Adventure & Relationships Strategy Guide
The Vagabond is Root's most unique faction - a solo adventurer who operates through relationships, quests, and item management rather than territorial control. You'll explore the woodland, complete quests, aid other factions for rewards, and pursue your own mysterious agenda through flexible, opportunistic gameplay.
Unlike other factions, the Vagabond doesn't rule territory or build armies. Instead, you have a single meeple that moves freely, managing items and relationships to score points through quests and adventures. This makes you both flexible and vulnerable.
Each Vagabond character has unique starting items and special abilities that define their playstyle. Choose based on your preferred strategy and the current game state.
Starting Items: Boots, Torch, Tea, Sword
Special Action - Steal: Take a random card from a player in your clearing
Playstyle: Aggressive, mobile, card advantage
Best For: Experienced players who like risk/reward
Starting Items: Boots, Torch, Bag, Hammer
Special Action - Day Labor: Take a card from discard pile matching your clearing suit (can always take bird)
Playstyle: Card management, utility, supportive
Best For: New players, economic strategies
Starting Items: Boots, Torch, Crossbow, Sword
Special Action - Hideout: Repair three items, then immediately end Daylight
Playstyle: Item management, defensive, recovery-focused
Best For: Players who like defensive strategies
Note: The base game includes only three Vagabond characters: Thief, Tinker, and Ranger.
Expansion Characters: Additional characters are available in Root expansions.
Choose Based On: Your preferred playstyle and the current game situation.
Items are the core of Vagabond gameplay. They provide actions, enable quests, and determine your capabilities. Managing your limited item capacity is crucial to success.
Undamaged: Can be used for actions and abilities
Damaged: Still counts for quests but can't be used for actions
Exhausted: Face-down, can't be used until refreshed with tea
Your relationships with other factions determine how they interact with you and what benefits you can gain. Managing these relationships is key to Vagabond success.
Neutral Factions:
Allied Factions:
Early Game: Keep most factions neutral for safety
Mid Game: Ally with the strongest faction or underdog
Late Game: Consider going hostile for dominance victory
Key Decision: Alliance gives shared victory but limits your independence
Refresh: Flip two exhausted items face up for each Tea face up at start of Birdsong, then flip up three more exhausted items
Slip: You may move into adjacent clearing or forest without exhausting any boots
Strategy: Plan your actions based on available items
Actions: Take up to 3 actions using items:
Exhaust: Used items become exhausted (face-down)
An Evening's Rest: If you are in a forest, move all items in your Damaged box to your Satchel or their matching track, and flip them face up
Draw Cards: Draw one card, plus one card per Tea face up on the matching track
Discard Cards: If you have more than five cards in your hand, discard cards of your choice until you have five
Check Item Capacity: If you have more items total in your Satchel and Damaged box than your item limit—six plus two per Bag face up on the matching track—remove items from your Satchel and Damaged box until you have items equal to your item limit, and return them to the box
Quests are your primary source of victory points. They require specific items and may have additional requirements. Completing quests efficiently is crucial for victory.
Don't hoard quest cards! Complete them as soon as you have the required items. Quest cards in hand don't provide value - only completed quests give victory points. Balance immediate quests with long-term item needs.
Turn 1: Explore ruins with torch for cards and potential items
Focus: Build your hand size and item collection early
Movement: Stay mobile with boots - don't get trapped
Relationships: Keep everyone neutral initially for safety
Priority order for new items:
Craft when possible - workshops provide easy item access
Easy Quests: Complete simple quests for early points
Ruin Exploration: Use torches in forests for card draw
Aid Actions: Help factions for cards and relationship management
Avoid: Complex multi-item quests until you have more items
Consider Allying With:
Benefits: Aid actions give points instead of cards
Risk: Shared victory - they win, you win
When to Fight:
Combat Setup: Need crossbow + sword for effectiveness
Retreat: Use slip rule to escape dangerous situations
With 6-8 items, optimize your loadout:
Damaged Items: Provide hand size - don't always repair immediately
Quest Victory: Score 30 points through completed quests
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
Shared Victory: Win when allied faction wins
Requirements: Rule 3+ clearings of one suit with hostile relationships
Setup:
Risk: Everyone can attack you - high risk, high reward
Point Acceleration:
Defense: Stay mobile, use slip rule, maintain tea supply
The Vagabond's strength is adaptability. If your ally is losing, consider switching strategies. If quest victory seems slow, consider going hostile for dominance. Always have a backup plan!
Special Action: Exhaust torch to take random card from player in your clearing
Tactics:
Best Against: Alliance, Eyrie
Special Action: Exhaust torch to take card from discard pile matching your clearing (always bird)
Tactics:
Best For: New players, item-heavy boards
Special Action: Exhaust torch to repair three items, then immediately end Daylight
Tactics:
Best Against: High warrior-count factions
Don't exhaust all your boots in one turn - you'll be stuck! Always keep at least one boot available for emergency movement. Plan your actions to maintain mobility.
Relationship management is crucial. Don't accidentally make factions hostile by battling them carelessly. Plan your relationships based on your victory strategy.
Quest cards don't give points until completed. Don't save them for "perfect" moments - complete them as soon as you have the required items. Action economy is crucial for the Vagabond.
The Vagabond is not a military faction. Don't waste actions on unnecessary battles. Fight only when it serves your quest objectives or relationship goals.
Don't use tea immediately after exhausting items. Wait until you need those items again. This maximizes your action economy over multiple turns.
Use aid actions strategically to move relationships. Aid a faction once to become neutral, twice to become allied. Time these transitions to match your victory strategy.
Sometimes keep items damaged for the hand size bonus. If you have enough undamaged items for your needs, damaged items increase your card capacity without repair costs.
Use the slip rule tactically. Enter clearings with 3+ enemy warriors to complete quests, then slip away automatically. This provides safe quest completion in dangerous areas.