He took the victory, and the champion’s purse, and, for perhaps the first time in his life, the love of the commons.
– A Song of Ice and Fire, Volume I: A Game of Thrones

Fantasy Flight Games is pleased to announce The Grand Melee , the second monthly Chapter Pack of the A Tale of Champions cycle of expansions for A Game of Thrones: The Card Game !

Lords, knights, squires, and sellswords all contend on the field of honor striving for the promised tourney prize and perhaps a lady’s favor. But as quickly as alliances form, they fracture and break. Each combatant seeks only his advantage in the chaos that is the Grand Melee tournament. But who will celebrate with feasts and who will dine on crow?

The thin line between tourneys and battles

The Grand Melee introduces 60 cards – 3 copies each of 20 never-before-seen characters, events, locations, and attachments to give you more A Game of Thrones specific multiplayer deck-building options than ever before!

This Chapter Pack delves deeper into the new keywords introduced in this cycle by introducing powerful characters with the Joust and Melee keywords like new versions of Robert Baratheon and Thoros of Myr. For an in-depth look at the keywords introduced in A Tale of Champions check out " Sing A Song of Champions ", a two-part article about the cycle by A Game of Thrones developer, Damon Stone.

The Grand Melee also features more support for A Game of Thrones multiplayer game by way of cards that are designed to grow in strength when played against multiple opponents. Cards like the new Varys, Whisper Campaign, and The Smalljon will bring new threats and deadly surprises into your already-tense multiplayer games.

The existing strategies and themes of your favorite Houses will also be explored in The Grand Melee . For fans of House Greyjoy's stinging unopposed challenges, Raiding the Reach will find many a welcome home. House Lannister will also get some new attachment control in the new event Bought and Paid For. These and more will be found in this diverse new Chapter Pack.

Don your armor and prepare to join The Grand Melee in the fourth quarter of 2011!