You're Aegon? What's your move (TWOW spoilers)

[The Dames do Moan]

Below contains spoilers from TWOW sample chapters.

Ok, let's assume your Aegon VI "The Unbashed". (stealing one of James Steller's topics because I enjoy reading people's ideas). Disclaimer : you can be (f)Aegon or regular Aegon it does not matter.

You've just captured Storm's End and some lesser castles in the Stormlands. The Golden Company is somewhat spread across the coast and coastal islands.

Let's assume you have gained Mathis Rowan as an allie at this point. Randyl Tarly has become an allie as well, though the crown does not know it yet. And his forces are still at KL. Doran Martell has also thrown his support behind you too. Dorne's forces are still South as well.

To gain Tarly you had to promise him Brightwater Keep as well as LP of the Reach after the war. You agreed to marry Arriane for Dorne's support as well, though the wedding has not happened yet.

So you're with the lesser lords picked up in the Stormlands, GC, Rowan, Tarly and Martell's (supposedly coming with all of Dorne).

How do you go about not just winning the throne but holding it? You are aware of the wars in the North and Stannis / Boltons previous support of the crown. You are also aware that Dany may be coming and she will not be ok with being anything less that queen.

[Lord Varys]

Well, if I have Tarly then I already have the Iron Throne, right? I mean, the guy will just hand the capital and Tommen, Cersei, Mace/Margaery over to me, right? The idea that Tarly would do anything of that is a stupid idea, of course. And neither would I ever grant the guy Brightwater Keep and the Reach. If I decided to make him the Lord Paramount of the Reach I'd have promised him Highgarden instead.

After that has happened I get myself crowned and anointed by the High Septon, marry Arianne in the Great Sept and get her pregnant as soon as possible. I do not worry about Dany because news about her alleged death/disappearance have arrived. This is what caused my betrothal to Arianne Martell in the first place. Neither do I care about Stannis/the Boltons because I'm aware the warfare in winter is insane and everything will resolve itself up there. I dispatch an army to the Riverlands, though, to deal with the Freys and Lannisters there. I have the Twins taken and most of the male Freys (those involved in the Red Wedding) executed. The castle itself goes to one of my most loyal Golden Company captains.

I also retake Riverrun if it is still Genna's. Emmon Frey is executed, Genna Lannister becomes a hostage against Casterly Rock. This castle is restored to the Tullys if Edmure is still alive.

I'd sent armies to the Reach to help them down there to deal with the Ironborn. At the same time I'd fortify the defenses of KL and be especially keen to protect it against attacks from the sea (either Dany or Euron). I'd also try to contact 'the Lord of the Waters' and offer him his old seat on the Small Council as well as the lordship of Driftmark if he returned his stolen fleet to KL.

I'd also try to win the friendship/loyalty of the Vale at all costs. Most likely I'd rely on Varys' advice how this is best accomplished. If it had to be I'd even take Sansa Stark as a second wife.

I'd also offer the Lords of the West favorable terms if they bent the knee to me and grant Casterly Rock to the first Lannister who licked my boots. Cersei, Tommen, and Myrcella would both remain hostages in my care. If Jaime Lannister came forward and publicly proclaimed Cersei's children his seed and therefore bastards I'd pardon him and offer him to remain in my KG.

Around KL I'd attaint a lot of Lords of the Crownlands. Rosby would go to a Golden Company captain (for lack of an heir) and Stokeworth would be taken away from Bronn and Lollys, too, to reward another loyal follower - the same goes for the lordship of Hayford. But I'd, of course, be friendly with those who actually declared for me. 

I'd try to end the war as quickly as possible and do anything in my power to win the love of my people - most importantly, I'd try to get as much food from across the Narrow Sea (drawing heavily on Illyrio in the process) to Westeros to appear as a peace-and-plenty king who had come to save and protect his people. That way I'll ensure they are my people in case another pretender should show his or her face.

[The Dames do Moan]

18 minutes ago, Lord Varys said:

Well, if I have Tarly then I already have the Iron Throne, right? I mean, the guy will just hand the capital and Tommen, Cersei, Mace/Margaery over to me, right? The idea that Tarly would do anything of that is a stupid idea, of course. And neither would I ever grant the guy Brightwater Keep and the Reach. If I decided to make him the Lord Paramount of the Reach I'd have promised him Highgarden instead.

After that has happened I get myself crowned and anointed by the High Septon, marry Arianne in the Great Sept and get her pregnant as soon as possible. I do not worry about Dany because news about her alleged death/disappearance have arrived. This is what caused my betrothal to Arianne Martell in the first place. Neither do I care about Stannis/the Boltons because I'm aware the warfare in winter is insane and everything will resolve itself up there. I dispatch an army to the Riverlands, though, to deal with the Freys and Lannisters there. I have the Twins taken and most of the male Freys (those involved in the Red Wedding) executed. The castle itself goes to one of my most loyal Golden Company captains.

I also retake Riverrun if it is still Genna's. Emmon Frey is executed, Genna Lannister becomes a hostage against Casterly Rock. This castle is restored to the Tullys if Edmure is still alive.

