Play Root fan faction
Timber Confederacy - RootJam 2026's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Creativity/Uniqueness | #2 | 4.737 | 4.737 |
| Clarity of Rules/Mechanics | #2 | 4.053 | 4.053 |
| Use of This Year's Theme | #13 | 4.053 | 4.053 |
Ranked from 19 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Includes Law of Root?
No
Includes PnP?
No
Includes TTS files?
No
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Comments
AMAZING!! Glad this made it into the RootJam this year 👏 I can only echo what others have said about this faction - really clear design and gameplay whilst also matching the law of OG Root. Can't wait to actually try this one out in a game!
Love the interactive elements for all factions, and the creative use of the VIP theme- very original.
The artwork is just 🔥! A real tribute to Kyle Ferrin. Your TTS pieces are looking so good too
I haven't viewed all of the submissions this year, but this one is definitely up there for me as a winning contender. Fantastic work fraaab.
Oh no you are just too kind! I'm glad you like the design - I'm looking forward to testing it properly as well :)
I'll pass on your compliments to the artist! She really did an unbelievable job!
Truthfully, there are way too many brilliantly executed and creative ideas to say that any one 'deserves' to win, but I am flattered by the high praise!
The TTS assets are coming along nicely! 👀
As the comments below already mention: brilliant idea, brilliant implementation, and brilliant mechanics. It’s genuinely impressive to see this level of variability and engaging interaction while still keeping the engine clean and readable.
Massive congratulations as well to your sister-in-law: the character designs are fantastic. From now on, I’ll firmly deny that my marmots look like beavers (though I’m still not entirely sure what they actually resemble in the end ;)).
As a possible direction to explore further, I wonder whether the VIP mechanic could be made more dynamic. I find it slightly underwhelming that VIPs are assigned once during setup and then remain mostly static throughout the game. Perhaps the system could revolve exclusively around other factions’ VIPs, potentially allowing factions to manage multiple VIPs at once (which could also serve as a clearer representation of corruption) somewhat analogous, though mechanically very distinct, to how Otter funds operate. I think this could reinforce the thematic cohesion even further.
Thank you Tricholome for your detailed and kind feedback! I'm glad you like these ideas, and I have passed on your compliments to my sister-in-law :)
I like your suggestion for factions to be able to use VIPs from enemy factions (reinforcing the corruption theme) - I will explore this option to see if it enhances the gameplay without adding too much rules bloat.
I don't think the VIPs remain static at all though - they are indeed placed during setup, but they must move every single turn, and may move again every single turn as per Too Good to Turn Down. Furthermore, the Confederacy may move enemy VIPs via Astute Diplomacy if enemies remove their pieces, meaning VIPs may move 3-5 times per round if they are battling the Beavers.
Of course, all this will be playtested extensively. I envision a dynamic and interactive action wheel that encourages interaction at Lodges and strategic planning to get the most use out of the available actions in the long term. The Confederacy will also need to plan critically to mitigate the effectiveness of enemy VIPs!
Oh sorry, I used the wrong wording. Of course it is dynamic, and I like it a lot. I meant more, the "sending VIP" mechanism itself is static (you send one and it remains there for the rest of the game). I was just thinking that playing around the fact that a faction could send more VIPs (and lose them, somehow), at the price of immobalizing their warriors and feeding the beavers, would reinforce the theme. But that was just a random idea that you can discard if it's a bad one 🙂
Right! Now I understand you better :) Yes, sending VIPs to and from the Agreements wheel is definitely an avenue that can be explored - I agree it fits very well with the political theme of the faction. I will definitely give it some proper consideration!
The wheel is so cool. Really interesting and refreshing twist on actions. Great stuff
Thank you so much Alex! :)
Bravo! This is what I'm looking in a Root faction! Fun mechanisms (love the wheel in the wheel!), engaging player interaction (who doesn't love free actions?), clean design (only 6 steps?), and a whole lot of juicy decisions. The depth-to-complexity ratio seems off the charts. I think it would be so satisfying to manipulate that action wheel to maximize your benefit (whether that's better actions or points). I really want to see this one in action!
If I understand "Too Good to Turn Down" correctly, each opponent has the option to 1) move to the next Agreement and take the action OR 2) move ahead two agreements and not take the action. Is that correct? They can't move 2 spaces and take the action?
Also, I think "Market Dominance" is missing a word in the last sentence. I assume it's supposed to say "take a card from the discard pile"?
Sparky thank you so much for weighing in with such kind words! 🥹 You pretty much summed up the vision I had so I'm glad it shines through! 😂
'Too Good to Turn Down' works almost exactly like you said. They have to move to one of the 2 adjacent action tiles in Agreements. Then they may take the action, or may move again (but not take the action). So they either get a free action or prepare to take a different action on a future turn.
Yes, you are quite right (so eagle-eyed!) - there should be a bird card icon near the end of Market Dominance. I accidentally left that layer transparent when converting to png format. It should read as follows:
Thanks again for your feedback! :D
Ooh, the bird card makes it more exciting than what I had in mind. Keep up the great work!
Oh my gosh I cannot believe how much I love this faction. I always look forward to seeing what you come up with each year, I love your sister in law's artwork each time and this year is not exception. Easily my favourite artwork submitted and it's so cute and thematic.
But each year your flair for creative mechanics and scoring strategy is top notch. The fact that other factions will have to eventually craft items from YOUR crafted items box is so cool. And the action tile mechanics and how their illustrated simply is so creative. Incredible work
I know, the art is just mind-blowing!! I've already screenshotted your comment to pass onto her - from a fellow artist it is especially meaningful so thank you for the highest praise!
I'm genuinely, genuinely looking forward to playtesting this faction because I think the mechanics will be so interactive with other factions and give so many opportunities for table-talk and negotiations between players :) Thanks again for being so generous with your compliments here Tin!
I really mean it, each year it seems she outdoes herself. It's just brimming with charm and personality. That is so cool and please update me on how the play testing goes. Really is a lot of potential here, a lot of which you've already realized. I want others to have the opportunity to see it as well
Incredible work!!! This looks like so much fun to play and the artwork is just amazing 🔥
Thank you so very much! I wholeheartedly agree on the artwork, and I'm looking forward to testing and developing the faction further :)
I'll be sure to pass on all art-related compliments to my sister-in-law! 🔥🔥🔥