March 2010

Test Your Knowledge and Experience, March 2010 by James Hoskin, Staff Writer • March 10th Why not take ten minutes out of your busy schedule to complete a Star Trek CCG quiz ... for fun?

Phase II: The Xavier Project by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • March 8th Today, the Federation Team and the Borg Team set out on a grand journey - to design and build their own Virtual Expansions. But don't worry - it will be done piece by piece.

Meet Your New Teams! by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • March 7th The Borg Team will try to assimilate the Federation Team, who is sure to resist with all of their strength!

Phase I Ends With Challenge #4 Results by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • March 5th The Bajoran and Romulan teams win a third challenge each to end Phase I.

Outside the Cube by Kevin Jaeger, Creative Consultant • March 4th Whenever you feel like you are getting bored playing the "same old, same old" or you just don't want to play Tier 1, I suggest giving yourself a mandate to do something atypical. Think outside the cube.

European Championship 2010 to be Held in ... Your Country? by Thomas Schneider, European OP Coordinator • March 4th The European Championship is looking for a new home. Can you offer it?

What's in a Regional Kit? by Dan Hamman, Shipping Manager • March 2nd The 2010 Regional kits will be shipping to all approved tournament directors soon. Here are the contents!

Updated Current Rulings by Charlie Plaine, Member of the Rules Committee • March 1st Today's update of the Second Edition Current Rulings Document addresses several lingering issues, including abilities, and clarification of mission/dilemma interactions. A number of new cards receive errata.

Challenge #4: Votes Needed! by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • March 1st Which episode was your favorite? Find out which episodes the teams chose -- and which cards they wrote -- then share your opinions and cast your votes!

February 2010

2010 Australian Continentals in Sydney this July! by Matthyas Kiraly, Australian OP Coordinator • February 27th Sydney will play host to both First Edition and Second Edition Australian Continental Championships in July!

Regional Championships Series 2010 Schedule by James Hoskin, Director of Organized Play • February 26th Find out where you can take part in a 2010 Regional Championships Series tournament.

Five Fever, Front Line Winner by Nathan Wineinger, Staff Writer • February 26th "They're greedy, misogynistic, untrustworthy, little trolls, and I wouldn't turn my back on one of them for a second." "Neither would I. But once you accept that, you'll find they can be a lot of fun."

Second Edition Official Rulings by Darren Lacoste, Editor in Chief • February 26th The home for Second Edition Official Rulings has changed several times recently. The latest such home has been added to the Site Index.

Open Call For Writers by Darren Lacoste, Editor in Chief • February 23rd First and Second Edition Writing Teams' Open Call For Writers

Challenge #3 Results & Challenge #4 by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • February 22nd Two more talented contestants have had to say their goodbyes, and the newest challenges awaits the teams.

Challenge #3: Your Votes Needed by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • February 16th The teams have selected their keywords and submitted their events - how did they do? Help us decide!

Reminder: Regional Applications Due by February 21st by James Hoskin, Director of Organized Play • February 15th There are less than seven days until the deadline for 2010 Regional applications passes.

Challenge #3: The Word is the Key by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • February 9th Contestants must work with keywords in this Event-based challenge.

Challenge #2: Eliminations by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • February 9th The unfortunate duty of eliminating two more contestants has befallen the judges once again. Find out who they (regretfully) eliminated.

Challenge #2: Your Votes Needed by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • February 4th Will the Cardassians or the Klingons get revenge against their enemies? Or will the Bajorans and the Romulans advance their lead? You can help us decide!

January 2010

Maintanence complete by Chris Lobban, Chief Programmer • January 30th All done.

Challenge #2: The Mission Mission by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • January 29th Teams must design missions for the six weakest affiliations or sub-affiliations in the game.

Website Maintanence by Chris Lobban, Chief Programmer • January 29th Upcoming Maintanence on the website

Challenge #1: Eliminations by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • January 28th Find out which Cardassian and which Klingon will not be proceeding forward, as eliminations from Challenge #1 are now complete.

