Root: The Roleplaying Game Core Book is the rulebook for Magpie Games’ licensed tabletop RPG set in the Woodland from Leder Games’ Root. It is a separate game from Root: A Game of Woodland Might and Right: players take the roles of vagabonds who accept jobs and navigate alliances amid the Woodland’s political conflict.
What is the Root RPG Core Book?
The Core Book provides the rules and guidance for playing Root: The Roleplaying Game. Its protagonists are vagabonds—adventurers whose work brings them into contact with the Woodland’s factions and conflicts. Magpie Games describes the game as designed for three to six players. Magpie Games’ Core Book listing
The RPG shares its setting with the board game, but it is not a roleplaying-game version of the board game’s competitive strategy rules. It is a tabletop roleplaying game in which players portray characters and develop the story through conversation and game rules.
What is included in the Core Book?
- Nine core playbooks: character frameworks for creating distinct vagabonds.
- Rules for play: guidance covering fantasy adventure, roguish feats, reputation, travel, equipment, weapons and combat.
- Game Master tools: advice for shaping combats and managing the Woodland’s factions.
- A prepared location: the clearing called Gelilah’s Grove, ready to use as a setting for play.
These are the publisher’s stated features of the core game. The book’s reproduced contents also indicate chapters about the Woodland, making vagabonds, core rules and moves, equipment, GM guidance, faction conflict and a prepared clearing; consult an authorized copy for exact chapter text or page references.
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#1 Best Overall
- RETURN TO THE WOODLAND: This deluxe 2-in-1 collector's set unites the Root RPG Core Rulebook and Travelers & Outsiders expansion in one foil-stamped slipcase. A tabletop RPG for the shelf and the table.
- 19 PLAYBOOKS, ONE WOODLAND: Nine core archetypes and ten from Travelers & Outsiders. Three to six players forge outlaws, traders, and cultists in a forest at war. A tabletop RPG built for legacy.
- POWERED BY THE APOCALYPSE: Roll 2D6 and let the Woodland unfold. Beginner-friendly PbtA rules with strong GM support, built for 2-4 hour multi-session campaigns. No prior Root board game experience required.
- FOUR NEW FACTIONS: Travelers & Outsiders unleashes the Riverfolk Company, Lizard Cult, Grand Duchy, and Corvid Conspiracy across two fresh clearings, Heartwood and Sundew Bend.
- COLLECTOR'S EDITION: Two foil-stamped 6x9 hardcovers with silk bookmarks and full-color Kyle Ferrin art, cased in an illustrated slipcase. Officially licensed from Leder Games. A Woodland heirloom.
What do you need to play?
The Core Book is the rules product; the publisher also lists a separate Essentials Bundle with the book, a faction dice set and a GM accessory pack. The bundle’s dice set contains 14 six-sided dice, and its accessory pack includes a screen and notepads. The publisher does not identify those accessories as prerequisites, so they are optional physical table aids rather than required purchases. Magpie Games’ Essentials Bundle listing
Magpie’s product description specifies three to six players. For a particular group, check the book’s guidance for the GM and players; the publisher’s player-count statement is not a promise that every group size will work identically.
Rank #2
- RETURN TO THE WOODLAND: Root: The Roleplaying Game is a tabletop roleplaying game of vagabond adventure set in the beloved woodland of the Root board game universe.
- DELUXE CORE BOOK: A 6x9 hardcover with foil-stamped cover, packed with nine vagabond playbooks, roguish feats, reputation and travel rules, plus Gelilah's Grove, a full clearing ready for your first expedition.
- DENIZENS DECK INCLUDED: The Denizens Deck supplements your Root RPG sessions with woodland characters to populate clearings, forests, and the factions your party meets on the road.
- EQUIPMENT DECK INCLUDED: The Equipment Deck brings the gear, weapons, and treasures of the Woodland to your table, streamlining inventory for vagabonds on expedition.
- COMPLETE ADVENTURE BUNDLE: Three tabletop roleplaying game products shipped together. The Root RPG Deluxe Core book plus the Denizens Deck and Equipment Deck, all from indie publisher Magpie Games.
Core Book, Essentials Bundle or Deluxe Edition?
| Option | What the publisher lists | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Core Book | Physical Core Book. The listing describes the standard book; current stock can vary by region. | Readers seeking the base rulebook. |
| Essentials Bundle | Core Book, Root RPG Faction Dice Set (14 d6) and GM Accessory Pack (screen and notepads). | Groups who also want physical dice and GM table aids. |
| Deluxe Edition | Core Rulebook and the Travelers & Outsiders rulebook. | Readers who want the core rules together with the additional rulebook, rather than only the core game. |
Compare both the included books and the accessories before choosing. The Essentials Bundle adds physical aids; the Deluxe Edition listing adds a second rulebook. Core Book listing · Essentials Bundle listing
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Is the Root RPG Core Book available?
Magpie Games’ U.S. Core Book listing reports the standard physical book out of stock and gives Q4 2026 as the expected restock period. That is a publisher estimate for the United States, not a guaranteed release date or a statement about availability elsewhere. Check the listing for current stock before ordering. Magpie Games’ Core Book listing
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- In Root, players drive the narrative and the differences between each role create an unparalleled level of interaction and replayability
- Find adventure in a marvelous asymmetric Game; Root provides limitless replay value as you and your friends explore the unique factions all wanting to rule a fantastic forest Kingdom
- The stage is set for a contest that will decide the fate of the great woodland; It is up to the players to decide which group will ultimately take root
- In Root, players drive the narrative, and the differences between each role create an unparalleled level of interaction and replayability; Leder Games invites you and your family to explore the fantastic world of Root!
The publisher announced on December 15, 2021, that the game was available via PDF and preorder. That is a historical launch announcement, not confirmation of current PDF or preorder availability. Magpie Games’ December 15, 2021 announcement
Quick Recap
Best Value
- EXPANSION FOR ROOT:THE ROLEPLAYING GAME: Dive into fresh characters and explore exciting new factions to enhance your game's narrative and mechanics.
- PREMIUM HARDCOVER RULEBOOK: Durable 6’x9" hardcover book, featuring a silk bookmark and original art by Kyle Ferrin for collectors and avid players alike.
- 10 NEW PLAYBOOKS FOR CHARACTER CREATION: Choose from a variety of archetypes and new species to craft your own compelling protagonist in the Woodland.
- 8 ICONIC FACTIONS: Delve into the expanded lore and mechanical depth of faction turns while adding a breadth of new equipment, Natures, Drives, and weapon rules.
- REQUIRES CORE GAME: Designed as an expansion to Root: The RPG, enhancing the core game with additional layers of mechanics, narrative, and Gamemaster support.
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