GAME OF THRONES THE BOARD GAME

Ready to enter the world of Westeros? King Robert Baratheon has passed away, and now the seven powerful houses are gearing up for a brutal battle. War is on the horizon, and the crowns are getting ready to clash.

If you’re a fan of George R.R. Martin’s epic series, The Iron Throne, then I have great news for you. Get ready to dive into the action-packed world of Game of Thrones The Board Game. In this thrilling strategy game, you have the chance to take control of one of the great Houses of Westeros and fight for power, territory, and alliances.

Are you ready for the challenge? Get your armies ready, because you’ll need them. The goal is simple – conquer as many territories as you can and build alliances to help you claim the Iron Throne. It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.

Game Setup

First, let’s get everything ready for the game.

Start by placing the board right in the center of the table, where everyone can reach it.

Next, take the deck of Wildling cards and shuffle them well. Put the deck next to the Wildlings’ track. Make sure to place the Wildlings’ Threat marker on square 2 of the Wildling Threat track.

Now, it’s time to prepare the Westeros cards. There are three packs of cards, each with a different number. Shuffle each pack separately and put them next to the board.

Don’t forget about the neutral forces. Look for the rectangular region tiles that have a number that matches the number of players. Place these tiles on the board, making sure to expose the correct face that corresponds to the number of players in the game.

Lastly, grab the Game Round marker and put it on square 1 of the turn track.

Now that everything is set up, it’s time for each player to choose a house. But wait, depending on the number of players, some houses may not be available. If we have 5 players, we won’t be able to use the Martell house.

• If we have 5 players, we play without the Martell house.

As a fifth grader, you might want to know how to set up and play the board game called “A Game of Thrones: The Board Game.” Let me explain it to you!

First, I’ll talk about the number of players. When you play with exactly four people, you won’t use the Martell and Tyrell houses. However, if there are only three players, you won’t use the Greyjoy, Martell, and Tyrell houses. And, in this case, you won’t have access to the southern area of the board that represents the Tyrell and Martell territories.

That’s not all! For games with three or four players, there’s a special rule. You’ll add a different plate to the first four positions of the King’s Court influence track on the board.

Now, let’s move on to what each player gets when they choose a house. You’ll receive a house screen, 7 house cards, 15 order counters, 1 supply counter, 3 influence markers, 1 victory point marker, 1 garrison tile, and all the armed miniatures that belong to your chosen house.

Once you have all your materials, it’s time to place them on the board. You’ll refer to your house screen to know where to put everything. Specifically, you’ll place your supply marker and victory marker on the corresponding tracks or areas of the board.

And there you have it! That’s how you set up the game. Now you’re ready to start playing “A Game of Thrones: The Board Game.” Have fun!

• In this game, each player has three Influence markers that they place on the three tracks of the King’s Court.
• With less than 6 players, when all players have placed their markers, any empty spaces are filled by shifting the markers to the left.
• Each player also starts with units in specific regions.
• They also have a Garrison tile that they place on their starting area.

Finally, each player takes five Power tokens from their house and places them behind their board.

GAMEPLAY

The game is divided into 2 main phases: the Westeros phase and the Orders phase.

Westeros phase

During this phase, three random events will occur. Some events may appear multiple times in the event decks, so you may have to deal with the same events several times throughout the game.

When playing the game, it’s important to keep an eye out for event cards with the Wildling symbol. If you come across one, the Wildling Threat counter will move forward. If it reaches the 12 square, get ready for a Wildling Attack (Event #4).

Now, let’s talk about how to adjust your supply. This depends on the territories you control. Count the Supply symbols in your regions and place your marker on the corresponding box on the Supply Track. Your supply level determines how many armies you can control and how many units each army can have. If your troops exceed your supply level, you’ll have to remove some of them from the board to comply.

2. Recruit new units: To add more troops to my army, I need to recruit them from controlled castles and fortresses. Each Fortress gives me 2 recruitment points, while each Castle earns me 1 recruitment point. The recruitment costs are as follows:

• It costs 1 recruitment point to recruit a Footman.
• To recruit a Knight, it costs 2 recruitment points. I can also transform a Footman into a Knight for 1 recruitment point.
• To recruit a Ship, it costs 1 recruitment point.
• I can recruit a Siege Engine for 2 recruitment points, or I can transform a Footman into a Siege Engine for 1 recruitment point.

When I recruit new units, I must place them in the area where I obtained the recruitment points.

