Root: Marauder Expansion

Root: Marauder Expansion – Command, Conquer, and Unleash Chaos

The battle for the woodland has never been more brutal—or more glorious. The Root: Marauder Expansion introduces two ferocious new factions and four dynamic hirelings, making your forest conflicts deeper, tenser, and wilder than ever before. Whether you want to crush opposition underfoot or march with honor into battle, this expansion expands the strategic depth and narrative richness of Root: A Game of Woodland Might and Right in bold new ways.

If you're already a fan of the Root board game, the Marauder Expansion is your next essential step into this vast, ever-evolving forest war.

Play as the Lord of the Hundreds – Rule by Rage

The Lord of the Hundreds doesn’t ask for power—they take it. Playing this faction means leading a mighty war horde across the woodland, claiming territory through sheer violence and fiery oppression.

• Burn It Down: Nothing is sacred. Set buildings ablaze and show no mercy.

• Oppression is Power: Score points by controlling clearings and dominating your rivals.

• Use the Mob: Summon unruly warriors with terrifying momentum. Your forces grow fast and hit hard.

• Command by Fear: Your “no dissent” rule makes it clear: the Woodland bows—or burns.

This faction brings a late game powerhouse feel to the Root game, built for players who love direct confrontation, aggression, and overwhelming board presence.

Play as the Keepers in Iron – Fight for Relics and Redemption

The Keepers in Iron are exiled knights of an ancient order, returned from obscurity to reclaim the sacred relics scattered across the woodland. With discipline, faith, and steel, they seek not power—but purpose.

• Seek Ancient Relics: Move strategically to recover lost treasures hidden deep in forest ruins.

• Form Sacred Orders: Structure your knightly forces and follow vows to score points with honor.

• March as One: Carefully recruit and position units to maximize your sacred mission’s success.

• Balance Devotion and Action: Achieve glory while preserving the traditions that give your order meaning.

Unlike the brute-force might of the Lord of the Hundreds, the Keepers reward deliberate planning and control over the board. They're ideal for players who enjoy engine building and methodical advancement.

Add Hirelings – Power in Small Packages

The Marauder Expansion introduces hirelings, small but potent allies that add new dimensions of strategy and tension to every game. Whether you're playing at lower player counts or want more chaos in a 6-player free-for-all, hirelings create flexible, high-impact dynamics that keep everyone on their toes.

Forest Patrol & Feline Physicians

• Protect your realm with elite Marquise enforcers.

• Heal warriors, keep forces on the field longer.

Last Dynasty & Bluebird Nobles

• Rule with noble Eyrie grace or force.

• Bring legitimacy and sweeping control.

Spring Uprising & Rabbit Scouts

• Incite rebellion in enemy territory.

• Create powerful pop-up resistance with Alliance’s hopes and dreams fueling your fight.

The Exile & The Bandit

• Wander the dangerous woodland paths like Vagabonds.

• Steal, ambush, and harass from the shadows with opportunistic flair.

Hirelings are scalable to any player count, allowing for more nuanced decisions and dynamic map control. With careful use, they can serve as allies, decoys, or devastating tactical tools—turning the tide of battle at just the right moment.

New Setup Draft – Balanced for All Players

To make room for this wild array of factions and hirelings, the Marauder Expansion adds a setup draft system that ensures fair and fun starts for all players. Whether you’re diving into a casual woodland skirmish or gearing up for a tournament night, this draft:

• Ensures balanced starts across all skill levels

• Increases replayability and strategic variety

• Encourages faction experimentation and creativity

Veterans and new players alike will find the draft format keeps things fresh and competitive every time the Root board game hits the table.

Infinite Combinations – Limitless Replay

The Root: Marauder Expansion seamlessly integrates with the base game, the Riverfolk Expansion, the Underworld Expansion, and even the Clockwork Expansion (if you want bot play). Add new asymmetric factions, mix in hirelings, draft the perfect game setup, and dive into as many faction combinations as your imagination allows.

• Pair the Lord of the Hundreds against the Woodland Alliance for brutal rebellion and counter-rebellion.

• Pit the Keepers in Iron against the Corvid Conspiracy and see how honor matches up against deception.

• Hire the Feline Physicians to heal your battered troops or let the Exile & Bandit harass your rivals from the dense woods.

No matter how you configure it, every match becomes a fresh tale of conquest, diplomacy, betrayal, and survival. It’s what makes Root: A Game of Woodland Might and Right one of the best board games in modern strategy gaming—and this expansion only makes it better.

What’s Inside the Marauder Expansion Box?

• Faction Board for the Lord of the Hundreds

• Faction Board for the Keepers in Iron

• 4 Pairs of Hirelings (8 total hireling boards)

• All Associated Meeples, Tokens, Cards, and Relic Pieces

• Setup Draft Deck and Rules

• Updated Rules for Integration with Other Expansions

Everything is designed with the same love, care, and style you expect from Leder Games, with art by Kyle Ferrin bringing each warrior, relic, and faction to life.

Why Add the Root: Marauder Expansion to Your Collection?

• Two brand-new asymmetric factions with rich mechanics and unique playstyles

• Four sets of hirelings to customize any game, no matter the player count

• Setup draft system for improved balance and infinite faction variety

• Perfectly integrates with other Root expansions and the digital version from Dire Wolf Digital

• Expands the world, narrative, and tactics of the Root board game

• Gives new ways to score victory points, control territory, and tell stories of woodland might and right

Whether you're marching for relics with the Keepers in Iron, setting the woods aflame as the Lord of the Hundreds, or recruiting forces to win through hired hands, the Marauder Expansion ensures your next adventure through the vast wilderness is more unpredictable, tactical, and thrilling than ever.

Take command. Raise chaos. Forge your legend in the forest.

With the Root: Marauder Expansion, the game of woodland might and right becomes more dynamic—and dangerous—than ever.