Allies in A Storm of Swords

Courting the favor of minor or stand-offish Houses is a major factor in the plot of the books - the allegiance of House Frey in particular is essential, and such powers as House Arryn and House Tyrell have the potential to wildly swing the balance of the war between King's Landing and the Neck, despite their geographic isolation. And then, of course, there are the mercenaries such as the Brave Companions, and the unpredictable outlaws who can be allies or nuisance to all sides.

Allies

The Mercenaries and Outlaws deck contains a motley mix of villainy and heroism you can use to your advantage. Fittingly, the Mercenaries and Outlaws are the only Ally faction with which it is impossible to form a permanent alliance.

Every Ally faction has at least one Leader available to them, and for the Outlaws it is Thoros of Myr. Ally Leaders behave just like normal House-specific Leaders, only they are never taken hostage - if they would be taken hostage, they instead turn their cloak and join the victor's House! However, Leaders are powerful assets and Thoros of Myr has an extremely dangerous attack that triggers off a Raid order (as befits one of the leaders of Lord Beric's outlaws), so he is a desireable ally for any House. Convincing Thoros and his men of the rightness of your cause via a Forge Alliances tactic can be a major coup!

The Tyrells, of course, are a playable House in the core A Game of Thrones game and the A Clash of Kings expansion. In A Storm of Swords, in addition to getting all the enhancements and new toys for the base game that all the other Houses do (as has been previously discussed), they also feature as an Ally deck in the variant game.

One of the most basic (and most appreciated!) ways that an Ally can support you is by giving troops to your cause. House Tyrell, if course, has an enormous army at its disposal, so it should be no surprise that when they detach some of their soldiers to join your cause, it's a significant boost. Having one extra knight and one extra footman is like being an entire Mustering event ahead of your enemy. Sure, they come with limitations, but 3 strength is 3 strength.

House Arryn is "As High As Honor" on their perch in the Eyrie, the most impenetrable (least penetrable?) castle in all of Westeros. As a Great House, they can have an effect on the struggle for Westeros without putting a single soldier in the field, without shedding a single drop of blood, and without opening themselves to attack by other Houses.

The support of House Arryn (or other Great Houses) can be a huge boon in your quest to claim Westeros, quite apart from the struggles on the battlefield. The addition of 1 power to each and every one of your bids for Claim over Westeros can make an enormous difference over the span of a game, and the free Claim if you have less than 5 is nothing to sneeze at either. Remember, the ultimate goal is Claim, and the only purpose of soldiers is to secure it.

Of course, House Frey are dubious allies at best, but there's no denying that they are useful. Not only do they have significant armies and able commanders at their disposal, but they also control the Twins, the only safe passage across the Trident for many leagues around.

With this Ally card, not only can you benefit from the strategic location of the Twins, you can also benefit from a network of Frey-aligned river boats scattered throughout the Riverlands. The significance of this benefit is difficult to overstate - mobility is a powerful force in warfare, and the ability to strike where your opponent does not expect it or to flee beyond his reach is incredibly important.

And when we talk about weather, you'll have an even greater appreciation…