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Don Beegles
2007-01-17, 07:37 PM
My friends and I just got this game about a week ago, and have played one game, but so far this is probably the best board game I have ever played. We love the strategy, the tension, and the fact that you don't feel like you got pwnt, because the game is always close up until the end.

The one game we finished, I was Tyrell, another friend was Baratheon, a third was Lannister. Greyjoy, was almost dead but for a few ships, and Stark really wasn't a power. In the lkast turn, Lannister had 5 cities, Baratheon 4, and myself 5. Lannister was behind us on the Throne track, so we just needed to tie hhim to beat him. I tried a bid for King's Landing, but got Raided out of it. Baratheon would have won the North and the game, but he got raided as well, and Lannister crushed Stark, taking a few more cities, but until the very last march went down, we were all certain it could have gone eitehr way, and we were literally pacing becasue the energy was buzzing so fast in that room.

Who else here has the game, and what do ya'll think of it?

stjohn70
2007-01-18, 04:21 PM
It's probably one of the sweetest strategy board games that I've ever played. No relying on die rolls to determine your fate - you win or lose based on your merits and your merits alone.
The expansion makes it better: more balance in the southern edge of the Map - it doesn't let Houses Tyrell & Baratheon do a giant land grab before anything bad happens.

The only problem with the game is that it doesn't scale down well. You really need a full group to play, and one "weak link" in the game can play too heavily into determining the outcome.

Tekar
2007-01-19, 04:29 AM
It's a fun game that has a nice pace to it. I like the bidding in the tracks and the bluffing with the generals. However I do not like the event cards. Especially at the start of the game some cards give huge advantages to some players, like that time when I couldn't do anything with Tyrell for 3 turns because I couldn't get any power (I play a dutch version so I might be using wrong names)

It's also very frustrating to draw the first recruitment card in the 6th turn of the game or when you have bad luck with supply. They just make the game too random and usually it's just betting what will be drawn next and if you bet badly you run the risk of a boring game.

We're trying to find a way to house rule this but it's hard to find something with the way the rest of the game works.

valadil
2007-01-19, 09:00 AM
Since getting Game of Thrones I haven't wanted to play any other board games at all. And I picked up the game when it first came out like 3 years ago.

Tekar, have you looked at the Clash of Kings expansion? It consists of 10 optional rules for tweaking the game. One option they suggest (but I haven't played with because I like the randomness) is that you have the top 3 westeros cards revealed at all times so you can actually plan ahead. You might want to try that.

Tekar
2007-01-19, 01:34 PM
Thanks, I'll suggest that, it sounds like it might work. We're definalty planning t buy at least one of the expansions because we've heard it makes the game more balanced when playing with 4 (which we usually are)

rasmus4u
2007-02-05, 04:55 AM
I have just gotten the game a week ago, and so far I have only set up and played a few rounds to get a feel for it. there is one thing I can't really figure out, support. First thing is whether support troops move, and the second thing is if they can be casualties.

It might not be so important be I would really like to know and I can't see it in the rulebook or FAQ.

Don Beegles
2007-02-07, 08:39 PM
I jsut played the other day, and I am rather upset with myself for neglecting supply. Around the middle of the game, I was perfectly poised to seize a stronghold or two from the Lannisters (I was Baratheon), and then to go and take on Tyrell, but an unexpected muster card killed me because I was stupid and didn't take Blackwater because "it didn't give me access to a city/stronghold". Of course, I didn't get any troops, and Lannister did, so I was rapidly beaten back into King's Landing, with even my capital stolen by his damn ships. Then, as soemthing of a truce, I let Tyrell mass some troops in the south and march them on Sunspear, in exchange for being left alone while I tried to defend myself. Of course, he saw the target wide open and raped me right in that province below King's Landing. It was so awful, and just so fun at the same time.

That's what I love about the game; even when you're losing, you really can't help but love it. My friend's girlfriend came over and was watching us, and she commented that she 'didn't like it because it makes you all so angry". But it's a good angry. You're not 'I can't do anything and it's inevitable that I'll lose angry' like you get with Risk. It's more of an 'I'm pissed at you all because I'm locked in desperate battle for a few pieces of land, but when it's over it'll all be better and we'll laugh becuase it was so close up to the buzzer' sort of angry. it makes the room feel like a giant spring as the tenstion just ramps up and up until finally, right at the breaking point, it's over and you can laugh about it now.

Vix
2007-02-11, 05:52 PM
I have just gotten the game a week ago, and so far I have only set up and played a few rounds to get a feel for it. there is one thing I can't really figure out, support. First thing is whether support troops move, and the second thing is if they can be casualties.

It might not be so important be I would really like to know and I can't see it in the rulebook or FAQ.

Support troops don't move they only support battles in adjacent territories
Whoever loses a battle must retreat. There's only casualties if you can't retreat
or the winner's House card has swords that aren't cancled by losers House card's Forts. Either way support troops can't be casualties.

BTW Support can support all battles in all adjacent territories for the whole turn. Pretty Sweet.

Does anyone know what the expansions are like?

purple gelatinous cube o' Doom
2007-02-12, 03:20 AM
I've played the game once (we played the SOS expansion with it which adds the Dornish I believe), and have since started reading the books too. I ended up being Lannister the time I played it. Honestly, it's likely the toughest house to play in the game based on it's location. It's surrounded on all sides, so unless you make some truces at the beginning of the game, things don't start out too well. But overall it is a pretty good game. I wouldn't say it's the best board game i've ever played, but it's still good.

rasmus4u
2007-02-16, 09:55 AM
thanks vix.

But technically one could lose and the opponent could have two swords again none towers, which would mean two casualties. If I have only one footman in the attacked area, I need one more casualty.

Don Beegles
2007-02-21, 02:42 PM
I don't know PG. I think if it weren't for Greyjoy, Lannister would be the strongest house. They are right in the middle, it's true, but they are near a lot of Power, Supply, and Cities, so they can get a strong force quickly. They really just need a treaty of not getting ass-raped with Greyjoy, because they can easily take down Baratheon and Tyrell.

Greyjoy is probably the best, IMO. They have a strong navy that only needs to contend with Lannister, and they can then attack Lannister, or Stark, or even the open country around their base. I always cross my fingers to get them when I play, and it hasn't happened so far.

Vix
2007-02-21, 07:43 PM
@^^ When you attack a territory you move your units into that area first. Whoever loses the battle may suffer casualties, yadda yadda. Casualties are only removed from the "Embattled area". Since Support troops don't move they don't count. But you're right I doesn't actually say/read that anywhere.
here's a link (http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/rulesform.html)if you want to ask the professionals

@^I've only played 3 & 4 player games so I haven't seen Greyjoy in action. yet. I've heard 5 player games are the only way to play so I'm going to try to set one up this weekend. Problem is not many of my friends have read the books and so are uninterested. :'(

though Greyjoy looks fun to play. The North isn't really worth much so you'd mostly be fighting Lannister for the riverlands and the Starks when they got there. Unless, (tee-hee) if you beat them to moat Caitlin (tee-hee) just like in RL the books <.< >.>
Lannister would then be trapped and annihilated for sneakily winning instantly the other day

oohhh now I want to play Greyjoy too even though I can't stand them in the books

thorgrim29
2007-02-22, 10:59 PM
Iplayed only two times, Stark both times, and I must say the good guys rule (I also read the novels obviously). You get the North, wich gives you a lot of power tokens, and you can easily control half the sea. Boats are the key to this game people, at one time greyjoy was poised to take the ttyrell capital , because it was lightly garrisonned and he had sea acces to it. The other key to the game is the 7 castles rule.