I recommend reading the this FAQ if you're thinking about jumping into the game. 
http://www.cardgamedb.com/forums/index.php?/topic/10210-community-faq-resources-podcasts-game-video-much-more/

Hey ya'll, I 've started a new column where I build decks with a limited cardpool that can be purchased for $150 or less to help new or casual players thinking of breaking into the tournament scene. Check out the first article, which features Greyjoy Sun and Targ Fealty. 
http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/index.html/_/game-of-thrones/game-of-thrones-strategy/budget-builders-greyjoy-sun-and-targ-fealty-r1948

Hey ya'll, I 've started a new column where I build decks with a limited cardpool that can be purchased for $150 or less to help new or casual players thinking of breaking into the tournament scene. Check out the first article, which features Greyjoy Sun and Targ Fealty. 
http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/index.html/_/game-of-thrones/game-of-thrones-strategy/budget-builders-greyjoy-sun-and-targ-fealty-r1948

Dec 4th at Giga-Bites in Marietta
Dec 17th at Meeple Madness in Flowery Branch
January 7th at Wasteland in Duluth
January 14th at Kapow Comics in Cumming

In addition to the prize kits, we'll have some beautiful player-made alt arts up for grabs, including Ranging Party, Winterfell Crypts, Renly Baratheon, and Nightmares

Welcome!
 
First, you should know that Core set does include 211 distinct cards, coming from all 8 factions, but most of those cards are only a single copy. So the best purchase you can make after your first Core set is another Core set. 
 
As far as balance goes, there's no easy route. Just tweak the decks every couple games if you find that one is too powerful relative to the others. 

Here ya go
 
http://www.cardgamedb.com/index.php/index.html/_/game-of-thrones/game-of-thrones-strategy/agot-faction-by-faction-primer-r1644

Hello there! If you’re new to the game, you’ve come to the right place. This article addresses the key cards and strategies for each faction to give you a sense of their play-styles, strengths, and weaknesses.
 
Cards from the Core set will be denoted as such. Any other cards come from chapter pack or deluxe expansions.

I recommend installing an app like Hover Zoom so you can place your cursor over each card link to see the image without leaving the page.



Strengths: Control through kneel (tapping/exhausting enemies), Power challenges, Winning dominance
Weaknesses: Reliant on key characters, countered by stand effects

The Stags hold the Iron Throne at the opening of A Song of Ice and Fire, and their play style is very consolidating and reactive as they attempt to hold on to this status. House Baratheon doesn’t focus so much on claiming power, as they did in the first edition; rather, they want to hold onto the power they have. In general, the Baratheons try to subdue, avoid, and appease threats, using kneeling tactics instead of killing or harming their subjects. At the heart of it, House Baratheon exists in a position of privilege and entitlement (which makes them good at winning dominance), and they want things to stay the way they are. There is a little bit of a reverse-landslide mentality guiding this faction – House Baratheon is trying to prevent everything they’ve gained from falling apart.

Robert Baratheon (Core) is a monster in challenges because of his plus strength bonus and keywords. He grows stronger as surrounding characters kneel (thematically bending the knee -- it's good to be the King). Stannis Baratheon (Core) locks down a large board, allowing you to focus on appeasing fewer threats each round. Both Robert and Stannis are vulnerable to Tears of Lys (Core), but you can shore up that weakness with Bodyguard (Core), Little Bird (Core), or Selyse Baratheon (Core).

The Red Keep (Core) and Moon Boy demonstrate the Baratheon’s commitment to power challenges (the blue crown icon). They need to win power challenges consistently, or at least not lose, in order to draw cards.

Melisandre (Core) is a repeatable “engine”. Provided you can marshal or play a card with the R’hllor trait once per round, you then kneel any opposing threat (a kind of temporary “soft” control). Other noteworthy R’hllor cards include Lightbringer (Core), a weapon that’s fantastic on Robert or Stannis, and Seen in Flames (Core), a powerful hand control event. You want to find Melisandre quickly, usually through a plot like Summons (Core), and focus on keeping her alive -- beware of Dracarys! (Core) and Put to the Sword(Core). There are also a few non-R'hllor kneel cards, like Even Handed Justice and Consolidation of Power (Core).

The Baratheon’s also feature a dominance-winning module. They use cards like Iron Throne (Core) and Fiery Followers (Core) to have the highest standing strength plus remaining gold during the dominance phase, which will earn them one power towards the victory total. Then cards like Gendry, Tobho Mott’s Armory, Chamber of the Painted Table (Core) and Feast for Crows (Core) give you extra benefits for winning dominance.




Strengths: Stealth & unopposed challenges, power rush, aggression
Weaknesses: Lack of intrigue icons, reliant on being first player, stymied by opponent's attachments

The Krakens are tactical and impulsive. They want to attack and exploit any weakness in their opponents and take advantage of temporary opportunities by gaining benefits from unopposed challenges. House Greyjoy is rash and quick to act, so they prefer to be the first player. They also play the tempo game well. In addition, the Greyjoys do not sow and they’re quick to raze the fields of their foes by destroying enemy locations. Finally, House Greyjoy is resilient and difficult to kill. After all, what is dead may never die…

The primary Greyjoy strategy focuses on winning “unopposed” challenges. They feature many “stealth” characters who can bypass defenders, such as Asha Greyjoy (Core) and Theon Greyjoy (Core). Their most potent threat is undoubtedly Balon Greyjoy (Core), who can only be blocked a characters with equal or higher strength. The Greyjoys also use other tricks, such as Raiding Longship, Fishing Net, and Kraken’s Grasp (Core) to neutralize defending characters. Then, after successfully winning a challenge without defenders, there are many powerful benefits such as targeted kill from Seastone Chair, card draw from The Reader, and power gain from Great Kraken (Core). Some of these tricks can’t affect opposing characters who wield attachments, so Greyjoys often run some form of attachment removal like Weapons at the Door.

The Greyjoys are the most location-dependent faction. They love warships like Iron Fleet Scout (Core) and other cards that benefit when you amass a large fleet like Drowned Men (Core). But beware of Put to the Torch (Core) and Political Disaster.

Speaking of location control, the Greyjoys themselves specialize in that area, with both “soft” control from Lordsport Shipwright(Core) and “hard” removal from Newly Made Lord and We Do Not Sow. On a tangentially-related note, Greyjoy's also like to Pillage (mill) opposing decks, and then take the spoils with cards like Euron Crow's Eye (Core).

Finally, the Greyjoys are hard to kill. “Save” effects like Risen from the Sea and Iron Mines help them escape death from military claim or card effects like Tears of Lys (Core) and Put to the Sword (Core). They also have Aeron Damphair (Core) to revive any Ironborn-traited character.



Strengths: Intrigue and Military challenges, extra economy, efficient characters
Weaknesses: Relatively reliant on variance, power challenges

The Lions are devious, manipulative, and indirect. They are ambush specialists, they play the intrigue game aggressively, and they are extremely wealthy. Figuratively, they are “monsters.” They’re not averse to using torture and intimidation to achieve their goals, and this faction is the home for a number of characters who can be quite frightening when they hit the board. There’s also a chaotic aspect to this faction – the Lannisters deal with a fair number of wild cards and unpredictable entities on their path to the Iron Throne, and being able to make the resultant chaos work in your favor is an important skill for leading this faction.

The Lannisters feature some of the game’s most efficient characters. Tywin Lannister (Core) and Tyrion Lannister (Core) give you extra spending money, allowing you to build decks without adhering to some of the normal economy guidelines. Marshaling them early can lead to a big advantage in the long run.

Ser Jaime Lannister (Core) and Ser Gregor Clegane specialize in military challenges, so Lannister often runs Put to the Sword (Core) to capitalize. Cersei Lannister (Core) specializes in intrigue challenges, while Casterly Rock (Core) allows you to make multiple such challenges and Lannisport (Core) lets you draw a card for winning one. The Lannisters are relatively light on power icons, so Greyjoy and Baratheon decks are often able to capitalize on this weakness.

Finally, there’s an archetype known as “Leaping Lions” because the Lannisters feature many characters with the ambush keyword, such as Burned Men (Core) and The Hound. They also bring pseudo-ambush effects such as Hear Me Roar! (Core) that allow you to jump a character into play unexpectedly during the middle of the challenges phase. The Lannisters take advantage of this strength by using plots like First Snow of Winter that will give them a numerical advantage after extra character jump into the fray.



Strengths: Acting second, icon manipulation (soft control), the long game
Weaknesses: Acting first, relatively weaker characters, the early game

The Martells are patient and strategic, preferring to play the long game rather than making an immediate rush for victory. They often avoid being the first player, waiting to see what their opponents do before making their move. The Martells are also vengeful, always looking for the chance to mete out retribution for past wrongs. House Martell is also prone to sweeping, dramatic gestures: with the Martells, it’s not just about winning, it's about making a show of winning. The concept of the delayed rush – building up slowly and plotting behind the scenes to set up “one big turn” – is strongest with the Martells.

Cards like Doran Martell (Core), Dawn (Core) and Doran’s Game (Core) grow stronger or more effective in the later stages of the game. To survive that long, the Martell faction relies on “icon manipulation” to help them win key challenges. Cards like Nymeria Sand, Maester Calleote (Core), Condemned and A Game of Thrones (Core) limit the opponent’s options. The Martell faction is naturally weak to decks that can either win or establish a dominating board position early.

The Martells like to play second and react to an opponent’s attacks. Cards like Quentyn Martell, Palace Spearman (Core), andSunspear (Core) demonstrate this tendency. The player who wins initiative during the Plot phase chooses which player will act first during the round, so a crafty Martell strategist will often run high initiative plots in order to control this decision.

Finally, the Martells are able to win even when they lose. Cards like Ghaston Grey (Core), the Boneway and the Long Plan activate after a challenge defeat, and make the opponent regret ever engaging you in battle.



