Game of Thrones: A Telltale Game Series - A Song of Ice and Iron

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Game of Thrones: A Telltale Game Series - A Song of Ice and Iron

In It For The Tank: Feb 17, 2011; But I've yet to figure out a better way to spend my time.

This game (and thread) contains spoilers for the television series! If you haven't watched Season 3 and 4 of Game of Thrones, turn back now! :siren:

Don't talk about the books in this thread! If you want to discuss the books, go here or here! :siren:

The series will be available to download on Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PC, Mac, and compatible iOS devices. Other platforms are to be announced.

The first episode of Game of Thrones will be released on:
2/12: PC/Mac and PS4 SCEA
3/12: Xbox One, 360, and PS4 SCEE
4/12: iOS
9/12: PS3 SCEA and SCEE

Spoiler Policy

Due to the staggered releases dates of the episodes and series as a whole, please use spoiler tags when discussing the events of the most recent episode. For example, tag spoilers from the first episode until the second episode comes out, and then tag spoilers from the second episodes until the third comes out, etc.

Spoilers from the television show up to the end of Season 4 can be unmarked. Season 5 of the show will likely begin before the first season of the game ends, so please tag spoilers from Season 5 where applicable. Book discussion is not allowed.

Story

House Forrester is a noble house from the Wolfswood in the north of Westeros. Bannermen to House Glover, they have always offered unswerving loyalty to the ruling great house of the North – the Starks. The Forresters are seated at Ironrath, an imposing stronghold surrounded by towering Ironwood trees. Built over fifteen hundred years ago by Cedric Forrester and his triplet sons, Ironrath is a testament to the strength and endurance of Ironwood itself. Ironrath sits on the edge of the largest Ironwood forest in Westeros, which has proven to be a strategic advantage for the House. The Forrester house words are ‘Iron from Ice’, which echoes their belief that – like the Ironwood itself – the adverse conditions and unforgiving landscape of the North only makes them stronger. Although the Forresters have not appeared in HBO’s TV show, they are canon to the world created by George R. R. Martin, having appeared in the book ‘A Dance with Dragons’.

You will play the game from five different points of view. Each character you play as is a member of House Forrester; either a direct family member, or a person in service to House Forrester. Scattered across Westeros and Essos, the characters play their part in seeking to save House Forrester from destruction. Caught up in the events surrounding the War of the Five Kings, they are thrown into a maelstrom of bloody warfare, revenge, intrigue, and horror as they fight to survive while the seven kingdoms tear themselves apart.

Characters

Here is a list of the thirteen original characters created specifically for the game:

Lord Gregor Forrester, the father of the House and loyal to the Starks.
Lady Elissa Forrester, the matriarch of House Forrestor that vows to prevent the destruction of her family as had fallen to her birth family, House Branfeld.
Rodrik Forrester, the first-born son of the House and its heir, with a prominent military background.
Mira Forrester, the eldest daughter of the House and serving as a handmaiden to Margaery Tyrell.
Talia Forrester, the second-eldest daughter, who is gifted with a talented voice.
Ethan Forrester, Talia's twin, the third-born son, and an academic that was drawn into the War of the Five Kings.
Ryon Forrester, the youngest son of the House.
Asher Forrester, the exiled son of the House that nearly brought it war and since has resided in Essos to leave that past behind.
Maester Ortengryn, loyally serving the House Forrestor after studying at the Citadel and assigned to the family.
Ser Royland Degore, an experienced military leader that serves as the master-at-arms for the House.
Duncan Tuttle, a good friend of Lord Forrestor to which he now serves as the House's Castellan.
Gared Tuttle, squire to Lord Forrestor and son to Duncan.
Malcolm Branfeld, brother of Lady Forrestor and, with her, the only surviving members of House Branfeld.

The game will also include characters from the show, with voice work performed by the show's actors, including: Cersei Lannister (Lena Heady), Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage), Margaery Tyrell (Natalie Dormer), and Ramsay Snow (Iwan Rheon).

Promo Material

Game of Thrones: A Telltale Game Series - Teaser Trailer

Game of Thrones: A Telltale Game Series - Episode 1: Iron From Ice - Launch Trailer

FAQ

quote:

Is the game based on George R.R. Martin’s original books, or HBO’s TV show?

