A Game of Thrones: The Card Game-The Road to Winterfell

“I shall have to borrow the money. No doubt the Lannisters will be accommodating. We owe Lord Tywin some three million dragons at present, what matter another hundred thousand?”
–George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce The Road to Winterfell, the second Chapter Pack in the Westeros cycle for A Game of Thrones: The Card Game!

Ancient evil awakens in the lands beyond the Wall. The last Targaryens bind their future to the Dothraki lord, Khal Drogo. From the heights of the Eyrie in the east to the heart of Casterly Rock in the west, the Great Houses of Westeros plot to increase their own power. Amongst these changing tides and dangers, Robert Baratheon marches north to Winterfell, to convince his old friend, Eddard Stark, to return to King’s Landing alongside him. Now, you can continue to follow the events of A Game of Thrones and join the Great Houses in their struggle for power!

The Road to Winterfell is the second Chapter Pack in the Westeros cycle, and like the other packs in this cycle, it’s filled with iconic characters and locations from the first book in A Song of Ice and Fire. Here, you’ll meet iconic characters like Rakharo and Syrio Forel, and you’ll find a Targaryen attachment so powerful, it’s limited to one copy per deck!The Road to Winterfell also quickly expands the number of available plots with two new neutral plots and one plot loyal to House Lannister. With new cards for every faction and neutral cards to expand your deckbuilding options, this Chapter Pack brings you deeper into the story of A Game of Thrones: The Card Game!

Profit from Temptation

Across the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, the Lannisters are widely known for their undeniable wealth. The treasuries of Casterly Rock are said to be bursting with gold, and the Iron Throne itself owes more than three million dragons to House Lannister. In A Game of Thrones: The Card Game, House Lannister has the potential to be richer than any other faction, and you can even exhort gold from your opponents with cards like Brothel Madame (The Road to Winterfell, 29). 

On the surface, the Brothel Madame is relatively unassuming – she bears a single intrigue icon and two STR. However, her Reactionmay quickly make the Brothel Madame a thorn in your opponent’s side. After the challenges phase begins, the Brothel Madame allows you to choose any player. That player may give you a gold from his gold pool, and if he chooses not to give you a gold, he cannot initiate military challenges against you!

No matter what your opponent chooses, House Lannister comes out ahead. If your opponent saves a gold to give you, you’re restricting his economy and possibly preventing him from playing events – even as you gain a gold that you can spend on your own events or to ambush characters into play. However, if your opponent doesn’t give you a gold, he can’t initiate military challenges against you, leaving your characters safe from military harm.

How will the Lannisters use the gold dragons that they receive from their Brothel Madames? One possible usage is the new faction-specific plot, Wardens of the West (The Road to Winterfell, 30). This plot is loyal to House Lannister and limited to one copy per plot deck – and the reasons for these restrictions are obvious. Wardens of the West has solid gold, initiative, and reserve values, and a powerful ability that can strip your opponent’s cards from hand.

Wardens of the West reads, “Reaction: After you win an intrigue challenge, pay two gold to have the losing opponent choose and discard two cards from his or her hand.” The possible applications of this plot are massive. You’re forcing your opponent to discard the two worst cards from his hand, and if you’re attacking during the intrigue challenge, you’ll have a much better chance of discarding an important card from his hand. But you don’t need to be attacking to trigger Wardens of the West: whether you are attacking or defending during the challenge, you can trigger Wardens of the West if you win. 

You can combine Wardens of the West with other Lannister cards for maximum effect. Casterly Rock (Core Set, 97) allows you to initiate an additional intrigue challenge and Tyrion Lannister (Core Set, 89) ensures that you have the gold you need to trigger Wardens of the West. Although you can only include one copy of this plot in your deck, using it at the opportune moment could completely destroy your opponent’s hand, leaving him alone and without options in the deadly game of thrones.

Travel to the North

You may scheme and amass gold with the Lannisters in King’s Landing and Casterly Rock. You may stand fast with the honorable Starks and lend your aid to Robert Baratheon. However you play the game of thrones, whichever faction you support, you’ll find that your future lies along The Road to Winterfell.

Android: Netrunner – Kala Ghoda

“Clones are not people. The outcomes of our elections must recognize this truth.”
     –Raman Rai, V.P. of Jinteki India

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce the upcoming release of Kala Ghoda, the first Data Pack in the Mumbad Cycle for Android: Netrunner!

In the future of Android: Netrunner, the Indian Union is the planet’s most populous democracy and generally a hopeful, dynamic place. Its largest megapolis, Mumbad, is home to many of the world’s greatest technological advancements, and while there remain vast gulfs between the nation’s richest individuals and its poorest, they are no longer separated by the specter of the caste system. In theory, the scheduled castes are relics of history, but daily life acknowledges two: human and android.