Strengths: Defensive tactics, passive power gain, strong locations and attachments
Weaknesses: Many mono-cons (characters with a single challenge icon, making them inflexible), Character control like stealth, kneel, and icon manipulation

The Night's Watch are the scavengers of the realm, and they’re adept at picking up scraps and using what others have thrown away or left behind. They are sworn to defend the Wall and because of this, they’re fierce when defending challenges. The Night’s Watch also has a specialized character base as they divide their tasks and strengths among Stewards, Rangers, and Builders. As a faction, playing the Night's Watch feels the most distinct from the others. After all, they’re not a Great House and they operate with a different set of goals.

Without question, the major Night’s Watch strategy is to find, marshal, and defend The Wall (Core). Once it’s in play, the Wall gives 2 power (out of 15 needed to win) every round, as long as you opposed every challenge thrown at you. To help accomplish this task, the Watch features characters that either have the Stealth keyword, like Will and Ghost, or are unaffected by it, like Benjen Stark(Core). They can also defend the Wall with a horde of cheap characters, like Yoren, but this makes them susceptible to Wildfire Assault.

They also use locations like The Shadow Tower and Castle Black (Core) to deter attacks and make “challenge math” difficult for opponents to figure. Furthermore, if you throw too little strength at the Watch, they can defend and activate The Sword in the Darkness (Core). But if you attack with too many forces, look out for Watchers on the Walls.

The Rangers of the Watch, such as Ranging Party, specialize in military challenges. The Stewards like Samwell Tarly always have intrigue icons. And the Builders like Veteran Builder round out the icon spread with the power icon. The Watch also have some flexibility outside this rigid structure in characters like Unsworn Apprentice, who can fill whatever role you need.

Finally, the economy and draw engines of the Watch are distinct in style from the Great House factions. For money, they have Old Forest Hunter and Meager Contribution (rather than a limited location like Lannister’s Western Fiefdom). For card advantage, they have Messenger Raven, a repeatable and easy to trigger engine – if you can pay to marshal him again each round.



Strengths: Military challenges, self-sacrifice, standing
Weaknesses: Intrigue challenges, many cheap characters prone to weenie control

The Starks are honorable but unyielding, harsh in their judgement and direct in their punishment of those who offend. They have a pack mentality, they understand the notion of sacrifice for the greater good, and they can rally together when one of their own is in trouble. More often than not, they are military aggressors, taking the fight directly to their enemies. This faction is also the natural home of the "Ned" player type (who desires story immersion above all else), and House Stark will be the place where the explicit "nods to Ned" are most frequent.

After the release of the game’s first deluxe expansion, Wolves of the North, the Starks filled out their theme of sacrificing for the greater good. Robb Stark (Core) stands your entire team, and Catelyn Stark gains both power and strength when a Stark character leaves the arena. Jon Snow can initiate a sacrifice whenever needed, and Jory Cassel will give himself up to protect your major characters.

The Stark military expertise can be seen in efficient characters like Arya Stark (Core) and Eddard Stark. When the Starks win a military challenge, they often capitalize. Rodrick Cassel and For the North! (Core) will give you more cards to work with, while Ice(Core) and Winter Is Coming (Core) will punish opponents by killing their characters.

The Starks are often described as the game’s “police” because of their cards that disallow opposing card effects. Catelyn Stark (Core) and Winterfell pre-emptively stop shenanigans, while Bran Stark (Core) and The Pack Survives let you cancel unwanted surprises.

There’s a “tribal” Direwolf theme ingrained in many Stark cards. Grey Wind (Core) and Wolves of the North can munch on opposing characters. Lady and Nymeria are attachments that give bonuses to the Stark character that they accompany. Like Warm Rain (Core) helps to shore up the greatest Stark weakness, intrigue challenges. A Time for Wolves and Wolf Dreams let you tutor for the right Direwolf to suit your needs.

Finally, related to the Direwolve module is a "naval" package (a term that roughly corresponds to a first edition mechanic). Cards likeWinterfell Kennel Master and Wardens of the North allow you to add characters to a challenge outside of the normal framework for declaring attackers and defenders, making it difficult for opponent's to anticipate your moves.



Strengths: Standing, Military challenges, targeted kills
Weaknesses: Reliant on key characters, Intrigue challenges

The Targaryens are in the position of attacking from outside of Westeros, and as such, they tend to focus on building up and snowballing potential, as well as rising from the ashes with standing effects. This faction relies on its leadership more than most other factions, rallying and coming together around strong leaders like Daenerys Targaryen and Khal Drogo. As the only House with access to dragons, burn (reducing STR and killing characters in this way) is still a central element of House Targaryen. Building your momentum and using that momentum to pressure your opponent are important parts of House Targaryen’s identity.

Strength-reducing “burn” effects that kill, such as Blood of the Dragon, Dracarys! (Core), Crown of Gold, and Plaza of Punishment(Core), give Targaryens potent board control. They will often combine multiple strength reductions together to eliminate even high-strength characters. Additionally, strength reductions like Dragon Sight and Daenerys Targaryen (Core) can help swing challenges in your favor, even if the affected characters aren’t diminished all the way to zero strength.

Speaking of Daenerys, she’s a central figure for the faction, as both the main draw engine (via her Insight keyword) and the beneficiary of her dragon’s abilities. Rhaegal (Core), Viserion (Core), and Drogon (Core) all buff Dany in some way, making Targ somewhat of a combo faction, but thanks to Fire and Blood the pieces are resilient.

The Targaryen’s feature “stand’ (untap) abilities that act as a direct counter to Baratheon kneel, as seen on Magister Illyrio,Handmaiden, and Waking the Dragon. This also gives them the flexibility to attack or defend with a powerful character like Daenerys multiple times in one challenge phase.

The “tribal” or trait-based theme in Targaryen revolves around aggressive Dothraki characters, like Khal Drogo (Core), Aggo andRakharo. It’s not fully fleshed out yet, but you can see the potential.

Another minor theme involves the Targaryen relationship with attachments. Vaes Dothrak and Viserys Targaryen can remove them, while Merchant Prince loves acquiring them.



Strengths: Good icon spread, card draw and economy, strength increases
Weaknesses: Relatively weak high-cost "bomb" characters

The Tyrells are a "more than meets the eye" faction. On the surface, they seem pretty straightforward, but the Tyrells usually operate with a hidden scheme waiting in the wings. The servants and bannermen of House Tyrell are numerous and wealthy, making this faction second in resources only to the Lannisters. The Tyrells are the masters of manipulation in the game, and in some ways, they’re a combo faction with noticeable synergies between their faction’s cards. Finally, the words of House Tyrell are "Growing Strong" so, as you might imagine, raising strength is a significant part of Tyrell strategy.

Tyrell wealth is on display most prominently with The Arbor, which will provide massive long-run gains in return for an immediate tempo hit (four gold to marshal). Paxter Redwyne (Core) provides extra economy from both his gold bonus and reduction of event costs. And the Queen of Thorns (Core) lets you “jump in” a character for free when she wins an intrigue challenge -- a potentially huge advantage.

Randyll Tarly (Core) is the poster boy for the Tyrell “strength raising” theme. Cards like Growing Strong (Core), Margaery Tyrell(Core), and Heartsbane (Core) help you win challenges you would have otherwise lost, or turn a small margin of victory into a blowout in order to trigger effects like The Mander (Core) and Superior Claim.

The Tyrell faction is home to some other forms of challenge trickery as well. Challenge control effects like Highgarden (Core) andMare in Heat remove opposing characters so you more assuredly win the challenges you want to prioritize.

Finally, many Tyrell characters have the Knight trait or benefit Knights, such as Knight of Flowers (Core) and Lady Sansa’s Rose. There are also neutral cards such as Hedge Knight and Tourney for the King that help flesh out this theme. The Knights also support the Ladies of the faction, as evidenced by Ser Hobber Redwyne.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading! Many players give their loyalty to a single faction, but others bounce around frequently, dabbling in everything. If you have any questions, feel free to ask here in the comments, or in the Discord chat group or worldwide Facebook group. Also check out the Community FAQ, a comprehensive list of resources for the game, like decklists, podcasts, articles, videos and more. I'll be back soon with a look at the Banner agendas and what each faction can lend to another. 

Link to cardgamedb. 

Hello there! If you’re new to the game, you’ve come to the right place. This article addresses the key cards and strategies for each faction to give you a sense of their play-styles, strengths, and weaknesses.
 
Cards from the Core set will be denoted as such. Any other cards come from chapter pack or deluxe expansions.

I recommend installing an app like Hover Zoom so you can place your cursor over each card link to see the image without leaving the page.



Strengths: Control through kneel (tapping/exhausting enemies), Power challenges, Winning dominance
Weaknesses: Reliant on key characters, countered by stand effects

The Stags hold the Iron Throne at the opening of A Song of Ice and Fire, and their play style is very consolidating and reactive as they attempt to hold on to this status. House Baratheon doesn’t focus so much on claiming power, as they did in the first edition; rather, they want to hold onto the power they have. In general, the Baratheons try to subdue, avoid, and appease threats, using kneeling tactics instead of killing or harming their subjects. At the heart of it, House Baratheon exists in a position of privilege and entitlement (which makes them good at winning dominance), and they want things to stay the way they are. There is a little bit of a reverse-landslide mentality guiding this faction – House Baratheon is trying to prevent everything they’ve gained from falling apart.

Robert Baratheon (Core) is a monster in challenges because of his plus strength bonus and keywords. He grows stronger as surrounding characters kneel (thematically bending the knee -- it's good to be the King). Stannis Baratheon (Core) locks down a large board, allowing you to focus on appeasing fewer threats each round. Both Robert and Stannis are vulnerable to Tears of Lys (Core), but you can shore up that weakness with Bodyguard (Core), Little Bird (Core), or Selyse Baratheon (Core).

