
Step 7: DRAW FIVE CARDS
factions whose REACH values add up to at least
Step 8: SET UP FACTIONS the total reach recommended for your player
1. Deal setup cards. First deal one random count. (Adventurous players are welcome to use
militant faction card. Then using all faction any faction mix with 17+ Reach.)
setup cards (militant and insurgent), deal
out one per player. (For 2 players, use only Viable Reach Sums
militant factions unless you add hirelings.) Players 2 3 4 5 6
If the last faction is an insurgent, turn it Total Reach 17+ 18+ 21+ 25+ 28+
sideways to show it is LOCKED. It CANNOT be
Reach Values
chosen unless at least one militant faction
has been chosen. Marquise de Cat 10
If a Vagabond setup card is dealt, also deal Lord of the Hundreds 9
one random character card with it. Keepers in Iron 8
2. Choose factions. Starting with the last Underground Duchy 8
player in turn order (and continuing in Eyrie Dynasties 7
reverse order), each player chooses one
Vagabond (first/second) 5/2
faction setup card and sets up the faction
immediately, as described on its card. Riverfolk Company 5
Homelands. When setting up, players might Woodland Alliance 3
choose one or more homeland clearings. Corvid Conspiracy 3
Players CANNOT choose homelands that Lizard Cult 2
enemies have chosen or where they are
unable to place all the pieces listed in setup. *Later printings include updated wordings for faction
set up. For example, “Place [your starting pieces] in a
Homeland Adjacency. Some factions will corner clearing that is not the starting corner clearing
prompt you to choose homelands that are of another player and, if possible, is diagonally
NOT adjacent to enemy homelands, or that opposite from a starting corner clearing.”
have two or more clearings between it and †Vagabond board reads: “Rest. If in a forest, repair and
enemy homelands. If you are unable to refresh all damaged items.”