A Song of Ice and Fire TMG Baratheon Starter Set Preview

A Song of Ice and Fire Tabletop Miniatures Game (ASoIaF TMG) by CMON, is a super punchy rank and flank tabletop wargame based on the novels by George R R Martin. In this article, we're going to take a look at the Baratheon Starter Set, what it contains, and how they play on the tabletop. If you're interested in the Starks, Lannisters, or Night's Watch, or want to know more about how ASoIaF TMG plays, check out our Start Collecting article here.

You can buy all the ASoIaF TMG Products from our Tabletop Sponsor, Firestorm Games.

The ASoIaF TMG Baratheon Starter Set is a complete starter-set for ASoIaF TMG, which means that you can pick up this set and play straight away against anyone else who has a starter-set. All of the miniatures are single piece hard plastic, so the time from purchase to tabletop is very fast. The rules, while detailed, are relatively simple, and make for a standard game in under an hour.

The Baratheon Starter Set contains:

• 55 Miniatures (2 heroes, 4 units, and 2 non-combat units - We discuss these in more detail below)
• Full ASoIaF TMG Rulebook (this box contains the 1.4 rulebook, the current 1.6 rules are available for free from CMON)
• Measuring stick
• 10 Baratheon themed dice
• Tokens, cards, units cards, and scenery pieces

The Baratheon Starter Set gives a strong core of the Baratheon force. The Baratheon units are slow but heavily armored, and they feature a new Loyalty special rule, which restricts which Baratheon units can be taken by the different commanders. The Baratheon Starter Set only includes units that can be taken by both of the included commanders, so it's a great place to start to get a feel for their different playstyles.

The included commanders are Stannis Baratheon (The Rightful Heir) and Renly Baratheon (The Charismatic Heir). Stannis gives the unit he's attached to Critical Blow, which boosts hits on rolls of a 6 and Unyielding, which means his unit can never gain condition tokens. Renly gives the unit he's attached to Boldness and Courage, which negates the losses of a rank on attack rolls, and boots attacks if the unit is full, and Embolden, which gives nearby friendly units a bonus to morale. The 2 play-styles for the 2 commanders out of the starter set see Stannis blocking condition tokens on his unit while looking to boost damage output and keep tokens on the enemy units. Renly looks to mitigate losses and heal units in order to see them grind out their opponents.

The non-combat units included in the starter set are Shyra Errol, who can remove condition tokens from friendly units and give them to enemy units depending on the zone she's placed in on the tactics board, and Alester Florent, who twice per game, can claim a zone and then block another to stop your opponent claiming it.

The 4 Baratheon units included in the starter set are:

• Stag Knights - The antler helmeted Stag Knights are expensive, but they get better as they lose ranks. Throwing them into the center of combat will force your opponent to deal with them. They can also take a Stag Knight Noble attachment, which gives them 2 wounds after they're attacked in melee but lets them attack back during your opponent's turn.
• Baratheon Sentinels - The Sentinels are dual-hammer wielding warriors. They have sundering, which gives opposing units -1 to save rolls, but their poor morale means that you will want to try and mitigate it with commanders and attachments.
• Baratheon Wardens - The starter set includes 2 units of Wardens. The Wardens have a solid save and give opposing units that roll any 1's on defensive saves the weakened state. Weakened units can be forced to re-roll attack dice, but the Wardens can force them to reroll defense dice instead. They can be given the Master Warden attachment, which stops your opponent from getting the Charge, Flank, or Rear bonuses for attack the Wardens, giving you some great opportunities to throw the Wardens into the center of combat to hold the line.

Expanding from the Starter-Set will depend on your commander of choice, and the playstyle that you prefer. The Baratheon Starter Set gives the perfect starting place to see both, before looking to expand further. Additional commanders and units are available for the Baratheons.

The copy of the ASoIaF TMG Baratheon Starter Set used to produce this preview was provided by Asmodee UK.