A Game of Thrones GT01: The Card Game

I was a big fan of Game of Thrones Living Card Game (LCG) 1.0 and was heavily invested in that game. In all honesty though 1st edition had run its course with it extensive card catalogue, which made it difficult for new players, and broken game mechanics the game needed a complete re-boot. At first I was gutted that I would have to re-buy all the cards and start again as none of the 1st edition cards can be used in 2nd edition, but after seeing the new cards in 2nd edition I can see it's totally worth it! Of all the LCGs available Game of Thrones has always been my favourite.The designers have done a fantastic job tightening up the mechanics of the game and making it simpler. Be under no illusion, this is a complicated game to play when you take into account all the rules and then each cards abilities, where those abilities fit within the turn structure etc. However, compared to 1st edition, this is now much more thought out. There is now a lot more focus on challenges, challenge based effects and playing the game rather than a card having super abilities that completely cripple an opponents decks ability to make challenges in the game!I love the whole Game of Thrones lore and this game allows you to immerse yourself in eight different factions of the series. There are more characters than from just the TV series but you don't have to have read the books to appreciate the game. The factions included are Stark, Lannister, Baratheon, Targaryen, Greyjoy, Martell and new to second edition Tyrell and Nights Watch.One of the biggest appeals for this game is deck building. Straight out of the core box you can make decks, most by allying two factions together to give you enough cards in a deck (e.g. Lannister and Tyrell) but to get the most out of this game you will want to structure a deck, most likely focusing on one faction and that factions strengths and abilities. This core set has one copy of most of the cards within. On the upside this means that you get the most amount of unique characters straight out of the core set. All the unique characters, across eight different factions works out as good value from the core set. However to play competively you can have up to three copies of a card in a deck and for some characters you will want this because their ability is so powerful. This will mean having to buy three copies of the core set to get these cards and most competive player will do this. It was the same for 1st edition.Game of Thrones LCG will have cycles of chapter packs released throughout the games life span. Each cycle consists of six chapter packs released monthly with three copies of twenty new cards for the game each pack, ideal for deck customisation. There will also be a deluxe expansion for each faction during the games life span. The developers have announced that chapter packs will be cycled out to keep the card pool to a limited number of cards as opposed to 1st edition where all cards were available to be used. This cycling is likely to be a good thing as it will keep the game fresh and force people to keep customising their decks. It will also mean that new players later in the games life can join and not have such a daunting number of cards to buy. The one good thing about having to buy three core sets is that the cards in the core set will never be cycled out, meaning your investment in this game can be used throughout its entire life span.Overall this is a vast game that will most likely require a heavy investment to get the most out of the game and to play competively. If you and you friends like different factions you could look at splitting the cost between you, especially at the beginning. Starting out is a big hurdle but it is well worth it in the long run. Casual players will still get enjoyment out of this game but the most satisfying part of this game is building a well structured deck that wins games! I can't wait to see how the game will evolve and that is the beauty of a Living Card Game.

My my, this is a complex and cutthroat game. There's so much to keep track of but once you've had 1 or 2 games you know what to look out for and its ruddy good fun. We found if you try and work the game out from reading the instructions alone you may get confused but playing the first game slowly, openly and fairly whilst referring to the instructions as a group makes it a lot more straight forward.My partner and I imagine it would take weeks of regular play to know the rules off the top of your head but (like another reviewer has said) that's half the fun, if that is your idea of fun. If not, maybe you'd enjoy Cards Against Humanity, Snakes & Ladders or something a bit simpler.We had our first 4 player "melee" and it took about 2.5 hours to complete; 2 and a half hours of head rubbing, rule reading, back stabbing goodness.True to the books rather than the series which makes it so much better than that HBO version.The game itself has 8 different families and players combine 2 families (or Factions as they're called in the game) alongside some neutral cards to create their deck. Once you've had a game or two using the standard deck set ups the game encourages custom deck building.Another great thing about this game is the amount of expansions it has.

First game of this type I've brought for any fans of the show ,books and/or world its a must. All though the rules are a bit complicated for first timers I would say keep playing you soon pick it up... I've even got my grandparents involved and they love it...hopes this helps

If you like Game of thrones and you like card games (of the more modern type such as MTG or NR) then this is a no brainer. I'd have to actually put this above netrunner as the best card game I've ever played. The mechanics are strong, fun and tactical and the way the card powers thematically work with the source material is astounding.

Bought as a gift

Not as good as netrunner. It also annoyed me that you don't get enough cards to play a full 2 player game, a short deck is used.

if you like Game of Thrones this is a must this is the core game with cards for houses for the Starks Tyrells etc it gives you the basic game to try out if you like the game you can go to buy expansions chapters to increase your house decks

I was afraid it will be one of these LCG games, were to get something from it you will be forced to spend gadzylions of pesos. Thankfully it is working perfectly even in basic set. Hours of planning and trying to kill these bloody Lanisters!