Hell froze over when epic fantasy became one of the most popular genres of TV series on earth. Game of Thrones (GOT), a show with swords, dragons and sorcery, something that would have been considered too nerdy for the mainstream now has millions of viewers. On the eve of the show’s sixth season premiere in India, GOT continues to drive its audiences mad with its twists, turns, theories. Let’s see what makes this show so compelling to both men and women.
For those who have just crawled out from under that rock, here’s the pitch. GOT is set in the high fantasy book series called A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin. The story follows several warring houses vying for control over the kingdom of Westeros. What stands out about the show and the books are the devious politics. The story is never afraid to show gore or nudity, right up to the madness of men in order to paint a real picture; often crossing several lines. What the series is most famous for is killing off its key characters, sometimes several of them at once, and always in the most horrendous of ways. No one goes peacefully in Westeros.
Here’s how you can go beyond the books and TV show; from companion books, memorabilia to board games and much more.
Clothing and accessories
Plus, for less than 500 bucks (rupees that is), you can get some smashing GOT junk jewellery to bling up your favourite outfit. And for a lot of money, you can order really swanky accessories from Etsy, like his and her rings, cuff links, obsidian stone necklaces, and more. For a whole lot more money you can order official merchandise, such as bags and more at the HBO store.
Toys and Merchandise Who wouldn’t want the raven-haired Jon Snow or Daenerys Stormborn statuette on their shelves. You can purchase them from toy stores in Mumbai, though you will need to search. You should look around for the Dark Horse figures, as they look incredibly realistic. If hunting around the various toy and memorabilia stores is not your thing, then you can purchase them at the SuperheroStore online or at Ebay. They cost about Rs 2,599 and they seem to be in stock at the time of writing this article. Again, the official HBO GOT store too has several Pen Drive characters and more collectibles. So, if you also want to own official merchandise then that’s the way to go.
Board Games If you fancy gathering around with friends, sipping nice wine and then stabbing them in the back, GOT board games fit the bill.
Game of Thrones Monopoly: Combining your love for Monopoly and your love for everything GOT, this is one dangerous and fun Monopoly set. Pretty much like the standard game, but this one has hand-sculpted tokens to depict the Iron Throne, Dragon Egg, Direwolf and more. Instead of traditional houses you have Villages and Keeps. Even the board is in classy black with a parchment map of Westeros. Available in India on Amazon and Ebay for Rs 6,499.
Game of Thrones (The Board Game): Heralded by several as one of the best out there, the GOT strategy board game embodies all that is diabolical about the show. You pick a house and play against three or five other friends to gain control over Westeros by any means possible. Whether it’s making shaky alliances and betraying everyone to doing whatever it takes to win. This game brings the worst out in you. So just pick your friends wisely and pray your friendships are strong. If anything, this board game might just break it. Priced around Rs 6,500.
Video GamesA Song of Ice and Fire is begging for a game. And there are some studios that are trying their best to give you a GOT video game, with mixed results.
Crusader Kings II: Game of Thrones Mod: A strategy game that’s quite like an acquired taste. But for diehard GOT fans, there are loads of overhead maps, stats, lineages and family trees. Crusader Kinds II costs about $40 on Steam, and the mod is free from Mod DB. Be warned though, its best advised to watch a few videos of it in action to see if you like this style of gameplay.
Game of Thrones: A Telltale Games Series: After the success of their episodic Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us games, Telltale did the same with GOT. Spread across six episodes, this story follows a traditional point and click drama following the lives of the family of House Forrester of Ironrath. The game takes place within the TV series between the third and fifth seasons, which includes cameos by several of the main cast members. With a second season in the works, fans will feel at home with Telltale’s storytelling. Priced around $30 on Steam for the season, there is a Humble Bundle Sale going on now at about $12.
Books George RR Martin is stubbornly and painfully procrastinating on the second last book. With each passing interview, the release date goes further and further away, with only the TV Show powering on. Here are a few books you can satiate your hunger with till dear Martin finishes the rest of the series.
Tales of Dunk and Egg : Set as a prequel, these novellas follow the exploits of Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire ‘Egg’, who is actually the King Aegon V Targaryen.