The Red Keep (Core) and Moon Boy demonstrate the Baratheon’s commitment to power challenges (the blue crown icon). They need to win power challenges consistently, or at least not lose, in order to draw cards.

Melisandre (Core) is a repeatable “engine”. Provided you can marshal or play a card with the R’hllor trait once per round, you then kneel any opposing threat (a kind of temporary “soft” control). Other noteworthy R’hllor cards include Lightbringer (Core), a weapon that’s fantastic on Robert or Stannis, and Seen in Flames (Core), a powerful hand control event. You want to find Melisandre quickly, usually through a plot like Summons (Core), and focus on keeping her alive -- beware of Dracarys! (Core) and Put to the Sword(Core). There are also a few non-R'hllor kneel cards, like Even Handed Justice and Consolidation of Power (Core).

The Baratheon’s also feature a dominance-winning module. They use cards like Iron Throne (Core) and Fiery Followers (Core) to have the highest standing strength plus remaining gold during the dominance phase, which will earn them one power towards the victory total. Then cards like Gendry, Tobho Mott’s Armory, Chamber of the Painted Table (Core) and Feast for Crows (Core) give you extra benefits for winning dominance.




Strengths: Stealth & unopposed challenges, power rush, aggression
Weaknesses: Lack of intrigue icons, reliant on being first player, stymied by opponent's attachments

The Krakens are tactical and impulsive. They want to attack and exploit any weakness in their opponents and take advantage of temporary opportunities by gaining benefits from unopposed challenges. House Greyjoy is rash and quick to act, so they prefer to be the first player. They also play the tempo game well. In addition, the Greyjoys do not sow and they’re quick to raze the fields of their foes by destroying enemy locations. Finally, House Greyjoy is resilient and difficult to kill. After all, what is dead may never die…

The primary Greyjoy strategy focuses on winning “unopposed” challenges. They feature many “stealth” characters who can bypass defenders, such as Asha Greyjoy (Core) and Theon Greyjoy (Core). Their most potent threat is undoubtedly Balon Greyjoy (Core), who can only be blocked a characters with equal or higher strength. The Greyjoys also use other tricks, such as Raiding Longship, Fishing Net, and Kraken’s Grasp (Core) to neutralize defending characters. Then, after successfully winning a challenge without defenders, there are many powerful benefits such as targeted kill from Seastone Chair, card draw from The Reader, and power gain from Great Kraken (Core). Some of these tricks can’t affect opposing characters who wield attachments, so Greyjoys often run some form of attachment removal like Weapons at the Door.

The Greyjoys are the most location-dependent faction. They love warships like Iron Fleet Scout (Core) and other cards that benefit when you amass a large fleet like Drowned Men (Core). But beware of Put to the Torch (Core) and Political Disaster.

Speaking of location control, the Greyjoys themselves specialize in that area, with both “soft” control from Lordsport Shipwright(Core) and “hard” removal from Newly Made Lord and We Do Not Sow. On a tangentially-related note, Greyjoy's also like to Pillage (mill) opposing decks, and then take the spoils with cards like Euron Crow's Eye (Core).

Finally, the Greyjoys are hard to kill. “Save” effects like Risen from the Sea and Iron Mines help them escape death from military claim or card effects like Tears of Lys (Core) and Put to the Sword (Core). They also have Aeron Damphair (Core) to revive any Ironborn-traited character.



Strengths: Intrigue and Military challenges, extra economy, efficient characters
Weaknesses: Relatively reliant on variance, power challenges

The Lions are devious, manipulative, and indirect. They are ambush specialists, they play the intrigue game aggressively, and they are extremely wealthy. Figuratively, they are “monsters.” They’re not averse to using torture and intimidation to achieve their goals, and this faction is the home for a number of characters who can be quite frightening when they hit the board. There’s also a chaotic aspect to this faction – the Lannisters deal with a fair number of wild cards and unpredictable entities on their path to the Iron Throne, and being able to make the resultant chaos work in your favor is an important skill for leading this faction.

The Lannisters feature some of the game’s most efficient characters. Tywin Lannister (Core) and Tyrion Lannister (Core) give you extra spending money, allowing you to build decks without adhering to some of the normal economy guidelines. Marshaling them early can lead to a big advantage in the long run.

Ser Jaime Lannister (Core) and Ser Gregor Clegane specialize in military challenges, so Lannister often runs Put to the Sword (Core) to capitalize. Cersei Lannister (Core) specializes in intrigue challenges, while Casterly Rock (Core) allows you to make multiple such challenges and Lannisport (Core) lets you draw a card for winning one. The Lannisters are relatively light on power icons, so Greyjoy and Baratheon decks are often able to capitalize on this weakness.

Finally, there’s an archetype known as “Leaping Lions” because the Lannisters feature many characters with the ambush keyword, such as Burned Men (Core) and The Hound. They also bring pseudo-ambush effects such as Hear Me Roar! (Core) that allow you to jump a character into play unexpectedly during the middle of the challenges phase. The Lannisters take advantage of this strength by using plots like First Snow of Winter that will give them a numerical advantage after extra character jump into the fray.



Strengths: Acting second, icon manipulation (soft control), the long game
Weaknesses: Acting first, relatively weaker characters, the early game

The Martells are patient and strategic, preferring to play the long game rather than making an immediate rush for victory. They often avoid being the first player, waiting to see what their opponents do before making their move. The Martells are also vengeful, always looking for the chance to mete out retribution for past wrongs. House Martell is also prone to sweeping, dramatic gestures: with the Martells, it’s not just about winning, it's about making a show of winning. The concept of the delayed rush – building up slowly and plotting behind the scenes to set up “one big turn” – is strongest with the Martells.

Cards like Doran Martell (Core), Dawn (Core) and Doran’s Game (Core) grow stronger or more effective in the later stages of the game. To survive that long, the Martell faction relies on “icon manipulation” to help them win key challenges. Cards like Nymeria Sand, Maester Calleote (Core), Condemned and A Game of Thrones (Core) limit the opponent’s options. The Martell faction is naturally weak to decks that can either win or establish a dominating board position early.

The Martells like to play second and react to an opponent’s attacks. Cards like Quentyn Martell, Palace Spearman (Core), andSunspear (Core) demonstrate this tendency. The player who wins initiative during the Plot phase chooses which player will act first during the round, so a crafty Martell strategist will often run high initiative plots in order to control this decision.

Finally, the Martells are able to win even when they lose. Cards like Ghaston Grey (Core), the Boneway and the Long Plan activate after a challenge defeat, and make the opponent regret ever engaging you in battle.



Strengths: Defensive tactics, passive power gain, strong locations and attachments
Weaknesses: Many mono-cons (characters with a single challenge icon, making them inflexible), Character control like stealth, kneel, and icon manipulation

The Night's Watch are the scavengers of the realm, and they’re adept at picking up scraps and using what others have thrown away or left behind. They are sworn to defend the Wall and because of this, they’re fierce when defending challenges. The Night’s Watch also has a specialized character base as they divide their tasks and strengths among Stewards, Rangers, and Builders. As a faction, playing the Night's Watch feels the most distinct from the others. After all, they’re not a Great House and they operate with a different set of goals.

Without question, the major Night’s Watch strategy is to find, marshal, and defend The Wall (Core). Once it’s in play, the Wall gives 2 power (out of 15 needed to win) every round, as long as you opposed every challenge thrown at you. To help accomplish this task, the Watch features characters that either have the Stealth keyword, like Will and Ghost, or are unaffected by it, like Benjen Stark(Core). They can also defend the Wall with a horde of cheap characters, like Yoren, but this makes them susceptible to Wildfire Assault.

They also use locations like The Shadow Tower and Castle Black (Core) to deter attacks and make “challenge math” difficult for opponents to figure. Furthermore, if you throw too little strength at the Watch, they can defend and activate The Sword in the Darkness (Core). But if you attack with too many forces, look out for Watchers on the Walls.

The Rangers of the Watch, such as Ranging Party, specialize in military challenges. The Stewards like Samwell Tarly always have intrigue icons. And the Builders like Veteran Builder round out the icon spread with the power icon. The Watch also have some flexibility outside this rigid structure in characters like Unsworn Apprentice, who can fill whatever role you need.

Finally, the economy and draw engines of the Watch are distinct in style from the Great House factions. For money, they have Old Forest Hunter and Meager Contribution (rather than a limited location like Lannister’s Western Fiefdom). For card advantage, they have Messenger Raven, a repeatable and easy to trigger engine – if you can pay to marshal him again each round.



Strengths: Military challenges, self-sacrifice, standing
Weaknesses: Intrigue challenges, many cheap characters prone to weenie control

The Starks are honorable but unyielding, harsh in their judgement and direct in their punishment of those who offend. They have a pack mentality, they understand the notion of sacrifice for the greater good, and they can rally together when one of their own is in trouble. More often than not, they are military aggressors, taking the fight directly to their enemies. This faction is also the natural home of the "Ned" player type (who desires story immersion above all else), and House Stark will be the place where the explicit "nods to Ned" are most frequent.

After the release of the game’s first deluxe expansion, Wolves of the North, the Starks filled out their theme of sacrificing for the greater good. Robb Stark (Core) stands your entire team, and Catelyn Stark gains both power and strength when a Stark character leaves the arena. Jon Snow can initiate a sacrifice whenever needed, and Jory Cassel will give himself up to protect your major characters.

The Stark military expertise can be seen in efficient characters like Arya Stark (Core) and Eddard Stark. When the Starks win a military challenge, they often capitalize. Rodrick Cassel and For the North! (Core) will give you more cards to work with, while Ice(Core) and Winter Is Coming (Core) will punish opponents by killing their characters.

The Starks are often described as the game’s “police” because of their cards that disallow opposing card effects. Catelyn Stark (Core) and Winterfell pre-emptively stop shenanigans, while Bran Stark (Core) and The Pack Survives let you cancel unwanted surprises.

