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