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Product Details
- Binding: Toy
- EAN: 9781589947207
- Feature: A board game based on A Game of Thrones, a novel now adapted to an HBO series 3-6 players take command of the Great Houses of Westeros Updated second edition, incorporates elements of past expansions Features a streamlined rulebook and updated art Includes welcome new enhancements like Tides of Battle cards and player screens
- Label: Fantasy Flight Pub Inc
- Publisher: Fantasy Flight Pub Inc
- Studio: Fantasy Flight Pub Inc
Editorial Reviews
King Robert Baratheon is dead, and the lands of Westeros brace for battle. Can you claim the Iron Throne? Designed for ages 14 and up, A Game of Thrones: The Board Game Second Edition is a classic game of warfare, diplomacy, and intrigue for three to six players. Taking control of the well-known characters from George R.R. Martin's beloved fantasy series, players must fight for dominance of the realm. Will you take power through force, coerce your way onto the throne with persuasive speeches, or rally the townsfolk to your side? With opportunities for strategic planning, masterful diplomacy, and clever card play, this game gives you a host of ways to spread your influence over Westeros.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
My first foray into serious board gaming, by a major ASOIAF fan by Daniel Kemp
I came into this game not as a board gamer but as a fan of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. Like most people I have played my share of board games in my life, but not many more complex than Monopoly, Clue, or the occasional game of Risk. I'm sure that a more serious board gamer will review this product here in the future, so I will provide what perspective I can.
This game is incredible and has made me interested in playing more serious board games in the future. I will not attempt to explain the complex rules of this game. Fantasy Flight Games's website has very helpful resources for this, including the complete rules PDF and a tutorial video.
I recommend that any group intending to play this has each individually watched that tutorial video. On top of that, at least one person will need to read (at least two times probably) the rule book. Trying to explain this game to others is a tall order. However, once the game is understood and a few practice rounds done, the game takes on a life of its own.
The six houses available for play are extremely well balanced and each has its own advantages and disadvantages when it comes to geographical board position, supply, influence, and unit types. These houses really each lend themselves to different play styles, but nevertheless challenge the players to do something outside of this comfort zone.
For example, the Starks have a near unconquerable hold on the snowy North (as in the books). Based on the geography, if the Stark player chose he could easily defend his homeland against all comers. However, Stark will never win the game this way and it is only when he stretches his resources thin that his land is more vulnerable. Other houses such as Tyrell are thrown into the fray from the beginning and have no such defensive strategy available to them. Greyjoy has absolute dominance over the sea and if played well can serve as a naval raiding nuisance that others must band together to defeat. I suspect that players will quickly see which houses are ideal for the way they wish to play.
The game is for 3-6 players and I don't really recommend 3. Without the more Southern houses, Baratheon is able to take over the territory requisite for victory pretty quickly unless the other two players band against him. The manufacturer has made changes in this 2nd edition that have improved this kind of problem over the original, but it's still possible. 4 players is more balanced and quite fun, but 5 or 6 is ideal. The games will certainly take 2 hours at the minimum and realistically probably 3 or 4. The game length could reach up to 6 hours if the group is particularly engaged.
On that note, no other game I've played does as good a job of drawing the players in as this one. The game encourages alliances as well as betrayals. With my group we would talk and roleplay somewhat during the game. Meanwhile, we opened up text messages to each other to facilitate backdoor betrayals so that other players could not hear. This is all made ten times more fun if you are a fan of the series and can get that giddy excitement by virtue of fighting over a familiar city like Harrenhal.
A few other notes:
- Combat is entirely luckless and based on strategy and skill. There is an optional module included that allows you to introduce a small element of luck, which I think is a good idea after a few games.
- The board game components themselves are amazing. Everything feels very well designed and produced. I especially love the army units and their marbled plastic design.
All in all this is just a fantastic board game, especially for those who are a fan of the book and TV series. For those who aren't, it's still an excellent game in and of itself, and it might introduce you to one of the greatest fantasy series of all time.