Challenge #1: Results by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • January 27th The Bajorans crushed the Cardassians, while the Romulans narrowly defeated the Klingons. Find out more of what happened with the first Make it So challenge!

Regional Championships Series 2010 by James Hoskin, Director of Organized Play • January 26th Reigning World Champions Franklin Kenter (First Edition) and Neil Timmons (Second Edition) may have only been crowned five months ago, but that doesn't mean you can't start thinking about usurping their thrones next year. The Road to Worlds 2010 starts here...

Challenge #1: The Dual Dilemma Dilemma by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • January 19th Last week, the four teams were given their first challenge: to make the use of dual dilemmas a riskier proposition. Today, you will see their results, and get the chance to comment on and question their entries.

Organized Play Guide Update by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • January 11th The Organized Play Guide for both editions has been updated.

New CRD Released by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • January 4th The first CRD of 2010 is released, clarifying the timing on mission solving and correcting an Allegiance error.

The Genial Captain by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • January 1st The contestants of Make It So were asked to create a card that could be given away to new players. Take a look at the card we've designed for the same purpose.

December 2009

Make It So: Introducing Team Romulan by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • December 31st The final team for Make It So, the Romulans, will face off against the Klingons when Make It So begins in 2010!

Make It So: Meet the Klingons by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • December 30th The Klingons prepare to enter battle, as the third team to participate in 2010's Make It So competition!

Make It So: Enter the Cardassians by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • December 29th Waiting to compete against Team Bajorans, the second of four teams competing in 2010's Make It So is Team Cardassia!

Forging The Empire: A Starfleet Battle Deck by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • December 28th Imagine a fleet of NX class starships imposing the will of humanity across the galaxy...

Make It So: The Bajorans Begin by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • December 28th This week, meet the contestants for 2010's Make It So competition, starting with the Bajoran Team!

Happy Holidays by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • December 25th Enjoy the holidays with some games of Star Trek!

Allegiance: Virtual Release Promos by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • December 25th Even though our store is down, we didn't want you to miss out on the fun of a release kit!

Declare Your Allegiance! by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • December 25th Allegiance, the sixth virtual expansion from The Continuing Committee, is now available for download.

4th Annual New Year's Day Charity Draft by Kris Sonsteby, Freelance Writer • December 22nd T2E Entertainment and the greater Minnesota 'trek player base are proud to present the 4th Annual New Year's Day Charity Draft Tournament to benefit the Twin Cities Chapter of Feed My Starving Children. Read on for full details about how you can rock it with The Big Goodbye and the rest of our "orange hat" brethren this New Year's Day at OP2K!

Rule of Acquisition #52 by Kevin Jaeger, Creative Consultant • December 21st The past Ferengi that appeared in the Enterprise episode "Acquisition" were definitely followers of the 52nd Rule of Acquisition - "Never ask when you can take." By working together, they can take "the direct approach.

Allegiance: A New Archer by Johannes Klarhauser, Staff Writer • December 18th An Alien/Human/Ikaaran personnel completes the Starfleet team in Allegiance. Is she worth playing?

The Next Wave of Printable Proxies by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • December 18th Now it will be even easier for new and returning players to participate in tournaments as we roll out even more 2E printable proxies.

Allegiance: A New Captain of the Enterprise by Johannes Klarhauser, Staff Writer • December 16th What would a ship be without a Commander? Find out more about Captain Lorian and the new Starfleet mechanics in Allegiance.

Allegiance: A New Future Enterprise by Johannes Klarhauser, Staff Writer • December 14th In Second Edition, things are different. This time, the Future Enterprise is actually from the past.

Allegiance: Kirk and His Enterprise by James Hoskin, Staff Writer • December 11th Completing the week of text spoilers from the 1979 film Star Trek: The Motion Picture, here is a picture (without the actual pictures) of the Admiral and his ship. Then, an idea for a deck to make use of the whole Motion Picture team from Allegiance.

