History AdaptationalWimp / GameOfThrones

[[WMG:[[center: [- '''Tropes for ''Series/GameOfThrones'''''\\
GameOfThrones/TropesA ([[AdaptationalAttractiveness/GameOfThrones Adaptational Attractiveness]], [[AdaptationalBadass/GameOfThrones Adaptational Badass]], [[AdaptationalHeroism/GameOfThrones Adaptational Heroism]], [[AdaptationalModesty/GameOfThrones Adaptational Modesty]], [[AdaptationalVillainy/GameOfThrones Adaptational Villainy]], '''Adaptational Wimp''', [[AdaptationDistillation/GameOfThrones Adaptation Distillation]], [[AdaptationDyeJob/GameOfThrones Adaptation Dye-Job]], [[AdaptationExpansion/GameOfThrones Adaptation Expansion]], [[AdaptationExplanationExtrication/GameOfThrones Adaptation Explanation Extrication]], [[AdaptationInducedPlotHole/GameOfThrones Adaptation-Induced Plot Hole]], [[AdaptationNameChange/GameOfThrones Adaptation Name Change]], [[AdaptationPersonalityChange/GameOfThrones Adaptation Personality Change]], [[AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul/GameOfThrones Adaptation Relationship Overhaul]], [[AdaptedOut/GameOfThrones Adapted Out]], [[AgeLift/GameOfThrones Age Lift]], [[AnimalMotifs/GameOfThrones Animal Motifs]], [[AscendedExtra/GameOfThrones Ascended Extra]], [[AssholeVictim/GameOfThrones Asshole Victim]], [[AsYouKnow/GameOfThrones As You Know]]) | GameOfThrones/TropesB ([[BadassBoast/GameOfThrones Badass Boast]], [[BaitAndSwitch/GameOfThrones Bait-and-Switch]], [[BullyingADragon/GameOfThrones Bullying a Dragon]]) | GameOfThrones/TropesCToD ([[CallBack/GameOfThrones Call-Back]], [[CanonForeigner/GameOfThrones Canon Foreigner]], [[CompositeCharacter/GameOfThrones Composite Character]], [[CruelAndUnusualDeath/GameOfThrones Cruel and Unusual Death]], [[DeathByAdaptation/GameOfThrones Death by Adaptation]], [[DemotedToExtra/GameOfThrones Demoted to Extra]], [[DueToTheDead/GameOfThrones Due to the Dead]]) | GameOfThrones/TropesEToF ([[EstablishingCharacterMoment/GameOfThrones Establishing Character Moment]], [[FamousLastWords/GameOfThrones Famous Last Words]], [[FanDisservice/GameOfThrones Fan Disservice]], [[FantasyCounterpartCulture/GameOfThrones Fantasy Counterpart Culture]], [[Foil/GameOfThrones Foil]], [[Foreshadowing/GameOfThrones Foreshadowing]]) | GameOfThrones/TropesGToK ([[HateSink/GameOfThrones Hate Sink]], [[JerkassHasAPoint/GameOfThrones Jerkass Has a Point]]) | GameOfThrones/TropesLToO ([[Leitmotif/GameOfThrones Leitmotif]], [[OhCrap/GameOfThrones Oh, Crap!]]) | GameOfThrones/TropesPToS ([[PragmaticAdaptation/GameOfThrones Pragmatic Adaptation]], [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome/GameOfThrones Surprisingly Realistic Outcome]]) | GameOfThrones/TropesTToZ ([[WhamEpisode/GameOfThrones Wham Episode]])]]]]-]

** In the books, she's exceptional at [[LeParkour climbing and sneaking]] gives Hot Pie such a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown that he can't walk for days, kills several (admittedly rather unskilled) soldiers in the skirmish with Ser Amory, plots a jailbreak with Jaqen's help, and escapes Harrenhal all by herself by committing her first true murder. She doesn't do any of these things during their respective scenes in the show.

** She's completely outmanoeuvred and [[spoiler: brutally raped and abused by Ramsay]], while during this period of the books she's [[BastardUnderstudy steadily learning politics, intrigue, and manipulation]] while maintaining a false identity in the Vale.

