A Game of Thrones The Board Game Mother of Dragons Expansion Strategy Game for Kids & Adults, Ages 14+, 3-8 Players, 2-4 Hour Playtime, Made by Fantasy Flight Games

The Game of Thrones Board Game (Second Edition) is definitely one of my favorite board games out there and this expansion set adds a lot of fun and interesting elements to the base game!The addition of House Targaryen and House Arryn allows more players to join into your game (up to 8 total) which is great if you have a large group of friends who is interested in playing. The dragons are definitely a fun new aspect to the game and thematically it is great to finally include the Targaryens since they play such a big role in the books and show. The only drawback is that adding more players also means that the game will last longer (which can be rough considering how long the game already is!)The addition of the Esos game board was a fun touch (mostly beneficial to the Targaryen player) but I loved the map layovers for Westeros that expanded House Arryn’s territory. This added a lot more fun tension in the Northern part of the map.The Iron Bank addition was a cool concept but I thought it fell a bit flat and did not add too much to the gameplay (although I could see it playing a big difference in your game depending on the circumstances).The vassal system was interesting and helps fill out the board when less than 8 people are playing, but also helps if players have to cancel last minute or leave the game early, but it also gives a big advantage to the players highest on the Iron Throne influence track.My favorite part of this expansion was actually something very simple: the addition of 3 Sea Order Tokens designed specifically for use on your ships. This gave players a lot more flexibility for how to direct their units each round and was especially fun for players like me who like building a large navy!Another small but cool bonus is that this expansion is also compatible with the other two card expansions: Feast for Crows and Dance of Dragons.The only drawback to this expansion is that it adds a lot more rules and elements to an already VERY long and complicated game, but if you are a fan like me or if you already like the base game (which is definitely the most complicated game I know) then I say it is worth the investment!

This does everything that an expansion should do, to the point where it is nearly essential to playing the game from now on. It improves the strategic balance, it simultaneously lengthens and shortens the playtime, and it adds two entirely new houses, including the long-awaited Targaryens - and yes, they have their powerful dragons in tow! This is an expansion that thematically completes the base game, and I imagine the Targaryens will be the most anticipated part of this expansion, since dragons obviously kick ass to have in any game.But I think the best part of this expansion, by far, is how it not only makes it more playable at smaller player counts with the vassal system, but it also allows for players to leave the game early if they choose and have their house integrated into the vassal system (all except for the Targaryens). This is why it both lengthens and shortens the game - it lengthens the game for those who want to keep going with it, and it shortens the game for those who are called to their life outside of Westeros.In short, this expansion makes a fun but inflexible base game more fun and infinitely more flexible. And, it adds dragons! DRAGONS! It is a much-needed expansion that was a long time coming, but what we get is nothing short of perfection. And dragons!

I love playing this gave, it adds a completely new dimension. Instead of playing with fewer houses the vassal feature allows the board to always be full of every house. I enjoy that, the vassal strategy is very different and sometimes feel like controlling a brain dead puppet briefly before you lose the puppet and they around to slap you. Now house Arryn I would say is not an easy house to play at all, Not sure their cards, and map additions make up for their terrible starting position.I would describe playing with the Iron bank and House Targaryan like a larger complex version of prisoners dilemma. If all standard house players worked to destroy Targaryan in the very beginning the dragons could be killed. Targaryan is basically guaranteed to win if the game goes on passed turn 6. Eventually they will collect enough dragon tokens to meet their goal before someone can get 7 castles. To complicate this Targaryan must bribe and help a few of the houses, sowing divisiveness among the other westeros houses. All around a worthy addition to a fantastic game, this will add years of longevity to the game.

This game is not for everyone! Plenty of online tutorials will warn you of this. If you cannot stand long games, with a bunch of rules to consider, then this game is not for you!For those who can enjoy this style of game though, it is an amazing board game adaptation of Game of Thrones. The ability work with and against other players and the dreadful fear of the unknown make the game an enjoyable experience. This expansion makes everything good about the base game even better!

the game is great without this expansion, but adding the Targarian army just adds a whole new dynamic. She feels like what I think the wildlings should have been (Still hoping for that expansion) as an apocalyptic event that you ignore at your own peril. If two nations decided to stop her and were un-harassed, she would be almost no threat early game, but later she is not to be ignored. Aslo, even if you don't want the targarians, the Aerie makes for another great faction on the mainland.