10 Game of Thrones Quotes We All Need

 The HBO series Game of Thrones wrapped up in 2019, and then the world ended. 

Coincidence? Yeah probably. 

I think that with the new year we could all use some wisdom from Westeros, so whether you've watched the show or not, here's some of the best quotes from Game of Thrones. 

10: "A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who doesn't read lives only one." -Jojen Reed

The Game of Thrones franchise has always encouraged reading, from Tyrion's quote on books to Sam Tarley repeatedly saving people because he took time to do research. Jojen's quote applies to all media, including video games, since gamers don't need to get a life, they have a 1UP. 

9: "The man who fears losing has already lost." -Syrio Forel

It's hard to find just one quote from the former First Sword of Braavos to add to the list. The swordsman taught Arya how to survive in the harsh world by teaching her how to control her fears and become the master assassin we all grew to love. She could've died a dozen times if she gave into her fears, but instead she remembered her teacher's wisdom and survived. 

8: "It's dangerous to be free, but most come to like the taste of it." -Ygritte

 Being one of the wildlings, Ygritte didn't see the need for kings or to be ruled over, she focused more on living life the way she wanted to. She taught Jon Snow that he could choose his own destiny, and that it didn't have to be bound to what family he was born into or who his parents were. He could just be him. 

7: "All my life men like you have sneered at me. And all my life I've been knocking men like you in the dust." -Brienne of Tarth

Brianne bucks every stereotype she can find. She's a female warrior who takes out every man who challenges her, and all while wearing practical armor. She is one of the few knights that lives up to their vows, making her one of the few straightforward heroes in the story. 

6: "Any fool with a bit of luck can find himself born into power. But earning it for yourself, that takes work." -Lord Varys

In a world where it matters who your family is and what your lineage is, few have come so far as the Master of Whispers Varys. He plays the power games better than most, and has no problem letting the people around him know that he's not there because of who his daddy was but because he earned it. 

5: "Everyone dies. Don't worry about death, instead worry about life and taking control of it." -Petyr Baelish

Petyr is another character who came from relatively nothing. He could've just been a relatively rich lord in the Fingers, but he made his way to Master of Coin on his own and become a successful business owner in the capital. He knew he had one life to live and he made the best with the hand dealt to him. 

4: "The greatest fools are often times more clever than the men who laugh at them." -Lord Tywin Lannister

The head of House Lannister didn't become arguably the most powerful leader in Westeros by not listening to good advice, no matter where it came from. He knows that fools speak the truth more openly than anyone else and took it to heart, which gave him the insight to know when to act to position his family in the kingdom. Remember that the court jester was the only one who could say whatever they wanted to the king as long as it was true, which often made them the most reliable source of information in the land. 

3: "The next time you raise a hand to me will be the last time you have hands." -Daenerys Targaryen

Being polite, stating your boundaries, and being respectful are all wonderful traits, but sometimes you have to let someone know who you're dealing with. Daenerys learned to speak up for herself, and that she didn't need to be treated as anything less than the queen she was destined to be. So many of her quotes were good but this one is perfect on its own without much context. 

2: "A bruise is a lesson. And each lesson makes us better." -Arya Stark

Quoting Syrio Forel, Arya talks about how she learned how to learn. By this philosophy most of last year was one long class, one I hope we can all take to heart. We have taken a lot of hard hits, but those hits have a purpose. 

1: "Never forget what you are. The rest of the world will not. Wear it like an armor and it can never be used to hurt you." -Tyrion Lannister

Knowing your limitations, especially the ones others may put on you and how to own them is the key to happiness. Be who you are, no matter who it is, and live your best life. Tyrion was always discounted because of how he looked, but he never let those limitations hold him back. 

Remember whether you're trying to live through the post 2020 world or you're playing the game of thrones, you've got some inspiration to keep you going if you need it. 

