Oaken Architects (RootJam 2024)

This is a fan-made faction for the board game Root, created for the RootJam 2024, and inspired by worker placement games. The hope was not just to create simple action spaces, but engage the other factions to create that competition for space between players that is the real soul of the genre. To avoid a disjunct feeling from the Root system itself, the Architects incorporate Warriors as their workers, and Buildings as their action spaces! As the OA yourself, you also acquire a second type of worker (Civilian Pawns) who score points & are more versatile, to help give you more of an Edge, rather than just facilitating a system for everyone else.

That said, here's the flavor blurb:

"As the Oaken Architects, you play as the great guild of treetop critter craftsman who aim to work with the community of Locals and provide Civil Services to bring the rural woodland into a new era of development and prosperity!

In line with the spirit of progress, the peoples of any faction may come to Visit the expansions you build, to both their own benefits and yours. However, you'll need box out some territory to yourself too, as you can act most effectively only when your Buildings are unoccupied to use as action spaces!

You can use your Warriors to consistently Develop your presence on the board every turn, or you can call upon your Local supporters to score and Act more mobily, but at the cost of blocking critical action spaces on the next turn. Will you broker peace with the other factions? Or will you use your civil militia to secure your land and defend the people from violence?"

I believe this tradeoff in how you choose to use your action spaces, sacrificing your opportunities to score to expand for future turns, or in turn sacrificing your efficiency on future turns to reap more points & mobilization now, will make every decision feel dynamic and engaging, lending itself to a very open-ended playstyle.

Thanks for checking it out!
--Drew :3

P.S. It's a shame I didn't have enough time to get art together. I can't believe there's no Squirrels in Root yet! That would be the main animal of the OA, but we'd also get some other tree-dwellers like Woodpeckers and the like too.