Basic Overview: All in all, I really liked this twist on Catan. With this version, you can either play the original Catan game, or you can play a Game of Thrones style of Catan that includes brand new features: not only do you have to fight against each other to make sure you're building enough settlements, but you also have to work somewhat together to defend against the white walkers who are trying to breach the wall. There's a lot more to worry about with new ways to win the game and the wall element, making this a fresh update to Catan that doesn't become overly complicated. The instructions give an awesome beginners' guide with suggestions on how to play the first time, what characters to use, where to put resources, etc. We had a first time Catan player try the game out and he picked it up immediately and ended up winning the game against two Catan veterans. Outside of some box damage, all of the pieces looked really detailed, and we didn't find any damage on any of the game pieces themselves. It looked like someone took a lot of time making sure the internal pieces would live up to both Game of Thrones and to the style of Catan. Shipping/Delivery: Delivery is the only reason that I'm not giving this 5 stars - it arrived on time just fine, and the plastic sleeve the box came in was undamaged. However, upon unwrapping we saw that the box itself had a few edges that were decently damaged. Not necessarily a huge deal, but my sister (whom I bought this for) was upset, since she cares a lot about keeping things in excellent condition. We had considered returning for this reason, but ultimately we decided to just go ahead and ignore the damage, since it was the holidays and we wanted to play the game as a family while we were all together. Box Contents: The detail in the game pieces was super nice - it looks like someone actually took the time to create the 3D models and they did not disappoint. There are a few new pieces in this version: The board of the game itself is double-sided: you can play either the Game of Thrones version of the game, or you can play the original Catan with GoT pieces. The box also comes with tons of extra plastic bags so you can organize the pieces that you punch out however you like, which was very helpful. Game Play: (assuming you already know basic Catan) We did not play the standard game for this set, and only played the GoT version two times. I imagine this becomes MUCH more intense when you get a group playing more frequently and you end up having more white walkers enter the game. In the GoT version of the game: Each player gets the same three standard pieces as normal Catan: A road, a settlement, and a keep. However, they also get a guard piece in addition. The guards sit on top of the wall and block white walkers from entering the map. Each player also gets a character card that they can use twice before taking a new character. Each character has a different ability, stealing resources, getting rid of walkers, etc. There are also now pieces to represent white walkers - three different characters represented by light gray. Each white walker has its' own "powers" for what they can do and how destructive they are. As you play the game, with every settlements or keep that you build, you'll generate one or two white walkers. With the white walkers, there are new ways to win the game: if a certain number of white walkers breach the wall, the game ends, and the person with the most guards on the wall wins. This ends up adding a nice twist to the game: You have to decide between building settlements and keeps for yourself, or you have to help the entire group try to stop the walkers.