-JOE

Best Board Games of 10 Franchises

Board games have replaced video games in the thing that franchises tack their names onto for a cheap cash grab. Rather than making a Dark Alliance clone with Superman or a Age of Empires knock-off with Star Wars now they just make endless versions of Monopoly. However, from the bog of board game cash grabs some true gems have surfaced that not only enhance their franchise but enhance the board game scene in general to a whole new level.

Without further ado, here are some of them. 

The Walking Dead: The Board Game

Fair warning: Most of these are going to be "Insert Franchise Here-The Board Game", but don't let the lack of creativity in the title fool you: This is The Walking Dead. Based off the original comic of the same name, you have to find survivors, supplies and a safe place to live while the zombie hoards close in around you. There's a feeling of tension when you are facing a challenge with a zombie and have to decide weather to use a bullet to win the challenge and potentially attract a zombie Mardi Gras to you or lose a valuable ally to the hoard. 

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle

I've argued for years that nobody wants to be Harry Potter, they just want to be in the wizarding world as a wizard... wizarding... This game puts a hairline fracture in my theory though as you get to be the titular wizard and his friends taking on the challenges from the books year by year until the ultimate confrontation with ol' Rhinoplasty himself. This is a deck building game that gets incrementally harder as you advance, making this game a must-have for board game enthusiasts and Potterheads alike. 

A Game of Thrones: The Board Game

Based on the books (Don't worry-nudity not included) players get to take on the heads of the various lords of Westeros as they struggle for control of the Iron Throne. Playing like an advanced form of Risk, power and politics are huge roles in the turn-by-turn gameplay, keeping the victor a surprise till the very end. Remember when you play the game of thrones you win or you die. 

Rick & Morty: Meeseeks Box o' Fun Dice and Dares

Making a board game based on the wacky adventures of Rick and Morty would probably be impossible, so instead you get a box where the wackiness is brought into our world through insane dares with the help of the friendly Meeseeks. The game is best played late at night with VERY good friends and under the promise that anything that happens in the Meeseeks box, stays in the Meeseeks box. I'm Mr.Meeseeks look at me! 

Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game

Fun fact: Before the movies Marvel was a massive comic book franchise populated by literally hundreds of characters and thousands of volumes. To reenact this we have Legendary, a game with literally millions of possibilities for scenarios. Choose your favorite heroes and villains from Marvel's vast catalog (Usually from having to purchase expansions), pick a scenario and off you go. Wanna recreate the Dark Phoenix Saga with the original X-Men that participated? Go for it. Wanna engineer a scenario where Kingpin is hosting a Kree invasion and Devil Dinosaur and Bucky have teamed up to stop him? Sure, why not? You can literally make whatever game you want. Literally. 

Star Wars: Rebellion

Interesting thing about board games with existing franchises: It seems that the pulling back on the characters and giving players the experience of the characters world is more fun than actually being the characters themselves and trying to have their adventures. Rebellion could have a complete makeover with different characters and pieces and it would still feel like Star Wars because the basic struggle is there. One side plays the Empire with the goal of hunting down and destroying the rebels and the other plays the rebels with the goal of hiding from the empire long enough for the galaxy to make the Empire give up. The films themselves are referenced and used as the assets but the players choices drive the game. Sick of the rebels gathering supplies from Tattooine? Use the Death Star to blow it up. There is nothing in gaming more satisfying than using the Death Star to take out a world, and I recommend it to anyone who's having a bad day. 

DC Deck Building Game

Of all the games on this list this one requires the most qualifying statements. DC Deck Building is the best as long as you play co-op. The base game is good mechanically. It's fun, fast paced, and easy to get into for anyone who isn't into board games BUT the DC ascetic doesn't add anything to the game.In co-op mode, where the players are trying to stop a group of villains, the game takes on its super hero identity and lets the players feel more like a group of heroes taking down a dastardly fiend (Or a group of villains taking out the Justice League if you buy my favorite expansion) and the game really takes on its shine. Pick it up if you love DC and board games but don't expect to get a happy marriage until you team up with others. Sadly, despite the qualifications, this is still the best DC board game ever made. 

