The number one complaint we hear from our friends who watch HBO’s Game of Thrones (and haven’t read the books) is that there are just too many characters and plot lines, and they just can’t really figure out what’s going on. We get it — there are a lot of different bloodlines and locales and ancient feuds to grapple with, not to mention people lying left and right about everything they can think of. But no more excuses! i09 has pointed us towards these animated videos, extra features from the first season of Game of Thrones, that explain everything from house histories to the legend of the children of the forest to the story of Mad King Aerys from multiple perspectives. Even better, they appear to be voiced by the actors from the show, reading passages from the books, which is pretty much everything we’ve always wanted. Click through to watch, and let us know if these clear things up for you in the comments.

House Targaryen

House Stark

House Lannister

History and Lore of Valyria and the Dragons

The Sack of King’s Landing (Baratheon Perspective)

The History of the Night’s Watch (Stark Perspective)

Watch the whole set here.