EDIT 1/12/12:
Thought I'd throw an edit into this review after some time. First of all the game is still great. The main point of this update is to say that there is an issue with the original printing of this game involving warping of the board. My board is slightly affected by this. Others have it worse and some have no issue at all. However, Fantasy Flight Games will be correcting the issue on future printings, and will be sending out free replacements to those who need them. You can contact their support via their website, they are very helpful people.
An Improvement on My Favorite Game by Dorothy J Johnson
A Game of Throne: The Board Game First Edition has been my favorite game for a couple of years. This game has the best war strategy mechanics out of all the games I have played. The Second Edition just improved upon an already loved game. I won't go into depth of how it is played, but I would definitely recommend playing with someone that knows how to play your first time if possible. The rules can be a lot to take in at once, but is definitely worth the learning curve. A highly recommend this game to anyone that enjoys long strategy games. Along with the additions of ports and siege engines, there are a couple minor rule changes with the second edition. So if you are going from first edition to second edition I recommend you do a thorough read through of the rules before playing. Having knowledge of the book isn't needed but definitely adds to gaming experience. I actually decided to read the books after enjoying first edition game so much.
The only problem I had was my copy has a warped board, but after contacting Fantasy Flight I found out there was a cutting issues with some of the first prints. They were quick and responsive and are sending me out a new board.
I absolutely love this board game. I am a huge fan of the series and was given this as a Christmas present. I played with my family, none of whom are familiar with the "Song of Ice and Fire" franchise. Still, everyone had a great time! The game is extremely complex but, that complexity makes forming and carrying out strategies even more enjoyable. We played 3 times in 3 days and each time, it went a good deal faster.
Fun, innovative board game by Jason Ray Carney
Sidenote: It should be made clear: this isn't the board game adaptation of the HBO adaptation of A Game of Thrones. This is a board game based on the novel, and so folks coming to it expecting film stills from the HBO production--images of Sean Bean and Emmy-award winning actor Peter Dinklage--will be disappointed (not that there's anything wrong with the HBO production. It's great! I'm looking forward to season 2.)
A Game of Thrones: the Board Game is published by Fantasy Flight Games. When I learned this, I was excited, because they have a very good reputation as a game company and their version of Arkham Horror is so fun.
Let me be up front: I loved the game. I think it has great potential for "cloak and dagger" intrigue (alas, not much of this happened with just 3 players).
Unlike other strategy board games, like, say, Axis and Allies, the point is not simply to build armies and deploy battle tactics. You could conceivably win this game by taking no military actions whatsoever. Also, the battle mechanic in this game is somewhat simplified, making players consider alternatives to victory.
That's another important element of the game: it's diceless. There is no random element, other than a few decks of cards that generate events each turn. I love that. I like the idea of diceless games.
I'm sure everyone who has played the Risk has experienced this irritating phenomenon: when you attack, say, Madagascar with 30 armies and your opponent--the dice having been bespelled by dark sorcery--defends with one army. Yeah. Statistics. Kind of silly.
There's something to be said about diceless games: you can't claim the dice were in your favor or they were against you. If you win, you win; if you lose, you lose.
Another thing that has to be noted about this game is the artwork. It's beautiful! The tokens, the figurines, the cards, the game board map: all of it is just so-detailed, skillfully drawn, and truly captures the essence of Martin's continent of Westeros.
I'm sure this artwork has been doctorted up digitally (who doesn't do this these days?). And yet, theres that raw "brush stroke" quality to the artwork that is missing in a lot of the contemporary gaming art I encounter.
One last thing that makes this game fun: in spite of it being a cloak-and-dagger, stab-eachother-in-the-back sort of game, there is also a mechanic that forces you to occasionally come together in the name of Westeros: the wildling attack. There are some pretty horrible consequences for a wildling victory. This is a great additon for a game like this, I think. Taking out your enemy becomes more of a moral dilemma when you know they are all that's seperating you from the hordes to the north.
Conclusion: Lots of fun.
