SEASONS

by Richard Hamblen

The TABLE OF SEASONS lists the 13 seasons of the year in the Magic Realm. Each season lasts one lunar month and modifies the games rules during that month.
1. Procedure: Before the mapboard is constructed in a game, roll two dice and total them; the game will start on day 1 of the month/season whose number on the TABLE OF SEASONS matches the number rolled, and thereafter the seasons follow in the order they are listed, one season per month.
2. Effects: Each seasons effects are indicated on the TABLE OF SEASONS.
2.1 On the 7th day of the month the color magic named for the season is in effect instead of the color named on the PERSONAL HISTORY sheets.
2.2 The number of MOVE phases required to enter each Mountain Clearing changes from season to season and is listed for each season.
2.3 The manner in which campaign, mission and visitor counters are set up and used changes from season to season.
2.31 At the start of each month these counters must be set up as described for that month/season.
2.311 Counters listed under Dwellings or Locations must be placed at those locations on the board, and counters listed under Boxes must be set up in the named boxes on the APPEARANCE CHART, in the row numbered 6.
2.312 Counters listed under Continuing Campaigns are set up at the named locations and boxes only if the game is just beginning. If the game is already in progress when the season starts, these counters remain where they are at the moment.
2.313 Counters that are not listed for a season are out of play that month.
2.32 If mission to... and a destination are listed for a counter, that counter can be taken to that destination for gold like a normal mission.
2.321 A counter must be delivered to the destination named for it that season; destinations named in the rules or in other seasons are ignored.
2.322 The shortest route to the destination and the payoff (2 gold per Clearing) are calculated when the counter is taken. If no route exists or the destination has not been turned up, the payoff is automatically 30 gold.
2.323 The counter is delivered and the character is paid as soon as he enters the Clearing where the destination is located. The counter remains there for the rest of the month.
2.324 Failure to deliver a counter to its destination costs 10 notoriety points.
2.33 A visitor must be in a characters Clearing for them to trade. A visitor cannot trade when he is off the board, being taken to a destination.
2.34 Campaigns do not automatically end each month. When one season ends and another begins, all campaigns listed under Continuing Campaigns continue.
2.341 If a character has a campaign listed under Continuing Campaigns at the start of a season, he must keep that counter and continue the campaign. He is committed to killing all of the campaigns enemies again (including any that revived at the end of the month) and must pay the campaigns cost again at the end of the month if he fails. He must pay the campaigns cost each month that he fails to kill its enemies.
2.342 When a character succeeds in killing the last of his campaigns enemies in a month he can discard the campaign if he wishes, placing it at the starting location listed for it that season. If he does not discard it immediately he must keep it until the end of the month and into the next month, if it continues.
2.343 A campaign automatically ends at the start of a season in which it is not listed among the Continuing Campaigns.

2.4 The four weather counters have different effects in different seasons. Each season lists the effects that each weather counter has.
2.41 Weather determines how many days are in the week and how many phases are in each day.
2.411 If there are fewer then seven days in the week, the lost days are subtracted from the beginning of the week. Thus, in a week with five days the first two days will be crossed out and skipped over and play will start on the third day.
2.412 Each day has the indicated number of phases instead of the normal four phases per day for characters who stay out of caves. The limit in caves (and for the Dwarf) remains at two phases per day regardless of weather.
2.42 Weather determines where bonus phases can be recorded and executed that week. Both the number of bonus phases and the types of Clearings where they can be recorded and executed are specified; to record and execute a bonus phase a character must be in the proper type of Clearing when he records it and he must be in the proper type of Clearing (not necessarily the same Clearing, however) when he executes it.
2.43 Weather can cause characters to wound or fatigue one or more counters each day of that week. When a character starts his turn he must immediately wound/fatigue the number of counters indicated by that weeks weather; if the weather inflicts the wounds/fatigue only in certain types of Clearing and he is not in such a Clearing, he does not lose the counters unless and until he enters such a Clearing.
2.44 Weather can prohibit all of the characters in the game from PEERING or HIDING for a week.
3. Explanation of the TABLE OF SEASONS: Each seasons effects are listed across the seasons row of the TABLE OF SEASONS.
3.1 The MONTHLY SEASONS column gives the seasons name and number and describes it briefly. It also names the color magic on the 7th day and the number of phases required to enter a Mountain Clearing.
3.2 The CAMPAIGN COUNTERS column lists the starting locations of the campaign, mission and visitor counters that season, indicates which can be taken to destinations for gold and identifies which campaigns continue.
3.3 The WEATHER section is divided into four columns corresponding to the four weather counters. When a particular weather counter comes up at the start of a week, cross-index its column with the seasons row to determine the weather effects that week.
3.31 The entry gives a one-word description of the weeks weather.
3.32 The entry indicates how many days are in the week and how many phases there are each day. Normal indicates a seven-day week and four phases per day.
3.33 The entry indicates (in parentheses) how many bonus phases there are each day that week and the types of Clearings where they can be recorded and executed.
3.34 The entry indicates in italics any special effects that week whether HIDING or PEERING is forbidden, the number of counters that must be wounded or fatigued each day, etc.

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