Firefly: The Game

Joss Whedon's magnum opus is done justice in this magnificent board game. This is another where the concept is more important than playing through the actual adventures from the TV show. Each player gets their own ship and crew and have to travel the 'verse to try and make a living without getting hit up by the Alliance or the dreaded Reavers. Do you take the easy routes with the steady pay and low risk, or do you try to cross the system with a ship full of fugitives for one big pay off? The choice is yours. Also there's space ships. 

Lords of Waterdeep

Based in the Forgotten Realms, which is based in Dungeons and Dragons (Follow that? Good.), Lords of Waterdeep takes the fantasy adventurer concept to a new level by making the adventurers little colored blocks. The players, representing the titular lords, hire groups and send them on adventures for their own glory, making the players the quest givers rather than quest takers. Wealth is then used to improve the city and hire better adventurers. The whole thing is an interesting twist on the genre and yet still feels like a Dungeons and Dragons game with adventures and twists abound. 

Star Trek Deck Building Game: Next Generation

It was hard to choose between this and Star Trek Catan but in the end it was either a reprint of an excellent game or a flawed but unique game that had more Star Trek flavoring to it and this is definitely in the latter. Players take the roles of Starfleet captains, building their decks to defend the Federation from threats. The game is a bit more slow than most deck building games but after a while becomes quite intuitive. Now the best part of this game is the co-op modes, where you can either take on the Klingons, the Romulans or (my favorite) the Borg, each with unique challenges and each are a ton of fun to play. 

Have you played any of these? 

Joe

The five best quotes of Tyrion Lannister

Tyrion Lannister, as played by Peter Dinklich

My wife and I spent our spring break on an extended road trip to my mission and back last week. On our road trips we like to read to each other to help pass the time. This trip's book was none other than Game of Thrones, by George RR Martin. Reading it out loud this time gave me an appreciation not just for the writing itself, but for one of my favorite characters, Tyrion Lannister.

A little background for the uninitiated: Tyrion is what we would call today a Little Person. In the book they call him a dwarf but they are not referring to the same kind as Gimli, if you get my meaning. His family is the richest family in the land. His sister married the king and his brother is a (questionably) noble knight, but Tyrion doesn't really have a place except as a lech, drunk and occasional troublemaker. He finds himself swept up in the entanglements of the drama almost accidentally, and becomes a key player in the world around him where usually he would just stand by and mock.

What I love about him is he never lets what others would see as a disadvantage get to him, instead he uses it to get past people's guards and get what he needs for his purposes. Tyrion is clever, smart, and always has some sort of handle on his situation.

I'm not even going to bother to put his quotes into context, except to say that in the Game of Thrones world the word "bastard" refers to someone born out of wedlock and is usually seen as a point of shame.

“Why is it that when one man builds a wall, the next man immediately needs to know what's on the other side?”

“My brother has his sword, King Robert has his warhammer and I have my mind...and a mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone if it is to keep its edge. That's why I read so much Jon Snow.”

“Once you’ve accepted your flaws, no one can use them against you.”

“Would you rather be called the Imp? Let them see that their words can cut you and you’ll never be free of the mockery. If they want to give you a name take it make it your own. Then they can’t hurt you with it anymore.”

"Remember this, boy. All dwarfs may be bastards, yet not all bastards need be dwarfs."

-JOE

Lions and Direwolves

There's a very popular book out.  It has incest, a lot of war, sodomy, adultery, and family is a big theme in it.  It's called the Old Testament.  Wait.  Did you think I was referring to another book?  Oh yes, Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin has all of that too.  With family being so central to our religion, our scriptures, and our lives, I thought I would share some of my thoughts about family and what I see our western culture believes about the family.  In some ways, I can actually see this reflected in the fictional land of Westeros where Game of Thrones exists.

In Game of Thrones, there are a number of different noble families competing for the iron throne to rule the seven kingdoms.  Each family has their own unique set of flaws and characteristics that set them apart from the others.  In some ways, their flaws break their family apart.  In some of their characteristics, they bring strength to their family.  Of all the families, this is best seen in duality of the Lannisters and the Starks.

