- Location
- Canada
Premise
The year is 298 after Aegon's Conquest, and the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros stand on the brink of civil war.
In King's Landing, the royal court observes a period of official mourning. King Robert Baratheon is dead, apparently slain by accident while hunting in the Kingswood. His body is barely cold before his widow, Queen Cersei Lannister, seizes power, proclaiming her son Joffrey as king and herself as Queen Regent. Cersei summons her father, Lord Tywin Lannister, to the capital to serve as Hand of the King. She further demands that the other preeminent nobles of the realm swear oaths of fealty to her son before the Iron Throne.
Just before Robert's death, his youngest brother, Lord Renly Baratheon, slips away from King's Landing an hour before dawn. Accompanied by Ser Loras Tyrell and fifty retainers, the Lord of Storm's End rides south for Highgarden in some haste. He seeks a conference with his chief ally, Lord Mace Tyrell, and his family. Rumours soon spread throughout the Reach that Renly means to denounce his nephew, proclaim himself king, and march on the capital with a host of reachmen and stormlanders at his back.
On the island of Dragonstone, Lord Stannis Baratheon and Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark consider their options carefully. Both men now know that Robert's three children are illegitimate, the offspring of an incestuous affair between Cersei and her twin brother, Ser Jaime. As Robert's eldest brother, Stannis is technically the lawful heir to the Seven Kingdoms. As news arrives of Robert's death, Stannis and Ned prepare to make a claim that will tear the realm asunder.
In the west, Tywin marshals his forces to invade the Riverlands in retaliation for the abduction of his son Tyrion by Lady Catelyn Stark, Ned's wife and the eldest daughter of Lord Hoster Tully. Ser Edmure Tully, Hoster's only son and heir, takes command of the region's defensive preparations when his father's deteriorating health keeps him abed at Riverrun.
Meanwhile, believing Tyrion is responsible for an assassination attempt on her son Bran, Catelyn takes him captive to the Eyrie, the seat of the young Lord Robert "Robin" Arryn. Lady Lysa Arryn, Catelyn's younger sister and Robin's mother and regent, places Tryion on trial for the murder of her late husband, Lord Jon Arryn, the former Hand of the King. Though Tyrion wins his freedom in a trial by combat and departs the Vale of Arryn, preparations for war continue in his absence.
In Dorne and the Iron Islands, the members of Houses Martell and Greyjoy watch the developing situation with keen interest. Prince Doran Martell has no love for the Baratheons, Starks, or Lannisters, whose war to overthrow King Aerys II Targaryen culminated in the massacre of Doran's sister, Princess Elia, and her children. For his part, Lord Balon Greyjoy yearns to avenge the two sons slain in his unsuccessful rebellion against Robert's early regime. Both men are more than eager to exploit the brewing chaos to right the perceived wrongs of the recent past.
And far across the narrow sea, in the eastern grasslands where the Dothraki horselords roam, the last scion of House Targaryen waits to meet her destiny ...
The Seven Kingdoms are in crisis. The lords and ladies of the realm are forging new alliances and rekindling old enmities as peace and stability circle the drain. Armies are mustered, knives sharpened, and wine poured. Houses great and small are taking stock and preparing for the clash of kings.
What will you do?
Turns
This game will proceed in turns representing a period of in-universe time. This time will vary according to the needs of the narrative but will likely span a few months to a year. Each turn, players will send orders detailing the goals and intended actions of their characters, the results of which will be determined by the GMs (myself and @Skrevski) and detailed in public and private updates. Sometimes, smaller "mini" updates may be posted prior to the main update of a turn, presenting specific players with more information they need to act on.
Orders
Put simply, orders are a summary of what your character plans to do during the period of in-universe time covered by a given turn. When writing their orders, players should strive for conciseness -- we STRONGLY encourage that players submit orders of no more than 500 words for primary characters and 250 for secondary characters. Though some level of detail is nice, information that isn't immediately relevant is better expressed in IC posts than in your orders. Not only does it create more work for the GMs, but much of the detail will probably not appear in the updates.
Before the deadlines that will be posted here and on Discord, orders should be submitted to me and @Skrevski via a forum conversation titled "A Clash of Kings -- [Character Name]".
Style
Like the book series, this game prioritizes compelling characters and narrative over all other elements. Our goal is to tell a good story, and our players should share this goal. Staying true to your characters means portraying their flaws and strengths, and when mistakes make sense for a character, they should be embraced. Again, we will not tolerate metagaming and acting on OOC knowledge.
ICs from players written from their characters' perspectives are STRONGLY encouraged. If updates are the spine of this game, then ICs from players will be the meat. We won't mandate it for participation, but good ICs will make us very happy indeed.
Stats
There are very few stats in this game. This is by design, as we find too many numbers can detract from the real appeal of these types of games. The stats that do exist will detail the armies of each house -- their numbers, compositions, locations and commanders. Other things such as finances, vassal opinion, etc. will be heavily abstracted and mentioned in updates.
With few exceptions, players who take on the role of a Tier 1 character will exert more influence over the lesser members of their house. For example, Eddard will have more control than Catelyn or Robb over the other Starks. Catelyn and Robb still have some influence that they can try to leverage to varying degrees, but their secondary status should be kept in mind. As a general rule, the success or failure of any attempts to influence NPC characters will depend upon your character's in-universe relationships with them.
Players will apply for characters using a three-claim system. List your top three picks in descending order, along with a sentence or two on why you feel you are the best person to play them.
The year is 298 after Aegon's Conquest, and the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros stand on the brink of civil war.
In King's Landing, the royal court observes a period of official mourning. King Robert Baratheon is dead, apparently slain by accident while hunting in the Kingswood. His body is barely cold before his widow, Queen Cersei Lannister, seizes power, proclaiming her son Joffrey as king and herself as Queen Regent. Cersei summons her father, Lord Tywin Lannister, to the capital to serve as Hand of the King. She further demands that the other preeminent nobles of the realm swear oaths of fealty to her son before the Iron Throne.
Just before Robert's death, his youngest brother, Lord Renly Baratheon, slips away from King's Landing an hour before dawn. Accompanied by Ser Loras Tyrell and fifty retainers, the Lord of Storm's End rides south for Highgarden in some haste. He seeks a conference with his chief ally, Lord Mace Tyrell, and his family. Rumours soon spread throughout the Reach that Renly means to denounce his nephew, proclaim himself king, and march on the capital with a host of reachmen and stormlanders at his back.
On the island of Dragonstone, Lord Stannis Baratheon and Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark consider their options carefully. Both men now know that Robert's three children are illegitimate, the offspring of an incestuous affair between Cersei and her twin brother, Ser Jaime. As Robert's eldest brother, Stannis is technically the lawful heir to the Seven Kingdoms. As news arrives of Robert's death, Stannis and Ned prepare to make a claim that will tear the realm asunder.
In the west, Tywin marshals his forces to invade the Riverlands in retaliation for the abduction of his son Tyrion by Lady Catelyn Stark, Ned's wife and the eldest daughter of Lord Hoster Tully. Ser Edmure Tully, Hoster's only son and heir, takes command of the region's defensive preparations when his father's deteriorating health keeps him abed at Riverrun.
Meanwhile, believing Tyrion is responsible for an assassination attempt on her son Bran, Catelyn takes him captive to the Eyrie, the seat of the young Lord Robert "Robin" Arryn. Lady Lysa Arryn, Catelyn's younger sister and Robin's mother and regent, places Tryion on trial for the murder of her late husband, Lord Jon Arryn, the former Hand of the King. Though Tyrion wins his freedom in a trial by combat and departs the Vale of Arryn, preparations for war continue in his absence.
In Dorne and the Iron Islands, the members of Houses Martell and Greyjoy watch the developing situation with keen interest. Prince Doran Martell has no love for the Baratheons, Starks, or Lannisters, whose war to overthrow King Aerys II Targaryen culminated in the massacre of Doran's sister, Princess Elia, and her children. For his part, Lord Balon Greyjoy yearns to avenge the two sons slain in his unsuccessful rebellion against Robert's early regime. Both men are more than eager to exploit the brewing chaos to right the perceived wrongs of the recent past.
And far across the narrow sea, in the eastern grasslands where the Dothraki horselords roam, the last scion of House Targaryen waits to meet her destiny ...
The Seven Kingdoms are in crisis. The lords and ladies of the realm are forging new alliances and rekindling old enmities as peace and stability circle the drain. Armies are mustered, knives sharpened, and wine poured. Houses great and small are taking stock and preparing for the clash of kings.
What will you do?
9/25 — Eddard Stark resigns as Hand and leaves King's Landing
- Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark and King Robert Baratheon argue over a plot to kill Daenerys Targaryen. When the small council also sides against him, Ned resigns in protest. As Ned returns to Winterfell, Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish arrives with news that he has identified the brothel that Lord Jon Arryn and Lord Stannis Baratheon visited (which Ned's men failed to find).
