A Game of Thrones 2nd edition

[fatolaf]

About time, this looks really good, even for experienced players...



"The Iron Throne is mine by rights. All those who deny that are my foes." - Stannis Baratheon

"The whole of the realm denies it, brother. Old men deny it with their death rattle, and unborn children deny it in their mothers' wombs. They deny it in Dorne and they deny it on the Wall. No one wants you for their king... You may well have the better claim, but I have the larger army."
- Renly Baratheon

Fantasy Flight Games is thrilled to announce the upcoming release of A Game of Thrones: The Board Game Second Edition! The newly updated version of this popular title offers a number of enhancements, while preserving the tense battle of military and diplomatic superiority that has become a favorite of thousands of hobby gamers.

Based on George R. R. Martin's bestselling A Song of Ice and Fire novels, this internationally beloved game places players in charge of the six Great Houses of Westeros, where they must unseat the other Houses and claim sole dominance over a continent shattered by war and political upheaval. By mustering and sustaining massive armies, conquering territory, vying for power, and forming fragile alliances, each player will aim to ultimately control the most castles and strongholds, affirming him as the peoples' chosen leader and rightful king. You'll need aid on your path, but be careful in whom you place your trust...

Updated art, components, and more

The updated second edition brings a host of enhancements to your A Game of Thrones experience. It includes elements from the A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords expansions, including ports, garrisons, Wildling cards, and Siege engines, while introducing welcome new innovations like player screens and Tides of Battle cards. This, along with updated graphics and a clarified ruleset, means the time has never been better to take control of Westeros.

[fatolaf]

Based on the best-selling novel series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin, A Game of Thrones: The Board Game Second Edition lets 3-6 players take control of the great houses of Westeros in an epic struggle to claim the Iron Throne.

The updated second edition brings a host of enhancements to your A Game of Thrones experience. It incorporates elements from previous expansions, including ports, garrisons, Wildling cards, and Siege engines, while introducing welcome new innovations. Convenient player screens will hide your underhanded dealings from prying eyes, while new Tides of Battle cards convey the uncertainty of war. This, along with updated graphics and a clarified ruleset, means the time has never been better to claim the Iron Throne.

A Game of Thrones: The Board Game Second Edition includes:

    1 Rulebook and 1 Game Board
    138 Plastic Units
    105 Cards
    6 Player Screens
    266 Tokens and Overlays

[fatolaf]

Nearly ten years ago, FFG published A Game of Thrones: The Board Game, Christian Petersen's gripping interpretation of the intrigue, diplomacy, and warfare of George R.R. Martin's epic fantasy realm. Since then, the Iron Throne has changed hands countless times and in thousands of homes, with alliances broken on the battlefield and friendships strained by sudden treachery. At the same time, the A Game of Thrones: The Board Game experience gradually evolved with the release of two expansions, resulting in an epic experience that's been printed in ten languages throughout the world.

Now, with the popularity of A Song of Ice and Fire at an all-time high, Fantasy Flight Games is thrilled to offer a comprehensive and improved version of this beloved board game.

The updated second edition brings a host of enhancements to your A Game of Thrones experience. It incorporates elements from previous expansions, including ports, garrisons, Wildling cards, and Siege engines, while introducing welcome new innovations. Convenient player screens will hide your underhanded dealings from prying eyes, while new Tides of Battle cards convey the uncertainty of war. This, along with updated graphics and a clarified ruleset, means the time has never been better to claim the Iron Throne.

A Game of Thrones: The Board Game's totally updated components will draw you into its world of sun-scorched sands, lush forests, and chilling northlands while bringing your favorite characters vibrantly to life. The board is masterfully rendered to resemble paint on distressed parchment, and the improved token and card art represents the finest A Song of Ice and Fire imagery in the industry. Finally, attractive marbled plastic figures, shaped as footmen, knights, ships, and siege engines, display your military might to the realm while contributing to the game's high-quality aesthetic.

The comprehensive second edition includes select elements of A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords, expansions from the first edition. Garrisons will defend your homeland while your main force is away, and ports provide a convenient area from which to launch your naval assaults. Meanwhile, massive siege engines can accompany your footman against enemy castles, and Wildling cards ensure an added level of risk and reward when dealing with the barbarian tribes beyond the Wall.

In addition to these familiar mechanics, A Game of Thrones: The Board Game Second Edition introduces a number of all-new innovations and enhancements, including Tides of Battle cards, convenient player screens, and more!