I ended up with three copies of this game for Christmas. I guess my family and friends know I'm a Song of Ice and Fire fan. I'm also a pretty experienced gamer and roll player, so I wasn't daunted diving into this with some gaming friends. Though it looks intimidating at first, we were surprised by how simple game play is. Each round goes quickly once you get the hang of it.
The part I really like which distinguishes it from many other strategy or resource based games is that there are so many areas to choose to focus on. The section of the board called the "Influence Tracks" ranks your dominance in three areas. You can control the Iron Throne, giving you the ability to break ties and take your turn first. Your position in the Fiefdom track gives you an advantage in battle. Or you can control the King's Court, allowing you advantages in sending orders and obtaining information. Another area called the Supply track controls the number of armies you can have in play. Like the books, these Influence and Supply Tracks gave the game levels upon levels of strategy.
The game itself is beautiful and well made. Though the credits list many artists, I recognized that some of the house cards feature artwork from the 2009 calendar by Michael Komarck. I thought the house cards were a creative way to include the individual characters from the book into game play.
Overall, very fun. I wish I had more opportunities to play because I haven't won yet. :-)
All of the good stuff in one by C. Marks
This is an amazing game that doesn't rely on dice for randomness. The second edition is particularly spectacular because it includes things from the expanded game all in one. The game is a little hard for new people to pick up and sometimes it doesn't seem like all the kingdoms are perfectly balanced, but the core mechanics really are well designed.
Game of Thrones boardgame review by Aaron Thompson
This game is fun. Overall it is basically a land control strategy game. It is nice to see they made an effort to try to keep with the books and Fantasy Flight made a good product, very good quality. The first time you play the game might be a bit complicated and a bit confusing, but after a round or two you get he idea and it become easier to understand and thus more fun. Play with at least 5 players, it makes the game more fun. It is a good game that allows for good strategy and deception.
A fun original board game that mixes several different types of play together.
It can take a couple of play throughs to learn and those will take some time but after you learn the rules and the order of play the game can be finished relativly quickly.
You may also want to add some extra bags or small containers to keep track of the play pieces. There are a lot and different numbers will be used depending on the number of players. Most games I've played have included three people. So the only houses used were Stark, Lannister and Baratheon. More houses are used as more people play. 4-Greyjoy 5-Tyrell 6- Martell.
If you enjoy strategy and tactics and hate the chance that comes into play in games like Risk or Settlers then you will find joy and excitement in the careful positioning of your men and the guess work in trying to anticpate your opponents moves. And if you do like a little bit a chance then the game includes a set of cards desinged just to spice the risks of combat up that you can choose to use or not.
As for story aspects I've played with fans of all the books, people who have just read one or two, just watched the show, or who have never heard anything about the series at all and all have had fun playing. Don't worry about spoilers there are none.
Great revision of the original game with lots of detail. Gameplay involves a lot of strategy and is very representative of the Game of Thrones story. Tons of fun to play.
So first off I have played a few board games before this one mainly like Risk and Axis and Allies type stuff. I'm a huge fan of the books series and now as a result the HBO show as well I suppose. This game has blown me away with how much fun we have had with it. The rules do take some time to get a feel for and we even made sure to copy some quick reference sheets for each player. With six people there is really a surprising balance to the kingdoms. So much of the game is based on alliances and the right strategies.
We have played four games so far. Three of them had six people and the other one had four. First off I want to say that the Westeros cards have made it so each of the four games have gone completely different. Its too hard to explain without explaining all of the rules, but more or less at the start of each round there are a series of cards that are drawn at random. Depending on what those cards do the game will change accordingly. One game it was a while before we were really able to make a lot of troops, another game there were so many troops on the board so fast the map was just one big powder keg. In the games we have played there has been great shifts in power within the games. The latest game we played, we were more than halfway into the game and all six houses still had an equal chance of winning. Diplomacy is the key. You need players who know what they're doing, players who aren't afraid to backstab a good friend. I have never been more addicted to a board game in my life. Just try to make sure you have six people who can think strategically. (We have actually been nerdy enough that we do all of our diplomacy through text messaging so we can communicate while looking at the map and not let the other houses know what our messages are)
So all in all
Pros:
1. Surprising Game balance
2. Awesome replay value. We've played four games, all four games have gone differently not just based on alliances but based on the randomized Westeros cards
3. Forces diplomacy. If you're going against strategic minds you're going to have to make alliances just like in the books.
