A Game of Thrones: Second Edition (card game)

Last updated

A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Second Edition
Designers Christian T. Petersen, Eric M. Lang, Nate W.S. French, Damon Stone
Publishers Fantasy Flight Games
PlayersTwo-Six1
Setup time< 5 minutes
Playing time1 - 2 hours
ChanceSome
Age range14 and up
Skills Card playing
Arithmetic
1 Game can also be multiplayer or in teams.

A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Second Edition (or AGoT, for short) is a Living Card Game (LCG) produced by Fantasy Flight Games from 2015 to 2020. It is based on A Song of Ice and Fire , a series of novels written by George R. R. Martin. The second edition of this LCG, it is not backwards compatible with the first edition that preceded it.

Contents

It was launched in 2015. In 2019 FFG announced they will slow down releases for the game, due to "exhausting available content from [the] books". [1] 2020 saw the release of the de facto final expansion in the series (described at that time as "the beginning of a new release model"). [2] Since then unofficial expansions have been released by a volunteer organization called G.O.T. (Global Operation Team). [3]

In the game, players assume the leadership of one of the great houses of Westeros vying for control of King's Landing and the Iron Throne. To accomplish this, players launch military attacks against their opponents, undermine their opponents’ plans with intrigues of their own, and make power plays to win the support of the realm.

Reception

The game was praised that its "presentation is very strong [...] while the presence of a separate reference book makes the main rule book manageable for new players [...] The text on some cards could be clearer, such as when a card may be played on a character controlled by an opponent" [4] Other reviews criticized two-player options noting that it "is at its best with four" [5] yet others praised that "the game really shines is in its attention to the flavor, theme, and atmosphere of the stories that inspired it—not just in terms of its lavish artwork, but in the way it captures the essence of the series in its core mechanics." [6] The game's Core Set was nominated for the 2015 Golden Geek as both Best Card Game [7] and Best 2-Player Board Game. [8]

Rules

The game is played in a phases with each player interacting during a phase. From the official rules:

A Game of Thrones: The Card Game can be played by two or more players. A two-player game uses the joust format, while a game with three or more players uses the melee format.

In the game, each player plays as one of eight great factions vying to influence and control the Iron Throne and gain power in Westeros. Each player controls two decks: a draw deck that provides the forces a player’s faction has at its command each round, and a special plot deck that is used to develop and manage a long term strategy.

Over the course of the game the players engage one another in military, intrigue, and political conflicts, until a single player emerges victorious. The first player to amass 15 power wins the game. [9]

Sets and expansions

A Game of Thrones LCG Core Set and Deluxe Expansions
SetRelease Date
A Game of Thrones : Second Edition (Core Set)October 2015
Wolves of the NorthApril 2016
Lions of Casterly RockNovember 2016
Watchers on the WallApril 2017
House of ThornsOctober 2017
Sands of DorneMarch 2018
Kings of the IslesDecember 2018
Fury of the StormMay 2019
Dragons of the EastNovember 2019
A Game of Thrones LCG chapter packs
CycleChapter PackRelease Date
Westeros CycleTaking the BlackDecember 2015
Road to WinterfellJanuary 2016
The King's PeaceFebruary 2016
No Middle GroundMarch 2016
Calm Over WesterosApril 2016
True SteelMay 2016
War of the Five Kings CycleAcross the Seven KingdomsJuly 2016
Called to ArmsAugust 2016
For Family HonorOctober 2016
There is My ClaimNovember 2016
Ghosts of HarrenhalJanuary 2017
Tyrion's ChainFebruary 2017
Blood and Gold CycleAll Men are FoolsMarch 2017
Guarding the RealmMay 2017
The Fall of AstaporJune 2017
The Red WeddingJuly 2017
Oberyn's RevengeAugust 2017
The Brotherhood Without BannersSeptember 2017
Flight of Crows CycleThe Archmaester's KeyNovember 2017
Journey to OldtownDecember 2017
KingsmootJanuary 2018
Favor of the Old GodsFebruary 2018
The Faith MilitantApril 2018
Someone Always TellsMay 2018
Dance of Shadows CycleThe Shadow CityJune 2018
The March on WinterfellJuly 2018
Streets of King's LandingAugust 2018
Music of DragonsSeptember 2018
In Daznak's PitOctober 2018
Daggers in the DarkNovember 2018
King's Landing CycleAt the GatesApril 2019
City of SecretsJune 2019
Pit of SnakesJuly 2019
Beneath the Red KeepJuly 2019
The BlackwaterAugust 2019
Long May He ReignSeptember 2019
Premium PacksThe Things We Do for Love [2] January 2020

Related Research Articles

<i>Netrunner</i> Collectible card game designed by Richard Garfield

Netrunner is an out-of-print collectible card game (CCG) designed by Richard Garfield, the creator of Magic: The Gathering. It was published by Wizards of the Coast and introduced in April 1996. Its was produced until 1999. The game took place in the setting for the Cyberpunk 2020 role-playing game (RPG), but it also drew from the broader cyberpunk genre.

