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The Ultimate Manual: Root 3x3 (Frontier Alliance Mode) 1. Initial Setup and Map Connection The game is played by unifying two traditional game boards side-by-side horizontally (e.g., Forest Map and Winter Map). The clearings at the top and bottom edges that touch are treated as two artificial Border Bridges. Mix the 4 ruin items from the base game with 4 more items from expansions, shuffle them, and distribute one under each of the 8 ruin clearings on the mega-map. Completely remove the Favor and Domination cards from the deck, using a single centralized deck for everyone. Team A makes its traditional setup concentrated on the left side of Map 1, while Team B builds its structures on the right side of Map 2. Each map has its own separate physical stock of crafting items. The turn order is strictly alternated between teams: Military 1 (Team A) -> Military 1 (Team B) -> Military 2 or Insurgent 1 (Team A) -> Military 2 or Insurgent 1 (Team B) -> Vagabond A -> Vagabond B. 2. Turn Dynamics and Smuggling Logistics The game has a strict time limit of 6 complete turns (tabletop rounds), creating an atmosphere of pure economic and military urgency. To move armies or the Vagabond across a Border Bridge, the player must pay a fee by discarding a card from their hand corresponding to the destination clearing; if the rival team controls the entrance to that bridge with 5 or more soldiers combined, the fee card goes directly to an enemy player's hand instead of being discarded. When a military faction crosses the border and manufactures an item using the opponent's map stock, it does not immediately gain the points. The physical item becomes "contraband" carried by a warrior from that clearing; Points are only validated on the trail when the carrier crosses the border back to their home map. If the warrior carrying the item is destroyed in enemy territory, the item falls into the clearing and can be collected by any faction. 3. How Collecting a Dropped Item in the Clearing Works - For the Team Attempting to Execute the Smuggling (Invading Team) If your warrior carrying the item died or if your ally crafted the item there, your objective is to retrieve the cargo and take it to your home map to validate the points. The Collection Action: To retrieve the item, you must move one of your warriors (or one of your teammates) to the clearing where the item is located. The Cost: The player wishing to collect the item must spend 1 Movement action while in the clearing to "search the rubble" and place the item under their warrior. Restriction: You don't need to rule the clearing to collect the item, but you will need to manage the return trip and pay the Border Bridge fee as usual. - For the Map Owner Team (Defending Team) If your team intercepted the contraband and defeated the invading warrior, the item drops in your clearing. Your objective is to "seize" the contraband to destroy it or "ambush" it to create a point of interest. The Seizure Action: A warrior on your team must spend 1 Battle action against the item dropped in the clearing to destroy it (as if attacking a defenseless marker). The Benefit: By destroying the enemy contraband, the item is permanently removed from the game and sent to the crate. Your team immediately gains 1 Victory Point on the track for having thwarted the opponent's logistical plans and protected their borders. The Ambush Action: The defending team can simply leave the item dropped on the ground and attempt to surround it. Since the invading team desperately wants the item back, the defending team transforms that clearing into a "kill zone" with almost no access and unlikely escape. The Benefit: Allows for a strategic advantage depending on the clearing in question, and also gives the defending VB a chance to recover the item. The Special Case: What if the Vagabond happens to be there? If either Vagabond (from Team A or Team B) enters the clearing where the contraband item is lying on the ground, they can interact with it in a unique way: The Vagabond can use their torch to collect the item directly into their backpack. If the Vagabond is from the team that crafted it, they help the team by clearing the map. If the Vagabond is from the defending team, they simply steal the technology for themselves without needing to fight, making the dropped items extremely valuable targets for the two lone characters at the table. 4. Exact Victory Conditions Victory is purely collective, and the main objective is for the team to reach 90 points on the track (equivalent to the original goal of 30 points per player). If one of the teams reaches 90 points, the game ends immediately with their victory. If the 6th turn ends without either team reaching the stipulated goal, the match is decided instantly through the following tie-breaking criteria, in this order: 1. The team with the highest accumulated collective score on the track. 2. The team that controls the most clearings simultaneously across the entire mega-map (allies combine their forces to control). 3. The team with the most warriors alive on the board. 