Ending Backwards Compatibility

by Charlie Plaine, Acting First Edition Brand Manager

29th December 2018

Two years ago, we put the question of continuing backwards compatible support to the community. The majority of voters (60%) wanted The Continuing Committee to sever the link between First Edition and Second Edition, ending backwards compatible cards. And while it's taken longer than anticipated to complete that process, we're finally ready to officially make this change. We wanted to give you all some notice this was coming, so today we're announcing that backwards compatibility will be ending on Monday, February 4th, 2019.

Primarily, this change means that Second Edition cards that have not been converted will no longer be legal for use in official CC tournaments. Players and play groups that want to continue using them may do so in special scenario events, but they will not be officially supported. It doesn't mean they'll be erased from existence, but they'll be hidden by default on our site. It's important to note that previously converted cards are now considered to be First Edition cards, so they remain legal in all formats where they are currently legal.

Over the next month, we'll be making changes to the site to support this change. Here's a list of some of the changes you'll see before the 4th of February:

• The links to the 2E Expansions on the 1E side of the front page will be removed.
• 1EC cards will no longer automatically appear in search results. (You will be able to flip a switch to see them again.)
• The converted card list and conversion rules will be removed from the front page.
• Rules and organized play documents will be updated to remove backwards compatible references.

These changes will not affect existing decks in the system or achievements earned prior to this point. We just want to avoid confusion by making these cards invisible to players that aren't directly looking for them. These changes will start as early as January 2nd, so if you see things disappear or move, this is likely why.

Finally, I need to acknowledge that we're very much aware that quite a few players were and still are opposed to this change. For those players, including myself, this is the largest single ban of playable cards this organization has ever made. We want to make sure the existing resources are still available for players that want to still use these cards, even if it's a little less convenient. Additionally, if there are still 2E cards you want to see in First Edition, take heart. Designers are free to still "convert" cards and find inspiration from unconverted 1EC cards. As an example, as recently as Project Delenn cards were added to the file inspired by the original Second Edition cards. These cards will end up with adjusted gameplay (as most conversion do) and different story and/or pictures, but we're going to keep finding ideas from all sources.

There is a dedicated thread to discuss this process on our Gameplay (1E) forums, where I and other 1E volunteers will be visiting your questions and addressing your concerns. We know this is a big change and we want to do everything in our power to make sure it happens smoothly.

Discuss this article in this thread.