A Game of Thrones The Fall of Astapor

A Game of Thrones LCG - The Fall of Astapor

“Robb.” She stopped and held his arm. “I told you once to keep Theon Greyjoy close, and you did not listen. Listen now.”
   –George R.R. Martin, A Storm of Swords

For the first time since the death of Khal Drogo, Daenerys Targaryen finds herself at the head of an army. Even as Astapor burns and the Good Masters fall to the spears of the Unsullied, new events unfold across the Narrow Sea, in Westeros. In a bid to regain the waning support of the Freys, Robb Stark marches his army north to the Twins for the marriage of his uncle, Edmure, but Lannister schemes have already laid the foundation for House Stark to fall into ruin.

The Fall of Astapor, the third Chapter Pack in the Blood and Gold cycle, is now available at your local United States retailer, giving you the freedom to play out the schemes and dark deeds of A Storm of Swords in your games of A Game of Thrones: The Card Game. New economy locations for the Night’s Watch and House Martell make gold more plentiful than ever, while an influx of neutral House Frey cards invite you to add this treacherous House to your decks.

Attack from the Sea

Over the course of any Living Card Game®, certain cards and even cardtypes rise and fall in popularity. With the advent of Valar Morghulis (There Is My Claim, 80), locations offered a level of certainty and reliability that could not be matched by characters in the murderous world of Westeros. Still, even locations may not be safe from the depredations of House Greyjoy as they gain new tools within this expansion.

The first Greyjoy card you’ll find is a new version of Theon Greyjoy(The Fall of Astapor, 51). Though Theon Greyjoy (Core Set, 71) has been a staple in many Greyjoy decks, the new version potentially offers an even better way to get unopposed challenges. Here, Theon Greyjoy costs only three gold, and although his STR is only two, you can see that as another advantage—while Theon Greyjoy is attacking alone, each character with a higher STR than his doesn’t contribute its STR to the challenge!

Essentially, what this means is that only your opponent’s weakest characters have a chance of stopping Theon from winning an unopposed challenge—and in many cases, those characters are the first to die when you win military challenges. If you use Theon Greyjoy to make your first challenge with The Lord of the Crossing(The King’s Peace, 60), the number of characters that can stop him is even lower. Ironically, locations that increase a defender’s STR, likeThe Wall (Core Set, 137) or Castle Black (Core Set, 136), only make it more likely that Theon Greyjoy can win an unopposed challenge to trigger We Do Not Sow (Core Set, 83) or The Seastone Chair (Taking the Black, 11).

It’s also important to note that House Greyjoy isn’t the only faction that gains new ways to handle locations in The Fall of Astapor Chapter Pack. In fact, any faction can use a new neutral event, Lay Siege (The Fall of Astapor, 59). The effect of Lay Siege is simple and direct—as an Action, you can choose and kneel any location. Then, if that location is Contested, it is discarded from play.

In practice, of course, Lay Siege is an incredibly versatile event, since almost every faction uses locations to some respect. Whether you use it to kneel The Kingsroad (Core Set, 39) and restrict your opponent’s economy, kneel The Red Keep (Core Set, 61) to prevent draw, or kneel The Wall to keep your opponent from gaining power, Lay Siege is perfect for giving you the upper hand. And of course, it’s even better against Contested locations, immediately discarding cards like Harrenhal (For Family Honor, 50), Harrenhal (Ghosts of Harrenhal, 82), or Astapor (The Fall of Astapor, 54).

Sow It with Salt

In Westeros, everyone knows that a character can die at a moment’s notice. Soon, locations too will share a measure of that vulnerability.

About A Game of Thrones LCG

The world of Westeros is wracked with war, intrigue, and strife. The Great Houses muster armies and meet in titanic battles, while their assassins and spies struggle in the shadows. Across the Narrow Sea, the first dragons in years have awoken, while in the barren lands beyond the Wall, a nameless threat is stirring, eager to crush the world with freezing cold and endless night. Westeros is unforgiving of mistakes, and in the end, only one game truly matters: the game of thrones!

A Game of Thrones: The Card Game Second Editionis the second edition of a beloved Living Card Game®, featuring cunning plots, iconic characters, and deadly encounters for two to six players. Set in the world of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, every game invites you to take command of iconic factions and battle for power. You must best your opponents to claim the Iron Throne, defeating them on the field of battle, outwitting them in the intrigues of court, or stealing their power in the political arena. Whether you play a two-player joust or a multiplayer melee, this LCG invites you to battle for control of Westeros.