Apparently my review and writeup for these guys never uploaded 😭. I don't have a copy of the writeup either, but this faction is MORE than worth doing another one for. Because from the gameplay mechanics, the lore, the ARTWORK. I love these lil Wolfie warriors so much!
To start off with, I am MEGA biased towards awesome artwork, and this faction has it in spades. Not only do you have full on character designs for the front and back, you have a LINEUP of fantastic characters on the header image for the faction, with a fantastic background of scenery following the root style. You yourself should also really be commended for the background pattern, meeple design, and token designs. All absolutely top notch and all there to really immerse you in the...
LORE! What a cool story to tie in the theme of sacrifice, and honestly it just really paints how much appreciation there is both for ROOT and for chess in here! I mean who even comes up with the idea of playing chess within root and then making that idea seem like a real part of the conflict? And that story is supported so well by the...
Mechanics! The insanely unique concepts (like straight up adapting some ideas from chess to root, let alone you basically play against yourself) are translated so well. You've used consice language that has been allocated very clearly to the faction board, using the specific language official factions use. (See the second faction ability). The gameplay also flows really well, and sections that are needed "in the moment" like pawn promotion and captured pieces are given a more prominent place on the board, to make them easy to find at a glance.
The one thing that concerns me is their interactions with some other factions on the board. I believe you're able to capture another factions pieces just by moving into the clearing with them? Imagine the WA gets their warrior held hostage without even the need to battle. All of a sudden they've been SEVERELY nerfed until you decide to give em that warrior back for a card. (If it were me, this would be never).
All in all an absolutely fantastic submission. Can't wait to see your continued support for them, whatever faction you cook up next, and whatever artwork youd friend decides to share with us. Thanks so much!