Rootjam 2025
THE SWARM!
RootJam Entry
Factions
Heralds of the Devourer
by Century Gothic
As the Heralds of the Devourer, you wish to see the desertification of these woods at the hand of your greatest weapon and ally, The Swarm. An ancient, unstoppable force of destruction, the Swarm has finally regathered, and you will direct it to tear through the woodland and its clearings, leaving near nothing behind. You do not require the support of this woodland. Only its extinction.
Vagaband
by abardam
Wayward Flock
by Tor
Inspired by your visionary council to escape an oppressive regime, you strive to build a new home as a refuge from the nameless evils of their former coop. As you smuggle more and more of your brethren from captivity, be wary lest you attract the very aggressors you sought to escape!
This is a faction for the board game Root, created as part of RootJam 2025. These chickens need your leadership to pilot them to lasting freedom! By following their pecking order, they hope to prosper and thrive away from their oppressive captors. Their power grows with their impressive numbers, but sooner or later they may trigger a calamity, attracting their former owners to the woodland to bring them all back to the barnyard. Will you help them hatch a plot to fly the coop?
Citizens of the Forest
by SparkyTheHappyGiraffe
As the Citizens of the Forest, you seek to return the Woodlands to its original, forested state. You score points by planting seedlings, which grow to become large, study trees. This takes several turns to come to fruition, so you’ll need to be patient.
Your warriors are scattered across the map, living on the edge of clearings as Outsiders. This gives them the mobility to participate in a Swarm, a coordinated attack that brings warriors from nearby clearings to help in the fight. You can Swarm as many times as you like, but be careful to not overextend yourself!
Your limited warrior supply will make it difficult to defend your position on the map. However, your environmental stewardship has helped you gain Public Support, which allows you to temporarily increase your warrior count in specific battles.
Unlike most factions, who gain more warriors as the game goes on, you will actually recruit fewer warriors as you approach the endgame. This is because your mature trees can’t be removed from the map, giving you guaranteed scoring. Look for ways to craft the last few points you need to win!
Forsaken Cabal
by danimal2402
Royal Conservatory
by stephkuriboh
The Royal Conservatory is dismayed by the barbary of these warring factions and of the ruin they are laying waste to the Woodland. Seeking to preserve the beauty and culture of the Woodland itself, the Royal Conservatory establishes Preserves and tears down those buildings in the way.
It swarms the board with a heavy recruiting power and a collective movement feature. But because of its disdain for military conquest and primary interest in maintaining status quo, its warriors do not contribute to rule and do little damage in battle.
Sun's Kaleidoscope
by Duncan
The core idea behind the Sun’s Kaleidoscope is a faction deeply devoted to their god, with a theology where it is not a clergy that rules, but the god itself.
To please the Sun, the Kaleidoscope must act like the Sun wants from building temples to sacrifice ennemies.
To win, players must carefully balance expansion spreading the truth of their god with the protection of cornfields, which are essential to crafting and maintaining the Sun’s Favor.
Starry Swarm
by napolemon
Lure others into your grand celebration. Enthusiastically post concerts on bulletin boards and construct stages across the forest.
But such joy comes at a cost — every action demands Tickets. And Tickets rely on your radiant Glowers, who cannot fight.
Consider carefully: can you truly trust your enemies? Your momentum depends on those who shine, not those who strike.
When your invitations are no longer heard, it is the Larvae who answer.
These quiet heirs emerge when persuasion fails.
That is when you must consider a new rhythm — one of force. Overwhelm the forest and bring all into harmony… by stronger means.
Frost Tusked Raiders
by sigma_skibidi_rizz
The Frost Tusked Warriors are more than mere fighters—they are masters of strategy, endurance, and adaptability. Forged in the relentless cold, they do not seek domination but perfection in every movement, every decision.
To them, battle is not chaos, but a ritual of discipline and skill. Their presence reshapes the battlefield, turning it into an arena where intellect and resilience reign supreme. Free from the constraints of traditional warfare, they maneuver with precision, mastering the art of combat through fluid motion and unwavering determination.
