Is a House Bolton reskin possible?

[Feral Beagle]

Something that always bothers me about the "Dance of Dragons" expansion is how the cards and pieces presented as the Stark faction are really just members of the new Bolton-Frey alliance. I had hoped that the developers of the digital edition would label the cards and color the pieces differently, but this is unfortunately not the case. Is it possible to reskin the House Bolton pieces to more aesthetically represent their faction?

[Podporuchik]

Don't you understand, Boltons pretend to be the Starks. It's authentic to the lore of Westeros.

[Feral Beagle]

House Bolton would never try to be the Starks. They're very different in both traditions and ruling style. It's why in the books and show, House Bolton relies on fear, while the Starks value love and respect. House Bolton's main "claim" to the North was sealed with outside support and bolstered by their well-known savage identity. Their sigil is a literal flayed man for god's sake! This perfectly encapsulates what method of leadership they believe in.

All I was wondering was if this symbol of the brutal power shift in the North could be better represented in the game's pieces. Having the group that slaughtered the original symbol of Northern leadership hold to their enemy's coat of arms makes no sense, lore-wise or otherwise.

It's likely that the developer's did this to more easily implement the expansion into the game. While I do understand this, it seems like a missed opportunity that could've added a little more context to the expansion's setting (and justified the $5 cost).

[Montage]

Originally posted by Feral Beagle:

House Bolton would never try to be the Starks. They're very different in both traditions and ruling style. It's why in the books and show, House Bolton relies on fear, while the Starks value love and respect. House Bolton's main "claim" to the North was sealed with outside support and bolstered by their well-known savage identity. Their sigil is a literal flayed man for god's sake! This perfectly encapsulates what method of leadership they believe in.

Roose Bolton in the books is neither dumb, nor is he savage. He is indeed feared and very capable of cruelty and ruthlessness, but he knows he cannot build his realm on that in the long run. The sole purpose of Ramsey marrying "Arya" is to join the two houses, thus legitimising their rule. The offspring of Ramsey and "Arya" would be the Starks in Winterfell, simply because there's way more prestige in the name Stark than there is in Bolton. Roose would readily adopt the Stark sigil, if he could.

I agree with the reskin though, but the dev resources are better spent elsewhere.

[Feral Beagle]

I guess "brutal" is a better word for what I was trying to say, but I never said anything about Roose being dumb. Just that the Boltons' have an over-reliance on fear as a method of control.

Also, House Bolton now possesses the title of "Warden of the North", so the marriage to "Arya" is just for legitimacy. All future Wardens of the North would be Boltons, not Starks, because the Starks are no longer the power in the North.

Adopting the Stark sigil would make no sense, as Roose doesn't need to pretend to be a Stark. He literally just deposed them, so his strength is based on his house alone. Changing his sigil is a dumb political move because his regime is all-new, with one very suspicious marriage connecting it to his defeated opponent.

[Montage]

Originally posted by Feral Beagle:

Also, House Bolton now possesses the title of "Warden of the North", so the marriage to "Arya" is just for legitimacy. All future Wardens of the North would be Boltons, not Starks, because the Starks are no longer the power in the North.

Adopting the Stark sigil would make no sense, as Roose doesn't need to pretend to be a Stark. He literally just deposed them, so his strength is based on his house alone. Changing his sigil is a dumb political move because his regime is all-new, with one very suspicious marriage connecting it to his defeated opponent.

Roose cannot become a Stark, neither can Ramsey. That's not how it works, and it is why I said I agree with the reskin. They would, if they could (not sure about Ramsey since even the book version is a bit unstable, though not a comic book villain).

However, it would make little sense for the children of Ramsey and "Arya", not to present themselves as Starks. Boltons may be feared in the North, but they are a minor and less known house in Westeros. The Flayed man would only earn them scorn and ridicule in King's Landing and brand them savages. Some of the secondary children would continue the house of Bolton and rule Dreadfort, but the 1st "trueborn" son would rule Winterfell as a Stark. If not the first heir, one of the following would make the switch.

The name Stark is their key to the high society of Westeros and favourable marriages, while the name Bolton would bring them nothing. The title of Warden is hereditary.

[Podporuchik]

Originally posted by Montage:

The name Stark is their key to the high society of Westeros and favourable marriages, while the name Bolton would bring them nothing. The title of Warden is hereditary.

That is exactly what i meant. :)