So we all know that there are going to be at least 6 houses. I think FFG mentioned in passing in one of their articls that there would be 8 houses. Presumably the previous 6 will all re-appear, but what would bethe other 2? I'm betting on Tyrell and Arryn, with Tully as a distant third choice.
The New Houses!
Those two were already factions in the CCG era (dual house factions) and it may be possible (Tyrell tottally looks like an option). Also, im betting on something like dogs of war, or free city armies, or stuff like that.
I would say Tyrell for sure and probably Arryn.
Tyrell seems like an absolutely shoe in. There is just no way that Tyrell will not be a 2E faction.
Personally I'd like to see them do 9 factions, just so they could add both Tully and Arryn, but if 8 is the number they've settled on, then Arryn seems like the more obvious option. At the time of the books, Tully is pretty inextricably tied to Stark, the house has less of an independent identity than Arryn does.
Since the word faction is used is it possible that it could be a faction based on something other than Westeros. I mean like something from the other side of the Narrow Sea. It has been a bit since I read the books but it is just a thought.
Honestly, I'd love NightWatch to get out of the Neutral pool. They don't worked thematically and, like House Arryn, they could benefit from some unique play mechanics.
My hope is on Tyrell, Arryn and Tully: The 7 kingdoms with Greyjoy and Targaeryen.
Although I like the nightwatch alot I wouldn't want them as an additional faction. The game should be about the houses vying for the Throne.
My hope is on Tyrell, Arryn and Tully: The 7 kingdoms with Greyjoy and Targaeryen.
Although I like the nightwatch alot I wouldn't want them as an additional faction. The game should be about the houses vying for the Throne.
Agreed on Night's Watch, although with what they've said, let me find it...
A starter deck for each faction is included within the Core Set for A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Second Edition, and as you build decks, agenda cards enable you to ally with other factions. You can call upon the allegiance of any other faction when you build a deck: House Stark may call upon the warriors of House Baratheon, or Daenerys Targaryen may embrace an alliance with House Greyjoy.
It would be very thematic to have Night's Watch as a backup faction to Baratheon, or to Stark. In a post-SOTU interview, Nate French talked about going back to the books, pretending he knew nothing about the card game, and asking himself how these houses actually worked and what specialties they had. So Night's Watch as a reluctant ally might be up that alley. We also have a big picture of Old Bear Mormont in the announcement for 2E, so make of that what you will.
(Currently Greyjoy specializes in Unopposed, Claim raising, Saves. Targ has Burn, Ambush, and Recursion. Baratheon has power rush, and Recursion, Stark has Targeted Kill, Lanni has kneel, etc.
Some of those specialties will stay, some will be changed, Nate said. Factions will have sub-specialties, where they may do the same thing as some other house but maybe not as well.)
Anyway, my money is on the current six plus Arryn and Tyrell. I can't really see Tully as its own faction based on how things stand in the novels.
Edited by GrimwalkerI'm hoping that all houses, great and small, are consistent with how their identity is treated on the cards. I have never liked how Catelyn is "House Tully" by trait, and House Stark by faction. IMO the setup would be a lot tighter if a card could identify the "House Stark" trait rather than a picture of a dog. But I still think the Great Houses should have a unique crest and template for ease of play, as they do currently. Add new templates for members of Great Houses that aren't yet templated (Tyrell, Arryn). This is more a matter of consistency than anything.
It would be very thematic to have Night's Watch as a backup faction to Baratheon, or to Stark. In a post-SOTU interview, Nate French talked about going back to the books, pretending he knew nothing about the card game, and asking himself how these houses actually worked and what specialties they had. So Night's Watch as a reluctant ally might be up that alley. We also have a big picture of Old Bear Mormont in the announcement for 2E, so make of that what you will.
(Currently Greyjoy specializes in Unopposed, Claim raising, Saves. Targ has Burn, Ambush, and Recursion. Baratheon has power rush, and Recursion, Stark has Targeted Kill, Lanni has kneel, etc.
Some of those specialties will stay, some will be changed, Nate said. Factions will have sub-specialties, where they may do the same thing as some other house but maybe not as well.)
So maybe Ned Stark won't repeatedly return to life throughout the entire game?
Lannister should continue to have kneel. All shall bend the knee, or suffer the lion's wrath.
