Dire Wolf Digital's A Game of Thrones: The Board Game - Digital Edition has done an excellent job of keeping fans of the series and hardcore strategy players alike entertained since it released back in October. The complicated and cutthroat strategy game already had a lot of content for players to check out in its various gameplay modes, but things have gotten more interesting with the addition of the A Dance With Dragons expansion, which is available on PC as well as iOS and Android with the full game's release on those platforms.

A Game of Thrones: The Board Game - Digital Edition is an adaptation of the physical board game by Fantasy Flight Games, which is in turn based off of the stories and characters presented in acclaimed fantasy author George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels. The A Dance With Dragons DLC is heavily inspired by the novel of the same name, which shows the land of Westeros in a state of disarray and chaos. This war ravaged country sets the stage for the expansion's alternate rules by providing some new lore that shows just how dire everyone's circumstances really are.

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The A Dance With Dragons expansion is a faster paced and much more challenging version of the original game that only grants six turns rather than the standard ten to accomplish goals of domination. Many of the strategies that players may have employed during the original version wind up being worthless due to the shortened nature of the game, so tactics will need to be adapted or new ones will need to be developed entirely. For example, those who like to play a little more defensively will probably find themselves in quite a bit of trouble with this more chaotic mode.

A Game of Thrones The Board Game Map Board

Along with the shortened version of the game A Dance With Dragons also brings an additional 64 character cards that replace many of the cards that are included with each house. This makes for a huge change to the game because some of the main houses have been drastically altered at this point in the series. The Starks, for example, have lost control of Winterfell and are now headed by Roose Bolton and his bastard son Ramsay. The Boltons and their allies therefore replace many of the cards in the Stark deck, which will force those who play as that family to learn all-new cards.

A Game of Thrones: The Board Game - Digital Edition's new DLC offers one of its biggest shakeups by altering the locations that each of the main houses occupy. The Lannisters are now in firm control of the capital after the death of Robert Baratheon, while the Baratheons (led by Stannis) are planning their attack from the safety of Dragonstone. Those who have been playing the game for the last several months have probably grown used to starting in the same forts, so this will once again force experienced players to develop new tactics if they hope to once again make their way onto the Iron Throne.

Game of Thrones Board Game Digital Edition DLC Battle

The only real downside with A Dance with Dragons is that there were no additional challenges added alongside it. In the main portion of A Game of Thrones: The Board Game - Digital Edition, challenges are an excellent way for players to test their skills against the AI as they all have specific requirements that need to be reached in order to win. Without challenges to go along with the new game mode, players do miss out on a great way to further hone their abilities with the updated rule set.

Ultimately, A Dance with Dragons is an excellent addition to what was an already content-rich game. The new cards complement the fast-paced nature of the altered rule set well, and is well-suited to those who want an extra challenge. Fans of A Game of Thrones: The Board Game - Digital Edition would be wise to get their hands on this expansion as soon as possible.

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A Game of Thrones: The Board Game - Digital Edition can be played on PC, iOS, and Android. A Steam code was provided by the developer for the purposes of this review.