1. Place the 6 Map Cards in the center of the table, laid out in three rows of two, to form the Map of Westeros:

1A. Note the compasses on each Map Card in the upper corner (NW/ NE/W/E/SW/SE) and lay them out to match the following:

2. Place the Score Mat next to the Map, and the Round Mat, flipped to the STANDARD side, directly under it. Then on the Round Mat’s track, do the following:

2A. Place the Round Marker on the first space on the left, marked with a crown icon.

2B. Place the 2 Vengeance Tokens, one on each of the marked spaces after spaces 3 and 5.

3. Place the Action Mat, flipped to the STANDARD side, on the opposite side of the Map and place the 5 Action Dice nearby.

4. Each player selects a house (any of the 7 other than Arryn) and the House Mat for that house:

5. Place your chosen House Mat in front of you and flip it so the side marked PLAYER in the bottom left.

On your House Mat:

5A. Place your house’s 9 Power Tokens on the marked spaces on your House Mat’s Force Track, lying face up.

5B. Take the leftmost Power Token on the track, and place it into your home domain on the Map (listed on your mat), standing upright.

5C. Place your house’s Hero Figure in your home domain. Place its matching Hero Card in your play area as the first card in your hand of cards (see step 7).

5D. Place your house’s Shield next to the first space on the Score Mat, icon side up.

5E. Place a Gold Coin on your mat’s Gold Track on the 3 space, marked with the star.

6. Randomly select 3 of the unchosen House Mats, then place them, along with the House Arryn’s mat, in a row above the Map, NON-PLAYER side up. These are the 4 non-player houses for this game. The rest can be returned to the box (in a 4-player game, all 8 house mats are in play). For each mat:

6A. Place the house’s Shield on the marked spot, icon-side up.

6B. Place 3 of the house’s Power Tokens onto the home domain listed on the mat, standing upright.

6C. Place the remaining 6 Power Tokens onto the image of the house’s castle on its mat. This is its Token Pool.

6D. Place the house’s Hero Figure onto the circle labeled “Hero,” and its Hero Card next to the mat. (House Arryn does not have a Hero Figure or Card).

7. Shuffle the Plot Cards to form a facedown deck. Then deal 4 cards to each player, adding them to their single Hero Card to form a hand of 5 cards. These cards are kept secret from other players. Place the remainder of the deck within reach of all players, with room for a discard pile.

8. Place the Iron Throne onto the spot with the matching icon in King’s Landing on the E Map Card.

9. Place the 12 Castles onto the domains with a castle icon () on the Map.

9A. Each player begins with control of 1 Castle, in their home domain. Each player places that Castle on their Gold Track on the 9 space.

10. Give the Hand of the King (first player token) to the player who last attended a renaissance fair (or else use your own method to determine the first player).