Considering I'm pretty sure finding 3 players would be a challenge, I'm certainly (very rarely) going to have more than that. A lot of my friends are the type of people who if the rules take longer than thirty seconds to explain, they lose interest.

That said, if I am able to obtain the bare minimum of three players, how good is it? I keep hearing people express concerns about 4-player balance, but how about 3-player balance? I feel like the diplomacy aspect in a 3-player game would almost be kind of null, right?

That said, if I am able to obtain the bare minimum of three players, how good is it? I keep hearing people express concerns about 4-player balance, but how about 3-player balance? I feel like the diplomacy aspect in a 3-player game would almost be kind of null, right?

I would not say that diplomacy aspect is null.

I think it could be very important, in fact, at first.

Because, just like with 4 players, diplomacy is what adds balance to the game.

But, IMHO, the game will loose interest faster, because there are fewer possible alliances.

For sure, 6 players game is the most fascinating.
But 3 player game is way more balanced than 4 or 5 player game. So enjoy. Really, try inviting people just to watch you play and some of them will dire to play with you after.

Don't bother about losing game interest, it's a huge masterpiece, so it will stay for a while.

Alsark,

Apparently, it has much to do with the Houses you choose to permit for the 3-player game. A colleague from work, his girlfriend, and I will play a 3-player game in a few weeks and they're fairly accomplished players. I'm looking forward to it, as I won't purchase the game, since I'm a soloist with games like Arkham Horror and solitaire plays of the war game, The War: Europe 1939-1945. I'll let you know how it goes.

Cheers,

Joe

The 3-player version of the game is not great, I do not recommend it. AGoT really shines at 5+ players, IMHO.

I've played 3-5 player games and it is just as fun with 3 as it is with 5. Okay you may not have access to all the Houses but you can still plot, scheme and ruthlessly stab each other in the back to win the Iron Throne. Great game.