Winter is leaving, but if you really want to embrace it this spring, you can check out the latest Game of Thrones content, courtesy of Asmodee Digital and Dire Wolf Digital's themed strategy game. Today, "A Dance With Dragons" became the first released DLC for A Game of Thrones: The Board Game - Digital Edition, which arrived on PC and Mac. It'll also be part of the game's debut on mobile iOS and Android platforms this very day.
A Game of Thrones: The Board Game - Digital Edition is an adaptation of Fantasy Flight Games’ top-selling strategy board game, which is based on the deep lore of George R. R. Martin’s "A Song of Ice and Fire." Inspired by the fifth novel in the series, "A Dance with Dragons" DLC features "escalated conflict resulting from a shift in the balance of power; Westeros has been ravaged by war, the Baratheons are pushed up North, the Greyjoys plague the ocean and the Lannisters control King’s Landing."
This expansion delivers an alternate scenario that adds new characters with new strategies and tactics to play a relatively quick six-round game meant for expert player(s):
Offering a new gameplay setup, "A Dance with Dragons" DLC pits players at each other's throats from the beginning, radically changing the game with an expert six-round scenario. With 64 new character cards, replacing the previous characters in each House, players can explore new strategies and cunning tactics. The A Dance with Dragons DLC will be available as a separate download for PC / Mac, iOS and Android on April 7.
The new DLC is just as brutal as the base game itself, perhaps moreso since you only get six rounds to dominate your AI or human opponents. If you've already mastered the game's tactics, this encounter will put them to the test. If you haven't played the game at all yet, the DLC offers a trial-by-fire approach to doing just that, once you've gone through the recommended tutorial rounds. The new DLC is basically a resetting of the stage of Westeros, offering new opportunities for you to show off your strategic genius, or complete lack thereof, if you're me. (I learned quite a bit from repeated failures, which is honestly the best way to figure this game out. If only poor old Ned had the opportunity to play this game before losing his head over decisions made in his real world.)
If you're a diehard Game of Thrones fan or just fancy yourself a strategy game expert, there's a lot to recommend in this digital version of the board game. (For transparency's sake, I've only played the Steam version, not the mobile game.) You'll see a lot of characters you love to hate and hate to love, alongside a bunch of head-scratcher characters that only book readers may recognize. Each of them has original artwork to accompany their character card, and many of them have very specific skills pulled from the lore that they'll bring to the battlefield.
But mastering character buffs and debuffs is just one aspect of the overall game. You'll need to plan accordingly, respond appropriately, forge tenuous alliances, and know when to break them with your superior forces. You'll need to balance your control of available supplies while consolidating your royal power if you hope to martial your armies and navies while also controlling three separate influence tracks. And let's not forget the ever-present threat from the Wildling forces north of The Wall, because they'll definitely show up to ruin everyone's day on occasion. All of the chaos and order from the base game gets amped up in this DLC's compressed runtime. It will absolutely test your ability to coherently run a kingdom strategically play the game of thrones, and only the best will win.
Check out the launch trailer for A Game of Thrones: The Board Game - Digital Edition, now on mobile:
To celebrate the mobile launch and the all-new DLC, A Game of Thrones: The Board Game - Digital Edition is currently 20% off on Steam! A Game of Thrones: The Board Game – Digital Edition is the digital adaptation of the top-selling strategy board game from Fantasy Flight Games. During the game, players spread their influence across Westeros through a combination of strategic planning, masterful diplomacy, and military might. As one of the Great Houses, will you conquer with force, forge alliances, rally your townsfolk, or cunningly coerce your way to the Iron Throne?