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The History of Star Trek CCG: Second Edition

Updated April 23, 2004 "A vibrant new look, rapid-fire startup, and streamlined rules. A whole new universe of possibilities begins with this complete revision of the Star Trek CCG. Create your own adventures with memorable images from the first four television programs and series of feature films, including Star Trek Nemesis." – Booster pack copy. Released December 18, 2002 Foil subset: April 2003 Design Team Brad DeFruiter, Evan Lorentz, Tim Ellington Developers Geoff Snider, Brian Kallenbach Product Configuration 415 cards (121 R - 121 U - 121 C - 52 S) S = found only in starter decks Four different 63-card starter decks (3 random rares + 60 fixed cards + rulebook) 11-card expansion packs (1 R - 3 U - 7 C) 30 expansion packs per booster display 8 starter decks (2 of each) + 24 booster packs per combo display No starter-only displays 9-card foil subset (produced and distributed separately) New Mechanics Play costs for non-interrupt cards; dilemma pile; no seeding; headquarters missions with no separate facilities. New Features Federation spilt into "sub-affiliations" such as Next Generation and Deep Space 9 using icons. Minimal setup; unloaded keywords; heavy use of quotes for lore; single text box for more flexibility in game text length; designed for multiple-player games; complete collector info on cards, including a set number instead of an icon. Highlights All-new card templates. Federation, Klingon, Romulan, Bajoran, and Cardassian affiliations, each with specific themes, strengths, weaknesses, plus Non-aligned cards. Next Generation, Deep Space 9, Klingon, and Romulan starter decks. 200 First Edition-compatible cards. First "combo display" boxes. 9-card foil subset released in April 2003 for tournament support and retail incentive.

Click on the image to see all the packaging

Factoids

• Unlike First Edition, where skills were placed in the limited game text area however they would best fit (and usually, to allow the skill dots to line up), Second Edition personnel skills are always in alphabetical order. So, no dilemmas that affect "first-listed skills" are allowed, as they would have a disproportionate effect on skills like Archaeology and Anthropology! In addition, mission requirements are also alphabetized, with attribute requirements placed after the skills, followed by any requirement with an alternative, such as (Honor or Treachery).
• And did you notice that the affiliation icons on the missions are also in alphabetical order?
• Andrea Brand's first name came from the script, although it was never mentioned on-screen.
• Second Edition was the first Star Trek CCG set to run an "insider's info" listserv. Kyle Heuer wrote most of the emails.
• Second Edition pared down the wildly proliferating 1E card types to just seven: Dilemma, Equipment, Event, Interrupt, Mission, Personnel, and Ship.

Notable First Edition/Second Edition Card "Counterparts"

Everyone knows that all the bridge crew and many other big-wig characters have "counterparts" in Second Edition, but what about some of the other card types? Some missions didn't change all that much – Hunt for DNA Program, for example, is remarkably similar to its 1E version – but a major shift in mission design philosophy meant that a lot of "old" mission requirements didn't fit into 2E at all. Specifically, all missions now include an attribute total high enough to prevent red-shirting (important when the number of dilemmas depends on the number of personnel attempting!), so the days of missions solvable by one or two key personnel with no other assiatnce are over. Case in point: Wormhole Negotiations, which in 1E could be solved with multiples of a single skill -- Diplomacy, Honor, or Treachery, take your pick according to your affiliation's strengths – and just how hard was it to come by two super-Honorable or super-Treacherous personnel? Not nearly heavy enough a requirement for 45 points in 2E, so its been beefed up with Cunning>42 and more diverse skills requirements, as well as improved storyline in both the requirements and the affiliations that can attempt it.

Amanda Rogers also demonstrates a design philosophy shift between First and Second Edition. While still an interrupt (and thus "no cost" in terms of play/draw "counters"), the new Amanda Rogers is not at all free – she'll cost you 5 points for each one played, and like all 2E cards is limited to three copies in your deck, forcing you to be a bit more discriminating about what you're willing to cancel. Oh, yes, and she's rare now.

The lowly common equipment card, such as the Romulan Disruptor, has undergone a number of subtle and not-so-subtle changes in Second Edition. Aside from an image that doesn't scream "prop shot", the new version boasts a more definitive name that isn't likely to ever be confused with a Romulan Disruptor Rifle (as in, "is a Disruptor Rifle a Disruptor?"), "Hand Weapon" as a keyword that will never have to defined (as in, "any card whose title or lore indicate that it is a phaser, disruptor, or hand weapon"), an unmistakable statement that it affects only Romulan affiliation, not species (without using the vague term "use"), and perhaps most important, an unequivocal description of what it does, limiting its effect to combat only.

Finally, a not-so-well known – but well-used in First Edition decks, especially by non-Federation decks – character finally gets her due in Second Edition. Ocett, one of the hapless "Non-aligned Cardassians" from 1E Premiere, made before a Cardassian affiliation was conceived of, unable to staff a Cardassian ship, and for a while (until a rules change) unable even to "use" Cardassian equipment cards, at long last gets her purple-bordered Cardassian-affiliation persona, an actual ship to command, and a better skill set and image. And look, she's 1E compatible!

Links

Second Edition Expansion Page
Second Edition Rulebook (PDF) (Caution: this rulebook has been superceded by the Call to Arms rulebook and has been included here only for purposes of nostalgia! Rulebook includes collector's card list.)
First Edition Conversion Rules (Caution: this is an early edition of the conversion rules and should not be used for gameplay! Visit the rules page for the current conversion rules.)
Card list (HTML)
Starter deck card lists
Spoiler list (PDF)
Packaging
Foil subset