by grex22

Ug.. I didn't want to hear that. Quite a hefty delay from "2 weeks after GenCon".

(By the way Pete, are you a Chris Whitley fan?)

by stagger lee

grex22 wrote:

Ug.. I didn't want to hear that. Quite a hefty delay from "2 weeks after GenCon".

(By the way Pete, are you a Chris Whitley fan?)

Actually the quote was "3 weeks" but yeah. I checked with a different place and they said they didn't see it on Alliance's catalog. Not that means anything, it's just something that will likely pop up out of nowhere. I've got my copy preordered with a local shop though, so I have no fear. Just ANTSY!!!

Nope, not Chris Whitley... there are a few songs by that name running around from different artists though.

by Najak

by HenryFatass

stagger lee wrote:

grex22 wrote:

Ug.. I didn't want to hear that. Quite a hefty delay from "2 weeks after GenCon".

(By the way Pete, are you a Chris Whitley fan?)

Actually the quote was "3 weeks" but yeah. I checked with a different place and they said they didn't see it on Alliance's catalog. Not that means anything, it's just something that will likely pop up out of nowhere. I've got my copy preordered with a local shop though, so I have no fear. Just ANTSY!!!

Nope, not Chris Whitley... there are a few songs by that name running around from different artists though.

This is disappointing. Placed a Cool Stuff order earlier this week based on the '3 weeks after GenCon' news in hopes I'd have it before the 2012 Fall Gaming Hoopla at the end of this month, as I signed up to run this game there. Now I see CSI has changed the pre-order status on Seasons from 'August 2012' to 'September/October 2012'. :(

by TiHa

FabienC wrote:

It should read "...of the illustrator".

Naïade did that all by himself, as he did for Isla Dorada.

Cool. Thanks for the information. Changed the subject...

by HenryFatass

According to a tweet sent this morning by Asmodee USA's Twitter account (@AsmodeeUSA):

We are still on target, everything should be shipped to distributors by next week.

So that is good news...better than October! I don't know how the timing of all this behind-the-scenes stuff works, but even if the distributors got them as late as the end of next week (the 14th), and stores, both online and B&M, got them by the end of the following week (the 21st), we should still be able to get our greedy little paws on them before the end of the month. I just may get this before the con!

Here's to hoping!

by downstream

edelen wrote:

downstream wrote:

1. The summoning gauge is only referenced when you are summoning, not when someone is passing you a Damned Soul.

2. And yes, the Damned Soul definitely counts towards your summoning gauge. So you may need to increase it or get rid of Onys in order to summon.

I numbered these for clarity.

You're confusing things by not stating who "you" is. The way you have worded this makes 1 and 2 sound contradictory.

If the player in 2 is the person who was passed the card by the summoner of it in 1, then according to 1, this should not affect the summoning gauge of the person who was passed the card.

I think you've misunderstood me. The you I refer to above is the same person. I was writing as though "you" referred to the person who did not summon Onys, but simply received him from an opponent. But I think it was confusing because of the order the 2 answers were provided. I'll re-write it in the right order, with more detail. Again, assuming you are the person who has been passed an Onys:

1. The summoning gauge is only referred to when summoning a card from your hand. If someone passes you an Onys, you are not summoning it, so you do not refer to your summoning gauge to see if there is enough room to add Onys to your field. You simply add him, as instructed on the card, regardless of the value of your gauge.

(Edit: This means that you can end up with a number of cards in player that is greater than your summoning gauge. There are other ways this can happen so it's an important concept to understand.)

2. When you next go to summon a card from your hand, you then look at your summoning gauge, and count the number of cards you have in play (including the Onys if it is in play on your side, regardless of who summoned it). If the summoning gauge is not higher than the number of cards in play, you cannot summon anything.

3. If you then get rid of Onys (by passing him or sacrificing him to another card), you may then have room to summon a card. Recount your cards and see if the total is lower than your gauge.

Hope this helps! :)

by asutbone

HenryFatass wrote:

According to a tweet sent this morning by Asmodee USA's Twitter account (@AsmodeeUSA):

We are still on target, everything should be shipped to distributors by next week.

So that is good news...better than October! I don't know how the timing of all this behind-the-scenes stuff works, but even if the distributors got them as late as the end of next week (the 14th), and stores, both online and B&M, got them by the end of the following week (the 21st), we should still be able to get our greedy little paws on them before the end of the month. I just may get this before the con!

Here's to hoping!

