Asmodee A Game of Thrones The Board Game (2nd Edition) - Epic Strategy in the World of Westeros, Tactical Wargame for Adults, Ages 14+, 3-8 Players, 2-4 Hour Playtime

Simply put, this is one of the best board games ever made. I've been a boardgame geek now for about ten years, and I've played well over a hundred different board and/or card games (mainly European) from every existing genre. I also own several games, and A Game of Thrones: The Board Game Second Edition (GoT) is one of the only games I would never even consider trading or selling. The Facts: The game plays three to six players. The rule set is actually considered simple for a war-strategy game (less complex than Axis and Allies yet slightly more complex than Risk), and anyone can learn the basics in under half an hour of instruction. Otherwise, the rules manual is very well organized and easy to follow if a newbie would rather just read it. A typical six-player game (recommended) can last anywhere between four and six hours, depending on the players' experience. The game does have a finite clock set to ten rounds, so even heavy "analysis paralysis" amongst players won't make the game last forever. Fans of the HBO series and/or books who have not completed the story need not fear of spoilers as the game does not deal with any actual events from the books (it does reveal the names and associated Houses of characters and places through book three, but nothing that's going to spoil anything for you). An optional card deck called "Tides of Battle" is also included, allowing for a more Risk-like element of luck to be utilized when playing (actually quite fun). The 2nd edition of the game includes the Southern Expansion as part of the main board, as well as those updated rules and corresponding House cards. This edition does NOT include the most recent expansion. The Pros: For the most part, GoT has a very taught rule set, minimizing loopholes and/or contradictory rules that plague many lesser war strategy games. After a couple play-throughs, I also found most of the rules to be quite intuitive and easy to remember. This is a HUGE plus for a game with so much going on, and because there is so much going on at any given time, GoT is incredibly engaging. Hours really do seem like minutes when playing. I've had six-hour sessions only to be frothing at the mouth to play again. one of the more fun scenarios of the game is when every player must bid against one another on the influence tracks. Sometimes the bidding wars are more fun than the actual combat! Another plus to this game is its beautiful design and artwork. No expense was spared on what you receive out of the box, making it intrinsically worth every penny. The Cons: After about ten play-throughs so far, I've really only found one potential gripe, and many may not even consider it to be a negative. Basically, the game can be so much fun at times that an easy trap for a player (especially a newcomer) to fall into is to lose sight of the object of the game, which is to acquire the most castles and/or strongholds by the end of round ten (acquiring seven makes for an immediate win). If that is not your ultimate goal, then you're not really playing the game. Often times players will spend most of the game either backing an alliance that they've struck or carrying out personal vendettas, forgetting that they themselves must have the most castles to win! Though that can be frustrating for competitive players, it also just points to the game's extreme fun factor. You really can lose yourself in it. So if you're a fan of the books/series and you appreciate an accessible war strategy game, then GoT is a must-have for your game closet. My friends and I now dedicate entire days (or nights) to convening for a session or two, and never have we walked away without grins on our faces. The board game that put Fantasy Flight on the map is still one of the best games of the last decade.

I recently had to buy this board game because I am a fan of the show and had to somehow fill the void left by the 2nd season finale! I came by the board game searching for the books on amazon and upon researching if it was too hard to play I decided to give it a shot. I am by no means a serious board game player and not into board games all that much. I have only played board games a handful of times these last few years with Monopoly being the most complex and I have played RISK maybe 5-10 times my whole life so don't be scared to try this game if you think is too hard. I have played this game 4 times now with only casual board game players like myself and the overwhelming majority of them have enjoyed it. It did help that most of them were fans of the show as well but once you get into the game you really enjoy it and lose track of time as you are constantly planning your next move, who to form an alliance with, whether to betray a current alliance etc. So even those not familiar with the show will enjoy it! What I really like about the game is it's mostly strategy that will determine whether you win or lose, though luck will always play some roll. It's important to mention the game comes with an optional add-on(Tides of Battle cards) that creates that extra bit of chance for those who prefer that. As for the complexity of the game it really is easy once you start playing it. What makes it feel complex is that there are a lot of rules and things to keep up with, but it's quite simple to follow them once you've played for a few rounds (though you will find yourself correcting things that were being played wrong in subsequent games). What I would suggest for casual board game players to do is read the rules once, watch a youtube video (there's quite a few out there but this one I found to be the most helpful [...] and just start a practice simulated game. The one good thing about the instructions is that they are set out in the order that the game will be played so you can play a simulated game as you read the rules. It really only takes a few game rounds to get the gist of it, off course some things will require re-reading as with any game. I'll mention again that setting up the game and playing a simulated game as you read the rules will REALLY help you understand the game! The one thing to take into consideration when buying this game is that it will take 3-5 hours to complete. The more experienced the players the less time it will take but I always tell new players to expect to play for 5 hours. Be sure the people you play with know this so everyone's into the game when you are crossing that 3hr mark.(which actually goes by fast when you're playing the game) In conclusion it's a really entertaining game and even casual gamers will like it. It's a game that will make you think and give you a "can't wait till my next turn" feeling. Like the show the game will bring out unusual alliances and backstabbing which just makes it more fun! For fans of the show it's great to use the character you like and playing the board game gives you a sense of the territory of Westeros and the advantages/disadvantages the families have. If you are unsure because you think it might be too complex don't be, the game is a lot of fun and after a few times playing it you will find yourself(as other reviewers have mentioned) interested in similar strategy based board games!