Note: When it comes to recruiting Ships, there are a few important things to keep in mind. Ships must be placed in a sea area that is not controlled by the enemy and is next to the area where the recruitment points are provided. Alternatively, Ships can be placed in a port that is connected to that area. If neither of these conditions are met, Ships cannot be recruited. Additionally, it’s worth noting that once there are 2 or more Ships in the same sea area, they count as armies.

3. Get involved in the game of influence by using your Power points to bet. This will help you secure a favorable position on the 3 Influence tracks in the game. By doing so, you can earn valuable bonus tiles such as The Iron Throne (which determines the turn order and allows you to break ties), The Fiefdoms (which boosts your Combat Strength and gives you an advantage in ties during combat), and The Messenger Raven (which allows you to see upcoming events or change orders).

So, here’s how it goes – one track at a time, we solve them. You and I, we each pick some Power tokens, you gotta keep ’em secret, though. Then, we reveal them together, and the bidding begins for that particular track. Cool, right?

If there’s a tie, no worries! The player with the Iron Throne tile settles it for us. Phew, thanks!

Now, here’s the twist: The Iron Throne, the Valyrian Steel Blade, and the Raven Messenger Raven – they’re all special tiles. They’re given to the player who’s at the very top of the Influence Tracks, but only when it’s all said and done. Keep that in mind!

Oh, and don’t sweat it – the Power counters we use in the auctions, they go back to the big pot by the board. Easy peasy!

4. Confronting the attack of the wildlings is a crucial part of the game, and it requires us players to work together to defeat them. To begin, we reveal the top card from the Wildlings draw pile. Then, we must all make a bet by deciding how many Power tokens we want to wager, keeping our fists closed. Once all the bets are made, we reveal our tokens.

If the total number of Power tokens equals or exceeds the strength of the wildlings, we successfully defeat them. Here’s what happens when we triumph over the wildlings:

1. The player who wagered the most Power tokens receives the reward described on the card.

2. We place the Wildlings Threat token on the 0 square of the Wildlings track.

3. We take the defeated wildling card and put it back under the draw pile of the Wildlings.

On the other hand, if the total number of tokens we wagered is not enough, the wildlings win, and they pose a high risk of attacking us again very soon. In this scenario, all players suffer the effects of defeat as indicated on the card. It’s important for us to strategize and work together to ensure that we have enough Power tokens to defeat the wildlings and prevent further attacks. Let’s rally our forces and emerge victorious in this fierce confrontation!

The Wildlings Attack

One of the most interesting aspects of the game is the Wildlings Attack. As the name suggests, the Wildlings are a group of unpredictable and dangerous forces that threaten the realm. At the end of each round, the Wildlings Attack is resolved, and its outcome can greatly alter the course of the game.

The Wildlings Attack is determined by the sum of all the players’ bets. Each player secretly selects a card with a bet value, and these values are revealed simultaneously. The total of the bets determines the strength of the Wildlings Attack.

During the Wildlings Attack, several effects can take place depending on the total bet value. For example, if the total bet is low, the effect will be mild, but if the bet is high, the effect will be severe. The player with the lowest bet suffers the strongest effect, incentivizing players to carefully consider their bets.

Additionally, the Wildlings Threat token, represented on the Wildlings track, is also affected by the Wildlings Attack. If the total bet is high, the token is moved back two squares on the track, indicating an increased threat level.

Orders Phase

Now, let’s talk about the Orders Phase. During this phase, you and the other players will make your strategic moves by simultaneously and secretly choosing your orders for each area that contains units. Remember, an area must have at least one unit to receive an order.

Each area can only receive one order, regardless of the number of units present. This means that you have to carefully decide which area deserves your attention and which order to assign.

There are five types of orders to choose from:

• March: Allows you to move your units from one area to another
• Defence: Increases the strength of your units in a particular area, making it harder for opposing players to attack
• Support: Provides support to another player’s units, boosting their chances of success
• Raid: Allows you to attack an enemy area and potentially gain control of it
• Consolidation: Allows you to strengthen your hold on an area you already control, making it more difficult for others to challenge your dominance
• Welcome to the game!
• You have two normal orders and one special order of each type.
• The special order is marked with a star and offers a higher bonus or an additional effect.
• However, there’s a limit to how many special orders you can play in a turn.
• This limit is determined by your position on the King’s Court Influence Track, which is the third row of the Game of Influence area on the board.