4. Great attention to detail with house cards - cool powers that change strategies and alter games.
Cons:
1. The rules are a bear. I almost didn't want to put this on cons since I think its also what allows it to be such a great game. But I can see how they can be intimidating. There have been some minor rules that we even initially messed up in one game, fixed it in another game, etc.
2. We feel Tyrion and Melisandre are underpowered in their house card powers. Really minor fanboy problem
Notes:
Better the players, better the game will be
Strategies change when playing with fewer players, people need to adjust
Diplomacy is a must
Get through the rules, play some practice rounds, well worth it
Kingmaking in the 7 kingdoms by Karazax
This is a fun game, that is better with 4 or more players. There is a good amount of strategy, and there is a lot of alliances and potential for betrayals. This is best played with a group that enjoys the diplomatic negotiations that often crop up. There is alot more info @ [...]
One of the best six player games around. by Juan Rojas "Gamer Ju
Loved this game.I am a huge fan of the fiction it is based on and decided to buy this to play with friends. It plays out like a slightly more complicated and strategic RISK. With little reliance on random chance. Also unlike many 6+ player board games. GoT's rules are fairly straight forward after they are explained. Forming alliances and backstabbing your friends is where the game really stands out as its order system is designed to be secretive and sneaky. With the right group you will really have a ball with this game. Also, like most Fantasy Flight games the art is great and the contents well made.
Complex rules and takes a long time to play, but fun by Won Kim
We've played only once so far and enjoyed it. Lots of rules, but a quick skim and diving straight into a game worked for us. Took us about 4.5 hours to play with 6 players, all of us new to the game. Some of us wished for alternate victory conditions, and I found the House combat cards mechanic to contribute to an already very static map, with few decisive victories and difficulty in wresting and holding territory. Perhaps playing additional games will illuminate specific strategies for each House.
An amazing Adventure by Charles J. Kleinberg
When you play the game of thrones you win or you die. There is no middle ground.
I played the original first edition and enjoyed the interaction, playability, and challenge to rule Westeros. I had the opportunity to play the second edition (this one) two times and absolutely love it. The changes to Westeros cards and the addition of battlecards to randomize the fights to some degree create an amazing and tense game. I played with 4 and find it quickly breaks down to everyone vs. Baratheon. Then Lannister gets the edge.
With 6, the game has balance. Greyjoy and Lannister need to get along early...but for how long? Stark hopes for Greyjoy to go South...but can he count on this. Lannister seeks Eastern and Southern lands...but will Greyjoy keep the peace?
The game is designed that peace will not last forever between alliances. The game does not make it easy to raise armies, or make attacks, so strategy and dimplomacy are critical.
I love the theme, strategies, and gameplay. Oh and the quality of parts is great too.
So what if you have no friends afterwards... by cmd
This is a fantastic game. It is rather elaborate; the first time you play, settle in for a read.
Once you have the mechanics down, however, it's a blast. Treachery is part of the game, so bring resilient friends or preferably strangers. ;D
You do not have to be a hardcore gamer to love it. by Cheryl
I have had this game for about 1 month now, and it is easily one of my favorite games. Even my husband and 2 children (who are 9 and 10 years old) love this game. It is not overly complicated, and the instructions are very clear. It does not take a long time to play, about a game of Monoploy, or a long time to set up. What I love most about the game is the checks and balances which keep any one player from gaining a huge lead over other players. Regardless of how well you are doing, or how poorly your opponent is doing, everyone still has a good chance to win a battle or influence over other players. A very, very good game.