There’s a “tribal” Direwolf theme ingrained in many Stark cards. Grey Wind (Core) and Wolves of the North can munch on opposing characters. Lady and Nymeria are attachments that give bonuses to the Stark character that they accompany. Like Warm Rain (Core) helps to shore up the greatest Stark weakness, intrigue challenges. A Time for Wolves and Wolf Dreams let you tutor for the right Direwolf to suit your needs.

Finally, related to the Direwolve module is a "naval" package (a term that roughly corresponds to a first edition mechanic). Cards likeWinterfell Kennel Master and Wardens of the North allow you to add characters to a challenge outside of the normal framework for declaring attackers and defenders, making it difficult for opponent's to anticipate your moves.



Strengths: Standing, Military challenges, targeted kills
Weaknesses: Reliant on key characters, Intrigue challenges

The Targaryens are in the position of attacking from outside of Westeros, and as such, they tend to focus on building up and snowballing potential, as well as rising from the ashes with standing effects. This faction relies on its leadership more than most other factions, rallying and coming together around strong leaders like Daenerys Targaryen and Khal Drogo. As the only House with access to dragons, burn (reducing STR and killing characters in this way) is still a central element of House Targaryen. Building your momentum and using that momentum to pressure your opponent are important parts of House Targaryen’s identity.

Strength-reducing “burn” effects that kill, such as Blood of the Dragon, Dracarys! (Core), Crown of Gold, and Plaza of Punishment(Core), give Targaryens potent board control. They will often combine multiple strength reductions together to eliminate even high-strength characters. Additionally, strength reductions like Dragon Sight and Daenerys Targaryen (Core) can help swing challenges in your favor, even if the affected characters aren’t diminished all the way to zero strength.

Speaking of Daenerys, she’s a central figure for the faction, as both the main draw engine (via her Insight keyword) and the beneficiary of her dragon’s abilities. Rhaegal (Core), Viserion (Core), and Drogon (Core) all buff Dany in some way, making Targ somewhat of a combo faction, but thanks to Fire and Blood the pieces are resilient.

The Targaryen’s feature “stand’ (untap) abilities that act as a direct counter to Baratheon kneel, as seen on Magister Illyrio,Handmaiden, and Waking the Dragon. This also gives them the flexibility to attack or defend with a powerful character like Daenerys multiple times in one challenge phase.

The “tribal” or trait-based theme in Targaryen revolves around aggressive Dothraki characters, like Khal Drogo (Core), Aggo andRakharo. It’s not fully fleshed out yet, but you can see the potential.

Another minor theme involves the Targaryen relationship with attachments. Vaes Dothrak and Viserys Targaryen can remove them, while Merchant Prince loves acquiring them.



Strengths: Good icon spread, card draw and economy, strength increases
Weaknesses: Relatively weak high-cost "bomb" characters

The Tyrells are a "more than meets the eye" faction. On the surface, they seem pretty straightforward, but the Tyrells usually operate with a hidden scheme waiting in the wings. The servants and bannermen of House Tyrell are numerous and wealthy, making this faction second in resources only to the Lannisters. The Tyrells are the masters of manipulation in the game, and in some ways, they’re a combo faction with noticeable synergies between their faction’s cards. Finally, the words of House Tyrell are "Growing Strong" so, as you might imagine, raising strength is a significant part of Tyrell strategy.

Tyrell wealth is on display most prominently with The Arbor, which will provide massive long-run gains in return for an immediate tempo hit (four gold to marshal). Paxter Redwyne (Core) provides extra economy from both his gold bonus and reduction of event costs. And the Queen of Thorns (Core) lets you “jump in” a character for free when she wins an intrigue challenge -- a potentially huge advantage.

Randyll Tarly (Core) is the poster boy for the Tyrell “strength raising” theme. Cards like Growing Strong (Core), Margaery Tyrell(Core), and Heartsbane (Core) help you win challenges you would have otherwise lost, or turn a small margin of victory into a blowout in order to trigger effects like The Mander (Core) and Superior Claim.

The Tyrell faction is home to some other forms of challenge trickery as well. Challenge control effects like Highgarden (Core) andMare in Heat remove opposing characters so you more assuredly win the challenges you want to prioritize.

Finally, many Tyrell characters have the Knight trait or benefit Knights, such as Knight of Flowers (Core) and Lady Sansa’s Rose. There are also neutral cards such as Hedge Knight and Tourney for the King that help flesh out this theme. The Knights also support the Ladies of the faction, as evidenced by Ser Hobber Redwyne.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading! Many players give their loyalty to a single faction, but others bounce around frequently, dabbling in everything. If you have any questions, feel free to ask here in the comments, or in the Discord chat group or worldwide Facebook group. Also check out the Community FAQ, a comprehensive list of resources for the game, like decklists, podcasts, articles, videos and more. I'll be back soon with a look at the Banner agendas and what each faction can lend to another. 

Hello there! If you’re new to the game, you’ve come to the right place. This article addresses the key cards and strategies for each faction to give you a sense of their play-styles, strengths, and weaknesses.
 
Cards from the Core set will be denoted as such. Any other cards come from chapter pack or deluxe expansions.

I recommend installing an app like Hover Zoom so you can place your cursor over each card link to see the image without leaving the page.



Strengths: Control through kneel (tapping/exhausting enemies), Power challenges, Winning dominance
Weaknesses: Reliant on key characters, countered by stand effects

The Stags hold the Iron Throne at the opening of A Song of Ice and Fire, and their play style is very consolidating and reactive as they attempt to hold on to this status. House Baratheon doesn’t focus so much on claiming power, as they did in the first edition; rather, they want to hold onto the power they have. In general, the Baratheons try to subdue, avoid, and appease threats, using kneeling tactics instead of killing or harming their subjects. At the heart of it, House Baratheon exists in a position of privilege and entitlement (which makes them good at winning dominance), and they want things to stay the way they are. There is a little bit of a reverse-landslide mentality guiding this faction – House Baratheon is trying to prevent everything they’ve gained from falling apart.

Robert Baratheon (Core) is a monster in challenges because of his plus strength bonus and keywords. He grows stronger as surrounding characters kneel (thematically bending the knee -- it's good to be the King). Stannis Baratheon (Core) locks down a large board, allowing you to focus on appeasing fewer threats each round. Both Robert and Stannis are vulnerable to Tears of Lys (Core), but you can shore up that weakness with Bodyguard (Core), Little Bird (Core), or Selyse Baratheon (Core).

The Red Keep (Core) and Moon Boy demonstrate the Baratheon’s commitment to power challenges (the blue crown icon). They need to win power challenges consistently, or at least not lose, in order to draw cards.

Melisandre (Core) is a repeatable “engine”. Provided you can marshal or play a card with the R’hllor trait once per round, you then kneel any opposing threat (a kind of temporary “soft” control). Other noteworthy R’hllor cards include Lightbringer (Core), a weapon that’s fantastic on Robert or Stannis, and Seen in Flames (Core), a powerful hand control event. You want to find Melisandre quickly, usually through a plot like Summons (Core), and focus on keeping her alive -- beware of Dracarys! (Core) and Put to the Sword(Core). There are also a few non-R'hllor kneel cards, like Even Handed Justice and Consolidation of Power (Core).

The Baratheon’s also feature a dominance-winning module. They use cards like Iron Throne (Core) and Fiery Followers (Core) to have the highest standing strength plus remaining gold during the dominance phase, which will earn them one power towards the victory total. Then cards like Gendry, Tobho Mott’s Armory, Chamber of the Painted Table (Core) and Feast for Crows (Core) give you extra benefits for winning dominance.




Strengths: Stealth & unopposed challenges, power rush, aggression
Weaknesses: Lack of intrigue icons, reliant on being first player, stymied by opponent's attachments

The Krakens are tactical and impulsive. They want to attack and exploit any weakness in their opponents and take advantage of temporary opportunities by gaining benefits from unopposed challenges. House Greyjoy is rash and quick to act, so they prefer to be the first player. They also play the tempo game well. In addition, the Greyjoys do not sow and they’re quick to raze the fields of their foes by destroying enemy locations. Finally, House Greyjoy is resilient and difficult to kill. After all, what is dead may never die…

The primary Greyjoy strategy focuses on winning “unopposed” challenges. They feature many “stealth” characters who can bypass defenders, such as Asha Greyjoy (Core) and Theon Greyjoy (Core). Their most potent threat is undoubtedly Balon Greyjoy (Core), who can only be blocked a characters with equal or higher strength. The Greyjoys also use other tricks, such as Raiding Longship, Fishing Net, and Kraken’s Grasp (Core) to neutralize defending characters. Then, after successfully winning a challenge without defenders, there are many powerful benefits such as targeted kill from Seastone Chair, card draw from The Reader, and power gain from Great Kraken (Core). Some of these tricks can’t affect opposing characters who wield attachments, so Greyjoys often run some form of attachment removal like Weapons at the Door.

The Greyjoys are the most location-dependent faction. They love warships like Iron Fleet Scout (Core) and other cards that benefit when you amass a large fleet like Drowned Men (Core). But beware of Put to the Torch (Core) and Political Disaster.

Speaking of location control, the Greyjoys themselves specialize in that area, with both “soft” control from Lordsport Shipwright(Core) and “hard” removal from Newly Made Lord and We Do Not Sow. On a tangentially-related note, Greyjoy's also like to Pillage (mill) opposing decks, and then take the spoils with cards like Euron Crow's Eye (Core).

Finally, the Greyjoys are hard to kill. “Save” effects like Risen from the Sea and Iron Mines help them escape death from military claim or card effects like Tears of Lys (Core) and Put to the Sword (Core). They also have Aeron Damphair (Core) to revive any Ironborn-traited character.