Our game series is based on the world, characters and events seen in HBO’s TV show, which in turn is based on George R. R. Martin’s books (A Song of Ice and Fire).

When and where does the game take place?

The events in our game series begin towards the end of Season Three of the TV show, and end right before the beginning of Season Five. You will visit familiar locations such as King’s Landing and The Wall, as well as unfamiliar locations such as Ironrath, the home of House Forrester.

Do I play a character I’m familiar with from the TV show?

No. Although you will meet and interact with familiar characters, you play the game from five different viewpoints; all members of House Forrester. This allows us to tell a brand new story within the world of Westeros that isn’t pre-determined by the events seen in the show. It’s important to note though, that the events and characters of the show are intertwined with the game, and do have a very powerful impact on House Forrester.

Do Telltale’s games usually feature this many playable characters?

No. The increased number of playable characters not only reflects the epic scope of Game of Thrones, but is also something that the player needs to be mindful of, because the actions of one character that you are in control of can ripple out to affect the rest of House Forrester. Multiply the actions of one character by five, and you’re truly playing the Game of Thrones… where you win, or you die.

What kind of game is this?

Games of Thrones is an adventure game similar to Telltale’s other award-winning series’ The Walking Dead – A Telltale Games Series, and The Wolf Among Us. Telltale’s games offer a ‘tailored story’ meaning that the story you experience could be very different to someone else playing the game. This is because the story changes around you based on the choices that you make. The reverberations from each choice may be felt immediately, later in an episode, or something may sneak up and surprise you much later in the series.

Why is this game episodic? What does that mean?

Telltale has a history of releasing episodic games – our development philosophy is built around it and it’s something that makes us different from most other developers. Like many story-based TV shows, the game will tell a complete story arc over the course of a season. We will release one episode at a time until all episodes are available and the season is complete.

How many episodes are there in the season, and when are they made available?

There are six episodes in this first season of Game of Thrones. Episodes are usually available to download between 4 and 6 weeks apart.

Is George R. R. Martin involved in the production of this game?

Although Mr. Martin is not directly involved in the day to day creation of the game, he has oversight of the story and other content via his former assistant and collaborator on numerous projects, Ty Franck. Mr. Franck - consultant to Telltale, and author in his own right – ensures that the game is in-keeping and canonically correct with the world that George R. R. Martin and HBO have created.

How is HBO involved?

HBO is the license-holder for Game of Thrones, providing support, guidance, and approval of the game and its contents.

Do I need to have watched the Game of Thrones TV show in order to enjoy this game series?

You can play and enjoy Telltale’s Game of Thrones series without having watched the TV show. However, you will get the maximum amount of enjoyment if you have watched the show to at least the end of season three, and preferably beyond.

Will any characters from the TV show appear in the game?

Yes, you will meet with and interact with major characters from the TV show. We’ll let you find out who!

Do the actors from the TV show featured in the game reprise their roles?

Yes.

Is this game series available to buy on disc?

We usually release a full season on disc, or other retail format, sometime after the final episode is made available to download. Telltale is a ‘digital-first’ company.

How long is each episode?

It varies by player, but most people finish an episode in around 2 hours.

See the full FAQ here.

In It For The Tank fucked around with this message at 22:02 on Dec 2, 2014

# ¿ Nov 21, 2014 05:56

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# ¿ Apr 18, 2024 04:18

In It For The Tank: Feb 17, 2011; But I've yet to figure out a better way to spend my time.

Post reserved for future information.

# ¿ Nov 21, 2014 05:57

In It For The Tank: Feb 17, 2011; But I've yet to figure out a better way to spend my time.

VaultAggie posted:

So is it going to be one character per episode? And then the 6th episode will tie everything up? Or will each episode follow a few characters?

I'm like 90% sure it will be multiple characters per episode. Since one character is an exile in Essos (who I think is a safe bet to be a POV), it would be quite a sudden gear shift if they told a story in Westeros and suddenly you were stuck in Essos for an entire episode. It's not impossible though.

# ¿ Nov 21, 2014 17:48

In It For The Tank: Feb 17, 2011; But I've yet to figure out a better way to spend my time.