Most frustrating board game I have ever played by DZ
I have played this game 3 times. I did not enjoy the game after the first play, but decided to give it a fair chance. The #1 issue with the game is the poor balance of the different races. Some of the races have clearly better combat cards than others. I understand that the idea of playing a combat card blindly during combat is supposed to allow for mind games, but some races have cards that simply cannot lose to one of their neighbors if played optimally (at least for 3 or 4 combats in a row), so mind games are irrelevant because optimal play wins.
That leads to the #2 problem with the game: making any sub-optimal move in the game causes you to lose. I have played several types of games where the main interaction is blindly playing your move, then resolving it after everyone has revealed. The mechanic itself is fine, especially if there is enough room for error to make a feint with a slightly sub-optimal move, then capitalize on your following turns. The problem here is that there are at most 10 turns in the game and it's arranged so that a lot of things can happen in one turn. So any attempt at a feint will turn into a game-losing sequence of events. Because of this, the only way to play the game is to always make the statistically optimal move. That means you realistically have very little choice of what to do during your turn. The essence of the game boils down to "decide what your strategy is before the game starts, always play the optimal move, and hope that your alliances hold and that no one is using a strategy that happens to exploit the weaknesses in your strategy." If you find that someone has decided on a strategy that your strategy doesn't cover, there is almost no way to make adjustments after the second turn to change your plan. Oh well, you lose. But you're still expected to sit there and go through the motions for another 2 hours.
Since there is almost no way to adjust your strategy effectively once the game begins AND some races are more powerful than other races AND the only viable moves to make on your turn are the statistically optimal moves (giving you very little choice as to what you can play), most of what determines the winner of the game is out of your hands one the game begins. The game feels like everyone made their decisions before it started, then everyone tried to execute their plans more efficiently than everyone else, and everyone hopes that they chose the best plan. Anyone who does not play like this will lose to players who do play like this. Among the players who play like this, the winner is determined by everyone executing their predetermined plans.
Comebacks are not a part of this game. Neither are brilliant tactical decisions. Once a player gets far enough ahead of another player, he continues to get stronger while the other player's strength is reduced by the game rules. Yes, the game rules are designed so that players who are winning will continue to win by an ever-increasing margin as the game progresses.
There is a subset of people who enjoy games that test their ability to decide on a highly optimized strategy. Those people would like this game, because that's the most important skill required to win. I don't like that because it shifts the most important game decisions to a time before the game begins, when you're thinking before you make your first move. I prefer games where your "in-game" decisions make the difference.
The secondary skill required to win the game is alliance making. That's fine, but there are many many games that do this part better (and they don't have all the other frustrations that this game has), so I prefer to just play those games.
In addition to these complaints, I will include that the rules are overly complicated, there is a lot of down-time when you're sitting and waiting for other players to do stuff, and the game board was warped out of the box.
As an aside, I'll give you an example of a set of rules that I think feels the same as this game:
- Each player writes "rock," "paper," or "scissors" on a piece of paper.
- Each player then chooses either the player to his left or to his right to be the target of his choice.
- The pieces of paper are then revealed.
- Sit around a move a bunch of plastic and cardboard for 20 minutes.
- If you beat your target, you get 1 point. If someone else targeted you and beat you, you get -1 point.
- If you get -1 points 2 turns in a row, you lose, but you can't leave.
- Repeat these steps until all but on person has lost or it has been done 10 times.
If you like that game, you will like A Game Of Thrones. I don't think it's a good game.
Worst game ever! by captainchunk78
I am currently reading A Game of Thrones and was bought this game for Christmas. I was excited to play it right away. A lot of reviews I read said this game was really easy to play and quick to pick up, however this is not the case. The game rule book reads like instructions on how to program a VCR (yes I am showing my age). It constantly reads in circles and repeats itself. There is no order to the gameplay, and automatically assumes that you know everything at the start. I began playing with my wife and niece, and by halfway through the instructions I was bored and frustrated. I play other games like Risk and Settlers of Catan, so I thought this game would be right up my alley. I was wrong. I urge you not to waste your time with this game. Stick to the books.
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