Strengths: Intrigue and Military challenges, extra economy, efficient characters
Weaknesses: Relatively reliant on variance, power challenges

The Lions are devious, manipulative, and indirect. They are ambush specialists, they play the intrigue game aggressively, and they are extremely wealthy. Figuratively, they are “monsters.” They’re not averse to using torture and intimidation to achieve their goals, and this faction is the home for a number of characters who can be quite frightening when they hit the board. There’s also a chaotic aspect to this faction – the Lannisters deal with a fair number of wild cards and unpredictable entities on their path to the Iron Throne, and being able to make the resultant chaos work in your favor is an important skill for leading this faction.

The Lannisters feature some of the game’s most efficient characters. Tywin Lannister (Core) and Tyrion Lannister (Core) give you extra spending money, allowing you to build decks without adhering to some of the normal economy guidelines. Marshaling them early can lead to a big advantage in the long run.

Ser Jaime Lannister (Core) and Ser Gregor Clegane specialize in military challenges, so Lannister often runs Put to the Sword (Core) to capitalize. Cersei Lannister (Core) specializes in intrigue challenges, while Casterly Rock (Core) allows you to make multiple such challenges and Lannisport (Core) lets you draw a card for winning one. The Lannisters are relatively light on power icons, so Greyjoy and Baratheon decks are often able to capitalize on this weakness.

Finally, there’s an archetype known as “Leaping Lions” because the Lannisters feature many characters with the ambush keyword, such as Burned Men (Core) and The Hound. They also bring pseudo-ambush effects such as Hear Me Roar! (Core) that allow you to jump a character into play unexpectedly during the middle of the challenges phase. The Lannisters take advantage of this strength by using plots like First Snow of Winter that will give them a numerical advantage after extra character jump into the fray.



Strengths: Acting second, icon manipulation (soft control), the long game
Weaknesses: Acting first, relatively weaker characters, the early game

The Martells are patient and strategic, preferring to play the long game rather than making an immediate rush for victory. They often avoid being the first player, waiting to see what their opponents do before making their move. The Martells are also vengeful, always looking for the chance to mete out retribution for past wrongs. House Martell is also prone to sweeping, dramatic gestures: with the Martells, it’s not just about winning, it's about making a show of winning. The concept of the delayed rush – building up slowly and plotting behind the scenes to set up “one big turn” – is strongest with the Martells.

Cards like Doran Martell (Core), Dawn (Core) and Doran’s Game (Core) grow stronger or more effective in the later stages of the game. To survive that long, the Martell faction relies on “icon manipulation” to help them win key challenges. Cards like Nymeria Sand, Maester Calleote (Core), Condemned and A Game of Thrones (Core) limit the opponent’s options. The Martell faction is naturally weak to decks that can either win or establish a dominating board position early.

The Martells like to play second and react to an opponent’s attacks. Cards like Quentyn Martell, Palace Spearman (Core), andSunspear (Core) demonstrate this tendency. The player who wins initiative during the Plot phase chooses which player will act first during the round, so a crafty Martell strategist will often run high initiative plots in order to control this decision.

Finally, the Martells are able to win even when they lose. Cards like Ghaston Grey (Core), the Boneway and the Long Plan activate after a challenge defeat, and make the opponent regret ever engaging you in battle.



Strengths: Defensive tactics, passive power gain, strong locations and attachments
Weaknesses: Many mono-cons (characters with a single challenge icon, making them inflexible), Character control like stealth, kneel, and icon manipulation

The Night's Watch are the scavengers of the realm, and they’re adept at picking up scraps and using what others have thrown away or left behind. They are sworn to defend the Wall and because of this, they’re fierce when defending challenges. The Night’s Watch also has a specialized character base as they divide their tasks and strengths among Stewards, Rangers, and Builders. As a faction, playing the Night's Watch feels the most distinct from the others. After all, they’re not a Great House and they operate with a different set of goals.

Without question, the major Night’s Watch strategy is to find, marshal, and defend The Wall (Core). Once it’s in play, the Wall gives 2 power (out of 15 needed to win) every round, as long as you opposed every challenge thrown at you. To help accomplish this task, the Watch features characters that either have the Stealth keyword, like Will and Ghost, or are unaffected by it, like Benjen Stark(Core). They can also defend the Wall with a horde of cheap characters, like Yoren, but this makes them susceptible to Wildfire Assault.

They also use locations like The Shadow Tower and Castle Black (Core) to deter attacks and make “challenge math” difficult for opponents to figure. Furthermore, if you throw too little strength at the Watch, they can defend and activate The Sword in the Darkness (Core). But if you attack with too many forces, look out for Watchers on the Walls.

The Rangers of the Watch, such as Ranging Party, specialize in military challenges. The Stewards like Samwell Tarly always have intrigue icons. And the Builders like Veteran Builder round out the icon spread with the power icon. The Watch also have some flexibility outside this rigid structure in characters like Unsworn Apprentice, who can fill whatever role you need.

Finally, the economy and draw engines of the Watch are distinct in style from the Great House factions. For money, they have Old Forest Hunter and Meager Contribution (rather than a limited location like Lannister’s Western Fiefdom). For card advantage, they have Messenger Raven, a repeatable and easy to trigger engine – if you can pay to marshal him again each round.



Strengths: Military challenges, self-sacrifice, standing
Weaknesses: Intrigue challenges, many cheap characters prone to weenie control

The Starks are honorable but unyielding, harsh in their judgement and direct in their punishment of those who offend. They have a pack mentality, they understand the notion of sacrifice for the greater good, and they can rally together when one of their own is in trouble. More often than not, they are military aggressors, taking the fight directly to their enemies. This faction is also the natural home of the "Ned" player type (who desires story immersion above all else), and House Stark will be the place where the explicit "nods to Ned" are most frequent.

After the release of the game’s first deluxe expansion, Wolves of the North, the Starks filled out their theme of sacrificing for the greater good. Robb Stark (Core) stands your entire team, and Catelyn Stark gains both power and strength when a Stark character leaves the arena. Jon Snow can initiate a sacrifice whenever needed, and Jory Cassel will give himself up to protect your major characters.

The Stark military expertise can be seen in efficient characters like Arya Stark (Core) and Eddard Stark. When the Starks win a military challenge, they often capitalize. Rodrick Cassel and For the North! (Core) will give you more cards to work with, while Ice(Core) and Winter Is Coming (Core) will punish opponents by killing their characters.

The Starks are often described as the game’s “police” because of their cards that disallow opposing card effects. Catelyn Stark (Core) and Winterfell pre-emptively stop shenanigans, while Bran Stark (Core) and The Pack Survives let you cancel unwanted surprises.

There’s a “tribal” Direwolf theme ingrained in many Stark cards. Grey Wind (Core) and Wolves of the North can munch on opposing characters. Lady and Nymeria are attachments that give bonuses to the Stark character that they accompany. Like Warm Rain (Core) helps to shore up the greatest Stark weakness, intrigue challenges. A Time for Wolves and Wolf Dreams let you tutor for the right Direwolf to suit your needs.

Finally, related to the Direwolve module is a "naval" package (a term that roughly corresponds to a first edition mechanic). Cards likeWinterfell Kennel Master and Wardens of the North allow you to add characters to a challenge outside of the normal framework for declaring attackers and defenders, making it difficult for opponent's to anticipate your moves.



Strengths: Standing, Military challenges, targeted kills
Weaknesses: Reliant on key characters, Intrigue challenges

The Targaryens are in the position of attacking from outside of Westeros, and as such, they tend to focus on building up and snowballing potential, as well as rising from the ashes with standing effects. This faction relies on its leadership more than most other factions, rallying and coming together around strong leaders like Daenerys Targaryen and Khal Drogo. As the only House with access to dragons, burn (reducing STR and killing characters in this way) is still a central element of House Targaryen. Building your momentum and using that momentum to pressure your opponent are important parts of House Targaryen’s identity.

Strength-reducing “burn” effects that kill, such as Blood of the Dragon, Dracarys! (Core), Crown of Gold, and Plaza of Punishment(Core), give Targaryens potent board control. They will often combine multiple strength reductions together to eliminate even high-strength characters. Additionally, strength reductions like Dragon Sight and Daenerys Targaryen (Core) can help swing challenges in your favor, even if the affected characters aren’t diminished all the way to zero strength.

Speaking of Daenerys, she’s a central figure for the faction, as both the main draw engine (via her Insight keyword) and the beneficiary of her dragon’s abilities. Rhaegal (Core), Viserion (Core), and Drogon (Core) all buff Dany in some way, making Targ somewhat of a combo faction, but thanks to Fire and Blood the pieces are resilient.

The Targaryen’s feature “stand’ (untap) abilities that act as a direct counter to Baratheon kneel, as seen on Magister Illyrio,Handmaiden, and Waking the Dragon. This also gives them the flexibility to attack or defend with a powerful character like Daenerys multiple times in one challenge phase.

The “tribal” or trait-based theme in Targaryen revolves around aggressive Dothraki characters, like Khal Drogo (Core), Aggo andRakharo. It’s not fully fleshed out yet, but you can see the potential.

Another minor theme involves the Targaryen relationship with attachments. Vaes Dothrak and Viserys Targaryen can remove them, while Merchant Prince loves acquiring them.



Strengths: Good icon spread, card draw and economy, strength increases
Weaknesses: Relatively weak high-cost "bomb" characters

The Tyrells are a "more than meets the eye" faction. On the surface, they seem pretty straightforward, but the Tyrells usually operate with a hidden scheme waiting in the wings. The servants and bannermen of House Tyrell are numerous and wealthy, making this faction second in resources only to the Lannisters. The Tyrells are the masters of manipulation in the game, and in some ways, they’re a combo faction with noticeable synergies between their faction’s cards. Finally, the words of House Tyrell are "Growing Strong" so, as you might imagine, raising strength is a significant part of Tyrell strategy.