Great news, thanks!

by RDewsbery

It's out in the UK (so the English language printing) now. For games printed in the EU, the UK usually gets them 2-3 weeks earlier than the USA.

by HenryFatass

RDewsbery wrote:

It's out in the UK (so the English language printing) now. For games printed in the EU, the UK usually gets them 2-3 weeks earlier than the USA.

Great to know, Richard! Do you know how long it has been available there? Just this week?

by Raid1280

“Midway upon the journey of my life, I found myself in a dark forest, for the straight path had been lost.”

Such is the new player’s path upon first embracing the journey that is Seasons. The game itself is a mix and match maelstrom of design that includes resource management, hand management, card combinations, card drafting, short and long-term planning, attack, defense, and deck-building. It’s a fascinating combination that creates a very effective game which constantly changes its dynamic when moving from two players to three, from three to four, and from game to game based on the cards dealt during the draft.

Some games feel like a free flowing summer breeze – points coming and going, combos firing off as rapidly as posts from scorned Glory to Rome kickstarters, while others take on the intensity of a knife fight, you and your opponent(s) chained in wrist-locked, confined-slashing death as you each look to gain the advantage of stealthy laceration while simultaneously gaining scars for the barmaids, but avoiding the one visage altering haymaker that leaves you with the nickname ‘Sniffs With a Whimper’.

I have been playing the game on Board Game Arena for a few weeks now, and have lost my fair share of games. While accepting my share of facial altering blows, I have gleaned, what I believe, to be a few tactical and strategic bits that others may enjoy reading about and perhaps putting to good use. The following may, or may not, allow you a nickname similar to the one above.

Drafting
Obviously, the first part to consider is the draft. For your first few games, I wouldn’t worry too much about trying to pull a strategy together. Just draft what you perceive to be good, and what you want to use in your ‘deck’. It’s best to learn by play. Drafting will be largely affected by your playstyle, and how you perceive the various cards. If you’ve played a few games, you likely have cards you believe to be better than others, and some that you’ve found are consistently helpful For those among you that this rings true, I speak unto thee:

Be wary of the voices inside your head that speak cards that be ‘better’ than others, for ne’er has it been more false.

Every card, in the game, is good in a variety of situations. If you don’t think this about a specific card, you likely haven’t encountered that situation. If you think the Purse of Io, or the Balance of Ishtar is useless, try using a transmutation strategy – you will find that you are wrong.

With that said, I do think that, depending on which cards are in the draft, some will seem more applicable than others. It’s difficult to pinpoint specific examples without having the cards in front of me, but just know that the type of game you will play is decided in the initial draft, so choose wisely.

Here are some bullet points that I usually follow:

- Production cards are always helpful. Hourglass of Time is incredibly useful, and many times a first round draft pick for me. Why? Because it’s a passive source of energy production. It’s superior to Beggar’s Horn because it’s qualifier is easier to maintain (the passing of seasons as opposed to having one or fewer energy). Taking production cards early will help you establish an energy base in order to lay the foundation for your second and third year. Other cards of note are Amulets, and Potions. They assist you by either increasing your summoning gauge, allowing you to draw power cards, and/or providing additional energy sources. These cards are never really situational, and almost universally helpful. If I can snag a Potion of Knowledge, and an Hourglass of Time, I can usually have my Hourglass down before we enter the first years summer, allowing my energy production engine to be in full swing early. This will allow you a huge advantage over your opponent – if you can maintain it of course.

- Familiars are the ‘take that’ part of the game. They are almost all involved with directly attacking your opponent, leaching things from him, destroying his stuff, or restricting his actions. These can be great when you cast them, and a source of aggravation if you’re opponent has decided to stack his deck with orange. Familiars come in a variety of flavors. From Syllas, who forces every opponent to destroy a card, to Arcano Leach, who forces your opponents to give you a crystal before summoning a card, to Argos, who pretty much bitchslaps your opponent in the face by reducing his summoning gauge by one and giving him a card to choke on. These cards fall into what I call ‘restrictive cards’. If used properly, familiars will either halt your opponents production entirely, or slow him down, giving you a chance to gain the initiative. A great example of this is the Air Elemental. When he comes into play, he changes all your opponents energy tokens to Air. If your opponent has been saving them in order to cast something that requires a variety, you have just slowed him down and forcing him to either wait it out, or take negative points via a bonus to alter his energy in order to cast what he originally intended. I find that the majority of these cards are used either early or mid-game, when your opponent is trying to get up and running.

