2019 Mechanic Review

by Ross Fertel, Underrated

12th August 2021

One of the questions that comes up post-expansion release is when we will ever see the mechanics again. There have been some sets that have lent themselves to a follow up such as Matter of Time being very much a Fractured Time sequel. Other times, it can be more like The Omega Directive going the distance with an already existing concept of fifty-point missions.

Over at Wizards of the Coast, lead designer Mark Rosewater has a scale to determine if something will come back. Called the Storm Scale, this looks at each mechanic's components to determine if it will make a comeback.

We will use that criteria and see how they apply to mechanics from 2019 in Second Edition. Note that I am not on design so a lot of this will be speculation rather than gospel.

These are the criteria we will work with:

Popularity - How loved is it. Thanks to a poll, we have player data to use in addition to which cards are being used in events.

Design Space Remaining - If we go back and make more cards, how much room is left to work? Were there a lot of 'pieces' left to follow up on later or did design exhaust the material both in terms of game mechanics and in terms of footage with attention to Star Power as appropriate.

Versatility/development – Do you need to dedicate your deck for this to be effective? If so, this might be a lower priority than something that can benefit a lot of decks. This primarily looks at the work going into making the cards themselves. Is it standard to develop or do we need to take more time specifically working on them to make it work? A basic personnel can go in just about any deck but a Ferengi Affiliated Terok Nor Waiter has a very specific purpose.

Playability - Does this have a huge effect on the play environment? We have a limited amount of time to play and even the best mechanic is not that great if it takes five (or ten) minutes to get resolved.

These are the guidelines and while a bad rating in one area can be detrimental, it is not signal the death knell, though we will have to adjust going forward.

Holiday Themed Cards

Popularity - Bottom tier. Most of the feedback we received puts this in the middle tier to bottom tier.

Design Space Remaining - There are a lot of holidays out there. Granted we are probably scraping the bottom of the barrel for things like Arbor Day, but there are plenty to choose from, both in real life and Trek exclusively.

Versatility/development - Some of the specific mechanics are better when you build your deck to optimize them, but the cards were straightforward to design. Also, they could go into several decks particularly with the personnel. Also, things like Empok Nor, Deadly Salvage do not lend themselves to a specific affiliation though they do lend themselves to specific strategies.

Playability - Playability is largely not affected. Some of the sticks are deadly but those are easy to work around in the actual gameplay. A lot of the time spent on these cards happens when you build your deck and the cards themselves do not take up a lot of time while playing.

Overall - We have had two sets dedicated to holidays with at least one more coming on the way. It is not a slam dunk but a cool way to build a theme to a set.

Terra Prime Dissidents

Popularity - Bottom tier. Most of the responses we received are in the bottom and middle tiers though this was just under an overall middle tier rating.

Design Space Remaining - There is not a whole lot of meat on the bones to begin with. There are more extras we can pull from, but the big names are in the set, and they are really not that big to begin with. Also, the theme is pretty well self-contained to a two parter. If push comes to shove, we can use some extras from here or there. And that's just in available personnel. The theme is well explored and is quite workable as is. While there is room for further expansion, it is just not especially obvious.

Versatility/development - There is a huge dedication needed for this to be effective. Your deck has to be based around this specific theme and while you can use other cards for Starfleet in general, they can dilute your deck instead of enhancing it. There is a very narrow focus when making cards for this deck.

Playability - The theme plays a little differently than normal, but not much. There is a bit of a learning curve involved but once you get rolling you are ready. If your opponent is not familiar with the theme it will not take a lot of time to catch up but it has been out there long enough so that even infrequent visitors will have a rudimentary familiarity.

Overall – They are fun to play and work right out of the gate. Khan started out with a smattering of cards before getting support down the road so Terra Prime might as well though there are a few limiting factors to consider.

Popular Characters as Personnel

Popularity - Middle tier. A lot of the responses were in the top and middle tier but not enough to go into a higher level. Of all the aspects we have asked the community for feedback, this is the highest rated overall thus far.

Design Space Remaining - There is a lot of space remaining. Star Trek as a franchise is filled with all sorts of extra characters. While some are more popular than others, there are still a lot that would be perfect candidates from across various affiliations and do not overlap with other potential groups to choose from. Adding a fun little skill to a personnel can follow but Ferengi Sisko shows that sometimes you just need a cool name to stand out.

Versatility/development - The only limiting factor is that the card has to be a personnel, but they are the backbone of expansions and the game in general. Other than that, there are vast opportunities and there are a huge variety of skills and gametext that can go on a personnel. It would be hard to do a set without personnel in general, certainly without any kind of frequency. They are also strong 'filler' cards if a gap needs to be plugged quickly.

Playability - The skills are suited to the stand-alone nature of the cards. They are relatively simple and enhance current strategies.

Overall - There are no sure things, but this will probably come around again. It may be more of a one off since we will probably not dedicate as much space in a set to this theme in the future, but this is as close to a sure thing as we can get.

Battle

Popularity - Middle tier. The plurality of responses was solidly in the middle tier, not too bad for something in the game since the beginning and ranges from 'amazing' to 'not great' depending on the affiliation.

Design Space Remaining - Even with a mechanic in from the start of the game and an entire expansion dedicated to it, there is still room for additional battle cards with different triggers, rewards and other aspects. It can even extend to personnel and ships. The only issue is that not every affiliation is (or should be) good at battle, but there is plenty of room both in terms of nouns and verbs for most everyone.

Versatility/development - You need to put at least some resources into battle to do it effectively, but not a great deal. You can always put more personnel into a battle or pump up your ship. The effects will help you in the game but rarely outright get a mission solved for you.

Playability - This is a huge red flag. If there is a reason not to pour all our resources into battle, this is it. It takes a long time to determine the results of a battle. Not just that but there are several cards that will trigger off the result. Plus, it is a generally negative experience for a player not ready for battle. More often than not, they sit around and wait for you to finish. This is the biggest negative, but it is the only real negative.

Overall - Battle has been in the game since the first set and has been a viable strategy since then. I am confident it will come around again.

Cards Inspired by First Edition

Popularity - Middle tier. This is very close to the top tier but was not able to cross that threshold. Most surprisingly, almost half of respondents put this in the middle tier giving that the plurality of all responses in the survey.

Design Space Remaining - There are thousands of First Edition cards. We have only used twenty-five in Inheritance and there are others sprinkled throughout the game going as far back as Premiere and as recently as Shore Leave. If we decide to go back, we have a vast number of choices.

All right, not all cards will translate from First Edition to Second and not all of the cards are good candidates, but there still are a lot of viable choices out there.

Versatility/development - This is a strength of the concept. The groundwork for the card is already in place and one could make an argument that it is already out there in the wild. The cards from First Edition have a variety of effects and cover all the card types in Second Edition as well.

Playability - This is just plain unfair. Normally, complexity takes time to unravel when playing, but if you take a First Edition concept and translate it into Second Edition, you already have a good idea of how the card works. Especially if you pull from earlier in First Edition's history, you can get away with having a more complex effect just because players are already accustomed to it. This does not translate to all the cards, but a good designer can take advantage of it.

Overall – The main things holding this back are the popularity and the special nature of the cards. The concept was a one off for an anniversary but is solid enough to be used for other cards, if not entire projects, should the inspiration strike.

Thus concludes our look at mechanics featured in 2019, particularly those who filled out the survey. We will be releasing a new one shortly after the new year for 2020.

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