The Conclave Calls, Part 1

"Have you ever thought that you might wear a maester's chain? There is no limit to what you might learn..."
-Maester Luwin, A Dance With Dragons

The Battle of the Trident was a hard-fought battle with two battlegrounds, waged during the conclusion of 2016. First, players competed at each retailer hosting a Store Championship, from November 12th through December 11th. Meanwhile, digital warriors also took to Twitter to show their support. They were fighting for the very future of the only game that matters: Would Knights, Armies, or Maesters receive a new agenda in a future A Game of Thrones: The Card Game expansion?

The river Trident has three forks, and everyone was faced with the choice of which to follow. The Blue Fork, named for the purity of its waters, led to the Knights of the Realm. The Red Fork, representing the blood of armies spilled on the battlefield, led to A Call to Arms. The Green Fork, filled with mossy swamps, led to The Conclave of the maesters.

Players heard the summons and the developers campaigned for their favorite forks. Community members debated in attempts to win over their rivals, and passions burned bright as the battle commensed.

When the last sword had swung, and the last victory was counted, the bannermen for the Red and Blue Forks ultimately fell to the Green Fork's forces on both fronts.

Now the work begins for the game's developers. To become a maester, novices must earn links to form the chains they wear. These links each symbolize their expertise and knowledge in a subject critical to their role as advisers to the lords and ladies of the realm. To help you earn your first link, Danny Schaefer has some knowledge about the upcoming agenda to share.

Lead Developer of A Game of Thrones: The Card Game, Danny Schaefer

First off, I want to thank everyone who participated in the Battle of the Trident events. It was an exciting way to get players more directly involved in the direction of the game, and I look forward to the possibility of doing similar events in the future. As you probably know, Maesters managed to edge out Armies and Knights for a narrow victory, meaning we will be designing The Conclave agenda. In fact, initial design on the agenda has already begun. The card does still have to go through the development and playtesting process, so I can’t go into specific details of what the agenda will look like, but I can give some insight into my thoughts on the design.

I’ll start by saying that the new agenda will be very different from the Maester’s Path agenda from First Edition. While that agenda had a very innovative design, its ability doesn’t fit well in the 2nd edition card pool, and we want this agenda to feel completely new. A key aspect will be the ability to include Maester characters from multiple factions in your deck, opening up a variety of deckbuilding options, but the agenda will also have a unique ability that rewards astute play.

In deciding on the form the agenda will take, I started by thinking about the role Maesters play in Westeros. These “knights of the mind” value knowledge above all else, serving the realm through the study of science, history, medicine, and other fields. They do not advance an agenda openly, but rather work behind the scenes, exerting a subtle influence over the politics of the Seven Kingdoms in their role as advisors and tutors to the various Houses. The agenda will aim to capture this idea of “mind over matter,” encouraging clever play over brute force. It’s worth pointing out that the agenda is not being designed in a vacuum. It will also inspire many Maester-related cards to be included in upcoming expansions, which will emphasize flexibility rather than raw efficiency.

That’s all I can say for now, but keep your eyes out for more updates as development continues. Thanks again to everyone who voted. I hope you’re as excited for the new agenda as I am!