[RedDwarf]

In 2006, the Star Trek writing team, in association with Decipher staff, produced a series of articles designed to introduce new players to the Star Trek Customizable Card Game.

The series has now been updated, with the help of the community, for 2009:

Into the Final Frontier overview
Part 1 - Deciding to Leave Spacedock
Part 2 - Getting Oriented in the Galaxy
Part 3 - Expanding Your Power in the Universe
Part 4 - Customizing Your Starter Decks
Part 5 - Choosing a Headquarters
Part 6 - Choosing Missions and Personnel
Part 7 - Provisioning Your Draw Deck
Part 8 - Dealing With Dilemmas NEW!
Part 9 - Joining the Interstellar Community NEW!

If you wish to discuss the series, please do so here.

[Brad]

In 2006, the Star Trek writing team, in association with Decipher staff, produced a series of articles designed to introduce new players to the Star Trek Customizable Card Game.

As you may have noticed, we have started updating the series for 2009. The first two parts of this nine part series have already been published, and the rest will be updated and re-released over the next couple of weeks.

Into the Final Frontier overview
Part 1 - Deciding to Leave Spacedock
Part 2 - Getting Oriented in the Galaxy

If you wish to discuss the series, please do so here.

I am sooo excited these articles are being touched up and becoming part of the TCC

[KillerB]

I am sooo excited..

Don't get him excited. You won't like him if he's excited....

[RedDwarf]

Parts 3 and 4 have now been published.

[RedDwarf]

Part 5 has now been published.

[RedDwarf]

Part 6 - Choosing Missions and Personnel, by Ron Oliver has now been published.

[LORE]

Part 6 - Choosing Missions and Personnel, by Ron Oliver has now been published.

I like the article series as a first time read (given that they must have been published initially when I was MIA), but had a lot of trouble wrapping my mind around the idea that you'd pick a mission (Escape Gulag) for new players to use, which is pratically impossible to solve for the chosen affiliation. That choice just didn't make sense to me, especially because there are 10 or more better choices for planet missions that Starfleet can attempt. Was this mission listed in the first draft of this series, or added later?

[Andreas Colter]

Escape Gulag was in there originally. With only two Intelligence personnel in the deck, or three if you "count" Kamala, I can see how that mission might seem questionable.

We appreciate your feedback. Would you mind suggesting a replacement? I'll do some digging of my own as well. Perhaps we can make a substitution.

[Danny]

We appreciate your feedback. Would you mind suggesting a replacement? I'll do some digging of my own as well. Perhaps we can make a substitution.

How about Secure Strategic Base? By my reckoning you've got (at least) 5 instances of Security (6 including Kamala, and one case of 2 Security), and loads of your peeps are stuck in the , so they'd get the bonus to boot.

[Andreas Colter]

I think Secure Strategic Base is a good suggestion. It is a fine replacement for Escape Gulag.

There is another consideration of note, however. With the missions as they are now, they are worth, 30, 30, 30, and 35. As such, if the Starfleet player is not the first to complete a space mission and to receive the 10-point bonus, he or she would need to complete four missions, or acquire 5 points elsewhere.

I will ponder this further, as well as take an advance look at Part 7, and see what's proposed for events. Perhaps A Sight For Sore Eyes (or something) is in there.

Keep the suggestions coming!

[LORE]

We appreciate your feedback. Would you mind suggesting a replacement? I'll do some digging of my own as well. Perhaps we can make a substitution.

Based on the skills represented on the limited # of peeps listed in the article, I've come up with four plausible mission changes. Obviously, the choice depends simply on how the personnel are flushed out, but these are the options I found which work better than Escape Gulag:

Secure Strategic Base (already mentioned)
Salvage Borg Ship
Survey New World
Restore Errant Moon

[LORE]

There is another consideration of note, however. With the missions as they are now, they are worth, 30, 30, 30, and 35. As such, if the Starfleet player is not the first to complete a space mission and to receive the 10-point bonus, he or she would need to complete four missions, or acquire 5 points elsewhere...

If that's a concern, then I'd use either Survey New World or Salvage Borg Ship, which would give you a mission set point total of 35, 35, 30, and 30, plus an option for the extra 10 from the HQ.

[Danny]

There's also Advanced Battle Simulations. Although the draw deck (at the moment) doesn't contain any Manuever event, it's still good as the peeps have the skills, it's another space mission in the Alpha Quadrant, and scores 35 points.

Or, using the crew's Science skills, there's Explore Black Cluster or Fissure Research. Again, both in space, both well within the skill sets and both scoring 35 points.

[LORE]

...it's another space mission in the Alpha Quadrant...

Having 3 space missions and only 1 planet's a bad idea because you have no way of winning without solving all 4 missions if you play against a Maquis opponent and you get hit with a Biogenic Weapon. The mission set should be 2 and 2, with either 3 35 pointers and a 30, or a combination of less mission points with some way to score nearly guaranteed bonus points.

[Danny]

Having 3 space missions and only 1 planet's a bad idea because you have no way of winning without solving all 4 missions if you play against a Maquis opponent and you get hit with a Biogenic Weapon. The mission set should be 2 and 2, with either 3 35 pointers and a 30, or a combination of less mission points with some way to score nearly guaranteed bonus points.

I don't think that it's that big a deal. The Maquis is just a sub affiliation of one of nine affiliations, and that's one card in such a deck. We haven't even touched on event destruction or prevention yet, plus, 's big on completing space missions first. It might make more sense to give them as much choice as possible for space missions, allowing them to get their bonuses.