First off, Hello everyone. I've followed Fantasy Flight Games games for a long time. Never really got into them due to cost and the low amount of willing players in my area (Majority of players were all Magic fans). But recently I've been expanding the local player base and have decided to try out the LCGs (due to both the decreased price compared to a CCG and the fact that I've been on a real Game of Thrones high lately. The HBO show renewed my interest and has me rereading the series, so I figured I'd double my AGoT pleasure with the LCG and possibly the board game if I can find a few interested players.

Now, with that being said I'm looking to purchase into the AGoT (starting at the beginning sets and working my way up probably). So if anyone can suggest any places to purchase the Chapter Packs at an even better discounted price than here then that would be great.

I have also read up on the AGoT evolution over the years, I know to avoid the first release (as a CCG) and the older Chapter Packs (that only have 40 cards) in favor of the revised Chapter Packs (60 cards) when applicable. But that's about all I know. So, if there is any reason that I shouldn't start with the core set and then purchase my way up starting with the release order of the chapter packs then please tell me, as that's my current plan.

I'll only be playing casually at this point, no tournaments or anything like that. Probably just a handful of players every couple weeks. I'll also be the only one purchasing cards and maintaining decks of several different houses for others to play with (for the moment). So this is more for fun than anything else. Just looking to build about 4 to 6 balanced decks (one to represent each house -- eventually) for everyone to enjoy some game time.

After your First Core Set, your next buy should be a second Core Set.

The best bang for your buck would be to then buy Deluxe Expansions - when the Lannister Expansion comes out (later this month, hopefully) there will be one for each house.

To decide which Chapter Packs to buy first -- check out the Articles "Reviews for N00bs" (and look at individual cards) on CardGameDB.com, or read the discussions of individual cards on AGOTCards.org.

Thanks for your input Kauai1964.

I've only ever played CCG's, but in my experience with them (when trying to keep multiple balanced decks and simplified mechanics for casual non tournament play) it was always best to start with the first sets and work you way up. As new sets were released then mechanics and strategy changed greatly. Also, cards released in a set considerably later another set usually overpower the cards released from the older set.

I guess what I'm thinking is that I have just now got into the AGoT LCG, but I want to experience the game from the ground up. So I'm thinking I want to play it starting in its "infancy" phase and slowly work my way up to the current releases, as if it were a brand new game. Well, with the exception of the Deluxe expansions...

My Plan right now:

1.) A Core Set (at least 2 probably)

2.) Deluxe Expansions (one of each house)

3.) Chapter Packs (starting from the beginning and working my way up to the newest Chapter Pack)

What I'm wondering, is if there is any problems with my above plan or any reasons that I should alter my buying order.

StarDuster said:

The only thing I'd advise against is this. Your best bet is to buy any of the cycles except for the first 2, because the first 2 come in the decidedly stingy 40-card make-up, whereas the later cycles have 60 cards (except for Defenders of the North but the 60 card reprints are expected very soon). These packs gives you far more deck-building options. The only reasons I would recommend buying packs from Clash of Arms or Time of Ravens is:

1. Buying Ancient Enemies to get the Fury Plots.

2. Buying Refugees of War just because Refugees are objectively awesome.

3. Buying the packs you need from Time of Ravens to fit with your preferred season mechanic.

Circadia said:

I was aware that the first sets were the less attractive 40card Chapter Packs, but are they planning to reprint those sets under the new 60 card format? If not then I don't see a reason to not pick them up. I mean, yeah, they are less attractive due to needing 3 of them. But, I am a collector and would want all of the cards available to me (even obscure ones with little to no playability) -- just like every other CCG I've ever played.

However, if they are planning to reprint those older 40card sets then it makes sense to wait on getting them until that time.

I would recommend holding off on the packs from the first two cycles, at least for a short while. FFG has said that they do intend on doing reprints of those cycles, waiting for them to go out-of-print before doing so. Within the next few weeks (knock on wood), the Lions of the Rock deluxe expansion and the reprints of the Defenders of the North cycle will be coming out, I am expecting/hoping that FFG will announce the rest of the reprints once all that has come out.

If you're goal is completionism, then you can go about buying them in any order you want, though it's not necessarily the best way to go about it if you're aim is to start building strong decks as soon as possible. I think going after the more recent packs will do that better.

alpha5099 said:

My aim isn't necessarily the strongest decks possibly right off the bat per-say. My aim is to build several balanced decks to test out a new game with my play group using mostly the more basic of the basic mechanics of the game (not learning all the mechanics that have been introduced in all the Chapter Packs over the years at one time). If the game is a hit with the play group, then I will begin adding more and more chapter packs to build more advanced decks.

If I do decide that like the game, then I will be a completionist. It's just the way I work, especially in card games.

Also, I forgot to thank you for the reprint information Alpha5099. I'll skip the 40card Chapter Packs for now and hope that they reprint them soon.

I started collecting/playing the game this past summer when I was on AGoT overload with the HBO Series and the new book. Unfortunately, I didn't check things out first as you are, so I wound up picking up all 40 card chapter packs for the older sets. What took the sting out of it for me was that I went through a local comic book/gaming store, and since I was ordering so much at once, they were able to give me a 10% discount on the whole order. So, I'd suggest trying a local store to see if they can get you a bunch of sets at once and if they can give you a discount and you also might find a local playgroup while you're at it...it also helps out a local, small business.

ImmortalJedi said:

Only problem with that is that I am the local store. But I don't carry Fantasy Flight Games products due to the interest of players in my area. I could contact one store that's out of town, but it's about an hour drive to them and the discount they give is still more than some online options I would have.

