When you crack open a copy of Game of Thrones: Hand of the King, the first thing that hits you isn't the ruleset or the gravity of the Iron Throne. It’s the art. It’s weird. It’s sharp. It’s almost... cute? But in a way that feels like it’s hiding a dagger behind its back. If you’ve spent any time looking at those stylized, angular portraits of Varys, Tyrion, or Ned Stark, you’ve probably wondered about the Hand of the King game artist and how they managed to make Westeros look so distinct without losing its soul.
The person behind that aesthetic is Mihajlo Dimitrievski. Most people in the board game world just know him as The Mico.
Honestly, he’s a bit of a legend in the industry right now. He’s the guy who seemingly illustrates half the games on your shelf if you're a fan of Garphill Games or anything with a slightly "edge-of-the-world" vibe. But his work on this specific George R.R. Martin-inspired title was a bit of a departure. It wasn't the grim-dark realism we see in the HBO show. It wasn't the high-fantasy oil painting style of the Living Card Game. It was something else entirely.
Why The Mico was the perfect choice for this game
Fantasy Flight Games usually sticks to a very specific "house style." You know the one—ultra-realistic, heavy shadows, looks like it could be a screenshot from a movie. So, bringing in a Hand of the King game artist with such a loud, geometric, and caricatured style was a massive risk.
It worked because Hand of the King is a fast-paced, "filler" style game. It’s a puzzle. You’re moving Varys around a grid of characters, trying to snatch up banners. If the art had been too serious, the game would have felt heavy. Instead, Dimitrievski’s art makes it feel like a dance.
Look at the way he draws the eyes. They’re massive. The characters look like they’re judging your every move. This is fitting, considering the game is literally about backstabbing your friends to become the King's Hand. He manages to capture the essence of the characters—Cersei’s sneer, Littlefinger’s smarmy grin, the Hound’s sheer bulk—using just a few jagged lines.
It’s efficient. It’s smart. It’s basically visual shorthand for the most complex political drama of the 21st century.
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Breaking down the visual language of the cards
If you look closely at the cards, you'll notice a lack of traditional blending. The Mico uses blocks of color and sharp transitions.
This isn't laziness. It’s a deliberate choice that makes the cards readable from across the table. In a game where you need to quickly scan a 6x6 grid of cards to see who belongs to which Great House, this clarity is a godsend.
- The House colors are vibrant. The Lannister crimson and Stark grey pop against the background.
- The character silhouettes are unique. You don't even need to read the name at the bottom; you know it's a Tully by the fish imagery and the specific "Mico-fied" facial structure.
- The Companion cards—the ones that grant special powers—feature animals and secondary characters that feel like part of a unified, slightly twisted storybook world.
Basically, he created a version of Westeros that feels like a dark puppet theater. It’s brilliant.
Beyond the Iron Throne: The Mico’s broader impact
You can't really talk about the Hand of the King game artist without mentioning his other massive hits. If you like the look of this game, you’re going to fall down a rabbit hole.
He’s the primary artist for the North Sea and West Kingdom trilogies (think Raiders of the North Sea or Architects of the West Kingdom). In those games, his style is a bit more grounded but still retains that "Mico" DNA. He has this uncanny ability to draw a face that looks like it has lived a thousand years, even if it's just a tiny 2D illustration on a piece of cardboard.
People sometimes criticize his style for being "samey." And, okay, I get it. Once you've seen one of his burly Vikings, you’ve seen them all. But that's like saying Van Gogh's paintings all look like Van Goghs. It's a signature. In a sea of generic fantasy art that looks like it was generated by a prompt (even before AI was a thing), having a human touch that is instantly recognizable is a superpower.
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The technical side of the illustrations
Mihajlo Dimitrievski works digitally, but there is a grit to his work that feels organic. He often uses textures that mimic paper or weathered wood.
In Hand of the King, the background of the cards isn't just a flat color. It’s a textured, almost parchment-like surface. This grounds the "cartoony" characters. It reminds you that even though they look a bit like caricatures, they belong in a world of old scrolls, dusty throne rooms, and ancient bloodlines.
He understands the "weight" of a character. When he draws Robert Baratheon, the character feels heavy. Not just fat—heavy with the weight of the crown and a life of excess. That kind of storytelling through character design is why he’s one of the most sought-after artists in the industry today.
Why this style actually fits George R.R. Martin's world
There’s a common misconception that A Song of Ice and Fire has to be gritty and "realistic." But if you read the books, the descriptions are often flamboyant. The colors are loud. The armor is ornate and sometimes bordering on the ridiculous.
The Hand of the King game artist actually taps into that better than the HBO show did in some ways. By leaning into the caricature, he highlights the "larger-than-life" nature of these figures. They are legends, villains, and heroes. They shouldn't look like the guy you see at the grocery store. They should look like icons.
The Mico’s art style is often described as "medieval grotesque" meets modern comic book. It’s the perfect marriage for a series that is essentially a deconstruction of medieval tropes.
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How to appreciate the art while playing
The next time you pull this game out, don't just rush through your turns. Take a second to look at the "Dead" pile. Even the way characters look when they've been "captured" or removed from the board is interesting.
The game is small—it fits in a pocket—but the art is "big." It fills the space.
If you're an aspiring artist or just a fan of game design, there's a lot to learn here. Notice how he uses line weight to separate the character from the background. Notice the limited color palette on each card to ensure House identity. It’s a masterclass in functional art.
Actionable insights for fans and collectors
If you've fallen in love with the work of the Hand of the King game artist, here is how you can dive deeper into this specific niche of the gaming world:
- Follow the Artist: Mihajlo Dimitrievski is active on social media and portfolio sites like ArtStation. Seeing his sketches and process work gives you a whole new appreciation for the final cards.
- Explore the "Trilogies": If you want to see his style evolve, check out Raiders of the North Sea (the game that arguably made him a household name in the hobby) followed by Viscounts of the West Kingdom.
- Look for the Small Details: In Hand of the King, look for the "Easter eggs" in the character expressions. Some of them directly reference specific moments or character traits from the books that a casual artist might have missed.
- Appreciate the Medium: Remember that this is a "licensed" game. Usually, licenses mean strict rules and boring art. The fact that we got something this unique in a Game of Thrones product is a rare win for the industry.
The Mico didn't just draw some cards; he gave us a new way to see a world we thought we already knew. Whether you’re a Stark loyalist or a Lannister sympathizer, you have to admit the view from the King's Landing of his imagination is pretty incredible.