Hello! I broke down and bought the core set the other day because I love the books and other card games.

I really hope the game woos my girlfrend but I am concerned because I hear the balancing is not great in the core set. Therefore, I want to know the best first matchups to produce close, interesting games. Avoid Lannister? Play the weak houses? Any advice is appreciated.

Note that the other game I play with her is Dominion, another card game but with identical "decks". I think she will be a bit confused by the vast differences between the houses. Also note that she HATES games that are quick rushes for victory points. She likes build-up and strategy focused on card interactions, etc (she likes Kingdom cards in Dominion).

Thanks for the help.

lannister with the core set alone isn't that over powered. With the described preference, I'd play lannister vs targ, they both have solid characters, but don;t rush while also needing time to set up some of their better cards.

Lars said:

Just make sure to adjust the plot decks first so you aren't stuck with ones like Condemned by the Realm.

Lars said:

I agree with this pick. Especially when you're trying to hook a new player.

Whenever I play Baratheon, I feel guilty about having that fast-track reknown which can quickly dominate the game against an inexperienced player. Plus the core deck gives you two Robert Baratheons ... and there's no other core house deck that gives you a duplicate like that.

And whenever I play Stark, I feel very guilty about forcing my opponent to kill off his characters with my "super" military advantage.

Stormtower said:

Didn't Targ have Rhaegal?