House Bolton rules from Dreadfort, their ancient edifice in the north. Descendants of the First Men, they are known for their sigil of a flayed man, a practice that they often partake in. Aggressive to the core, they fought in a rebellion against House Stark many years ago.
They have been likened to rabid dogs, lashing out against anyone that gets too close, even their own. Troops in House Bolton often fear their own commanders more than the enemy. Roose and Ramsay Bolton rule with iron, spiked fists. Their reputation for brutality and cruelty causes many foes to simply quit the battlefield. Better to run away and survive than be captured. Woe to anyone who ends up in House Bolton's clutches after a battle.
As with all starter sets for the game, the Bolton Starter Set comes with everything a player will need to get started in the game with the Bolton faction. It includes a rulebook, terrain templates, all necessary tokens, as well as the Bolton Tactics Deck and custom dice for the faction.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Boltons don’t have a lot of loyal allies. Therefore, House Bolton will be a mini-faction, with a Starter Set and a few dedicated units to go with them. The Starter Set has two units of Bolton Cutthroats, a unit of Bolton Blackguards (both of which have been previously released as Neutral Units), and a new unit, the Dreadfort Archers.
However, something players will notice is that some of these units come with two different sets of unit cards. This is because while these units can be used as Neutral mercenaries by other factions, they also have unique Bolton Faction cards as well. These are differentiated by the color and border art.
This holds true for other cards for the House. The Unit, Attachment, Commander, Tactics, and NCU cards also come in two forms, one to use when they are hired as Neutral mercenaries and the other when they are for a Bolton-specific army.
The one difference in the Starter Set is the Dreadfort Archers. This new ranged unit is used exclusively when taking an all-House Bolton army. These remorseless warriors will rain down arrows on any enemy, regardless of intervening units or terrain. They also don’t care if said enemy is engaged in close combat with their own allies. They will still attack, damning their own troops to possibly suffer Wounds as well. But, if it takes out more enemies than allies, it’s considered a net positive for House Bolton. Such is life in a House with such casual disregard for life.
The Starter Set also includes all new characters for House Bolton. Jeyne Poole and Fat Walda make their presence felt as NCUs, altering the battlefield from afar. They are not ones to hire themselves out, so they can only be used when taking a House Bolton force.