There are no puzzles in The Walking Dead Season 2, just a lot of picking up items and using those items on others things to continue to the next area. The only thing that comes close (that I can remember) is having to distract a group of zombies by leaning a corpse against a car horn. But that's really still just picking up a thing and using it on another thing.

# ¿ Nov 26, 2014 20:51

In It For The Tank: Feb 17, 2011; But I've yet to figure out a better way to spend my time.

Game of Thrones: A Telltale Game Series - Episode 1: Iron From Ice - Launch Trailer

Nnnnnnngh it looks so good. Telltale make good trailers.

Since it is coming out tomorrow (for some people... not me with my ratty old PS3), I am in the mood for some speculation. If I had to guess who will be the five playable POVs, I would say:

Mira - all but confirmed I think, she is the only character in King's Landing so she has to be a POV.
Asher - as the sole character in Essos, I think he is a safe bet as a POV. Then again, I could see him being an antagonist that threatens the unity of the family and will reappear at an opportunity moment to reclaim his birthright (AKA Dany stand-in). Maybe he won't be.
Gregor - it was a toss up between the 'Ned' and the 'Robb' of the Forresters, so I chose the 'Ned'.
Ethan - I think we will play as one of the twins, and, since presumably the other male Forresters will be going around fighting, it is important to have a POV back at Ironrath. Plus, he seems more likely to die than his twin, and there is no way we get through the series without one POV death.
Elissa - Catelyn stand-in, so I think she's a definite because she has the interesting dilemma of having two families to save.

Not that I think about it, I will say replace Asher with one of the family's retainers. Probably Maester Ortengryn or Duncan, who seem like Luwin and Davos stand-ins, respectively. To play as someone outside the family will provide an interesting angle to the overlying goal of protecting the family.

In It For The Tank fucked around with this message at 22:10 on Dec 1, 2014

# ¿ Dec 1, 2014 22:04

In It For The Tank: Feb 17, 2011; But I've yet to figure out a better way to spend my time.

I would assume that the heavy focus on show characters in the trailer is for promotional purposes. I wouldn't count on them playing massive roles in the overall story. In the Walking Dead game series, the first episode featured three majorish characters from the comics: Glenn, Herschel, and Lily. Glenn and Herschel did not appear again in the series, and Lily stuck around but was reconceived as a different character to prevent conflict with the comic book canon. I'm imagining a similar trend in Game of Thrones: they'll splurge the budget to secure cameos in the first episode to draw people in and then build the story independently in subsequent episodes.

I would suspect Ramsay might hang around, just because he is such a convenient antagonist and the Bolton's coup of the North is a clear issue for the longevity of House Forrester, but I'm inclined to agree with others that the Whitehills will be the primary threat.

And c'mon, they're just taking cues from the show's own loose understanding of geography with Ramsay at Ironrath. Ramsay teleporting from Dreadfort on the east coast to Ironrath on the west coast is no more egregious than some of the spectacular distances Littlefinger covered in Season 2.

In It For The Tank fucked around with this message at 03:45 on Dec 2, 2014

# ¿ Dec 2, 2014 03:43

In It For The Tank: Feb 17, 2011; But I've yet to figure out a better way to spend my time.

emanresu tnuocca posted:

By the way, given the different release dates and the such I assume same spoiler policy as TWD games? (that is, all black bars all the time?)

Ah, thanks for reminding me. I've added a spoiler policy to the OP. I'll post it here for posterity as well:

quote:

Spoiler Policy

Due to the staggered releases dates of the episodes and series as a whole, please use spoiler tags when discussing the events of the most recent episode. For example, tag spoilers from the first episode until the second episode comes out, and then tag spoilers from the second episode until the third comes out, etc.

Spoilers from the television show up to the end of Season 4 can be unmarked. Season 5 of the show will likely begin before the first season of the game ends, so please tag spoilers from Season 5 where applicable. Book discussion is not allowed.

# ¿ Dec 2, 2014 22:04

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# ¿ Apr 18, 2024 04:18

In It For The Tank: Feb 17, 2011; But I've yet to figure out a better way to spend my time.

Meliv posted:

I've never played an episodic series before. Are these monthly?

Generally, they try to release an episode every other month but sometimes it is a little longer.

# ¿ Dec 2, 2014 23:05

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Game of Thrones: A Telltale Game Series - A Song of Ice and Iron