So far I just ignored the season concept on my cards (so far I have a copy of Core Set, Kings of the Sea, Kings of the Storm, Lords of Winter and the Mountains of the moon chapter pack to boost Lanni a bit).

Would someone be so kind as to explain that concept to me.

What I got is:

a) some card abilities vary in summer or winter, so I will have to control the season

b) there are cards controlling the season (in my supply it it is e. g. Crown of Azor Ahai and Crown of Winter )

Then there are these strange ravens...

What happens if Bara and Stark marshall their crowns in the same round so it's summer and winter at the same time is the season Sinter or Wummer ? That seems quite strange und senseless to me.

So is there anyone who could explain that concept and its usefulness to me?

The seasons were developed during the A Time of Ravens cicle.

There are 2 neutral attachments, black raven and white raven, who sets the season (ie: you play black raven, then it's summer). Both ravens have income modifiers, winter one reduces both players income by 1, summer one increases it by 1. Those ravens are immune to cards effects without the raven trait. And, the one card with the trait is a neutral, 1 cost/strength, Mil icon and Stealth (really good), Carrion Bird. When you win a challenge with him you can return a raven from play, or every raven in a discard pile, to his owner deck.

Then, there are some cards who gets better in a chosen season, like Wintertime Marauders or Maester of the Sun, some cards are better if no season is in play, like King Robert's Hammer and a few ones do things in both seasons, like Theon Greyjoy, Summer Tax or Taxed Dry.

The most powerful effect, imho, comes with the Kings of Summer agenda, if it's summer, you draw and extra card in draw phase, if it's winter, you draw one less. This makes summer very powerful in any house with drawing problems (anyone but Lannister).

Both Crowns are alternatives to the ravens, kinda nedly, but worse in game terms, as they aren't as protected as the ravens.

When both crowns in play and no ravens, then, yes, it is possible that it is winter and summer at the same time. Not too Nedly, and pretty counterintuitive, but not really a problem in terms of game mechanics.

Point being, "Summer" and "Winter" mean nothing in and of themselves, rule-wise. It is a mechanic that is entirely card driven. You need cards that say "It is Summer" or "It is Winter," along with other cards that say "while it is (whatever season)..." before it means anything.

In a way, "Summer" and "Winter" are no different from traits in that it is the interaction of other cards - not the rules - that give it meaning. So asking someone to explain seasons is kind of like asking someone to explain Clansmen or Asshai . You're not going to get a particularly good general answer because it all depends upon the cards that are in play.

Ratatoskr said:

How does this affect cards like Demon's Dance ? If one crown is discarded, does Demon's Dance kill the character it's attached to? Also, what does Nedly mean?

Sean said:

Obviously I can't answer the question about Demon's Dance as I am still struggling with that season concept myself.

Nedly means that it is close to the novels, atmospheric ...

Sean said:

No. Demon's Dance triggers when the season "changes to winter or to summer". The season would have to not be winter, and change to winter (or not be summer, and change to summer). If it is already summer and winter at the same time and one of the crowns is discarded, the season has not changed to anything it already wasn't.

With the Maesters theme coming we should soon see more characters with the Learned crest, so Ill Tidings may find its way into more decks. A neutral attachment-control event that gives you draw and happens to be a Raven could be pretty handy...

Do seasons caused by crown of winter/azor ahai modify incomes? Or only the ravens?

Boerta said:

Only the ravens.

Ratatoskr said: