The GAME OF THRONES Fantasy League – Season 8 is finally
here!
In just over three months, for six unifying weeks, we will
all experience the final season of the last TV show to require immediate
viewing. Streaming has changed the game. There’s such a proliferation of
content that everyone experiences television at different speeds in their own
time. Not many TV shows command that everyone has to watch it the night it
comes out, that you experience each dramatic episode week to week on the same
timeline as your friends and family. As the landscape of television evolves
this will become more of a thing of the past. Until then, let’s celebrate this
last hurrah with my favourite game! The Game of Thrones Fantasy League!
For one final time, here’s how to play:
Create a team of 9 characters. Once Season 8 begins, I will
award points to each character. The aim is to finish the season with the most
points. The winner shall get several Game of Thrones goodies!
Points are awarded to characters if they are seen to perform
certain tasks on screen, e.g. killing a White Walker or drinking wine. Points
can be given but can also be taken away, mostly for incompetence or violence,
e.g. getting injured or killing someone. 5 points are given just for appearing in an episode,
conversely 5 points are taken away if your character does not appear in the
episode.
Regard the points system carefully before choosing your team
of characters.
There will be a capping system in place in the event your
character kills more than two people in a single episode. A character like Bronn
who killed thousands of people with a single arrow in the episode 'Blackwater'
would never be able to gain those points back if not for a capping system in
place, so you would never lose more than 20 points if your character killed
over two people in a single episode. Capping is also in place for encountering
wights, killing wights, and encountering wight walkers (all capped at 3 times)
Now that is out of the way, on to the Character Groups!
The Characters are sorted into seven groups:
Group A: High-Scoring Main Characters – Choose ONE character
from this group. In the past, these characters have proved incredible points
earners so this year teams are limited to just one.
Group B: Low-Scoring Main Characters – Choose TWO characters
from this group. These are the central characters of the show who haven’t
earned many points in the past. In order to beef up earnings, you can select
two characters.
Group C: Supporting Main Characters - these are characters
who have enough screen presence that they can carry storylines and scenes on
their own, but are not key points of view in the song of Ice and Fire
Group D: Rest of the Main Characters - all the other
characters whose actors have their names in the opening credits as of season 7
Group E: Side Characters - important characters but not
important enough to have their names in the opening credits
Group F: Animals - you need an animal on your team, take
your pick!
Group G: Gone but might Return - these are characters that
are dead or presumed dead but there is a chance they may appear in visions or
flashbacks
Group H: Are these fuckers ever coming back? - characters who will
probably never be seen on the show again, but are alive as of season 7
Finally, there is one more way to maximise points for your
team: your Joker episode. The season premiere and season finale are excluded,
but choose any episode from 2 to 5 to multiply the points gained in that
episode. Your options are:
Episode 2: triple points
Episode 3: triple points
Episode 4: triple points
Episode 5: double points
Here's an example of a submitted entry:
"Episode 4, Daenerys, Cersei, Sansa, Jorah, Missandei, Grey Worm, Rhaegal, Lyanna Stark, Jaqen H'ghar"
Assemble your team of nine, choose your Joker episode and we
will see you back here in Spring 2019 to see who has won the last ever Game of Thrones
Fantasy League!
