Mar 21, 2012 12:30 PM

Gallery: Maps Help Game of Thrones Fans Stay on Track

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TV episodes rarely start with a guided tour. But HBO's [*Game of Thrones*](http://www.hbo.com/game-of-thrones/index.html), adapted from a series of [sprawling fantasy novels,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Game_of_Thrones) needs it. As the second season begins in April, the Stark clan is outlawed and its members are scattered across the realm; the action jumps willy-nilly from tundra strongholds to grassy plains. Luckily the opening credits offer a geography refresher. "It's meant to serve as the legend," says Angus Wall, codirector of Elastic, the studio that created the sequence. The Emmy-winning animation, which features Leonardo da Vinci-style clockwork versions of the show's locales, keeps viewers oriented. Here's How. *© Jeffrey L. Ward/Excerpted by permission of Bantam, a division of Random House, Inc.*
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__The Original Map__ The opening credits are a CG reworking of the detailed maps that appear in each of George R. R. Martin's books. Martin drew the original illustrations to help readers keep their bearings, too. *Elastic/© HBO*

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__Winterfell__ The clockwork castle is highly stylized, but fans will recognize the rustic architecture, landmarks like the heart tree, and the dire-wolf insignia of the ruling yet embattled Stark clan. *Elastic/© HBO*
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__Castle Black__ This gears-and-cogs depiction of the military stronghold, peopled by convicts and bastards, captures the wintry bleakness of the place. *Elastic/© HBO*

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__Astrolabe__ On paper maps, direction is indicated by a compass rose. The credits take this idea a little further by showing this navigator's tool. *Elastic/© HBO*
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__The Eyrie__ The credit sequence is modular and changes with each episode: This mountaintop castle appears only if scenes will take place there. *Elastic/© HBO*

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