Tyrell wealth is on display most prominently with The Arbor, which will provide massive long-run gains in return for an immediate tempo hit (four gold to marshal). Paxter Redwyne (Core) provides extra economy from both his gold bonus and reduction of event costs. And the Queen of Thorns (Core) lets you “jump in” a character for free when she wins an intrigue challenge -- a potentially huge advantage.

Randyll Tarly (Core) is the poster boy for the Tyrell “strength raising” theme. Cards like Growing Strong (Core), Margaery Tyrell(Core), and Heartsbane (Core) help you win challenges you would have otherwise lost, or turn a small margin of victory into a blowout in order to trigger effects like The Mander (Core) and Superior Claim.

The Tyrell faction is home to some other forms of challenge trickery as well. Challenge control effects like Highgarden (Core) andMare in Heat remove opposing characters so you more assuredly win the challenges you want to prioritize.

Finally, many Tyrell characters have the Knight trait or benefit Knights, such as Knight of Flowers (Core) and Lady Sansa’s Rose. There are also neutral cards such as Hedge Knight and Tourney for the King that help flesh out this theme. The Knights also support the Ladies of the faction, as evidenced by Ser Hobber Redwyne.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading! Many players give their loyalty to a single faction, but others bounce around frequently, dabbling in everything. If you have any questions, feel free to ask here in the comments, or in the Discord chat group or worldwide Facebook group. Also check out the Community FAQ, a comprehensive list of resources for the game, like decklists, podcasts, articles, videos and more. I'll be back soon with a look at the Banner agendas and what each faction can lend to another. 

Yes, of course the tournament is still on. 
 
I didn't create the FB event, but I'm guessing that maybe it's private and requires a FB invite. It's not necessary to RSVP on FB though -- just pre-register by paying the store (Giga-Bites) through paypal or calling them. Thanks!

Welcome to the comprehensive Community FAQ thread. In the Game of Thrones LCG players use customized decks to assume leadership of one of the great houses of Westeros vying for control of King's Landing and the Iron Throne. To achieve their goals, players launch military attacks against their opponents, undermine their opponents’ plans with intrigues of their own, and make brazen power plays to win the support of the realm.
 
The Game of Thrones card game launched as a CCG (collectible card game) in 2002. It was designed by Eric Lang at Fantasy Flight Games and based on the novels written by George R.R. Martin. In 2008 the game rebooted to accommodate a switch to LCG (living card game) format. In August 2015, the game rebooted again, still with the LCG distribution model but with streamlined rules, sleek new designs, and additional factions. Previous cards will not be compatible. However, the new edition does maintain the essential game elements (plot deck, three challenge types, victory condition) of the first edition. For Fantasy Flight's reasons behind the reboot, please read lead designer Nate French'sletter to the community. 
 
Players choose to represent one of eight factions vying for control of or influence over the Iron Throne - Targaryen, Lannister, Baratheon, Stark, Martell, Greyjoy, Tyrell, and the Night's Watch. The Thrones LCG can by played head-to-head (called "joust" -- the usual format for competitive tournaments) or with 3-6 players (called "melee" - more like a board game). The 2nd edition Core set hit shelves in early October, with the first "chapter pack" expansion following in early December. 
 
Second Edition Resources
The Product Page


First Preview Article
Card Database
 
The LCG (Living Card Game) Model
The Core box for 2nd Edition contains 211 distinct cards. You get single copies of most cards, but a few important ones are duplicated to reach a total of 234 cards in the box. Casual gamers may find one Core sufficient, but tournament players will need three Cores to obtain a full play-set of every card. 
If you enjoyed playing with a single Core set, consider enhancing and customizing your decks with cards from additional Core sets, Chapter packs or Deluxe boxes. Under the LCG model, cards are released in monthly chapter packs (approx. $15 MSRP) and bi-annual deluxe expansions (approx. $25-30). Both product types contain a fixed distribution of cards, and each card comes 3x so you have a full play-set immediately. You know exactly what you're getting when you buy a pack -- no chasing rares, and no shelling out big bucks just to play on equal footing in tournaments. 
Chapter packs contain 2 different cards per each of the 8 factions factions, plus 4 different neutral cards, all at 3x each for a total of 60 cards. As of January 28th 2016, we have two chapter packs available, Taking the Black and The Road to Winterfell.
The first Deluxe expansion, Wolves of the North, will feature House Stark prominently but also include a few neutral cards and cards from other factions, with a total of about 55 different cards, at 3 copies each.
To ease the burden of entry for new players and keep the tournament scene fresh, chapter packs rotate out of the tournament-legal card pool after about 4 years (so starting in 2019). The Core set and deluxe expansions will not rotate but rather remain "evergreen". The LCG model makes Thrones a relatively cheap investment compared to collectible card games like Magic. Furthermore, players can easily share a collection with a friend or two by splitting the 8 factions, thus splitting the price.
 
Deckbuilding
In 2nd edition, a player forms his decks by choosing a Faction card (such as House Baratheon) which allows him to use all loyal AND non-loyal cards from that faction. Additionally, the player can opt to use an Agenda card (such as Banner of the Kraken) which allows him to add non-loyal cards from his Banner faction. The Banner agendas are currently the only method to include out-of-faction cards. So far there's only one non-Banner agenda, Fealty, but you can expect more agendas in the expansions. Finally, neutral cards without a faction crest can be added to any deck. 
 
Thronesdb Deckbuilder
Cardgamedb Deckbuilder
Browse Winning Decklists on White Book
Cardgamedb Submitted Decks
 
Official Tournaments
Store championships are the bottom of the organized play pyramid, and the season runs from January to March. Prestigious Regional tournaments run from May to July. The U.S. National Championship is held at Gen Con in August, the European Championship is held at Castle Stahleck in late November, and the World Championship is held at FFG headquarters in Minnesota in early November. The winners of US Nationals, the European Championship, and World Championship events (draft, joust and melee) each earn the right to design their own card! Additionally, major unofficial tournaments are held throughout the year, and local stores can host tournaments with game night kits including prizes like alternate art promos, deck boxes, and playmats. In addition to player-run online tournaments through OCTGN, there's a new initiative called Tabletop Tourney Grounds to create a tiered system of tournaments following FFG's Regional season
 
Discussion Groups & Forums
The Worldwide Facebook Group
Discord Chat Group
Reddit
Throneshub
Boardgamegeek
Team Covenant
FFG Forums
Agotcards
 
Podcasts
Beyond the Wall: Podcasts, Facebook
The White Book: Podcasts, Website, Facebook
Banter Behind the Throne: Podcasts, Facebook
Summer Is Coming: Live on Twitch: Tuesdays at 3 Eastern / 6 Pacific
Calling the Banners: Facebook
Taming Dragons: Facebook
Dobbler Talk: Youtube
 
Essential Articles & Columns
Rules Forum FAQ
The Relative Importance of Challenges
Building Your Main Deck
Building Your Plot Deck
Quill & Tankard Regulars (column series on rules & timing issues)
 
Games on YouTube
Beyond the White Book
Rob St. John
Throne Runner
Songs of Bambi the Bard
scantrell24
cooleo1c
mnbroncos
tinygrimes
Guardians of Tyr
Agotnordic's Youtube & Twitch
 
Blogs & Personal Sites
Wardens of the Midwest
The Old Gods and the New
Jack's Tournament Reports
Valar Tymptir
 
International Resources
Roca Casterly (Spanish)
El único juego que importa (Spanish)
Le Trone de Fer (French forum)
The Conclave (Italian Facebook group)
The Conclave (Italian Youtube channel)
 
Upcoming Cards
Four the Watch Spoiler Tracker
Google Docs Spoiler Tracker
 
Play Online
OCTGN is a free program that allows us to play Thrones online. Second edition went live on July 30th, 2015. A subscription is not necessary to play on OCTGN, but subscribing supports the developers and unlocks some additional features. FFG and OCTGN are not affiliated, so cards released in the last six months are censored - you can have either the text OR the picture, but not both. I recommend going to the "Options" tab and changing the "Zoom Behavior" to "display proxies when holding control". You can host a game or find a game to join in the lobby. To get started, follow the instructions found here.
 
Game Results
The Annals of Castle Black (tournament data)
The Iron Link (individual game results)
Winning Decklists (via White Book podcast)
 
Challenge Phase Timing - Don't Forget to D.U.C.K.!
 
At the end of a challenge, it's important to resolve game and card effects in the proper order.
1. Determine winner - this is where you'd trigger reactions to winning/losing, like Tears of Lys, Lannisport, and Ghaston Grey
2. Unopposed bonus - this is where you'd trigger reactions to claiming the unopposed bonus, like Rise of the Kraken
3. Claim - this is where you'd trigger reactions to claim, for example if a Lord or Lady is killed for military claim, Joffrey can trigger here
4. Keywords - finally, keywords and their reactions happen last, for example, when Robert gains a power for renown, you can trigger Lightbringer
 
Vocabulary (under construction)
Player types include Ned, Jaime and Shagga
Deck archetypes include Combo, Aggro, Rush, Tempo, Toolbox, Soft Control and Hard Control
Game terms includes Burn, Mill, Choke, Resets, Voltron and Metagame
 
Find Players & Events Nearby
You have four ways to search for other Thrones LCG players.
 
The first method is this spreadsheet. Anyone who has the link can edit it.
I've created a tab for each country (more countries can be easily added as necessary). There are columns that ask for state/province within the country, name of your local gaming store, the store's address, a link to your meta's website, forum or facebook group, contact info for someone in the meta, and what time your group regularly meets (if any). Holding Ctl + f will let you search within a sheet to find your state.
 
The second is this pin-able map. Anyone can add a pin for either a store or a player. To add a pin, go to "Additions" in the top right and click "Add Marker - Detailed". To add a PLAYER, make sure the marker color is RED. For the "Entry Name" put your real name, forum handle, or both. For address, you can get as detailed as your exact address if you want, or just put the street name without your house number, or you can just put your city or area code. Then on the "Details" tab you can add an email address or other contact info. To add a STORE, make sure the marker color is GREEN. For the "Entry Name" put the name of the store. Add the exact street address. Then under the "Details" tab you can add contact info for the store. I also recommend adding contact info for your meta in the Description box, such as a Facebook group or forum url. If you make a mistake with your pins, send me a message and I'll correct it.
 
