Objective of the Game

Welcome, aspiring Archmages! Gather 'round the table, because we're about to dive into the magical world of Seasons, where the greatest sorcerers of the kingdom clash in the legendary tournament of the 12 seasons. Your ultimate goal? To become the new Archmage of Xidit! Over three years of competition, you'll be gathering energy, summoning powerful familiars and magical items, and amassing as many prestige points as you can. The wizard with the most prestige points at the end of the third year will claim the coveted title!

Preparation (Setup)

Let's get our magical arena ready! Here’s how to set up your game:

1. Place the Game Board: Put the main game board in the middle of your table.
2. Set the Year and Season Tokens: Place the year token on space "1" of the year track and the season token on space "1" of the season wheel.
3. Prepare the Season Dice:
   • For two players: Place three random dice of each color (blue for winter, green for spring, yellow for summer, red for fall) in their corresponding spaces.
   • For three players: Place four random dice of each color in their corresponding spaces.
   • For four players: Place all five dice of each color in their corresponding spaces.
4. Crystal Track and Energy Stockpile: Place the crystal track next to the game board. Then, put all the energy tokens (air, water, fire, earth) next to the crystal track; this is your shared energy stockpile.
5. Individual Player Setup: Each player chooses an individual board and takes four sorcerer tokens of their chosen color.
   • Place one sorcerer token on the zero space at the bottom of the crystal track.
   • Place another sorcerer token on the second zero space at the top of the crystal track (this is for when you go over 100 crystals!).
   • Place one token on the zero space of your bonus track on your individual board.
   • Place one token on the zero space of your summoning gauge on your individual board.
6. Library Tokens: Each player takes a Library II and Library III Token.
7. Power Cards: Take all 50 power cards, shuffle them thoroughly, and deal nine face-down to each player. The remaining cards form the draw pile. Leave a space next to it for a discard pile.
8. First Player: The youngest player goes first.

Difficulty Levels (Optional):

• Apprentice Wizard (Beginner): Instead of drafting cards, use pre-constructed sets of nine cards. This skips the first step of the prelude.
• Magician (Intermediate): Play only with power cards numbered 1 to 30.
• Archmage (Advanced): Include all power cards (1 to 50) for more complex effects and combinations.

The Turn of Play

Seasons unfolds in two main phases: the Prelude and the Tournament.

First Game Phase – The Prelude

This is where you shape your strategy for the entire game!

1. Choose Your Nine Power Cards:
   • Each player looks at their nine dealt power cards.
   • Choose one card and place it face-down in front of you.
   • Pass the remaining eight cards to the player on your left.
   • Receive eight cards from the player on your right.
   • Repeat this process (choose one, pass the rest) until all nine cards have been chosen. You'll end up with nine face-down cards.
2. Constructing Your Deck:
   • From your nine chosen power cards, create three sets of three cards each.
   • The first set of three cards immediately forms your starting hand for the tournament.
   • The second set of three cards is placed face-down under your Library II token. These will be added to your hand during the second year.
   • The third set of three cards is placed face-down under your Library III token. These will be added to your hand during the third year.

   Important Note: Consider when a card's effect is most impactful. Some cards are better saved for later years, while others create powerful combinations when played together in the same year.

Second Game Phase – The Tournament

This is where the magic happens over multiple rounds!

I - Beginning of the Round

1. Roll the Season Dice: The first player for the round takes all the season dice corresponding to the current season (indicated by the season token) and rolls them. (The youngest player is the first player in the very first round.)
2. Choosing Your Season Die:
   • The first player chooses one of the rolled dice and places it in front of them.
   • Going clockwise, each subsequent player chooses one of the remaining dice.
   • There will always be one die left unchosen on the table.

   Important Note: The last player always has a choice between two dice!

II - Players’ Turns

Starting with the first player and going clockwise, each player takes their turn. On your turn, you can perform actions in any order you choose, as many times as you like, with one exception:

• The "gain energy" and "gain crystal" actions from your season die must be resolved before any other actions.

Here are the actions you can take:

Actions Linked to the Season Dice

You perform the action(s) shown on the die you chose:

• Gain Energy: Take the indicated type and number of energy tokens from the stockpile and place them in your energy reserves. Remember, you can never have more than seven energy tokens in your reserve. If gaining more would exceed this, you must choose which seven to keep before taking the new energy.
• Gain Crystals: Move your sorcerer token forward on the crystal track by the number of crystals shown on the die. You cannot refuse to take these crystals!
• Increase Summoning Gauge: Move your sorcerer token one space forward on your summoning gauge. This increases the maximum number of power cards you can have in play.
• Draw a Card: Draw one power card from the draw pile. You can either keep it in your hand or discard it. There's no limit to the number of cards you can hold in your hand.
• Transmute Energy: You can transform one or more energy tokens from your reserve into crystals. Check the energy transmutation chart on the game board to see how many crystals each energy type is worth in the current season. Discard the transmuted energy tokens. This action is valid until the end of your turn, so you can transmute, take other actions, and then transmute again!