In terms of defense, it’s important to note which familiars are in the draft, and how you will choose to deal with them if your opponent selects them. Familiars are not too difficult to deal with (there are exceptions), if you take them into consideration when laying out your year decks, and in your play. If your opponent takes Syllas, try to keep a card in your tableau that is either worth nothing, or provides no consistent bonus – Amulet of Fire is a good example. If you are playing valuable cards, and your opponent hits you with Syllas, he’s going to gain the initiative on you. Obviously, you want to slam Syllas on him at the most inopportune time to be forced to discard something. Each familiar has their own offensive and defensive uses, and should be at least considered when drafting. Many times, depending on what else is in the draft, Syllas will be a first round pick for me, if only to prevent my opponent from getting him. Another early pick is the Destroyer. If you can get out an early Destroyer, and your opponent has a crystal based strategy, you can do a huge amount of damage in terms of crystal reduction.

- Supplemental cards, as I have labeled them, are cards that provide peripheral bonuses to your other cards, and allow them to fire more efficiently. One of my favorites is Mirror of the Seasons. Mirror of the Seasons is amazing when combined with a consistent energy source, like Hourglass of Time. Regardless of which cards you have coming, you can take the same type of energy every time, and if necessary use the Mirror to alter your energy and provide you with exactly what you need at the moment. It’s even useful for Transmutation strategies. Cards that allow card draws are EXTREMELY valuable. I’ll get a little more into this when I discuss hand management and card drawing. Divine Chalice is, arguably, one of the best cards in the game. I’ve seen that card alone swing the endgame into someone’s favor, so never ignore it if it’s in the draft.

Pull cards that will be helpful right away, or are big production cards, or are dangerous if your opponent has them – Thieving Fairies, Hourglass of Time, Amulets, Pendants, Argos, Syllas, Arcano Leach – they should all jump out at you when you draw your starting draft hand.

Then work on middle of the game combinations – Idol of the Familiar + multiple familiars, and opponent stopping cards – Air Elemental, etc.

Big crystal cards – Runic Cube of Eolis, Olaf’s Blessed Statue, Ragfield’s Helm, and other late game cards aren’t bad either, though they won’t be doing anything for you short term, or providing energy production for you, so getting a deck filled with those will likely slow you down.

Patience

Every card in your hand needs a matching star for your summoning gauge, otherwise you cannot cast anything, so building them over the course of the game is imperative. Also, remember that there are cards that can force you to take back cast cards into your hand, or destroy them altogether, so you don’t need to cast anything right away, otherwise you’re just putting cards out there for your opponent to hit. If you’re casting gauge is high enough you can cast everything on one turn. There are cards that you do want to have out, and if you ARE casting things, make sure to have a card out there that you can sacrifice. The Amulets make great Syllas bait, as their effect is a one-time deal, and after that they just take up a spot and give you a few points.
Also, for what it’s worth, waiting too long can burn you as well. I’ve waited one turn too long to hit my opponent with something like an Air Elemental, but wanted to wait until he had a few more energy tokens before I did, unfortunately he would then cast what they needed and my air elemental didn’t do anything to slow him down.

Draw Cards

This is one of the most important aspects of the game. If you consider the nine cards that you draft as the minimum you can use to score points, then you’ll see that the ability to draw additional cards throughout the game is a huge advantage because every card you draw is another option your opponent does not have. There’s a reasoning your summoning gauge goes to fifteen. If you have an Amulet of Fire (increases your summoning gauge by two), or other cards that improve your gauge, and the ability to draw a card – go for the card. The increase in options will more than not, pan out for you in the long run.
If you can get a good production engine going (Hourglass of Time, Mirror of the Seasons, etc) , and have some decent card draws, you will be doing far better than the average seasons player. As I suggested -getting the Hourglass, and Mirror will lead to an abundance of energy you can manipulate in order to improve your ability to cast in-game draws. Crystal Orb can be incredibly useful for a player with a production engine, as that will allow a stream of additional energy, fueled directly into the casting of additional cards.
With that said, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows for those who consistently draw cards. Cards are power in this game, but uncast cards are worth negative five points each, and that can kill your game faster than Syllas, or a nose-cleaving haymaker. Draw cards early in the game, or after you’ve cast everything you want, or in the early seasons of the final year, but don’t keep drawing if you can’t cast anything.

Time Management

This is far more important, and applicable in a two player match as it gets much more difficult the more players you add. Each die has between one and three pips on it, which are the inherent timer in the game. The die that goes unchosen will move the seasons marker forward that many spaces. If you perceive you had an advantage over your opponent, you will want to ensure the game moves quickly. You can do this by voluntarily leaving dice with three pips on them. This is enhanced via Temporal Boots which can either advance or push back the seasons marker between one and three spaces. Having this card in your final year pile can surprise your opponent when you play it in a round where the die moves the marker three spaces, and your boots move it an additional three, taking out six of the twelve potential rounds in one fell swoop.