<i>A Game of Thrones</i> (card game) Collectible card game

A Game of Thrones: The Card Game is an out-of-print collectible card game produced by Fantasy Flight Games. It is based on A Song of Ice and Fire, a series of novels written by George R. R. Martin. The first set was Westeros Edition and was released in August 2002. It has since won two Origins Awards. The game's primary designer is Eric Lang, the lead developer is Nate French, with Damon Stone serving as associate designer.

<i>Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game</i> Card game based on the Cthulhu Mythos

Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game is an out-of-print card game produced and marketed by Fantasy Flight Games from 2004 to 2015. It is based on Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu role-playing game, the writings of H. P. Lovecraft, and other Cthulhu Mythos fiction.

<i>Ticket to Ride</i> (board game) Board game

Ticket to Ride is a series of turn-based strategy railway-themed Eurogames designed by Alan R. Moon, the first of which was released in 2004 by Days of Wonder. As of 2024, 18 million copies of the game have been sold worldwide and it has been translated into 33 languages. Days of Wonder has released electronic versions of the board games in the series, as well as Ticket to Ride-themed card games and puzzles.

A Game of Thrones is a strategy board game created by Christian T. Petersen and published by Fantasy Flight Games in 2003. The game is based on the A Song of Ice and Fire series of high fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin. It was followed in 2004 by the expansion A Clash of Kings, and in 2006 by the expansion A Storm of Swords.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BoardGameGeek</span> Online database of board games, game designers and game publishers worldwide

BoardGameGeek (BGG) is an online forum for board gaming hobbyists and a game database that holds reviews, images and videos for over 125,600 different tabletop games, including European-style board games, wargames, and card games. In addition to the game database, the site allows users to rate games on a 1–10 scale and publishes a ranked list of board games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fantasy Flight Games</span> American game company

Fantasy Flight Games (FFG) is a game developer based in Roseville, Minnesota, United States, that creates and publishes role-playing, board, card, and dice games. As of 2014, it is a division of Asmodee North America.

<i>Pandemic</i> (board game) Crisis-themed cooperative strategy board game

Pandemic is a cooperative board game designed by Matt Leacock and first published by Z-Man Games in the United States in 2008. Pandemic is based on the premise that four diseases have broken out in the world, each threatening to wipe out a region. The game accommodates two to four players, each playing one of seven possible roles: dispatcher, medic, scientist, researcher, operations expert, contingency planner, or quarantine specialist. Through the combined effort of all the players, the goal is to discover all four cures before any of several game-losing conditions are reached.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warhammer: Invasion</span> Card game

Warhammer: Invasion is a Living Card Game (LCG) designed by Eric M. Lang and produced by Fantasy Flight Games from 2009 to 2013, set in the Warhammer Fantasy universe. Like Fantasy Flight's other LCGs, Invasion is sold as a core set, which can be played on its own, or built upon with expansion packs. Each pack has a fixed set of 3 copies each of 20 cards. There are six factions in Invasion: Dwarves, Empire, Orcs, Chaos, High Elves, and Dark Elves. The first four have decks in the core set, while the elves' decks are available in the Assault on Ulthuan expansion.

<i>Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game</i>

Star Wars: X-Wing is a miniature war game designed by Jay Little and produced by Fantasy Flight Games that was released at Gen Con during August 17, 2012. It features tactical ship-to-ship dogfighting between various types of starfighters set in the fictional Star Wars universe. The game is said to be easy to learn and quick to play taking anywhere between 15 and 60 minutes from first set-up to battle's end. Each round both players give all their ships movement orders without knowing what their opponent is doing before resolving these orders while trying to shoot down enemy craft. On May 1, 2018, FFG announced X-Wing Second Edition, to be released on September 13, 2018. Although the physical models are transferable, an entire new set of rules, templates, and markers have been produced and are available through a new core set, waves, and conversion packs.

