Card Symbols and Mechanics

**Cards** are used by the player and each character to progress through a conversation. The player, and every character in *Signs of the Sojourner*, has a deck full of cards that contain symbols. These symbols form the underlying mechanics of the game. Each card has symbols on the left and right side, and some cards have special effects that change how they can be played.

## Conversation

A conversation generally takes the following format:

1. Rhea and the other character (conversation partner) will begin having a conversation. A card from your partner's deck is played at the beginning of the conversation.
2. You take turns playing cards, each to the immediate right of the previous card by default. If the neighbouring symbols on successive cards ***don't*** match, there is *discord*, consuming one **black pip** and resetting the conversation to the start of the track. Otherwise, there is a successful match, advancing the conversation.
3. When the conversation track is filled without discord, there is *concord*: a **white pip** is consumed, and the conversation progresses to the next track, using the final card played as the new starting card.
4. This system serves as a high-level abstraction of conversation. Concordance represents (amenable) progress in the conversation, while discordance represents a failure (or unwillingness) to communicate.
5. The conversation ends when *either* of the **black** or **white** pips remaining reaches zero.
6. Concordance is typically the desirable outcome, since it represents an agreement between the characters, meaning both parties are more likely to get what they want from each other. In most cases, this means acquiring goods for the shop, or the revelation of useful or interesting information, such as locations and routes, or information about Mom.
7. In either case, after the conversation, the player **must** choose a card from the other character's deck, replacing one of Rhea's. The cards available to swap come from the cards that the character has played; if the player intentionally tries to fail the conversation, denying the character a chance to play cards, only one will be available.

## Styles of communication

The different communication styles represented by symbols/cards in the game are related to each other in ways that help to inform the player what cards and situations they will run into over the course of the game.

* Circles  and squares  represent different methods of organizing one's world, while triangles  and diamonds  represent different methods of reasoning. Most characters will use a combination of one from the first group (circle/square), and one from the second group (triangle/diamond). **Most** cards will **only** use **one symbol** or one symbol from each group at a time. Characters and cards that use more than two symbols represent a departure from regular behavior, such as cultural differences, travel, or improper socialization.
* **Concordance** is *not* always preferable to **discordance**. Reaching an agreement with a character may mean supporting a decision that the player would prefer to go against, or assisting a character with a goal that the player does not agree with.
* Characters can play cards that are difficult to match. Characters prefer to play doubles, and will play matching cards if they have one available, but they cannot consider the cards that the player has or has played when they play cards.
* **Spirals  are impractical** and difficult to deal with. Characters who have these symbols may be difficult to interact with, even if players are prepared with their own spiral cards.
* Some characters **change their decks** over time, typically in response to significant changes, such as travel to another city.
* Dogs  get along with everyone.

## Card effects

In addition, special symbols give the player the ability to use different mechanics in game play:

 Accommodate
Duplicates the symbols of the previous card. This will create an accord if the past card had the same symbol on both sides, but will create a discord/break an accord otherwise. Only obtainable from Elias. There is an end-game conversation with Oscar where he has an Accommodate card, but this conversation will end the game.
 Accord
Formed when four continuous symbols from both players are played. An Accord can only be created by both players; using cards such with a Chatter or Clarify to place one's own cards together will not produce an Accord. An Accord provides a 'checkpoint' within a stretch of conversation: the next symbol mismatch in that conversation stretch will be placed immediately after the Accord (which is then broken), removing any cards in between, instead of counting as a mismatch.
Characters will attempt to match doubles to doubles to create an accord when possible.
 Observe
Allows the player to see all the cards the character is holding. This will help you to choose cards that this character will be able to match, and may reveal cards that the player would not have been aware of otherwise. Characters will not consider cards in your deck when choosing what card to play if they use a card with Observe. Observe is wasted if the other character uses a Reconsider card, shuffling their deck.
 Elaborate
Copies the right-side symbols of the last card played. This will produce an accord if the card with Elaborate matches the previous card. A card with Elaborate can be used to provide more symbols for the other character to match, and a mismatch will still copy their symbol, making it likely that the character will be able to match with it.
 Reconsider
Discard the player's hand and draw 5 new cards. Acts like a "shuffle" option. This is particularly useful if the player's hand is full of cards that do not match, or contain multiple Fatigue cards.
 Prepare
Pick a card from the draw pile to replace this one. The cards that have already been played will not be in the draw pile.
 Clarify
Play normally or insert between matching card symbols. Characters will try to play their Clarify card between cards, even if playing them normally would produce an accord.
 Backtrack
This card will delete cards and continue the conversation at the last match if it is played as a mismatch. It will stop at an accord, and a discord will occur if there are no matching cards in the current conversation.
 Fatigue
Fatigue is not a useful card. Fatigue cards are cards that cannot match with anything (except for Thunder's dog symbols) that the player will accumulate as they spend more time traveling before going back home. A Fatigue card will mismatch with the previous card as well as forcing a mismatch with the next card played. There are some strategies the player can use the minimize the effects of Fatigue:
* Plan the route out to avoid wasting time backtracking and racking up unnecessary Fatigue.
* Use cards with Reconsider to shuffle the deck.
* Random events can help prepare the player's deck. The weather random event can give special effects to a card, allowing the character to put Reconsider on a more versatile card. It can also give them a temporary accord, which can be put on a Fatigue card to prevent one of the mismatches.
* Gray Cambet will reduce Fatigue, as will interactions with Thunder.