Tides of Battle cards are an optional mechanic that brings an element of unpredictability to combat, representing erratic shifts in the momentum of war due to factors such as weather, morale, and tactical opportunity. During each combat, both players draw one Tides of Battle card from a communal deck, and its value modifies the strength of his chosen House card. What's more, such a card may also contain icons that can affect the outcome of the battle...all of which delivers a new level of intensity to your military engagements.

Whether at court in King's Landing or in a pavilion on the battlefield, the wise leader is ever aware of the need for secrecy and discretion. A Game of Thrones: The Board Game Second Edition includes player screens for each noble House of Westeros, useful for hiding your upcoming orders from those nearby! The front of each screen displays a beautiful art piece depicting its House, and the back provides helpful game information and setup instructions.

With a range of enhancements, updates, and clarifications incorporated into a single, visually stunning publication, A Game of Thrones: The Board Game Second Edition is perfect for fans of George R.R. Martin's Westeros or of epic strategy!

Will be on the shop for pre-order as soon as we know the official RRP

[fatolaf]

Coming really soon now, more sneel peaks, love the sound of the new powers for the orders and tokens...

Following orders

The all-important placement of Order tokens is the driving force behind your House's acts of warfare, diplomacy, and betryal. So it's no great insight to say that successful players must seek to maximize the impact of their orders whenever possible.

To this end, players have access to a small number of Special Order Tokens, which are indicated by a star. Based on a player's standing on the King's Court Influence track, he can place a certain number of these especially powerful Order tokens each round, and they offer attractive bonuses beyond their standard counterparts. The Special Defense Order, for example, offers +2 Combat Strength (compared to the standard Defense Order's +1).

So what's new? A Game of Thrones: The Board Game Second Edition introduces some subtle, yet significant, changes to two of the Special Order Tokens. First, the Special Consolidate Power order now offers a choice: you can either collect Power tokens as normal, or (as an entirely new option) you can muster units in the area in which it's been placed! This new versatility allows leaders to gather power for their long term plans, or gain a quick military boost to help mount a sudden attack.
Similarly, the Special Raid order has been altered to provide additional versatility. The previous edition allowed this order to target multiple areas at once. Instead, in Second Edition, the Special Raid order can target enemy Defense orders! When used as part of a coordinated surprise attack, this potent order helps ensure that no area, no matter how well defended, is truly safe.

Claim dominance

The game of thrones isn't always played on the battlefield. Dominance tokens are symbols of a House's political standing, diplomatic savvy, or underhanded capabilities, and the possession of these tokens conveys specific advantages. The keeper of the Iron Throne token, for example, determines the winner of ties, a power that can provide invaluable leverage when dealmaking.

Second Edition introduces new abilities for the Valyrian Steel Blade token and the Messenger Raven token... abilities that are available in addition to those from the first edition, meaning that these two tokens have grown more adaptable without losing any of their former potency. In Second Edition, the holder of the Valyrian Steel Blade token may grant himself a +1 Combat Strength bonus as before, but when playing with the optional Tides of Battle variant, he may also use it to redraw a new Tides of Battle card.

The Messenger Raven token likewise awards a never-before-seen capability in addition to its standard power. Rather than using it to replace an Order token, its holder can opt to peak at the top card of the Wildling deck, afterwards placing that card back on top of the deck or hiding it away on the bottom. Use this secret knowledge when determining how many of your precious resources to send to The Wall, or bluff to compel your enemies to overcommit theirs!

Clarity, convenience, and balance

Beyond these larger additions, a number of smaller enhancements have been implemented that make A Game of Thrones: The Board Game Second Edition more straightforward and elegant than ever before. A Victory track has been added to the game board, allowing players to see who's winning (and against whom to therefore team up) with a quick glance. Early players at Gen Con and other conventions have remarked on the added convenience of the Player Screens, which hide Order tokens from prying eyes while providing useful references.

But another enhancement is in the way A Game of Thrones: The Board Game Second Edition brilliantly scales to accommodate different numbers of players. Neutral Force tokens, which represent unaligned minor Houses unwilling to submit to outside hostility, are placed in predetermined southern areas based on the number of players in the game. These neutral armies serve to delay the "race" for uncontrolled areas, and more realistically represent the uphill battle that all would-be kings must face.

[Tom Hale]

omgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomg HURRY UP!