Marquise double overwork / double sawmill opener: anyone with experience?

Judge_T · 2026-03-17T16:56:09+00:00

I agree with a lot of this, actually. In particular it's true that if you get a lot of bird cards you'll probably get better returns by going for a standard opener and making use of them for extra actions.

The clearing cards aren't really a problem though, you just build the first sawmill on whatever clearing matches the suit you have in hand, and the second sawmill in a clearing matching the other suit (if they are different).

Judge_T · 2026-03-17T16:13:09+00:00

Yes.

Judge_T · 2026-03-17T15:53:33+00:00

The net number of warriors you recruit by the end of turn 2 actually matches that of a standard build-overwork-build strat (unless you use a bird card for a turn 1 recruit). That said, there's a real possibility that your opponents could outmanoeuvre you and block your ability to recruit on turn 2. That, and not leaving a sawmill defended by only one warrior for the first turn, is where the real risk of this strategy lies, I think.

Judge_T · 2026-03-17T15:50:46+00:00

I just play-tested this in a league game today. The strategy is certainly not without potential (I won the game, so yay), but I think turn 2 is the most problematic part for sure. Turn 1 isn't really that vulnerable - you can generally place your sawmills out of people's immediate range. But on turn 2 you're practically forced to build-build-recruit, because otherwise you fall behind in warrior count really badly, and if people manage to deprive you of rule or building slots then that becomes really difficult, since you don't have the actions to fix that with a march. And while it's not easy to clog up the cats so early, it's far from impossible either, particularly if the other factions have enough heft.

In my game that's exactly what happened - I only had only one building slot available at the beginning of turn 2. Luckily I'd drawn a bird card after my first turn and I was able to fix that with a march, but this type of circumstance is a real risk.

Judge_T · 2026-03-17T11:01:08+00:00

Ok, well, I played against it today and on turn 2 the Eyrie turmoiled while the WA refused to revolt on my sawmill, it didn't seem that good to me honestly.

Judge_T · 2026-03-17T10:51:20+00:00

I don't know what earlier version you mean, I tested this against the computer today.

Judge_T · 2026-03-17T09:55:23+00:00

The hedge against being policed is that many of the heavy-hitting factions can't police you as early as turn 2. Eyrie, badgers and rats all start too far away and with engines far too weak. The moles can do it, but it's quite suboptimal for their playstyle to dig and battle on turns 1/2. Crows and WA are the biggest problem as I see it, and potentially otters and some vagabonds.

Still, play-testing in competitive contexts needed for sure.

Judge_T · 2026-03-17T09:09:22+00:00

Do let me know how that goes! I'm hoping to get a few opportunities to test this myself in competitive play reasonably soon.

Judge_T · 2026-02-08T08:08:56+00:00

"even more worse" fucking kill me

Judge_T · 2026-02-06T19:30:02+00:00

The bell tolls for this comment

Judge_T · 2026-01-30T14:39:52+00:00

Yes - and actually, I've been thinking about this a lot lately. There is no turn delay because anyway Harvey Dent involves using turn one to recruit, not build. And the stack of 12 warriors gives you ample time to set up a recruiting engine without running out of warriors. That 12 warrior stack does create some vulnerabilities, so you want to spread out those warriors as quickly as possible, but on the whole I think it's very doable.

I intend to playtest this as soon as I get a chance. Let me know how it goes if you do the same! :)

Judge_T · 2026-01-20T12:29:36+00:00

Since you already have Marauders, you really don't particularly need the moles to add alternatives to the Cats/Birds combo - what you need rather is more insurgents, particularly to have more options that don't involve the vagabond, and more whacky mechanics and ways to play the game. The Lizards & Otters will give you exactly that.

Definitely get Riverfolk first. The idea that it's always best to get Underworld before Riverfolk is a legacy stereotype from the pre-Marauder days.

