Hello everyone, today I wanted to talk to you about the 5 reasons you SHOULD be playing CMON’s Game of Thrones miniatures game, A Song of Ice and Fire.
Following a successful Kickstarter campaign, CMON’s A Song of Ice and Fire has quickly become a tabletop miniature game to be reckoned with. With a growing player base, consistent releases, and periodic balance updates, the game shows no signs of slowing down. Here are the 5 reasons YOU should be playing Cool Mini or Not’s A Song of Ice and Fire (ASOIAF)
- Warhammer Fantasy Nostalgia – While its not quite an apples to apples comparison, ASOIAF brings a bit of the old rank and flank nostalgia to the table. If you’ve not recovered from the shock and sorrow of the Old World, ASOIAF can relieve some of the heartache you are feeling. The game revolves around rank and file infantry and cavalry, and though trays are set with the amount of models you can have in each type of unit just seeing a battlefield filled with ranked infantry formations brings a smile to my face. Position and maneuvering are a HUGE part of the game, which was a major draw for Warhammer Fantasy fans. One of the clever ways that CMON lets you use individual characters without the game becoming a hero hammer type game is to let you add characters to any combat unit, and give the unit buffs appropriate with the character’s lore.
- Huge Variety of Model Choices – The game has been around for going on 5 years now, so there is no shortage of models to choose from regardless of the faction you choose to play. There are currently 8 playable factions in the game (2x Baratheon, Targaryan, Lannister, Stark, Greyjoy, Nights Watch, and Free Folk) with the option to play an entirely neutral faction using only those type of units. Within each faction there are loads of units to choose from and an equal amount of NCUs (non-combat units). CMON continues to release new factions, such as the recently released Dorne faction, as well as adding new units to already established factions. Frontline Gaming has recently begun to sell these models at a discount, and have a huge selection to choose from. They even offer their standard 20% discount and free shipping on orders over $99. You can check out their stock and place an order here.
- Ready to Play Models – One of the biggest selling points for me when I was starting to look at the game was the fact that the models are all single piece plastic produced in faction specific coloring. As the great Big Nasty B from LATCS fame used to say, ‘Just Pull it out, Play with It’. The models are beautifully detailed and units will usually come with 3 or 4 different poses along with a upgrade type model that can be used in multiple types of units in your army. CMON does something clever where they introduce new faction starter boxes periodically that give you new sculpts for existing units that you can then use to diversify your units even more.
- Deep Lore and Background – As you might expect from a game based around the world that George R.R Martin created, ASOIAF comes with a background story almost as deep and rooted as the universe Tolkien created. One of the big draws for the game is the lore accuracy used when creating the miniatures for the factions, as everything is based off of the book descriptions and not the television series. George R.R. Martin himself has to sign off on any new releases. The game itself takes place shortly after Robert Baratheon dies, and the fighting has only recently begun between the factions. One of my favorite things about the game is that depth of army selections due to lesser houses being bannermen to the 5 main houses. Tully units included in a Stark army or Tyrells in a Lannister army. You could also excursively play these minor houses since they usually have enough units and non-combat units to make a viable force.
- Large and Passionate Fan Base – One of the biggest hurdles any non-Games Workshop miniatures game faces is finding a local player base. Luckily, the words seems to be out and more and more players are picking up the game. The low cost of entry, usually a $100 starter set, is a big selling point, and you get pretty much everything you need to make a 40 point army and start playing immediately. Personally, I found a local Facebook page for ASOIAF players and then joined their Discord channel. Our regular game day at the local store regularly brings in 10-12 players, which is a huge amount of players for a non-Games Workshop game. Tournaments are also becoming a regular thing at most large events. Frontline Gaming recently announced the ASOIAF tournament at the flagship Las Vegas Open. If you are interested you can purchase tickets here.
So, I ask you this. Why not give it a shot? The rules are streamlined and easy to pick up. The models are affordable and ready to play out of the box. There is even an official app, War Council, that not only lets you create army lists based on models owned, but includes the updated rules for all models that you can view without making any additional purchases. Grab a couple friends and give it a go! I promise you wont be disappointed.
And remember, Frontline Gaming sells gaming products at a discount, every day in their webcart!