The Frost Tusked Warriors are not just a faction; they are a living legend—symbols of strength tempered by trial and time.
Fungal Shepherds
by TheRacoon
Burrow Bureaucracy
by Imrahil3
Butcher's Festival
by deathwing44
Titan's Reliquary
by napolemon
Raise temples and let peace flow through the forest on trails of fragrant incense. Welcome travelers and strangers alike to kneel before the relics of the ancient god who once guarded these woods with silent grace. Let their reverence rekindle the memory of the divine.
Yet be clear: your devotion is not submission. You are peaceful—but not to be preyed upon. Should any defile the name of your god or mock the sacred rites, let them feel the wrath that sleeps beneath your incense and stone. Remind them: even a forgotten deity can still strike with holy fury.
Chitinbane Inc.
by endgamer1331
The goal of the "Exterminators" is to have forests empty of any of their "rivals", the Swarm. Use your militia stations to prevent more swarms from popping up in nearby forests, and use your bait to gently lure these great beasts out of their territories. Once the infestation in the forest is clear you can start gaining a foothold for victory.
Sometimes though, your Swarms start to become an unwieldy burden on the fine denizens of the woods. You may occasionally need to fight off their bursting hoards. Luckily you are primed to help, especially with some recruits from the clearings.
Draw the bugs out, and maybe nudge them towards your enemies to ease their otherwise war-like tendencies.
Designed by Endgamer1331 and Zerogamer
Mellivory Mêlées
by Schnaga
Buzz Tour
by AlexP
Collegium of Alfaromancy
by qel
Spore Strategem
by Brendz
Horse of the Apocalypse
by AlexMatthews
Clogwork Constructs
by disasterman
Gilled Brotherhood
by Nurgle
The gilled brotherhood are here and they want to completely flood the map. The gilled brotherhood are a faction of fish who came from the deep in search of more land, so they decided to flood yours. The gilled brotherhood play a high risk high reward kind of play much alike the crows and WA but militant, they replace warriors with floods and gain more actions the more they build but if they want more warriors they have to destroy their own building losing an extra action.
Hollow Syndicate
by blbyblby
Fearful Flock
by PokerFace126
Faceless Myriad
by RuneLords
Canine Commonwealth
by annoyingalchemist
The Canine Commonwealth calls together the wolves, foxes, and even dogs of the woodland to fight together for a common cause. Each group is weak on their own, but none can match their prowess when they work together.
March of the Lemmings
by Levī
The Rot Within
by The Real JoJo
Sightseers of the Mire
by MrMirz
Starling Murmuration
by TenCzwarty
Starling Confeatheration
by KingLuigiNL
True Believers
by Bolzan
A group of fanatical zealots, the True Believers have come to the Woodland chasing their prophet's movements and have decided that it has ordained the spread of their religion across the clearings, consecrating paths and laying down the groundwork for their arrival.
Bearcat Bureau
by Tin (The Foil)
Cluckton Inns
by Tuesdaywarrior
As the Cluckton Resorts, you will create the best vacation spot right here in the woodland. You will score points as the visiting grub tourists check-out of your resorts having had wonderful experiences and made memories. Whether or not the attending chickens eat some of the departing grubs is beside the point.
Ironhorn Vanguard
by Rooiwolf
The Ironhorn Vanguard are crusaders from beyond the woodland, marching under the banner of the great circle. A doctrine that teaches peace is not found, but forged through strength, unity, and righteous force. When word of the woodlands chaos reached their distant lands, the Vanguard answered a sacred call: not to conquer, but to restore order. You play as a unified legion that scouts its path forward, swarms as one, and plants Banners in their wake. Stay together to score through Occupy, draw tribute from your enemies, and power the forge to craft. But beware: should the herd falter, all progress may be lost.
Teamfight Tactics
by Nhím 100000 tên
Here is a faction that uses quite unique features from the auto chess game genre, such as: gacha to recruit warriors, upgrading level of commanders, placing warriors anywhere on the map, and most notably, merging two warriors of the same star level and species into a higher star-level warrior with even greater power.