Actions Linked to Power Cards: Summoning and Effects

1 - Summoning a Power Card: To bring a card into play:

• Pay its summoning cost by discarding the required energy and/or crystals.
• Ensure your summoning gauge is high enough. If you want to summon your second card, your gauge must be at least two.

Once summoned, place the card face-up in front of your individual board and announce its effects to all players. You can summon multiple cards in a turn, and even have two copies of the same card in play (their effects are cumulative!). If a card's effect breaks a game rule, the card's effect takes precedence.

2 - Types of Effects of Power Cards:

• "When entering play" effects: These trigger only when the card is first summoned. (e.g., Amulet of Earth: Gain 9 crystals.)
• Permanent effects: These effects last for the rest of the game, unless the card is removed. (e.g., Hand of Fortune: Summoning cost of your power cards is reduced by 1 energy.)
• Activation effects: These effects trigger only when you activate the card. You can activate a card at most once per round. To activate:
  • Turn the power card 90 degrees. It straightens at the beginning of the next round.
  • Pay the activation cost (if any), which might include sacrificing another card.
  (e.g., Balance of Ishtar: Discard 4 identical energy tokens to gain 12 crystals.)

Actions Linked to the Use of Bonuses

You can use up to three bonuses throughout the game. Each bonus offers an advantage but comes with a prestige point penalty at the end of the game.

• Trade Energy: Trade two energy tokens of your choice from your reserve for two energy tokens of your choice from the stockpile.
• Enhanced Transmutation: Transmute energy from your reserve, and gain an additional crystal for each energy token transmuted (e.g., an earth energy worth 3 crystals in winter becomes 4).
• Increase Summoning Gauge: Increase your summoning gauge by one.
• Double Card Draw: Instead of the "draw a card" action from your season die, draw two power cards. Keep one in your hand and discard the other.

Each time you use a bonus, move your sorcerer token one space on your bonus track. The penalties are: 5 prestige points for one bonus, 12 for two, and 20 for three.

III - End of the Round

Once all players have finished their turns, it's time to wrap up the round:

1. Move the Season Wheel and Change Seasons: Look at the pips on the die that was not chosen by any player. Move the season token forward that many spaces on the season wheel. When the season token crosses spaces 3, 6, 9, and 12, a change of season occurs, which might trigger some power card effects.
2. Change of Year: When the season token moves from space 12 to space 1, a change of year occurs.
   • Move the year token forward one space on the year track.
   • If it's the second or third year, add the power cards stored under your corresponding Library II or Library III token to your hand. You keep any cards already in your hand.
3. Choosing a New First Player: The player to the left of the current first player becomes the new first player for the next round. They will roll the dice for the new season. A new round then begins!

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends immediately when the season token crosses the 12th space on the season wheel during the third year of the game.

It's time to tally up those magical points!

1. Total your Crystals: Each crystal you possess is worth one prestige point.
2. Prestige Points from Power Cards: Add the prestige points indicated on all your power cards currently in play.
3. Subtract Penalties:
   • Subtract five prestige points for each power card remaining in your hand.
   • Subtract any penalties accumulated on your bonus track (5, 12, or 20 points).

Important Note: Any unused energy tokens at the end of the game are worth zero prestige points.

The player with the most prestige points is crowned the new Archmage of the kingdom of Xidit! In case of a tie, the player who has summoned the most power cards wins.

Tips for Winning

Becoming an Archmage isn't just about luck; it's about smart strategy!

1. Drafting is Key: The Prelude phase is crucial. Carefully consider your nine power cards. Think about how they might synergize and when you want them to enter play. Don't be afraid to save powerful end-game cards for your Library III, while putting combo-enablers in your starting hand.
2. Manage Your Summoning Gauge and Energy: Your summoning gauge dictates how many cards you can have in play, and energy is what fuels them. Prioritize increasing your gauge if you have many strong cards, and always keep an eye on the current season's energy abundance to efficiently gain and transmute resources. Cards like Hand of Fortune can significantly reduce summoning costs, while Potion of Knowledge can give you a quick burst of energy.
3. Crystal Conversion is Power: Crystals are your main source of prestige points. Look for opportunities to gain crystals directly from dice, transmute energy efficiently (especially with bonuses or cards like Purse of Io), and use cards that grant crystals (e.g., Amulet of Earth, Staff of Spring, Blessed Statue of Olaf). Don't forget that cards like Potion of Life can turn your entire energy reserve into a crystal windfall at the right moment!