Lou, KY "Death Star" Trading Card Game

Read on starwars.com about this newest TCG coming March 31. Before I buy, want everyone's advice.

I read up on the AOTC TCG and came THIS CLOSE to buying the starter set a few weeks back. But it's now sold out everywhere. I can find the booster packs, though....guess they're getting rid of 'em, cuz some places had them marked down to $1.00.

I love RPGs, even bought the first edition of SW from West End Games years and years (and years) ago. But it's tough to find time to play a campaign. TCGs sound like an alternative if you can only play here and there.

So I ask my fellow and fellowettes of LASE, is the TCG fun? Boring? Depend on who's playing? Anybody out there play TCGs regularly?

Jurist Edit:Title

 

Ooh! Ooh! *raises hand*

I think I'm the resident TCG/CCG geek hereabouts. I've only played the WotC TCG a couple of times, and I'm not all that impressed with it. It's too concerned with battle and the scope of the game is too limited. I was a devotee of the old Decipher SWCCG. You could do just about anything you could think of in that game.

Blow up the Death Star? Check.
Duel with lightsabers? Check.
Play a deck with ugnaughts, gonk droids and that little toad thing in front of Jabba's Palace? Check.

The only problem was that allowing you to do all that stuff had tremendous rules overhead. At the end, the rules glossary was 1/8" thick. All those rules and all those cards (close to 2500 distinct cards) turned away a lot of would-be buyers.

Now, I'm into Decipher's Star Trek game. (I know, heresy.) They just released a second edition of that to help streamline the rules, much like their award-winning and best-selling Lord of the Rings game. Anyone wants to try Star Trek out, let me know.

 

Interesting, Ben! Is "Star Trek" TOS and TNG and....?

I kinda liked the AOTC rules, if only because they weren't intimidating to a newbie like me. But I hear what you're saying, it's not too deep.

The LOTR TCG sounded interesting; I actually even watched a one hour RealVideo on how to play it on their website. (Guess I had a lot of free time that particular night.) Plus, I got those three cards in Fellowship Extended Edition, so didn't want to waste them. But haven't bought yet.

Thanks for the insights, and if there's any more of them, bring 'em on.

 

The WotC Star Wars TCG is very simplistic, but, to be honest, that's what I liked about it. I used to play the old Decipher game, but every single time there was a new expansion set, the rules practically completely changed. If you didn't constantly buy the new cards to update your deck, you had no chance playing against anybody. So in order to stay competitive you had to be willing to shell out the bucks for the cards, and, as a SW collector, there are other things (read: action figures) that I'd rather spend my money on than cards.

Target had the AotC TCG cards dirt-cheap at one time and I bought a ton of them there. Not anywhere close to a full set or anything, but enough to play with. I don't think me & Miller ever even got around to playing, or did we????

It used to be fun playing the old CCG from Decipher back in the day, through the first expansion, "A New Hope," because all the stuff with the Death Star and trying to blow it up was really cool. Then "Hoth" came out and the whole focus of the game changed, and that's pretty much when I lost interest. And, like I said above, at $2.99 a pack, collecting a full set becomes pretty expensive with most CCG's.

 

The second edition currently has cards from TOS, TNG, DS9, and the movies (mostly Nemesis, in order to capitalize on the release of that movie). (This is just the premiere release for 2E.) Most of the personnel cards are taken from TNG, DS9, and Nemesis. Decipher has the license from Paramount for all of the Trek series and movies. (They also produce the Trek and LotR RPGs and run the Trek and LotR fan clubs).

The first edition had fourteen expansions and nine "boutique products" (products featuring only 10-20 new cards) and featured cards from all series (except "Enterprise") and all the movies.

 

Zany Brainy still has a bunch of the starter decks and boosters for sale. I don't remember what the price is, but they are getting clearanced out. I go to work there on Friday and will post the price then, if people are still interested.

Personally, I never liked the SW CCG in any incarnation that I have seen. I too am quite experienced in CCGs (including a playtesting credit for Mortal Kombat CCG and running a Harry Potter CCG league).

 

Most Kmarts that aren't going out of business should have them. I know, I work there.

~Rogue

 

Last week, I found starter set for AOTC TCG at Great Escape for around $8.00. In case anyone wants one.

As for "Death Star" TCG, if it came out on time, it went on sale yesterday.....did anybody get it, or plan to? Judging my purchase decision based on whether anyone in the group might also get it.