Unsmiling, Lord Beric laid the edge of his longsword against the palm of his left hand, and drew it slowly down. Blood ran dark from the gash he made, and washed over the steel. And then the sword took fire.
George R.R. Martin,A Storm of Swords

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announceThe Brotherhood Without Banners, the sixth Chapter Pack in theBlood and Goldcycle forA Game of Thrones: The Card Game!

The tumult of the War of the Five Kings shook the foundations of Westeros, fracturing the peace that had endured since Greyjoys Rebellion. In this new war, the Great Houses were forced to choose sides, some supporting Renly or Stannis Baratheon, others lending aid to Robb Stark, Joffrey Baratheon, or Balon Greyjoy. Yet there are also those who fight for no king, but for the people. To some, they are no more than outlaws, but for others, these men and women are champions and heroestrue knights.

Take up arms with outlaws inThe Brotherhood Without Banners, the sixth Chapter Pack of theBlood and Goldcycle! As the cycle draws to a climactic conclusion, youll have the chance to see the themes of the cycle more fully realized, with new economy cards and new support for the bestow keyword across all eight factions. Whether youre serving the Nights Watch with Donal Noye or leading the brotherhood with Beric Dondarrion, this expansion has plenty to offer, including a brand-new agenda inviting you to join the brotherhood without banners.

The Forgotten Fellowship

Choosing an agenda for your deck is one of the most crucial decisions youll make while deckbuilding forA Game of Thrones: The Card Game, and there are obvious reasons why thats true. Your agenda decides the focus of your entire deck, whether youre choking your opponents economy and reserve withKings of Winter(Called to Arms, 38), revealing unexpectedSchemeswith"The Rains of Castamere"(Lions of Casterly Rock, 45), or pursuing some other route to victory.

InThe Brotherhood Without Bannersexpansion, a new agenda enters the game, and it immediately opens the door to a wealth of new decks. Yet from its first line,The Brotherhood Without Banners(The Brotherhood Without Banners, 119) agenda immediately sets itself apart from every other deck that you may choose to create.

If theres been one constant across all agendas released so far, its that you can rely on the aid of your main factions most iconic characters. House Lannister can always call uponTywin Lannister(Core Set, 90), for instance, while House Baratheon has the sole privilege of fighting alongsideRobert Baratheon(Core Set, 48). All of your old alliances change, however, when you join the brotherhood without bannersthis agenda prevents you from including loyal characters in your deck.

Obviously, youd expect to gain something significant in exchange for giving up some of your most powerful cards, and The Brotherhood Without Banners delivers by dramatically increasing the effectiveness of neutral characters. The agenda reads, Reaction:After the challenges phase begins, kneel your faction card to choose a neutral character you control. Until the end of the phase, that character gains (choose one): insight, intimidate, renown, or stealth.

Ultimately, what you gain from The Brotherhood Without Banners is a supreme versatility as you approach the challenges phase. If youre short on cards, you can grant insight to draw more cards. If you need power to close in on the win, you can gain renown. Or, if you need help to push challenges past your opponents characters, you can grant one of your own characters intimidate or stealth. No matter what the current state of your game, The Brotherhood Without Banners can offer a powerful benefit.

The one thing that you need for The Brotherhood Without Banners to have its full effect is a healthy supply of neutral characters. After all, if youre caught without any neutral characters in play, your agenda offers you nothing. Characters likeJaqen H'ghar(There Is My Claim, 77) are natural fits, though one of the best ways to use The Brotherhood Without Banners, at least initially, is with theWildlings. Its easy to see the benefits of giving intimidate, stealth, insight, or renown to powerful characters likeRattleshirt(Watchers on the Wall, 39) orCrow Killers(Watchers on the Wall, 41).

Still, there are few characters better suited to this agenda than the leader of the brotherhoodBeric Dondarrion(The Brotherhood Without Banners, 117). Designed by 2014 European Melee Champion Jakob Hultman, Beric Dondarrion is a formidable leader for your charactersnot least because of his near-immunity to death. When Beric Dondarrion first enters play, youll place six kiss tokens on him. Then, whenever Beric would be killed, you can discard a kiss token to save him! Removing these kiss tokens reduces Berics STR, but if youre survivingValar Morghulis(There Is My Claim, 80) or absorbing military claim without sacrificing your board, the kiss of life is a small price to pay. Just like inA Song of Ice and Fire, Beric will keep on fighting for your cause long past when lesser men would have given up and died.

Its also important to note that Beric Dondarrion bears theRhllortrait. Berics devotion to the Lord of Light means that he works perfectly withMelisandre(Core Set, 47) to keep your enemies knelt. As more brotherhood characters swearing allegiance toRhllorenter the game, you may find one of the best homes for The Brotherhood Without Banners in allegiance to House Baratheon.