Root / Similar games

18 games like Root

The best games like Root are War of the Ring, Chaos in the Old World and The Battle of Five Armies — the closest of 18 ranked alternatives, scored by shared mechanics and category. War of the Ring shares fantasy, wargame, area majority / influence with Root.

Every alternative below links to its own Root-style fact page, drawn from MeeplePick’s animals / fantasy shelf.

Ranked by shared category (3 pts) and mechanics (2 pts), bonus within 0.7 of Root’s 3.7 weight, then BoardGameGeek’s Bayesian rating — one entry per series, 18 shown.

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1. 1. War of the Ring (2004)
   2–4 players · 120 min · ★ 7.8 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with Root: Fantasy, Wargame, Area Majority / Influence, Area Movement, Dice Rolling, Hand Management · 4 of Root’s 6 mechanics (67%)
   vs Root: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~45 min longer · +0.2 heavier
   View War of the Ring on Amazon →
2. 2. Chaos in the Old World (2009)
   3–4 players · 60–120 min · ★ 7.7 · Medium
   Shares with Root: Fantasy, Wargame, Area Majority / Influence, Area Movement, Dice Rolling, Hand Management · 4 of Root’s 6 mechanics (67%)
   vs Root: overlaps at 3–4 players · ~15 min longer · 0.5 lighter
   View Chaos in the Old World on Amazon →
3. 3. The Battle of Five Armies (2014)
   2 players · 90–240 min · ★ 7.9 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with Root: Fantasy, Wargame, Area Majority / Influence, Area Movement, Dice Rolling, Hand Management · 4 of Root’s 6 mechanics (67%)
   vs Root: both play at 2 · ~90 min longer · same complexity
   View The Battle of Five Armies on Amazon →
4. 4. Star Wars Rebellion (2016)
   2–4 players · 180–240 min · ★ 8.4 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with Root: Wargame, Area Majority / Influence, Area Movement, Dice Rolling, Hand Management · 4 of Root’s 6 mechanics (67%)
   vs Root: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~135 min longer · same complexity
5. 5. A Game of Thrones The Board Game (Second Edition) (2011)
   3–6 players · 120–240 min · ★ 7.6 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with Root: Fantasy, Wargame, Area Majority / Influence, Area Movement, Hand Management · 3 of Root’s 6 mechanics (50%)
   vs Root: overlaps at 3–4 players · scales to 6 · ~105 min longer · same complexity
6. 6. Rising Sun (2018)
   3–5 players · 90–120 min · ★ 7.9 · Medium
   Shares with Root: Fantasy, Wargame, Area Majority / Influence, Area Movement · 2 of Root’s 6 mechanics (33%)
   vs Root: overlaps at 3–4 players · scales to 5 · ~30 min longer · 0.4 lighter
7. 7. Spirit Island (2017)
   1–4 players · 90–120 min · ★ 8.4 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with Root: Fantasy, Action Retrieval, Area Majority / Influence, Hand Management · 3 of Root’s 6 mechanics (50%)
   vs Root: overlaps at 2–4 players · plays solo · ~30 min longer · +0.3 heavier
8. 8. Forbidden Stars (2015)
   2–4 players · 120–180 min · ★ 8.0 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with Root: Wargame, Area Majority / Influence, Area Movement, Dice Rolling, Hand Management · 4 of Root’s 6 mechanics (67%)
   vs Root: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~75 min longer · same complexity
9. 9. Twilight Struggle (2005)
   2 players · 120–180 min · ★ 8.3 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with Root: Wargame, Area Majority / Influence, Dice Rolling, Hand Management · 3 of Root’s 6 mechanics (50%)
   vs Root: both play at 2 · ~75 min longer · same complexity
10. 10. Eclipse Second Dawn for the Galaxy (2020)
    2–6 players · 60–200 min · ★ 8.8 · Medium-heavy
    Shares with Root: Wargame, Area Majority / Influence, Area Movement, Dice Rolling · 3 of Root’s 6 mechanics (50%)
    vs Root: overlaps at 2–4 players · scales to 6 · ~55 min longer · 0.2 lighter
11. 11. Gloomhaven (2017)
    1–4 players · 60–120 min · ★ 8.8 · Medium-heavy
    Shares with Root: Fantasy, Action Queue, Action Retrieval · 2 of Root’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs Root: overlaps at 2–4 players · plays solo · ~15 min longer · +0.2 heavier
12. 12. Tainted Grail The Fall of Avalon (2019)
    1–4 players · 60–120 min · ★ 8.3 · Medium
    Shares with Root: Fantasy, Area Movement, Dice Rolling, Hand Management · 3 of Root’s 6 mechanics (50%)
    vs Root: overlaps at 2–4 players · plays solo · ~15 min longer · 0.4 lighter
13. 13. Triumph & Tragedy European Balance of Power 1936-1945 (2015)
    2–3 players · 240–360 min · ★ 8.2 · Medium
    Shares with Root: Wargame, Area Majority / Influence, Area Movement, Dice Rolling, Hand Management · 4 of Root’s 6 mechanics (67%)
    vs Root: overlaps at 2–3 players · ~225 min longer · 0.4 lighter
14. 14. Black Rose Wars (2019)
    1–4 players · 90 min · ★ 8.1 · Medium
    Shares with Root: Fantasy, Action Queue, Area Majority / Influence, Area Movement, Hand Management · 4 of Root’s 6 mechanics (67%)
    vs Root: overlaps at 2–4 players · plays solo · ~15 min longer · 0.2 lighter
15. 15. Mythic Battles Pantheon (2017)
    2–4 players · 60–90 min · ★ 8.4 · Medium
    Shares with Root: Wargame, Area Movement, Dice Rolling, Hand Management · 3 of Root’s 6 mechanics (50%)
    vs Root: overlaps at 2–4 players · about the same length · 0.7 lighter
16. 16. Tail Feathers (2015)
    2–4 players · 60–90 min · ★ 7.1 · Medium
    Shares with Root: Animals, Fantasy, Wargame, Action Queue, Dice Rolling · 2 of Root’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs Root: overlaps at 2–4 players · about the same length · 0.6 lighter
17. 17. Kemet (2012)
    2–5 players · 90–120 min · ★ 7.7 · Medium
    Shares with Root: Wargame, Area Majority / Influence, Area Movement, Hand Management · 3 of Root’s 6 mechanics (50%)
    vs Root: overlaps at 2–4 players · scales to 5 · ~30 min longer · 0.7 lighter
18. 18. Dwellings of Eldervale (2020)
    1–5 players · 60–150 min · ★ 8.4 · Medium
    Shares with Root: Fantasy, Area Majority / Influence, Dice Rolling, Hand Management · 3 of Root’s 6 mechanics (50%)
    vs Root: overlaps at 2–4 players · plays solo · scales to 5 · ~30 min longer · 0.5 lighter

Looking for the original? See the full Root fact page — players, play time, age and complexity.