This may seem like an odd question, and I apologize if it’s already been asked and answered elsewhere, but my attempts at investigation have not as yet provided me with a clear answer.
Essentially, when should I be subscribing and becoming an Exceptional Friend to make it so that I get the next Exceptional Story (the one that will come after The Sinking Synod and begin a new Season), and NOT get The Sinking Synod itself? I get a little bit nitpicky sometimes, so I think having access to just the last part of a Season and having to wait several months to buy the others with Fate would really frustrate me.
ES usually change towards the end of each month. Synod is for November, so you have a few weeks to go before you subscribe for the next story - by then, it will be very obvious since a new seasonal hub story will be placed at the top.
What you can also do is subscribe on the last Wednesday of November and get the Sinking Synod along with the next two Exceptional Stories. The way that Exceptional Friendship works, you don’t automatically get the current story at the time you subscribe. Instead, at any point you are an Exceptional Friend, you can unlock the currently active ES if you haven’t done so. This means that you can subscribe on November 29th, unlock The Sinking Synod, unlock the next ES the next day, and your subscription will last long enough to unlock the following ES as well.
Mostly what Optimatum said, except since you’re not wanting The Sinking Synod, you’d want to wait until Dec. 27, immediately activate the Exceptional Story that’s available that day, activate the next Exceptional Story then next day, and then the 3rd Exceptional Story Jan. 25 before your Exceptional Friendship ends/renews.
EDIT: Obviously, this is for getting the most Exceptional Stories for the least money. It does, however, leave you without any of the other benefits of Exceptional Friendship for almost two months. edited by Faey on 11/8/2017