“When Aegon the Dragon stepped ashore in Westeros, the kings of Vale and Rock and Reach did not rush to hand him their crowns. If you mean to sit his Iron Throne, you must win it as he did, with steel and dragonfire. And that will mean blood on your hands before the thing is done.”
    –Ser Jorah Mormont to Daenerys Targaryen, A Storm of Swords

The Days of Ice and Fire have come and gone, leaving the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros much changed in their wake.

Recently, scores of fans and players crossed the Narrow Sea to participate in the battles and intrigues of Westeros. Days of Ice and Fire 2012 hosted the Minnesota A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Regional Championship tournament, provided players the opportunity to get their hands on the new A Dance with Dragons expansion for A Game of Thrones: The Board Game Second Edition, introduced the new Clash of Kings variant for A Game of Thrones: The Card Game, and featured a weekend full of Westeros-themed games.

Today, we’re happy to share several highlights and a video from this exiting event!

The Days of Ice and Fire 2012 Regional Championship Tournament

• The A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Regional Championship tournament drew 42 players for the melee and 51 for the joust, making it the largest Regional Championship at the Fantasy Flight Games Event Center to date.
• Melee champion Anthony Christie narrowly missed the Top 8 during the joust but earned enough total points to claim the title of Overall champion! (A tournament report by Anthony Christie is available on the A Game of Thrones: The Card Game website.)
• Joust champion Jeremiah Duggan defeated a vibrant field that featured challengers from all the great Houses, running nearly every agenda in the game. The Top 8 players represented five different Houses and ran five different agendas, but it was Jeremiah’s Martell Maester deck that won the day. (A tournament report by Jeremiah Duggan is available on the A Game of Thrones: The Card Game website.)

Watch a video recap of the A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Regional Championship tournament (QuickTime, 60.1 MB). Also available on YouTube.

More Days of Ice and Fire 2012 Highlights

• Tables of the new A Dance with Dragons scenario for A Game of Thrones: The Board Game Second Edition ran all weekend long, drawing new players to the board game, and drawing them back for multiple games. Several players were even able to compete for control of Westeros against the expansion’s developer, Jason Walden.
• Four Houses vied for dominance of Westeros in the Clash of Kings variant for A Game of Thrones: The Card Game. House Targaryen lost all their territory in the first round, but came back late to win King’s Landing from House Lannister. That fateful siege ended up putting House Baratheon in the dominant position, and Baratheon won the world premiere of this strategic team event. Kyle Szklenski of House Lannister excelled in the format and won honors as the top individual player.
• Tim Schirm put his knowledge of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire to good use by winning the weekend’s trivia contest, for which he earned a copy of the first season of HBO’s A Game of Thrones signed by the man himself, George R.R. Martin.
• Several players vied for control of the Iron Throne against FFG CEO and designer of A Game of Thrones: The Board Game Second Edition, Christian T. Petersen. After all the treaties had been written, battles fought, and allies betrayed, George Kennedy won the Throne for House Greyjoy!
• Finally, after a full weekend of games, contests, and political maneuvering, participants tallied their points for the Caravan to Vaes Dothrak metagame, and House Martell rose triumphant, winning a Dothraki feast.

FFG CEO and A Game of Thrones: The Board Game Second Edition designer Christian T. Petersen vies for the Iron Throne.

Fantasy Flight Games would like to offer our thanks to all who attended this year’s Days of Ice and Fire, and we look forward to seeing you again for future events!

Cross the narrow sea for a weekend of intrigues, battles, and great games. Find other enthusiastic fans of A Game of Thrones: The Board Game Second Edition, Battles of Westeros, and A Game of Thrones: The Card Game, and meet the developers to ask questions and discuss strategies. May 18th-20th, Days of Ice and Fire 2012 recreates the magic of George R.R. Martin's fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire, with tournaments, events, open play and more.