Star Trek Customizable Card Game
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The Star Trek Customizable Card Game is a collectible card game based on the Star Trek universe. The name is commonly abbreviated as STCCG. It was first introduced in 1994 by Decipher, Inc., under the name Star Trek: The Next Generation Customizable Card Game. The game now has two distinct editions, though both forms of the game have many common elements.
Contents |
[edit] Standard elements
The standard central goal for a player of STCCG is to obtain 100 points, primarily by completing missions or objectives. This is done by bringing personnel, ships and equipment into play, then moving an attempting team to a mission. Once a mission attempt starts, the personnel will create away teams to encounter dilemmas which will challenge them in some way. Often if the personnel have the required skills or attributes they can overcome certain dilemmas' effects. Once the required dilemmas are passed, the personnel still active in the attempt must have the skills and/or attribute totals required by the mission to solve it. If the mission is solved, the player earns the printed points.
Other aspects of the game increase player interactions: ships and personnel can battle, or otherwise affect each other; cards like events and interrupts can alter the environment for one or more players; and points can be scored using methods other than mission solving.
One of the most attractive themes of the game is affiliations. These are groupings of ships and personnel based on the major interstellar powers of the Star Trek universe, and decks will be based around one, or perhaps more, of these groups.
[edit] First Edition
| Star Trek Customizable Card Game (1st Edition) | |
|---|---|
| Designer | Tom Braunlich, Rollie Tesh, Evan Lorentz, and Bill Martinson |
| Publisher | Decipher, Inc. |
| Players | 2 |
| Age range | 8 and up |
| Setup time | 15 minutes |
| Playing time | 1 hour |
| Random chance | Low |
| Skills required | Deck optimization, Planning, Strategy |
What is now known as First Edition (commonly abbreviated "1E" among players) is the original conception of the game, through various designers and iterations. As mentioned above, it was first licensed only to cover Star Trek: The Next Generation, and the first three card sets were limited to that show's universe. As such, the only affiliations created were the Federation, Klingons, and Romulans, plus a placeholder for other groups called Non-Aligned. This narrow scope caused little attraction for players, and it was felt that only five more sets could be released before running the full course of available material.
In 1997, Decipher announced that a wider scope had now been licensed for the game: Deep Space 9, Voyager and The Next Generation movies would soon be depicted in new cards, thus the game's name was shortened to the existing title. The First Contact set arrived late that year, based on the film Star Trek: First Contact; that set introduced the Borg affiliation, among other new concepts.
This was soon followed by several sets based on situations in Deep Space 9; these introduced affiliations for the Bajorans, Cardassians, Dominion, and Ferengi, along with enhanced systems for battling and capturing. The era of these expansions is considered by many players to be the 'golden age' of First Edition.
Two more sets featuring Original Series cards came next (when that property was added to the license), followed by sets drawing heavily on Voyager which introduced the new, but smaller Kazon, Vidiian, and Hirogen affiliations. It was after this that the game began a serious decline in popularity and sales.
Sales faltered during the release of the last two sets, based on the films and on holodeck scenarios. This dip in sales resulted in Decipher taking a serious look at the game's future.
[edit] Releases
1E Premier (release: November, 1994) The first edition premier set contained 363 cards and introduced the affiliations of the Federation, the Klingons, and the Romulans. It was available in randomized 60-card starter boxes that were not playable right out of the box and 15-card expansion packs. The initial run had a black border and the following runs (December 1994 and 1995) had a white border, making the black bordered cards rarer, even though that color would become the staple of all later sets. In fact, all printings after the first were planned to be white bordered, but no more multiple printings were made. White borders continued to be used for promotional purposes. First Edition has also received a large amount of additional cards from every set of Second Edition in the form of backwards-compatible cards.
Data Laughing (release: 1995) A promotional card that had ties to the first three sets. It was available as a mail-in redemption included in the Official Player's Guide, a handbook sold to promote the game. It later became part of the Introductory 2-Player Game.