I'd sent armies to the Reach to help them down there to deal with the Ironborn. At the same time I'd fortify the defenses of KL and be especially keen to protect it against attacks from the sea (either Dany or Euron). I'd also try to contact 'the Lord of the Waters' and offer him his old seat on the Small Council as well as the lordship of Driftmark if he returned his stolen fleet to KL.

I'd also try to win the friendship/loyalty of the Vale at all costs. Most likely I'd rely on Varys' advice how this is best accomplished. If it had to be I'd even take Sansa Stark as a second wife.

I'd also offer the Lords of the West favorable terms if they bent the knee to me and grant Casterly Rock to the first Lannister who licked my boots. Cersei, Tommen, and Myrcella would both remain hostages in my care. If Jaime Lannister came forward and publicly proclaimed Cersei's children his seed and therefore bastards I'd pardon him and offer him to remain in my KG.

Around KL I'd attaint a lot of Lords of the Crownlands. Rosby would go to a Golden Company captain (for lack of an heir) and Stokeworth would be taken away from Bronn and Lollys, too, to reward another loyal follower - the same goes for the lordship of Hayford. But I'd, of course, be friendly with those who actually declared for me. 

I'd try to end the war as quickly as possible and do anything in my power to win the love of my people - most importantly, I'd try to get as much food from across the Narrow Sea (drawing heavily on Illyrio in the process) to Westeros to appear as a peace-and-plenty king who had come to save and protect his people. That way I'll ensure they are my people in case another pretender should show his or her face.

I like it. Especially suring up your RL / Vale support Incase Dany does come or Stannis somehow wins up North and has an influx of sellswords / other Northern houses.

The Tarly forces are in KL though. Don't the Tyrell's have 20k coming right for you? I could be wrong about that, haven't read the end of aDwD and TWOW in a bit. Or are you wholing up inside SE until Tarly can take KL and then come assist?

Question though, if Tarly can deliver you King's Landing and hostages then why wouldn't you grant him LP of The Reach? Or do you have a plan w/o Tarly and may want then Tyrells as future allies.

 

[Lord Varys]

If Tarly did that, I'd grant him the Reach and Highgarden, not the Reach and Brightwater Keep.

A Tyrell army is marching against Storm's End, that's correct. But we don't know who is commanding it nor how many Tyrell men are in the army. It is actually very likely that Tarly is either commanding that army or assisting Mace in that capacity.

I'd have to defeat that army in battle, I think, before we could reach any agreement with whoever remains back in KL. If Tarly joined my cause it would most likely be only after I defeated him in battle. He is not just selling me Tommen and KL for an empty promise and while he still has an army to keep the boy king on the throne (and himself in a very exalted position at court).

I'd actually prefer to continue working with the Tyrells. They were loyal to my grandfather and a regime change in the Reach enforced by mean would weaken the region and stir up more trouble than I want especially since I have reasons to take the Ironborn threat seriously.

Therefore I'd most likely offer Mace generous terms should he surrender the city to me without bloodshed (if I didn't capture him after a battle in the Stormlands) or pardon him and allow him to keep Highgarden and join me.

Under no circumstance would I attack KL itself. I'd come as a cheered liberator and savior to the city relying entirely on Varys and the High Septon to threw the city gates open to me once I arrived there. That should walk pretty well, actually.

Oh, and I'd also make steps to ensure my Golden Company men feel at home in Westeros. I'd arrange marriages between my most loyal/valiant men and many highborn daughters/heiresses. Beginning in the Stormlands this could actually work very fine with the Dornish women.

[Blade of Sunlight]

19 minutes ago, Lord Varys said:

Snip 

Very good plan, I mostly agree, but I see a few problems, first between the men of the GC and the Lords who hold the castles they want, for some getting a different castle won't be the same.

And the biggest problem is how to get Mace to accept the terms, what could he be offered that would improve on making his daughter Queen? The only  reason for him to turn his cloak would be to have him at a severe disadvantage, if we're talking troops then with only the GC, part of the stormlands and Dorne there is no way Aegon can do this without Tarly declaring for him and bringing with him half the Reach.  And that is what I find unlikely, even if Tarly turns why would half the Reach join him. 

Regarding other alliances, I completely agree the Vale is very important, and so is pacifying the riverlands. That being said, Sansa doesn't seem the type to accept being a second wife, and if I had myself anointed king by the faith getting into polygamy would make a terrible first step.

The Riverlands and West should be pacified just as you said, but it all hinges on the Reach otherwise it would be yet again all out war between half the reach, GC,  stormlands and Dorne VS the rest of the reach, what's left of the riverlands and the West and the crownlands. This all out war has the advantage of bringing in the Vale in trough Sansa, provided she is promised both revenge and Winterfel. It would however ruin the Kingdom further and make it much weaker when dealing with future invasions by Danny and the WW. 

[JonCon's Red Beard]

I would do everything Jon Connington tells me to do and shut the fuck up.

[Ruhail]

Laugh that you'ce been cut from one of the worst storylines in the show. 

[1000th Lord Commander]

Consolidate the Stormlands, Reach, and Dorne. Set up base at Summerhall, complete with rudimentary fortifications. Cut off food to the capital and let is starve through winter, while I try and get some read on what Dany is going to do. Send emissaries to the Iron Islands, to try and hold off the ironborn til spring.
 Defend against any incursions from other powers, try and negotiate to get the food of the Vale. See what an alliance there is going to cost me.