## Strategy

These card mechanics could potentially be difficult to learn and interrupt the structure of the game for a newer player. There are a few strategies that have been provided by the larger community that can help players to be more successful in their in-game conversations and have an overall better experience.

### General Strategy

There are some techniques that will help the player have successful conversations regardless of what direction they want to take in the game.

* The player's deck is forced to change whenever they interact with a character. It might be in the player's best interest to ignore a character to avoid picking up undesirable symbols, or to interact with a character that they do not wish to connect with in order to pick up more desirable symbols.
* The route the player takes is an important consideration. This goes beyond prioritizing the player's preferred objectives; with the above advice, the player can prepare themselves for a location they will visit in the future by picking up the appropriate symbols in a location leading up to it.
* It is incredibly difficult to make a connection with every character in the game. The player will have more success if they prioritize a few characters/locations, than if they try to please every character.
* Random events are almost always good.
	+ Random events that involve petting Thunder/reading old notes will reduce Fatigue.
	+ Random events that involve seeking shelter in stormy weather will let the player add special effects, or a temporary accord, to one of their cards.
	+ Random events that involve seeing something off in the distance will allow the player to remove a card, to have it randomly replaced with another card.
* **Double cards**, or cards that have matching symbols on each side, **are preferable** to cards that have different symbols on each side. Building an accord is useful when either the player or the character does not have a card that matches the previous card.
* A mismatch can be played in a way that makes the interaction more likely to succeed. Giving the character symbols they can interact in spite of the mismatch will help the conversation to continue, and used with an accord can turn cards with mismatched symbols into a valuable tool for reaching concordance. This is especially true of non-doubles, Elaborate cards, and cards with Backtrack.
	+ To provide an example for regular, non-double cards: Assume the player is traveling to Aldhurst from Bukam Boro and is looking to make their deck more  oriented. Their last conversation gives them the option to choose a  card, or a  card. The first card will match with a , but gives a  that characters in Aldhurst will not be able to match with. The second card will cause discord or break an accord, but gives a  that characters in Aldhurst will usually be able to match.
	+ To provide an example for Elaborate cards: Assume the player picks up a double  card with Elaborate in Tosende Canals, and travels to Anka and begins a conversation with a character, who starts with a double . The player does not have a card that can match that in their hand, but they do have the double  card with Elaborate, and they play it. The player gets a discord, but the Elaborate card inherits the  from the right side of the previous card, allowing the character to continue the conversation.
	To provide an example for Backtrack cards: Assume the player picks up a double  card with Backtrack in Old Marae, and travels to Anka and begins a conversation with a character. The player uses other cards before they use their Backtrack card. The character plays a card that ends in  when the player does not have any  cards. Fortunately, they use the double  card with Backtrack to restart the conversation at the last  played.
* Two card effects of questionable utility are *Chatter* and *Reconsider*.
	+ Reconsider is useful for reshuffling the deck when the player has too many cards that do not match, or have too many fatigues. The issue, however, is that this problem can persist with the shuffled deck-the new hand may still have many non-matching cards.
	+ Chatter can be useful situationally if the player can one near the end of a conversation to finish it without worrying about a mismatch from the character. There are a few issues with this card that make it less versatile:
		- Chatters played after each other do not create an accord, and will be wasted if the character cannot match them.
		- Chatters force the player to play more matching cards than they would otherwise, increasing the risk of drawing Fatigues or non-matching cards. The character and player are working together in a conversation to reach concordance, and Chatter reduces the amount of support that the player receives from the character.
* Accommodate is arguably one of the most useful/versatile cards in the game, so much that a run can be accomplished while succeeding at over 90% of all conversations by working towards a deck filled entirely with Accommodate cards. Accommodate played after a double card of any symbol will match and create an accord. Accommodate played after a non-double card will mismatch, but still copies the card, making it easier for the character to match it. Elias is the only character that can provide these to the player throughout the game.
	+ The only other character that can provide an Accommodate card, Oscar, will only do so during a conversation the player has with him to reach his secret ending.

