Asymmetry part 0: Why asymmetry?

I Love Asymmetry in Games.

When I first played Root (the board game) I was stuck by the asymmetry of the different factions and started thinking of how that kind of asymmetry could be implemented in an RPG.

When I first played Root, in 2018, there were only four factions, since then nine more have been added.

Root a Tl;Dr

In Root you play as one of several factions, the four included in the base game are:

Marquise de Cat

The conquering army, they start with pieces on most of the map and must build their kingdom. They place buildings and use those to power up their actions.

Eyrie Dynasties

The old rulers of the forest, they start strong but in just one part of the map. They issue decrees, pre-plan their turn, which they must be followed or the turn ends and they lose map presence.

Woodland Alliance

Rebels and insurgents. They must spread unrest and then grow that into open rebellion. Attacking them gives them cards.

Vagabond

A single unit, the moves around the map exploring ruins, crafting deals, and playing both sides.

Each one plays very differently, they mostly have the same basic actions but how they can do them is different.

Broad Generalizations

In most RPGs players are largely playing the same game, same resolution mechanics, same basic actions, same abilities etc.

What would it look like if they weren’t? What if each, class, archetype, or playbook was playing almost a different game?