- Ned talks to a young whore at the brothel and discovers that her young daughter is Robert's bastard. As they return to the Red Keep, Ned's party is ambushed by Ser Jaime Lannister and his men. In retribution for the abduction of his brother Tyrion Lannister by Ned's wife, Lady Catelyn, Jaime has Ned's escort killed before fleeing west to Casterly Rock. Ned is thrown from his horse during the fighting, but he is unharmed.
- Returning to the Red Keep in a rage, Ned asks for Robert's leave to bring Jaime back to face justice. But Robert is still angry with Ned and unhappy about Catelyn's abduction of Tyrion. He refuses Ned's request and demands that he make peace with the Lannisters. Furious, Ned insults Robert and leaves King's Landing that day, taking a fast ship to White Harbor with his daughters and a significant portion of his household. The rest will return to the North via the kingsroad in the days to come.
9/28 — Ned visits Stannis on Dragonstone
- While passing the island of Dragonstone, Ned decides to visit Lord Stannis Baratheon. He shares with Stannis his reasons for resigning as Hand of the King, as well as his suspicions that the Lannisters murdered Jon Arryn. In turn, Stannis reveals to Ned his knowledge of Queen Cersei Lannister's incestuous affair with Jaime and the illegitimacy of the royal children. He further discloses his fears for Robert's safety and the covert preparations he has been making for war.
- Alarmed, Ned writes a letter to Robert containing cryptic warnings and a request to meet with him and Stannis on Dragonstone. He also sends a letter to his son and heir, Robb Stark, instructing him to begin the North's own quiet preparations for war.
9/28-10/16 — Tyrion Lannister imprisoned; wins his trial by combat
- After surviving multiple attacks by Vale mountain clansmen, Catelyn, Tyrion, and the rest of the party finally reach the safety of the Bloody Gate. At her sister's request, Catelyn makes the dangerous night ascent to the Eyrie to meet Lady - Lysa Arryn and her sickly son, Lord Robert "Robin" Arryn.
- Tyrion is held captive in one of the Eyrie's sky cells. Tyrion convinces Lysa to give him a trial by combat when brought into the high hall to confess. Bronn, a sellsword, declares he will be Tyrion's champion.
- Catelyn receives news from Riverrun that House Lannister is gathering an army at Casterly Rock. As Catelyn and Ser Rodrik Cassel, Winterfell's master-at-arms, arrive for Tyrion's trial by combat, they meet Catelyn's uncle Ser Brynden "Blackfish" Tully, who has resigned his post and plans to join the defence of Riverrun. In the duel, Bronn kills Ser Vardis Egen, and Lysa reluctantly sets Bronn and Tyrion free outside the Bloody Gate to take their chances with the Vale mountain clans.
- After the trial, Catelyn, Rodrik, and Brynden depart for Winterfell, travelling east to Gulltown and taking a ship north to White Harbor.
10/1-10/24 — Cersei assassinates Robert and seizes power
- Ned's letter to Robert is intercepted by Grand Maester Pycelle, who shares it with Cersei instead of the king. Knowing that she and her children will be killed if Robert discovers the truth, she immediately prepares to assassinate him. She manipulates Robert into going on a hunt and supplies his squire, Lancel Lannister, with a fortified strongwine (three times as potent as normal) to dull the king's senses.
- Accompanied by Lord Renly Baratheon, Ser Barristan Selmy, Prince Joffrey Baratheon, Sandor Clegane, Ser Balon Swann, Lord Yohn Royce, and several other nobles, Robert goes hunting in the Kingswood for a white hart. In his absence, the small council hears a petition from some House Tully bannermen concerning raids on their holdfasts by Ser Gregor Clegane. Under pressure from Cersei, they decline to act until Robert returns from the hunt.
- When Robert finally returns, he has been dealt a mortal wound by a wild boar. Before his death, Robert names Ned the Lord Regent and Protector of the Realm, bound to serve until Joffrey comes of age.
- Just before dawn, Renly slips out a postern gate with Ser Loras Tyrell and fifty retainers, riding south for Highgarden.
- Cersei summons the small council to the throne room, where King Joffrey demands oaths of fealty from his councillors. Queen Cersei disregards Robert's will, naming herself Queen Regent and Lord Protector and confirming her grandfather, Tywin Lannister, as Hand of the King. She immediately decrees that Ned, Stannis, Renly, Lysa, Lord Hoster Tully, Lord Balon Greyjoy, Lord Doran Martell, and other prominent nobles are summoned to King's Landing to swear loyalty to her son.
