2. Playing Politics
Of all the various elements comprising ASoIaF, none feels more unique to the genre than its emphasis on politics. Martin always placed as much importance on the battles behind the curtains as those on the battlefield, if not more so. Therefore, in order to make a video game true to the material, politics must be incorporated and heavily emphasized as well. As the leader of your own house, you must play the game of thrones to your advantage. The most obvious way of doing this is to include an intricate and subtle dialogue system. The Game of Thrones RPG incorporated such a feature, and it turned out to be one of the better aspects of the game. A dialogue system would allow conversations to diverge down different paths depending on the choices you make, and these divergent paths would determine who is ally and who is foe. However, you wouldnt be able to get everyone on your side, as aligning with one house would make you the enemy of another. Politics wouldnt just involve dialogue though. It would also include accumulating territory and holding its allegiance through lobbying and bartering. Allegiances could be made with individuals or entire houses, and it all would contribute to just how politically powerful you are. All this would have to be managed by you on a consistent basis. This, of course, has a risk of being boring, but anyone who is a fan of the books or show knows that this isnt the case. If the system were designed to emphasize the intricacy and intrigue, it would make for quite a unique and memorable gaming experience.