Personnel battle rules, new in First Contact, are addressed in this article.

Duty, Honor and Glory

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by Tim Ellington,
Game Designer

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note: Star Trek CCG cards are in italics

Your Klingons are trapped on Valt Minor. Two turns, two Borg attacks. You've taken down several Borg drones in glorious battle, but two of your warriors have been assimilated. Your opponent is wearing you down. But this turn, you've got a surprise. He will rue the day he took on the Klingon Empire...

First Contact [TM], the latest expansion set of the Star Trek [TM] Customizable Card Game [TM], introduces new personnel battle rules designed to add more realism - and more interaction - to the STCCG universe. New and existing cards accentuate the new gameplay by adding an unpredictable element to personnel battles. Interrupts, equipment, attribute enhancements, timing and a little bit of luck combine to give new depth to this aspect of the game.

Your leader has been mortally wounded, two security officers lie stunned beside him. You play Klingon Right of Vengeance and dream of the songs that will be sung in their honor. The Klingon Empire will NEVER yield!

Abduction. Nerve pinches. Headlocks. Phaser burns. Assimilation. All these elements combine to take personnel battles to a new level of complexity, where your Away Team forces engage adversaries in a version of hand-to-hand combat that is sure to add excitement and interaction. Cards like Mission Debriefing, which can stop an Away Team on a planet, allow players more opportunity to attack opposing forces on planets. Other cards target personnel for assimilation and even allow beaming through shields to attack opposing crews. And the introduction of the Borg means Federation forces now have an affiliation they can attack at will.

You were stopped by Lack of Preparation. An Away Team of Romulans attack. They have several Non-Aligned personnel carrying the powerful new Starfleet Type III Phaser Rifles. Those sneaky Romulans. With that added firepower, the Romulan forces kill half your Away Team. Will reinforcements get there in time?

Many of the new cards in First Contact have obvious battle-related elements designed into their gameplay. Many Borg drones were designed with special skills that make the Borg an affiliation to be feared. Drones such as Eight of Nineteen, which allows your Borg present to gain Strength +2, are universal and can be used in tandem with other drones to amass a formidable Away Team. Other drones work better in ship battles, where they can force your Romulan Warbird to decloak and take the brute force of the Borg Cube's 24 weapons. Yes, the Borg are powerful, but they are also single-minded. The successful player will use cunning and agility to avoid the Borg and complete his missions.

Your turn. Humuhumunukunukuapua'a looks innocent enough when you play it at the start of your turn. But then you play Disruptor Overload, announce a counter-attack, play Phaser Burns and grin as your opponent starts to do the math. A successful counter leaves his Romulans reeling. He doesn't gamble on his turn, and beams his decimated forces back to his ship and leaves while he still can.

New weapons such as Tommygun, Starfleet Type III Phaser Rifle and Antique Machine Gun give Away Teams more firepower. Other cards, such as Prepare Assault Teams and Android Headlock, combine with the new "downloading" feature to get valuable cards into play lightning fast. Downloading allows you to access certain cards immediately from your draw deck, Q's Tent or hand, even as a response to an attack. Nothing is a sure thing anymore. Are you sure you're ready to take a chance? What are you going to do when the Borg are about to assimilate your Homeworld and your only option is to fight?

The Borg have beamed onto your ship. They want a counterpart. You Prepare Assault Teams to protect their target - your captain! As the adversaries engage one-by-one, you hold your breath. There he is! Your captain pairs with a drone and is immediately abducted and beamed back to the Borg ship. After the battle, you check your crew. There's only one thing to do. You beam over to the cube and attack. It's the only way to save your captain, and your Homeworld!

First Contact brings a new feel to Star Trek Customizable Card Game. New personnel battle rules mean more battles and a higher level of player interaction that allow bold, creative gameplay. In addition to the new cards in this set, the new gameplay makes existing cards much more valuable. Phasers? Disruptors? Don't get caught without one. And the clever player will make use of new cards to get important tactical information necessary to ensure victory. But be careful. Everything is not as obvious as an angry drone.

Your Away Team announces a mission attempt. You see the first dilemma. Suddenly there are four Rogue Borg on your bridge, and you know there are more coming. But they don't immediately attack! What do you do...?

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