Root is extremely asymmetrical

While every faction has technically the identical aim (attain 30 victory factors), and there are some common methods of gaining victory factors (destroying your opponents’ cardboard, and crafting objects), every faction has its personal distinctive mechanics for taking part in and incomes different victory factors.

The Marquise de Cat earn victory factors by constructing Sawmills, Recruiters, and Workshops. No different faction even has these buildings, not to mention will get victory factors for constructing them.

The Eyrie have a constructing of their very own (Roosts), however they do not get victory factors for constructing them – as a substitute they get victory factors primarily based on the variety of nests they personal each flip.

The Woodland Alliance earns victory factors for spreading Sympathy, which superficially resembles the Cat’s technique of incomes factors, however the Cats construct utilizing wooden (which the opposite factions do not work together with in any respect) in areas they management, and the Woodland Alliance spreads Sympathy with no need management (and even board presence) by discarding supporters (an additional ‘hand’ of kinds, which the opposite factions haven’t got.

The Vagabond earns factors for giving playing cards to the opposite gamers and finishing quests. The different factions cannot even do these items, a lot much less get victory factors for them.

The asymmetry of Root comes from the extremely uneven mechanics of the factions, slightly than an asymmetry within the factions’ objectives.

Root is not completely balanced, but it surely’s virtually balanced

Perfect stability is nigh inconceivable to attain. Even if each participant has an identical talents, any sport with sequential participant turns can have no less than a barely unbalanced nature, which means that the one video games with the potential to be completely balanced are ones that contain simultaneous play, like Set or Bananagrams.

But a sport is virtually balanced if the benefit distinction between the factions (or flip order positions) is smaller than benefits created by randomness, participant talent, and play dynamics (i.e. who’s being crushed on by all the opposite factions this time).

Root is virtually balanced. The variations in total power of the factions is slight sufficient that it isn’t apparent who can have the benefit in any given setup, and vagarities of play have extra of an impact on the winner than any inherent benefit that faction has.

Slight caveat
I’m fairly positive that the Lizard Cult from the enlargement is weaker than the opposite factions. Certainly no one in my playgroup has managed to win with them, and I’ve heard that they are getting some energy errata with the most recent enlargement. But the 4 base factions are extraordinarily properly balanced.