Hey guys,

I heard that there may be a new family added to the game of thrones lcg, I was wondering if anyone else heard anything, and knew what family it might possibly be, personally I have a strong feeling it will be the tyrells.

I'm curious as to where you heard this, as I've neither seen nor heard any sign of this.

And as for Tyrells, considering that they've been printing House Tyrell as split between Barathen/Lannister for years, I don't see them introducing them as a full faction for the game. I would also argue that it's thematically inapropriate to the setting.

Hey bud,

Actually there was a fantasy flight games representative at the gaming store down by my school. I was unsure if the information had any truth to it, or if the guy was just bull. Figured you guys would know, and you're definitely right about the tyrells not fitting as a family, would be kind of cool if a few more families were introduced though.

Well, a number of other House are represented through the House trait system.

House Umber, Yronwood, Tyrell, Arryn, Mormont, Clegane, just to name a few.

I can see it working I think, however it would take a lot of work to allow them to catch up to the other houses.

If it is House Tyrell, they could allow the "House Tyrell" traited cards to be included as if they had the House Tyrell house affiliation with text on the House card.

I can see it working, but it would require a huge deluxe expansion(maybe 2x the size of Princes of the Sun/Kings of the Sea) to allow them a chance to catch up quickly.

I think it is unlikely that they will be introducing a 7th "faction" to the game - i.e., a 7th, playable House affiliation. Rumor has it that back when Martell was being added as the 6th playable House, FFG was toying with making the Tyrells the playable House and Martell the House represented primarily through traits. And it was GRRM who told them to go the other way around because, in the story he was laying out, any designs that the Tyrells had for power and control of the Iron Throne was being done primarily through the other Houses (the Tyrells have never tried to take the throne for themselves; their machinations have always been to be the power behind the throne of a Baratheon/Lannister king) whereas it is the Martells who want to displace the current ruling House.

So I don't think we're likely to see the Tyrells as a playable House any time soon. In fact, going by those criteria of aspirations to rule in their own right (whether it be all Westeros or just their part of it), I think the 6 we have are the 6 we're likely to see for the foreseeable future.

Now, I would say that it is very likely that the 7th expansion box (now that there is one for each of the 6 Houses) will play up one or two "trait" Houses (like the Tyrells or the Arryns), or to otherwise concentrate on "House themes" that would be built through the Neutral Faction House card.

The tyrells are definitely playing the games of thrones, they married 3 kings and assassinated 1. Have an army outside kings landing and have been welcomed as heroes. They played a vital part in the battle of the blackwater and drove stannis all the way to the wall. They've been attacking stannis's castles in the south and fighting the greyjoys in the west, and have the second largest fleet. They also have a queen on the throne and influence on the small council.

At this point in time the tyrells are in the strongest position to win the game of thrones, a definite contender for a new faction in the lcg.

I do like he idea of a big box that would supplement the smaller houses, either with agendas (to allow all cards with that house's trait to be included in another faction) or house cards for the minor houses.

Shouldn't the new house (if any) be the Boltons? Roose Bolton has displaced the Starks as well as the Lannisters displaced the Casterlys. I assume since ADWD that besides a few stragglers the Starks are pretty much an extinct house (as much as I hate to say that). Not one of Ned's old allies is standing up to the Boltons since the red wedding.

Also in the future house Baelish (Littlefinger) now controls the vale. Not many characters but House Arryn is also extinct. I don't see a path back to power for either the Arryns or the Starks.

The arryns have only lost 1 crazy woman during the war, the rest of their strength is intact. However they haven't made a play for the throne.

I think we'll see a lot more of them during the next book, but not enough to make it worth giving them their own faction.

Lannisters are all but gone, they still have jaime and his army but that's about it, all the factions that started the war of the five kings are all but burned out. The minor houses at the start of the war are the new major houses. Lannster is now made up of boltons in the north, tyrells in the south, Freys in the middle and a truce with the arryns in the east.

Stark still has loyal followers waiting for a true stark to lead them, manderleys, mormonts, umbers and reeds. These may be following stannis or Bolton but they would gladly switch to a stark if one was available.

It seems in the later books that families and mercenary companies switching loyalties has had a huge impact on the game of thrones, a big box expansion to capture this would be great. It would strengthen a lot of theme decks and add more variety to the types of decks played. I'd see this doing to aGoT what the miskatonic horror expansion did for akham horror.

We're getting to the point where we need to take this discussion to the spoiler board. Just sayin'.

ktom said:

I could not agree with this more.