5. Battles and Control Allied players cannot battle each other!!! Of course, friendly fire may occur if an opposing ability allows them to move and battle using their pieces against their own allies. Governing the Clearings (Ruling): To determine who governs a clearing, add the pieces (warriors + buildings) of the allies on the same team. If Team A has 2 Cats and 1 Bird (Total 3) against 2 Moles from Team B, Team A governs the clearing. Shared Governance Benefit: Both players on Team A can use this clearing for movement and construction purposes, as it is considered controlled by their allied empire. Independent Combat (No Data Unification): Although they govern together, armies do not merge in battle. If a Mole (Team B) attacks the clearing described above, they must declare before rolling the dice whether they are attacking the Cats or the Birds. The Defense: The attacked player rolls the dice and absorbs the damage alone using only their own warriors. The ally in the same clearing observes the battle and takes no damage, unless the defender is completely annihilated and the attacker still has extra damage remaining (which is then dissipated without affecting the ally). The team's Vagabond can use their intervention ability (spending sword/boots) to help, according to rules you will see in the following topics. 6. The Vagabond's Role: Looting and Legendary Ascension The Vagabond acts as a free agent of espionage and technological theft, limited to strictly performing 1 Looting per turn. When initiating a battle against a rival faction to steal an item from their crafting bench, they must declare the Looting before rolling the dice: the rival defender always gets the highest die (dealing maximum damage to the VB) and the Vagabond gets the lowest. For the theft to succeed, the Vagabond must be at least a 1 to deal damage and subdue the opponent; If successful, the item goes directly into the Vagabond's backpack and can be used immediately, without needing to be transported back. Additionally, the first Vagabond to complete the goals of exploring any 3 Ruins (being able to invade the neighboring map to do so) and completing any 3 Quests, permanently unlocks one of four Legendary Abilities of their choice: Vanguard Leader: Moves 1 allied warrior along with them (ignoring clearing governance rules). Master Craftsman: Once per turn, crafts a card ignoring 1 clearing requirement. Forest Ghost: Does not pay card discard fees to cross Border Bridges. War Veteran: Allows you to reroll your die in combats where you declared Looting. 7. Vagabond's Relations (VG) With Opponents (Controlled Hostility): The two Vagabonds do not start hostile by default. They start on the "Indifferent" (Neutral) space with the three rival factions. However, if the Vagabond attacks or removes a rival warrior, that faction immediately becomes Hostile. The Vagabond gains +1 extra point per rival piece removed in combat from then on, encouraging him to hunt enemy armies in the second half of the game. With Allies (The End of "Help for Points"): The Vagabond starts at the maximum alliance level with the two factions on his own team. The Help action still exists, but its function changes: How it works: The Vagabond gives a card from his hand to the ally and, in return, takes a crafted item from the ally's workbench. Point Adjustment: The Vagabond does not gain victory points by helping his allies. Since the points are collective and the team already shares the 90-point goal, gaining points by giving cards to an ally would create an artificial "infinite scoring engine". The action serves purely to pump useful cards for your team's generals and arm the Vagabond. Furthermore, even though he has maximum relations with friendly factions, this does not allow him to battle or move alongside allied troops. 9. The Role of Each Faction in this Mode 1. The Marquisate (Cats' Marquise) – Logistics and Industrialization Setup Adjustment: The Marquis only sets up on Map 1. He places his Keep in one corner and 1 warrior in each of the other 11 clearings on Map 1. He does not start with pieces on Map 2. Allied Golden Rule (Shared Field Hospitals): If an allied warrior is removed in combat in any clearing on the home Map, the Cats' player can intervene. By spending 1 card corresponding to that clearing from their own hand: instead of going to the component box, allied warriors are teleported and safely placed in the Cats' Keep clearing. The Wood Challenge: The Marquis's wood needs to travel along supply lines to the clearings where he wants to build. Timber can cross the Border Bridge to Map 2, but the Marquise will need to control the route and pay the crossing fee to transport the timber! 3x3 Strategy: The Marquise focuses on quickly industrializing Map 1 to generate easy points in turns 1-3, while using his scattered warriors to delay Team B's advance on the bridges. 