<i>Android: Netrunner</i> Expandable Card Game

Android: Netrunner is an Expandable Card Game (ECG) produced by Null Signal Games, previously by Fantasy Flight Games. It is a two-player game set in the dystopian future of the Android universe. Each game is played as a battle between a megacorporation and a hacker ("runner") in a duel to take control of data. It is based on Richard Garfield's Netrunner collectible card game, produced by Wizards of the Coast in 1996.

Star Wars: The Card Game is a Living Card Game (LCG) produced by Fantasy Flight Games published from 2012 to 2018. It is a two-player card game set in the Star Wars universe. It puts one player in command of the light side of the Force, and one player in command of the dark side of the Force. The Balance of the Force expansion allows multi-player games. The game is set within the time-frame of the original Star Wars trilogy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game</span> 2011 fantasy strategy card game

The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game is a card game produced by Fantasy Flight Gamessince 2011. As part of the Living Card Game (LCG) genre, it is a cooperative and strategic card game set in Middle-earth, a fantasy world featured in literary works by J. R. R. Tolkien, including The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hero Realms</span> Card game

Hero Realms is a card-based deck building fantasy tabletop game, designed by Rob Dougherty and Darwin Kastle and published in 2016 by Wise Wizard Games. The game started out as a Kickstarter campaign in 2016. The goal of Hero Realms is to destroy your opponent or opponents by purchasing cards using "Gold" and using these cards to attack your opponent's "health" and their champions using your "combat" points or other powerful effects.

Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game is a Living Card Game (LCG) produced by Fantasy Flight Games (FFG) from 2017 to 2021. It is a two-player game set in the world of Rokugan. During the game, players take on the leadership of one of the Great Clans which define Rokugani society, and they are cast into conflict against another clan. The conflicts will decide the future of Rokugan.

<i>Pax Pamir</i> 2015 board game by Cole Wehrle

Pax Pamir is a board game originally designed by Cole Wehrle and Phil Eklund, released in 2015 by Sierra Madre Games. Its second edition was solely designed by Wehrle and published in 2019 by Wehrlegig Games. It concerns the Russian, British, and Durrani empires struggling for dominance in Afghanistan, with players assuming the role of local leaders. Pax Pamir received positive reviews upon its release and was nominated for several awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marvel Champions: The Card Game</span> Card game published by Fantasy Flight Games

Marvel Champions: The Card Game is a cooperative, living card game published by Fantasy Flight Games since 2019. Players control decks representing heroes from the Marvel Universe, and work together to defeat a villain that is attempting to complete a "Scheme". Players can customize their hero's deck, and the game includes various modular encounters to customize villain scenarios.

Summoner Wars (Second Edition) is a tactical card game designed by Colby Dauch and Plaid Hat Games which iterates on the 2009 title of the same name. In Summoner Wars, players aim to eliminate the opponent's summoner using factions by moving units and deck building. It was physically published in 2021 and received generally positive reviews for its strategy, engagement, and accessibility. A digital version was also released.

Battles of Westeros is a 2010 strategic wargame set in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire universe. It was designed by Robert A. Kouba and published by Fantasy Flight Games.

Expandable card game (ECGs), also known as living card games (LCGs), or non-collectible customizable card games - card games where each player has their own deck of cards. Unlike in collectible card games (CCGs), where a player buys a starter deck of cards but then expands and improves that deck by purchasing booster packs containing a random distribution of cards, such decks are usually made from one or more sets sold as a complete whole, eliminating randomness while acquiring the cards.

References

  1. Former, Matt Jarvis (2021-08-09). "Arkham Horror, Marvel Champions and Android: Netrunner studio says it's still committed to the living card game format". Dicebreaker. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  2. 1 2 "The Things We Do for Love". www.fantasyflightgames.com. Retrieved 2020-08-06.
  3. "FAQ – AGOT.CARDS". 2021-04-06. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  4. "A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Second Edition Review". www.paste.com. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  5. "7 Game of Thrones board games to play while you wait for more House of the Dragon". dicebreaker.com. 2 September 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  6. "This 'Game of Thrones' Card Game Is as Addictive as the TV Show". vice.com. 2 May 2016. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  7. "2015 Golden Geek Best Card Game Nominee". boardgamegeek.com. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  8. "2015 Golden Geek Best 2-Player Board Game Nominee". boardgamegeek.com. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  9. "Learn to Play" (PDF). fantasyflightgames.com. Retrieved 2022-09-18.