Does anyone know of a good system for a game similar to Game of Thrones, where players are powerful nobles instead of plucky adventurers? I'm considering a setting based on the Wars of the Roses or Hussite Wars.
I'm aware of the official A Song of Ice and Fire RPG, but I can't say I've heard many positive views of how it plays. I'm considering Burning Wheel or Reign, as they seem to fit this setting well.
Don't lean on a system over actual roleplaying.
Lords and Nobles are just people - just like Adventurers. Their means and ways may be different, but nearly any system will let you do GoT style play. My games contain those elements as a norm and the system is usually irrelevant to me. You just need to know contextually what the starting point is for your players.
The GoT RPG from Green Ronin actually has a great little system to do a quick and dirty "House" setup. Where the PC's will establish all the domain particulars of their House and their respective place in it. But you certainly don't need it. Just talk it through with your players, and *know* what you want to do with the setting. Give them what they want, and create what *you* want around them. The conflicts that inevitably develop is where the game is.
I've run games like this with deep domain level play with Savage Worlds, D&D (1e, 2e, 3e, 5e), Pathfinder, Star Wars FFG/D6, Talislanta, WoD (Damnation Alley is particularly useful), MSH (You ever wonder why Mutants are "simply" wiped off the map? did you *ever* look at the Map? Yeah it's scary what lives in the Marvel U. America). The POINT being is system is irrelevant - it's simply about you knowing what you want, and letting your players play fearlessly in it. At least until you put the fear of YOU upon them.