Ghiscari Expansion

After finishing the Others last year, I knew pretty much right away I wanted to work on a Ghiscari faction for much the same reasons: they’re not likely to be made by CMON anytime soon, and having all these characters from Daenerys’ journey can help me complete my main goal of creating custom scenarios for every major event from the books and show.

Ghiscari is being used as a broad term that incorporates the three major cities of Slaver’s Bay, Qarth, the sellswords of Essos, Tolosi Slingers, and even the Stone Men of the Sorrows. It’s basically the anti-Daenerys faction with Stone Men thrown in. The faction document also includes many Neutral units and characters since they’re so intertwined in the Daenerys/Essos storyline. It also helps with the lack of likeable/notable characters when you can add Tyrion, Jorah, Penny, Quentyn Martell, and Ben Plumm, among others.

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The Ghiscari's playstyle, mainly supported by the core Tactics deck, is based around a “win more” mechanic, which I thought suited the obscenely wealthy and oppressive characters who populate the faction.

I know this mechanic was a big criticism of the initial House Greyjoy design: you must kill to get better, and if you’re killing that much, you’re probably already winning. I thought it would be interesting to take the “win more” concept and apply it to an aspect of the game that is a bit more strategic: scoring Victory Points. If the Ghiscari have the same amount or more VPs than their opponent, their card abilities are powered up to reflect their growing dominance. They thrive on controlling those they consider below them, and any sign of weakness boosts their sense of superiority. A key strategy will likely to be to get your Slave Soldiers up to collect the VPs early, and then push forward once you take the lead. And just like Daenerys is a problem in the books and show, the game mode Fire & Blood is gonna be tough going for the Ghiscari (though they have a lot of tricks to make up for it).     

On balance: both this faction and House Baratheon of Dragonstone were massive projects, and working on them both at the same time was an absurd decision. I know that with the lack of official releases this year there may be more interest in trying these factions out, and balance is always on top of people’s minds. Both factions have been playtested, but not extensively. They have also been designed like House Arryn, with no consideration toward the Season 6 free attachment rule, so there are no generic attachments, and they may seem a little OP. This was done solely because I don’t love the free attachment rule and I’m happy with the balance I created myself by making attachments more powerful and character driven. I’ve always viewed my factions as supplementary to my scenarios, designed for friendly or narrative games for people who love the lore or who want to try something new. I often tell people who play my scenarios/factions that they are made for your enjoyment, so if you think something could use a buff/nerf, make any changes you’d like and try it out. I would love to hear if you do, as I’m always adjusting based on feedback.

On artwork: the second most common question I get after balance concerns is about the artwork on the cards. Unlike House Arryn and the Others, I did us AI to generate a lot of the artwork for this and House Baratheon of Dragonstone. I originally had traditional artwork chosen and spent many hours Photoshopping that art to make cards like I had before, but I was never happy with the overall look of the Ghiscari. It was too noticeably Ancient Egyptian, Ancient Persian, or Arabic, and no characters matched their description from the books. I ended up generating a few images as a test and was very happy with the results. To help generate the art, I created a crude mock-up in Photoshop, and then I had the AI polish the mock-up to make it look realistic and painterly. Then I edited the generated artwork using Photoshop to remove all the quirky/ugly AI stuff, like random swords sticking out of people’s legs. I’m very cognizant of the discussions around AI art, but in the end I’m very happy with how the finished project looks and how it brings the unique worlds of Slaver’s Bay and Qarth to life. 

The rest of this post will discuss the Ghiscari units and characters.

GHISCARI LEGION: While most factions have that 1 core unit (the double Starter Set unit), I consider the Ghiscari Legion and Slave Soldiers as kind of the 1A and 1B core unit of the Ghiscari faction. Truthfully there isn’t much talk in the books of the Ghiscari Legion, except the iron legion from New Ghis that joins with Yunkai to fight Dany. I thought of this more as a general standing army for all the slave cities, kept in memory of the mighty Ghiscari Legion of old. They are high in numbers, hence their 8 dice and Superior Numbers ability, but not as skilled as elite Westerosi knights. I also wanted to pay a small homage to the Banding ability mentioned during the initial Kickstarter in 2017. With Banding, you could stick two units with the Banding ability together to have a unit that was really, really wide and had 8 wounds per rank. Though not quite as fun and silly as that, the Ghiscari Legion get stronger when close to another friendly Ghiscari Legion unit. 

GHISCARI ARCHERS: I like the idea of archer units being a bit more expensive so that they’re less of an auto-include, but they still gotta bring value for their points. Advantageous Position was an ability I created for the Arryn Crossbowmen, with the thematic idea behind it being that the unit has already found the perfect spot, so can just keep shooting. I know other replacement zone free attack abilities were removed from the game, but I think this one brings that value I mentioned while also creating a lot of strategic questions. 

