Fans of Game of Thrones and tabletop gaming are about to be spoiled for choice: two new Game of Thrones wargames are on their way. Cool Mini or Not (CMON) will launch a crowdfunding campaign for ‘A Song of Ice And Fire: Tactics’, based on George R.R. Martin’s books, on Thursday, while Knight Models will release the ‘Game of Thrones Miniature Game’, based on the HBO TV Series, this week.
Cool Mini or Not already makes ‘A Song of Ice and Fire: Tabletop Miniatures Game’, a massed battle fantasy wargame like Warhammer: the Old World. According to a CMON press release from November, “players will be able to integrate their existing ASOIAF:TMG miniatures in the new game”.
Tactics will be a “strategic skirmish wargame” that allows players to “re-create battles and moments from the original story” as well as come up with their own what-if scenarios.
Knight Models specialises in skirmish wargames with highly detailed miniatures, such as the Batman miniature game. It has previewed models from House Stark and House Lannister, which are uncanny recreations of the cast from the HBO ‘Game of Thrones’ TV series. It announced on January 30 that the new game would be available “in just a few days”.
Details of how the Game of Thrones Miniature Game will play aren’t available, but Knight Models tends to make traditional skirmish wargames where models move freely over a scale battlefield.
ASOIAF: Tactics will feature grid-based movement and cardboard terrain tiles, making it a little bit more board gamey – similar to last year’s Dungeons and Dragons: Onslaught.
A CMON livestream from February 2 explains more about the game. The game allows players to fight in different time periods throughout Westerosi history, and all across the continent. The starter box is called ‘The Battle of The Trident’, and the preview shows off a young Robert Baratheon, Rhaegar Targaryen, and the allies that fought with them at the famous battle (and the smaller Battle of the Bells).
The ‘Motivation’ of named Heroes like Robert and Rhaegar will have a big influence on gameplay, introducing unique scoring conditions that reflect the drives bringing the character into the fight. Other characters may show up as named Champions, and unnamed soldiers fill out the ranks of a force.
While we’re curious about the rules, the centerpiece of the crowdfunding campaign is a “playable diorama” with a 78cm tall model of the giant dragon Drogon wrapped around a tower.
CMON estimates the ‘miniature’ will weigh 10kg. Drogon will feature in a special scenario, though he’s utterly unkillable – more of a force of nature in whose shadow other characters will fight.
We’d be lying if we pretended that we didn’t want this behemoth for our Dungeons and Dragons miniature collection. We’ll be keeping an eye on both of these games – there’s no fantasy skirmish game on our guide to the best miniature wargames yet.