House Lannister

"A Lannister always pays his debts."

The Lannisters are pretty much the Malfoys of Westeros.  They are cunning, wealthy, proud, and pretty mean.  Jamie and his twin sister, the queen Cersei, have three children out of a secret incestuous love affair.  The Lannisters are power hungry and have a terribly complicated love/hate relationship that makes other sibling rivalries look like bromance.  Tyrion the dwarf, is the youngest of the Lannisters and is more tolerated by his siblings and father than anything else.

Like most of the characters in Game of Thrones, the Lannisters are more flawed human beings than outright evil.  When Jamie is humbled by having his sword hand cut off, he comes to show he actually cares for other people beyond his sister and children.  Cersei does awful things to anyone outside of her family but genuinely loves her children and her brother.  When her son, Jofferey, becomes a tyrant king she laments to Tyrion that the Gods have punished her incest by giving her Jofferey.  I would argue that the biggest flaw with the Lannisters is their xenophobia.  They see themselves as superior and trust no one outside of their family ties. (And often don't even trust one another.)  More on that in a bit...

House Stark

"Winter is coming."

Contrast to the Lannisters is the Stark family.  Honor is a central principle to them.  They are an up front lot and back stabbing ways does not come naturally to them.  Despite being from the cold north, the Starks are compassionate and warm.  Like the Lannisters, family is clearly important to them.  Unlike the Lannisters, the Starks are far more accepting and trusting of others outside of their family unit.  Ned Stark, brings home a bastard son from one of his military conquests and treats him as if he were of legitimate birth.  He also takes on a boy from a dispute with the Greyjoy family and raises him like his own.

Bran befriends a wildling woman, Osha, who tried to rob him at knife point but then becomes a trusted and even loving ally.  Interestingly enough, Osha is wary of a mystic boy and his sister who befriend Bran even though Bran shows trust in both of them.  At the end of the third season, Osha parts ways with Bran and to take the youngest Stark, Rickon to a group loyal to the Starks.  Bran ventures beyond the wall to unknown dangers.  Osha tells the mystic boy and his sister, "Take care of him.  He means the world to me."

In the events of the series, the Stark children become separated.  The war for them is about bringing their family back together again.  The Starks are sometimes betrayed by allies despite their admirable acceptance of others.  Though they are physically apart from one another, the Starks are the most unified family in the series.  Their dedication to ideas greater than themselves is what keeps them together in spirit and purpose even when it drives them apart physically.

For example, the mother Catelyn, insists on staying by Bran's bedside when he is in a coma from a fall.  It isn't until an assassination attempt on Bran is made that Catelyn realizes that something darker and more dangerous is at work.  She realizes that staying by Bran neglects Rickon and she does nothing for Bran by staying by his bedside.  Perhaps she feels guilt of being a "bad mother" like she could have prevented the fall somehow.  Instead of continuing to be at Bran's side, she instead dedicates herself to bringing justice to Bran's assassination attempt and to uncover the plot threatening the realm.  Though it requires her to leave her son she does more for Bran committing herself to her values and principles.

A hilarious "Disney" version of Bran and Hodor.  I thought it was appropriate for this blog post.  Ha ha.

A Lesson from the Lion and the Direwolf

The Lannisters are a foil to the Starks.  In some ways, they can be foils for each other.  The Lannisters exemplify unhealthy relationships in the family whereas the Starks exemplify healthy interdependence.  On one hand, you have a group of cunning people that have risen to power and on the other hand you have a group of honorable people that has been betrayed repeatedly.  We actually can see lions (Lannisters) and direwolves (Starks) in our western culture in and outside of the church.

The big lesson to learn from the Lannisters is the destructive nature of codependency in the family.  Having been part of different support groups, I've found that codependency is quick to be pointed out in non familial relationships but often completely ignored in family relationships.  The unfortunate reality is that unhealthy emotional attachments in the family is the norm.  It's a toxic epidemic in our society and we even see it in the church.

