R3 Spoilers

You know, with all that is going on in the real world at the moment, stuff like this seems kinda insignifcant, but nonetheless, here are some R3 spoilers

R3 spoiler images

Enjoy.

 

Hey thanks BPJ. That brightened my day a little.

 

Glad to help. I was talking to my students (they're all 9 or 10 yrs old) about NYC and even they're in shock about what happened. I mean, we live in Perth which is about 12 hours ahead (and thus a long, long way away).

We all feel for you guys here down under.

 

Well, I have reposted the news post that went up yesterday. I think that the Defensive Shield and Starting Effect cards are simply amazing. Unfortunately I'm afraid that the Starting Effects will be a powerful offensive card. Unless of course the rules say otherwise--which I hope to be the case. We don't need people playing Dark Deal any faster than it can already be pulled.

 

The links don't work anymore. GeoCities doesn't like for you to be able to look at pictures unless they are on a page.

 

I hope, since it takes away the ability to start with The Signal or HFTMF (or Twi'lek Advisor or Prepared Defenses), that these Starting Effects will not be too powerful. We'll see.

 

The link has been fixed. Thanks for the heads-up.

 

Since when does it take away your ability to use a starting Interrupt?

And I like the idea of the Defensive Shield cards. A very well-thought out and balanced mechanic. I hope there's a way to bring non-Defensive Shield cards out from your Starting Effect.

I'm also pleased at how balanced Chewie and Blizzard 4 are. Both of them require "upkeep" to keep them on table, so you'll have to be careful about how you play them, and Blizzard 4 tells you to deploy the Imperial warrior *aboard,* so there is no beatdown.

 

There are currently many speculations on what those icons mean, but we have no way of knowing for sure until Decipher posts the rules.

 

"Since when does it take away your ability to use a starting Interrupt?"

I dunno. I just assumed. It's a new card type, "Starting Effect". I think it is too much to allow a player to start an Objective, a Starting Interrupt AND a Starting Effect. But I could be wrong. Thanks for keeping me honest!

 

A few assumptions I'm making about the cards:

1. Starting Effects deploy before anything else, even objectives. Since the starting rule states that you can only play one starting interrupt, then the starting effects do not limit your ability to play starting interrupts. That's why they are effects.

2. I believe that while the starting effects state that up to 10 cards may deploy under them, thye only card that you will put under are Defensive Shields. Why? because they are the obnly one's that the effects state that you can deploy. The idea being that you can put 10 Def. Sheilds under (there will prob be 10 for each side) and depending on the opponent's strategy, yopu can use up to 3 of them. Maybe they just said"cards" to conserve space in the gametext area.

3. I believe that the skull and cross bones will mean "lost", and the arrow probably means you put it in used pile. Chewie is awesome!

BTW I love the expansion symbol.

 

Were the new Starting Effects really neccessary? I think the game is becoming WAY too complicated. I've been playing since 1995, and now I'm having trouble getting new people to play because there is just too much to learn. And what's with the expansions come out so soon after each other? There was a whole year between Endor and DSII, and now they're coming out with stuff every 3 months. You can't even get used to the new stuff before more stuff comes out.

Plus, how many versions of each character do we need?
"This is getting out of hand. Now there are two of them!" -- Nute Gunray, The Phantom Menace

 

I agree, it's becoming overly complicated. I think that nothing else should be added(new card types). How can I find out what the Defense Shield and Starting Effects do?

 

Okay, personally I don't know what is so complicated about a player being able to take any 10 cards and put them under a Starting Effect. If you haven't seen these cards yet you can view them by clicking the "TFN" link above (brings you to the CCG news section).

*sigh* As for the product release date argument--I hear that complaint several times a week. Which tells me that no player is the only one feeling the crunch. I think that Decipher has several ideas lined up for the game and they want to fix things ASAP. Just remember that after Theed Palace I think there is going to be quite a gap of time for everyone to catch up (both product and gameplay-wise. All I can say I gess is tough it out. I'd actually be surprised to even see Theed this year.

 

Josh, do you know if Decipher gets the Episode II script early or do they have to wait for the film to start making EpII products?

 

Whatever Colo Claw Fish does, unless it's a Dark Side card that you just can't use with Sando Aqua Monster, won't it be one of the most useless cards ever? We haven't even seen it yet, and it's already been permanently canceled by Sando.