GHISCARI CATAPHRACTS: Cataphracts seemed like the perfect choice for the pomposity and pride of the Ghiscari, and since the rider and horse are covered head-to-toe in armor I knew this had to be an elite cavalry with a 3+ armour save. 

GHISCARI WAR ELEPHANTS: I was a bit sad that the Golden Company War Elephants did not come with war towers, so this was my chance to rectify that. I actually have a War Elephant model I’ve customized to have a war tower, I just need to paint it.

SLAVE SOLDIERS: Along with the Ghiscari Legion, the other core unit in your army. They obviously have a huge weakness in their morale, but being 4-point unit with 4+ to Hit there needs to be a trade-off. Keep them close to your commander or Overseers and they will become quite formidable.

SLAVE OVERSEERS: Like the Slave Soldiers, their weakness is obvious and glaring, but don’t forget that they have additional value by boosting Slave Soldier units. I think a lot of people would think of this more like a solo Infantry unit, like Freedmen or Drowned Men, but I’m not a fan of those units aesthetically and I didn’t want this unit to just hide behind the Slave Soldiers, blocked out from the action. I also thought of them as a generic attachment, but I couldn’t think of other generic attachments that interested me and I didn’t want there to be just one of them, so instead we get a bunch of them.

HERONS: This was the one unit I absolutely had to have in the army: 8-foot-tall giants on stilts that are dressed like flamingos. They were fun to design as they are kind of mocked by the sellswords but obviously would still be impressive to see such tall soldiers. I settled on a mid in combat, inspiring unit that has high morale because it’s too awkward and slow to run away while wearing stilts. They are also the first unit that can be universally buffed by an NCU.

I thought this was a cool concept that captured the nature of the Herons and their master, the Little Pigeon. They may become quite good, but it takes a while and you’re giving something up by passing on the effect of those important zones. A little gimmicky, but a fun ability for casual games.

MEEREENESE PIT FIGHTERS: A slightly more defensive version of the Targaryen Pit Fighters, as this unit represents the most hardened, veteran pit fighters that remained loyal to their masters.

SONS OF THE HARPY: I think this will be the most ‘controversial’ unit in the faction because of the obscene Shadow War ability, but I think if you balance that out with the units’ limitations, specifically that it’s limited and chucking no dice on 4+, it becomes a strategic piece that likely needs an attachment to be truly terrifying. I’ve tried to stay away from the TV show designs in the past, but the mask is just too cool to ignore. 

UNSULLIED OF ASTAPOR: Another unit that has a near identical Targaryen counterpart. They are still quite good offensively for 6 points, but they have lost 1 speed, 1 attack die on each rank, 1 morale, and 1 ability, so I think that was enough to drop them down 1 point.

THE CHARIOTEER: I debated quite a bit on whether to make this a regular unit or a character unit. In the end, I decided to make it a character unit of the Yunkish General ‘The Charioteer.’ It’s added defense, wounds, and attack die shore up a lot of the issues the Frozen Shore Chariot has, so it can be a bit more of an offensive centre piece in your army instead of just a harassing unit.  

DRAGONBREAKER TREBUCHET: I made this unit for thematic purposes, as the Six Sisters trebuchets play a big part in the Winds of Winter sample chapters (and Dragonbreaker is the coolest name of the six). I know siege weapons with unlimited range aren’t so popular, but I think this one is pretty toned down and would likely only be used in Siege of Meereen narrative scenarios. 

TOLOSI SLINGERS: I did a little research on slings and it was obvious that this unit needed sundering. The added wound effect thematically represents the lead balls ricocheting into different directions after glancing off their targets.

STONE MEN: Yes, I know: the Stone Men have absolutely nothing to do with the Ghiscari. But they live kind of near them. That was my argument when I added the Vale mountain clans in the first few versions House Arryn, and I’m using it again here. The idea is that they’re not being controlled by the general, per se (hence you cannot add attachments, and they cannot control Objectives), but that they are fighting in the same vicinity and the Ghiscari are using it to their advantage. In the end, the rule of cool dictates that they had to be made. The Greyscale ability is obviously quite strong and could chain quite quickly if the Defender is not careful, so you really must plan your strategy around them. Luckily for the Defender, the Ghiscari player can only have one in their army. 

 QARTHEEN CAMELRY: Qarth, like the Slaver Cities, is all about opulence. I had some ideas with less armored Camel, but it didn’t feel very…. Qarth-y. I always try to be true to the theme, so I settled on this unit which is a bit unique: high armor, bad morale, 4+ with Lance, it’s quite strong with two glaring weaknesses: morale and weakened token, though the Resolute March ability can help take care of that and perhaps set up a start of Round devastating charge.

WARLOCK DISCIPLES: An invention wholly of my own, this unit was created because I was inspired by this awesome piece of artwork from Joel Chaim Holtzman. I do like the idea that the Warlocks keeping to the House of the Undying and a few other places in Qarth where they party with the elites, and so they send out these assassin-like Disciples to do their dirty work in the streets. I could have maybe named them the Sorrowful Men, but it didn’t seem to make sense to have a large unit of super secretive assassins, and I was already pushing the limits with 1 Overseers running around together.  

