House cards are separated into 5 piles (4,3,2,1 and 0 respective to the printed power value on the card)

then they are dealt out randomly to the players in the standard allotment.

place the cards in opaque TCG or LCG sleeves to conceal their coloured backs and play!

the cards are kept secret until the first combat starts, then you may look at the other player's cards before playing them.

this variant does 3 things:

-makes gameplay by each house change from game to game to game depending on their power cards.

-Levels out the playing field with respect to strengthening weaker house card sets, and reduces the chance for the existing power combos in the cards to come up.

-makes for a better option than using tides of battle cards to inject a little randomness or intrigue into the game.

Note:cards which depend on other cards to be in the discard pile now state (ANY discard pile) instead.

place the cards in opaque TCG or LCG sleeves to conceal their colours... and bam you are done.

in addition to this variant of play, i would suggest random positions on the tracks as well.

put one of the tokens from each participating house in a bag and draw the play order randomly. (iron throne)

for the next track (fifedoms) place tokens in the reverse order of play. (eg: first player goes last on fifedoms)

for the last track (raven) draw randomly again.

this has not been playtested, (turn order, but cards have) but will be this weekend.

notes: card power then ( ) or ( # ) to represent swords or fortification icons respectively

card value

36 -Balon Greyjoy 2 The printed combat strength of your opponent's House card is reduced to 0.

22 -Mace Tyrell 4 Immediately destroy one of your opponent's attacking or defending Footmen units.
22 -Stannis Baratheon 4 If your opponent has a higher position on the Iron Throne Influence track than you, this card gains +1 combat strength.

21 -The Red Viper 4 \#
20 -Eddard Stark 4 \
20 -Tywin Lannister 4 If you win this combat, gain two Power tokens.
18 -Euron Crow's Eye 4

17 -Victarion Greyjoy 3 If you are attacking, all of your participating Ships (incl. supporting Greyjoy Ships) add +2 to combat strength instead of +1.

18 -Ser Gregor Clegane 3 \
18 -Ser Loras Tyrell 3 If you are attacking and win this combat, Move the March Order token used into the conquered area. The March Order may be resolved again later this round.

15 -Robb Stark 3 If you win this combat, you may choose the area to which your opponent retreats. You must choose a legal area where your opponent loses the fewest units.

13 -Renly Baratheon 3 If you win this combat, you may upgrade one of your participating Footmen (or one supporting Baratheon Footman) to a Knight.
10 -Areo Hotah 3 #

10 -Theon Greyjoy 2 If you are defending an area that contains either a Stronghold or a Castle, this card gains +1 combat strength and a sword icon.

10 -Ser Davos Seaworth 2 If “Stannis Baratheon” is in your discard pile, this card gains +1 combat strength and a sword icon.

13 -Roose Bolton 2 If you lose this combat, return your entire House card discard pile into your hand (including this card)
8 -Ser Garlan Tyrell 2 \
8 -The Hound 2 ##
6 -Brienne of Tarth 2 #
5 -Ser Jaime Lannister 2
5 -Greatjon Umber 2
5 -Randyll Tarly 2
5 -Obara Sand 2
5 -Darkstar 2

9 -Ser Kevan Lannister 1 If you are attacking, all of your participating Footman (including supporting Lannister footmen) add +2 combat strength instead of +1.

9 -Salladhor Saan 1 If you are being supported in this combat, the combat strength of all non-Baratheon Ships is reduced to 0.

10 -Tyrion Lannister 1 You may immediately cancel your opponent's House card and return it to his hand. He must then choose a different House card to reveal. If he has no other House cards in hand, he cannot use a House card this combat.

10 -Arianne Martell 1 If you are defending and lose this combat, your opponent may not move his units into the embattled area. They return to the area from which they marched. Your own units must still retreat.

10 -The Blackfish 1 You do not take casualties in this combat from House card abilities, Combat icons, or Tides of Battle cards.

3 -Dagmar Cleftjaw 1 #
5 -Ser Rodrick Cassel 1 ##
6 -Asha Greyjoy 1 If you are not being supported in this combat, this card gains two sword icons and one fortification icon.
3 -Nymeria Sand 1 If you are defending, this card gains a fortification icon. If you are attacking, this card gains a sword icon.
2 -Melisandre 1
2 -Alester Florent 1 #
2 -Margaery Tyrell 1 #

4 -Catelyn Stark 0 If you have a Defense Order token in the embattled area, its value is doubled.

9 -Aeron Damphair 0 You may immediately discard two of your available Power tokens to discard Aeron Damphair and choose a different House Card from your hand (if able).
9 -Queen of Thorns 0 Immediately remove one of your opponent's Order tokens in any one area adjacent to the embattled area. You may not remove the March Order token used to start this combat.
9 -Doran Martell 0 Immediately move your opponent to the bottom of one Influence track of your choice.
9 -Patchface 0 After combat, you may look at your opponent's hand and discard one card of your choice.
6 -Cersei Lannister 0 If you win this combat, you may remove one of the losing opponent's Order tokens from anywhere on the board.

so using the above card powers:

Greyjoy: 86 (Balons value for the total was adjusted to 25 so at to not throw off numbers too much actual is 96)

Tyrell: 66

Martell: 63

Baratheon: 71

Lannister: 76

Stark: 72

So as you can see there are vast differences between the house cards and their relative strengths as a whole. I understand the weakness in evaluating cards sets on some established "value system". this is most likely where someone went wrong in the first place. would you prefer Baratheons house cards? or Straks? because apparently Baratheons are more powerful.

What system did u use to calculate the nubers? Because I can't think of one where Baratheon wins out over anyone even with objecitve standards o.O

And I agree that this might be where it all went wrong as far as the cards are concerned, as the primary power level of the cards is deffinitely the range of possibilities and ease of use they offer rather than individual combat str potential (or total sum per house thereof). That's where the Stark hand beats anyone but possibly Tyrell. When you factor in how geography further enables/disables harnessing a hands/cards full potential whatever numbers you used possibly go way off.

Also, the ability to recycle your whole hand including the card you do it with gets most points in any measuring system, and feels like it comes from a different game entirely. Balon's got NOTHING on Roose Bolton, doubly so for being Starks neigbour, and infinite times more so since Balons only feature is making it easier to win a fight (and win only, no casualties), and can still lose (meaning that you fail to get the only advantage he provides). It's almost impossible to prevent Roose from doing exactly what he is being played for, and the other guy has very little to say in the matter.

bump.

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