A Song of Ice and Fire TMG Greyjoy 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 Greyjoy 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, or if the Baratheon's are more your style, you can read the preview of their starter set here. Last year, as part of our Nautical Tabletop Season, we chatted to the Lead Developer for ASoIaF TMG about the Greyjoys, which you can read here to learn about the development plans for this sea-based faction.

The ASoIaF TMG Greyjoy 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 Greyjoy 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 current 2021 rulebook, and you can check and download any updates and errata at CMON)
• Measuring stick
• 10 Baratheon themed dice
• Tokens, cards, units cards, and scenery pieces

The Greyjoy Starter Set gives a strong core of the Greyjoy force playstyle. The Greyjoy units are lightly armored and revolve around the new Pillage special rule that benefits units for taking out enemy ranks. This makes positioning, and early target selection incredibly important for Greyjoy commanders, as getting stuck into drawn-out close combat with heavily armored units will never go their way.

The included commanders are Asha Greyjoy (The Kraken's Daughter) and Victarion Greyjoy (The Iron Captain). Taking Victarion as your commander gives the Greyjoys a very aggressive playstyle. Victarion's Overrun ability means that if the unit he's attached to wipes out the unit they're in contact with, they can charge into another nearby unit. Clever positioning and early aggressive attacks to weaken other enemy units can make this very devastating, especially when combined with the Furious Charge ability that makes all units charged by Victario's unit vulnerable. Asha's playstyle is very different and centers around her boosting nearby unit's morale stat to match her own, which then ties into her Tactics Cards, like Ironborn Mettle, which restores wounds to a unit after passing a morale test.

The non-combat units included in the starter set are Rodrik Harlaw, who allows you to cycle through your tactics cards every turn, looking for the cards you need, and Aeron Greyjoy, who attaches themself to a unit when you claim a zone to heal that unit before any action they take, and also when they take out enemy ranks.

The four Greyjoy units included in the starter set are:

• Ironborn Reavers - The starter set includes 2 units of Reavers. The Reavers are the core troops of the Greyjoy army, they gain benefits to hit for each pillage token they have, which they can gain through destroying enemy ranks. Early target selection is a priority with the Reavers, as getting bogged down against armored enemies early on, can reduce their ability to gain pillage tokens.
• Ironborn Bowmen - These ranged troops are also fairly sturdy in close combat, but their main goal is to position so they can attack enemies in the flank or rear, which allows them to reroll attack dice. Good positioning of your other troops to maximize this ability is essential. They can also give a friendly unit pillage tokens if they are in long-range of a unit that they destroy ranks of, which is a good way to build up the Reavers if they get stuck in a combat they're struggling with.
• House Harlaw Reapers - The Reapers are devastating in combat, with 3+ to hit, they can also deal additional wounds to a unit if it fails a panic test, or heal their own. They can do this for each pillage token they have, which they gain from destroying enemy ranks. If you can get them pillage tokens from ranged attacks with the Bowmen before the Reapers even get into combat, they can hit extremely hard and if combined with Victarion's ability to smash through units into others, they can devastate a damaged enemy line. They're not very durable, so protecting them, or ensuring they regularly heal their ranks is key to ensuring their effectiveness.

The Greyjoy starter set also includes a Reaver Captain and Warsworn attachments, which can let you deploy your units from either flank table edge later in the game, or heal a unit as it takes out enemy ranks.

I've been looking forward to the Greyjoys since their announcement. They require some thought to use because while hard-hitting, they're not very durable and their combos require some setup. We can't wait to see what's next for them and look forward to fleshing out the faction.

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