GameOfThrones/TropesA ([[AdaptationalAttractiveness/GameOfThrones Adaptational Attractiveness]], [[AdaptationalBadass/GameOfThrones Adaptational Badass]], [[AdaptationalHeroism/GameOfThrones Adaptational Heroism]], [[AdaptationalModesty/GameOfThrones Adaptational Modesty]], [[AdaptationalVillainy/GameOfThrones Adaptational Villainy]], '''Adaptational Wimp''', [[AdaptationDistillation/GameOfThrones Adaptation Distillation]], [[AdaptationDyeJob/GameOfThrones Adaptation Dye-Job]], [[AdaptationExpansion/GameOfThrones Adaptation Expansion]], [[AdaptationExplanationExtrication/GameOfThrones Adaptation Explanation Extrication]], [[AdaptationInducedPlotHole/GameOfThrones Adaptation-Induced Plot Hole]], [[AdaptationNameChange/GameOfThrones Adaptation Name Change]], [[AdaptationPersonalityChange/GameOfThrones Adaptation Personality Change]], [[AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul/GameOfThrones Adaptation Relationship Overhaul]], [[AdaptedOut/GameOfThrones Adapted Out]], [[AgeLift/GameOfThrones Age Lift]], [[AnimalMotifs/GameOfThrones Animal Motifs]], [[AscendedExtra/GameOfThrones Ascended Extra]], [[AssholeVictim/GameOfThrones Asshole Victim]], [[AsYouKnow/GameOfThrones As You Know]]) | GameOfThrones/TropesB ([[BadassBoast/GameOfThrones Badass Boast]], [[BaitAndSwitch/GameOfThrones Bait-and-Switch]], [[BullyingADragon/GameOfThrones Bullying a Dragon]]) | GameOfThrones/TropesCToD ([[CallBack/GameOfThrones Call-Back]], [[CanonForeigner/GameOfThrones Canon Foreigner]], [[CompositeCharacter/GameOfThrones Composite Character]], [[CruelAndUnusualDeath/GameOfThrones Cruel and Unusual Death]], [[DeathByAdaptation/GameOfThrones Death by Adaptation]], [[DemotedToExtra/GameOfThrones Demoted to Extra]], [[DueToTheDead/GameOfThrones Due to the Dead]]) | GameOfThrones/TropesEToF ([[EstablishingCharacterMoment/GameOfThrones Establishing Character Moment]], [[FamousLastWords/GameOfThrones Famous Last Words]], [[FanDisservice/GameOfThrones Fan Disservice]], [[FantasyCounterpartCulture/GameOfThrones Fantasy Counterpart Culture]], [[Foil/GameOfThrones Foil]], [[Foreshadowing/GameOfThrones Foreshadowing]]) | GameOfThrones/TropesGToK ([[HateSink/GameOfThrones Hate Sink]], [[JerkassHasAPoint/GameOfThrones Jerkass Has a Point]]) | GameOfThrones/TropesLToO ([[Leitmotif/GameOfThrones Leitmotif]], [[OhCrap/GameOfThrones Oh, Crap!]]) | GameOfThrones/TropesPToS ([[PragmaticAdaptation/GameOfThrones Pragmatic Adaptation]], [[RealityEnsues/GameOfThrones Reality Ensues]]) | GameOfThrones/TropesTToZ ([[WhamEpisode/GameOfThrones Wham Episode]])]]]]-]

* In the show, Joffrey is DirtyCoward who talks a big game but shrinks from any physical confrontation. During teh Battle of the Blackwater, he chickens out and chooses to flee to safety rather than stay and inspire his men. In the books, he's very physically aggressive, sparring with Robb in spite of being three years younger and suggesting that they use real swords rather than blunted ones. He also volunteers to fight during the Battle of Blackwater, and actually contributes to the battle. He only leaves the battle when forced to by Cersei, and still expresses desire to command the crossbowmen.

* Book Golden Company is a legendary sellsword company that can take on a city defended by the Unsullied and wins. Show Golden Company gets obliterated in one fell swoop by Danaerys without contributing anything to the siege of King's Landing. Their leader also gets a very undignified death.

