First Edition
| Designer(s) | Tom Braunlich, Rollie Tesh, Evan Lorentz, and Bill Martinson |
|---|---|
| Publisher(s) | Decipher, Inc. |
| Players | 2 |
| Age range | 8 and up |
| Setup time | 15 minutes |
| Playing time | 1 hour |
| Random chance | Low |
| Skill(s) required | Deck optimization, Planning, Strategy |
What is now known as First Edition (commonly abbreviated "1E" among players) is the original conception of the game, through various designers and iterations. It was first licensed only to cover Star Trek: The Next Generation, and the first three card sets were limited to that show's universe. As such, the only affiliations created were the Federation, Klingons, and Romulans, plus a group for other cards that didn't fit into the three main affiliations called Non-Aligned. This narrow scope caused little attraction for players, and it was felt that only five more sets could be released before running the full course of available material.
In 1997, Decipher announced that a wider scope had now been licensed for the game: Deep Space 9, Voyager and The Next Generation movies would soon be depicted in new cards, thus the game's name was shortened to the existing title. The First Contact set arrived late that year, based on the film Star Trek: First Contact; that set introduced the Borg affiliation, among other new concepts.
This was soon followed by several sets based on situations in Deep Space 9; these introduced affiliations for the Bajorans, Cardassians, Dominion, and Ferengi, along with enhanced systems for battling and capturing. The era of these expansions is considered by many players to be the 'golden age' of First Edition.
Two more sets featuring Original Series cards came next (when that property was added to the license), followed by sets drawing heavily on Voyager which introduced the new, but smaller Kazon, Vidiian, and Hirogen affiliations. It was after this that the game began a serious decline in popularity and sales.
Sales faltered during the release of the last two sets, based on the films and on holodeck scenarios. This dip in sales resulted in Decipher taking a serious look at the game's future.
Read more about this topic: Star Trek Customizable Card Game
Famous quotes containing the word edition:
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—Aldous Huxley (1894–1963)