Warp Pack (release: August, 1995) The Warp Pack was a selection of 12 white bordered common cards to help make decks playable out of the box. Two of the cards that had not been seen before would be released in the next set, Alternate Universe. The packs were available for free from the Decipher website.
Alternate Universe' (release: November, 1995) The Alternate Universe was a collection of 122 cards that focused on cards from the past, future, and alternate timelines. It also contained the first ultra-rare card, the Future Enterprise. It sold in 15-card expansion packs.
Collector's Tin (release: November, 1995) This collector's item had a limited run of 30000 units and contained one of each of the premier set's 363 cards with a silver border.
Q Continuum (release: October, 1996) The next expansion Q Continuum was another standard set of 121 cards and introduced the Q Continuum to the game.
Introductory 2-Player Game (release: January, 1997) This set contained two pre-customized 60-card decks, one Federation, one Klingon, both of which are white bordered. Each edition included the same three premium cards (a black bordered Admiral McCoy and Data Laughing and a white bordered Spock) and 11 new white bordered mission cards. Edition #1 (in a blue box) contained a set of three new black bordered premium Federation cards and Edition #2 (in a red box) contained a set of three new black bordered premium Klingon cards.
First Anthology (release: June, 1997) The First Anthology (a concept that would return twice more) included six premium cards that would all later be featured in upcoming sets and was the first to feature cards that were not exclusive to The Next Generation. The box also contained two white bordered Premiere 60-card starter sets, two 15-card packs of white bordered Premiere, two 15-card packs each of Alternate Universe and Q Continuum, and the Warp Pack.
The Fajo Collection (release: December, 1997) This special collection contains 18 super-rare cards. Each set contains a presentation binder, a signed Certificate of Authenticity, a Fajo Collection rules document, a collectible art poster showcasing the entire Star Trek CCG universe to date, a business card featured on one of the cards, and a stick of gum associated with another. The cards were available from the Decipher website and were promised not to be reprinted to retain their value.
First Contact (release: December, 1997) This set of 130 cards focused entirely on the movie Star Trek: First Contact, greatly changed gameplay and added the first new affiliation in the Borg. It introduced the concept of an expansion icon printed on every card in the expansion that would continue until the end of 1E. It was available in 9-card expansion packs, greatly reducing the number of repeat common cards.
Away Team Pack (release: May, 1998) This pack contains two cards featuring The Traveler and The Emissary. These have been designed to honor Decipher's Star Trek CCG traveling game evangelists who went by those pseudonyms. These packs were made available in an issue of Scyre magazine and were handed out by the traveling evangelists themselves.
Official Tournament Sealed Deck (OTSD) (release: May, 1998) The Official Tournament Sealed Decks contain the same fixed deck of twenty new cards, designed to allow any other cards to be able to work together in a sealed format. Also included in each set was four white bordered Premiere expansion packs and one Alternate Universe expansion pack. There were six different box designs (each representing an affiliation).
Deep Space 9 (release: July, 1998) This set of 276 cards introduced the characters, aliens, and more from Deep Space 9 as well as two new affiliations: the Bajorans and the Cardassians. The U.S.S. Defiant was a special "twice as rare" white bordered preview card. The set was available in 60-card starter decks and 9-card expansion packs.
Starter Deck II (release: December, 1998) This set attempted to solve again the problems of playing the game straight form the box by including a re-release of the Premiere set and eight new cards. A collaboration with Activision included a giveaway of a Starter Deck II with the pre-order of Star Trek: Hidden Evil, also from Activision.
Enhanced First Contact (release: January, 1999) The Enhanced First Contact was essentially four packs of the First Contact expansion packaged with three new cards and one transparent Borg overlay. There were four different assortments of the new cards, so each group of three would always occur together in the same package, along with the same transparent Borg overlay.