The third method is the event calendar on whitebookpodcast's page.
The fourth method is the player finder on throneshub.
 
Tournament Etiquette
FFG's Tournament Rules (under "Support" and then "Tournament Resources")
 
Cheating is defined as any behavior outside the rules of the game performed with the intent to create an unfair advantage for one or more players. Categorical methods of cheating include (but are not limited to): sleight of hand tricks, component manipulation, collusion, misrepresentation, and unsportsmanlike conduct. All players in a game have a responsibility to maintain the proper board state. If your opponent counts 1 less gold than he should have, you should tell him. If your opponent misses a Forced Reaction card ability that would be detrimental to you, you should tell him. It is not rude to ask for a takeback. It is not rude to decline such a request. In a tournament, you should feel free to continue to play at normal speed until time is called even if your board position is hopelessly lost. However, you should not deliberately stall (play slowly) in hopes of getting a modified loss (worth 1 point) instead of a full loss (worth 0 points).  Scouting is generally frowned upon. Ask your TO and discuss with your meta mates to determine exactly where they draw the line. Some groups allow players to spectate and/or share the details of opponent's decks with their friends between rounds. Personally, I think both of those actions make you an ass-hole, but scouting can be a grey area if "everyone does it".
 
Draft Packs
In November 2013, FFG introduced draft packs which allow players to hold draft tournaments. The LCG distribution model previously made drafting difficult ; players had to create their own draft cubes. But now each player just needs a reusable starter pack ($5) and a randomized draft pack ($15). There were two draft pack sets in First Edition - first Fire and Ice followed by Westeros. FFG added draft tournaments to World Championship weekend starting in 2015, so we can safely assume draft will continue into 2nd edition. 
 
Major Tournament Champions
2015 Worlds - Sam Braatz from Wisconsin - Martell Banner of the Rose
 
Conclusion
Thanks for reading this guide! Feel free to bookmark it, as I make frequent updates with newly relevant links, and share it with other new players. Below you'll find some information from the previous edition of the Thrones LCG, which is not compatible with second edition, and will not be supported by FFG after the European championship at Castle Stahleck in November 2015.
  First Edition Resources
FFG's Support Page
Video Tutorial
Basic Rules
FAQ 5.5 and Tournament Rules (updated July 15 2015) 
Tournament History
 
Rules Questions & Answers
Quills & Tankards Articles
Valar Morghulis
Timing Structure
 
Helpful Sites & Articles
Deckbuilding 101
Card Advantage
Deck Archetypes
Playing With a Limited Card Pool
Setup Analyzer
 
OCTGN for playing online
Download the files
OCTGN Installation Walkthrough
 
FFG's Timing:
FAQs were released 3 to 4 times each year to update the resitricted/banned list and to address unclear rules interactions. Previous FAQs were released on 16th July 2015, 12th February 2015, 15th October 2014, 21st July 2014, 15th April 2014, 14th October 2013, 23rd July 2013, 27th February 2013, 11th October 2012, 3rd August 2012, 20th March 2012, 19th January 2012, 22nd September 2011.

Welcome to the comprehensive Community FAQ thread. In the Game of Thrones LCG players use customized decks to assume leadership of one of the great houses of Westeros vying for control of King's Landing and the Iron Throne. To achieve their goals, players launch military attacks against their opponents, undermine their opponents’ plans with intrigues of their own, and make brazen power plays to win the support of the realm.
 
The Game of Thrones card game launched as a CCG (collectible card game) in 2002. It was designed by Eric Lang at Fantasy Flight Games and based on the novels written by George R.R. Martin. In 2008 the game rebooted to accommodate a switch to LCG (living card game) format. In August 2015, the game rebooted again, still with the LCG distribution model but with streamlined rules, sleek new designs, and additional factions. Previous cards will not be compatible. However, the new edition does maintain the essential game elements (plot deck, three challenge types, victory condition) of the first edition. For Fantasy Flight's reasons behind the reboot, please read lead designer Nate French'sletter to the community. 
 
Players choose to represent one of eight factions vying for control of or influence over the Iron Throne - Targaryen, Lannister, Baratheon, Stark, Martell, Greyjoy, Tyrell, and the Night's Watch. The Thrones LCG can by played head-to-head (called "joust" -- the usual format for competitive tournaments) or with 3-6 players (called "melee" - more like a board game). The 2nd edition Core set hit shelves in early October, with the first "chapter pack" expansion following in early December. 
 
Second Edition Resources
The Product Page


First Preview Article
Card Database
 
The LCG (Living Card Game) Model
The Core box for 2nd Edition contains 211 distinct cards. You get single copies of most cards, but a few important ones are duplicated to reach a total of 234 cards in the box. Casual gamers may find one Core sufficient, but tournament players will need three Cores to obtain a full play-set of every card. 
If you enjoyed playing with a single Core set, consider enhancing and customizing your decks with cards from additional Core sets, Chapter packs or Deluxe boxes. Under the LCG model, cards are released in monthly chapter packs (approx. $15 MSRP) and bi-annual deluxe expansions (approx. $25-30). Both product types contain a fixed distribution of cards, and each card comes 3x so you have a full play-set immediately. You know exactly what you're getting when you buy a pack -- no chasing rares, and no shelling out big bucks just to play on equal footing in tournaments. 
Chapter packs contain 2 different cards per each of the 8 factions factions, plus 4 different neutral cards, all at 3x each for a total of 60 cards. As of January 28th 2016, we have two chapter packs available, Taking the Black and The Road to Winterfell.
The first Deluxe expansion, Wolves of the North, will feature House Stark prominently but also include a few neutral cards and cards from other factions, with a total of about 55 different cards, at 3 copies each.
To ease the burden of entry for new players and keep the tournament scene fresh, chapter packs rotate out of the tournament-legal card pool after about 4 years (so starting in 2019). The Core set and deluxe expansions will not rotate but rather remain "evergreen". The LCG model makes Thrones a relatively cheap investment compared to collectible card games like Magic. Furthermore, players can easily share a collection with a friend or two by splitting the 8 factions, thus splitting the price.
 
Deckbuilding
In 2nd edition, a player forms his decks by choosing a Faction card (such as House Baratheon) which allows him to use all loyal AND non-loyal cards from that faction. Additionally, the player can opt to use an Agenda card (such as Banner of the Kraken) which allows him to add non-loyal cards from his Banner faction. The Banner agendas are currently the only method to include out-of-faction cards. So far there's only one non-Banner agenda, Fealty, but you can expect more agendas in the expansions. Finally, neutral cards without a faction crest can be added to any deck. 
 
Thronesdb Deckbuilder
Cardgamedb Deckbuilder
Browse Winning Decklists on White Book
Cardgamedb Submitted Decks
 
Official Tournaments
Store championships are the bottom of the organized play pyramid, and the season runs from January to March. Prestigious Regional tournaments run from May to July. The U.S. National Championship is held at Gen Con in August, the European Championship is held at Castle Stahleck in late November, and the World Championship is held at FFG headquarters in Minnesota in early November. The winners of US Nationals, the European Championship, and World Championship events (draft, joust and melee) each earn the right to design their own card! Additionally, major unofficial tournaments are held throughout the year, and local stores can host tournaments with game night kits including prizes like alternate art promos, deck boxes, and playmats. In addition to player-run online tournaments through OCTGN, there's a new initiative called Tabletop Tourney Grounds to create a tiered system of tournaments following FFG's Regional season
 
Discussion Groups & Forums
The Worldwide Facebook Group
Discord Chat Group
Reddit
Throneshub
Boardgamegeek
Team Covenant
FFG Forums
Agotcards
 
Podcasts
Beyond the Wall: Podcasts, Facebook
The White Book: Podcasts, Website, Facebook
Banter Behind the Throne: Podcasts, Facebook
Summer Is Coming: Live on Twitch: Tuesdays at 3 Eastern / 6 Pacific
Calling the Banners: Facebook
Taming Dragons: Facebook
Dobbler Talk: Youtube
 
Essential Articles & Columns
Rules Forum FAQ
The Relative Importance of Challenges
Building Your Main Deck
Building Your Plot Deck
Quill & Tankard Regulars (column series on rules & timing issues)
 
Games on YouTube
Beyond the White Book
Rob St. John
Throne Runner
Songs of Bambi the Bard
scantrell24
cooleo1c
mnbroncos
tinygrimes
Guardians of Tyr
Agotnordic's Youtube & Twitch
 
Blogs & Personal Sites
Wardens of the Midwest
The Old Gods and the New
Jack's Tournament Reports
Valar Tymptir
 
International Resources
Roca Casterly (Spanish)
El único juego que importa (Spanish)
Le Trone de Fer (French forum)
The Conclave (Italian Facebook group)
The Conclave (Italian Youtube channel)
 
Upcoming Cards
Four the Watch Spoiler Tracker
Google Docs Spoiler Tracker
 
Play Online
OCTGN is a free program that allows us to play Thrones online. Second edition went live on July 30th, 2015. A subscription is not necessary to play on OCTGN, but subscribing supports the developers and unlocks some additional features. FFG and OCTGN are not affiliated, so cards released in the last six months are censored - you can have either the text OR the picture, but not both. I recommend going to the "Options" tab and changing the "Zoom Behavior" to "display proxies when holding control". You can host a game or find a game to join in the lobby. To get started, follow the instructions found here.
 
Game Results
The Annals of Castle Black (tournament data)
The Iron Link (individual game results)
Winning Decklists (via White Book podcast)
 
Challenge Phase Timing - Don't Forget to D.U.C.K.!
 
