SEASONS

Hey there, welcome to Seasons! In this game, you and your friends get to be wizards competing in a big tournament that spans three years. Each season, you’ll have to use the elements to your advantage, summoning magical objects or familiars to collect crystals and become the most famous wizard around.

But here’s the catch – with each new season, the available dice change. That means you’ll need to adapt your strategy and plan ahead, figuring out the right moment to play your power cards and make your moves.

SETUP

Alright, let’s set up the game. Put the game board in the middle of the table. Then, take the year marker cube and place it on the Year 1 square in the center of the board. Next, take the season marker cube and put it on the Year 1 square of the season wheel.

Now, let’s get everything else ready:

• Get enough dice of each color for each player, plus one extra.
• Grab the crystal track and put it next to the board.

When you play the board game Sorcerer’s Cube, you’ll need to set up your player board and gather your tokens. Here’s what you’ll need to do:

1. Start by grabbing your individual board, 2 library tokens, and 4 sorcerer’s cubes in your chosen color. Make sure to keep your cubes near you for easy access.

2. Place one of your sorcerer’s cubes on the zero square of the crystal track. This will keep track of your energy stock.

3. Put another cube on the zero square of the hundreds, which is at the top of the crystal track. This will help you keep count of your points.

4. Move on to your bonus track. Put one cube on the zero square of this track, which is located on your board. The bonus track is where you’ll earn extra abilities and advantages.

5. Lastly, place one cube on the zero square of your summoning gauge. This gauge is crucial for summoning powerful creatures during the game.

Now that your player board is set up, it’s time to prepare the cards. Deal out 9 face-down cards to each player. Any remaining cards should be placed near the board to form the draw pile.

With your setup complete, you’re ready to embark on your magical journey in Sorcerer’s Cube! Good luck!

GAMEPLAY

Choosing Powers and Crafting Strategies

In this game, I get to choose from 9 power cards. Once I’ve been dealt these cards, I take a look at them and carefully select one that I think will give me an advantage. I keep it face down in front of me, keeping my choice a secret from the other players.

After making my selection, I pass the remaining 8 cards to the player on my left. They do the same, and the process continues until each player has chosen 9 cards.

Now that I have my 9 power cards, it’s time to make some strategic moves. I group my cards into 3 packs of 3 cards each. It’s like creating a small, specialized deck of cards.

I take the first pack of cards in my hand, while the other two packs go under the Library II and III tokens, face down. These cards will come in handy in the later years of the game.

When we play this game, the youngest person goes first. It’s a simple rule, but it’s important to establish the order of play.

Getting Started

At the beginning of each round, the first player takes the dice that are associated with the current season and rolls them. Then, starting with the first player and going clockwise, each person chooses one of the dice and places it in front of them. The remaining dice are kept aside; they will come into play at the end of the round, determining how far the season marker will move.

How Each Player Takes Their Turn

When it’s my turn, I get to take some actions:

• I get to use the abilities of my season dice.
• I can summon one or more of my power cards.
• I have the option to activate one or more of my power cards.
• I can use any bonuses that are available on my own personal board.

After I finish my turn, the next person takes their turn, and so on, moving in a clockwise direction.

The End of the Round

After everyone has chosen their dice and taken their actions, we move the season marker forward. The number of squares we move it is equal to the points on the die that no one chose.

If the season marker goes past square 12 (late autumn), we move the year marker forward on the year scale. Then, each player takes back the power cards they placed under the library token for that year.

The player to the left of the first player becomes the new first player, and a new round begins. The new first player rolls the dice for the season shown on the season wheel.

The Dice of the Seasons

When I play the game, there are different symbols on the season dice that give me special abilities and resources. It’s pretty cool, actually. Let me explain how it works.

• Energy symbol (air, water, earth, fire): If my reserve isn’t full, I can get an energy of the specified type and put it in my reserve.
• Number: The number on the dice tells me how many crystals I can get. I move my wizard cube on the crystal track to keep track of my progress.
• Four-point circle: This symbol means I can crystallize during my turn. It’s like a bonus action.
• Star: If I see this symbol, I can increase my summoning gauge by 1. I love leveling up!
• Card: This symbol means I get to draw a power card from the deck. Power cards are awesome because they give me special abilities.
• Points: At the end of the round, the season marker moves forward on the board based on the number of points remaining on the dice. It’s important to keep track of the points!

Before I do anything else, I have to perform the actions of “receive energies” and “receive crystals” from the season dice. After that, I can choose to use the other actions on the season dice during my turn. It’s all about strategizing and making the best moves.

The Different Types of Energy

Did you know that there are four main types of energy? Let me tell you about them:

• Water: represented by a blue drop symbol and is associated with winter.
• Earth: represented by a green leaf symbol and is associated with spring.
• Fire: represented by a yellow flame symbol and is associated with summer.
• Air: represented by a red feather symbol and is associated with autumn.

Now, here’s something interesting: during your turn in the game, if you have a special die, you can use it to turn your reserve of energy into crystals. The number of crystals you get from each energy depends on how rare it is when you crystallize it.

Take a look at the table below to see which energy types are scarcer during each season:

Power cards: Winter: water/air, fire, earth

Spring: earth/air, air, fire

Summer: earth/fire, earth, air

Autumn: fire/air, water, water

Crystals obtained: 1, 2, 3

Note: There are other effects, like bonuses and specific cards, that enable energy crystallization at different conversion rates.

