The throne is vacant and Westeros is a powder keg! In 'A Game of Thrones: The Board Game (Second Edition)', released in 2011, 3 to 6 players take on the roles of the great Houses of Westeros, diving headfirst into an epic struggle for the Iron Throne. Inspired by George R.R. Martin's acclaimed 'A Song of Ice and Fire' book series, this game demonstrates that victory goes far beyond brute force. Will you dominate by the sword, seduce with sweet words, or win the support of the people? Prepare for sharp strategic planning, masterful diplomacy, and clever card play to spread your influence across the continent. Each player starts with a complete army, including Footmen, Knights, Siege Engines, and Ships, as well as Order tokens and other essential components. And of course, each House has its own deck of unique House Cards, which serve as their leaders in battles against rivals. A round is divided into three phases: the Westeros Phase, the Planning Phase, and the Action Phase. The Westeros Phase introduces global events that can affect everyone, with three different decks dictating the pace. The Planning Phase is the heart of the game, where you secretly assign orders to your units by placing face-down tokens in the areas you control. This is where diplomacy and deduction shine! Alliances are made (and broken), promises are whispered (but never binding), resulting in tense negotiations and often betrayals worthy of the series. In the Action Phase, orders are revealed and battles erupt! When armies clash, each side secretly chooses a House Card to add strength to the combat. Houses can also consolidate their power in controlled areas, using this influence in future turns to position themselves in the court or defend against Wildlings. This second edition features updated graphics and clarified rules, incorporating elements from the 'A Clash of Kings' and 'A Storm of Swords' expansions, such as ports, garrisons, Wildling cards, and siege engines. Additionally, it introduces welcome innovations like player screens and 'Tides of Battle' cards, an optional mechanism that adds an element of unpredictability to combat, representing sudden shifts in the momentum of war due to weather, morale, or tactical opportunities. Each player draws a 'Tides of Battle' card in combat, modifying the strength of their chosen House Card and potentially bringing icons that alter the outcome of the fight, elevating the intensity of your military engagements. This edition reimplements the original 2003 game and its expansions, and has been expanded by 'A Dance with Dragons' (2012), 'A Feast for Crows' (2013), and 'Mother of Dragons' (2018).