Leder Games
An American board game publisher known for asymmetric strategy games, including Root, Oath, and Arcs.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Leder Games is an independent American board game publishing and development company based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Founded by Patrick Leder in 2014, the company has built its identity around ambitious strategy games in which players control factions with substantially different abilities, objectives, and ways of interacting with a shared game system. This asymmetric design philosophy is most strongly associated with Root: A Game of Woodland Might and Right and Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile, both designed by Cole Wehrle, but it also appears in earlier and later releases such as Vast, Ahoy, and Arcs. Patrick Leder had been designing board games as a personal interest since 2001. He studied English and psychology at Hamline University and initially maintained other employment while developing the company. In 2016, he left a database-programming position at Macalester College to work on Leder Games full time. The company’s early growth was closely connected to Kickstarter, which it used not only to raise production funds but also to test demand, build an audience, and market distinctive games before retail release. Leder Games generally favors a smaller number of larger, highly developed releases rather than a high-volume publishing schedule. Its games often combine substantial rules systems, strong visual identity, and replayability through faction asymmetry, evolving scenarios, or campaign structures. The company has also distinguished itself from publishers that rely heavily on short-term contract labor by emphasizing a more permanent and comparatively better-paid internal team, according to descriptions of its business model. The company’s first published game was Vast: The Crystal Caverns, released in 2015 after a successful Kickstarter campaign. Root followed in 2018 and became Leder Games’ best-known title, attracting critical recognition, expansions, a digital adaptation by Dire Wolf Digital, and a role-playing game. Oath, released in 2020, extended the company’s interest in persistent and intergenerational worlds. Fort arrived in 2021 as a lighter deck-building design, while Ahoy in 2022 presented a more accessible, faster-moving asymmetric maritime game. Arcs, released in 2024, applied the company’s design interests to a science-fiction setting and a campaign structure in which successive games form a three-act narrative. Leder Games’ visual identity has frequently been associated with illustrator Kyle Ferrin, whose work has been used on many of the company’s releases through 2023. The company’s games commonly follow a distinctive four-letter naming convention, including Vast, Root, Oath, Fort, Ahoy, and Arcs. Its product strategy positions the brand between hobbyist strategy publishing and accessible, highly thematic tabletop entertainment. The company remains privately held and is best understood as a specialist publisher whose reputation rests on design-led, premium tabletop games rather than on mass-market volume.
History
Leder Games was founded in 2014 by Patrick Leder in Minnesota. Leder had been designing board games recreationally since 2001 and studied English and psychology at Hamline University. The company initially developed alongside his professional work; in 2016, he left a database-programming job at Macalester College to devote himself to the publisher. The company’s first release was Vast: The Crystal Caverns in 2015. The asymmetric design allowed different players to assume radically different roles, including a knight, dragon, goblins, thief, or the cave itself. Its first Kickstarter campaign sought $40,000 and ultimately raised approximately $150,000. A later printing raised approximately $500,000 through the platform. Vast was followed by Vast: The Mysterious Manor, Vast: The Fearsome Foes, and Vast: Haunted Hallways. Root: A Game of Woodland Might and Right was released in 2018 and became the company’s defining title. Designed by Cole Wehrle, Root depicts conflict among woodland factions whose rules, objectives, and strategic approaches differ significantly. The principal expansions released between 2018 and 2022 were The Riverfolk Expansion, The Underworld Expansion, The Clockwork Expansion, and The Marauder Expansion. A digital edition developed by Dire Wolf Digital appeared in 2020, and a Root role-playing game was released in 2021. Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile followed in 2020. Wehrle had worked on the intergenerational power-struggle game since 2018. Oath extended Leder Games’ interest in persistent consequences, with decisions in one session affecting the context of later sessions. An expansion was being designed by Leder Games after an announcement in 2022. In 2021, the company published Fort, designed by Grant Rodiek. The deck-building game portrays children competing to construct the best fort and was adapted from Rodiek’s earlier game SPQF, which had used a forest-animal kingdom inspired by ancient Rome. Fort received a nomination for Tabletop Game of the Year at the 2021 SXSW Gaming Awards. Ahoy, released in 2022, was designed by Greg Loring-Albright. Its pirate setting uses four factions, with two competing for control of an expanding ocean map and two others scoring through cargo collection and delivery. It was positioned by reviewers as a faster and more approachable alternative to Root while retaining asymmetric faction structures. Arcs, released in 2024, brought the company’s design approach into a science-fiction space-opera setting. Designed by Cole Wehrle, it is a quasi-4X campaign game in which players compete to rebuild a declining empire. Its structure emphasizes short, procedurally connected games that create a three-act arc, with initially similar player powers diverging over time. Leder Games has relied heavily on Kickstarter as both a financing mechanism and a marketing channel. Its business model favors fewer, larger releases intended to generate anticipation, rather than a broad annual catalogue. The company has also described itself as distinct from publishers dependent on contract labor, instead building a more permanent internal workforce. Through 2023, many of its games were illustrated by Kyle Ferrin, whose artwork became closely associated with the publisher’s visual identity. The company received recognition from several tabletop-awards programs, particularly for Root and Oath. However, its Origins Awards were later returned in 2020 in connection with concerns about the Game Manufacturers Association and support for the BIPOC community. In January 2026, Wehrle and Ferrin announced that they would leave Leder Games to create Buried Giant Studios, marking a significant change in the creative personnel associated with the publisher.
- 2026
Cole Wehrle and Kyle Ferrin depart
[1]Wehrle and Ferrin announced plans to leave Leder Games and form Buried Giant Studios.
- 2024
Arcs released
[1]The company released Arcs, a science-fiction campaign game focused on a collapsing empire and connected play sessions.