Considering Nate said that Stalwart sucks and was a dead letter even in 1E, I'm guessing so too ;-)
Because they call them factions and not houses in all of the literature that we've seen so far, I'm pretty sure were going to get Night's Watch and Wildings. There is potential for brotherhood without banners being a third option. Every thing else that's been mentioned isn't a fraction, it's a house and if they were going to add more houses they would've use that term, because it would've been universal at that point.
The 2CC Facebook page posted an image of some art related to the Second Edition, that seems to show the House insignias. If this is accurate, Tyrell is definitely in, and I think the other insignia could be Arryn.
As I see it, the symbols are Lannister, Targaryen, Baratheon, Greyjoy, Tyrell (golden rose), something which could be Arryn or maybe Night's Watch (it looks like a bird and a sword), Martell, and Stark.
Yes, the border of the 2nd Edition site clearly shows 8 miniature symbols for the 8 Facitons. They are the six from 1st Edition plus Tyrell (the Rose) and Night's Watch (Crow and Sword). I wonder how Night's Watch will look like. Really excited for it.
Edited by Balthier99You mean this?:
Sadly, looks like NW made it as a faction. Dunno which are their motivations in getting on the Iron Throne.
Night's Watch (Crow and Sword)
Night's Watch would be super-duper unthematic. The Game of Thrones is played by the Great Houses of Westeros. It is deeply engrained in the credo and identity of the Night's Watch that it DOES NOT take part in the strifes of the realm.
We know that Martin himself was involved in the decision what houses were playable factions in the CCG. I've heard that he made them pick Martell over Tyrell back then. I don't know if he was involved this time again, but I'm certain he'd veto the idea of making NW one of the factions.
That sygil is some kind of stylization of this one:
Since the dawn of Ice & Fire Ed. we had some sort of balance between houses playstyles. Having 3 kind of character icons, a couple of houses centered on each. Now, with 8 "factions" this will disapear (if only we had a 9th one), and was a thing I really liked (maybe it was not that thematic in the last years, thanks to in-house keywords, but those are also quitting the game).
Edited by ToboganThat's not Night's Watch, that's the falcon of House Arryn.
EDIT: Is that sigil above canon? I don't remember the NW having a sigil from the books, but I might be wrong.
Edited by RatatoskrI don't know if they have an "official" sigil, but they surely have tons of Jon Snow fans from the TV series.
Edited by ToboganI don't know if they have an "official" sigil, but they surely have tons of Jon Snow fans from the TV series.
~And that's who they're basing the fluff of the card game on? Clueless cosplayers?I don't know if they have an "official" sigil, but they surely have tons of Jon Snow fans from the TV series.
Maybe not the fluff, but probably their income.
Maybe not the fluff, but probably their income.
They're welcome to that.
Maybe I should just get my head out of my ass. It's a card game. It is very much abstracted by nature. In fact, I always looked down a bit at players who tried to build thematic decks in a game where a bird could don golden plate mail and then go visit the brothel. But the faction composition is so fundamental, and Arryn would make so much more sense than NW, that I'd really be a put down if they went NW. I guess it would make sense in a way, there's quite little Arryn and a ton of NW in the stupid TV series, so I guess I could understand if they decided to go for bigger mass appeal and just live with the grumbling of a few nerds. But I still hope they'd treat the source material with respect.
Maybe not the fluff, but probably their income.
They're welcome to that.
Maybe I should just get my head out of my ass. It's a card game. It is very much abstracted by nature. In fact, I always looked down a bit at players who tried to build thematic decks in a game where a bird could don golden plate mail and then go visit the brothel. But the faction composition is so fundamental, and Arryn would make so much more sense than NW, that I'd really be a put down if they went NW. I guess it would make sense in a way, there's quite little Arryn and a ton of NW in the stupid TV series, so I guess I could understand if they decided to go for bigger mass appeal and just live with the grumbling of a few nerds. But I still hope they'd treat the source material with respect.
On the other hand, having the Night's Watch as an Allied faction with one of the houses is extremely canon. Stark/NW, Bara/NW--that's a thing. And the shoddy state of the Watch going into the books is arguably the result of a protracted series of lost Intrigue and Power challenges at the hands of Targaryen, Baratheon, and Lannister.
The Greyjoys may be a pack of barbarous, murdering savages, but at least they never troubled the Night's Watch.