The Dominion (release: January, 1999) This set of 130 cards introduced the Dominion affiliation. It also included four special white bordered preview cards that would all be reprinted in normal expansions. It was sold in 9-card expansion packs.
Blaze of Glory (release: August, 1999) Blaze of Glory was a 130-card expansion that enhanced the battling mechanic that had remained unchanged since the beginning of the game. It also featured an 18-card foil subset - the first in any Star Trek CCG expansion. It was sold in 9-card expansion packs. Many players point to this expansion as the high point of the game.
Rules of Acquisition (release: December, 1999) This 130-card set introduced the Ferengi and their rules. It was sold in 9-card expansion packs.
U.S.S. Jupiter (release: 2000) This card was inserted into the PC game, Star Trek: Armada by Activision as a promotional tie-in.
Second Anthology (release: March, 2000) The Second Anthology included six more premium cards that would not be featured in upcoming sets. The box also contained two Starter Deck IIs, two First Contact expansion packs, two Deep Space Nine expansion packs, and two Dominion expansion packs.
The Trouble with Tribbles (release: July, 2000) This 141-card set introduces the Original Series and a tribbles side deck. The Original Series finally became a property of Decipher when Skybox lost its license and was premiered in this set. Special features include preconstructed starter decks with premium cards in each and the return of ultra-rare cards inserted into packs. This expansion featured Dr. McCoy as DeForest Kelley had died the previous year. It was sold in two preconstructed 60-card starter decks and 11-card expansion packs.
Tribbles CCG (release: October, 2000) While not playable in the Star Trek CCG, this pre-constructed game could be expanded by collecting the new tribbles cards in The Troubles with Tribbles expansion.
Reflections (release: November, 2000) The Reflections set was subtitled The First Five Year Mission. It consisted of 18-card packs that contained 17 random cards (from Premiere, Alternative Universe, Q Continuum, First Contact, The Dominion, and Deep Space Nine) and a special foil card. 100 of the best rare cards were reproduced as foil versions and presented in the packs. Reflections also introduced "topper" cards. Four of these premium foil cards appeared randomly, one per display, on top of the packs inside the 30-pack display box. In addition, a case of display boxes was topped with a final Seven of Nine foil.
Enhanced Premiere (release: November, 2000) Six different Enhanced Premiere packages were available. Each contained four packs of white bordered Premiere and five new premium cards. There were a total of twenty-one new premium cards: twelve were fixed and nine were randomized. Nine were the second versions of missions that had originally appeared in the Premier set. The cards were upgraded with new gameplay and images of space stations found in Activision's video game Star Trek: Armada as another cross-promotional tie. This set also introduced the Warp Speed format for quicker games and drafting capabilities.
Mirror, Mirror (release: December, 2000) This 131-card set introduced the Mirror Universe. It included an ultra-rare Mirror Universe First Officer Spock inserted into the expansion packs. It was sold in 11-card expansion packs.
Voyager (release: May 23, 2001) This 201-card set introduced the Delta Quadrant factions of Voyager, the Kazon, and the Vidiians. It included an ultra-rare Pendari Champion inserted into the expansion packs. The Pendari Champion was played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in a WWF Smackdown! (now WWE Smackdown!) cross-promotion. The expansion was sold in 60-card starter decks (with 20 cards preconstructed and 40 cards randomly inserted) and 11-card expansion packs. This set also introduced the Voyager-only environment for sanctioned gameplay.
The Borg (release: September 19, 2001) The Borg continued the introduction of the Delta Quadrant with 131 cards that introduced the Borg again and the Hirogen. It included an ultra-rare Reginald Barclay inserted into the expansion packs. The expansion was sold in 11-card expansion packs.
Holodeck Adventures (release: December 21, 2001) Holodeck Adventures was a 131-card set that expanded on the Holograms that have been available since the Premier set. It included an ultra-rare Jean-Luc Picard as Dixon Hill inserted into the expansion packs. The expansion was sold in 11-card expansion packs. The name of the set itself was originally the fourth full set before the original license was expanded and the set was created with that nostalgia in mind as it had links to Q Continuum.
