King Robert Baratheon is dead, and the lands of Westeros brace for war. In the second edition of A Game of Thrones: The Board Game, three to six players take on the roles of the great Houses of the Seven Kingdoms as they vie for control of the Iron Throne through diplomacy and warfare. Based on the best-selling A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels by George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones is an epic board game in which it takes far more than mere military might to win.
By mustering and sustaining massive armies, negotiating with your opponents, vying for control of crucial territory, and forming fragile alliances, each player will aim to ultimately control the most castles and strongholds, affirming him as the peoples’ chosen leader and rightful king. You’ll need aid on your path to glorious victory, but be careful in whom you place your trust. Through strategic planning, masterful diplomacy, and clever card play, you can spread your influence over Westeros!
The placement of order tokens every round is the driving force behind your House’s acts of warfare, diplomacy, and betrayal. At the beginning of each round, you and your opponents assign orders to your armies in the field. After all orders have been placed, the orders are revealed, setting armies, intrigues, and betrayals into motion. Because all players assign their orders secretly, you can never be completely sure that your ally won’t betray you until armies are already in motion.
Five different types of orders give you a variety of options for commanding your forces. You may send your troops marching down the road to war, or you may fortify your position to repel an incoming attack. Alternatively, you may order your troops to support your ally in a fight – or you may betray him and lend your support to his opponent! Other troops may raid the countryside, disrupting your opponent’s plans and bringing you the spoils of war. Finally, you may decide to consolidate your power over the realm, gathering more resources for expanding your dominion.
The game of thrones isn’t always played on the battlefield – sometimes it takes place in the crowded courts and narrow hallways of King’s Landing. You and your opponents jockey for position to obtain one or more dominance tokens: symbols of a House’s political standing, military might, or underhanded capabilities. You may sit the Iron Throne and dispense judgments on the other Houses. You may hold one of the last Valyrian steel blades, giving you an undeniable prowess in battle. Or you may take advantage of a messenger raven to send new orders to armies already in the field.
Of course, your hold on any of these dominance tokens is tenuous at best, and the game of thrones is full of betrayal and double-crosses. At certain times throughout the game, you and the other Houses engage in a bidding struggle to redistribute these dominance tokens. The Houses who have gathered the most power can use this political clout to tip the game of thrones in their favor. But even without much influence, a cunning House can come out closer to victory.