A Game of Thrones

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Game Type: Collectible Card Game
Publisher: Fantasy Flight Games
Price: $9.99 starter / $3.29 booster
Reviewer: James Crawford

   A Game of Thrones, published by Fantasy Flight Games, is set it the world of award winning author George R. R. Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice series. For those familiar with the books, this is reason enough to purchase this fine game. The Kingdom of Westeros, for which the initial set is named, is a land of courtly intrigue and deadly wars between the powerful Houses Baratheon, Lannister, and Stark. Dark forces (the Lannisters) work to
seize the power of the throne from King Robert of House Baratheon, while the King's old friend Eddard Stark struggles to maintain his honor and avoid political messiness while fulfilling his duty to the crown. For those interested in CCG gameplay first and storyline considerations second, GOT offers plenty to keep you entertained.
   A Game of Thrones seems to be fast paced and very interactive; in fact, the only way to pursue victory is through interaction with your opponents. No stalling and playing a game of solitaire here - if you want to win GOT, you have to get in your opponent's face.
   The object of A Game of Thrones is to collect 15 power points.  A player can collect power points by winning unopposed challenges (see below), winning a power challenge, having the highest total standing strength during the dominance phase, and through a variety of effects from cards you play. Challenges are the meat-and-potatoes of the game, and are divided into three different categories. Winning a Military Challenge forces the losing defender to kill personalities. Winning an Intrigue Challenge forces the losing defender to discard cards from his hand at random. Winning a Power Challenge allows you to claim power from the losing defender's House instead of from the Power Pool (a number of tokens set aside at the beginning of the game). Each player may initiate one challenge of each type during his challenge phase. If a challenge is unopposed (if your opponent does not kneel any characters to defend against it), you may also claim a power point from the Power Pool. It sounds pretty straightforward, but as in any card game, your tactical decisions during challenges make all the difference between a win and a loss.
   A player has two decks in GOT, the Plot deck and the House deck.  Plot decks contain seven Plot cards (see below) which determine your spending power for the turn, your initiative score (highest initiative chooses who goes
first), and your claim value (used when resolving a challenge).  Most plot cards also feature an effect that occurs during your turn. One unique feature of this game that I found particularly appealing was the ability to choose which plot card from your deck you wish to resolve at the beginning of each round. Plot cards are reshuffled into the plot deck when a player has used all seven.
   The House deck contains everything else needed for play, including Characters, Attachments, Locations, and Events.  This deck cycles fairly quickly in most games, allowing you to reliably develop your strategies. Once the deck is  depleted, though, you're out of cards (and luck, if you don't have the means to secure a win already in play). Only the Plot deck recycles itself.

   The card art ranges from very good to average, but the art direction is superb. The layout of the cards is both visually appealing and utilitarian, and even the less inspiring paintings selected fit nicely into the overall visual "feel" of the game.
   The card design philosophy seems to refute the idea that Power Cards = Evil and Broken, and the approach is refreshing to this fan of Legend of the Five Rings.  Only time will tell if their ideas will lead to an unbalanced environment.
   Buying into a new CCG is a big commitment, and frankly, I had intended to skip this one.  I adore the books, but I wasn't ready to invest in a new obsession.  After trying the game out, though, I'm hooked.  It's a fun game that doesn't take hours to get through, and you can pick up the basics of gameplay in a session or two. If you're interested in adding another CCG to your collection, or you just want to try out the Collectible Card Game thing and see what it's all about, A Game of Thrones is an excellent choice.

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James Crawford, 09/19/02