Wearing the White Cloak

“The days when men like Ryam Redwyne and Prince Aemon the Dragonknight wore the white cloak are gone to dust and song. Of these seven, only Ser Barristan Selmy is made of the true steel, and Selmy is old.”
   –George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

The fortunes of the Great Houses are in chaos. Eddard Stark has been beheaded on the steps of the Great Sept of Baelor, and House Lannister has stepped into the power vacuum created by Robert Baratheon’s untimely demise. Though the Lannisters hold King’s Landing, Stannis Baratheon has gathered his supporters on Dragonstone, Renly Baratheon has called on the power of Highgarden, and Robb Stark has already been proclaimed king in the north. War is on the horizon.

Advance to the explosive conclusion of the first cycle for A Game of Thrones: The Card Game with True Steel, a new Chapter Pack that’s now available at your local United States retailer and online through our webstore. As we round out the game’s first complete Chapter Pack cycle, you’ll find new cards for every faction, as well as new neutral cards and two new neutral plots. Iconic and powerful characters also enter the game for the first time, including Ser Barristan Selmy, Ser Ilyn Payne, Jhogo, and Dagmer Cleftjaw. 

The Defenders of Kings

When Robert Baratheon led his rebellion and cast down the rule of Mad King Aerys, not every remnant of Targaryen rule was swept away. Some men were pardoned by Robert, including Ser Barristan Selmy—one of the greatest knights in the Seven Kingdoms. For years, Ser Barristan has served House Baratheon loyally, and with the release of True Steel, you can make Ser Barristan Selmy a member of your own Kingsguard. 

In A Game of Thrones: The Card Game, Ser Barristan Selmy (True Steel, 107) takes his place among the strongest characters in the game. With six STR, he can go toe-to-toe with any foe on the field of battle, and in fact, you’ll often want to throw Ser Barristan Selmy into combat as soon as possible, if only to consistently use his ability: when one of your Lords or Ladies would be killed, you may stand Ser Barristan Selmy to save that character! Of course, Ser Barristan Selmy has to be knelt to use this ability, but if you’re already using Stannis Baratheon (Core Set, 52), you can just leave Ser Barristan knelt, priming him to stand at the opportune moment.

It’s immediately obvious that Ser Barristan Selmy boasts an incredibly powerful ability. House Baratheon depends on Lords and Ladies like Robert Baratheon (Core Set, 48), Stannis Baratheon, and Melisandre (Core Set, 47) to attain victory, and Ser Barristan Selmy helps you protect your investment in these expensive characters. If your opponent has to use his Tears of Lys (Core Set, 44) on Ser Barristan Selmy before he can successfully target Robert or Stannis, than the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard has already done his job. 

Protecting your characters and your power is the primary concern for many leaders of House Baratheon, and Ser Barristan Selmy is joined in True Steel by the City Watch (True Steel, 108). This non-unique Army is dedicated to protecting the city of King’s Landing, and they offer substantial STR for your military and power challenges. More importantly, you can also pay to ambush them into play, surprising your opponent with their sudden appearance. 

Though the ambush cost on the City Watch may initially seem steep at six gold, there is a way to reduce it. Provided you have more power on your faction card than any opponent, the cost to ambush City Watch is reduced by two. Of course, this condition is much easier to satisfy in a melee game, but cards like Chamber of the Painted Table (Core Set, 60) make it easy to fulfill for your joust games as well. If you want to hire the City Watch even more reliably, you can always forge an alliance with House Lannister and use Tyrion Lannister (Core Set, 89) to fund your support from the City Watch. 

War Is Brewing

The execution of Eddard Stark and the Lannister coup has brought the Seven Kingdoms to the brink of open war. Prepare for anything when you pick up your copy of True Steel at your local retailer, and look for the War of Five Kings cycle to begin soon!