RAR! Survive 5 years in Westeros (Game of Thrones)spoilerISH

[DrMckay]

Read before you go further:

For you old school GOT fans, and the new ones the HBO series has gotten hooked. Spoilers allowed, but only in the description of something within a society that comes later in the books that you might interact with, (Septas, Maesters, silent sisters, Unsullied, etc) not what happens to the characters or politics after. Assume plot knowledge of the First book, A Game of Thrones only for "you" in this scenario. Beyond descriptions of the groups obtained from later books, Spoilers for the first book/season in broad political strokes but not character deaths are acceptable.

That's it for spoilers.

Scenario: Q drops you in Westeros in the Kingdom of your choice: The North, ruled by House Stark, Riverlands, ruled by House Tully, The Vale, ruled by House Arryn, The Stormlands, ruled by House Baratheon, The West, ruled by House Lannister, The Iron Islands ruled by House Greyjoy, and the South, formerly the independent Kingdom of Dorne, or in Pentos, where Danerys Targaryen is to be wed.

You arrive in Westeros in the kingdom of your choice as Robert I Baratheon departs King's Landing to offer Lord Eddard Stark the position of Hand of the King, or in Pentos a few days prior to Danerys' wedding to Khal Drogo.


Your Goal: Survive in Westeros for the next five, turbulent years. If you do Q will transport you back to your present time without having aged a day, and give you twenty million dollars, if you die, you are transported home without having aged, and get half a million.

Assets: You can take back a cart the size of an enclosed pickup truck bed, and will be granting you a horse to pull it as well as animal husbandry skills. Q has given you $6,000 and one week to either purchase items or choose things from your home to fill the cart.


How will you survive, who will you try to ally with, and what would you bring back with you?

[The Grim Squeaker]

Go to the Stormlands, head for Highgarden/Tyrell lands. Nice and safe (As long as I don't end up floating in the oldtown harbour).
Peasants are, frankly, usually inconsequential in GOT, and lacking any useful martial skills or abilities (Beyond trying to harp treason about "The queen having spawned monsters of incest!"), i'd just head for where it's warm and fat.

[Mr Bean]

Dorne sounds like the best bet because

A. House Martel should be one of the easier houses to approach, I can play off the prophet route or simple mysterious stranger with information
B. No need to fear the Others(White Walkers) in the middle of the desert.
C. No need to fear the war in the middle of desert

[Guardsman Bass]

1. I fill up my cart with a variety of fairly simple mechanical devices (and some very complex ones, like a cell phone), possibly with some books on crop rotation and the like (the scenario doesn't specify whether or not I'm literate in the Common Tongue).

2. I ask to be dropped quietly outside of Oldtown.

3. I sell all of this stuff to the Citadel for a very large pile of gold.

4. I proceed to live in luxury for the next couple of years while doing Maester training, if I so desire.

[DrMckay]

Assume literacy in the common tongue and basic animal husbandry skills (you can sort of ride a horse, and know how to care for one)
I am really interested in the sort of things people would bring, how they would use them, and who they think would have their back.

[Guardsman Bass]

Oldtown would probably be one of the safest places to be, due to its size, population, and port (meaning that it's going to have a wide collection of people from different areas coming in on ship). Less populated places will be much more difficult to integrate into, and you're more likely to draw unwanted attention.

[Mr Bean]

Assume literacy in the common tongue and basic animal husbandry skills (you can sort of ride a horse, and know how to care for one)
I am really interested in the sort of things people would bring, how they would use them, and who they think would have their back.

A good book on how to make gunpowder and shaped charges, if nothing else I can sell my services as a Castle smasher.
Myself, it's a mix of books, useful tools and necessities. Keep in mind your in for five years of shitting in hole or a bucket. We are talking primitive in the extreme. So take back simple things like matches, a good sturdy knife and a decent supply of sturdy clothes.

Books would relate to warfare(Weapon making, strategy, tactics, not for me but for selling), textiles (Inventing Jeans 1000 and practical clothing) plus a few examples (Hey want your scouts impossible to find? Have them wear Gili suits, here's an example for your craftsmen to make, Far eyes? Why not combine there two these are called bioncs, get the Meerish to make you 5000 copies for your officers) a book or two on surveying, road building, farming methods... ect ect. Anything I figure I can throw together in a year or two to help for when shit really hits the fan six months after I get there when Ned's head gets lopped off.

[Thanas]

Go to Casterly Rock. Impregnable and it does not look as if House Lannister will lose the war any time soon. As for what I would take with me: A modern rifle as well as the basic instructions to forge 15/16th century arquebus. I offer it to Tywinn Lannister, who probably is the only high Lord smart enough to recognize the value of it and then spend the rest of the time in Casterly Rock overseeing production.