- 2022
Ahoy released
[1]Leder Games published Ahoy, a pirate-themed asymmetric game designed by Greg Loring-Albright.
- 2022
Arcs crowdfunding campaign gains early momentum
[1]The Arcs Kickstarter campaign raised more than $532,000 during its first five hours.
- 2021
Fort released
[1]The publisher released Grant Rodiek’s child-themed deck-building game Fort.
- 2021
Root role-playing game released
[1]A tabletop role-playing game based on the Root setting was published.
- 2020
Oath released and Root digital edition launches
[1]Leder Games released Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile, while Dire Wolf Digital released a digital adaptation of Root.
- 2020
Origins Awards returned
[1]Leder Games returned its Origins Awards amid concerns about the Game Manufacturers Association and BIPOC community support.
- 2019
Root receives major awards
[1]Root won recognition including Game of the Year and Best Board Game at the Origins Awards, Tabletop Game of the Year at the SXSW Gaming Awards, and the Complex Games award from the American Tabletop Awards.
- 2018
Root released
[1]The company released Root, its first game designed by Cole Wehrle and its most prominent commercial and critical success.
Products and positioning
An independent, design-led publisher of thematic and asymmetric hobby board games, emphasizing deep replayability, distinctive factions, persistent worlds, and premium presentation.
Asymmetric fantasy board game series · 2015
Vast
Vast: The Crystal Caverns was Leder Games’ first publication. Players assume fundamentally different roles, including a knight, dragon, goblin army, thief, or the cave itself, each with distinct rules and objectives. The series continued with Vast: The Mysterious Manor, Vast: The Fearsome Foes, and Vast: Haunted Hallways.
Asymmetric strategy board game · 2018
Root
Root: A Game of Woodland Might and Right is a conflict-driven strategy game in which woodland factions pursue different political, military, and economic goals. Its major expansions include The Riverfolk, The Underworld, The Clockwork, and The Marauder. The property has also received a digital edition and a tabletop role-playing adaptation.
Campaign strategy board game · 2020
Oath
Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile explores long-term political conflict between rulers and challengers. The game emphasizes continuity between sessions, allowing earlier outcomes to shape the setting and conditions of later games. It was designed by Cole Wehrle and developed over several years before its release.
Deck-building board game · 2021
Fort
Fort is a deck-building game designed by Grant Rodiek in which children compete to build and improve forts. It originated as a re-themed and developed version of SPQF, an earlier Hyperbole Games title about forest animals in an ancient-Rome-inspired kingdom. The game focuses on social interaction, card combinations, and competition over shared resources.
Asymmetric pirate board game · 2022
Ahoy
Ahoy is a pirate-themed board game built around four factions. Two factions contest control of a growing ocean map, while the others pursue points through cargo pickup and delivery. Compared with Root, it offers a shorter and more approachable experience while retaining differentiated faction roles and objectives.
Science-fiction campaign strategy game · 2024
Arcs
Arcs is a space-opera strategy game in which players compete to rebuild a dying empire. Its campaign structure links relatively quick games into a three-act progression, with player capabilities and strategic identities diverging as the campaign develops. The design applies Leder Games’ interest in asymmetric decision-making and evolving narrative consequences to a quasi-4X setting.
Marketing campaigns
- 2022Arcs Kickstarter campaign
International crowdfunding
Leder Games used Kickstarter to introduce Arcs, a science-fiction campaign game designed by Cole Wehrle and built around connected sessions.
Outcome. The campaign raised more than $532,000 during its first five hours and was planned for delivery to backers before retail distribution.
- 2015Vast: The Crystal Caverns Kickstarter
International crowdfunding
The first Vast campaign used Kickstarter to fund and promote Leder Games’ debut title. It exceeded its initial funding target and helped establish the company’s crowdfunding-led launch model.
Outcome. The campaign raised approximately $150,000, and a subsequent printing raised approximately $500,000 on Kickstarter.
Brand decisions
2026
Departure of key creative collaboratorsStrategyBackground
Cole Wehrle and Kyle Ferrin had been closely associated with several of Leder Games’ most visible releases.
Action taken
They announced that they would leave Leder Games and establish Buried Giant Studios.
Aftermath
The departure represents a significant change in the creative personnel associated with the publisher; later effects on its product pipeline are not established here.
2020
Return of Origins AwardsOtherBackground
Leder Games had received Origins Awards for Root, but concerns emerged regarding the Game Manufacturers Association and support for the BIPOC community.
Action taken
The company returned the awards.
Aftermath
The returned awards became part of the public record surrounding the company’s relationship with the tabletop industry’s award institutions.
2018
Root product launchProduct launchBackground
Leder Games had established itself with the asymmetric Vast series and sought to develop a larger flagship strategy property.
Action taken
The company released Root: A Game of Woodland Might and Right, designed by Cole Wehrle.
Aftermath
Root became the company’s best-known title and received multiple awards, expansions, and adaptations.
2016
Founder shifts to full-time company workStrategyBackground
Patrick Leder had operated the company while working in database programming.
Action taken
He left his position at Macalester College to devote himself to Leder Games.
Aftermath
The move enabled the company to pursue a more sustained publishing and development program.
Recent events
- 2026
Cole Wehrle and Kyle Ferrin announce departure from Leder Games[1]
Leadership change · Other
Cole Wehrle and Kyle Ferrin announced that they would leave Leder Games and establish a new company, Buried Giant Studios.
- 2022
Arcs Kickstarter campaign launches[1]
Campaign · Product launch
The crowdfunding campaign for Arcs generated more than $532,000 during its first five hours, supporting development of the space-opera campaign game.
- 2020
Leder Games returns Origins Awards[1]
Other
Awards previously won by Leder Games were returned amid concerns involving the Game Manufacturers Association and its support for the BIPOC community.
Sources2 sources
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