Note: This is not a spoiler as these novellas are a sort of a chronicle of his exploits with Duncan, painting the prequel of GOT in the background. There are other several books in the Tales series with titles like Dreamsongs .
Game of Thrones Graphic novels: If reading the books seems to labourious, soon there will be the graphic novel versions of A Song of Ice and Fire series. Game of Thrones , the first book in the series is already out, with the rest following suit. Rs 2750.
Westeros Guides and art books: For avid collectors and fans of the series, there are books like The World of Ice and Fire , Lands of Ice and Fire, as well as A Game of Thrones Guide , which are illustrated companions. Not to mention the Art of Game of Thrones . All amazing items to adorn your GOT bookshelf.
The Wit and Wisdom of Tyrion Lannister : One of the most loved characters in the series is Tyrion Lannister. He’s a smart dwarf with a big mouth and some of the best lines in the series. The book is a collection of quotes you can imagine being said in the voice of actor Peter Dinklage who played Tyrion to perfection. Rs 757 for a hardcover is well spent.
Game of Thrones Recipe/ Cook Books : Surprise your loved one with a feast from GOT. Except we all know how feasts in Westeros go. Nonetheless, you can pick up A Feast of Ice and Fire: The Official Game of Thrones Companion Cookbook for Rs 1,640 for recipes directly from the show and books and a From the Shores of Dorne supplement as an eBook. There is also The Unofficial Game of Thrones Cookbook: From Direwolf Ale to Auroch Stew – More Than 150 Recipes from Westeros and Beyond for Rs 1,107 in hardcover. The title says it all. Soon, you will be feasting, and hoping no mass murder comes your way.
Apps Unleash GOT on the go with these apps. The primary one being George RR Martin’s A World of Ice and Fire, an official app that’s a compendium of everything from the lore. So if you’re ever lost in the names and family trees that Martin brings up in other books like a pop quiz, this app will come in handy. There’s also the Game of Thrones Companion, which is less pretty but more in-depth.
The most useful is the Westeros Map for Game of Thrones, which lets you plot where your characters are at the moment in the show or in the books. Which is great because all those Stark children keep wandering off to god knows where. It’s also fun to predict where they would be heading of to next.
Conclusion: There’s a lot more from the world of GOT you will love. For now, enjoy season six. If you make it through all that carnage, we’ll see you on the other side.
GOT predictions
GOT has a terrible reputation for killing off our favourite characters, and then making us wait for a whole year before the killing fest returns. Now, that it is the season once again, we know nothing (no pun intended) about what’s going to happen.
But that shouldn’t stop us from preparing ourselves. The twists in this season will be different. Predictions are running wild as fans guess, both online and offline what to expect from the latest episodes. Here are some of the most plausible:
SmallJon Umber: SmallJon, son of GreatJon Umber, the Lord of Last Hearth will replace his father as a banner man of House Stark. Since he was not introduced in the series’, expect to see SmallJon as the acting Lord of Last Hearth, while his father GreatJon lies captive in Riverrun. |
More Ironborns: This includes Euron Greyjoy and Yara Greyjoy with more Greyjoy storylines. The former is the eldest of Lord Balon Greyjoy’s younger brothers and the captain of Silence, a ship crewed entirely by mutes. |
The Tower of Joy incident: Continued from season one, this mysterious part of the series details Ned Stark’s last interactions with his sister Lyanna Stark who was allegedly taken captive in the Tower of Joy by Rhaegar Targaryen. The expected flashback could throw light on Jon Snow’s origins. |
Kingsmoot: Part of the traditions called the Old Way, the Kingsmoot is how the Ironborns choose their King. The last one was a bloodbath and takes place hundreds of years before the Andal invasion. |
Battle of the Bastards: This climactic battle slated to be featured in the end of the sixth season, pits the two bastards, Jon Snow and Roose Bolton against one another. Snow leads the wildlings while Bolton leads the Karstarks and Umbers. Sansa Stark has been spotted on the set as well, suggesting she could be involved with the dealings. |
Compiled by Adwaita |
Game of Thrones Season 6 premiere on Star World Premiere HD this Tuesday, April 26, at 10 pm