GameOfThrones/TropesA ([[AdaptationalAttractiveness/GameOfThrones Adaptational Attractiveness]], [[AdaptationalBadass/GameOfThrones Adaptational Badass]], [[AdaptationalHeroism/GameOfThrones Adaptational Heroism]], [[AdaptationalModesty/GameOfThrones Adaptational Modesty]], [[AdaptationalVillainy/GameOfThrones Adaptational Villainy]], '''Adaptational Wimp''', [[AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul/GameOfThrones Adaptation Relationship Overhaul]], [[AdaptationDistillation/GameOfThrones Adaptation Distillation]], [[AdaptationDyeJob/GameOfThrones Adaptation Dye-Job]], [[AdaptationExpansion/GameOfThrones Adaptation Expansion]], [[AdaptationExplanationExtrication/GameOfThrones Adaptation Explanation Extrication]], [[AdaptationInducedPlotHole/GameOfThrones Adaptation-Induced Plot Hole]], [[AdaptationNameChange/GameOfThrones Adaptation Name Change]], [[AdaptationPersonalityChange/GameOfThrones Adaptation Personality Change]], [[AdaptedOut/GameOfThrones Adapted Out]], [[AgeLift/GameOfThrones Age Lift]], [[AnimalMotifs/GameOfThrones Animal Motifs]], [[AscendedExtra/GameOfThrones Ascended Extra]], [[AssholeVictim/GameOfThrones Asshole Victim]], [[AsYouKnow/GameOfThrones As You Know]]) | GameOfThrones/TropesB ([[BadassBoast/GameOfThrones Badass Boast]], [[BaitAndSwitch/GameOfThrones Bait-and-Switch]], [[BullyingADragon/GameOfThrones Bullying a Dragon]]) | GameOfThrones/TropesCToD ([[CallBack/GameOfThrones Call-Back]], [[CanonForeigner/GameOfThrones Canon Foreigner]], [[CompositeCharacter/GameOfThrones Composite Character]], [[CruelAndUnusualDeath/GameOfThrones Cruel and Unusual Death]], [[DeathByAdaptation/GameOfThrones Death by Adaptation]], [[DemotedToExtra/GameOfThrones Demoted to Extra]], [[DueToTheDead/GameOfThrones Due to the Dead]]) | GameOfThrones/TropesEToF ([[EstablishingCharacterMoment/GameOfThrones Establishing Character Moment]], [[FamousLastWords/GameOfThrones Famous Last Words]], [[FanDisservice/GameOfThrones Fan Disservice]], [[FantasyCounterpartCulture/GameOfThrones Fantasy Counterpart Culture]], [[Foil/GameOfThrones Foil]], [[Foreshadowing/GameOfThrones Foreshadowing]]) | GameOfThrones/TropesGToK ([[HateSink/GameOfThrones Hate Sink]], [[JerkassHasAPoint/GameOfThrones Jerkass Has a Point]]) | GameOfThrones/TropesLToO ([[Leitmotif/GameOfThrones Leitmotif]], [[OhCrap/GameOfThrones Oh, Crap!]]) | GameOfThrones/TropesPToS ([[PragmaticAdaptation/GameOfThrones Pragmatic Adaptation]], [[RealityEnsues/GameOfThrones Reality Ensues]]) | GameOfThrones/TropesTToZ ([[WhamEpisode/GameOfThrones Wham Episode]])]]]]-]

