Fantasy Flight Games A Game of Thrones The Board Game 2nd Edition

This is a very impressive board game! It's intended for adults (or, at the very least, older children) - as it's a rather sophisticated game, requiring a lengthy attention span. You'll ideally need 4 to 6 players in order to enjoy the game ... although you could make it work with 2 or 3. And, any more than 6 players, you'll need to operate in teams. The objective is to engage in various tactics - from open diplomacy to secret alliances and bloody warfare - so as to conquer the Iron Throne for your selected House of the Seven Kingdoms of Westros. It's based on George R. R. Martin fantasy novels - 'A Song of Ice and Fire' - and this second edition draws on the imagery as seen in the 'Game of Thrones' TV series. The game consists of a lot ... a large board, and hundreds of cards and tokens. I've attached some photos so you can see the contents. All of it is well made, and this board game is a deluxe item. It can take quite some time to play - between 2 and 3 hours - and each time you play involves a new set of circumstances, depending on the various strategies each player opts to take. I do enjoy board games, and this is one of the more detailed and complex that I've played. Nonetheless, it's a great deal of fun. And I recommend it to fans of 'A Game of Thrones'.

I bought this for a long weekend with gaming friends. They are experienced gamers and some like to get the rules right first time! Our first game took 12 hours - yes TWELVE! but that is partly because we wanted to get it right and the rule book was passed around quite a lot to make sure no one was mis-reading it! It was hard going in terms of time but we all wanted to play it again the next day so don't let the initial time put you off. It would have been much quicker if one of us had played it before. There are some great features to the rules that definately make it the 'thinking' persons Risk. Secret declaration of your Armies actions (attack/defence/support/raid) revealed all at the same time but then each player only moves one army at a time so things can change makes for an interesting battle phase. You have only declared intentions not destination so . . . it is not always an advantage to go first! player sequence can change during power bidding. Limited armies which can get stuck in the wrong place mean careful advanced planning. Opponents working together can trap you so it is hard to get out but there is a way! It is a game about Power and territorial control is only a part of that and that is what makes it interesting - very interesting. lots of levels to think about and even alliances are - well 'Diplomacy' is child's play compared to The Game of Thrones! Do not buy this if you want a quick risk type game (where much as I enjoy it you usually know the winner by about halfway through and def. know who is going to lose). In GofT you don't. Even in the last round it can all rapidly change - as I said it is the thinking gamers 'Risk' / Diplomacy. It will always have a long playing time, even with the fixed 10 turns and experience but then I have known Monopoly to last for a whole day! FIVE STARS if you enjoy a challenge. Wargamers and strategy gamers will def. enjoy. We now want the extension that will bring in the Dragons - just hope it doesn't unbalance the rules/game.

This game is amazing! Reviews are mixed when it comes to how difficult it is to play (and how long it takes) so coming from a background in which this type of game has never been played,I'm probably well placed to give an opinion that's relevant to the people who are new to this type of game. I'll allay any fears of over-complexity from the outset by saying that once you've played a single round, you realise how beautifully simple the game is and it immediately begins to speed up. I would strongly suggest that you don't try and play until you've read the instructions, watched the supporting FFG 20+ minute online tutorial, read the rules some more and then get another person to play a round or two so you can see first hand how the turn sequence actually works: I guarantee that this practice session will be a series of "lightbulb" moments. i would also strongly suggest that you bag all of the pieces according to their House....this will save a good 30 minutes of set up time. As for gameplay, if you're a casual board gamer like my family is, then the 3 player game is good, however, once you've played with more people, you quickly realise how much depth there is to it. It keeps you engaged, focussed and the banter is amazing 😁 expect teddies to be thrown out of the pram, sulking, arguments and lots of muahahahaaaa! Even my 67yo mother, with a little help from my 6yo daughter, loved it! I've got the brother-in-law and his family coming to play this evening.....first 6 player game so can't wait! I would absolutely recommend A Game of Thrones to anyone, just make sure you prepare otherwise you could easily be overwhelmed.