After the orders have been revealed, if you control the Raven Messenger tile, you have a choice:

• You can replace one of your assigned orders with one of your unused orders. Just make sure you don’t exceed the special order limit.
• Alternatively, you can look at the card from the top of the Wildlings’ draw pile.

So here’s how it works: I’ll break it down into three types of orders: Raid, March, and Consolidation. When it’s your turn, you’ll resolve one order at a time, following the turn order determined by the Iron Throne Influence track.

Now, keep in mind that Defence and Support Orders are only used in response to battles that might be triggered by March Orders.

– Raid: This is where things get interesting. A Raid order lets you remove a support, raid, or consolidation order from an adjacent area (but not a march or defence order). Here’s the twist: if you raid a consolidation order, you gain a Power token, and the other player loses one. Oh, and the Raid order can also remove a Defence counter. Fancy, right?

– Walk: When you use this command, you can make your units move to a neighboring area. Here are the rules for moving:

• You have the option to move all, some, or none of the counters in the assigned area.
• You are allowed to move your units to one or more adjacent areas.
• It’s important to note that regardless of how many areas you move your units to, you can only move them to an area that has units from another House.
• If you have land troops, they can pass through multiple sea areas in a single movement as long as those areas are occupied by ships from the same House. You don’t need to place a specific order token for sea convoys, they happen automatically.
• When you move one or more units to an area with units from another House, a battle will occur. This battle will be resolved immediately after the movement.

By playing the Consolidation order in the game, you can earn Power tokens. You get one token for each consolidation order you make, and one token for each Power symbol (crown) in the area where the order is placed. However, the Consolidation order has a special ability. Instead of gaining Power, you can use it to recruit units in the area where the order is played, as long as the area has a Fortress or Castle.



The Battle

In a battle between two armies, the value of each unit’s Combat Strength is determined as follows:

• A Foot-soldier contributes 1 point.
• A Knight contributes 2 points.
• A Ship contributes 1 point.
• A Siege Engine contributes 4 points, but only when attacking a Castle or Fortress and contributes 0 points otherwise.

Both players calculate their initial Combat Strength by adding up:

• The total Combat Strength of their units.
• The Combat Strength of any supporting units.
• A Defense order bonus for the defender, if they placed one in the attacked area.
• A March order bonus for the attacker.
• A garrison bonus for the defender if there is a garrison tile in the attacked area.

When it comes to battles in the game, there are various commands that you can use to give your troops an advantage. One of these commands is the “Support” order. But why is support important and how does it work?

Support plays a crucial role in battles. It allows you to provide assistance to your troops from a neighboring area where a battle is occurring. Whether you’re attacking or defending, this order enables you to add the combat value of the supporting troops to the overall combat strength of the House that is being supported.

However, it’s important to note that support can be refused by the House that you’re trying to support. They have the right to accept or reject the assistance you offer. Keep in mind that land troops like Knights and Footmans cannot support a battle in a sea area. Only Ships have the ability to support a land area.

After issuing a support order, the “Support” command token remains in place. This means that multiple supports can be given in the same turn, enhancing the strategic possibilities. Knowing when and how to effectively support your troops can be the deciding factor in a battle.

So, if you’re looking to gain an advantage on the battlefield, understanding the power of support and using it wisely can be a game-changer. By following these principles, you can elevate your gameplay and regenerate a strong response from your troops.

When determining initial Combat Strength, both the attacking and defending players have to choose a House card from their hand and reveal it simultaneously. The effects of the cards are immediately applied, and each player adds the value of their card to their Combat Strength. If one of the players has the Valyrian Steel Blade, they can use it to get an additional +1. The Blade is flipped over to indicate that it cannot be used again this turn.

Once the winner is determined, losses are applied. The loser loses one unit for each sword symbol on the opponent’s House card. However, the loser can cancel one loss for each tower symbol on their own House card.

After that, the army of the loser must retreat:

• If the attacker loses, they retreat to the area they came from.

When I’m playing this game, there are certain retreat rules I have to abide by. First off, if I’m defending, I can retreat to any adjacent area that isn’t controlled by another player or where the attack came from. It’s pretty straightforward, right? And if I lose the battle, well then I have no choice but to retreat.

Now, there are a few more things to keep in mind when it comes to retreating. I can’t exceed the supply limits in the process. I also have to be careful because if my troops have nowhere to go, they’ll be destroyed. That’s definitely not what I want!

But here’s something interesting – land troops have the option to flee by sea if they need to. Cool, right? There are some rules about sea convoys that come into play here. Oh, and Siege Engines? Well, they’re destroyed if they have to retreat too. Tough luck!

