A Game of Thrones: The Board Game (1ed)
The second edition was released on Nov 23, 2011!
visit the second edition game page >
King Robert Baratheon is dead, and the seven kingdoms brace for war. House Lannister, whose daughter Cersei was Robert's queen, claims the throne for her young son Joffrey. From the Dragonstone Isle, Stannis Baratheon knows that Robert was not the true father of Joffrey, and rightfully demands the throne for himself. On the Iron Isles, House Greyjoy is about to embark on a second rebellion, but this time with a much grander goal. In the north, House Stark gathers its strength to defend what is right, and in the south the wealthy House Tyrell harbors an old ambition to sit on the Iron Throne.
As armies gather and ravens fly, a clash of kings is inevitable.
Based on the best-selling novel series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin, the A Game of Thrones board game lets players take control of one of the great Houses of Westeros and embark on an epic struggle to claim the Iron Throne. Immerse yourself in a game of clever planning, careful allocation of power, diplomacy, and the exciting flavor of A Song of Ice and Fire.
User Reviews (4)
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I am a big fan of the game Diplomacy in which the Great Powers of Europe fight for control of the continent. You have to make deals with your opponents to speed up your conquest, but you need to betray them at the right moment.
A Game of Thrones is a game like Diplomacy, but less abstract and with much more flavour. Again you are a great power (in this case a great house) and you have to conquer the continent of Westeros (at least some castles in it) to be proclaimed ruler of it (and winner of the game).
In order to facilitate your conquest you need armies (footmen and knights) and ships (you get them by random musters during the game). Each round you give these troops orders (attack [march], defend, pillage or consolidate power [provides power tokens]). However these orders are secret, so nobody knows exactly what the other house will do. Negotiations and agreements are allowed, but none are binding and only when revealing the orders the loyalty of your ‘friends’ will be established. Those familiar with George R.R. Martin’s books will recognize this style of play.
Several things are needed for succes. First there is supply as your army must eat. You can take provinces with extra supply, but supply is adjusted randomly (determined by cards), so watch out if you leave provinces rich in supply to others.
Also there is the Iron Throne track, the Messenger Raven track and the Valyrian Blade track. Randomly a Clash of Kings can be drawn (like supply adjustment) and then the houses will bid for their positions on the aforementioned tracks. For this you need power tokens, so the more, the higher you will come out of the Clash.
Finally the Wildlings may attack and every house has to supply troops to combat them. Again this is done in secret, so an agreement to help each other may turn to Wildlings overrunning your defenses. Nothing is certain in Westeros!
I really like this game. The fantasy theme is well woven into the Diplomacy-style gameplay. The board is well designed and although the rulebook seems daunting at first, after some play it becomes easier. Every fan of the books should try it, especially if you want a change from Diplomacy!
Based on the Song of Ice and Fire books by George R.R. Martin, this game captures the feel of the series perfectly. It has alliances and betrayal, warfare and.. well.. warfare, and fighting, and backstabbing.
You play one of the great houses of a mythical land called Westeros. You are trying to conquer the most towns and strongholds to take over the throne and be crowned king. To do this requires much strategy, tactics, negotiation, and fighting. You have troops on the board that you give orders to each round. They can move and/or attack, support an attack, defend, collect power, or raid other troops orders. Each of these orders is given in secret and all at the same time. This adds alot to the tension of the game because you don’t know what your opponents are doing or if that alliance that you made will stand or if you should break one of the alliances you hold. In the end it all comes down to bloodshed and trying to be sneaky because it is usually the person who bides thier time that wins in the end. If you fight too early you become a target, but if you fight too late you will have fallen too far behind.
This game is tense. It is filled with politics and intrigue. Your nerves will be tried by fire in this game. You will usually make nothing but enemies. Just remember it is only a game.
Look for the second addition. The first addition of the game was okay but was flawed in many ways. Their second addition did a much better job of clarifying some of the places where the rules fell apart and in adding pieces that help the players track victory conditions. My first exposure to the game left me saying “meh” but a friend dragged out the second addition which corrected 90% of my complaints.
This is a wonderfully designed game which in higher player numbers (4,5 (6 with the expansion) forces the thematic play of the Houses of Westeros. To advance much, you will need to ally with someone. And to get further, you will have to betray them at some point. An excellent mix of combat, intrigue, and management of limited resources.