When you play the game and earn victory points, power cards become even more important because they can have a big impact on how the game unfolds. But in order to use a power card, you have to bring it into play by summoning it. Here’s what you need to do:

• First, you have to pay the card’s summoning cost. This means discarding the specific types and numbers of energies and/or crystals shown below the card’s image. Keep in mind that some cards have different costs based on the number of players.
• Second, you need to have enough room in your summoning gauge. The summoning gauge shows how many power cards you can have in play. For example, if your gauge is at 3 and you already have 1 power card in play, you can still summon 2 more power cards.

When I meet all these requirements, I get to put the power card in front of me and it becomes active. It’s important to let my opponents know what the card does by reading the effects at the bottom. These effects are listed under the card’s summoning cost.

The background color of the power cards tells me what type they are: purple for magical objects, and orange for familiars.

There are different types of effects on the power cards. They’re shown at the bottom left of each card and here’s what they mean:

– Arrival effects in the game: These effects are triggered only once when the card is first summoned. They’re shown by a downward pointing arrow.

– Permanent effects: These effects last for the whole game as long as the card remains in play. They’re shown by a circular arrow.

Activation effects: represented by a gear, this effect is triggered when you decide to activate it during your turn. You can only use the effect of a card once per turn, after you summon it. Two things need to happen:

• Tilt the power card at a 90-degree angle, and it will only straighten at the start of the next round. You can’t use a card that has already been tilted within the same round (unless it also has a permanent effect that stays active).
• Pay the cost to activate the effect, if there’s one mentioned in the effect’s text (usually by discarding energy, crystals, or sacrificing another power card). If you can’t pay this cost, you can’t use the item.



Get Ready for some Extra Perks!

Did you know that as you play the game, you have the chance to earn bonuses that bring you extra benefits? It’s true! But here’s the thing – these bonuses come at a small cost of prestige points at the end of the game. Let’s take a closer look at the 4 different bonuses you can get:

• Transmutation: This awesome bonus lets you exchange any 2 energies from your reserve for 2 energies of your choice from the main reserve. It’s like having the power to transform your energies!
• Crystallization: With this bonus, you can crystallize energies from your reserve at a higher rate. The rate depends on the season, but with this bonus, you get an extra crystal for each energy you crystallize. So, for example, an energy of fire that would normally crystallize into 3 crystals in spring, will now give you 4 crystals! It’s like getting a bonus crystal!
• Power Master: This bonus is a game-changer! It increases your summoning gauge by 1. Imagine having an extra gauge to bring even more power to your summons!
• Spirit Guardian: Here’s another fantastic bonus. It allows you to add an extra card slot to your spirit board, giving you more options and strategies to explore. It’s like expanding your possibilities!

Hey there! Let me tell you about a cool thing called the Seer. It’s a special ability in a game that lets you use the “draw a card” action of a season die in a better way. When you use the Seer, you get to draw two power cards. Then, you pick one of them to keep in your hand and discard the other. Pretty neat, right?

Now, I want to talk to you about bonuses. When you use a bonus in the game, your wizard cube on the bonus track moves forward by one square. At the end of the game, the square your cube lands on determines the penalty you’ll face. Let me break it down for you:

• If you use one bonus, you’ll get a penalty of -5 points
• If you use two bonuses, the penalty goes up to -12 points
• If you use three or more bonuses, you’ll face a hefty penalty of -20 points for each set of three bonuses
• Now, there are a few rules about using bonuses:
• You can only use the bonus track three times. There are only three squares on the track besides the starting square.
• You can use the same bonus more than once, as long as you don’t exceed the three-use limit.
• If you want to, you can use multiple or all of your bonuses during the same round.

The Game Comes to an End!

Hey there! It’s time to wrap up the game. We’re in the third year of play, and things are about to get exciting. As soon as the season marker crosses the 12th square of the season wheel, it’s game over, my friend. So, let’s find out who the ultimate winner is!

To determine the winner, we’ll consider a few important factors:

• Crystals: Take a look at the number of crystals each player has accumulated. They’re like precious gems and can give you an edge.
• Prestige Points: We’ll also consider the prestige points present on the power cards that each player has in play. These points can boost your status.
• Remaining Cards: Now, here’s a tricky one. We’ll check how many cards each player still has in their hand. But be careful! Holding onto cards will cost you. You’ll lose 5 points per card.
• Bonus Track: Did you make use of any bonuses during the game? If so, we’ll have to take the current penalty score indicated on your bonus track into account.

Alright! We’ve considered all the important factors, and now we have our winner. May the best player emerge victorious!



VARIATIONS

A Different Approach to the Game

If you want to learn the game without getting overwhelmed, skip the draft stage where you choose the nine cards at the beginning. Instead, try using the pre-built sets of cards that are provided in the detailed rules. This will make it easier for you to get started and understand the game.

Playing at an Intermediate Level

If you’re looking for a balanced challenge, stick to the normal rules but only use cards numbered 1 to 30. These cards have a moderate level of complexity, so they’re a great option for players who are comfortable with the basics but want a bit more excitement.

Become an Expert

If you’re ready to take your skills to the next level, go all out and use all the cards. Cards 31 to 50 offer a higher level of complexity and allow you to create powerful combinations. This option is perfect for experienced players who want to test their strategic thinking and unleash their full potential.

Have you ever wished you could experience three vibrant, enchanting years in just a few moments? Look no further than Seasons. In this game, time flies as you immerse yourself in a world of colorful magic and thrilling gameplay.