- Within a week, the whole realm has heard the news.
- Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark and King Robert Baratheon argue over a plot to kill Daenerys Targaryen. When the small council also sides against him, Ned resigns in protest. As Ned returns to Winterfell, Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish arrives with news that he has identified the brothel that Lord Jon Arryn and Lord Stannis Baratheon visited (which Ned's men failed to find).
- Ned talks to a young whore at the brothel and discovers that her young daughter is Robert's bastard. As they return to the Red Keep, Ned's party is ambushed by Ser Jaime Lannister and his men. In retribution for the abduction of his brother Tyrion Lannister by Ned's wife, Lady Catelyn, Jaime has Ned's escort killed before fleeing west to Casterly Rock. Ned is thrown from his horse during the fighting, but he is unharmed.
- Returning to the Red Keep in a rage, Ned asks for Robert's leave to bring Jaime back to face justice. But Robert is still angry with Ned and unhappy about Catelyn's abduction of Tyrion. He refuses Ned's request and demands that he make peace with the Lannisters. Furious, Ned insults Robert and leaves King's Landing that day, taking a fast ship to White Harbor with his daughters and a significant portion of his household. The rest will return to the North via the kingsroad in the days to come.
9/28 — Ned visits Stannis on Dragonstone
- While passing the island of Dragonstone, Ned decides to visit Lord Stannis Baratheon. He shares with Stannis his reasons for resigning as Hand of the King, as well as his suspicions that the Lannisters murdered Jon Arryn. In turn, Stannis reveals to Ned his knowledge of Queen Cersei Lannister's incestuous affair with Jaime and the illegitimacy of the royal children. He further discloses his fears for Robert's safety and the covert preparations he has been making for war.
- Alarmed, Ned writes a letter to Robert containing cryptic warnings and a request to meet with him and Stannis on Dragonstone. He also sends a letter to his son and heir, Robb Stark, instructing him to begin the North's own quiet preparations for war.
9/28-10/16 — Tyrion Lannister imprisoned; wins his trial by combat
- After surviving multiple attacks by Vale mountain clansmen, Catelyn, Tyrion, and the rest of the party finally reach the safety of the Bloody Gate. At her sister's request, Catelyn makes the dangerous night ascent to the Eyrie to meet Lady - Lysa Arryn and her sickly son, Lord Robert "Robin" Arryn.
- Tyrion is held captive in one of the Eyrie's sky cells. Tyrion convinces Lysa to give him a trial by combat when brought into the high hall to confess. Bronn, a sellsword, declares he will be Tyrion's champion.
- Catelyn receives news from Riverrun that House Lannister is gathering an army at Casterly Rock. As Catelyn and Ser Rodrik Cassel, Winterfell's master-at-arms, arrive for Tyrion's trial by combat, they meet Catelyn's uncle Ser Brynden "Blackfish" Tully, who has resigned his post and plans to join the defence of Riverrun. In the duel, Bronn kills Ser Vardis Egen, and Lysa reluctantly sets Bronn and Tyrion free outside the Bloody Gate to take their chances with the Vale mountain clans.
- After the trial, Catelyn, Rodrik, and Brynden depart for Winterfell, travelling east to Gulltown and taking a ship north to White Harbor.
10/1-10/24 — Cersei assassinates Robert and seizes power
- Ned's letter to Robert is intercepted by Grand Maester Pycelle, who shares it with Cersei instead of the king. Knowing that she and her children will be killed if Robert discovers the truth, she immediately prepares to assassinate him. She manipulates Robert into going on a hunt and supplies his squire, Lancel Lannister, with a fortified strongwine (three times as potent as normal) to dull the king's senses.
- Accompanied by Lord Renly Baratheon, Ser Barristan Selmy, Prince Joffrey Baratheon, Sandor Clegane, Ser Balon Swann, Lord Yohn Royce, and several other nobles, Robert goes hunting in the Kingswood for a white hart. In his absence, the small council hears a petition from some House Tully bannermen concerning raids on their holdfasts by Ser Gregor Clegane. Under pressure from Cersei, they decline to act until Robert returns from the hunt.
- When Robert finally returns, he has been dealt a mortal wound by a wild boar. Before his death, Robert names Ned the Lord Regent and Protector of the Realm, bound to serve until Joffrey comes of age.