Before I bought this game I first saw the manual and some videos as I always do that. It seemed interesting so I decided to buy it. I have played the game with 2 (typically its playable with 3-6 players, its not designed for 2 people) to 5 people. In a 2-player game in order to be playable, you should get 2 or 3 factions per person although this should happen after a learning curve of just 1 faction each. Although it is not designed as a 2-player game and you lose some interesting things such as alliances etc. it is still enjoyable as long as you are ok having a large army due to the combination of factions. This game is very fan though when played with a large group of people. The more people in the group, the better the game experience. The good part of the game is that Orders are placed hidden from each player thus you must think ahead of what your opponents strategy may be in order to be able either to defend your self or make a surprise attack. Also alliances can bring a very interesting curve in the game. I strongly suggest this game, just keep in mind that it is best played with a large group of people. I personally like it also as a 2-player game each player controlling 2-3 factions thus using all of the game board. This though requires a learning curve.

It has the classical idea of war-strategic games: conquering territories, but the difference here is that the battle results are not solved by dice. but using a "combat strength" rule, that takes into account the number of units, possible adjacent supports, and a house card, which gives "special abilities" to that army. It's a good way to minimize the aspect of lucky during the game, adding value to the strategies itself. I really liked the 6-player game. The 3-player game is good enough as well, since some territories are "isolated" forever during the game and cannot be conquered. This isolation doesn't occur with the 4-player game, and if the players itself don't focus on combating each other, a simple invasion in "empty" territories would lead the game to a quick end, by one player gathering 7 castles, specially in the south region of the board. Anyway, I really liked this one, specially the "support" feature, that makes alliances more important. Strongly recommend the game, and if you are a Game of Thrones fan, you will enjoy it. The artwork on the cards, by the way, were a good point, not just throwing the characters photos, but well designed drawings.

This one is incredibly hard to review. The actual game itself is very good quality. It's beautifully put together. But, seriously? We're six hours into it on Boxing Day and still trying to work out how to set it up. I've got two degrees and I can't make head nor tale of it--and I'm a Games of Thrones fan! I read and re-read the instructions, ponder the pieces, have a go, but...nope. I can only assume that if you have the requisite number of players (don't be fooled by the 3 up--if you have less than 6 apparently you have to read and comprehend the supplementary instructions. Huh) it will all make sense. So, there were two of us and one imaginary friend (trust me, he was beginning to seem very real after six hours of this torture) and we moved pieces, read, puzzled, despaired and then gave up. Nice board though. Nice pieces. Oh, we even watched some "how to" vids on YouTube. Nope, still not happening. We'll have another go. Maybe invite some more imaginary friends to play. Maybe they'll understand it better than I can.

This was purchased as a gift for a board games fanatic. After a couple of weeks I was roped into playing - board games aren’t really my thing but I am a Game of Thrones fan so thought I’d give it a go. The game was brilliant, easy to learn and get to grips with. I would suggest this game is suitable for ages 15 and over, absolutely perfect for adults. Overall I would recommend buying this game for hours of entertainment.

Read the books? Seen the TV series? Want more? Then try this but ONLY if you really like boardgames and have plenty of boardgame experience or patience. Or preferably both. What this is: A richly evocative simulation of the complex House interactions found in George RR Martin's books. The game requires a high degree of strategic thinking and a willingness to knife your 'friends' in the back at just the right moment if you're going to claim the iron throne. What this isn't: A quick, family game to play with the kids - the rules are long and complex and a game will last for HOURS (more on that below). Overview: I've played this game a few times now and have enjoyed it every time. However, the 6-player version is by far the best - the 'balancing' changes made to the rules when there are fewer players actually seem to unbalance the game slightly and the 4-player variant doesn't really work properly. The most important thing to note is how long it will take to play - our first (6-player) run-through took almost 5 hours, and everyone around the table was an experienced boardgame player so it'll take longer with an inexperienced group. Even then, we got some of the rules wrong!(Some of the rules only make sense once you have played through the game). Subsequent sessions have gone more quickly (3 hours being the fastest) but the game requires you to think long and hard about your long-term strategy as well as your short-term tactics and encourages you to disappear off into a separate room for quiet plotting sessions with potential allies. This all takes time. It also requires a mature approach to gaming. (And I mean 'mature' in the way you play the game - i.e. not sulking or holding a grudge when an ally betrays you at the last minute, snatching victory from your grasp - rather than in an 'adult content' sense.) It's definitely not a pick-up-&-play game for a casual session but is well worth the effort involved in getting to learn the rules and I'd certainly recommend it if you need an engrossing game to fill an entire gaming session.