Allegiance: Old Faces on the Enterprise by James Hoskin, Staff Writer • December 9th Monday's text spoilers showed the new faces on the Enterprise. Now, let's take a look at (well, almost take a look at) two of the old faces from the 1979 film Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

Update: 2009 US West National Championship by David Kuck, North American OP Coordinator • December 9th The 2009 US West National Championship is changing dates.

Jolan Tru Article Series: Strategema's Bane by Austin Chandler, Staff Writer • December 8th This is the beginning of a regular article series about card extras, strategy, and deck design. In this article, we discuss dealing with an opponent's Strategema card.

Chase the Can to Iraq by Tyler Fultz, Officer-In-Charge of Forward Deployed Trek Operations • December 8th While you're playing Trek this Holiday season, why not do some good, too?

Allegiance: New Faces on the Enterprise by James Hoskin, Staff Writer • December 7th Is there a better way to start the week than with spoilers? This week you'll get to see (well, almost see) the team from the 1979 film Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

Team Deathmatch: Equinox vs. DS9 by Kevin Jaeger, Creative Consultant • December 7th You heard about it. You've been eagerly anticipating it with bated breath. Now here it is, possibly the first in a series depending on if team TOS and/or Team Starfleet and/or Team Ferengi have the guts. LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!

2009 North American National Championships by David Kuck, North American OP Coordinator • December 3rd The Continuing Committee is pleased to announce the "2009" United States National Championships!

"If I Were Federation Commander..." Part II by Kevin Jaeger, Creative Consultant • December 1st In Part I of this article, you were teased with hints of a new O'Brien, you got to see a great new Quark, you found out that there -- sadly -- isn't a new Jadzia, and together, we got the first part of the deck built before coming "Under Siege." In Part II, we will finish the deck, see the rest of Team DS9, and throw down a Gauntlet.

November 2009

"If I Were Federation Commander..." Part I by Kevin Jaeger, Creative Consultant • November 30th If you are someone who desperately wishes the Deep Space 9 faction had more competitive deck designs, then you need to read this two-part 'article with decklist' piece. If you just want more information on "Allegiance", you should read this article. If you are looking to save money on car insurance, get lost. Brad's opinion notwithstanding, this is a great article. :)

Allegiance: Anything to Get Home by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • November 27th Check out the rest of the Equinox crew, and see how they work in action.

Allegiance: Reloading by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • November 24th Find out how the Equinox personnel get the things they need, and keep the engines burning hot on their quest to get home.

Allegiance: Fuel For the Fire by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • November 23rd Learn all about the crew of the U.S.S. Equinox and just how far they are willing to go to get home.

Allegiance: Lots of Little Pieces by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • November 20th Find out some of the history and some of the contents of the upcoming virtual expansion, Allegiance.

Worlds 2010. Germany. Be There. But Where? by Johannes Klarhauser, Staff Writer • November 18th The 2010 World Championship will be held in Europe, and in particular, Germany. We'd like to know where in Germany you would like it to be held. Read on, and express your opinion when you're done.

Virtual Promo Update by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • November 15th Find out about many of the missing virtual promos with today's update.

Virtual Format Play by Torbjörn Lindquist, Freelance Writer • November 12th Virtual format is a good format for getting new players into the game since all players are on an equal footing when it comes to card availability. It is also a bit of a challenge to build good decks with limited card availability.

Giving Your Starter a Boost (Part 2) by Keith "Foreman" Morris, Freelance Writer • November 11th Keith brings us Part 2 of his article on how to improve your starter decks... virtually.

Giving Your Starter a Boost (Part 1) by Keith "Foreman" Morris, Freelance Writer • November 10th So, you got your hands on a starter of Star Trek CCG, and played a few games, and now you are ready to start building your own decks... but you're not sure your budget can handle buying a lot of cards. Read this article to get some advice on using virtual cards to give your starters a boost.

New Icons for First Edition by Seth Claybrook • November 9th New icons on First Edition cards? Here is a quick briefing on these latest additions to the game.

