Hit fantasy TV series Game of Thrones now has five complete seasons under its belt and a legion of fans that seem to be able to recite everything from the Night’s Watch Oath to how large Podrick Payne‘s underpants are. Given how much fans love to show off their hand-earned knowledge, a quiz game was inevitable.
Fantasy Flight Games have done a pretty sterling job so far of turning the popular show into a table top gaming experience, but surely even the mighty FFG can’t take something as mundane as a TV trivia game to the next level? They get pretty close, by doing what they always do- embracing the theme of the franchise as much as possible.
Game of Thrones: The Trivia Game is a two to four player game, in which players answer questions about the people, locations, and events of Game of Thrones’ first four seasons (the spoiler-phobic among you will be happy to know that the seasons are clearly marked on the cards). Some of the questions involve screen shots from the TV series, which is also charming. The game is based on the TV show, which occasionally puts fans of the books at a disadvantage. Which is both frustrating and hilarious at the same time.
Each card has one to three questions. Before a single question is asked, you get to decide how many questions you want to answer. Take a big risk; get a big ‘wedge’. The game board is a map of Westeros, and the aim of the game is to stick as many of your wedges on key locations around the board.
The advanced rules add a resource management element to the game. Correct answers give you coin, raven or sword tokens. Save up the right type of resources and you can draw ally cards. Each ally is a character from the show, and they have special abilities that give you an edge in the game (usually when answering questions). You can also form allegiances with other players, but this is Game of Thrones, you may want to be careful whom you ally with.
For a quiz game, Game of Thrones: The Trivia Game is surprisingly smooth and entertaining. Despite the narrow subject matter, the questions aren’t too obscure, though if you’ve never seen the show you’re not going to have a good time. The advanced elements make is strategic and engaging, and the allegiance rules add a touch of much needed sneakiness. For what it is, it’s rather good.
GAME OF THRONES: THE TRIVIA GAME / DESIGNERS: JONATHAN YING / PUBLISHER: FANTASY FLIGHT GAMES / RELEASE DATE: 15TH APRIL (US), TBA (UK)