About the icons on Chewie and Bliz4, the arrow icon was used in STCCG on at least some of the Tactics cards from that game. I don't know much about STCCG though, does anyone know what that icon meant there? It might help us figure out what it means here. My guess though is that the arrow means place in Used Pile, the skull & bones means place in Lost Pile. Note that Chewie has both, and seems to say Use 2 Force or place Chewie in Used, and Lose 1 Force or place Chewie in Lost. It seems to me that to keep him in play , you have to do both, but if you do neither, which happens first? The Use 2 text is listed first, but I've got a feeling the Lost text happens first. This seems like a way of formalizing the upkeep text from Kir Kanos to allow more text in the box. Kind of like the battle droid icon replacing all that "may initiate battle and be battled" nonsense from IG-88 and his ilk. There are getting to be far too many icons in the game, though. I await the day when cards are able to have their full functionality described solely by icons.

 

I was looking over the spoilers again and I noticed something which, to me, was significant. Defensive Sheilds play, not deploy, so just as an interrupt or Immediate Effect can play at any time, I assume the Sheilds do as well.

This is why the starting affect only lets you deploy 3 out of 10 cards. It stops you putting all 10 on the table at the strat of the game. You actually have to observe what your oppoent is doing, evaluate which shields you need,and then decide when to put it in.

Thus there is an amount of strategy with the shields.

Why am I bothering to make this point?

Because it has been my argument since the spoilers were released that Defensive Shields will be the only card that is worth putting under the Effect. Poeple are saying that you can put any cards there and that you weill be able to use them.

I don't think so. It is simil;ar to, let's say, the battle bridge in ST:CCG. With that "doorway" you can only put strategy cards. (Or whatever they are called). Same with Startignm Effects and defensive shields.

People are talking about the Effects like the Magic tournament sideboard. Think of them more like the doorways in Trek.

Oh, and Star Wars isn't becoming more complicated. Enhjoy the rules and strategies. It's a big part of the fun. To avoid the rules and strtegies, but still enjoy Star Wars, try an easier (yet still a lot of fun) game like Young Jedi, or even Jedi Knights.

Trust me on this. New card types are what keep expansions vibrant. Case in point: every Star Wars expansion has added a new card type or subtype (if you include "planet sectors" for cloud City). THis is what makes people want to get them.

On the other hand, "The Jedi Council", the first expansion for YJ, added nothing but new cards. There really was nothing innovative or new about the set. As a result, there wasn't as much interest as sets like BON or DOTF.

 

In the case of YJ, Decipher had the script early to make the cards so that the game could debut when TPM was released. I would imagine the case would be the same here. So that means that there would be no Ep2 products until at least April or May of next year.

 

I think I can sum up the Defensive Shield concept in one word:

Strategery.

 

Here's two R3 spoilers from this week's RFD.

Lando Calrissian, Scoundrel (5)
Rebel Character
With a silvery tongue or a rapid fire blaster, Lando prides himself on being able to get out of tight situations. Is at his best when cornered.
POWER 6 ABILITY 3 FORCE-ATTUNED
Adds one battle destiny. If opponent initiates battle at same location, retrieve 1 Force and add its destiny number to Lando's power or power of Falcon he is piloting. End of your turn: *star* use 1 or *down arrow*; lose 2 or *skull & crossbones*.
DEPLOY 5 FORFEIT 7

Boba Fett, Bounty Hunter (3)
Alien Character
The most feared bounty hunter in the galaxy. Justifiable, his fee is as large as his reputation.
POWER 7 ABILITY 3 ARMOR 5
Adds 3 to the power of anything he pilots. Adds one battle destiny if with your alien or Imperial, or adds two battle destiny if with your bounty hunter or Vader. Immune to attrition < 5. End of your turn: *star* use 2 and *down arrow*; lose 2 or *skull & crossbones*.
DEPLOY 5 FORFEIT 6

These spoilers will also be in my RFD report this week.

 

Is it just me, or or those two cards (Lando and Fett) WAYm too obscenly powerful to be played?

Two battle desitny with Vader? Good god, thats three desitin with two charecters, and NO interupts!!!!!

 

Oh Boy oh boy. Well I think worlds just became a Heck of a lot more interesting with these cards. Vader And Boba Fett together can someone say bye bye beatdown for light side.

In regard to lando, Pray there is no 7 on the top of the lost pile when the opponent decides to attack lando in space or on the ground with this lando out.

 

All this leads me to one conclusion: Decipher is on crack. Plain and simple. It's enough to throw in a new card type, and a major one at that, but these characters are a joke. Sure the symbols probably make you pay through the nose for using them, but a destiny 5, power 6 Lando?! Boba Fett as powerful as Maul?! Chewie power 9?!...ok that one I can see ("I suggest a new strategy...let the Wookie win."), but the others, no way. Oh for the days of Cloud City...*sigh*

Spud