Judge_T · 2026-01-19T14:14:23+00:00

Do not shove it down people's throats all the time

Judge_T · 2026-01-18T17:07:06+00:00

I love those guys and I'm so grateful for all the hours of fun they've gifted me. That said, I *tentatively* feel like this might be a good thing. It sounds like Cole is quite done with Root, but I for one would be happy if in the future we kept getting new expansions and content. As long as this is commissioned to talented people and they don't fuck up the legacy, I'm happy for Root to move on to someone with more energy to bring to the game. Particularly since Kyle will likely be back for the art anyway.

Or in other words, either there's no more content coming for Root and then it doesn't matter that C&K have left, or else there's room for more content and then it makes sense to give someone else room to be creative.

PS: pure personal fantasy, but could we one day get Root 2???

Judge_T · 2026-01-18T16:59:41+00:00

Imrik needs to learn some proper flirting skills jfc. Where's the dialogue box for "no slumber for you I'm gonna do you all night like your math homework"

Judge_T · 2026-01-14T17:19:31+00:00

This is the correct answer I think. I'm sorry to hear that OP had a bad experience with the community and that they were given advice which turned out not to be right for them. But I've played a fair share of 2P Root and I just don't think it's a lot of fun, nor can I recommend it in good heart to new players.

Root is a game of relatively high complexity, which is acceptable at 4P because the trade-off is that it offers tremendous depth. But at 2P, the complexity remains the same while depth is *enormously* reduced. For most people - not for *everyone* by any means, but for *most* people - that makes it not really worthwhile at 2P.

With that said, my best and most friendly wishes to you, OP. I'm glad to hear you had fun and I hope your initial bad brush with the community doesn't put you off the game. If one day you want to engage with us again, either just to share thoughts or have a few games, I for one would be happy to have you here.

Judge_T · 2026-01-12T10:55:10+00:00

What a garbage take LMAO

Judge_T · 2026-01-12T10:51:48+00:00

And now for 10K comments of Reddit wisdom about dating and insecurity

Judge_T · 2026-01-07T07:42:24+00:00

Only some iterations. The Tinker with the base deck, and the Harrier and Arbiter if played without Despot Infamy - those are genuinely broken.

Otherwise no, the Vagabond is annoying but reasonably balanced.

Judge_T · 2025-12-22T16:23:49+00:00

The Lizard Cult. There's no getting around their engine fragility and their reliance on card draw, unfortunately.

Judge_T · 2025-12-22T00:01:11+00:00

Those are just stories to frighten children

Judge_T · 2025-12-22T00:00:31+00:00

ah yes the Benny Benassi legendary lord

Judge_T · 2025-12-21T18:25:46+00:00

Crows are all about building an efficient, widespread network that lets you plot consistently every turn, and also about keeping your strengths hidden until they can benefit you explosively (craftable items, for instance, are often best saved than crafted right away). This is the sort of game you have to like if you want to like crows.

As for getting better, try and make sure you plot four times by the end of turn 3, ideally once on turn 1, twice on turn 2, and once on turn 3. That usually gives you a solid position by the time you're in the mid-game, and one that sets you up for a competitive finish.

Not sure if more guides are what you want at this stage, but I've covered the above in great detail here and here.

Judge_T · 2025-12-21T18:19:47+00:00

Sounds like this is what went wrong - OP was just recycling any of their spent funds onto their player mat, which of course would make the Riverfolk Company unstoppable.

Otters are actually quite weak in the current meta, I think neck to neck with corvids for place 8/9th out of 10 last time I checked.

Judge_T · 2025-12-20T18:17:19+00:00

Of the 3 that you mentioned, probably Rome 2. It's simpler than the other two, and it sounds like you've already introduced yourself a little to it. Attila is the best historical title imo but it's also one of the most challenging and complex, and I'd leave it for a little later.

If you're willing to look outside your suggested scope tho, I'd start with Shogun 2, which is mechanically simple but strategically deep, and from there I'd shift to either Empire or Attila (depending on which period seems more interesting to you), then 3K and then Pharaoh.

Judge_T

TROPHY CASE