Just played our first game of this (2nd Ed) over the weekend, with all new players.

The game is fantastic and we all had a great time. We found the rules to be well laid out, and as we all enjoy the books thoroughly we thought the themes of the houses were pretty well represented.

However the most difficult mechanic by far were the ships (and ports). When they get mustered from a given castle or stronghold, can they go into either a port or a neighbouring sea area? This would effectively give Winterfell 3 possible ship mustering locations?

What about combat in the sea, is it always going to be ship vs. ship? Ship armies are limited to 3 in ports but can go higher in sea areas, with 4 being the theoretical max with supply limits.

I've also read reviews about ships being very unbalanced, but I can't understand why. Is that still the case in the 2nd edition of the rules? Can somebody help explain why?

Warren12 said:

1. Ships can be mustered into a port, or a neighbouring sea area so long as enemy ships are not present. You are correct, Winterfell could muster into 3 possible locations - which makes Stark very flexible.

2. Combat in the sea will always be ship-to-ship - but remember, ships can provide support to battles if they are adjacent to the battle area, so it's definitely possible to have greater than 4 strength.

3. Most of the reviews of this game are based from the very first edition of the game, which had no rules for ports. That means if a player gained control of the sea it was difficult to win it back. The addition of ports in the Clash of Kings expansion, and their inclusion in 2nd edition, has helped ameliorate this disadvantage.

Would that mean you can muster a ship into an adjacent sea area without a port?