Bought Root on a Whim—Now Feeling Buyer’s Remorse.

Hello everyone,

I'm very new to the board game hobby—so new that I wouldn’t even say I’m into it yet (my only experience is with Catan, boss monster, and Sheriff of Nottingham). A couple of months ago, I picked up 7 Wonders and have been playing it twice a week since and having a lot of fun, and wanted to get another game.

Recently, after seeing some posts online recommending it, I impulse bought Root from my local hobby shop for $80 CAD. However, I haven’t played it yet, and after doing some more research, I’m starting to feel a bit of buyer’s remorse.

I've seen a lot of comments saying that Root is extremely difficult to learn, that it's easy to drown really early making a come back impossible turning the game into a slog, and that it’s overall not very enjoyable. Since I’ve already opened the game, returning it isn’t an option.

For those who have played Root, is it really as complex and frustrating as people say? None of my friends have heard or played it so we'd all be learning from scratch.

Any advice on how to make the learning process smoother?

TL;DR

• New to board games, only played Catan and 7 Wonders. Bought Root for $80 CAD but haven’t played it yet. Now seeing comments saying it’s hard to learn, easy to mess up early, and not that fun. Can’t return it—wondering if it’s really that bad and looking for advice on learning it.