GameOfThrones/TropesA ([[AdaptationalAttractiveness/GameOfThrones Adaptational Attractiveness]], [[AdaptationalBadass/GameOfThrones Adaptational Badass]], [[AdaptationalHeroism/GameOfThrones Adaptational Heroism]], [[AdaptationalModesty/GameOfThrones Adaptational Modesty]], [[AdaptationalVillainy/GameOfThrones Adaptational Villainy]], '''Adaptational Wimp''', [[AdaptationDistillation/GameOfThrones Adaptation Distillation]], [[AdaptationDyeJob/GameOfThrones Adaptation Dye-Job]], [[AdaptationExpansion/GameOfThrones Adaptation Expansion]], [[AdaptationExplanationExtrication/GameOfThrones Adaptation Explanation Extrication]], [[AdaptationInducedPlotHole/GameOfThrones Adaptation-Induced Plot Hole]], [[AdaptationNameChange/GameOfThrones Adaptation Name Change]], [[AdaptationPersonalityChange/GameOfThrones Adaptation Personality Change]], [[AdaptedOut/GameOfThrones Adapted Out]], [[AgeLift/GameOfThrones Age Lift]], [[AnimalMotifs/GameOfThrones Animal Motifs]], [[AscendedExtra/GameOfThrones Ascended Extra]], [[AssholeVictim/GameOfThrones Asshole Victim]], [[AsYouKnow/GameOfThrones As You Know]]) | GameOfThrones/TropesB ([[BadassBoast/GameOfThrones Badass Boast]], [[BaitAndSwitch/GameOfThrones Bait-and-Switch]], [[BullyingADragon/GameOfThrones Bullying a Dragon]]) | GameOfThrones/TropesCToD ([[CallBack/GameOfThrones Call-Back]], [[CanonForeigner/GameOfThrones Canon Foreigner]], [[CompositeCharacter/GameOfThrones Composite Character]], [[CruelAndUnusualDeath/GameOfThrones Cruel and Unusual Death]], [[DeathByAdaptation/GameOfThrones Death by Adaptation]], [[DemotedToExtra/GameOfThrones Demoted to Extra]], [[DueToTheDead/GameOfThrones Due to the Dead]]) | GameOfThrones/TropesEToF ([[EstablishingCharacterMoment/GameOfThrones Establishing Character Moment]], [[FamousLastWords/GameOfThrones Famous Last Words]], [[FanDisservice/GameOfThrones Fan Disservice]], [[FantasyCounterpartCulture/GameOfThrones Fantasy Counterpart Culture]], [[Foil/GameOfThrones Foil]], [[Foreshadowing/GameOfThrones Foreshadowing]]) | GameOfThrones/TropesGToK ([[HateSink/GameOfThrones Hate Sink]], [[JerkassHasAPoint/GameOfThrones Jerkass Has a Point]]) | GameOfThrones/TropesLToO ([[Leitmotif/GameOfThrones Leitmotif]], [[OhCrap/GameOfThrones Oh, Crap!]]) | GameOfThrones/TropesPToS ([[PragmaticAdaptation/GameOfThrones Pragmatic Adaptation]], [[RealityEnsues/GameOfThrones Reality Ensues]]) | GameOfThrones/TropesTToZ ([[WhamEpisode/GameOfThrones Wham Episode]])]]]]-]

* In the show, wights are instantly killed by dragonglass. In the books, Sam tries this after learning it kills White Walkers and it doesn't work; only FireKeepsItDead.

* Qhorin "Halfhand" is described as TheDreaded to the wildlings and a LivingLegend to the Night's Watch, but in the books he backs this up by being a master ranger who's only cornered when the wildlings deploy a warg to track him and such a skilled swordsman that Jon needs Ghost's help to survive even their mock duel, whereas in the show he seems [[InformedAttribute barely competent]] at either since he's captured offscreen and killed outright by Jon.

** This trope is also a major criticism of making her a CompositeCharacter with Jeyne Poole since it means she's completely outmanoeuvred and [[spoiler: brutally raped and abused by Ramsay]] instead of [[BastardUnderstudy steadily learning politics, intrigue, and manipulation]] while maintaining a false identity in the Vale.

** In the books, she's exceptional at [[LeParkour climbing and sneaking]] and a somewhat better fighter in general, gives Hot Pie such a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown that he can't walk for days, kills several (admittedly rather unskilled) soldiers in the skirmish with Ser Amory, plots a jailbreak with Jaqen's help, and escapes Harrenhal all by herself by committing her first true murder. In the show, nearly everyone she's killed have been either helpless (Polliver, [[spoiler: Walder Frey]], [[spoiler: Littlefinger]]) or completely unprepared (the Frey soldier, Rorge, Meryn Trant).

** In the books she deals with being blind very pragmatically and soon becomes as capable as any blind person can be by sharpening her other senses, and then discovers how to borrow eyes (often from cats) via her latent warg talents. In the show she's rendered helpless, and there's no hint that she's a warg at all.

* Show!Renly is noticeably less keen of violence than Book!Renly; Renly's book counterpart is a bold, physically impressive man with an enthusiasm (though little talent) for jousting, participating in the Tourney of the Hand, and has been instructed in hand-to-hand combat. In the show, he's a meek NonActionGuy who's AfraidOfBlood.

