A Song of Ice and Fire, also known as A Game of Thrones on HBO, is quickly becoming a pop culture phenomenon. There's the books, of course, and the TV show, as well as the comics, board games, trading cards, action figures, and just about every manner of tie-in product you can imagine. It's surprising then that there really hasn't been a proper video game yet.
Two attempts so far have been made to bring interactivity to the land of Westeros, but neither was especially well loved. An RPG adaptation was widely regarded as trite and boring, while a strategy game prequel was received even worse.
Developer Disruptor Beam hopes to shake that trend, launching the open beta for 'Game of Thrones Ascent,' a Facebook game that will allow you to take your social battles to a much more... appropriate setting.
While it does feature some lovely art, 'Game of Thrones Ascent' is a mostly text driven game that takes sometime before the start of the first book. Robert is still on the throne, and as you know from the story so far, it's a time of significant social upheaval. The game casts players as the heads of small noble houses, pledged to either the Stark, Lannister, Baratheon, Greyjoy, or Targaryen families.
Gameplay consists of navigating physical and political dangers through a mix of combat, trade, or intrigue. You'll develop your keep, train Sworn Swords, and do battle with your enemies (or friends). It's very much a social experience, and unlike games like Farmville, the community features actually make a bit of sense here.
It's certainly a little rough around the edges at the moment. I wasn't able to see too much of the game due to a fairly unresponsive client. It's still in beta though, so those issues should clear up in the very near future. At the end of the day, it definitely has the potential to be a worthy piece of the Game of Thrones puzzle. With a few months of polish and player feedback, I could easily see this develop into one of the most compelling social games out there right now.