2. Eyrie Dynasties – The Imperial Avalanche Safeguard: During Turn 1 and Turn 2, the Birds receive the special rule "Imperial Isolation". They can choose to ignore any Decree command (recruit, move, battle, or build) that requires interaction with the rival Map. If the Decree commands battle on Fox and the only Foxes with enemies are on Map 2, the player can simply "skip" this action without entering Turbulence. From Turn 3 onwards, the safeguard falls and the Birds are forced to march and fight on the border, assuming the real risk of breaking the Decree. Allied Golden Rule (Wings of the Alliance): The Birds fly above the treetops and possess efficient scouts. When an allied player performs a Movement action that begins or ends in a clearing where the Birds have a Roost built, the ally receives tactical support: - They ignore the card discard rate if this movement is to cross one of the Border Bridges. - They gain permission to move out of that clearing even if the enemy controls the territory, as the Birds guarantee a safe escape route via alternative air routes. The Pride Counterpart: To benefit from this logistical bonus of the Birds, the ally needs to "feed the army". The allied player who used the flight bonus must give any 1 card from their hand to the Birds player at the end of their turn. This card goes directly to the Birds' advisors, helping them keep their hand full to fuel the Decree and avoid Turbulence. The 3x3 Strategy: The Birds act as the team's "steamroller." They should use the initial turns to create a strong Decree and, around Turn 3 or 4, cross the border with a massive army to clear enemy clearings, paving the way for the Vagabond and the ally to score. 3. Woodland Alliance – The Cross-Border Revolution Global Sympathy: The Alliance spreads Sympathy counters using cards from their Supporter deck (Partisans). They can place Sympathy on either Map 1 or Map 2, as long as there are adjacent paths. Outrage Without Borders: If a Team B army moves warriors into a clearing with Alliance Sympathy (even if it's on Map 2), or if it destroys a Sympathy marker in combat, Team B must deliver a card from that clearing to the Alliance Supporters. Allied Golden Rule: If the team's military allies enter clearings with Alliance Sympathy, there is no outrage. The people accept the presence of the allied soldiers. Revolutionary Agent: If the Alliance manufactures an item using its structures on the rival Map, the item does not go to the Alliance. It is physically placed in the clearing where it was manufactured. To validate the points, an allied warrior (a Cat or a Bird) passing by must use a movement action to collect the item and transport it back across the border to Map 1. The Alliance "manufactures the weapons for the resistance," but relies on the logistics of its military allies to bring the contraband home. The 3x3 Strategy: The Alliance can initiate a Revolt on the enemy map, instantly clearing a clearing full of rival buildings and establishing an Alliance Base deep within enemy territory. It's the perfect faction to collapse Team B's economy from the inside out. 9. The Role of Each Faction in this Mode 1. The Marquisate (Cats' Marquise) – Logistics and Industrialization Setup Adjustment: The Marquis only sets up on Map 1. He places his Keep in one corner and 1 warrior in each of the other 11 clearings on Map 1. He does not start with pieces on Map 2. Allied Golden Rule (Shared Field Hospitals): If an allied warrior is removed in combat in any clearing on the home Map, the Cats' player can intervene. By spending 1 card corresponding to that clearing from their own hand: instead of going to the component box, allied warriors are teleported and safely placed in the Cats' Keep clearing. The Wood Challenge: The Marquis's wood needs to travel along supply lines to the clearings where he wants to build. Timber can cross the Border Bridge to Map 2, but the Marquise will need to control the route and pay the crossing fee to transport the timber! 3x3 Strategy: The Marquise focuses on quickly industrializing Map 1 to generate easy points in turns 1-3, while using his scattered warriors to delay Team B's advance on the bridges. 2. Eyrie Dynasties – The Imperial Avalanche Safeguard: During Turn 1 and Turn 2, the Birds receive the special rule "Imperial Isolation". They can choose to ignore any Decree command (recruit, move, battle, or build) that requires interaction with the rival Map. If the Decree commands battle on Fox and the only Foxes with enemies are on Map 2, the player can simply "skip" this action without entering Turbulence. From Turn 3 onwards, the safeguard falls and the Birds are forced to march and fight on the border, assuming the real risk of breaking the Decree. Allied Golden Rule (Wings of the Alliance): The Birds fly above the treetops and possess efficient scouts. When an allied player performs a Movement action that begins or ends in a clearing where the Birds have a Roost built, the ally receives tactical support: - They ignore the card discard rate if this movement is to cross one of the Border Bridges. - They gain permission to move out of that clearing even if the enemy controls the territory, as the Birds guarantee a safe escape route via alternative air routes. The Pride Counterpart: To benefit from this logistical bonus of the Birds, the ally needs to "feed the army". The allied player who used the flight bonus must give any 1 card from their hand to the Birds player at the end of their turn. This card goes directly to the Birds' advisors, helping them keep their hand full to fuel the Decree and avoid Turbulence. The 3x3 Strategy: The Birds act as the team's "steamroller." They should use the initial turns to create a strong Decree and, around Turn 3 or 4, cross the border with a massive army to clear enemy clearings, paving the way for the Vagabond and the ally to score. 