WARLOCKS OF QARTH & THE UNDYING ONES: Like the Stone Men and the Herons, I wanted to take some chances and have fun with these designs, because otherwise who wants to play an army full of dull, minor, irredeemable characters? Well, you probably do if they have the plague, giant bird men, and evil wizards. I mentioned in the House Arryn article that I can design units like the Pack Mules because I’m just having fun and don’t have to think about logistics or sales. The same goes for this unit, which becomes a whole other unit after it is destroyed: 12 unique, ghoulish models. I originally toyed with the idea of the Undying Ones being very, very slow (think Stone Thrower), but they just became too much of a non-factor. My favorite unit in the faction and I’m excited to re-design my scenario the House of the Undying around these new Warlock units.

WINDBLOWN MERCENARIES: Just as I wanted to create a unique mechanic that interacted with Victory Points, I wanted to throw in a few new abilities that interacted with Objective tokens. I thought it would be something unique to make this Neutral unit stand apart from the many others.

WINDBLOWN OUTRIDERS: A typical Outrider cavalry unit with a fun new ability that represents the hidden pathways scouts can find to help ambush enemy camps.

SECOND SONS: Sometimes I start designing a unit by thinking of potential names for abilities. For the Second Sons, the quote that immediately stood out was their commander Ben Plumm’s, “There are old sellswords and bold sellswords but there are no old bold sellswords.” This morphed into the gimmicky but fun idea of this big play (but only one big play) unit, again trying to make Neutral units that are unique and flavorful.

COMPANY OF THE CAT: A basic panic-oriented unit (they can’t all be gimmicky). 

MALAZZA: The Yunkish commanders are interesting because in the Winds of Winter sample chapter they are rotating commanders, giving orders one day and then following orders the next. That is why Malazza are Morghaz zo Zherzyn are both commanders and regular attachments. Known as the Girl General, Yunkai’s own self-styled Dragon Queen, she is a standard movement focused attachment/commander.

MORGHAZ ZO ZHERZYN: The Drunken Conqueror who Tyrion finds strangely competent; he is the Ghiscari’s best straight-up fighting commander.

KRAZNYS MO NAKLOZ: I made Kraznys a commander specifically so I can create a scenario based around his confrontation with Daenerys and the Unsullied in the Plaza of Punishment.

OZNAK ZO PAHL: Another character that Daenerys entourage has a memorable interaction with, Oznak is the champion of Meereen who battles Strong Belwas (and is used as Belwas’ toilet paper).

YURKHAZ ZO YUNZAK: The Supreme Commander of the Armies and Allies of Yunkai, this ancient general is carried around on a large palanquin by 40 slaves. In the books he is killed during the chaos caused by Drogon in Daznak’s Pit, which leads to the rotation of commanders (including Malazza and Morghaz).

GRAZDAN MO ERAZ: The envoy of Yunkai that tries to convince Daenerys not to attack.

YEZZAN ZO QAGGAZ: The obese slaver who buys Tyrion, Jorah, and Penny, he is known for his ‘grotesqueries’ with their various physical anomalies.

GALAZZA GALARE: The Green Grace, a spiritual leader in Meereen, she always preaches peace to Daenerys, but who she truly supports is another question.

REZNAK MO REZNAK: Another one of Daenery’s advisors in Meereen, he is a slimy yes man whom Barristan Selmy distrusts.

PYAT PREE: Both his Commander and NCU come with the House of the Undying. Also representing Qarth, we have Xaro Xhoan Daxos NCU and Quaithe NCU in the faction.

TYRION, JORAH, & PENNY: Penny is a somewhat controversial character in A Dance with Dragons, so I wanted to have fun with her attachment. Justice for Crunch and Pretty Pig!

QUENTYN, GERRIS, & ARCHIBALD: As I mentioned above, it’s fun to include these Westerosi characters because the Ghiscari are quite unsavory on their own. And yes, I do smell what Archibald Yronwood is cooking. You might even say, “The hierarchy of power in the A Song of Ice & Fire: Tabletop Miniatures Game universe is about to change.”   

BLOODBEARD: The bloodthirsty leader of the Company of the Cat.

BEN PLUMM, MERO, & KASPORIO: All from the Second Sons. Ben is one of my favorite minor characters, a wily sellsword who likes to bet on a winner.

THE TATTERED PRINCE: The mysterious commander of the Windblown who asks ludicrous demands from people that can definitely not deliver them.

CAGGO, MERIS, & DENZO: Colorful members of the Windblown.

This was an absolutely massive project, but I know people have really enjoyed House Arryn and the Others, so I'm hoping this and House Baratheon of Dragonstone can give the community a small reprieve as we wait patiently for news about seasonal updates, new releases, and Tactics.

If you have any comments or suggestions, shoot me a message on the Contact Us page.

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