Welcome, Civilians

by Nathan Miracle, Designer

28th January 2022

"I'm not Starfleet, I'm a civilian. When he's in here, he wants to be treated like a civilian."

-- Ben, “Lower Decks” Star Trek: The Next Generation

The Continuing Committee and the Department of Second Edition are excited to share with the community our next 2E expansion, Classification: CIVILIAN. Expect to see the entire 27-card virtual expansion in its entirety on Friday, February 11, 2022. Between now and then, make sure to check back each day for a new card. Which reminds me: don't forget to check out our social media channels for additional spoilers.

Meet the Team

As always, dozens of your fellow community members deserve appreciation for their work in making sure this expansion comes to you at the high quality we've come to expect. Dozens of testers, rules consultants, story volunteers, art creatives, and proofreaders have made suggestions that have molded the original ideas into what they are today, all of which is indispensable. As a representative of the Design Team, I can't thank those people enough and it never gets old thinking about how lucky we are. I might have the sole design credit, but this project is by no means a solo project.

Why Classification: CIVILIAN?

Most releases over the past couple of years have been focused on certain eras of Star Trek history and properties. While that approach does allow us to take a deep dive into particular themes, it also means players who do not enjoy those themes miss out on those expansions. Classification: CIVILIAN follows in the footsteps of last year's Shore Leave, making sure to give everybody a little something. Every existing 2E affiliation (including every “sub-affiliation” reporting icon) gets at least one personnel in this expansion.

When we create an expansion like this, we often sacrifice “vertical” specificity and depth in favor of a “horizontal” theme. A suite of cards exploring a specific idea would take up too much space. Instead, we look for a unifying concept and see how each affiliation and sub-affiliation reacts and makes that theme their own. This particular theme is based, as the title suggests, around the non-uniformed side of Trek. First Edition separated out space for just such characters with the CIVILIAN (and to a lesser extent, V.I.P.) classification. The cards in this expansion would likely - though not exclusively - would either have one of these classifications or support personnel with such classifications if they were made in First Edition.

Pillar of the Community

For instance, Quark is the quintessential civilian main character. In “Emissary,” Commander Sisko had to make a deal with Quark to stay as a community leader, or a Pillar of the Community. Never one to let an opportunity pass him by, Quark also routinely coordinated some less-than-legal deals on the station. Whether you choose to set up a game of Tongo or engage in some Back Room Dealings, this card rewards you for keeping the promenade Bustling With Activity.

Since this expansion touches on each affiliation, I am sure you will all find something fun to look at by the time it releases on February 11, 2022!

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