When my units retreat, I have to lay them down to show that they’re in a rout. During that turn, they won’t provide any combat strength. And here’s the kicker – if they have to retreat again, they’re completely destroyed. Talk about bad luck!

Once the retreat is done, we remove the attacker’s March Order and also the defender’s if the defender lost. I guess that’s fair – no need to keep those around anymore.

Oh, and before I forget, there are some other rules to keep in mind too. These ones aren’t about retreating specifically, but they’re important nonetheless. Let’s go through them quick. I can’t break the supply limits during my retreat. If I do, there will be consequences.

It’s also worth noting that the defender can’t use any special abilities during a retreat. That makes sense, right? We’re all trying to be fair here. And finally, we have to remember that any units in a rout won’t be able to use their combat strength until they’re back in action. So let’s try to avoid getting into too many retreat situations, shall we? It’s not good for morale or combat abilities.

When I recruit Ships in a land area that has a port, I can choose to place them in the port or directly in the sea area next to the port. Even if the sea area next to the port is occupied by enemy ships, I can still recruit in the port. However, there’s a limit of three ships in a port. Ports count as zones, so they can receive Order counters if they have at least one Ship. If I take control of a land area with a port, all the Ships in the port become my color. The normal supply rules apply to ports as well. In the Westeros Phase, when the Game of Thrones card is resolved, I also receive one Power counter for each port that has at least one ship, and that ship’s adjacent sea zone is not controlled by the enemy.

So, here’s the deal. If I decide to move all my units out of a certain area in the game, I have the option to place a Power counter from my reserve there to maintain control. This way, I still get to hold on to the advantages that the area offers me, like Fortresses, Castles, and Supplies. However, I won’t be able to play any Order counters in that area. Now, what’s interesting is that my starting areas will always belong to me unless someone else conquers them. But here’s the catch – Power tokens themselves don’t add any Combat Strength. So, if another player’s army comes into a region with only a Power token, they automatically take control of it. Makes you think, doesn’t it?

Now, let’s talk about alliances. We can make alliances with other players anytime we want, as long as we agree verbally. Although, there’s a catch – we can’t reveal any hidden game elements like our order tokens or our bids in auctions. So, it’s always a bit of a risk, knowing that alliances can be broken at any moment. It’s all part of the game!

END OF GAME

If, at any point during the game, you have seven areas with a Castle or Fortress under your control, you win! But if no one reaches this threshold, the game keeps going. It lasts until the end of the tenth round, and then the player with the most areas containing a Castle or Fortress wins. Now, if there happens to be a tie, we have a plan for that too. Here’s how it works:



Hey there! Let me explain to you the importance of these factors when it comes to the Game of Thrones board game. They play a vital role in your strategy and can really make a difference in your gameplay.

Most Fortresses: Having the most Fortresses on the board gives you a strong advantage. It grants you extra Power tokens and allows you to control important areas.

• The Best Supply: Holding territories with the best supply icons will ensure that you have a well-equipped army. This will give you an edge in battles and make you harder to defeat.

• Most Power Tokens: Power tokens are crucial for various actions in the game. The more Power tokens you have, the more influence you wield and the more options you have at your disposal.

• The Best Position on the Iron Throne Track: The Iron Throne track determines the turn order in the game. Being in a favorable position on this track allows you to act last, giving you the advantage of knowing what everyone else has done.

VARIATIONS

Course of the Battle cards

These cards can really spice up battles, adding more excitement and unpredictability to the game. Here’s how they work:

After revealing the House cards for battle, each player draws a Course of the Battle card and takes a look at it in secret. This card will provide additional bonuses or penalties during the battle.

If a player has the Valyrian Steel Blade tile, they can use it to discard their current Course of the Battle card and draw a new one. It’s like having a second chance!

When everyone is ready, each player reveals their Course of the Battle card and applies the Combat Strength modifier indicated on it. This can greatly impact the outcome of the battle, so choose wisely!

When it comes to determining losses in the game, there are a few important rules to keep in mind. First, consider the Sword/Tower symbols on your Course of the Battle card and your House card. To calculate your losses, add these symbols together.

After determining your losses, you’ll unfortunately have to suffer one unavoidable loss for each Skull symbol on your Course of the Battle card. These losses are mandatory and cannot be avoided.

By following these rules, you’ll be able to understand and interpret the outcome of each battle in the game. It’s important to remember these rules and take them into account when planning your strategy.