Industrial Dominance Strategy Guide
The Marquise de Cat is the industrial powerhouse of Root - a faction built for new players who want straightforward, aggressive gameplay. You start with the most warriors and buildings, giving you immediate board control. Your goal is to maintain economic and military dominance through buildings and crafting while defending your territory from insurgents.
The Marquise is the recommended starting faction because your actions are direct and your victory path is clear: build, craft, and defend. You don't need to worry about complex card mechanics or faction-specific rules.
Sawmills give you wood to build more buildings. Workshops let you craft cards for points and powerful effects. Build these first in fox, rabbit, and mouse clearings to maximize your crafting options.
Priority: Sawmill â Workshop â Recruiter (if needed)
Use your starting army advantage to control key clearings. Place your keep in a central clearing that connects to multiple other areas. Always keep warriors in clearings with your buildings - they're vulnerable when undefended.
Rule: Never leave buildings undefended unless absolutely necessary.
Score points by:
Aim to build 6-8 buildings and craft regularly to maintain point flow.
Wood: Place one wood token at each sawmill you have on the board.
Note: You cannot craft during Birdsong - crafting happens during Daylight.
First: You may activate workshops to craft cards from your hand.
Then, Actions (3 total):
Extra Actions: Spend one bird card per extra action after taking three.
Draw: Draw one card, plus one card per uncovered draw bonus on your faction board.
Hand Limit: If you have more than five cards in your hand, discard cards of your choice until you have five.
Note: You do NOT score points during Evening - points are scored when buildings are placed during Daylight.
Turn 1: Build a sawmill in a fox clearing, then a workshop in a different suit clearing. Use your third action to march warriors to defend these buildings.
Keep Placement: Put your keep in the clearing with the most adjacent clearings for maximum mobility.
Build in this order:
Always leave at least 1 warrior in clearings with buildings. The Woodland Alliance loves to revolt in undefended clearings, which removes all your pieces there.
Golden Rule: Buildings without warriors = free points for enemies
Don't spread too thin! It's better to have strong control over 4-5 clearings than weak control over 8-9 clearings. Focus your initial expansion.
With your economy established, start aggressive expansion. Build recruiters in well-defended clearings to maintain your army size. Target clearings that give you crafting flexibility.
Focus: Get workshops in all four suits if possible for maximum crafting options.
vs Eyrie: They're expanding fast - battle them before they become too strong, but be careful not to trigger turmoil too early.
vs Alliance: Remove sympathy tokens immediately. Never let them get 3+ sympathy on the board.
vs Vagabond: Keep them hostile or ignore them. Don't help unless absolutely necessary.
Prioritize crafting:
You should have 15-20 points by now. Focus on consistent point scoring through crafting and building. Remember that you score points when buildings are placed from your faction board, not when pieces are removed.
Target: 3-4 points per turn to win by turn 10.
Other factions will target you as the leader. Keep a mobile reserve of warriors and don't over-extend. It's better to secure your existing territory than grab risky expansions.
Use Field Hospitals: When a warrior is removed, spend a matching card to place it in the keep clearing instead of losing it.
With 6+ workshops, you can craft multiple cards per turn. Look for high-value crafts and dominance cards if you control enough clearings.
Dominance Victory: If you have 10+ victory points and rule 3+ clearings of one suit, you can craft a matching dominance card to win immediately. Consider this when you control multiple clearings of the same suit.
Don't get greedy! If you're at 25+ points, play defensively. Other players will gang up on you, so focus on protecting your point sources rather than expanding further.
The Marquise wins through consistent, steady point accumulation. Here are your main scoring methods:
Don't build everywhere at once. It's better to have strong control over fewer clearings than weak control over many. Focus on defending your economy first.
The Woodland Alliance is your biggest threat. Their revolts can destroy entire corners of your empire. Always remove sympathy tokens and never leave buildings undefended.
Don't spend all your wood at once. Keep 2-3 wood in reserve for emergency buildings or to replace destroyed sawmills. Use Overwork sparingly - removing your own pieces hurts your board presence.
Control three connected clearings of different suits to maximize crafting:
Benefit: Can craft any item type and most card requirements
Optimize your building economy:
Wood Priority: Keep 3-4 wood in reserve for emergency building
Position buildings to support each other:
Rule: Never build where you can't defend immediately
Challenge: They expand aggressively and can outpace your building
Strategy: Force them into turmoil by attacking their poorly defended expansions
Key: Build defensively and let them overextend, then counter-attack
Advanced: Use crossbows to enhance your battle effectiveness
Challenge: They want you to attack to fuel their engine
Strategy: Build up defensively, craft items to remove sympathy
Key: Don't take the bait - let other factions trigger revolts
Advanced: Craft Brutal Tactics to remove sympathy safely
Challenge: They can be anywhere and strike unexpectedly
Strategy: Keep track of their items and relationship status
Key: Form temporary alliances when they're leading
Advanced: Craft items they need to maintain Friendly status
Challenge: They can score massive points from Outcast cards
Strategy: Control the Outcast suit to limit their options
Key: Build in the most common suit clearings
Advanced: Force them to use less optimal card combinations
Challenge: They profit from all faction conflicts
Strategy: Don't buy their services unless absolutely necessary
Key: Build your own economy instead of relying on theirs
Advanced: Coordinate with other factions to limit their profits
Challenge: They can tunnel under your defenses
Strategy: Control the tunnels early or accept their inevitability
Key: Build where they can't easily tunnel to
Advanced: Use their tunnels for your own movement when possible
Advanced crafting optimization:
Goal: 2-3 crafts per turn in mid-game
Advanced battle tactics:
Reading the table:
Master Marquise players don't just build - they create an unstoppable economic machine. Your buildings generate resources, your workshops craft victory points, and your military protects it all. Remember: you start strong but must maintain that advantage through superior positioning and resource management.