RootJam is back for 2026! Create a fan faction for Root within two weeks and help raise cash for Doctors Without Borders.

Guide to Submitting: Itch.io Guide to Submit 

Donation link: https://events.doctorswithoutborders.org/campaigns/RootJam2026

This year's theme is...

Very Important Piece!

The Cats have the Keep, the Rats have the Warlord, and the Vagabond...well, has the Vagabond. But what about your faction's VIP?

This year's theme is more of a design challenge: revolve your faction around a single critical piece. It can be a warrior, a pawn, a token, a building, a card, even a landmark or a die if you want it to be! Will they be able to defend themselves, or rely on others to stay alive? Do you need escort them across the map, or hide them away around layers of defense? Will your game end if the piece is captured, or will your faction transform into something even worse for the rest of the table to deal with? Good luck to all the designers!

Designers will have two weeks to design a new fan faction for Root from scratch. Then, on May 15th at 7:00 PM UTC, submissions will close and voting will begin! Members of the Woodland Warriors discord can vote on factions and leave feedback for creators directly on their submissions.There are three voting categories - Creativity/Uniqueness as the primary category for winning the jam, as well as Use of This Year's Theme and Clarity of Rules/Mechanics as bonus categories.

Voting ends on May 29th, with the winners being announced on May 31st. 1st place will receive a $50 gift card to the Leder Games webstore! We’re also raising money for Doctors Without Borders. In addition to direct donations, you can also help by participating in the jam:

1. For every valid submission, I will put in $10 to the donation pool (up to $250).
2. For every faction that gets 10 or more votes, I will put in $10 to the donation pool (up to another $250, for a total of $500).

100% of all money raised will go to Doctors Without Borders. For more info on the charity, check out www.doctorswithoutborders.org.

Here’s the rules for creation and submission:

1. Your submission will need a player board, with the setup and component list on the back, and any tokens or buildings players may need to play. It should be in a PDF or a file format that's easy to print. A “Law of Root” rule page or TTS mod are not required, although a rule page is recommended if your faction is complex. Make sure to upload your board as a screenshot for your entry!
2. You’ll have to create a itch.io account to submit and vote! You can register here: https://itch.io/register.
3. When uploading your faction, make sure to set Pricing to “No Payments”! Submissions with either a paywall or a prompt for optional payment will be disqualified.
4. You can participate solo, or with a co-designer. Your prize will be split into two gift cards for each person. In addition, feel free to use as many playtesters as you want to help. 
5.  You may enter more than one submission, but it's recommended you only work on one submission for the jam.
6. You can choose not to have art, create your own art for your fan faction, or may use art from either Leder Games or royalty free images. You must credit any source for art that isn’t your own. Do not use AI art for your factions!
7. Submissions must be original and your own! You cannot start on your faction design before the contest starts, nor can you submit a faction created before the contest. Please do not ask me what the theme is prior to May 1st! 

If you have any concerns or questions, please contact me at spshaman on Discord. Below are some links to good resources to help you create fan factions:

/u/Biljamin_ from Reddit created this online tool for creating faction boards: https://www.rootfactionbuilder.com/

https://game-icons.net/ is a fantastic resource of free to use art for tokens, buildings, and other icons you might need.

Vuoripeikko on the Woodland Warriors Discord has created this template for fan faction creators: https://www.dropbox.com/s/n2oi43e5unpmd1d/Root%20Assets.zip?dl=0

St0l3n_ID has also created some assets for fan factions: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1nWp2XZQjZXZSN4HbzDscP3gtPTEvwhIs

For previous root jams, I’ve created a very basic guide on how to make easy print and play kits here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1D-hqSnAo1JeL0nPjGAXLSvaFpYh12M98SoJC-t8GhJE/edit?usp=sharing

Fonts used on boards are Baskerville 10 Pro and Luminari.