Realm of Thrones brings the wars of Westeros and Essos into Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord

If you've ever watched Game of Thrones and thought, "You know, I could probably do a better job running one of these kingdoms," Realm of Thrones is more than happy to give you the opportunity to prove it.

Although considering how things usually go in Westeros, we wouldn't get too comfortable on that throne.

Carolina Warlord's Realm of Thrones is a total conversion for Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord that replaces Calradia with the kingdoms, armies, and conflicts of Westeros and Essos. The project draws on the War of the Five Kings, with major houses including Stark, Lannister, Baratheon, and Targaryen represented alongside the Free Folk, Dothraki, and numerous other factions. The creator describes more than twenty kingdoms and hundreds of characters, with custom troops, equipment, locations, and political relationships.

And that's what makes the whole idea so appealing. Bannerlord already gives players the freedom to command armies, negotiate alliances, besiege castles, and make some spectacularly bad diplomatic decisions. Put those systems into a world where practically everybody has a claim to something, and you've got the makings of a pretty entertaining campaign.

The mod has continued evolving over the years, although compatibility is something players need to pay particular attention to. The current release targets Bannerlord 1.4.8 and requires War Sails, while an older branch remains available for players using Bannerlord 1.3.15 without that expansion. The creator also warns that leftover files from previous installations can cause crashes, so following the appropriate installation instructions is important.

For anyone who's ever wanted to march beneath the banners of House Stark, build an army for the Lannisters, or carve out an entirely different future for the Seven Kingdoms, Realm of Thrones offers plenty of room to indulge those ambitions.

Just remember, Westeros has a rather unfortunate history of people who thought they were going to be king.