The Motion Pictures (release: April 17, 2001) The 131 cards in The Motion Pictures featured all nine of the Star Trek movies available at the time and the Voyager episode "Flashback", which ties in to Star Trek VI: the Undiscovered Country. It included an ultra-rare 24th-century James T. Kirk inserted into the expansion packs. The expansion was sold in 11-card expansion packs. This was also the last set released before the announcement of the end of the game and the move to 2E.
All Good Things (release: July 9, 2003) All Good Things featured 41 new cards that provided new gameplay and mend the so-called "broken links" in the first edition – cards that were referenced directly or indirectly on other cards but had not yet been released. The "anthology-style" collector's box included ten Reflections expansion packs, a Starter Deck II, the U.S.S. Jupiter premium card, and a comprehensive card list. The name of the set itself comes from the last episode of The Next Generation and was the proposed last set of the game before the license expanded.
Enterprise Collection (release: ??, 2006) With the inclusion of Star Trek: Enterprise in 2E, it was felt that 1E players should be able to have the tools necessary to play as that affiliation too. This set of 18 cards (and a supply of First Edition compatible cards from 2E) was intended to make that possible. The cards were sold exclusively from Decipher's website.
Genesis (release: ??, 2006) Genesis was a 27-card expansion that has the distinction of being the only completely First Edition compatible set in 2E. Each card was designed to work in both versions of the game, with varying degrees of success. The cards were sold exclusively from Decipher's website.
[edit] First Edition's problems
Some of Decipher's concerns included the complexity and bloat that the game had built over seven years; there was no balanced 'cost' system for cards, causing stopgap and complex systems to be added to the game over time. As well, the game had embraced many different and not fully compatible ideas over time; this made for long, corrective rules documents and a steep learning curve for beginners. In addition, the number of cards types went from nine to over seventeen in just a couple years, which made the game much more difficult to learn.
[edit] Initial ideas
At first, the game designers sought to introduce an entire new game based on Star Trek; it would be simpler and be targeted to beginners, while the original game still produced expansions, but on a slower schedule. This concept was abandoned when the sales figures showed that the original game could not continue on its own merits.
[edit] Second Edition
| Star Trek Customizable Card Game (2nd Edition) | |
|---|---|
| Designer | Evan Lorentz and Brad Defruiter |
| Publisher | Decipher, Inc. |
| Players | 2+ |
| Age range | 8 and up |
| Setup time | < 1 minute |
| Playing time | 1 hour |
| Random chance | Medium |
| Skills required | Deck optimization, Planning, Strategy |
The solution was to reinvent the original game along the basic lines, still allowing a depth of gameplay but avoiding complex rules and concepts. The standard card types and gameplay would remain, allowing some new cards to be used with the original cards, known as backward-compatible cards, or First Edition Compatible (abbreviated as 1EC) and attempting to satisfy longstanding fans of the original game. These cards are able to be used in First Edition gameplay, though some key words need to be changed to fit the First Edition's old rules and setup. Further information on how to use Second Edition cards in First Edition gameplay are listed in the First Edition Conversion Rules. Many cards central to the new form of the game can only conform to the new rules and setup. Second Edition, commonly abbreviated "2E", was launched in 2002, and came to a close with its final expansion in December, 2007.[1]
Because the game was essentially starting from scratch with the hindsight of seven years' work, the initial Second Edition set was able to progress quickly. As a result, six affiliations debuted in that set compared to three for the original. It could be argued that the number was really seven, because of a unique new system that divided the Federation affiliation into groupings based on the shows' casts. The focus of the Second Edition sets has been on characters and situations in The Next Generation and Deep Space 9, though 'supporting' cards have images and concepts drawn from every part of the canon Star Trek universe. Furthermore, the scope of each card type could be realized in the early planning and a permanent seven card types were created: dilemmas, equipment, events, interrupts, missions, personnel, and ships. Decks would consist of five missions, at least twenty dilemmas in a dilemma pile (see below) and at least thirty-five cards made up of the other five card types.
