Differences in plot or character among Game of Thrones TV adaptation and book

Question

I have not read the Game of Thrones books.

But at the same time I have heard of people complaining that there has been deviation from the plot and a lot of characters merit more development and presence.

Has there been a huge difference from the plot of the books when translated to the TV Series or has the series been true to the plot of the books?

P.S. Please confine yourselves to events that have occurred till the end of Season 2.

Answer 1

From IGN - TV-Book Differences:

Point of View:

• Since the plot in the novel is told from the viewpoints of the principal cast of characters, the show fleshes out certain key scenes that are either absent from the book, implied, or talked about in other chapters.

Character Names:

• Certain characters have undergone a name change for the TV series to avoid confusion.

Character Appearance:

• Certain characters within the series have been played by actors who do not share the same physical traits as the said characters.
• Some characters' races have been changed in the show as well.

Character Additions, Omissions, and Mergers:

• e.g. Talisa of Volantis, a character not featured in the book, replaces Jeyne Westerling.

• Some minor characters, like Alton Lannister are substitutions to help move forward key scenes that involve characters omitted from the show.

• Certain characters had their fates altered and are killed off differently or earlier in the story.

• Some characters introduced in book 1 or 2 are absent from season 1 or 2, respectively and may appear in later seasons.

[Click the link to see more examples/details, including a breakdown by season]

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The Game of Thrones Wiki also has an extensive list of differences:

• Season 1 Differences
• Season 2 Differences