* The show saps a great deal of Littlefinger's financial acumen when Tyrion reveals he's simply been borrowing all the money. In the books:
--> ''He paid the king's debts in promises and put the king's gold to work. He bought wagons, shops, ships, houses. He bought grain when it was plentiful and sold bread when it was scarce. He bought wool from the north and linen from the south and lace from Lys, stored it, moved it, dyed it, sold it. The golden dragons bred and multiplied and Littlefinger lent them out and brought them home with hatchlings.''
** Littlefinger's talent is backed by the fact that he increased custom revenue in Gulltown tenfold, which was the reason why Jon Arryn made him Master of Coins in the first place. Therefore, it is more likely that Littlefinger ''deliberately'' weaken the crown's finance with debt time-bombs. However, this also means that ''Jon Arryn'' failed to see through his scheme.

* Rickon's direwolf Shaggydog is the biggest and most unruly of the direwolves in the books and was feasting on unicorns on Skagos when we last glimpsed him by tree-vision in ''A Dance With Dragons''. In the show, he's much tamer, but then again CGI-ing all his wild antics would have been [[PragmaticAdaptation difficult and expensive]]. He is later [[DroppedABridgeOnHim killed]] [[BusCrash offscreen]].

* In the books, Lord Yohn Royce is one of the few characters to suspect how dangerous Littlefinger really is and becomes his implacable adversary in the Vale. In the show, he's so taken in by Littlefinger that he's entrusted with fostering Robin Arryn, the very thing Littlefinger struggles to ''avoid'' doing in ''Literature/AFeastForCrows''.
** This changes in season six when Littlefinger implies that he tipped Ramsay off about him (supposedly) taking Sansa with him to the Fingers, and further in season seven when he demands to be escorted back to the Eyrie during his trial, and is smugly told, ''"I think not."''

* In the books, Daenerys became a skilled and spirited equestrian in an instant at her wedding feast, leaping a campfire on her Silver. She physically shoves Viserys in their confrontation in the long grass and never allows him to be around her without her ''kos'' like she does in Season 1; which earns her a cut cheek-bone from her cruel brother that really should have spelled his death two episodes earlier. Qarth welcomes her with open arms and an honour guard parade instead of treating her like a beggar and her BattleInTheCentreOfTheMind and eventual victory over the Warlocks known as ''The Undying'' is much more complex and impressive than the show's watered down couple of visions relating to TheFinalTemptation. Furthermore, TV!Dany has never shown to be willing to go full Joan of Arc and act as a standard-bearer within an assaulting army; as she wishes to do in the First Siege of Meereen to increase the morale of her men. She doesn't shame her people into trying to care for terminally ill refugees by personally washing and feeding the diseased and though there are many faults in her ruling; the Harpy's Sons never dared commit open attacks in broad day-light on Book!Dany as there were many loyal divisions of Freedmen with awesome company names like "The Mother's Men" being drilled by the Unsullied to take care of civil security and most of all Dany's [[spoiler: first mounting of Drogon]] is much more active and heroic in the books, where she ''leaps down'' into Daznak's Pit in a seminal moment in 'Dance of Dragons' [[MamaBear protect her "child"]], ''rolls'' under a column of Drogon's flame breath and literally [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu bull-whips a dragon into submission]] all while ''on fire'', being much more lithe and agile than the cherubic Ms. Clarke. She mounts him, survives a volley of crossbow bolts while in-flight followed by a good two weeks of malnourishment and a couple of days poison berry-induced dysentery and fever-dreams in the wilderness. ''Phew!'' In "The Dance of Dragons", she's surrounded and [[DamselInDistress passively accepting death]] before [[spoiler: Drogon]] arrives to [[BigDamnHeroes carry her away]].