DeckPADD 1.7.6 Now Available by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • November 8th The long awaited updated for DeckPADD featuring the cards from This Side of Paradise also features all the cards from The 15th Anniversary Collection.

Fifteen Years and The Best is Yet to Come by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • November 6th Today we celebrate fifteen years together, with the release of The 15th Anniversary Collection and some big news about the future.

Changeling Infiltrator by Kevin Jaeger, Creative Consultant • November 5th The best person to pose as is someone who can't possibly expose you as a fraud. So let's get back to the good old days of impersonating captives.

The Best Evek Yet by Kevin Jaeger, Creative Consultant • November 3rd Forget all those other Eveks. This is the one you will play with. I guarantee it. You will consider playing Cardassians in high-level play again because of this Evek. I guarantee that, too.

Benjamin Sisko - Traumatized by the Borg by Austin Chandler, Staff Writer • November 2nd We all remember the Next Generation episode where Locutus stole our hearts, probably the most evil thing ever done to a Star Trek character. That episode inspired the background for Benjamin Sisko. It's fitting that this persona is in the XV set alongside the persona of Picard just rescued from the collective.

October 2009

I.K.C. Qam-Chee - Fat Chancellor's Sleigh by Austin Chandler, Staff Writer • October 30th Do we really need another Klingon Vor'cha Ship? Some of you might think that we do. I'd feel the same if I was told there was a new Romulan D'deridex coming out. However, this is a Chancellor's Warship and it's totally tricked out.

Legacy - Left Behind and Repressed Message by James Hoskin, Assistant Designer • October 29th Tales from one small part of the Legacy design team.

K'mpec: The Fat Chancellor by Austin Chandler, Staff Writer • October 28th K'mpec from the Premiere set turned out to be pretty decent to use 'til now. He's a Chancellor, valid for Assign Mission Specialists, and generally a good two-skill personnel. In the XV Set, he gets the full treatment to make him worthy of any Klingon Deck.

Legacy - Memories of the Early Years by Chris Lobban, Assistant Designer • October 27th When asked to design a card to celebrate 15 years, what did I look to?

Exocomp by Johannes Klarhauser, Staff Writer • October 27th Doing dirty work for others since 2369.

Captain Kirk and His True Love by Austin Chandler, Staff Writer • October 27th What would Captain Kirk be without the Starship Enterprise? It's like peanut butter without the jelly, or cream cheese without bagels. So how could this article be complete without reviewing both of these new virtual cards?

Are You Ready to Make It So? by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • October 23rd Do you have what it takes to become The Next Assistant Game Designer? Find out!

15th Anniversary Collection: Chain of Command by Seth Claybrook, First Edition Graphic Designer • October 23rd Chain of Command is the first set of brand new virtual cards for First Edition. Each card features artwork that extends beyond the image box. Read on to find out clues about the forthcoming cards...

Kathryn Janeway, Before She Got Lost by Austin Chandler, Staff Writer • October 23rd Everyone remembers that first episode of Voyager. Now you can relive it again by playing the Captain Janeway based on that episode.

Shinzon: The Picard That Became a Reman by Austin Chandler, Staff Writer • October 22nd First Edition gets Shinzon as part of The Continuing Committee's XV Set entitled "Chain of Command." This card will change the way you build your Romulan Deck. Amazing what a poor little rejected clone of a Federation Captain was able to do.

The Scimitar: The Reman Answer to Every Other Ship by Austin Chandler, Staff Writer • October 22nd Flagship of the General Shinzon who led the Reman forces. You'll want this ship to lead your forces as well once you see what it can do for your deck.

15th Anniversary Release Kits Now Available by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • October 19th Tournament directors that have run at least one sanctioned tournament may purchase the release kit for The 15th Anniversary Collection.

The 15th Anniversary Collection by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • October 16th The 15th Anniversary Collection arrives on Friday, November 6, 2009.

Project Gratitude by Charlie Plaine, Chairman • October 14th November brings us the 15th Anniversary of the Star Trek CCG. Help us express our thanks to those that brought us together and showed us how to expand our power in the universe.