Canon Claude

The irony is that the Baratheon brothers could have easily been unstoppable. Robert’s war prowess and charisma, Stannis’s sense of justice and willingness to promote the right men to the job regardless of social class, Renly’s social skills and adaptavikity, they all have traits which, when properly combined, would produce the greatest ruler that Westeros has ever seen. Plus they would all keep each other’s flaws in check. Stannis could reign in Robert’s hedonism, Renly could remind Stannis not to disappear up his own ass, Robert would prevent Renly’s ambition from going too far. They had all everything in their grasp and instead they let everything fall apart because they never actually loved each other.

A bit late for that, no? He’d have to do a bit more than that to make up for his hedging.

You forget that the majority of the Reach forces were still intact. They won an easy victory at Ashford and spent a year besieging Storm’s End with presumably minimal casualties. The Reach would definitely have enough men to fight Tywin, plus the survivors of the Stormlands and Crownlands. Plus the Ironborn would jump in and raid the Westerlands when armies clashed.

I do wonder where the name Baratheon comes from. Was it ever said?

Except he didn’t raise Domeric. Domeric grew up in Barrowton and the Vale for several years. He was already a young man when he came home and openly defied his father by seeking out his half brother, presumably out of compassion or curiosity. Doesn’t seem like a Roose Jr type to me.

Don’t forget he was willing to sacrifice three of his own relatives, including his wife’s brother, just to send a message to Ellen Tarbeck.

Yohn Royce avenging his son’s murder (assuming that Ser Loras is still alive by that point)

Tywin is absolutely the beneficiary of absurd luck, but at the same time, he does have to be somewhat capable in order to capitalize on that luck. Cersei, for example, is just as lucky as him but she squanders it spectacularly. Hell, Machiavelli himself devoted chapters of “The Prince” to how a prince must make use of good fortune. Say what you will about him being a clever administrator, an average general, maybe a good warrior when he was younger, that’s all up for debate. But if nothing else, Tywin knows how to take advantage of good fortune.

How can we not answer this with hindsight? We’d have to forget what we’ve already read across five books.

This is the proudest defence of conservatism and narrow minded bigotry that I’ve yet seen on this site. And I’m looking forward to Bowen Marsh’s gruesome and well deserved death in the next book. He told Jon to let thousands of people die cruelly, including children. The “Watch” that he’s defending deserves to be obliterated. The times are changing. Jon tried to bring about progress for the good of humanity and Marsh murdered him for it. He gets no sympathy from me.

Forget her allies, or even the fact that she hasn’t lived in Westeros during her life, her bid for the throne will be opposed purely on the fact that she’s a woman.

You’d think Bear Island would have some kind of harbour and fleet to protect itself.

Wasn’t this all a reaction to Stannis winning, though? Wouldn’t Tyrion have altered his plans if he heard that Renly had won?

And Renly would also possibly die in the blast, along with Brienne, Loras, etc. And Cersei would definitely do it, too, be damned the consequences. She’s never cared about other people’s problems beyond a few her own family.

You think Renly would bother with bargaining?

Let’s assume that the shadowbaby failed somehow, so Stannis was left with just five thousand men facing twenty thousand knights and horsemen. Renly’s battle plan is carried out, and Stannis dies with a sword in hand. What then? What do Tywin and Robb and Tyrion and Varys and Balon and Doran and the rest do differently? Would Renly be able to take the throne for himself? Would he be able to keep it?

We don’t know whose land it was first, to be fair.

I was being snarky, never mind.

This is why I kind of want the Others to win. Also, on the First Men note, Robar Royce was a hero for trying to drive the Andals out of the Vale.

I’m kind of surprised that Dagmer and his men are still alive at this point. Surely the Northman could have taken Torrhen’s Square back by now? How many Ironborn were even part of that force?

The humans deserve to be killed by the Others.

A point of pride, presumably. The titles are symbolic anyway.

That was later, though, plus it wasn’t exactly a crazy stretch. He outnumbered his enemies and he’d taken them by surprise. Not exactly a Robb Stark situation.

How would anyone know that Jaime is a good battle commander? We never hear an account of him actively leading troops before the War of the Five Kings, and just four battles in, he gets captured and his army is annihilated.

No, he would have done the same stupid rush into battle, except he wouldn’t be doing it to deliberately weaken every northern house but his own. Robb was smart to keep Greatjon by his side during the war. But he should have done the same with Roose Bolton. It’s hard to scheme and conspire when you have no independent command. In fact, I’d say giving Roose any kind of command separate from him was the single dumbest move Robb ever made.