* In the books, Stannis departs the Wall as the clear underdog but gains strength by rallying thousands of northmen and, despite his hardships, confidently awaits battle on ground of his choosing as the blizzard abates. In the show, he starts with the larger army, loses most of it to misfortune, persists with a suicidal advance, and gets ambushed in an open field by the very army he came to fight.
** His skills as a military commander are much lesser on the show. In the books, he's fully prepared to do battle with Renly's forces during the siege of Storm's End, preparing the battlefield around his forces to deal with Renly's superior numbers and cavalry and fighting with the sun at his back. Its even implied that Renly's ineptness as a commander( ex: his decision to leave behind most of his army to lift the siege with just his cavalry and knights, outdistancing his supply lines, his decision to attack at dawn when the sunlight will be facing his army and Loras Tyrell leading the charge rather than the more experienced Randyll Tarly) would have given him a good chance at victory. In the show, he is firmly convinced he cannot face his brother's superior numbers.
** Another example would be the Battle of Blackwater, where he is shown launching his invasion purely by sea, where as the book has him march with his main host on land while deploying outriders and scouts on his flank to probe for any enemy forces. The only reason he is taken by surprise by the Lannister/Tyrell force in the book is because of Tyrion's Mountain Clans harassing and killing his scouts.
*** As a direct result of this the Mountain Clans themselves lose their main time to shine and inexplicably sit out the battle, reducing their role in season 2 to generic mooks.
* Doran Martell is portrayed as a weak and ineffectual ruler who's ultimately undone by his [[VirtueIsWeakness forgiveness and forbearance]], which ironically means he's ruined precisely by failing to be TheChessmaster he is in the books, both in how his enemies get the better of him and in how those enemies despise the very "weaknesses" he actually subverts in the novels when he reveals BestServedCold plans for vengeance made together with Oberyn.
* [[spoiler: Areo Hotah]] is easily dispatched by a [[InTheBack back-stab]] from [[spoiler: Tyene]] without ever getting a chance to use his impressive glaive. In the novels, he not only easily defeats a Kingsguard knight but is characterized by a constant SherlockScan for threats (including [[spoiler: Tyene]]) that make turning his back on her and the [[FailedASpotCheck conspicuous dagger in her boot]] look utterly amateurish.
* Ellaria and the Sand Snakes are this, despite their bloody coup in "The Red Woman". In the books, Ellaria is praised for being strong enough to TurnTheOtherCheek and the Sand Snakes are legitimate {{Action Girl}}s and {{Femme Fatale}}s, but in the show Ellaria is a [[RevengeMyopia myopic]], [[RevengeBeforeReason revenge-obsessed]] basket-case and the Sand Snakes are FauxActionGirl [[TheBully bullies]] whose on-screen skills still amount to stabbing unsuspecting or fleeing victims InTheBack.
* Lame Lothar and Black Walder:
** In the books, Lothar is an [[EvilGenius Evil]] GeniusCripple who masterminds every detail of the Red Wedding "down to which songs would be played," and Black Walder is a legitimate badass who uses the "[[IHaveYourWife Yield or I'll hang him]]!" ploy successfully at Seagard. In the show, their talents are inverted when they take on Ryman Frey's ineffectual role at Riverrun.
** In terms of birth, Black Walder also drops from a trueborn Frey and eventual second-in-line to the Twins to a bastard with no inheritance rights.
* Randyll Tarly:
** He plays no role in the War of Five Kings or the small council in the show, in contrast to crushing a third of Robb's army at Duskendale, freeing Margaery from the Faith, and serving as Master of Laws.
** Moreover, Sam's boast that, "He can bloody well try," to get Heartsbane back would be utter lunacy in the novels where Sam remarks in ''A Feast For Crows'' that his father would've hunted him down mercilessly if he'd run off with so much as a ''mule'', nevermind the family's AncestralWeapon.

* Surprisingly, Joffrey was not as much a BoisterousWeakling in the books—he's still a coward, but he's said to be tall and strong for his age, even taller than both Jon and Robb who are 3 years older. And when the King visits Winterfell, he spars equally with Robb despite the age difference. He also volunteers to fight during the Battle of Blackwater, and actually contributes to the battle. He only leaves the battle when forced to by Cersei, and still expresses desire to command the crossbowmen.
* In terms of battle prowess alone, the adaptation makes a bigger point of Tyrion being MinoredInAsskicking. In the way to the Vale, for instance, Tyrion kills several dozens of Tribesmen using ambushing tactics and AnAxeToGrind, while in the show he barely manages to kill one of them with a shield. Of course, by the Battle Of Blackwater Bay Show!Tyrion TookALevelInBadass, but he's still lagging behind Book!Tyrion in the same battle.
* Barristan Selmy, in comparison to the Barristan of the books, who despite his advanced age was a fierce fighter, an impeccable bodyguard who halted an assassination attempt on Daenerys with a mere staff and a brilliant soldier and competent FrontlineGeneral. The show's Barristan doesn't serve as Dany's military advisor and while he doesn't disappoint when he ''finally'' shows his combat chops in ''Sons of the Harpy'', his death at the hands of undisciplined knife-wielding back-alley thugs is quite galling to fans of the books, even though he took them on fifteen to one, killed seven off-screen and one more before engaging the group, giving him the single highest (onscreen) body-count of any character in any single battle. Book!Selmy never was in similar situation but the consensus is that he would have made it.
* Downplayed with Robert. In the books, his fame as a fighter is much more discussed, as is his size and strength.