[Tritio]

Buy as many books, supplies and medicine as I can, get immunised to as many illnesses as I can, and then request to be placed in the Reach. Head to Old Town and request for training as a Maester. Use modern knowledge to accomplish that. Try to assimilate to local culture, hygiene, food, water etc. Once a maester, use knowledge to make myself valuable and comfortable. Spend years in libraries, take frequent field trips to nearby towns/kingdoms when bored. Refuse to get involved in politics or with royalty because of the risk. Try to avoid anything to do with warfare in order to avoid being too valuable (and hence a potential target). Basically, try to stay in the background and survive.

[Tasoth]

I'd asked to be dumped with the Maesters, bringing with me every science and math textbook I own. I'd buy what I could to fill in the physics and math gaps as well as the chemistry. Become a librarian, hold out.

[Stormin]

Would modern cloth make a good trade good? It's cheap here and can command high prices in times/places without modern machine weaving or artificial materials.
$6000 isn't much so a lot of the things I grab are going to have to be loaned (library books) or easily accessible from stores that offer credit, with more prep time I could have essential books printed on special plastics in near microscopic font. The most important books will be hard copies and I'll pick up like 10 E-Readers and 5 laptops. From a camping goods store I should be able to get solar chargers and two small generators (simpler the better, I might be able to hook one up to a water wheel or windmill if wood gas doesn't work out).

Lannisport is probably where I would choose to be dropped off at. I shouldn't have much trouble converting my trade goods to money at decent price and since it is a very active trade hub my being foreign won't cause problems. Honestly my biggest obstacle to survival is living in a world where The Jungle hasn't been published. I would probably have to claim some sort of religious dietary requirement and personally oversee my own food preparation.

[Narkis]

Go to Casterly Rock. Impregnable and it does not look as if House Lannister will lose the war any time soon. As for what I would take with me: A modern rifle as well as the basic instructions to forge 15/16th century arquebus. I offer it to Tywinn Lannister, who probably is the only high Lord smart enough to recognize the value of it and then spend the rest of the time in Casterly Rock overseeing production.

This. Tywin is the smartest asshole high Lord in the series, rich beyond belief, and he always pays his debts. I'd grab books about making gunpowder, cannons and firearms, some more advanced farming stuff, metallurgy, etc. I'd definitely make telescopes too. Now, I'll be tempted to start the industrial revolution, but fuck'em. I'll only be there for 5 years anyway. Oh, all the books would be written in Greek, so that they'd have no chance to figure them out without me. I'd get inoculated for everything before going, and bring some of the basic amenities with me. Like flashlights, matches, first aid kits (get a book for it too), zippos, SOAP (and how to make it), and whatever else I'll think till then.

[Stormin]

For the inoculation against everything, how easy would that be to arrange within a week and either within the 6k budget or from easily accessible money?

[Guardsman Bass]

Tywin probably wouldn't kill you (although it's wise to err on the safe side), especially since you're otherwise a nobody with no lands or followers. You'd be completely dependent on him for your livelihood and life if you become Mr. Arquebus.

[Narkis]

Innoculation should be trivial. And if 6k aren't enough, I can just get a loan. Even if I fail, I'll still get back with half a million. More than enough to pay off any debt.

And why the heck would Tywin kill me? I'm a nobody, who cannot threaten him in any meaningful way. I have a boomstick, and can equip his armies with lesser versions, not to mention all the other wondrous stuff. And I can be bought. Seriously, he isn't an idiot.

[Guardsman Bass]

It would be interesting to see how the widespread adoption of gunpowder-weaponry would play out in Westeros. I suspect it would strengthen the Great Houses in the South, possibly weaken the Starks' position in the North (since the North is so spread out), and weaken the Throne's hold on the Great Houses and the Seven Kingdoms.

[Thanas]

^It would strengthen the house with the most money and manpower. Which means the Lannisters and Tyrells are the most to profit from it, in that order, and actually would strengthen the throne since the Lannisters hold it.

That said, the reason why I did not chose the Maesters is because I think Oldtown is not long for the world or not a very nice place to live.

[Guardsman Bass]

Unless it successfully gets Spoiler

raided by the Iron Men

, I'm not sure why you would think so.