### Caravan Strategy

As Nadine will tell the player, the caravan can provide a lot of expertise and a good haul of items, but leave the player exhausted at the end. Being stuck with the caravan limits the player's options, but there is still a lot of opportunities to attain goods and make a genuine connection with character following the route.

There are a few unique cards that are absolutely necessary for this strategy, that can only picked up from certain characters.

* Nadine will start carrying a double  card and a double  card after the first trip.
* Ramir will start carrying a double  card and have some  cards after the first trip.
* Elias will always have Accomodate cards.

All of these cards are incredibly versatile and will allow the player to be successful in a variety of locations in spite of limited opportunities. A deck of 3-4 Accomodate cards, with two each of the double  and double  cards will give the player enough versatility to succeed in most conversations along the caravan route with minimal changes to the 2-3 remaining card spaces in their deck.

The caravan route goes through the following locations each time:

1. Bartow-
2. Pachenco-
3. Clifton-
4. Bukam Boro-
5. Aldhurst-
6. Rimina-
7. Old Marae-
8. Tosende Canals-
9. Anka-

The caravan provides a set, clear path that allows the player to easily prepare for each location by swapping out their cards during interactions they have there. The route can be separated into 5 different parts.

1. Bartow. Bartow has a  symbol, but interactions with Nadine, Ramir, and Samuel will allow the character to get some  cards for the next trek, as well as getting Accomodate cards from Elias and incredibly versatile cards from Ramir and Nadine.
2. Pachenco to Bukam Boro. The player will benefit from having a balance of  here, but will be better prepared for the next section of the route if they focus primarily on  .
3. Aldhurst and Rimina. The player will have to pick up a lot of  cards here, both for the inhabitants here, and to be prepared for the next section of the route. Elaborate/backtrack cards are here, and are especially useful when the player does not quite have their deck prepared. Nadine will send the player back home on the first trip in Aldhurst.
4. Old Marae and Tosende Canals. Old Marae is a unique challenge because the player must succeed in a conversation with Gull, who has  cards, just to be let into the city the first time. Filling up on  cards in the previous area and getting the double  cards from Nadine, as well as the  and double  cards from Ramir, will be a big help in succeeding in this first conversation and continuing on the route. Fortunately, conversations in Old Marae and Tosende Canals will be a breeze if the player can succeed with Gull. A focus on  cards will help to prepare the player for the final stop.
5. Anka. It is difficult to make connections here, because of the fatigue and the fact that there is only one location with a few characters to get  cards from. Nadine may interact with the player here, and Ramir's double  will come in handy here. The player can travel on to Desert Oasis from here if they desire, although they will have a lot of fatigue and their truck will be loaded with a respectable amount of goods from the caravan route.

The cataclysm that happens on the second-to-last trip will keep the caravan in Clifton, but the player can still take their route. Elias asks for some scrap to assist with the relief effort, which can only be found in Anka/from Oscar's death, so a player who is more focused on that objective can elect to visit Anka first. The cataclysm also brings with it the  symbol. A double  can be useful for working with all these newly distressed characters.

The player can do whatever they want on their trips. Straying from the caravan will cause Nadine to ignore the player and chastise them in Bartow, but there are no real consequences to finding a different route. The player can use the route to get a versatile deck, then go off on their own route, or detour to locations that are unlocked along the way with little consequence.