* The Iron Throne itself due to PragmaticAdaptation. In the books, the seat was truly monstrous, consisting of thousands of swords put together in a twisted, ugly formation, whilst in the show it isn't nearly as large, consisting of "less than 200" swords constructed into a more symmetrical formation.

* Book Golden Company is a legendary sellsword company that can take on a city defended by the Unsullied and wins. Movie Golden Company gets obliterated in one fell swoop by Danaerys without contributing anything to the siege of King's Landing. Their leader also gets a very undignified death.

* Book Golden Company is a legendary sellsword company that can take on a city defended by the Unsullied and wins. Movie Golden Company gets obliterated in one fell swoop by Danaerys.

* The show's Euron Greyjoy is somewhat crafty and appears to have taken over his AdaptedOut brother Victarion's superior combat abilities, but he's nowhere near the terrifying SorcerousOverlord he is in the books, with none of his book counterpart's magic, status as TheDreaded, or Valyrian artifacts. In the book his speech at Kingsmoot is backed by magical items like a horn that can bind dragons to his will (or at least kill the hornblower) and wears a Valyrian steel armor and bribe everyone with his treasures. In the show he just talk about paying the Iron price and reveals a plan to ally with Daenerys.

* The show's Euron Greyjoy is somewhat crafty and appears to have taken over his AdaptedOut brother Victarion's superior combat abilities, but he's nowhere near the terrifying SorcerousOverlord he is in the books, with none of his book counterpart's magic, status as TheDreaded, or Valyrian artifacts.

* Both versions of Janos Slynt have a SmallNameBigEgo, but in the show he's also a DirtyCoward.

*** As a direct result of this the Mountain Clans themselves lose their main MomentOfAwesome and inexplicably sit out the battle, reducing their role in season 2 to generic mooks.

* While Robb Stark is subject to some AdaptationalBadass on the show, his skills as a military and politically-minded commander are lessened. He destroys more Lannister hosts in the books than the show. And while Stannis is marching on Kings Landing, he invades the Westerlands in an attempt to draw in Tywin Lannister( subsequently trapping him between Robb's forces and Riverrun's) to defend his lands rather than assist his grandson and daughter so that Stannis can sack the city and become King, who he knows will be easier to negotiate peace with. In the show, his objectives are not clearly defined and his seemingly greatest ambition is to trap Gregor Clegane and capture him rather than Tywin Lannister himself. The Stone Mill battle disrupting his plans also countss, only being possible because he gave Edmure overly vague orders that lacked critical information.

* Edmure Tully is a GeneralFailure ButtMonkey in the show instead of the books' able and protective lord who is simply OvershadowedByAwesome. Most notably, his victory at Stone Mill is turned into a Pyrrhic skirmish by a GloryHound instead of a CrowningMomentOfAwesome defeating ''[[TheDreaded Tywin Lannister and Gregor Clegane]]'' in battle, despite being outnumbered. He also fails to light his father's funeral pyre because of incompetence in the show, as opposed to his grief as in the books, and is cowed into handing over his uncle rather than using LoopholeAbuse to help him escape.

* Selyse has much more political influence in the books, including playing a vocal role on Stannis' council since her family are Stannis' most powerful supporters and her faction of "Queen's Men" is the largest and most fanatical in Stannis' army. In the show, she's really just the pliant wife whose main concerns are prayer and despising her daughter.

* Renly's book counterpart is a bold, physically impressive man with an enthusiasm (though little talent) for jousting. In the show, he's a meek NonActionGuy who's AfraidOfBlood.