One of George R. R. Martin's greatest strengths as a writer is his ability to make the world of Westeros feel "lived in." He accomplishes this with stellar worldbuilding. Each of Martin's kingdoms, cultures, and continents feels as well developed as his most important characters, making the story as a whole hit closer to home.
Despite how beloved just about every corner of the World of Ice and Fire has become, one iconic piece of worldbuilding from the books was left out of its first HBO adaptation, Game of Thrones. However, after 15 years, the newest entry in the franchise, House of the Dragon season 3, finally includes this missing piece of Westeros for the first time.
The long awaited debut of Cyvasse
Cyvasse, the Volantine board game that would take Westeros by storm, has finally appeared on screen in an HBO Westeros show. In the newest episode of House of the Dragon, "Unbowed and Unbent," Lord Ormund Hightower (James Norton) is seen playing the game with his ward, Prince Daeron Targaryen (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth).
Cyvasse appears throughout A Song of Ice and Fire, most notably during Tyrion Lannister's travels with the crew of the Shy Maid. He plays against Haldon Halfmaester and Young Griff, bonding with the former over their shared love of the game. Later, he attempts to teach his travel companion, Penny, how to play Cyvasse, before finally accepting that she is a lost cause. Cyvasse also plays a large role in A Feast for Crow's Dornish storyline, since the game proved to be a big hit in the South. Doran Martell attempts to use Cyvasse to teach his daughter, Arianne, an important lesson during her captivity, but she ultimately ignores the board after he leaves in her chambers. However, since Game of Thrones heavily altered the Dorne plot and cut the Shy Maid entirely, it makes sense why Cyvasse found itself caught in the crossfire.
Martin never fully explains how to play Cyvasse. As such, the House of the Dragon creative team were faced with the challenge of bringing the game to life without a full ruleset. Said showrunner Ryan Condal, "The fun of this is getting to build out what we know and expand where there are holes."
Cyvasse has been compared to several modern board games, most notably Chess, but it has also drawn comparison to Battleship, Stratego, and Risk. The round board features dividers, allowing each player to set up their side in secret, without their opponent seeing what piece they're placing where. Then, the dividers are removed and the game begins. The object of Cyvasse is to kill the opponent's king piece using your own pieces, resembling elements of an army. Appropriately, the most powerful Cyvasse piece is the dragon.
How House of the Dragon uses Cyvasse to develop character
In Ormund's Cyvasse match against Daeron, he spends much of the game lecturing his ward. However, Daeron ultimately wins the game. Ormund reacts to this in typical Ormund fashion, crashing out and smashing his pieces to the ground. While Daeron insists that his win was just based on luck, Ormund, trying to calm himself as best as he can, approaches Daeron, advising him to "Never apologize for victory."
This small moment reveals a great deal about Ormund's character. While Ormund has been shown to be volatile and explosive in the past, his reaction to a simple Cyvasse defeat indicates that he's specifically a sore loser. This is further confirmed when his cousin Gwayne Hightower (Freddie Fox) recalls a childhood story in which Ormund would whine, pout, and scream after losing a simple game. This behavior has carried over into his adult life, shaping the character that fans know and love to hate.
This revelation about Ormund explains his past explosions. In previous episodes this seasons, Ormund has been shown similarly crashing out upon suffering a setback in the war. This showcases how Ormund treats the war itself similarly to a game. This serious conflict, in which Ormund has control over the life and death of his men, is simply a game to him, demonstrating his cold and callous approach, cavalier attitude towards loss of life, and overall need to beat his opponent for personal glory, not because he believes in any sort of cause. House of the Dragon was able to extract all of that characterization from a simple game of Cyvasse. As its storytelling potential suggests, the game probably should have made its on-screen debut a little earlier.
For more from the world of Westeros, make sure to catch House of the Dragon season 3, airing on Sundays on HBO Max.
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