This is your
November 2017 status update for
First Edition Design Products. I might just be sneaking this one under the wire, but I didn't want all of November to go by without an update. But a programming note: I'm not sure I will have much to update you on in December, so there might not be another post like this until January 2018. But you never know, so keep your eyes peeled. Also, if you have any questions, or concerns, please share them. If you guys PM me questions, I'll do my best to answer them in subsequent updates.
Also, we hope you enjoy
Warp Pack: Holiday 2017, formerly known as
Project Sinterklaas. It was a fun product to put together and we can't wait to hear what you think - especially if you'd like to see more small boutique products like this in the future.
Here is your update for 11/17:
ANNOUNCING:
Cold Front
(Formerly known as
Project Wisdom)
STATUS: PRODUCTION PHASE
(Project Wisdom is the third and final set in Block 4, the 22nd-century block.)
I teased the name last time, but today I'm happy to tell you that
Cold Front, the next standard size
First Edition expansion, will be releasing in late December or early January. The expansion, led by Dan Hamman, features fifty-four new cards, including
cards and a host of new
cards, including some from the Temporal Cold War. It's in the final phases of production now, and I expect to be released by the end of December or early January. Here is a very early preview card for you:
{ST: Enterprise}
[3] Bigger on the Inside
The secrets of a small futuristic ship and the corpse of a presumed temporal agent led Starfleet, Suliban, and Tholian forces to abandon all other priorities in an attempt to secure it.
Plays on a mission if your temporal agent is present or adjacent. Mission may not be attempted or scouted unless 4 OR any Intelligence in crew or Away Team. (Unique.)
Project Discommendation
STATUS: DEVELOPMENT PHASE
(Project Discommendation is a special, off-cycle project designed as a final "end-cap" to 1EC cards.)
Discommendation is about to start its sixth week of testing and I think it's in a really good place. The designers recently decided that, even though this is a conversion-based expansion, it isn't just that. For example, the file currently has all of the "Revised" / future Holograms from Voyager's "Living Witness." After complaints from testers that they we're there, and needed more, the design team realized they had been holding back from giving them proper support because it didn't fit the rigid idea of a "conversion" set. So they're getting more toys, and I know the design team is eager for more feedback.
Discommendation will be taking a break from testing at the end of this year / beginning of next year to let some other projects get initial looks, but will be back to testers in early 2018. I believe that keeps the expansion on track for a release in late Winter / early Spring of 2018, but as always, that's subject to change.
Project Keiko
STATUS: DEVELOPMENT PHASE
(Project Keiko is a scripted learn-to-play experience for new players.)
The second draft of the Federation and Klingons decks and script for
Project Keiko are done and being refined. This isn't a project that contains new cards, and thus it doesn't need testing in the traditional sense.
I am thinking we will have a limited public beta test for these in the first of the new year. If you have someone that you want to teach to play
First Edition and are willing to do so with these decks and script, please send me a PM and let me know. It would then be the plan to release this to the public in its finished form in Q1 2018.
Project Jellyfish
STATUS: DESIGN PHASE
(Project Jellyfish is a refresh and remaster of The Next Generation block's starter decks.)
The
Project Jellyfish designers have finished their first draft of the new starter decks, and are eager for some feedback. This will be the first thing to be tested during Discommendation's "holiday break," and I know the team will be chomping at the bit to go through the feedback.
I am tentatively planning to release this project 4-6 weeks after
Project Keiko, in late Q1 2018 or very early Q2 2018.
Project En Garde
STATUS: DESIGN PHASE
(Project En Garde is a pair of balanced decks designed to give great games against each other, and fit into tournament play.)
The first pair of these dual decks - led by Niall Matthew [sexecutioner] will be heading to testers right around the time Discommedation begins to lock itself down, in early 2018. We're going to ask our testers to give these lots of rounds against each other, because the goal of the project is to provide a great game each time they're played. Not only will they help people play their friends and elevate their own games, but they'll serve as entry points into local tournaments.
If all goes well, this project will release 4-6 weeks after
Project Jellyfish, completing the "intro track." I'm going to tentatively earmark these for mid-to-late Q2 2018.
Project Delenn
STATUS: DESIGN PHASE
(Project Delenn is the first expansion of Block 5, the TOS block.)
So I've been vague the past few months about this expansion, and I'd like to share a little behind the scenes information for you. First, a disclaimer: I'm one of the co-lead designers on this expansion, and I have invested a lot of time and energy into it for over a year. I've hinted that we're trying something new and different, so let me start by telling you what that is. I wanted the block to be about something different that just Feds, Klingons, Romulans, and Non-Aligneds, so I came upon the idea of building the block around tropes. A trope is a storytelling conceit, and a lot of them are named after TOS because of how often they used them. What if we built the block around a "Monster of the Week" starter instead of a "TOS Fed" starter?
Last month, I told you we'd just posted the first draft to the entire block roster and the feedback was not good. It was really demoralizing, if I'm being honest. There was good feedback offered, but also feedback along the lines of "I knew this was a terrible idea, why'd you even bother?" It shook me to my core and made me doubt a lot of things. However, I think that I've bounced back with the help of the Delenn team and we're going to take a second stab at these, in spite of the haters. Maybe it won't end up working, but I think it can and I'm not going to give up yet.
I'm thinking about writing a lot more on this as a blog, so let me know if you're interested in reading something like that. I know it's still vague, but I wanted you to know something of what was going on. I promise I'll provide more details in future installments of this series.
Project Blues[/b]
STATUS: PRE-DESIGN PHASE
(Project Blues is a Delta Quadrant themed boutique product.)
Note: No updates since last time, so I'll just repeat what I've said. One of the most common complaints we've heard over the years is how little material we've put out for
fans. We've made some changes, but it's been a trickle and we know it. It's exactly because of these requests that we've started
Project Blues - a boutique expansion focused on the Delta Quadrant. The team, being led by James Monsebroten [Orbin], is just getting started but we're planning to have this project out in 2018 as well.
Project G'Kar
Project Londo
STATUS: PRE-DESIGN PHASE
(Project G'Kar is the second expansion in the TOS block, and Project Londo is the third.)
Not much has changed with these two projects, so I'll just repeat what I said in the last report.
Project G'Kar and
Project Londo's lead designers, Dan Hamman and James Monsebroten, respectively, have participated in all of the block planning meetings and are on board with the planned themes. I believe Dan has his team put together and has started preliminary work, while James is still working on assembling his team.
That's my report for you this month. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments, anything I can give you more information on, or just if there's something you'd like to see more (or less of) in future updates. Have a happy holiday season, all!
-crp