Since you're playing casually, I'd recommend x3 core sets and each of the deluxe expansions, and if you want more cards after that go for the King's Landing cycle, or maybe the Brotherhood without Banners cycle.

3x core sets will allow you to give a reset to each house (Valar Morghulis for Stark, Targaryen, and Greyjoy; Wildfire Assault for Lannister, Baratheon, and Martell), as well as give you staple cards for each house. The deluxe expansions really help Stark and Bara, and Targ to a lesser extent, but they also give 3x neutral cards and generic reducers like Searoad, Roseroad, River Row, and Street of Steel, which you can distribute to each house evenly to replace some of the Crossroads from the core set.

The "out-of-the-box" decks for Greyjoy and Martell aren't as good, so they will need some neutral help or additional cards from chapter packs. The best candidate for Greyjoy is a Winter theme, but those are in the 40-card Change of Seasons cycle, so instead try out King's Landing or the Raider subtheme in Brotherhood without Banners to flesh them out. Martell is decent with PotS, but you should remove the out-of-house stuff and supplement with a chapter pack cycle. Martell is helped most with a Summer theme, but again, those are in Change of Seasons, so most likely King's Landing or the Sand Snake subtheme from Brotherhood would be best.

The Brotherhood cycle will give you a different flavor subtheme for each house, but they will be markedly different from most themes in the core set and deluxe expansions. King's Landing offers some interesting cards for each house, but bolsters Lannister in particular. I suspect though that when their deluxe expansion comes out, Lannister won't need any help to balance them with the other houses.

I just started a couple of months ago. Most of what people are saying seems right except this:

You must get one of the packs from the first 2 sets before any serious deck building: Refugees of War

Just get 1 copy of RoW because all the 0 cost Refugee Characters come x3 in the pack. If RoW pack eventually comes out in the revised 60 card format I will most likely pick it up anyway just to have the flexibility of making multiple decks for favorite Houses.

I was able to score 3 of the Core Sets, 1 of each of the Deluxe sets (except lannister since they arn't out yet), and the Second Edition Board Game today for a really nice price I think.

And again, thanks for the help everyone. I'm really looking forward to my first game.

If you want to play with Lanni, Bara or Greyjoy look to my offers. I have almost all LCG legal cards for sell. It's perfect if you want to stick only to 1-3 houses

StarDuster said:

Glad you picked up all that at a nice deal. I would definitely recommend putting aside most of that for the moment, and getting your acclimated to the game using just the Core Set. Unless you're learning the game from someone more experienced, trying to learn the game while also sorting through five expansions of material at the same time is probably going to be a bit overwhelming. Get a sense of the cards you have in the Core Set, read through the rules, play a couple games, and then jump into the deep end.

alpha5099 said:

Wow. I followed your advise without even knowing that I had been given advise. Of course, that was my plan to acclimate myself with the game (as I do that for nearly every new card game I play. Stick to the basics before plunging in. Oh, and sorry for the late reply... Oops

I've played several games by now and just started customizing my decks with the deluxe expansion cards last night. I also just ordered the Lannister deck (Lions of the Rock). For right now I've built one of the "recommended" decks for each house from the expansion sheets. Of course Greyjoy and Martell I don't have that satisfaction of doing so to so I decided to leave them out of the fun for now, once again. My LotR expansion wont be in til next week either, so no Lannister deck either.

But anyway, here's my question now... Which Chapter Packs are best to buy now. Keep in mind, I want to keep all of my decks "balanced" for multiplayer games. One particular deck can't be overly better than another. I'm just a casual player, non-tournament, and am the only player with cards in my area. Which I'm fine with as others can use one of my decks. Which is how we play and why my decks need to be more "balanced" in ways. Just looking for more advice from experienced players, thanks in advance for any help.

Hi, I'm a new player and just bought my first core set. I was wondering what I should get next, I like houses that have a strong military power. Also what is the point of having 2 core sets?

Some cards in the Core Set only comes in x1. Serious players want to maximize the card count to x3.

The advice given in this thread are sound:
1) Core Set x2
2) Deluxe Expansion for each house
3) Pick up a cycle of Chapters Packs here and there to experiment.

There are a host of fan sites out there for you to take a peek at cards available for purchase.

I'll refer to this thread for some more nuggets of info for newcomers.

Hasharin,

The simple answer to houses with Military strength, I would say Stark is the strongest. Baratheon, Targ and Greyjoy are all about even at 2nd place.

Thanks guys, I think I'll get the core set and then the Stark and Lannister deluxe sets next.

I'm mainly playing the 2 player game at home with my wife and I'm keen to keep the cost down.. Do you really need the second core set, or can you get by by getting the deluxe expansions directly?

I also worry that if I only get one deluxe expansion, then it would be impossible to balance the different houses as you would have way more cards for one of your houses.

Any advice for a clueless beginner? I've never played this type of game before.

Cheers,

Mc

macfix said:

As a fairly new player only playing within family and some friends, I do see the merits of having a second core set, since it helps with overall house strength in important characters, events, attachments and, most importantly, balancing the flow of plots. Since you play a 2 player based game, it may not be entirely needed, but fun things happen when/if you reveal the same plot (ie; Holding the Trident, Core).

In terms of buying only 1 deluxe, however, this is where things get tricky. Yes, you get x3 of every card in that expansion, but it's mainly geared for one house. Unless you both want to play the same house (even still, it can stretch cards thin), one house will be at a large advantage for having a larger card pool with access to better cards.

If you're concerned with buying either another core or 2 deluxe expansions, I would say get the latter to expand your card pool since you just play with each other. Plus, you can share plots from both expansions!

But again, this is advise coming from a fairly new player.