3. Woodland Alliance – The Cross-Border Revolution Global Sympathy: The Alliance spreads Sympathy counters using cards from their Supporter deck (Partisans). They can place Sympathy on either Map 1 or Map 2, as long as there are adjacent paths. Outrage Without Borders: If a Team B army moves warriors into a clearing with Alliance Sympathy (even if it's on Map 2), or if it destroys a Sympathy marker in combat, Team B must deliver a card from that clearing to the Alliance Supporters. Allied Golden Rule: If the team's military allies enter clearings with Alliance Sympathy, there is no outrage. The people accept the presence of the allied soldiers. Revolutionary Agent: If the Alliance manufactures an item using its structures on the rival Map, the item does not go to the Alliance. It is physically placed in the clearing where it was manufactured. To validate the points, an allied warrior (a Cat or a Bird) passing by must use a movement action to collect the item and transport it back across the border to Map 1. The Alliance "manufactures the weapons for the resistance," but relies on the logistics of its military allies to bring the contraband home. The 3x3 Strategy: The Alliance can initiate a Revolt on the enemy map, instantly clearing a clearing full of rival buildings and establishing an Alliance Base deep within enemy territory. It's the perfect faction to collapse Team B's economy from the inside out. 9. The Role of Each Faction in this Mode 1. The Marquisate (Cats' Marquise) – Logistics and Industrialization Setup Adjustment: The Marquis only sets up on Map 1. He places his Keep in one corner and 1 warrior in each of the other 11 clearings on Map 1. He does not start with pieces on Map 2. Allied Golden Rule (Shared Field Hospitals): If an allied warrior is removed in combat in any clearing on the home Map, the Cats' player can intervene. By spending 1 card corresponding to that clearing from their own hand: instead of going to the component box, allied warriors are teleported and safely placed in the Cats' Keep clearing. The Wood Challenge: The Marquis's wood needs to travel along supply lines to the clearings where he wants to build. Timber can cross the Border Bridge to Map 2, but the Marquise will need to control the route and pay the crossing fee to transport the timber! 3x3 Strategy: The Marquise focuses on quickly industrializing Map 1 to generate easy points in turns 1-3, while using his scattered warriors to delay Team B's advance on the bridges. 2. Eyrie Dynasties – The Imperial Avalanche Safeguard: During Turn 1 and Turn 2, the Birds receive the special rule "Imperial Isolation". They can choose to ignore any Decree command (recruit, move, battle, or build) that requires interaction with the rival Map. If the Decree commands battle on Fox and the only Foxes with enemies are on Map 2, the player can simply "skip" this action without entering Turbulence. From Turn 3 onwards, the safeguard falls and the Birds are forced to march and fight on the border, assuming the real risk of breaking the Decree. Allied Golden Rule (Wings of the Alliance): The Birds fly above the treetops and possess efficient scouts. When an allied player performs a Movement action that begins or ends in a clearing where the Birds have a Roost built, the ally receives tactical support: - They ignore the card discard rate if this movement is to cross one of the Border Bridges. - They gain permission to move out of that clearing even if the enemy controls the territory, as the Birds guarantee a safe escape route via alternative air routes. The Pride Counterpart: To benefit from this logistical bonus of the Birds, the ally needs to "feed the army". The allied player who used the flight bonus must give any 1 card from their hand to the Birds player at the end of their turn. This card goes directly to the Birds' advisors, helping them keep their hand full to fuel the Decree and avoid Turbulence. The 3x3 Strategy: The Birds act as the team's "steamroller." They should use the initial turns to create a strong Decree and, around Turn 3 or 4, cross the border with a massive army to clear enemy clearings, paving the way for the Vagabond and the ally to score. 3. Woodland Alliance – The Cross-Border Revolution Global Sympathy: The Alliance spreads Sympathy counters using cards from their Supporter deck (Partisans). They can place Sympathy on either Map 1 or Map 2, as long as there are adjacent paths. Outrage Without Borders: If a Team B army moves warriors into a clearing with Alliance Sympathy (even if it's on Map 2), or if it destroys a Sympathy marker in combat, Team B must deliver a card from that clearing to the Alliance Supporters. Allied Golden Rule: If the team's military allies enter clearings with Alliance Sympathy, there is no outrage. The people accept the presence of the allied soldiers. Revolutionary Agent: If the Alliance manufactures an item using its structures on the rival Map, the item does not go to the Alliance. It is physically placed in the clearing where it was manufactured. To validate the points, an allied warrior (a Cat or a Bird) passing by must use a movement action to collect the item and transport it back across the border to Map 1. The Alliance "manufactures the weapons for the resistance," but relies on the logistics of its military allies to bring the contraband home. The 3x3 Strategy: The Alliance can initiate a Revolt on the enemy map, instantly clearing a clearing full of rival buildings and establishing an Alliance Base deep within enemy territory. It's the perfect faction to collapse Team B's economy from the inside out.