Welcome to the comprehensive new-player thread. The Game of Thrones card game started as a CCG (collectible card game) in 2002 designed by Fantasy Flight Games and based on the novels written by George R.R. Martin. In 2008 the game was rebooted as an LCG (living card game). Cards are now released in monthly chapter packs ($10-15) with a fixed distribution of 3 copies each of 20 different cards. The game can by played 1v1 ("joust" - usually more competitive) or with 3-6 players ("melee" - usually more casual, almost board-game style).

In the game players assume leadership of one of the great houses of Westeros vying for control of King's Landing and the Iron Throne. To achieve their goals, players launch military attacks against their opponents, undermine their opponents’ plans with intrigues of their own, and make brazen power plays to win the support of the realm.

Official Resources
FFG's Support Page Video Tutorial
Basic Rules
The FAQ (includes the restricted list and eratta for tournament play, and the shadows and naval enhancement rules)
Participating In A Tournament

Which House Is For You?
This links in this section were penned in 2012, so they're one year old but still contains valuable information. The articles lay out the strengths and weaknesses, generally speaking, of each House.
For example, Baratheon is usually associated with rush in that they can win power challenges and earn renown easily. However, Baratheon also has some control elements from its shadows and Asshai-themed cards, and recently Bara cards have included discard pile recursion.
Greyjoy and Stark excel at military challenges, but both are relatively poor at intrigue. Greyjoy can save its characters from being killed, discard cards from an opponent’s deck, cancel opponent’s effects, and create unopposed challenges. Greyjoy also features Raider characters and Warship locations. Stark , on the other hand, can search (“tutor”) for cards and defend challenges successfully.
Martell is known for their card advantage through “reveal” effects, for taking away challenge icons on opposing characters, and for dishing out punishment when you win a challenge against them.
Targaryen ’s biggest theme is undeniably “burn”, which means reducing the strength of opposing characters and using effects that kill zero-strength characters. Targ also has, you know, Dragons. And Dothraki. They’re probably the third best House for military might, and they have one of the best keywords in the game, ambush, to take advantage of influence-providing cards.
Lannister is all about draw, gold, kneel, and intrigue. They incredible card advantage and economy cards, they can control opponent’s characters, and they can win intrigue challenges to discard cards from an opponent’s hand. But Lannister lacks renown and military and power icons, so they’re usually slow to win. You can’t have it all.

What To Buy First
The answer depends on a lot of variables. If you’re buying for yourself, and you want to build competitive two-player (“joust”) decks ASAP, then find the most efficient (highest rated) cards for your favorite House and buy those packs. If you’re providing cards for an entire group that does four-player (“melee”) casually, then you probably want to focus on maintaining balance between each House.
If you’re unsure where you fit in that spectrum, it’s a good idea to play online first and get a feel for the game’s mechanics before committing to one House, theme, or archetype. You can also browse winning decklists, many of which are posted online, to get a feel for what works.
Whether you play Joust or Melee, it's a good idea to start with 2 Core Sets and each of the Deluxe Expansions, or at least the expansions for Houses that you want to represent. Then branch out to the chapter packs, and start with the newer packs over the older packs.

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Rules Questions & Answers
Quills & Tankards Articles
Rules Questions Forum
Valar Morghulis
Timing Structure

Playing Online
OCTGN Thread with Downloads
OCTGN Installation Walkthrough
OCTGN Shortcuts

Strategy
Deckbuilding 101
The Deck Threads
Article Archive

Podcasts
2 Champs 1 Chump Podcast (Every Friday)
Summer Is Coming
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