Fantasy Flight Games

Win or Die in Games of Thrones

Published 15 November 2012 | Game of Thrones: The Card Game

Win or Die in Games of Thrones

The Two-Player Card Game Based on the Hit HBO (R) Series Is Now Available!

“When you play the game of thrones you win or you die. There is no middle ground.” –Cersei Lannister

Game of Thrones, a card game for two players, is now available at your local retailer and online on our webstore!

HBO’s critically acclaimed Game of Thrones® television series has introduced millions to the world of Westeros, where summers span decades and winters can last a lifetime. Based on George R.R. Martin’s beloved fantasy novels A Song of Ice and Fire, Game of Thrones chronicles the epic struggles between the Great Houses of Westeros as they vie for control of the Iron Throne.

Now fans of the show can give new life to their favorite characters and schemes. Game of Thrones is a two-player card game of battles, intrigues, and struggles for power.

The Wolf and the Lion

The two Great Houses House Stark and House Lannister share little love for each other, and Game of Thrones finds them at each other’s throats. After Lord Eddard Stark and his wife, Catelyn, come to suspect the Lannisters of attempting to murder their son, Bran, Catelyn’s capture of Tyrion Lannister brings the Houses to the brink of war. Now, through plots, battles, lies, and alliances, their Game of Thrones promises to shake the foundations of the Seven Kingdoms.

As the Starks and Lannisters each plot the other’s downfall, Game of Thrones features a compelling “plot” mechanic. The game’s plot deck offers players the means to generate income, bluff their opponents, and control the tempo of their games…provided they play the right plots at the right time!

Each turn, as both Houses maneuver for power, players select and reveal plot cards. These cards represent a House’s tactics for the turn. While all your tactics may be valuable at the right times, knowing how to identify those times can be the key to victory. Play the right plot, and you take a step toward victory. Play the wrong plot, and you may find yourself scrambling to get back to your feet.

Then, after players reveal their plots and marshal their forces, they initiate and resolve a series of challenges. There are three different types of challenges – ways through which the two Great Houses seek to rise above each other:

Military challenges represent battles, brawls, duels, and assassinations. Westeros is a deadly place, and anyone caught up in the bitter battles between Stark and Lannister is at risk. The winner of a Military challenge is able to weaken his opponent’s position in the bluntest of all manners, by killing his characters.
Intrigue challenges represent lies, scheming, blackmail, and betrayal. There are few secrets in Westeros that can’t be discovered, and the winner of an Intrigue challenge is able to discard cards at random from his opponent’s hand.
Power challenges represent strategic alliances with key players, the assertion of rightful claims to positions of authority, and successful politics. The winner of a Power challenge steals power from his opponent and, in so doing, moves directly toward the game’s victory condition – the acquisition of fifteen total power.

Game of Thrones contains two, pre-constructed decks of fifty cards each, one for House Stark and one for House Lannister. Game of Thrones also provides players thirty-two plot cards, enough to accommodate both the game’s standard plot decks and those decks that players can draft to add greater variety and intrigue to their matches.

One Goal, Multiple Approaches

House Stark and House Lannister are two of the greatest Houses in the Seven Kingdoms, but their methods differ greatly.

The Starks favor direct military strength, feeling it best suits their Northern sense of honor. Their sigil is the direwolf, and their House words are Winter Is Coming.
The Lannisters are more adept at the intrigues and schemes that pervade life at court in Kings Landing. Their sigil is the lion, and their House words are Hear Me Roar.

As players participate in the struggles of Game of Thrones, they will be able to appreciate the differences between the Houses’ talents. Adapting to the strengths of the House you control is part of the key to success, and in Game of Thrones victory is the only option. Failure is death.

Relive the drama of the hit HBO series today! Game of Thrones is now available at a retailer near you and online on our webstore.

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The copyrightable portions of Game of Thrones series title, artwork and photographs © 2012 Home Box Office, Inc. Game of Thrones is a trademark of Home Box Office, Inc. Fantasy Flight Supply is a trademark of Fantasy Flight Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved to their respective owners.

Bring the Hit Series to Life

Published 5 September 2012 | Game of Thrones: The Card Game

Bring the Hit Series to Life

Announcing GAME OF THRONES: THE CARD GAME, Based on the HBO (R) Series

“When you play the game of thrones you win or you die. There is no middle ground.” –Cersei Lannister

Now fans of the show can give new life to their favorite characters and schemes. Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce the upcoming release of Game of Thrones: The Card Game, a two-player card game of intrigue, betrayals, and battles.

