Battles of Westeros

It's time to call the Banners my Lord. Its time to CRY HAVOC!!! AND LET SLIP THE DOGS OF WAR!!!.

Its a red day dawning in this game from Fantasy Flight, that allows fans of George R.R. Martins books the chance to play the Battles of Westeros.

Now i have never played Battlelore so I can't say how this compares to that game or even if it is compatible, but from looking at other reviews I think I can certainly Say that it isn't. I  am not here to compare it to anything else like others have done, all I am going to do is give you my thoughts and maybe help you make up your mind on spending a large amount of your hard earned cash before buying this game.

OK lets begin, this is a game that comes in a BIG box and it has lots and lots of pieces for you to put together, some folk run it down for this, but I didn't mind in the slightest mainly because someone else did it. So you cant pick up the box and play straight away, but don't be put off by that. A little forward preparation is all it takes to glue the parts onto their bases, and it is worth the effort. each unit is easily identifiable on the table and this in turn makes it easier to plan your moves.

You get a rule book (of course) and a scenario book. The rule book guides you through the first scenario and that's a blessing, it doe's seem that there are a lot of rules you need to memorise and it may seem confusing at first. However you soon realise that it isn't that hard a system to learn and within 3 turns we had the basics down.
Also you get 130+ figures in the box, some order cards, a double sided game board, river and road hexes and a stack of counters.

As for the game itself. It plays out very well indeed. It offers those gamers who want a more depth to their evenings play a real challenge, and while a little luck with the dice is needed it certainly does not take anything away from the game. The tougher units are harder to kill and that's as it should be. You need to protect your commanders and at the same time keep you troops close enough to them so they can receive orders from them. All of this adds to a exciting and fun way to play what is a medieval war game. Also you have the ability to carry out flanking and ranged attacks against your enemy units. The flanking attack can be devastating, you can hold them up at the front stopping them from moving away then send other units in to try and wipe them out. Archers etc. need to be deployed so they can fire at the enemy without being blocked by your own men. All of this is logical and as close to reality as you can get with little plastic men without it being cumbersome and overly complicated.

Individual commanders bring personality traits to the game and each plays differently and so adds another element to the game.

There are expansions all ready out there and another to be released in the near future. So Fantasy Flight are certainly supporting the game. I don't know if there are fan forums around, but i will look into that side and if I see any of note will add a link.

I would say the game is suitable for those looking for a game that has depth and an age of 14+ it plays out in about 90 - 120 minutes. A good game that has lots of replay value and strong 9/10.