u/Jon-Umber

200,000 subscribers.

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There's no shortage of places to talk ASOIAF on the internet, or even just here on Reddit. You chose to do it here in r/pureasoiaf, where the rule is simple: the text is the text. No show takes, no twitter 'winds never come out LUL' dogshit, no condescension or passive aggression. Just close reading and good-faith debate.

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Game of Thrones: The Mad King is an adaptation: a derivative work, not source material. As such, it falls outside the scope of this subreddit and is not eligible for discussion here.

r/pureasoiaf is dedicated exclusively to George R.R. Martin's published written works: the novels, novellas, and associated written canon. Television, film, stage productions, and other adaptations are off-topic regardless of how closely they hew to the source material. The moment a story leaves the page, it leaves this sub's jurisdiction.

Take adaptation discussion to r/asoiaf, r/freefolk, or another appropriate community. All posts on the stage play will be removed.

Hey yall. Any idea on the consensus best/most rewarding skills to level?

I'm a huge fan of Shivers from Disco, for example. The prose is so nice and adds a ton of flavor to the game. Then there are others like Volition that have a major impact on how the narrative unfolds.

Wondering if anyone can give me some spoiler-free nudges in this direction.

Edit: Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for chiming in, got some really excellent recommendations. Thank you!!