[Nieztchean Uber-Amoeba]

Strengthening the Lannisters means King Joffrey, which is bad for everybody. I don't want my head on a pike on the Red Keep's walls because the arquebus made for him missed a peasant he was trying to kill. My first choice would be to take up in Pentos, though somewhere in the Reach wouldn't be a bad idea (Oldtown for the Maesters, Highgarden for the Tyrells). The Tyrells (Olenna), Martells (Doran), Maesters (Marwyn) and merchant-princes (Illyrio) all have leaders who would be likely to take advantage of the knowledge I bring to Westeros, and all of them are also not ruthless backstabbers surrounded by psychopaths. This gives them a distinct advantage over Tywin. Since I'd rather not be responsible for a king worse than Aerys murdering the shit out of his own people with the application of industrial-age advances, I'll play the the Connecticut Yankee to some other Lord's court.

[Imperial Overlord]

Unless it successfully gets Spoiler

raided by the Iron Men

, I'm not sure why you would think so.

Have you read the fourth book? Spoiler

Murders, Faceless Men, the return of magic, the Maesters' involvement in killing off the dragons to kill magic, and a looming internal power struggle as at least one of them is practicing magic. Blood will flow.

[Thanas]

Strengthening the Lannisters means King Joffrey, which is bad for everybody.

Joffrey will still choke on his poison considering developing such weapons takes several years, at least two or so.

[Guardsman Bass]

Have you read the fourth book? Spoiler

Murders, Faceless Men, the return of magic, the Maesters' involvement in killing off the dragons to kill magic, and a looming internal power struggle as at least one of them is practicing magic. Blood will flow.

Spoiler

We have one Faceless Man, and we have no idea who he's aimed at. As for the Maesters, Marwyn is on his way to Slavers' Bay.

Moreover, we only have his word that the Maesters are engaged in an anti-magic conspiracy. Why should we trust him? Despite his talks about "poison in your porridge", he's an Archmaester, and Maesters do earn rings in studying magic (such as Maester Luwin). His comment about Aemon being sent to the Wall because his blood was suspect is wrong, too, when we know from Aemon himself that he went to the Wall to avoid being used as a political pawn against his brother by his brother's enemies.

Which is not to say that the Maesters think highly of magic, since they don't. But that's a world of difference away from an anti-magic conspiracy that killed off the Targaryen dragons.

[Nieztchean Uber-Amoeba]

Strengthening the Lannisters means King Joffrey, which is bad for everybody.

Joffrey will still choke on his poison considering developing such weapons takes several years, at least two or so.

Spoiler

I'm not usually the one to cry 'Butterfly Effect', but the appearance of a sorcerous man with incredible materials and knowledge selling amazing weapons and turning Casterly Rock into a factory seems like the kind of thing liable to upset the balance. And though constructing rifles might take years, new agricultural, medical, shipbuilding, etc. techniques will start to have effects immediately. A very specific confluence of events led to Olenna Tyrell allying with Littlefinger to eliminate Joffrey, and any number of steps that led him there might go awry. Meanwhile, Robert's death is almost a certainty, considering that he was a foolhardy drunkard whose own wife would murder him at the first opportunity.

On the other hand, if Joffrey did indeed die because of Melisandre's magic (and she has a pretty good track record), then he'll probably still get choked up on schedule. However, that remains ambiguous enough that I'd rather not take the chance. Even if he does die on schedule, though, I'm still left working surrounded by thugs and psychos under a schemer who's just as liable to get murdered as Joffrey is, and then my position loses pretty much all of its security.

Besides, allying myself with Doran or Illyrio puts me on the side of fate, which is a nice place to be.

[Imperial Overlord]

Spoiler

We have little reason to trust him, but every reason to believe that there's going to be some vicious infighting. He's certainly poisoning the well to undermine his enemies. That maesters study magic is not at all inconsistent with them being opposed to it. A scholar studies that he intends to oppose. Being out of town doesn't make him harmless and the Faceless Man is a sign that something very bloody is going to go down. I'm fairly certain the arrival of my outworld ass is going to disrupt the applecart to some degree and doing that in a place where there are already lethal intrigues going on, lethal intrigues going on below the surface where I don't know the players or their goals, is a good way to get removed from the equation by one side or another.

[Thanas]

Spoiler

And though constructing rifles might take years, new agricultural, medical, shipbuilding, etc. techniques will start to have effects immediately.

Good thing I am not doing that then - and btw, it took years to adapt new techniques in real life.

Even if he does die on schedule, though, I'm still left working surrounded by thugs and psychos under a schemer who's just as liable to get murdered as Joffrey is, and then my position loses pretty much all of its security.

Doubtful. Why would the new head of the Lannisters (Jaimie?) decide to off you when handguns make him once more a capable fighter?

Besides, allying myself with Doran or Illyrio puts me on the side of fate, which is a nice place to be.

We have not yet seen them completing a powerbase.