Stark and Lannister Vie for Dominance

“The wolf and the lion will be at each other’s throats. We will be at war soon, my friend.” –Lord Varys

From the scheming south and the savage eastern lands, to the frozen north and the ancient Wall that protects the realm from the darkness beyond, two powerful families engage in a deadly cat-and-mouse game for control of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.

Game of Thrones: The Card Game lets two players choose their house and experience their own battles between House Stark and House Lannister.

Eddard Stark fought alongside his friend Robert Baratheon to overthrow Aerys Targaryen, The Mad King, from the Iron Throne. After the war, Eddard returned to the North, to rule in Winterfell as the Warden of the North. The Stark sigil is a grey direwolf on an ice-white field, and their House words are Winter is Coming.

The Lannisters are the wealthiest family in Westeros. When The Mad King was deposed and Robert Baratheon took the Iron Throne, he married Cersei Lannister. As Robert relies more and more upon the counsel of his friend, Eddard Stark, Cersei and the Lannisters take steps to ensure that they will keep the power they have earned. Their sigil is a golden lion upon a crimson field, and their words are Hear Me Roar!

As betrayal, lust, intrigue, and supernatural forces shake the four corners of the Kingdoms, the bloody struggle for the Iron Throne will have unforeseen and far-reaching consequences. Game of Thrones follows kings, queens, knights, renegades, liars, thieves, and noblemen as they play a deadly game for power.

Claim Power for Your House

“Winter is coming.” –Eddard Stark

Game of Thrones presents two fixed decks of fifty cards each, one for House Stark and one for House Lannister. Each deck includes many of the show’s most recognizable characters and locations, including Eddard Stark, Cersei Lannister, Robert Baratheon, Littlefinger, and Jon Snow, among others.

In this tense struggle for power, each player attempts to outmaneuver his foe on the battlefield, at court, and with the people of Westeros, positioning his House to claim the Iron Throne (a feat represented by the acquisition of fifteen power tokens). Over the course of a game, players use their plot cards, which represent their Houses’ various schemes and pursuits, to gain various advantages. Then, they marshall their forces. By playing characters, locations, and attachments, a player can put himself in a better position to engage his opponent in the game’s three types of challenges:

Military: These challenges represent the fierce battles taking place across the war-torn realm. Unless he wins the challenge, the defending player must choose and kill a number of his characters in play equal to the claim value on the attacking player’s revealed plot (these do not have to be characters who participated in the challenge).
Intrigue: These challenges evoke the subtle and secretive betrayals rampant at court. Unless he wins the challenge, the defending player must discard, at random, a number of cards from his hand equal to the claim value on the attacking player’s revealed plot.
Power: Finally, these challenges represent the overt political maneuvering and dealmaking that can so often lead to influence. Unless he wins the challenge, the defending player must move a number of power counters from his House banner to the attacking player’s House banner equal to the claim value on the attacking player’s revealed plot.

As players win challenges, they claim power for their House. The first player to gain fifteen power has cemented his control over the Iron Throne, winning the game!

Live the Story

“I'm a purveyor of beauty and discretion, both equally important.” –Petyr Baelish

With its evocative imagery and rich gameplay, Game of Thrones: The Card Game captures the lush and vibrant imagery of HBO’s Game of Thrones in a format that makes a perfect two-player introduction to the world of Westeros.

How does this release relate to the Living Card Game version?

In short, it doesn’t. Cards from this product are not in any way compatible with those of the Living Card Game, nor are they legal for tournament play. This is a simplified, streamlined version of the LCG intended for fans of the HBO series. Visit our description page for more.

It features photographs and artwork from the television series. Furthermore, Game of Thrones makes the intrigues of Westeros immediately accessible with streamlined rules and fixed decks of fifty cards each for House Stark and House Lannister. The whole experience is meant to help players dive into the game’s plots and battles as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, Game of Thrones: The Card Game builds upon the its fixed decks by offering tremendous potential for strategy and replay with its unique rules for plot drafting. By pursuing new schemes each game, players retain a vital element of surprise.

Winter is Coming

Look for Game of Thrones: The Card Game to arrive at retailers everywhere by the fourth quarter of 2012!

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