If you need additional time, leaving one pip on the remaining die will ensure that the game goes far slower, and gives you the chance to catch back up with your opponent. You may also wish to slow the game down if you’re focusing on a victory point stealing/reducing strategy where the longer the game goes, the larger the swing in victory crystals from your opponent to yourself. The Destroyer, Figris, and (yellow familiar) are the focus here.

Transmutation

This is an excellent source of victory crystals that often gets overlooked. If you have six or seven energy, chances are you’re going to have to discard an energy when you select a die. If you have the option to transmute instead of discarding, take it. This will ensure you a few additional points, and nothing will be wasted. Transmutation can also be an excellent strategy if you’re able to build a solid energy production system (Hourglass again!, Beggar’s Horn, etc). This will lead to the ease of playing your cards, while providing additional energy for future transmutations and victory crystals. Balance of Ishtar, and Purse of Io, when used on conjunction, can be an entire game’s strategy that leads to incredible amounts of crystals. Unless you have a Lantern of Xidit in play, all remaining energy at the end of the game is wasted. Find a way to gain victory crystals from that energy before the end of the game.

Use Your Bonuses

One thing that I forgot in my first few games was the ability to take a few negative points and use the bonuses in order to get my strategy working. These bonuses can be a game saver if used correctly. Losing 5 points may seem like a big deal, but when compared to slowing your opponent down for multiple turns, or preventing them from performing an action that would have provided them with a larger amount of crystals, or getting a production engine in place, it’s certainly worth it. Each of your bonuses is useful in the right situation, though I find that I’ve never used the ‘draw 2 cards instead of 1’ ability.

Leaching

Leaching your opponents crystals is a fairly large part of Seasons. There are a multitude of familiars that take crystals from your opponents, and gives those crystals to you. Figrim is the first one that comes to mind, though he is one of the least useful. Arcano Leach is the big hitter here, which doesn’t allow your opponents to cast a card without first giving you an energy. If your opponent doesn’t have any energy, then they can’t cast anything – advantage you. Keep that advantage, cast your cards, and swing that seasons marker around the timer by pulling low pip dice. That’ll put the pressure on your opponent to act, and he’ll likely have to use one of his bonuses and lose points in order to get his strategy up and running. Thieving Fairies is another good option, but only if there are a high amount of cards in the draft that require activation. If the card abilities your opponent is casting are all passive, then Thieving Fairies is far less useful. Many times, the sooner you get one of these leaching cards in play the more crystals you can steal from your opponent, and the greater the swing over the course of the game. The ultimate leaching card is Kairn the Destroyer. An early Kairn can spell doom for your opponent if you use him correctly, and your opponent is using a crystal based strategy. You can knock your opponents crystals down by four every turn. Depending on how fast the seasons are moving, this can be a huge swing in crystals by the time the game is over. Just over the course of ten turns you can kill forty of your opponents victory points. In a game where the usual victory score is between 120-150, that’s a lot of points.

Sacrifice

One piece of advice – don’t become too attached to your cards. If you can squeeze a net gain of crystals from them by sacrificing them, then they have done their work for you. The big thing to consider is that crystals are liquid assets, and can fluctuate as such. Cards are more like a property investment that are also immune to bipartisan politics, the housing market, and anything other than magical beasts that can destroy them (see Syllas). Cards are a safer way to invest in your victory points than crystals are (see Leaching above). While your cards can come under fire, they will never be in as much danger as your crystals are.

The poster child of the sacrificial tactic is Dragon Skull and Necrotic Kiss. Dragon Skull allows you to discard three cards to gain fifteen crystal. This is a great ability as many cards are worth low points, worth zero, or are even worth negative points. Getting the Dragon Skull into play can also allow you to get rid of Damned Soul of Onys the easy way. If you are banking on getting the points for Sealed Chest, you can also sacrifice your familiars using either the Dragon Skull, or Necrotizing Kiss. The additional bonus of Necrotizing Kiss is that it gains you four additional energy. Transmuted at the right time, this can be worth 12 crystals (even more if using Balance or Purse), so do the math on your familiar and if he’s only worth 7 points, sacrifice him to gain the extra crystals – it could win you the game.