[edit] Cost/Resources
One major difference in Second Edition was the addition of a cost system to equipment, events, personnel, and ships. A card's cost is listed in the top left-hand corner of a card, directly preceding the card's title as a single digit number (currently anywhere from 0 to 9). A player receives seven 'counters' at the beginning of each turn; to play a card, the player must spend a number of counters equal to the cost of the card. Only interrupts (of the card types in a player's deck) do not have a cost and are treated as 0-cost.
[edit] Dilemma pile
Another major change in the gameplay of Second Edition was the new method of handling dilemmas. Instead of using First Edition's lengthy procedure of a 'seed phase', which could last upwards of 15 minutes, Second Edition employs an 'on-the-fly' method for constructing dilemma combinations. Whereas a First Edition player was constrained to using the same dilemmas in each game of a tournament, the Second Edition player has a side deck, or 'dilemma pile' from which to draw a random selection of dilemmas based on the number of personnel the opponent uses in a given mission attempt. This concept is similar to First Edition's Q-Flash side deck, and also to a rules variant of First Edition introduced by a group of players from the San Francisco area called 'Trek 1.5'. This more dynamic method of selecting dilemmas is dependent on a player's ability to remember which personnel his/her opponent has played and their ability to satisfy a dilemma's requirements.
[edit] Gameplay considerations
While First Edition attempted to sometimes literally represent instances from the Star Trek universe in the game, Second Edition has focused more on a consistency of gameplay as a priority over design consideration with regard to remaining faithful to the source material. Effects on cards sometimes lack the "Trek sense" that First Edition cards contained and can be purely conceptual, but are generally much more equitable when compared with other similarly costed effects.
[edit] Affiliation uniqueness
The affiliations found in Second Edition all follow rules that give them focus and distinguish them from one another, unlike most of the affiliations in First Edition. Playing an affiliation in Second Edition feels more like that affiliation than First Edition, given the themes.
Bajorans are religious and think about how the past affects their lives.[2] This gives them strengths in one of the game's three attributes: Integrity. They can also manipulate the discard pile (conceptually, what has passed on).[3]
Borg are half-mechanical lifeforms that use their superior numbers to overcome resistance and even make an enemy into one of their mindless number.[4] This is represented by a number of abilities that manipulate decks and ignore or otherwise force through dilemmas. They also are very effective in taking over another player's resources, including their personnel. They do not work with any other affiliation.[5]
Cardassians are wasteful in their pursuits of resources and can make great use of political prisoners.[6] This is shown in a variety of drawing mechanisms, which allow players to find cards they want faster at a cost of discarding others. Also, they are the best at holding an opponent's personnel for gain.[7]
The Dominion are a hierarchal society that, as the name implies, dominates other societies. They are conceived in the game as a kind of anti-Federation (see below) and often hurt all players to further their goals. Their personnel are usually Jem'Hadar, who act as shock-troopers and are treated as disposable, Vorta, who act as commanders and diplomats, and Changelings, who are the overall leaders of the Dominion, are protected at all costs, and often use their shape-shifting abilities to infiltrate an opponent's personnel, often meddling with their progress.
The Federation focus on cooperation and mutual advancement and work to better themselves. In gameplay, their effects often help all players, but planning for this allows a player to take a larger advantage than his or her opponent who does not have advanced warning. Their personnel are often the best individuals in the game, but most effects cost a little more to achieve. Each reporting icon (see below) has other themes unique to their show.