Now, as elections draw near, one question consumes the I.U. and defines its most heated debates: should clones be granted full citizenship? Kala Ghoda introduces sixty new cards (including a complete playset of nineteen different cards) that explore this question and the political turmoil it raises, even as it transports the game’s Corps and Runners to the massive, sprawling megapolis of Mumbad, which stretches from Mumbai in the south to Ahmedabad in the north. Here, the heated political environment leads to new opportunities for all seven of the game’s factions, and Jinteki will stop at nothing to make sure their most lucrative product remains just that: a product.

New Cycle. New Locale. New Tech.

As the first Data Pack in the Mumbad Cycle, Kala Ghoda does more than introduce sixty new cards; it also introduces us to the cycle’s new themes and mechanics.

It begins by transporting the game to the Indian Union and the Mumbad metroplex. Much as the SanSan Cycleexplored the life and cybercrime of the SanSan megapolis, the Mumbad Cycle explores the structures, cultures, and local color of the Indian Union’s technological nerve center. Kala Ghoda, specifically, is the art district in south Mumbad that is famous for housing both the historical museum and Chatterjee University (Kala Ghoda, 10), where legions of the IU’s top software engineers receive their higher educations.

Meanwhile, the new mechanics from Kala Ghoda and the Mumbad Cycle include alliance cards for the Corp andconsumer-grade hardware for the Runner. Both of these alter the very rules of deck composition and encourage the exploration of new deck types.

• Like Mumba Temple (Kala Ghoda, 18), each alliance card introduces a specific deck-building requirement that, if you meet it, negates its influence cost.
• On the other hand, Consumer-grade hardware, like Ramujan-reliant 550 BMI (Kala Ghoda, 2), explodes the “limit of three” for deck-building. Along with new signature events for each of the game’s three Runner factions, these consumer-grade cards all come with the text “Limit 6 per deck,” overriding the standard rules for deck construction and introducing effects that become increasingly powerful for each copy that you play.

Throughout the cycle, you’ll also find new contacts, new agendas, new region upgrades, and new identities for each of the game’s seven factions. You’ll see underhanded political maneuvering, elite sensie artists, programs inspired by Hindu mythology, and bleeding-edge agricultural initiatives. Cultural influences, philosophical debates, enduring traditions, and technological advances all race toward the future in the Mumbad Cycle, but one thing trumps them all… the race for the region’s most valuable data!

Lead Developer Lukas Litzsinger on the Mumbad Cycle

Welcome to Mumbad!

Mumbad is the most populous city in the Indian Union, and it offers a new stage for Android: Netrunner, complete with new faces and new dangers. The question of whether or not clones should be granted citizenship has divided the nation, and the advocates who argue that clones are people are being countered at every turn by Jinteki, who has applied the full extent of its lobbying might toward the issue.

Following on the heels of the SanSan Cycle, we wanted to create another cycle that evoked a sense of place. We’d been to the Moon, but we hadn’t yet traveled the planet far from New Angeles. With its booming export industry and teeming population, Mumbad is the perfect place for the continued exploration of futuristic cybercrime.

In Mumbad, it’s easy for a runner to disappear into the crowds or for a Corp to offload production. Meanwhile, there are significant differences between Mumbad and the megacorp-controlled regions in and near New Angeles. In Mumbad, local organizations and corps still hold more sway. This means the game’s four megacorporations must forge strategic alliances, which affects the way they do business. Runners will also find that new options are opened up to them, with the relaxed restrictions on technology allowing them to double-down on important cards.

Even though the Mumbad Cycle explores a lot of new ground, it does so with very little rules overhead. We are still committed to keeping the game as clean and simple as possible, spurring its evolution without relying on new mechanics. This helps keep the barrier of entry low, and new players who dive straight into Mumbad after their Core Sets should find the concepts familiar, even when playing against the most grizzled veteran. For all its new cards, the Mumbad Cycle is classic cybercrime at its best, and we hope you have fun exploring all the new deckbuilding options that it opens up!

Out of the Chaos, a New Order Arises

The Indian Union’s upcoming national elections and the hot-button issue of clone rights have created massive political turmoil, and that means opportunity. Which players will be the fastest to take advantage of the chaos? Which will do so best? All of the game’s megacorps have moved to place their bets and protect their investments, and there are signs that the region’s runners may be coordinating their efforts in a wholly unprecedented fashion. Is it true what they say? Could this be the start of an all new Shadow War?

The Corps and Runners of Android: Netrunner battle for the hearts and minds of a nation in the Mumbad Cycle, and that means a battle for the control of all relevant data.

Star Wars: The Card Game – New Alliances

“Well, short help is better than no help at all.”
–Han Solo, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce New Alliances, the second Force Pack in the Endor cycle for Star Wars™: The Card Game!

General Solo, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, and Leia Organa descend to the Sanctuary Moon of Endor in order to sabotage the shield generator that protects the second Death Star. They quickly discover, however, that Endor is not devoid of sentient lifeforms. The native Ewoks are formidable warriors in their forest home, and their help could prove crucial to destroying the Imperial presence on the moon.

In New Alliances, players gain six new objective sets (two copies each of four normal objective sets and one copy each of two “limit one per objective deck” sets). Like other packs in the Endor cycle, New Alliances introduces new mission cards – objectives played under your opponent’s control that offer powerful benefits when destroyed. With the return of neutral objective sets and three brand-new fate cards, New Alliances is sure to change your decks forever, whether you participate in the illicit spice trade, lock down the sector with the Imperial Navy, or join the Ewoks in the fight against the Empire!

To Bright Tree Village

In New Alliances, you can join the Ewoks of Endor to defend their home with a new neutral objective set for the light side! The set begins with the Courage of the Tribe (New Alliances, 938) objective. This objective invites you to harness the tribe’s fighting spirit by allowing you to remove an additional focus token from any Ewok unit after you refresh. With Courage of the Tribe among your objectives, you can resist your opponent’s tactics icons and easily refresh your Ewoks that are committed to the Force. 

Of course, the Courage of the Tribe wouldn’t be much use without some Ewoks to refresh. Fortunately, this objective set boasts no fewer than three Ewok units, starting with Chief Chirpa (New Alliances, 939). Chief Chirpa is a wise leader of the Ewoks on Endor, and you can use him in almost any capacity. Chief Chirpa’s combat icons are equally useful on attack or defense, and he can even provide a resource if necessary. 

Chief Chirpa’s most powerful abilities, however, reflect his fair and effective leadership of his village. While you have Chief Chirpa in play, each of your other friendly Ewok units gains a heightened damage capacity, keeping units like the Ewok Lookout (Darkness and Light, 618) alive to plague the dark side with their cunning raids and forest ambushes. Added resilience isn’t all that Chief Chirpa brings to his tribe, though. After any phase begins, Chief Chirpa invites you to focus an Ewok unit to draw a card – and best of all, this ability has no limit! Whether you’ll need more cards for a crucial edge battle or simply need to search for a card to counter your opponent’s strategy, Chief Chirpa and hisEwoks give you an easy way to do it.

Chief Chirpa is the leader of his tribe, but he won’t need to fight the Empire alone. You can support Chief Chirpa in battle with two copies of the Ewok Horde (New Alliances, 940) included in this objective set. These formidable units boast a deadly array of combat icons and a solid damage capacity, but you must pay seven resources to deploy an Ewok Horde among your units. In actuality, though, you’ll rarely pay the full seven resources for your Ewok Horde: you can reduce this unit’s cost by one for each Ewok unit you control, down to a minimum of three resources. Once some of your Ewoks have gathered together, you’ll be able to quickly bring your Ewok Hordes into play. With armies of Ewoks fighting the Empire on their home ground, even the staunchest dark side warriors may become much more cautious. 

Ewok Hordes are powerful combatants, but even they can be neutralized by a single tactics icon if you lose the edge. Therefore, it’s important that the last two cards in this objective set help you to win edge battles. Bright Tree Village (New Alliances, 941) is an enhancement that provides a resource and grants an extra Force icon to each  Ewok unit that you control or in your edge stack! Whether your Ewoks are contesting the Force struggle or working behind the scenes in an edge battle, Bright Tree Village helps you face the servants of the dark side head-on.

The Courage of the Tribe set concludes with one of the three new fate cards introduced in the Endor cycle: Battle of Endor (New Alliances, 942). This fate card has one inherent Force icon, and it gains one additional Force icon for each Endor objective or enhancement in play! The amount of Force icons that Battle of Endor can gain is capped at three, but at that point, it boasts four Force icons – more than any other fate card in the game. In many cases, a fully boosted Battle of Endor can win an edge battle singlehandedly, and since both players’ Endorobjectives and enhancements add Force icons to the card, you may gain the full bonus of Battle of Endor more often than not. 

Native Support

Whether you ally yourself with the Ewoks of Endor or crush them beneath the heel of the Galactic Empire, you can experience the thrills of Return of the Jedi again in New Alliances and the other Force Packs of the Endor cycle!

Warhammer 40K: Conquest The Card Game – Boundless Hate

“Your shrines will burn, your streets run with blood, your false idols shattered, your people slaughtered by the thousands, your very planet torn apart… and the barest fraction of my hatred will be satisfied.”
–Ba’ar Zul the Hate-Bound

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce Boundless Hate, the second War Pack in the Planetfall cycle forWarhammer 40,000: Conquest!