Only have played it a few times, with 3, 4 and 5 players. I find it quite enjoyable. The system is not complicated, there is just a lot to do each round. That's the complexity of it, not that any one rule is all that complicated. It took a 3rd time to really get into the strategy. So your first few games should be to learn the game. And even in learn game mode you start seeing strategies you will definitely use in future game plays. Gotta love the huge board. Great artwork on the cards. Units are decent enough, not detailed, but don't need to be. There is a lot you have to watch as you control and build and sustain your armies when trying to conquer 7 Castles or Strongholds. Lean in any one direction too far, and you will open yourself to weaknesses. This adds some great layers to the game. Do you spend a token to control an area you just left? Of do you keep it to get a better ranking on the 3 Command Tracks? Or do you keep it and use it in case a Wilding Attack occurs? Maintaining supply lines are also important. Do you use your token from above to keep that piece of land that give you an extra supply barrel? Cause if you don't your army might have to reduce it's numbers to fit the supply track, which give you less tokens for the command track and wilding attacks. (I love the fact that when wildings attack, all the players have to participate in defending Westeros...or else.) Interactions and alliances between players are highly recommended. With the use of text messages to send 'ravens' to other players in hope for support the angles this game can go can be quite generous and will add a lot of variety to each play session. Though at the time of this review, we have yet to really do much allying and backstabbing with each other. There is a lot to like about this game. With many options and ways to play each house. There is much you have to watch to keep your Family strong. Cons: Not quite simple enough to pick up and play. There are videos on youtube that have helped greatly learning this deep board game. So watch those before you play. But to call this a 'con' is kind of taking the fun out of learning a new game, which I very much enjoyed doing with this game. Don't know if it will ever happen, but more expansions would be great. I do have the expansion for this, but it needs 6 players, and I haven't rounded up enough people for that type of game yet. Overall, this is a great game, taking place in a great universe, with loads of variety.

I ordered this game because I'm a fan of ASOIF, strategy, and board games in general, but I was a little worried it wouldn't appeal to my friends who aren't as in to any of those things as I am. Hours of gameplay later, I know that concern was unfounded. Once you get over the initial hump of learning the rules (the systems are pretty simple and straightforward individually, but there are a lot of them), the core gameplay is immediately appealing even to people who couldn't care less about the setting and aren't normally interested in strategy games. The backstabbing, competing for resources and constant wagering (on influence auctions, on House Card choices, on whether you'll really get the support you were promised) rope people in. It has none of the monotony of Risk, where massive armies grind each other down to nothing through endless dice rolls. Everything happens quickly and decisively. The ten-round limit and seven-castle win condition also serve to keep things moving, because the ceiling is low enough that there are usually multiple players within just a couple moves of victory. It only took one or two games to get my friends hooked on it and now we play the game regularly. The gist of the game is that each house, with a unique starting position and house cards, competes to control castles. Castles are not just victory points, they're also centers for recruiting your armies- but in order to take and hold castles you need to control supplies, which allow you to support more troops, and power, which helps you expand your political power and move you up the influence tracks. The type and number of orders you can issue to your troops are limited by your order tokens, so every player needs to be economical with their raids, attacks, supports and the like. Because there's so many kinds of scarcity in this game, players need to know when to cooperate and when to betray each other. The end result is a high-stakes and fast-moving game that rewards people skills and good timing as much as knowledge of the rules and tactical ability. When it comes to the physical components, everything is well-made and the overall design is very attractive. My only complaint is that, although there are bags for each of the decks of cards, the reference sheets and even the map, plus a band to hold the house screens together, there's nothing to hold the hundreds of cardboard tokens that come with the game and the way they divide up the military units is not useful (grouped by unit type instead of by player). I've found it really cuts the setup time if you just get six sandwich bags or something and put all the units, order tokens, and other player-specific stuff into one bag for each house. Otherwise, you'll find yourself wasting a ton of time sifting through ~300 loose pieces trying to make sure each player has everything they need.

