Root: The Underworld Expansion

Like the Marquise de Cat, the Duchy can muster a huge army of warriors and become a formidable military power. But the Duchy makes its home in the Burrow, located deep under the Woodland. To establish a foothold in the forest above, they must dig tunnels, which can appear in any clearing on the map. The other factions will never see it coming! They can’t stay passive in their homeland below—only by building Markets and Citadels in the Woodland can they gain enough allies and warriors to pose a threat.

The Duchy is overseen by a council of ministers, fickle politicians who must be swayed to the task of establishing a presence in the Woodland. To convince them, the Duchy must prove that its mission of conquest is all going to plan, revealing cards from their hand that match clearings they have pieces in. The more ministers they sway, the more actions they get per turn—over time, they will become an unstoppable force. But beware, if any of the Duchy’s buildings are destroyed, there’s a political price to pay—their minister of highest rank will quit, and they’ll discard a card, making it even harder to sway ministers back.

You’ll love the Duchy if…

• You like the Eyrie because of their expanding action set, but you want to play a more fluid card drafting game
• You like the Marquise because of their large army, but you want to strike with concentrated, crushing force
• You like the Alliance because they strike from the shadows, but you want more muscle to back it up

Requires Root base game