"Stopped" Rules: How They Have Changed With Revisions In New Current Rulings

Revisions are In effect immediately

Since the beginning, Star Trek CCG has included the basic concept of cards becoming "stopped" by participating in battle or failing to overcome dilemmas. Stopped cards were prohibited from performing any further actions, such as moving, attempting missions or initiating battle, for the remainder of the turn. More recently, this was clarified to state that stopped cards could not contribute any skills or traits for any purpose.

This rule has raised concerns over a number of cards with important end-of-turn effects that may be enabled or modified by a personnel's skills or traits. For example, stopping a ship's crew with a well-timed Rogue Borg battle prevents them from "using" their Navigation skills to escape damage or destruction from an unlucky Navigate Plasma Storms probe. A Countermeasure Drone who is stopped by a dilemma can't download, at the end of your turn, the Adapt: Negate Obstruction needed to pass the dilemma next turn. And of course, a stopped Vorta could not (until last month's interim ruling) ration Ketracel-White, forcing the premature countdown of all your Ketracel-White cards.

The rules committee has addressed these concerns, and others, with revisions to the stopped concept. The following is a summary of the revisions, which take effect immediately. (See the Current Rulings for the full text, with examples, which replaces the existing Glossary entry.)

Cards that are stopped
- may not move (including beaming, walking and ship movement);
- may not cloak or uncloak;
- may not initiate battle;
- may not staff a ship; and
- may not participate in a mission, commandeering or scouting attempt.

Cards that are stopped may perform other actions and use skills as appropriate, and may be targeted by cards which do not require them to take any of the prohibited actions. Also, whenever stopped cards are attacked, they are unstopped for the duration of that battle and may defend themselves.

Also, a few changes were made to the "present" definition in the Glossary to match the changes to the stopped rules. The most important change is that stopped cards are now considered to be "present" or "aboard" for all purposes except the prohibited actions.

What do these changes mean to your gameplay? They simplify the interpretation of many cards, not just those involving end-of-turn effects. You no longer need to decide whether performing a download, rationing white or probing for an objective represents an action performed by a personnel or ship. As long as your cards are not performing any of the short list of prohibited actions, you can perform these actions and use your personnels' skills.


Here are a few examples of how stopped cards should now react :

Personnel may use downloading skills, including special download icons and downloads in place of a card draw. Your stopped Countermeasure Drone may now download the Adapt: Negate Obstruction that you need to let him pass the dilemma next turn; your stopped Borg Queen can still download a drone in place of your card draw.

Navigation personnel will protect your ship from damage from Navigate Plasma Storms. Damaging a well-staffed ship with that objective will take more than a simple wall dilemma or a single Rogue Borg.

A Borg crew or Away Team at a scouted location will enable you to probe to complete your objective (assuming you meet other requirements for probing). Also, you may probe for Visit Cochrane Memorial even if your human ENGINEER is stopped.

A matching commander enables the RANGE enhancement from Defiant Dedication Plaque. (His Command star does not contribute to the staffing of the ship, however.)

Personnel may use other special skills that do not require any of the prohibited actions. Bajorans may report to The Emissary; Gi'ral and Tokath may build a Colony; K'chiQ may select a new skill at the start of your turn even though stopped by a Rogue Borg battle.

Kathy McCracken
Star Trek CCG Intelligence Officer (MajorRakal@decipher.com)
Date: 19 April, 1999

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