I came into this game not as a board gamer but as a fan of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. Like most people I have played my share of board games in my life, but not many more complex than Monopoly, Clue, or the occasional game of Risk. I'm sure that a more serious board gamer will review this product here in the future, so I will provide what perspective I can. This game is incredible and has made me interested in playing more serious board games in the future. I will not attempt to explain the complex rules of this game. Fantasy Flight Games's website has very helpful resources for this, including the complete rules PDF and a tutorial video. I recommend that any group intending to play this has each individually watched that tutorial video. On top of that, at least one person will need to read (at least two times probably) the rule book. Trying to explain this game to others is a tall order. However, once the game is understood and a few practice rounds done, the game takes on a life of its own. The six houses available for play are extremely well balanced and each has its own advantages and disadvantages when it comes to geographical board position, supply, influence, and unit types. These houses really each lend themselves to different play styles, but nevertheless challenge the players to do something outside of this comfort zone. For example, the Starks have a near unconquerable hold on the snowy North (as in the books). Based on the geography, if the Stark player chose he could easily defend his homeland against all comers. However, Stark will never win the game this way and it is only when he stretches his resources thin that his land is more vulnerable. Other houses such as Tyrell are thrown into the fray from the beginning and have no such defensive strategy available to them. Greyjoy has absolute dominance over the sea and if played well can serve as a naval raiding nuisance that others must band together to defeat. I suspect that players will quickly see which houses are ideal for the way they wish to play. The game is for 3-6 players and I don't really recommend 3. Without the more Southern houses, Baratheon is able to take over the territory requisite for victory pretty quickly unless the other two players band against him. The manufacturer has made changes in this 2nd edition that have improved this kind of problem over the original, but it's still possible. 4 players is more balanced and quite fun, but 5 or 6 is ideal. The games will certainly take 2 hours at the minimum and realistically probably 3 or 4. The game length could reach up to 6 hours if the group is particularly engaged. On that note, no other game I've played does as good a job of drawing the players in as this one. The game encourages alliances as well as betrayals. With my group we would talk and roleplay somewhat during the game. Meanwhile, we opened up text messages to each other to facilitate backdoor betrayals so that other players could not hear. This is all made ten times more fun if you are a fan of the series and can get that giddy excitement by virtue of fighting over a familiar city like Harrenhal. A few other notes: - Combat is entirely luckless and based on strategy and skill. There is an optional module included that allows you to introduce a small element of luck, which I think is a good idea after a few games. - The board game components themselves are amazing. Everything feels very well designed and produced. I especially love the army units and their marbled plastic design. All in all this is just a fantastic board game, especially for those who are a fan of the book and TV series. For those who aren't, it's still an excellent game in and of itself, and it might introduce you to one of the greatest fantasy series of all time. EDIT 1/12/12: Thought I'd throw an edit into this review after some time. First of all the game is still great. The main point of this update is to say that there is an issue with the original printing of this game involving warping of the board. My board is slightly affected by this. Others have it worse and some have no issue at all. However, Fantasy Flight Games will be correcting the issue on future printings, and will be sending out free replacements to those who need them. You can contact their support via their website, they are very helpful people.

