FFG making Game of Thrones version of Cosmic Encounter

I don't mind the components, just saying that the game looks like it belongs on the shelf with GoT trivia, monopoly and parcheesi.
And, in an alternative reality where Cosmic is published by Hasbro, perhaps it does.

Yeah, taking hostages vs spreading influence definitely seems like an option. And because you don't have a hand-limit on your hostages (unless I'm mistaken), you can gather a lot of leverage against your opponents. I definitely need to play more to see if this keeps making sense.