Our Blades are sharp!
Lore
House Bolton of the Dreadfort is a noble house located in the North, with a lineage tracing back to the First Men and dating to the Age of Heroes.
Their sigil features a red flayed man on a pale pink background dotted with red blood drops. According to George R. R. Martin, their motto is “Our Blades Are Sharp.” As the servant “Reek” recounts, Lord Roose Bolton believes, “a naked man has few secrets, but a flayed man has none.”
Reference: https://awoiaf.westeros.org/
Faction Identity
“Our Blades Are Sharp” — the chilling motto of House Bolton — encapsulates their ruthless nature. Once allies to House Stark, the Boltons, led by the calculating Roose Bolton and his sadistic son Ramsay, have mastered the art of fear and cruelty. Their infamous keep, the Dreadfort, is synonymous with terror. The screams of prisoners echo through its dungeons, a testament to the Boltons’ brutal methods. On the battlefield, Bolton soldiers are no less fearsome. Their foes know that death in combat is preferable to capture, where torture and flaying await. The Boltons’ tactics embody their grim creed: “A Flayed Man Has No Secrets,” spreading panic and chaos through enemy ranks with chilling efficiency.
Play Style
House Bolton is a mini-faction, meaning it has limited unit choices compared to other factions. While this restricts list-building flexibility, it allows for a focused and thematic approach. (Limited List Building). Boltons are the game’s premier panic-focused faction, generating panic tokens, forcing panic tests, and leveraging failed tests to trigger powerful effects. Their commanders, attachments, and units synergize with the panic mechanic, while their tactics cards reinforce a control-oriented playstyle. (Panic-Centered Play Style) However, the faction’s reliance on panic introduces a degree of risk. If opponents pass their panic tests, the effectiveness of Bolton strategies is significantly diminished. While Boltons have tools to influence these tests, the outcome ultimately depends on dice rolls, making their reliability somewhat unpredictable. (Lack of Reliability)