I've played dozens of games of this board game, and most of those were with the same group of 6 people over the span of a few weeks. I really enjoy this game, but it should be noted that it is NOT an easy game to explain, and the rules feel a little clunky at times - I still need to review ports before I start a game. That said, within those rules is a really terrific game for the theme - A Game of Thrones. If players know the rules pretty well, games last about 2-2.5 hours minus setup time (though if players are reasonably confident with rules the setup is actually pretty quick). The game is broken into phases - secretly placing orders on each of your units, revealing all of the orders on the map, and resolving them. There is a huge amount of strategy involved in order placement, and the orders themselves (particularly supporting) can help instigate alliances or promote betrayals. On the first few plays, the game feels a bit unbalanced toward Greyjoy, and to a lesser extent, Baratheon. After our first 5 games, we started to keep track of who was winning and with what house. Our results generally showed that Tyrell and Stark were the two strongest factions, followed by Baratheon and Greyjoy, then Martell and Lannister. Greyjoy's new player advantage mostly stems from that new players are generally too nice to fight each other until late game, generally forgetting what game they're playing (you win or you die). Tyrell is simply better at breaking stalemates and winning on time, and Baratheon is strong simply because other players tend to ignore them. Lannister is not super strong, but if played like a Lannister can do really well. That said, once everyone has a few games under their belt, the balance issues are not as prevalent, and expansions really help that fact. The base game is really only balanced around a 6 player game. A Feast For Crows expansion helps that a bit for cheap, and the new Mother of Dragons adds a lot of new elements, namely making lower player counts much more tolerable and thematic. Your enjoyment of the game is also really dependent on the group you're playing with. You really need to be comfortable with backstabbing, lying, and getting mad with each other. I've played with a group that was really good about this and it's some of the most enjoyable board game experiences I've had, but I've also played with close friends who were incredibly passive and it was much less enjoyable. In summary, if you're a casual board gamer who is intrigued by the theme - go watch some YouTube videos of gameplay and see if this level of complexity is for you. If you want a board game that takes a bit of time to get the hang of, but is as close to feeling like Game of Thrones as any game could be, then this is a terrific game. This is not a party game for casual fans of the show (it actually came out before the show even started), but is a great game if you can get 6 good people together for a night of it.

This was a fantastic board game but be warned... it is a very in-depth board game as well. I love complex and strategic games where players have to think through all their options and adjust their strategies as the game changes.This game definitely delivers on that! As warned above, this game is very in-depth and complex. The rule book can appear very scary and large compared to most other games. Do not expect this game to be a quick or simple game. My recommendation would be to read the rule book thoroughly and watch the video on Youtube by Fantasy Flight Games on how to play. Teaching the game to new people is always the hardest part. But, once you start to play the game flows very smoothly. The first few turns may be a bit rough but once everyone understands the mechanics, the game really picks up and becomes a ton of fun. Alliances are made, bets are cast, and battles are fought. However, I will have to say that the game plays best with 5 to 6 players. With 5 to 6 people, there are less advantages for the south players and the game really becomes a game of diplomacy, strategy, and deal-making/breaking. I have played two games (one with 4 players and one with 5 players) and the 5 player game was the most enjoyable. The most fun is going into a backroom with a potential ally and planning out your intricate strategy and hoping your opponents can't counter. Additionally, no prior knowledge of Game of Thrones is needed. Reading the books or watching the show certainly adds flavor to the game but is not needed. Although there are some minor flaws, the game is by far one of the best I've ever played. It is deep, complex, strategical, and very fun. I would definitely recommend!

George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" book series is absolutely wonderful. It succeeds largely by presenting a grand, epic scope of wars and conflict, dragons, and wraiths, but also manages to create interesting characters and tell intimate stories. Other key factors in the books are treachery, intrigue, and betrayal. Fantasy Flight Games' "A Game of Thrones: The Board Game" manages to recreate all of the thrilling adventure of the books, but most importantly offers that same great sense of back-stabbing and double-crossing. Up to six players take on the roles of the book's great houses, each with their own geographic starting lands on the board. Each player commands units which can then attack other players in an attempt to be the first to capture the most castles. The problem is that with supply caps no one house can become powerful enough to conquer the needed objectives on his own, and so must rely on the help of others to succeed. This is dangerous, however, as someone who appears to be winning can easily face the treason of his friends. Game play resembles that of another great game, Avalon Hill's classic "Diplomacy." Players place action tokens near their units face down, then reveal them more or less simultaneously. This allows one player to promise another player the support of his military units, only to reveal that he has betrayed him at the critical moment. It is an absolutely wonderful game mechanic that will will either cause the object of your treachery to hate you until the day you die or howl with laughter. (Seriously, you don't want to play this game with people who take things like this far too seriously- you will lose friends). Other mechanics involve auctions to gain coveted positions in the kingdom, each with their own abilities, and the threat of Wildling attacks from north of the wall. Various other cards allow you to take certain actions each turn in a really interesting manner. All told, "A Game of Thrones: The Board Game" is just a thrilling adventure that will provide hours of entertainment with each game. Check it out- after all, "Winter is Coming!"