Beheading Ned - Hear Me Roar

Fair Warning: Beheading Ned centers on story-based play and may contain spoilers. If you haven't read all of the books and don't wish to have plot points spoiled, you may have to look elsewhere. Material from all five books is fair game in this column, not just from the TV show.

As we continue our tour through the Great Houses of Westeros and the way in which A Game of Thrones: LCG interprets the lore into playstyle, what better place to stop next than the Western jewel of Lannisport. House Lannister, at the time the game is set, has been a powerful force in the kingdom for some time. Their words are "Hear Me Roar," and perhaps no one typifies this saying more than their patriarch, Tywin Lannister.

A hard man, Tywin rules with an iron fist. He served as Hand of the King for Mad King Aerys Targaryen and gave the realm twenty years of peace and prosperity during that reign. Also, he had hoped at one time to marry his oldest daughter Cersei to Prince Rhaegar. That certainly didn't work out as he had hoped, and he then found himself grafting for position after the sack of King's Landing during Robert's Rebellion.

How exactly does the past Hand of the former king endear himself to the violent usurper of his throne? Well, a marriage contract would do nicely in many instances. Tywin arranged for Cersei to wed Robert, thus cementing the alliance. He knew just when to turn Turk, as it were, and his house reaped the benefits. His mastery of back-alley politics and the maneuverings of the Small Council are borne out in a few different ways in the LCG.

The first of these ways is Lannister's dominance of the Intrigue challenge. The Intrigue challenge seeks to reduce the opponent's cards in hand and therefore the options they have going forward. Similar to the way in which House Lannister sought to outmaneuver opponents without even having to do battle, the LCG's House Lannister seeks to destroy your cards before they can even be mustered. Their agenda, The Power Behind the Throne (LotR), helps them do this exceptionally well--they can mount two assaults on your options each and every turn. Using cards like Maester Creylen (FtC) and Cersei Lannister (LotR), such Intrigue assaults can double as power grab for your house....mastering that game certainly put House Lannister in good stead within the saga. (side note: Is anyone else bothered that Cersei Lannister is one of the best characters in the game during intrigue challenges when she is clearly incompetent in the books? I guess I can't have everything I wish for....)

Tywin's mastery of Intrigue is practical as well as theoretical. During the time when Robb Stark was marching south to take his revenge for his father's execution, he didn't lose a single battle, even defeating Tywin himself in the field. But Tywin's experience was too much for him; the letters he wrote to undo Robb's alliances turned the tide in his favor. In this case, at least, Wars are Won With Quills (PotS)

The other way in which the LCG fleshes out Lannister's mastery of the Westeros "metagame" is in their kneel effects. Cards like the Castellan of the Rock (BoRF) or You've Killed the Wrong Dwarf (Core) let you kneel a character, rendering it useless before it can even act. I think this is how Eddard Stark must have felt after LIttlefinger got done with him....useless, unable to act, and defenseless.

Perhaps even more than his experience in the Game of Thrones, Tywin is known for his wealth. By far the most prosperous house in the Seven Kingdoms, House Lannister even lent moneys to the Crown, thus ensuring their place at court and at the policy table. During Robert's time, the debt totaled in the millions of golden dragons....and there was more where that came from. To that end, the LCG gives Lannister several income options other houses lack. They can utilize the Lannisport Treasury (LotR), a 2 income location, but perhaps even better are the income producing characters. These guys are non-limited (awesome for setup) and can participate in challenges as well as offer income. This is a huge boon to Lannister's economy.

Not only does Lannister have these income options, they also have a "Gold Matters" subtheme to many of their cards. Whether it be Tywin Lannister (LotR) ability to claim power at Dominance for gold in the gold pool, Daven Lannister (GotC) power grab for purchase, or their armies not kneeling to attack or defend in concert with Ser Amory Lorch (LotR), Lannister has plenty of options to put that hard-earned gold to good use.

After Robert's death, his "son and heir" Joffrey assumed the throne. Of course, as anyone even casually familiar with the lore can attest, Joffrey is not Robert's son. He is in fact the son of Jaime and Cersei Lannister, a secret that cost many their lives once they uncovered it. This keeping of secrets and shadowy dealings is something that many of the Lannisters excel at, and somewhat reflecting that, the Shadows cards available to Lannister are among the best in the game.

Shadows Varys (TGM) allows a redirect in a melee game, turning opponents on each other at will. Certainly this happens many times during the story, but this is but one example of the myriad options that Lannister has. Alchemist's Guild Hall (TBoBB), Gold Cloaks (AToT), Shadows Tyrion and others work in concert to provide Lannister a firm hand on the seedy underbelly of the realm. Littlefinger (SaS) even gets a discount for cards in shadows, reflecting the fact that his power grows as the secrets multiply. Just as you never know what secret a Lannister ally will bring out to great effect in Martin's saga, you also never know what is lurking face down across the board from you, ready to foil your best laid plans when you least expect it.

According to my (many) hours spent surfing the Song of Ice and Fire fan pages, Tyrion Lannister (LotR) remains one of the best-loved characters in the series. I know he certainly is one of mine. And what is Tyrion without his Clansmen? These simple, loyal, straightforward characters follow Tyrion and do his bidding. They amplify Lannister in the themes where they are traditionally thin (namely, military) and get bonuses to be weak where Lannister is typically strong (such as card draw). This backwards way of playing Lannister almost is a mirror image of Tyrion's lot within the House's hierarchy. Never beloved by his father despite his obvious talents, Tyrion finds a niche with the Clansmen. It certainly is an unlikely alliance--almost as unlikely as a military/aggro Lannister deck! And, just as one would expect, FFG has printed a Tyrion who synergizes excellently with Clansmen....an unlikely hero for an unlikely deck.

I must not end this brief overview of House Lannister without discussing one of the most complex characters of the series: Ser Jaime Lannister (TftH). Called the Kingslayer for his work in murdering King Aerys while being sworn to protect him as a member of the Kingsguard, his reputation for untrustworthiness follows him throughout the kingdoms. Jaime lives up to this low bar when he attempts to kill a child who uncovers his incest with Cersei. One expects that this vile character will remain so throughout the saga, but this is not the case. As you find more and more out about the motives and circumstances surrounding Jaime's killing of the king, you begin to see Jaime's side of the story. Protect the weak is part of any knight's oath, as is obeying the king, but what if the king wants you to kill the weak? Which oath precedes the other? This and other questions help put Jaime's crises into focus. He will hold the key for the future of House Lannister more than any other character.

Thanks for joining me for this brief foray into Lannister, a house that has grown in my affections recently both in the saga and in the LCG. I'd love to hear what I've overlooked or what you think about the Lions of Casterly Rock!