So Maester Steven do you mind clarifying some of what you said about he battle of the blackwater and the battle fo the Fords? Someone on Reddit is making the case that ultimately Tywins presence at the Blackwater didn’t really matter, Stannis was too outnumbered for Tywins presence to matter, and ultimately Robb was always doomed by the alliance with the Tyrells. I was wondering how you respond to this claim.

Without Tywin showing up, Mace Tyrell doesn’t leave Tumbler’s Falls and the Tyrells never show up to the Battle of Blackwater – there’s a political deal on the table, but Mace needs Tywin to sign on the dotted line or he’s not going to move. (If you doubt me on this, see the first siege of Storm’s End)

And what people forget about the Blackwater is how important, and how fine-grained, timing was in that battle: Tyrion had fallen, the Gold Cloaks had broken, and Stannis’ men were prepping to get on boats and rafts and trans-ship to the northern bank when Tywin and the Tyrells arrived in the nick of time. Delay their arrival by even an hour or two, and Stannis takes the city.