Crosstalk: Telltale’s Game of Thrones

Telltale’s Game of Thrones is now halfway through its first season, so the two of us who are playing the game, David and I, have come together to talk a little bit about how things are going for House Forrester, what we like and dislike so far, and what the future may hold for the families of Ironrath.

And, lest we forget, if you haven’t played this game, yet, be wary of SPOILERS, the rest of the way.

Cameron: So David, we’re halfway through this inaugural season of Telltale’s Game of Thrones. How do you think House Forrester is holding up so far?

David: About as well as could be expected, seeing as how they’ve just suffered some major losses to their family. Sure Lord Forrester and Ethan are dead, but Rodrik has returned, rather unexpectedly, and Mira seems to have something going in King’s Landing, with Tyrion’s official seal and promise to buy ironwood from House Forrester. I’d say they are barely holding on.

Cameron: Yeah, even Asher got a bit of a scare from Drogon. That can’t have been fun! So what’s been your favorite set-piece so far, and who’s your favorite character?

David: Hands down, the Ironrath location is amazing and is my favorite set-piece. As far as characters go, I really like Asher, but Gared is my all-around favorite…although Rodrik is quickly growing on me.

Cameron: I think it’s fairly obvious from my review, but I loved Mira from the start and I think her story is rendered really well so far. She’s clever, but still facing lots of obstacles as she navigates King’s Landing and its divisive politics. As for set-pieces, while the game does render a lot of the show’s locations really well (think of Gared approaching the Wall or the infamous Red Wedding at the Twins), the abandoned inn where we first meet Asher is still one of my favorites, first the location, then the slow revelation of what he and Breskha are doing there.

What about what we don’t like in terms of set-pieces and characters? So far I’m not really impressed with Ironrath; while there are some isolated sets that have looked really cool (like that grove where Ethan and his siblings were playing in the first episode), I always thought the main courtyard was a bit droll and a little too similar to Winterfell, and I haven’t really felt the exhaustion the Forresters surely must be feeling with the Whitehills inhabiting the area.

David: King’s Landing is my least favorite location/set-piece, although I really enjoy playing through Mira’s story. As far as least favorite characters go, Lord Whitehill and his son Gryff make me want to punch a bag of puppies every time they are on screen. Although, I guess that is the sign of excellent writing, when it elicits such a visceral response.

Cameron: Yes, they do seem to have inherited the Lannister gift of making the audience want to kill them. Do you think the story ends in their deaths, though?

David: At this point, I have no idea. I wouldn’t even hazard a guess, because the writers at Telltale seem to have the same sadistic panache for throwing in surprise deaths, that it’s literally anybody’s game. I want to know more about the North Grove, as I feel like it will play a major part in the outcome.

Cameron: Yeah, I feel like the North Grove is going to play a much larger role if Telltale gets to do more seasons of Game of Thrones. I do think we’re on course for a conflict between the Whitehills and the Forresters–something bloody and violent that ends with more than a few characters dying–but I’m holding out hope that there’s a diplomatic resolution that can still be an extremely difficult and dramatic choice to make. That was a problem I had with one of Telltale’s previous games, The Wolf Among Us, from the first episode: I didn’t want to actively engage in conflict all the time, even despite the fact that Bigby’s personality was generally abrasive and invited fights at the drop of a hat.

Do you think we’ll meet any other characters from the show in the game? We’re already on track for a heavy conversation with Daenerys Stormborn (hooray!), of course.

David: I am sincerely hoping for some Prince Oberyn interaction, with Mira. Pedro Pascal portrayed the Red Viper with such brilliance, in Game of Thrones Season 4, that I want Mira to have to hash some schemes with him, especially since she has that connection with Tyrion, and he ends up being the Imp’s champion.

Cameron: You know, I didn’t even think about Oberyn! That would be pretty cool, and definitely possible as it seems we’ll be wheeling and dealing all throughout Tyrion’s trial process. I’d be genuinely interested to see Jorah again; it seems possible, given how close to Meereen and Dany’s story Asher is at the moment, but maybe Asher and company will just get shipped back to Westeros when their conversation is done. I think another Ramsay appearance is a given for Ironrath, so it seems likely that Roose will make an appearance as well if things escalate any further over there.

What other questions do you have about the series as we proceed into the second half?

David: I want to know if Gwyn Whitehill can be trusted, and what her angle is with her family’s occupation of House Forrester. Does she still love Asher? Is that swaying her decision to help Rodrik and House Forrester? Or, is she a plant by her father, to lull Rodrik and his family into a false sense of safety? Also, I feel like the double agent feeding House Whitehill information came out of nowhere. That plot-line feels forced, to me. It’s hard to imagine anyone in the House Forrester inner circle, telling Lord Whitehill, Forrester secrets.

Cameron: I do agree that the “traitor in the Forrester camp” plot seems like a pretty obvious hook for the next episode, but I think you’re onto something with Gwyn. Does she really want peace between the two houses, or is there another angle she’s working? Personally, I’m inclined to think there’s a romantic streak in her that wants to bring an end to the kind of bitter feelings that led to Asher’s exile. But I’m fully prepared to accept that I might be wrong on that point.

David: Also, what exactly is the North Grove? Is it some sort of stronghold type castle? Do all the free folk know about it? If so, is it currently occupied, and if it is, by who? The Others? That would be a fantastic spin, if the North Grove ended up being the same place that the White Walker took Craster’s infant son to, in Game of Thrones Season 4. You know the place, where we met the Night’s King.

Cameron: Yes, the North Grove is definitely building up a degree of intrigue, although it could also be a wild goose chase, a MacGuffin plot that spurs Gared’s character arc but isn’t really affected by him. In other words, it’s the chase of the North Grove that matters, not what happens when we finally catch it. If it is real, though? It could be anything. If it were the place where the Night’s King took Crastor’s baby, that’d be one hell of a way to tie the game into the show.

David: If by the end of this story, we don’t get to have a hand in killing Lord Whitehill and his son Gryff, it will result in me tossing my laptop out a window, in frustration. There is already so much unfulfilled need for revenge in A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones, that to not be able to separate Lord Whitehill’s head from his shoulders, would be a travesty. But then again, we are talking about Game of Thrones here…so…

Cameron: It does seem that the Forresters are set up as Stark-like figures specifically so show viewers can act out their feelings about how the story has been unkind to the latter Northern family so far. If we do end up seeing conflict between the two warring families by story’s end, I expect there will be tragic deaths on both sides, a la Hamlet or Romeo and Juliet. Whatever the case, I think it will be a thrilling ride. I certainly didn’t expect to be having a sword fight atop the Wall, after all, nor to be facing off against Drogon in a dark alley–er, cave. We’ll have to wait and see what new crazy dangers Telltale can throw at us.

• Published on 04/08/2015 at 6:00 PM CDT
• Last updated on 10/21/2016 at 1:05 PM CDT