1. I keep finding snippets here and there mentioning "when a card comes out of shadows" and "if it is summer" etc. Are these cards that come in the expansions that are not a part of the core game or am I missing something? If so which expansions have them and how are they utilized?

2. I want to buy some expansion packs. Any idea what some good ones would be if I like to play as Stark and/or Lannister?

1. You're correct. The Shadows mechanic was introduced in the Time of Ravens cycle of chapter packs and the Seasons (Summer/Winter) mechanic was introduced in the King's Landing cycle. Both have received support in later expansions.

2. For Stark, you might want to try the Lords of Winter box. It's heavily focused on Stark, particularly House Tully, cards, and with only the core set and that, you could build a very fun Stark deck. Lannister doesn't have a box yet (it's the last house without one) but you might want to look into the aforementioned King's Landing cycle, as Lannister tends to do well with the Shadows mechanic. Personally, I also really like the Battle of the Ruby Ford chapter pack for all houses, but particularly Lannister, as it contains two excellent Lannister cards, Castellan of the Rock (now restricted) and Devious Intentions.

Thanks Shenanigans. I guess my next question would be if I purchase the afforementioned chapter packs/expansions can I use these effects to my advantage if I'm playing against a player who does not have them? Or do I need to play against players who do in order for these changes to gameplay to take place?

Shenanigans said:

Just to make sure someone doesn't buy the wrong packs.

Shadows can be found in King's Landing Cycle, Seasons can be found in the Time of Ravens Cycle.

ZombiePrime said:

Thanks for the catch Zombie; I'm all turned around today.

There's nothing stopping you from running seasons or shadows effects against players who don't have them. In fact, I would hazard to say that most decks built around seasons prefer that the opponent doesn't have any seasons mechanics. Generally, if you have a deck with summer or winter as a mechanic, the rest of your deck is built to take advantage of that fact. These advantages can be so great that plenty of competitive decks run Carrion Bird to deal with opposing season decks (it's also not a bad character in and of itself)

The same is mostly true for shadows, although plenty of cards that interact with the shadows mechanic key off of cards in shadows regardless of who controls them, so sometimes a shadows-themed deck player might prefer the opponent has cards in the shadows. There are plenty of decks that only run a few shadows cards, instead of basing the deck around them, and some decks that even key off no cards being in the shadows.

How exactly does one change seasons or put a card in shadows? Are these effects triggered by plot cards or can any card designated with certain traits affect them? Are the new elements of the game explained in the chapter packs?

bbleers said:

Go to your AGOT card database of choice and look at the Black or White raven to see how to make seasons, also some of the crowns (i.e. Crown of Winter to make it winter in a Stark deck).

As for how Shadows work take a look at the faq page here on FFG or pick up the trag box (Queen of Dragons) for a good example of how things shadows work.

Thanks guys. I went with the Lords of Winter and Kings of the Sea expansions for now as I found them on the cheap. Gonna give Stark and Greyjoy a try for now with these and keep an eye towards the Raven and Kings Landing chapters in the future. I also intend to give that Lannister expansion a try.

bbleers said:

Lannister doesn't have an expasion yet, but soon enough they will since they are the last house not to have one yet.

Since noone really answered your questions earlier I'll be glad to help you out.

To change a season you will need either White Raven or Black Raven attachments from their corresponding chapter pack. Then once you play it from your hand it will "activate" the corresponding season(White Raven = Winter, Black Raven = Summer) and any effects that go with it on cards that are in play. Once in play you will either collect 1 less gold or 1 more gold when you count income during marshalling respectively and if you are running the corresponding agenda you will get it's effect during the draw phase.

To put a card into shadows it costs you a flat 2 Gold for every card you put into shadows. Those cards are designated by a crest at the bottom of the card and an S in front of the normal Gold cost. That card then goes face down on a designated part of your board. Once you have a card in shadows you can only bring it out at the BEGINNING of a phase before any other actions are taken by paying the rest of it's gold cost. Only 1 card can be brought out of shadows at any time. You have to resolve ALL effects and responses on each shadow card that is brought into play before the next player gets his chance to bring a card out of shadows. If you pass your opportunity to bring a card out of shadows then you lose your opportunity for that phase.

That should cover everything you need to know. If you have any other questions then ask away. Oh, and stay away from Gayjoy, they suck. j/k