So how do we know a relationship in our family has become unhealthy?  Let's see if the lions of Westeros can give us an example.

Cersei Lannister is the power hungry queen of Westeros.  When her son, Joffery, becomes the King she realizes that she can't control him.  Joffery betrothes Lady Marjorie Tyrell who proves to control him far more than Cersei.  Cersei becomes jealous and starts to hate Marjorie despite bringing happiness to her son and the good of the realm.  Jealousy is a big indicator of an unhealthy component in a relationship.  Is it natural?  Sure.  Things get unhealthy when the jealousy fuels manipulative and shaming actions.

How does a direwolf deal with jealousy?  Let's have a look at Catelyn Stark.

In the first year of their marriage, Ned Stark returns home from war with a bastard son in his arms.  Though Catelyn and Ned barely know one another (arranged marriage) Catelyn comes to hate the boy.  She treats him differently from her other children whereas Ned treats him like a legitimate child.  Catelyn later says this to her daughter-in-law of the bastard, Jon Snow,

"When my husband brought that baby home from the war, I couldn't bear to look at him, didn't want to see those brown stranger's eyes staring at me. So I prayed to the gods 'Take him away, make him die'. He got the pox and I knew I was the worst woman who ever lived. A murderer. I'd condemned this poor, innocent child to a horrible death all because I was jealous of his mother, a woman he didn't even know! So I prayed to all Seven Gods 'Let the boy live. Let him live and I'll love him. I'll be a mother to him. I'll beg my husband to give him a true name, to call him Stark and be done with it, to make him one of us'...And he lived. And I couldn't keep my promise. And everything that's happened since then, all this horror that's come to my family... it's all because I couldn't love a motherless child."

Jon is raised as a high born.  The Starks love him except for Catelyn.  Ideally, Catelyn would have loved Jon despite her jealousy but doesn't.  What sets Catelyn apart from Cersei is her ownership of what she feels.  Catelyn actually recognizes another human being outside of her family, albeit a little too late.  Also, despite her jealousy, Jon still lived a good childhood.

There's more to read in the story of these two families and the dynamics of their relationships.  The big takeaway is to be more like an honorable direwolf than a cowardly lion.  Our dedication to our beliefs does more for our family than any amount of time we can spend with them.  We can teach our children to be courageous and to set boundaries and be examples for what we believe. We don't have to be afraid of the world outside of the walls of our home.  Betrayal and hurt are legitimate risks and they are worth it if it means a better Kingdom of God.

-Stephen

Redemption Stories

Hey everyone! I've been incognito the past few weeks because I've been wanting to finish a strong semester. Now that the semester is over, I can rededicate at least part of my attention to Mormon Geeks.

I've recently been watching a slightly censored version of the TV series Game of Thrones. Game of Thrones is kind of like a Greek tragedy set in a fantasy medieval world. It's like Mad Men but with dragons and swords.

The character development, acting, writing, plot, visual effects, set pieces, and production values are amazing. It's a break world with characters living in the gray between good and evil. My favorite characters are the Stark family for their honor and moral fortitude. They unfortunately are somewhat less skilled in their cunning and it is taken advantage of from other characters.

Even the Starks are human beings. No one is perfect. Because of this, it's normal to become attached to characters you would normally despise and end up cheering them later on.  It's why I found out why people like the show Mad Men. When I first started Mad Men I thought, "Why do people like this show? None of these characters are likable and I keep watching this because I want to see their demise." So I did. I ended up starting to like the characters. Why? Because I began to empathize what was going on in their life and started to connect with them. I stopped focusing on their flaws and started to feel bad for them when bad things happened.

Characters I couldn't think I would possibly like I ended up liking or at least respecting.

In the first season of Game of Thrones my favorite character, Bran, is pushed off a tower to seeming death by another character, Jamie Lannester, who I instantly hated.  (Pushing a little kid off a tower? Yeah, so not cool.) As we get to know Jamie we start to see him as a real jerk and all around awful person.

You can imagine my surprise when I heard friends telling me that they actually root for him in future seasons. "Seriously!? He's a bad guy! How can anyone believe in him after what he's done?"  I haven't gotten to the part where Jaime becomes heroic but it did make me think of other characters who redeem themselves.

In Heroes, there is a villain with serial killer tendencies named Sylar. He's a delightfully complicated and totally evil bad guy. He's obsessive and has the ability to kill people and steal their powers. The first season of Heroes is television gold. Everything after that is crap. (with a few moments of awesomeness in season 3)

However, there is an episode of season 3 where some characters go to the future where a lot more people have powers. Sylar is now married and a hugging stay-at-home father with a cute son. When they go back to the present, Sylar actually starts to make decisions that cause him to fall in love and want to redeem himself.  Sadly, he doesn't follow through and chooses to still be the bad guy.

Guess what? I actually believed it. I came to actually root for this character that I originally was hoping would be killed off.  It amazes me because I can passionately root for a character's demise and then take a 180 turn and root for their redemption.  Not every story makes redemption believable but I find the best stories have common themes that we can even apply to our own lives as we repent, make restitution, and change our hearts.

Edmund was a jerk but then became awesome.

What are your favorite villains turned into Heroes?  What lessons do you think we can learn from their stories and why do you think redemption stories are so great?

-Stephen

  

Winter is Coming

I recently read George RR Martin’s book Game of Thrones, a fantasy novel of kings, knights, intrigue and war. One thing I thought was especially interesting in the book was that each family, or house, has a saying, like a motto to remind themselves who they are and what they stand for. The saying that interested me was the Stark’s motto “Winter is coming”. While this saying does point to some of the fantasy aspects of the world, IE that summers and winters can last decades and even centuries, the phrase means more than just snow and ice.

The book takes place in a fantasy land called the Seven Kingdoms, which fourteen years before had been the scene of a major civil war where the nobles overthrew an evil king. Helping them was Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell, the northernmost kingdom in the seven lands. Since the war he and his family have lived in relative peace, where he has had children and taught them the virtue of honor in a world where summer has lasted for years.After a couple chapters of bliss the family is thrown into an intrigue involving kings and murder where there honor is put through its ultimate test.

This is where the Starks words draw their inner meaning. “Winter is coming” is a warning to the entire family that, no matter how happy things are now, always be ready for when things become hard, cold, and nearly unbearable.

It sounds like a grim promise, but I think the warning has more strength in it than despair. The word winter reminds them that suffering and hard times are inevitable. No summer lasts forever. I’ve seen men come home from firesides, experiential weekends, and even exceptionally good parties saying how happy they were and how things will be so much better forever and ever. It may be true, they can certainly take good things from anything and enjoy them, but the happiness can’t last forever. At one point something hard comes, a trial, or a temptation rolls its ugly head around and the happy times becomes a fleeting memory. I’ve seen many a tear shed for lost summers.

This warning is reflected in the teachings of our beloved prophets. How many talks have been about food storage? How many times did we get those talks about mission preparation in Young Men’s or seminary? BYU has entire classes on how to prepare for marriage, and the prophets throughout the ages have always told us to prepare for the second coming. Now yes these can be glorious and beautiful things, but I know personally that some of my hardest trials came on my mission, and as much fun as my Disney themed wedding reception will be, I know that marriage will hold its own set of trials as well as blessings.

So as summer winds down and fall begins, I find the Stark’s words both a comfort and a warning. Winter is coming in many ways, and I need to be prepared for what’s coming, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be prepared for what’s coming. Back to the story, the Starks end up scattered across the kingdoms, being tried over and over in every way imaginable, but in every instance the characters personal preparation for such times shines through. “Winter is coming” doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the good times, but it means we can’t think of them as lasting forever so we can both enjoy them all the more and use them to get us through when things become cold and dark.

-JOE