Lucky Draws

There are, without a doubt, a few cards that players will draw in the last few turns of the game, and be able to win a close game based purely on the draw. They can be planned for, somewhat, but I have lost more than my share of games when my opponent draws these cards in the dying moments of a game – and it doesn’t get any easier to watch happen.
The cards are – Regfield’s Helm , Sealed Chest of Urm, Scepter of Greatness, Lantern of Xidit, and Divine Chalice (leading to another of these cards for free).
There are extremely tactical ways of playing in order to maximize these cards value, specifically in the end game. What I’m stating is that on more than one occasion, a player has either had no cards in hand, or had one card in hand and, through the use of that card, or the dice, has been able to draw a card into hand, have it be one of the aforementioned ‘lucky draw’ cards, and be able to play it winning the game handily. Obviously having a bit of luck increases the fun, and replayability of the game, and I’m not against it. It just eats a little of your soul when you think you’ve got the game locked up and your opponent slaps down a just-drawn Scepter of Greatness, and scores 30 crystals while silently mocking your essence from the other side of the table. Don't get too frustrated, it happens to the best of us. Congratulate your opponent on his ability to draw just the right card at the right time, for his time will come soon, and you shan't have mercy on him when it does.

Conclusion

I believe that finding interesting tactics and strategies are part of what make a game fun. So, I hope this guide helps get new players off the ground floor, and in a position where they feel they know a little more about how to play Seasons, or perhaps how to play specific cards, and how to set up their long-term strategy while in the draft. The game has a lot of moving parts, and discovering how they all work congruently in order to allow a player to be competitive is what the game is all about.

I do think that the game plays best with two players, and increasing the number of players serves mainly to up the chaos. That is my personal preference, and I’m sure that there are others who will disagree. More players is still fun, but they are different games, specifically when it comes to tactical play.

Thank you for taking the time to read the article. I’ll attempt to add to this as I continue to play, and find additional strategies. It’s a great game, check it out!

by asutbone

Nice guide. I'll look at more in depth after I get my copy and play a few games.

by RDewsbery

I think so - I bought my copy this Weds (the 5th), and it wasn't in store the week before. The shop usually gets its new deliveries on Tuesdays and Wednesdays (in part because it doesn't open Mondays).

by RDewsbery

OK, so what is the point of each player board having a punch-out disc (with two more discs on one of the counter sheets)?

I'm often guilty of skim-reading rule books far too often, but I can't find any mention of this feature.

by entwife

We would also like to know the answer to this, particularly as our children have already stated their desire to have them if they're not needed for the game! If it wasn't for the extra copies on the counter sheets we'd have just handed them over, but it makes it seem like they must have some purpose!

by Celtic Joker

I think you place your chosen die for this turn in the hole (think I have seen that in some video review), and give the punched-out discs to your kids. :)

by Raid1280

So, after more plays, I find that the Purse of Io, and Balance of Ishtar are both excellent cards, and have much use when put to good effect.

Also, the one thing that I find less enchanting about this game is the late 'lucky draw', Divine Chalice into mega points card combo, that has stolen more than its fair share of games from me.

Games between skilled opponents feel evenly matched, with superior drafting, and tactical play winning out. Pulling a Divine Chalice in the dying moments of the game, and lucking (or your opponent lucking) into a Scepter, or Cube just feels like thievery.

It's not a damaging flaw, not in the least, but man, it's annoying when that happens.

You've sweat blood, you've transmuted like a champion, and you've fought for every crystal you've gotten, and you've got your opponent against the ropes.

It's his pick of the dice. His hand is empty, but he's got reserve energy for just this moment - a die lands with the 'draw card' symbol available.

Without hesitation, like a looming hyena, your opponent goes in for the kill.

He pulls his first card - Divine Chalice - which he immediately casts. He then follows it with a FREE Cube (+30 points).

I, then, weep.

Interestingly, when you're in the position of needing to draw 'megacard', I now see the use of the 'draw 2 cards, keep 1' bonus.

Great game.

by tcamprubi

the punch-out disks won't be of any use imho, but the hole will in the future game expansion if it ever hit shelves...

by jond

I've been using one to mark start player.

by Gargooh

I understand that the activation of the Die of Malice is an exception to the following rule:

[q=Rulebook page 8]The “gain energy” and “gain crystal” actions on the season dice must be
resolved before taking any other action. Once these actions are resolved, the
players can perform their other actions, in the order of their choice.
Does this mean that I can also summon/activate power cards and then activate the Die of Malice?
Or does the activation of the Die of Malice has to be the first action before I do anything else?