Ok, I saw a boxed set at a gamestore that looked like it was set up for up to 4 players. The store clerk referred to it as a "living" card game which is different from the collectable card game. What is the difference? I tried reading the info here and couldn't really determine. What is a living card game? What is the difference between living and collectable?

Living is not collectible. This means that there are no rares and all the product is fixed (no randomization, each and every package with the same name has the exact same thing in it). There is therefore no rare chasing and no Mr. Suitcase effect (real or imagined).

The way FFG packages this game is through a Core Set (what you probably saw in the store) which is playable as is out of the box for 2-4 people. The decks are 45 cards and are mostly one shots of each card (there are some doubles of basic resources). The way to expand the game and your decks is to buy chpater packs which are 40 cards with 10 having 3 copies each and 10 being single shots. You can have up to 3 copies fo a card in a deck so some people buy up to 3 of each chapter pack to maximize their deckbuilding.

Its basically a way to explore the mechinics of CCGs without having to spend the same amounts of $$ to be competitive or to remain casual.

I've got the core set and the time of ravens expansion packs, I'm thinking of picking up the first expansion as well... I'm struggling with my desire to build decent legal decks out of the card pool I have, but without an actual 'playset' of some of the key characters and cards it seems like I won't have a competitve deck out of this card pool, and 60 cards is an especially tough mark to hit for some of the houses.

If I need to buy multiples of the core set and expansions to build competitive decks the game doesn't feel much different than a CCG in terms of money invested... I like the game a lot, and want to keep it as a casual 2-4 player game that continues to grow and change. What I feel that I'm missing for this is suggested decks -- if I have all the expansions, how should I modify the core 45 card decks without buying multiple of each chapter pack? Can FFG give me well balanced decklists, maybe in the 45 card range, with each expansion (assuming I buy only one) so the game stays vital, but can also be a casual game next to the boardgames on my shelf?

I like the idea of the LCG, just trying to figure out how best to strike a balance of casual and 'alive'

Also - is there a FAQ? I can't find definitions of some traits like 'deathbound' anywhere.

PorkUnit said:

Deathbound is a keyword, not a trait. The definition of it is on p. 20 of the Rule Book that came with the Core Set. The general definition of a trait can be found on p. 4. (Individual traits have no definitions of powers of their own.)

But there is an FAQ. You can find it in the Support section of the game's page on the FFG site (which is not the same as the discussion boards). A good shortcut link is the "AGoT LCG" icon under the avatars of a lot of posters on the board who have entered a "Top 5 Games" (like the first one under Lars' avatar in the post above yours).

If your goal is to keep it as a casual 2-4 player game, there is no real need to buy multiple packs of anything. Multiples of the cards that come "one in a pack" are more for competitive players who are trying to maximize the odds of using particular cards as part of deliberate strategies. In a casual setting, where a deck isn't bound to the 60 card minimum, such a thing is usually less vital to the flow (and enjoyment) of the game.

And I would argue that part of being a "living" card game is that you try out certain cards that strike you as interesting on your own. You aren't really "living" anything if the company gives you every deck with every card. It may be something of a hold-over to CCGs, but I think of the new cards as things that are supposed to spark your own ideas rather than coming with deck lists to build.

To reiterate ktom's idea:

living = personal creativity, thus LCG

offical deck lists = android

...and both are good games I hear.

PorkUnit said:

its a lot different, becuase you know excatly what you are getting for excatly how much money you want to spend. If you want it to be casual for up to 4 players its $40 period. If yoou want it to be casual for up to 5 players its $40 + one expansion (we don;t know the price as of yet). and if you want it to be casual, but with a dynamic feel and new cards its $40 plus $10 a month or every other month.

Now if you want to be competitive its $120 (almost the list price of an old CCG booster box) + the expansion + $30 a month. And if you want to try out a realy cool combo that you thought of due to a spoiler you don;t have to cross your fingers you get that card in a booster and if you don't you don;t have to chase it down in a singles reseller or e-bay (where some individual cards were going for as much as $20-$25).

A quick story to tell you why i like living better then CCG. I was building a GJ deck and there was a rare in one of the ITE expansions ( i think it was talons) and i got one in my normal first box that i always buy and traded for a second. I wanted three so I bought another box and pack after pack i'd open it, look at the rare and move on when it was it. I had 3 packs left and was starting to get really dissapointed as i had just spent i believe another $75 for virtually one card and had not gotten it. thankfully it was in my last pack or else i was going to be upset and have to see if i could work another trade or find more money to spend on a single. Thankfully it was in the very last pack of the box, but if it had been in a chapter pack I would have only needed to drop $30 bucks and save myself some indigestion.

I like to think of the "Living" Card Game as one that keeps evolving, or growing, every month. When a new Chapter Pack comes out, players get more options to explore, and the game is continually moving forward. I find I tweak my decks more often than I ever did under the ccg model. Before I would build a deck, and when a new set came out I'd make a few changes, but never really tweak it until the next set came out. Now tht "next set" is a month away, and I've often finding ways of changing my deck around. A good card might create a new combo, and I might want to explore that.

I'm also spending alot less money on the LCG format, which has allowed me to try the Call of Cthulhu game as well. I spend less on that one, as there are only a handful of us playing locally, but I am enjoying it. So compared to buying boxes of a new expansion (either at once or over time buying singles backs here and there) I am spending less money and getting full playsets of every card -- and I don't think I've ever gotten a complete set of any GoT release before.

I like LCG for more reasons and many are similar to those JJ mentioned above. The monthly release keeps the game going and even though I dont order cards every month it is still a good way that we can have new cards through the whole year not just one huge collection once a year. It is also better for my wallet I can easily spent like 50$ every two month and dont have to spend 300$ at once.

In LCG is also better for you to build all Houses easier than in CCG. In CCG you always had to chase the good Rares and noone has 6 Iron Thrones or 18 rare 5KE Locations (Vale, Reach, Riverlands) so it was king of hard to build all your decks competitive etc. Now you have all the cards you want and if you need something more than once (like Samwell) you just buy the CP moretimes or you can trade easier.

So far there are still some negative thing like a lack of synergy and diversity, but that is going to fix in next few expansions and with more and more CPs.

The one sad thing is that you have almost no surprise when opening CPs, in CCG I alsways opened booster and and I wanted to know what the Rare card is and was looking forward to see Robb etc, but then it is not that bad at all since you can get mad if you get only one Robb in 3,5 display

JerusalemJones said:

So, JJ, which LCG do you enjoy more? I didn't look too closely at AGoT:LCG before I bought the CoC:LCG. However, after watching that excellent tutorial video, I was wondering if I didn't maybe pick the wrong game. As you stated, AGoT has a broader appeal since dark, slimy Great Old Ones are an acquired taste and some of my friends are more fantasy-minded.

I wouldn't mind getting both of them, but I don't understand the way things work with the cycles of LCG. At some point, will a new Core Set get released and alter or retire previous cards (a la M:TG), or will it just be an ever expanding card pool that will be used forever? Given that'd I be the one buying the Core Sets and CPs, both games are a significant investment (albeit less so with the LCG format).