The Ferengi are the greedy capitalist of the future, but are mostly weak in each of the attributes. This is achieved in the game by giving them bonuses in almost all areas simply by having more of some resource than an opponent. Also, they will horde their resources by stacking cards beneath their headquarters mission, using those resources to great effect later.
Non-Aligned personnel are a catch-all affiliation for personnel that do not fit in one of the other affiliations.
Klingons are brutal, but honorable warriors. They can achieve their goals by fighting an opponent either ship to ship or personnel to personnel. The average Klingon has a high Strength, which is one of the three attributes used by the game.
Romulans prefer espionage and sneaky tactics as opposed to direct confrontation. This is realized in the game by manipulating another player's deck, hand, and other resources. Rarely do they affect cards already in play, but they can mess with an opponent's ongoing attempts to score points.
Starfleet is based on the pre-Federation days as depicted in Star Trek: Enterprise. The humans in this era are eager to get out into space and get bonuses for completing a space mission first. As a result, they can be slow to start, but then can easily make up time.
[edit] Reporting icons
One aspect of affiliation uniqueness that Second Edition has continued is specialized reporting icons. While not a new idea (First Edition's Mirror, Mirror set first featured Empire and Alliance icons for affiliated personnel and ships), Second Edition's widespread utilization of the icon as a cultural identifier has allowed designers to introduce support cards that better represent the various Trek shows' themes. This is the primary tool to divide the Federation affiliation into separate groups (The Original Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space 9, and Voyager each have an icon representing their personnel and ships). Other likeminded groups can have these icons as well; the Maquis incorporate members of four different affiliations into their arsenal, while the Terok Nor personnel and ships represent the brief period of Cardassian/Dominion command of Deep Space 9.
[edit] Releases
1. 2E Premier (release: ??, 2002) The 2E premier was a 415-card introduction into the new mechanics of the restarted game. It introduced the affiliations of the Bajorans, Cardassians, Federation (with Deep Space 9, The Next Generation, and Earth factions), Klingons, Non-Aligned, and Romulan. The cards were sold in Deep Space 9, Klingon, Romulan, and The Next Generation starter decks, which were pre-constructed to allow a player to have a playable deck right away, and in 11-card expansion packs.
2. Energize (release: ??, 2003) Energize consisted of 180 cards intended to jumpstart the game from the premier. It introduced the Federation faction of the Maquis and expanded the core play of the game. The cards were sold in 11-card expansion packs.
3. Call to Arms (release: ??, 2003) Call to Arms was a double-sized set at 208 cards. It introduced the affiliations of the Borg, Dominion, and the Ferengi (although the Ferengi consisted only of two cards that played with the Terok Nor faction of both the Cardassians and the Dominion; the full Ferengi affiliation would be released two years later in Strange New Worlds). The cards were sold in Borg and Dominion starter decks, which were pre-constructed to allow a player to have a playable deck right away, and in 11-card expansion packs.
4. Necessary Evil (release: ??, 2004) Necessary Evil finally established the standard expansion size as 120 cards. Gameplay included personnel crossing affiliation lines and paying larger costs (including losing points and hurting future chances at stopping an opponent with dilemmas with a new keyword (Consume)) for bigger effects. This set also began a tradition of foiling a select eighteen rares and inserting them into one of every seven packs. The foil cards were further made important as 2004 was the 10th anniversary of Star Trek CCG, so a special Tenth Anniversary icon was added to the corner of these foils. The cards were sold in 11-card expansion packs. The set unfortunately suffered from a small print run and became a rare commodity. Efforts were made in Reflections 2.0 to offset this problem of unavailability.
