Can you smell the season's tidings in the air? No, not the crisp-cold scent of pine logs in your neighbor's fireplace in the wintry morning breeze. It's the smell of fresh ink and cardstock. Welcome to that special time of year, boon and bane to gamers everywhere.

With BGG.CON behind us, we wave goodbye to another convention season as all the treasures they promised now appear in Friendly Local Game Stores across the land. Our arms are laden with new games to play and hope for a long snow day lingers on our bright, eager faces—board game season is here!

As holiday schedules wreak havoc on dedicated adventuring groups, there's treasure to be snatched from Old Man Winter's icy grip... if you dare! Or, to put it another way, no one wants to spend another family gathering sulking in the corner and searching her pudding for plums when there's adventuring to be done!

Tip 1: Play with Strangers! (or as strange as you can get)

Have you played PACG with strangers yet? I highly recommend it. It's the fun of Pathfinder in bite-sized, no-DM-needed pieces in a handy, portable box. Organized play through the Adventure Card Guild also has the magical power to be more fun than it should be, even with the most incongruous of game groups. This is where I could ramble on about the nuances of the cooperative game design principles that guided the game's development, but let's just say a wizard did it. And no, Mike Selinker is not actually a wizard. (He's a sorcerer—it's a nuanced but important distinction.)

One of the best parts of my job is getting to play games with all kinds of people. BGG.CON was especially delightful, getting to play with fans of the game and new players alike. I got to outrun ghosts with a power gamer whose character deck is tuned like a well-oiled machine. I hammered Hammerheads with a father and daughter pair who, much to their delight, won with a pirate (as Jirelle the swashbuckler) and uncovered buried treasure while sporting both an Eye Patch and a Parrot.



Little known fact: any single character can win Skull & Shackles by displaying perfect pirate fashion sense.

Tip 2: Try Organized Play

So your regular gaming group is in shambles this month because one does not simply incur the disappointment of grandmas. Or, locked in your wintry fortress, you've already played through the S&S adventures so far. Enter the glorious balm of Pathfinder Society Adventure Card Guild scenarios, played in your very own home!

Slip them into your Base Set on their own (for an off-the-books experience) or play with Class Decks and the Guide to Adventure Card Guild Organized Play. You can break out Card Guild scenarios for a quick dose of fresh PACG without the guilt of cheating on your regular adventuring group. Would Sir or Madam enjoy a shark-hunting rampage? Might I suggest Season of the Shackles Scenario 1-B: The Lone Shark?

Tip 3: Snow Day Marathon!

Forget the cold and gloom outside; spend your snow day with hot toddies and hours free to chase down villains all over the Shackles. How far can you get through the Skull & Shackles adventure path in one day?

Don't have a snow day? No problem. 'Tis the season for holing up with friends on a weekend once the gilded lights come down. (Who am I kidding? I consider it an accomplishment if I clear up the decorations by Valentine's.) Happy Board Game Season, everybody!

Liz Spain

Adventure Card Game Designer