- Just before dawn, Renly slips out a postern gate with Ser Loras Tyrell and fifty retainers, riding south for Highgarden.
- Cersei summons the small council to the throne room, where King Joffrey demands oaths of fealty from his councillors. Queen Cersei disregards Robert's will, naming herself Queen Regent and Lord Protector and confirming her grandfather, Tywin Lannister, as Hand of the King. She immediately decrees that Ned, Stannis, Renly, Lysa, Lord Hoster Tully, Lord Balon Greyjoy, Lord Doran Martell, and other prominent nobles are summoned to King's Landing to swear loyalty to her son.
- Within a week, the whole realm has heard the news.
Rules
- Remember to abide by the forum rules.
- Please be kind to one another. This is just a game -- if you find yourself getting too angry at what happens here, just take a breath and step away from the keyboard. Bad behaviour will earn you temporary or permanent bans from the game and its Discord.
- ASOIAF games on this forum have developed an unfortunate reputation for toxicity, and we want this one to be different. So if you're expecting to play out old grudges and dynamics here, please adjust your expectations accordingly.
- The word of the GMs is the law. Incessant complaining will not change outcomes, so don't try it. Criticism is still welcome (provided it's sincerely constructive).
- Please DO NOT act on knowledge your characters would not realistically be privy to. Instances of such OOC behaviour will be punished harshly. If you're unsure whether something qualifies as OOC, please clarify it with @Skrevski or me beforehand.
- Please include @Skrevski and me in every forum or Discord conversation players have with each other.
- Within this setting, deceit, betrayal and ruthless political maneuvers are typical and expected. They're a core aspect of the game. If you as a player cannot handle the twists and turns of the game of thrones with grace, please sit this one out.
- This game will include spoilers for all published ASOIAF material (the TV show is not considered canon). Prospective players are encouraged to have read at least the first three "core" ASOIAF books (A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, and A Storm of Swords) before applying.
Turns
This game will proceed in turns representing a period of in-universe time. This time will vary according to the needs of the narrative but will likely span a few months to a year. Each turn, players will send orders detailing the goals and intended actions of their characters, the results of which will be determined by the GMs (myself and @Skrevski) and detailed in public and private updates. Sometimes, smaller "mini" updates may be posted prior to the main update of a turn, presenting specific players with more information they need to act on.
Orders
Put simply, orders are a summary of what your character plans to do during the period of in-universe time covered by a given turn. When writing their orders, players should strive for conciseness -- we STRONGLY encourage that players submit orders of no more than 500 words for primary characters and 250 for secondary characters. Though some level of detail is nice, information that isn't immediately relevant is better expressed in IC posts than in your orders. Not only does it create more work for the GMs, but much of the detail will probably not appear in the updates.
Before the deadlines that will be posted here and on Discord, orders should be submitted to me and @Skrevski via a forum conversation titled "A Clash of Kings -- [Character Name]".
Style
Like the book series, this game prioritizes compelling characters and narrative over all other elements. Our goal is to tell a good story, and our players should share this goal. Staying true to your characters means portraying their flaws and strengths, and when mistakes make sense for a character, they should be embraced. Again, we will not tolerate metagaming and acting on OOC knowledge.
ICs from players written from their characters' perspectives are STRONGLY encouraged. If updates are the spine of this game, then ICs from players will be the meat. We won't mandate it for participation, but good ICs will make us very happy indeed.
Stats
There are very few stats in this game. This is by design, as we find too many numbers can detract from the real appeal of these types of games. The stats that do exist will detail the armies of each house -- their numbers, compositions, locations and commanders. Other things such as finances, vassal opinion, etc. will be heavily abstracted and mentioned in updates.
Sign-ups
This game's roster of playable characters has been divided into two tiers. All Tier 1 characters will be assigned before sign-ups for Tier 2 characters open. The chief difference between the tiers is their importance to the setting. Generally, primary characters accomplish more in their orders than their secondary counterparts and enjoy a more significant role in the game's narrative.With few exceptions, players who take on the role of a Tier 1 character will exert more influence over the lesser members of their house. For example, Eddard will have more control than Catelyn or Robb over the other Starks. Catelyn and Robb still have some influence that they can try to leverage to varying degrees, but their secondary status should be kept in mind. As a general rule, the success or failure of any attempts to influence NPC characters will depend upon your character's in-universe relationships with them.
Players will apply for characters using a three-claim system. List your top three picks in descending order, along with a sentence or two on why you feel you are the best person to play them.
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