They refer to a connected series of events as a season and I think there is considerable good in doing so. Ideas and NPCs (the storytelling kind, not wokies or other things) can be connected to the rest of the story and can reappear in different situations. It's easier to get someone to care about an NPC if they show up from time to time.

>KP: I keep saying this one won't be that brutal.

Yeah right. It's like the part in movies when the character says "this'll be a cinch" or "how hard can it be?" And that's when you know the bad times are about to roll into town.