Why would Roose think he wouldn't live to see another son grow to adulthood?

[Felguy]

The man is born in 260AC or before,  so let say he is in his mid forties. If he survives Stannis and if he thinks he has everything under control and merely says he will die of old age... Well i don't get it... It's entirely possible he will live beyond 60 if we talk about health related matters. Walder is what,  90+? And still is around. Though he is probably an outlier. 

 

(this is if Fat Walda would give him a son and Roose would somehow take care of Ramsay not killing him) 

 

And no I don't take the 'before'  of 'before 260ac' as a sign he could be 60 right now. 

[Good Guy Garlan]

Because Ramsay would kill any trueborn son of his before the kid reaches adulthood.

[Daena the Defiant]

The man is born in 260AC or before,  so let say he is in his mid forties. If he survives Stannis and if he thinks he has everything under control and merely says he will die of old age... Well i don't get it... It's entirely possible he will live beyond 60 if we talk about health related matters. Walder is what,  90+? And still is around. Though he is probably an outlier. 

 

(this is if Fat Walda would give him a son and Roose would somehow take care of Ramsay not killing him) 

 

And no I don't take the 'before'  of 'before 260ac' as a sign he could be 60 right now. 

He was aware of the fact that Ramsay would kill any rival heirs. He's probably aware that Ramsay murdered Domeric, for that matter.

[Curled Finger]

How about Fat Walda's baby has Roose's eyes?   Then what? Would Roose be willing to forsake his precious bastard?   

[Felguy]

Because Ramsay would kill any trueborn son of his before the kid reaches adulthood.

I know,  but couldn't he just take care of Ramsay?... Somehow... I mean he won't kinslay, but maybe there is some other way? 

[Ingelheim]

Winter is coming. There are great chances he won't survive through it, and Roose knows it.

Besides, as many of you have already mentioned, Ramsay would kill them.

[WSmith84]

Isn't this what he tells Theon? Who will likely tell Ramsey everything Roose has said to him, if/when Ramsey asks? It seems to me that it is Roose's way of subtly reassuring Ramsey that he has no intention of replacing him. In my opinion, Roose is lying and has every intention of removing Ramsey once he's fathered a few children on fArya. That way he gets an heir or heirs to Winterfell that he can personally raise, as well as an heir for the Dreadfort that he can also raise.

[Good Guy Garlan]

I know,  but couldn't he just take care of Ramsay?... Somehow... I mean he won't kinslay, but maybe there is some other way? 

 Maybe he just doesn't give a shit

Or maybe he does give a shit and is planning to get rid of Ramsay as soon as Walda pops out a boy, but he won't tell that to Ramsay's creature

[WSmith84]

I know,  but couldn't he just take care of Ramsay?... Somehow... I mean he won't kinslay, but maybe there is some other way? 

You really think Roose wouldn't kinslay? He's already betrayed and personally murdered his King. He broke guest right, an ancient taboo in Westeros. I think there is nothing Roose wouldn't do if he thought it would benefit him without undue risk.

[Felguy]

You really think Roose wouldn't kinslay? He's already betrayed and personally murdered his King. He broke guest right, an ancient taboo in Westeros. I think there is nothing Roose wouldn't do if he thought it would benefit him without undue risk.

Don't know, he seems quite reluctant to break the kinslaying thing

[Lion of the West]

You really think Roose wouldn't kinslay? He's already betrayed and personally murdered his King. He broke guest right, an ancient taboo in Westeros. I think there is nothing Roose wouldn't do if he thought it would benefit him without undue risk.

He didn't really break guest rights. Robb wasn't Roose's guest, but Walder's. And I think that's a significent difference.

 

Beyond that, do we know how old Roose is? He could well be in his forties and so figure that between his age and Ramsay, odds are not that he'll have two more decades to live.

[Ferocious Veldt Roarer]

Isn't this what he tells Theon? Who will likely tell Ramsey everything Roose has said to him, if/when Ramsey asks? It seems to me that it is Roose's way of subtly reassuring Ramsey that he has no intention of replacing him.

And we have a winner. Everything people tell Ramsay's pet Reek should be interpreted with that in mind. Maybe Roose was telling the truth. Or maybe he was just saying "good boy" before reaching for a rock.

