It’s hard to believe we still don’t have a successful Game of Thrones RPG set in the A Song Of Ice & Fire universe. Recent attempts like Kingsroad, which ultimately doesn’t come close to capturing the possibilities of the IP, always seem to fall short, in part because they are limited by the confines of the established lore. In my view, there are always going to be a few major barriers to creating a successful Game of Thrones RPG as long as projects feel they need to be set in Westeros during or around the same time as the television shows and/or books.
One seriously unexplored region and time period in the A Song of Ice & Fire universe is Old Valyria during the onset of the dreaded and infamous Doom, and it’s ripe for adaptation into a quintessential Sword & Sorcery-style RPG. Old Valyria is teased constantly throughout the A Song Of Ice & Fire books, as well as during both the Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon television shows, but ultimately, we don’t have any major projects that dive deep into the lore of this region and time period.
Game Of Thrones Needs An RPG Set In Old Valyria
Old Valyria Has All The Ingredients For A Successful Sword & Sorcery RPG
If there’s ever going to be a successful RPG set in the GoT universe, Old Valyria is where it will happen. There are a few key reasons Old Valyria is an ideal setting for an RPG set in the GoT universe, primarily because it’s a largely unexplored time period and region that is completely open to interpretation. The existing canon has very few depictions of Old Valyria, which would allow developers of a future RPG to creatively explore and take artistic license in many respects, including characters, specific locations within the city, magical elements, and more.
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Further, there’s enough established lore that a story focused on a single character or a handful of fresh characters and NPCs wouldn’t be much of a stretch. We know that Old Valyria was a time period with abundant dragons, more common and advanced forms of magic. It also featured a rich culture and a society with complicated class dynamics founded on slavery and reckless expansionism utilizing mining technology and stonework. Perhaps the most exciting and interesting aspect of Old Valyria is the infamous Doom and the Fourteen Flames, the volcanoes that simultaneously erupted and destroyed the city.
Players could become Dragonlords, learn more about the origins of some of the great houses … and even explore theories about Valyria’s demise.
Old Valyria is an essential part of the larger ASOIF lore, and it’s the perfect setting for a dark fantasy RPG that could explore the culture and events leading up to the Doom in further detail. There are so many possible points of entry in this unexplored region that it’s a little surprising someone hasn’t jumped at the opportunity already. Players could become Dragonlords, learn more about the origins of some of the great houses, such as House Targaryen and House Velaryon, and even explore theories about Valyria’s demise, such as sabotage by the Faceless Men.
Westeros Is Limited In Terms Of Magic & Dragons
It’s Time To Depart Westeros & Head East To Essos
One major reason any game set in Westeros is going to be limited to some extent is due to the fundamental nature of the continent itself. Magical elements and dragons are intentionally sparse and uncommon in Westeros because it helps establish a level of mystery and suspense that would otherwise make the world feel like a high fantasy setting where you experience magic around every corner. For the novels and shows, this makes a lot of sense. For an RPG, however, it’s extremely limiting, and it’s part of the reason any game set in Westeros will be restricted to a large extent.
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For a more dynamic gameplay experience, players need to have access to magic in ways that would contradict the established lore of Westeros, but these same limitations don’t exist when it comes to Old Valyria and “ancient” Essos, the continent East of Westeros where Old Valyria once thrived. Dragons were much more common, and wielding magical abilities wouldn’t have been so surprising or rare in Essos compared to Westeros.
There’s More Opportunity & Possibilities With Old Valyria
Westeros Is Bound By A Song Of Ice & Fire Canon In Ways Old Valyria Is Not
Moreover, Westeros has too much established lore in terms of characters, houses, locations, et cetera. Any game set there has to honor the established canon to some degree, which by nature will limit what is possible. This isn’t to say that magic doesn’t exist in Westeros, but any instance of magic or magical details has to be explained in a way that doesn’t contradict or retcon things from the books or TV shows. On the whole, Old Valyria simply doesn’t have the same restrictions because most of the established details are relatively vague or open-ended.
Valyrian Steel weapons are also ripe for creative exploration in an RPG, as they are the most powerful weapons in the ASOIF canon.
Old Valyria simply has more to offer in terms of opportunities for an ASOIF RPG, largely because it’s one of the least-explored regions. Not only would this be a chance for players to learn more about the most mysterious lore in ASOIF, but they would also be able to experience a completely fresh and exciting portrayal of the IP that doesn’t run the risk of contradicting any established storylines or ruining any beloved characters. If any developers out there are looking for the perfect setting for a Game of Thrones RPG, Old Valyria is where they should start.
- Cast
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Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Sophie Turner, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Maisie Williams, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Iain Glen, John Bradley, Alfie Allen, Conleth Hill, Liam Cunningham, Gwendoline Christie, Aidan Gillen, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Rory McCann, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jerome Flynn, Rhys Ifans, Matt Smith, Graham McTavish, Fabien Frankel, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Emma D’Arcy, Matthew Needham, Olivia Cooke, Milly Alcock, Emily Carey
