Game Development Reference
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has a strong military ability, but also provides a sense of intrigue. Across the
table, three Stark family members are prepared to defend against the impending
attack: Lady Catelyn Stark, whose intrigue and power scores outmatch Pycelle's;
Hodor, who cannot attack but has amazing defensive strength; and Lord Robb
Stark, who not only has strength, but also has a loyal dire wolf. Ser Jamie leads
by attacking House Stark with his military might, but is countered by Hodor
who repels the attack. Jamie continues to attack with intrigue, but is defended
by Catelyn Stark. he Lannisters inally use Grand Maester Pycelle to power
attack, which is successfully repelled by Robb Stark. But then, the Starks begin
their attack….
Both of these games based on
Game of hrones
revel in narrative and ludic
complexity, but each performs paratextuality diferently.
A
Game of hrones:
he Board Game
focuses on the relationships between the families and Houses
vying for power in the vast cult geography invented by George R. R. Martin for
the seven-book series
A Song of Ice and Fire
, of which
Game of hrones
is the
irst volume. Relying on alliances, House relationships, and geography, the game
attempts to simulate the vast, interconnected networks of intrigue, power, and
military might of the many kingdoms of Martin's Westeros through strategy and
cooperation between players. he game relies on a database of information—
armies, supplies, ports, other players' actions and alliances, and routes through
the complex geography—that needs to be taken into account for strategic game
play. Mirroring the database-like structure of new media,
he Board Game
provides a networked understanding of game play as players use an archive of
information and their own social experiences to resolve the larger story of power
within the game.
In contrast, HBO's
Game of hrones: he Card Game
, the game based on the
television series, relies less on geographic strategy and House networking and more
on the order and procedure of playing cards based on individual characters from
the television program. he HBO
Card Game
uses a serialized form of game play as
the characters, supplies, and locations of Westeros are deployed in sequences that,
as Kurt Lancaster describes of the
Babylon 5
Card Game
, “capture the lavor of the
intrigues, diplomatic actions, and military strikes found in the series.”
1
Rather than
picturing the expansive geography of Westeros on a giant game board, this
Game
of hrones
game uses images from the television series on cards.
2
hrough the
regimented gameplay mechanics, which highlight game player order as well as turn
phase order, the HBO
Card Game
reveals the serialization within paratextuality
and highlights a more narratively focused interpretation of the series.
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