0. Tenth Anniversary Collection (release: ?? 2004) This set was a foiled promotional collection of eighteen unique ships and commanders. It was labeled with a set number of 0, which is otherwise associated with reprints of various cards with alternate images, as foils, and/or labeled with the promotion in place of the cards' otherwise descriptive, but non-gameplay related lore. The cards themselves were numbered 6 through 23, as five promotional cards had already been printed, and continued the declaration that all foils printed in 2004 would carry the Tenth Anniversary logo. This set, however, does include the last of the cards with that icon, even though Reflections 2.0 also had foil cards in 2004. The collection itself was later reprinted without the Tenth Anniversary logo and numbered 54 through 71. The cards were originally given away with a recommended $3.00 purchase of other Star Trek CCG products, one pair at a time, over a period of nine weeks. The reprints were available for purchase on the Decipher website.
5. Fractured Time (release: ??, 2004) Fractured Time was a 40-card boutique product that introduced events that had an effect over time by use of a new keyword (Decay) and concepts involving alternate timelines, which the Star Trek universe has often called upon, including the first cards from the Mirror Universe that would eventually be revisited in three years with In a Mirror, Darkly. The cards were sold as a complete set in boxes, complete with the icons of six different affiliations, designed to carry decks. The boxes also included a starter deck and some expansion packs from previous releases with the expectation that the game could be played right out of the box in a sealed tournament format.
6. Reflections 2.0 (release: ??, 2004) Reflections 2.0 introduced 61 new foil cards to the game and 60 foil reprinted cards from 2E Premier, Energize, Call to Arms, and most importantly, Necessary Evil. The set featured cards that attempted to entice affiliations to try different missions, as mission selection among top decks had become fairly static. The cards were sold in 20-card expansion packs, which included two of the foiled cards and eighteen random cards from past expansions, including Necessary Evil.
7. Strange New Worlds (release: ??, 2005) Strange New Worlds continued the standard expansion size of 120 cards. It introduced the full affiliation of the Ferengi. Gameplay included a personnel for each affiliation that further took advantage of alternate mission selection, like the personnel in Reflections 2.0. This set's eighteen-card foiled subset was the first to be called an archive foil subset and was numbered separately. In addition, two archive portrait cards were put in one out of every eighteen packs, featuring a larger picture area and restricted gameplay for upcoming cards. The archive foils in this expansion featured two female characters that male fans had historically liked: Seven of Nine (previewing the upcoming Voyager faction of the Federation) and T'Pol (previewing the upcoming Starfleet affiliation). The cards were sold in 11-card expansion packs. The set unfortunately suffered a stalled release date.
Adversaries Anthology (release: ??, 2005) The Adversaries Anthology was a collection of eighteen of the most popular Star Trek problems, enemies, and their ships in the game reprinted as foils. The archive foils in this set featured two movie villains: the Borg Queen and Shinzon. The cards were sold in a large card storage box.
8. To Boldly Go (release: ??, 2005) To Boldly Go was another full 120-card expansion. It introduced the affiliation of Starfleet, the pre-Federation crew from Enterprise as the last full affiliation to be introduced in the game. Gameplay included affiliation-specific dilemmas and reusable events utilizing a new keyword (Replicate). The archive foils in this set featured two show captains: James T. Kirk (previewing the upcoming Original Series faction of the Federation) and Kathryn Janeway (previewing the upcoming Voyager faction of the Federation) . The cards were sold in 11-card expansion packs.
9. Dangerous Missions (release: ??, 2006) Dangerous Missions was another attempt at making the Star Trek CCG draftable. In other words, players could make decks within a small pool of sealed cards and play. New rules were developed to make the game slightly smaller in scope to adjust for limited resources, including the allowance of a secondary affiliation that would supplement the one sponsored by the product. This draft method remains a sanctioned format. The set consists of nineteen cards broken up into three different boxes, each focusing on an episode or movie for featured personnel, ships, and missions. They also included one unique dilemma and one shared by all three boxes. The boxes also contained Reflections 2.0 packs and three packs from expansions.