[LordManderlyAsDragonRider]

That whole conversation between Roose and Reek is very odd. First Roose says "Does he (Ramsay) truly think that he can ever rule the north?", which makes me think that Roose has no intent for Ramsay to be his heir. But then later in the same conversation Roose seems to be okay with Ramsay killing any true born brothers. I think that whole conversation was very strange, including the part where Roose says he wont live long enough to have a grown heir, when the age of adulthood is what 13-14 years in Westeros?

But Roose does say at the beginning of the conversation that he knows Ramsay told Reek to report to him, so clearly Roose is feeding Ramsay information, I'm just not sure or to what end...

 

[Curled Finger]

That whole conversation between Roose and Reek is very odd. First Roose says "Does he (Ramsay) truly think that he can ever rule the north?", which makes me think that Roose has no intent for Ramsay to be his heir. But then later in the same conversation Roose seems to be okay with Ramsay killing any true born brothers. I think that whole conversation was very strange, including the part where Roose says he wont live long enough to have a grown heir, when the age of adulthood is what 13-14 years in Westeros?

But Roose does say at the beginning of the conversation that he knows Ramsay told Reek to report to him, so clearly Roose is feeding Ramsay information, I'm just not sure or to what end...

 

Right and it left me feeling as though Roose is just doing time until some big thing happens so he can go about his real business.   He badmouths Ramsay to everyone but rewards all that bad awful work with a legitimization and name?   No way.   Something else is going on here.   

[The Wolves]

Roose knows that he fucked up and therefore he knows he's not making it out alive nor any other Bolton. 

[BoltonsBastard]

Roose didn't fuck up, he was damned if he did and damned if he didn't with regards to plotting against Rob. They lost Jamie Lannister, and the Freys. There was NO way they were going to win that war, let alone siege Kings Landing with its wildfire and Tyrell alliance. The Red Wedding was a smart move, and it's why the Boltons are my favorite House.

[Ser Frasier of House Crane]

He expects that Ramsay doesn't have the patience to wait for Roose to die to get what he perceives as his. Ramsay already murdered his trueborn brother; now that he's a Bolton, the only thing standing in his way is Roose.

[The Wolves]

Roose didn't fuck up, he was damned if he did and damned if he didn't with regards to plotting against Rob. They lost Jamie Lannister, and the Freys. There was NO way they were going to win that war, let alone siege Kings Landing with its wildfire and Tyrell alliance. The Red Wedding was a smart move, and it's why the Boltons are my favorite House.

He really did fuck up. 

With killing Robb(tho no one beyond the Freys know)he allied with the Freys and became Warden of the North and having his sadistic bastard marry fArya Stark to claim the North dude put a "come exterminate my house" sign on his house with that dumb move. 

 

Than he puts his whole house in Winterfell surrounded by enemies inside and out. Roose fucked over the Boltons by doing what he did just for a title, now he and his house are about to go extinct(I hope)

[Veloknight]

Roose didn't fuck up, he was damned if he did and damned if he didn't with regards to plotting against Rob. They lost Jamie Lannister, and the Freys. There was NO way they were going to win that war, let alone siege Kings Landing with its wildfire and Tyrell alliance. The Red Wedding was a smart move, and it's why the Boltons are my favorite House.

I don't know if he fucked up or not, but he most certainly wasn't damned either way. For one, if Robb succeeded in retaking Moat Cailin (or even simply getting a contingent of men through the swamp, say with the help of the Reeds) they'd be in the North again. The Ironborn are outnumbered and overextended, and the North is a very tough nut to crack for any southern army. The IT would have to fight native Northern armies who were well-prepared in their native country, during autumn. The Tyrell knights have likely never seen meaningful snow, let alone had summer snows. When Greatjon Umber declared it was the Dragons the North bowed to, it wasn't just the Targaryens he meant - without dragons, the Iron Throne could not realistically keep the North from seceding if it wanted to.

[The Marquis de Leech]

Roose is probably around his mid-50s (Domeric was of an age with Lyanna). Combine that with his caution and hypochondria, and it's likely he'll live to see his grandchildren by Fat Walda.

His comments to Theon? He's lulling Ramsay into a false sense of security (his likely plan - Fake Arya has child, Ramsay is no longer needed, so kill him).