Corsairs swoop down from the skies, seizing slaves for the depraved tortures of Commorragh. Meanwhile, the World Eaters legion of Chaos Space Marines crash-lands on the same planet, eager for slaughter even as the forces of the Imperium mobilize to battle these threats. Every faction has a stake in this fight, and Boundless Hate brings you straight to the battlefield.

As the legions of Chaos pour forth from the ruined space hulk, Kaerux Erameas, the battle for Sacaellum continues to rage. In keeping with the rest of the Planetfall cycle, Boundless Hate gives new significance to the planet type symbols as each faction gravitates towards its own objectives. When you fight on planets that align with your faction’s objectives, many armies receive powerful bonuses. This War Pack also includes two new warlords, inviting you to seize slaves as a Dark Eldar archon or embrace the fury of battle as one of Khorne’s champions. Alongside these new deckbuilding options, new armies from every faction join the fight for the future of Sacaellum and the entire Traxis sector!

Unleash Your Hate

The World Eaters legion of Chaos Space Marines has come to the Traxis sector, wreaking havoc everywhere they turn and spilling blood for the Blood God. Leading the assault on Sacaellum is one of their most fearsome warriors:Ba’ar Zul the Hate-Bound (Boundless Hate, 25). 

As a warlord to lead your Chaos armies, Ba’ar Zul completely breaks the existing mold. All other warlords grow weaker once bloodied, but Ba’ar Zul wants to be bloodied as fast as possible. On his hale side, Ba’ar Zul the Hate-Bound features zero ATK and only five HP. However, he also bears an ability that reads, “Reaction: After a unit you control at this planet takes damage, move all of that damage to this warlord.” Not only does this allow you to protect your units from deadly damage, every attack your opponent makes brings Ba’ar Zul closer to a bloody battle-rage.

What advantage does Ba’ar Zul gain from being bloodied? On his bloodied side , Ba’ar Zul loses his Reaction, but in its place, he gains an ATK of three and eleven HP, both of which are higher than every other warlord in Conquest. Once Ba’ar Zul the Hate-Bound has been bloodied, he becomes a deadly warriors, cleaving through all who stand in the path of Chaos.

Ba’ar Zul’s signature squad features other war-hungry armies that you can use in the service of Khorne. The signature squad begins with four copies of Ba’ar Zul’s Cleavers (Boundless Hate, 26). With two ATK and five HP, these armies are already formidable on the battlefield, but their ability makes them even more dangerous to your enemies. As an Action, you can deal two damage to Ba’ar Zul’s Cleavers to give them two additional ATK for their next attack. Of course, this ability significantly increases their attack prowess, but you can also use it to bloody Ba’ar Zul even faster by moving the damage onto Ba’ar Zul with his Reaction.

You can further fuel your love of battle with the support included in Ba’ar Zul’s signature squad: the Space Hulk, Kaerux Erameas(Boundless Hate, 27). During the combat phase, you can exhaust Kaerux Erameas to resolve a battle at a non-first planet without a warlord. You must use this ability before any other battles have been initiated this phase, but the tactical possibilities for such a support are countless. You may start a battle where your opponent was hoping to build up his forces, wiping out his armies before he was prepared to fight. You may start a battle at a planet like Ferrin(Core Set, 182) or Iridial (Core Set, 184), triggering a Battle ability that could tip other battles in your favor. You can even use Kaerux Erameas to start more battles while you hold the initiative token, fighting your opponent when you have the advantage.

The event included in Ba’ar Zul’s signature squad invites you embrace the Chaos God’s love of war and bloodshed to a greater degree. You can play Blood For The Blood God! (Boundless Hate, 28) to deal one damage to each undamaged unit at a target planet. Not only does this event incite your Brutal units like the Khorne Berzerker (Core Set, 84), Blood For The Blood God! can easily soften up your opponent for a well-timedWarpstorm (Core Set, 93).

The signature squad of Ba’ar Zul the Hate-Bound concludes with a single copy of The Butcher’s Nails (Boundless Hate, 29). This attachment can only be played on your warlord, but it turns him into an even more bloodthirsty warrior of Khorne, whether he’s hale or bloodied. While The Butcher’s Nails is attached to Ba’ar Zul, he gains Brutal while hale and Armorbane while bloodied. The addition of these two keywords push Ba’ar Zul to become one of the most powerful fighters on either side of the battlefield. Opponents who hope to win by killing your warlord might quickly discover they’ve overestimated their chances.

Fight for Sacaellum

Trample the planets of the Traxis sector beneath the feet of the World Eaters. Battle to defend Sacaellum from encroaching horrors with the forces of the Imperium. Search the sector for useful material with an Ork clan or devour everything in your path as the Tyranids. We’ll explore more of Boundless Hate in a future preview of the expansion’s Dark Eldar warlord.