At the end of a challenge, it's important to resolve game and card effects in the proper order.
1. Determine winner - this is where you'd trigger reactions to winning/losing, like Tears of Lys, Lannisport, and Ghaston Grey
2. Unopposed bonus - this is where you'd trigger reactions to claiming the unopposed bonus, like Rise of the Kraken
3. Claim - this is where you'd trigger reactions to claim, for example if a Lord or Lady is killed for military claim, Joffrey can trigger here
4. Keywords - finally, keywords and their reactions happen last, for example, when Robert gains a power for renown, you can trigger Lightbringer
 
Vocabulary (under construction)
Player types include Ned, Jaime and Shagga
Deck archetypes include Combo, Aggro, Rush, Tempo, Toolbox, Soft Control and Hard Control
Game terms includes Burn, Mill, Choke, Resets, Voltron and Metagame
 
Find Players & Events Nearby
You have four ways to search for other Thrones LCG players.
 
The first method is this spreadsheet. Anyone who has the link can edit it.
I've created a tab for each country (more countries can be easily added as necessary). There are columns that ask for state/province within the country, name of your local gaming store, the store's address, a link to your meta's website, forum or facebook group, contact info for someone in the meta, and what time your group regularly meets (if any). Holding Ctl + f will let you search within a sheet to find your state.
 
The second is this pin-able map. Anyone can add a pin for either a store or a player. To add a pin, go to "Additions" in the top right and click "Add Marker - Detailed". To add a PLAYER, make sure the marker color is RED. For the "Entry Name" put your real name, forum handle, or both. For address, you can get as detailed as your exact address if you want, or just put the street name without your house number, or you can just put your city or area code. Then on the "Details" tab you can add an email address or other contact info. To add a STORE, make sure the marker color is GREEN. For the "Entry Name" put the name of the store. Add the exact street address. Then under the "Details" tab you can add contact info for the store. I also recommend adding contact info for your meta in the Description box, such as a Facebook group or forum url. If you make a mistake with your pins, send me a message and I'll correct it.
 
The third method is the event calendar on whitebookpodcast's page.
The fourth method is the player finder on throneshub.
 
Tournament Etiquette
FFG's Tournament Rules (under "Support" and then "Tournament Resources")
 
Cheating is defined as any behavior outside the rules of the game performed with the intent to create an unfair advantage for one or more players. Categorical methods of cheating include (but are not limited to): sleight of hand tricks, component manipulation, collusion, misrepresentation, and unsportsmanlike conduct. All players in a game have a responsibility to maintain the proper board state. If your opponent counts 1 less gold than he should have, you should tell him. If your opponent misses a Forced Reaction card ability that would be detrimental to you, you should tell him. It is not rude to ask for a takeback. It is not rude to decline such a request. In a tournament, you should feel free to continue to play at normal speed until time is called even if your board position is hopelessly lost. However, you should not deliberately stall (play slowly) in hopes of getting a modified loss (worth 1 point) instead of a full loss (worth 0 points).  Scouting is generally frowned upon. Ask your TO and discuss with your meta mates to determine exactly where they draw the line. Some groups allow players to spectate and/or share the details of opponent's decks with their friends between rounds. Personally, I think both of those actions make you an ass-hole, but scouting can be a grey area if "everyone does it".
 
Draft Packs
In November 2013, FFG introduced draft packs which allow players to hold draft tournaments. The LCG distribution model previously made drafting difficult ; players had to create their own draft cubes. But now each player just needs a reusable starter pack ($5) and a randomized draft pack ($15). There were two draft pack sets in First Edition - first Fire and Ice followed by Westeros. FFG added draft tournaments to World Championship weekend starting in 2015, so we can safely assume draft will continue into 2nd edition. 
 
Major Tournament Champions
2015 Worlds - Sam Braatz from Wisconsin - Martell Banner of the Rose
 
Conclusion
Thanks for reading this guide! Feel free to bookmark it, as I make frequent updates with newly relevant links, and share it with other new players. Below you'll find some information from the previous edition of the Thrones LCG, which is not compatible with second edition, and will not be supported by FFG after the European championship at Castle Stahleck in November 2015.
  First Edition Resources
FFG's Support Page
Video Tutorial
Basic Rules
FAQ 5.5 and Tournament Rules (updated July 15 2015) 
Tournament History
 
Rules Questions & Answers
Quills & Tankards Articles
Valar Morghulis
Timing Structure
 
Helpful Sites & Articles
Deckbuilding 101
Card Advantage
Deck Archetypes
Playing With a Limited Card Pool
Setup Analyzer
 
OCTGN for playing online
Download the files
OCTGN Installation Walkthrough
 
FFG's Timing:
FAQs were released 3 to 4 times each year to update the resitricted/banned list and to address unclear rules interactions. Previous FAQs were released on 16th July 2015, 12th February 2015, 15th October 2014, 21st July 2014, 15th April 2014, 14th October 2013, 23rd July 2013, 27th February 2013, 11th October 2012, 3rd August 2012, 20th March 2012, 19th January 2012, 22nd September 2011.

If you haven't yet, check out the Community FAQ hosted on cardgamedb. It includes a wealth of information about the game and links to many websites, including podcasts, deckbuilders, and more.

I made an update today to add the Iron Link (a game results database) and Calling the Banners (a Seattle-based podcast).

Such an "expansion" is nearly the same as just buying a 2nd and 3rd Core. So, that's why.

Such an "expansion" is nearly the same as just buying a 2nd and 3rd Core. So, that's why.

Here ya go.

From the team at cardgamedb. 

The Learn to Play book gives you 4 out-of-the-box deck lists (all buildable at the same time from a single Core Set). They aren't tournament legal (not enough cards in the draw deck and they ignore the loyalty rule), but the out-of-the-box decks in 1st edition weren't, either (they only had 45 cards).
 
And even though it's possible to build one tournament legal deck from a single Core Set, the Kingslayer tournament at GenCon used different construction rules: you took all cards from 2 factions of your choice and added at least 10 neutral cards.

Find Players Nearby

You have two ways to search for other Thrones LCG players.

 

The first method is this spreadsheet. Anyone who has the link can edit it, much like the Annals of Castle Black. 

I've created a tab for each country (more countries can be added as necessary). There are columns that ask for state/province within the country, name of your local gaming store, the store's address, a link to your meta's website, forum or facebook group, contact info for someone in the meta, and what time your group regularly meets (if any). Holding Ctl + f will let you search within a sheet to find your state.

 

The second is this pin-able map. Anyone can add a pin for either a store or a player. To add a pin, go to "Additions" in the top right and click "Add Marker - Detailed". To add a PLAYER, make sure the marker color is RED. For the "Entry Name" put your real name, forum handle, or both. For address, you can get as detailed as your exact address if you want, or just put the street name without your house number, or you can just put your city or area code. Then on the "Details" tab you can add an email address or other contact info. To add a STORE, make sure the marker color is GREEN. For the "Entry Name" put the name of the store. Add the exact street address. Then under the "Details" tab you can add contact info for the store. I also recommend adding contact info for your meta in the Description box, such as a Facebook group or forum url. 

 

If you make a mistake with your pins, send me a message and I'll correct it.

Or realize that for an already non-tourny legal intro deck, one less card isn't going to matter enough to throw off printer sheets and production numbers.

No typo. It's correct.
 
There are 32 neutral cards in the Core, but one of them is Fealty, an agenda, so it's not added to the Learn to Play decks.

No typo. It's correct.
 
There are 32 neutral cards in the Core, but one of them is Fealty, an agenda, so it's not added to the Learn to Play decks.

If You Already Have OCTGN and the Thrones Feed from 1st Edition, Skip to Step 3
 
1. Download octgn, create an account, and login
 
2. Subscribe to the Game of Thrones LCG feed by going to the “Games Manager” tab and click “Add Game Feed”. Next to “Name” put something like “Game of Thrones LCG” and next to “Feed Url/Path” put the following without spaces:  http:// www. myget. org/F/octgngamedirectory . Then click “Add”.
 
3. Now in the drop down bar, select the Game of Thrones feed. To install 2nd Edition from the feed, scroll to it and click “Install”.
 
4. Now you need to download the card images (which are censored for 6 months after release). 
 
5. After they download, click “Add Image Packs”, navigate to where you saved the .08c image file on your computer, and select it. After the pack installs, close and restart OCTGN.
 
5. Go to the “Deck Editor” on otcgn, build a deck, and save it to your computer.
 
6. Now you’re ready to Host a game or Join a game. Click on the “Play or Spectate” Tab in OCTGN
 
7. When the game opens, load your deck, move you Faction card and Agenda to the play area, shuffle your deck, and draw 7 cards. Right click on things like your hand or deck to see the available options along with shortcut keys when applicable.

Find Players Nearby

You have two ways to search for other Thrones LCG players.

 

The first method is this spreadsheet. Anyone who has the link can edit it, much like the Annals of Castle Black. 

I've created a tab for each country (more countries can be added as necessary). There are columns that ask for state/province within the country, name of your local gaming store, the store's address, a link to your meta's website, forum or facebook group, contact info for someone in the meta, and what time your group regularly meets (if any). Holding Ctl + f will let you search within a sheet to find your state.

 

The second is this pin-able map. Anyone can add a pin for either a store or a player. To add a pin, go to "Additions" in the top right and click "Add Marker - Detailed". To add a PLAYER, make sure the marker color is RED. For the "Entry Name" put your real name, forum handle, or both. For address, you can get as detailed as your exact address if you want, or just put the street name without your house number, or you can just put your city or area code. Then on the "Details" tab you can add an email address or other contact info. To add a STORE, make sure the marker color is GREEN. For the "Entry Name" put the name of the store. Add the exact street address. Then under the "Details" tab you can add contact info for the store. I also recommend adding contact info for your meta in the Description box, such as a Facebook group or forum url. 

 

If you make a mistake with your pins, send me a message and I'll correct it.