LogFAQs > #898718763

On the gameplay side, the Plot Deck (and general turn order) is one of the most interesting parts of the game. I come from a "your turn to draw a card, play them, and attack me, now my turn" system - but AGOT alternates each phase. "We both draw, you play guys, I play guys, you attack me, I attack you." So you have to decide what to hold back when you're going first, or how much you want to commit to defense when you're going second. At the beginning of each such round is the Plot Phase - a point where both players simultaneously choose a card from their plot deck and reveal them. The plots can have powerful instant abilities such as discarding characters from the board or from a player's hand; they can have constant abilities like protecting characters or increasing your characters' strength; they also give you your income for the round (as opposed to relying solely on draw deck cards) and your claim value.

The claim value of a card ties to challenges. There are three different types of attack you can declare in AGOT LCG - Military, Intrigue, and Power. A character's eligibility to participate in a challenge type is determined by whether or not they have the appropriate challenge icon printed on them. Win one of these as the offensive player, and your opponent pays the Claim value printed on your plot (usually 1, but can be 0 or 2 or altered by card effects) - choosing and killing characters of theirs (Military), losing cards at random from their hand(Intrigue), or giving power (the victory condition) to the winner (Power). It's infinitely more interesting than "I hit you, you lose life."

Thematically, AGOT LCG gets the job done. As I've mentioned before, ASOIAF is pretty much the only IP that gets me to pay, and AGOT LCG does it really well, with thematically named abilities that suit the characters. King Robert Baratheon gets stronger when others kneel (card turned sideways) and can Intimidate others into kneeling after he attacks. Ser Jaime Lannister is an expert at Military challenges, but he has no Power icon, indicating he can't hold titles as a Kingsguard and is disgraced. Eddard Stark stands up (un-kneels) when you attack him. Combined with the great art and card layout, the immersion in the game is brilliant.

Future - I have little time to buy cards and build decks, but I'm still in it for the community - which is friendly enough to supply me with decks when I do go to tournaments and game nights. It's a really good experience.

Bonus question - What is your favorite lifestyle game? What games are you into that have their own community around them?

Hint for #2 - a game by a designer in the top ten
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yet all sailors of all sorts are more or less capricious and unreliable - they live in the varying outer weather, and they inhale its fickleness