10. Captain's Log (release: ??, 2006) Captain's Log was another full 120-card expansion. It introduced the Federation faction of Voyager, which began with a unique ability to have an all-space deck. Gameplay included strategies based on having the right commander aboard his or her ship and following the opponent around. The archive foils in this set harkened back to the original archive foils and featured two beautiful women: Charvanek (previewing the upcoming Original Series Romulans) and Hoshi Sato (previewing more content from the Mirror Universe from the popular Enterprise Mirror Universe episode "In a Mirror, Darkly" (part II)). The cards were sold in 11-card expansion packs.
11. Genesis (release: ??, 2006) Genesis was a 27-card expansion that has the distinction of being the only completely First Edition compatible set in 2E. Each card was designed to work in both versions of the game, with varying degrees of success and introduced the first Original Series personnel and the ability to have an all-planet deck. The cards were sold exclusively from Decipher's website.
12. These Are The Voyages (release: ??, 2007) These Are the Voyages was another full 120-card expansion. It introduced the Federation faction of The Original Series. Gameplay included the new faction's ability to upgrade by paying more for enhanced abilities, dilemmas based entirely on The Original Series (specifically the slide show images at the end of the classic episodes), and new strategies with The Original Series' main enemies: the Klingons and the Romulans. The archive foils in this set featured two more beautiful women: Persis and T'Pol (previewing more content from the Mirror Universe from the popular Enterprise Mirror Universe episode "In a Mirror, Darkly"). The cards were sold in 11-card expansion packs.
13. In A Mirror, Darkly (release: ??, 2007) In a Mirror, Darkly was another full 120-card expansion. Gameplay included cards named after each of the previous releases, more Mirror Universe content, and alternate versions of other personnel who had not been featured in the Mirror Universe, including a battleship version of The Next Generation crew from "Yesterday's Enterprise" and an historically inaccurate Voyager crew from "Living Witness". The archive foils in this set featured two more beautiful women: Hoshi Sato on a dilemma called Stripped Down and Neras. The cards were sold in 11-card expansion packs.
14. What You Leave Behind (release: ??, 2007) What You Leave Behind was the last full 120-card expansion. Gameplay included finishing some incomplete themes in the game so far, bonuses for attempting harder missions, and multiple versions of ships telling the story of those ships being commandeered. The cards were sold in 11-card expansion packs. The name of the set itself comes from the last episode of Deep Space 9.
[edit] The Continuing Committee
On December 5, 2007, Decipher announced that it would no longer be releasing new sets or officially supporting the game.[8] A group of players[9] came together and began work on The Continuing Committee. The name itself comes from the Romulan Continuing Committee, introduced in Deep Space 9, as the name was appropriate for the non-profit work being proposed. Since then, most of the game's faithful community has moved its activities to the new site and work has gone into producing "virtual sets" of cards to provide continuous new blood to the game. These activities are not unprecedented, as another Decipher game, the Star Wars Customizable Card Game had ended its run in January 2002 and had established its own players' committee to deal with the same type of issues. While the Star Wars Players' Committee was introduced by Decipher, the Continuing Committee was not, but the CEO of Decipher has reportedly endorsed its stated goal of support for both versions of the game, though not through official channels.
One of the most positive reactions from the game's community has been the improvement of timely responses to questions and suggestions. Many problems that players found lacking when the system was run by a company could be solved more quickly by volunteer players who shared the goal of a responsive and active community.
[edit] Releases
15. The Undiscovered Country (planned release: May 9, 2008) The Undiscovered Country is a 45-card expansion that focuses on a solid first virtual expansion for Star Trek CCG 2E. Gameplay features cards dealing with the bottom of the deck as a resource and a major portion of the images come from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.)
[edit] Notes
[edit] External links
- Decipher web site
- Second Edition homepage
- First Edition homepage
- Garak's Star Trek CCG DataBase
- Star Trek CCG Online Database & DeckPADD
- Official European Championships 2007 Website
- 1ELives.com - Independent Star Trek CCG 1st Edition fan site with current information, deck designs and some card images.
- The Continuing Committee
- Online game play from LackeyCCG
