Star Wars: The Card Game
| Designer(s) | Eric M. Lang |
|---|---|
| Publisher(s) | Fantasy Flight Games |
| Publication date | 2012 |
| Players | 2 (up to 4 with Expansions) |
| Age range | 10 and up |
| Setup time | < 5 minutes |
| Playing time | 60 minutes |
| Random chance | Some |
| Skill(s) required | Card playing, Logic, Bluffing, Strategy |
Star Wars: The Card Game is a Living Card Game (LCG) produced by Fantasy Flight Games. It is a two-player card game set in the Star Wars universe. It puts one player in command of the Rebels (light side, with the factions Jedi, Rebel Alliance, and Smugglers And Spies), and one player in command of the Empire (dark side, with the factions Sith, Imperial Navy, and Scum And Villainy). The Balance of the Force expansion allows multi-player games. The game is set within the time-frame of the original Star Wars trilogy.
Each player has a deck of objective cards representing various missions plus a deck of player cards of units (characters, vehicles, droids and creatures), events, enhancements and fates. Each objective is linked to a set of five player cards. Deck construction consists of choosing which objectives are to go into your objective deck, then adding each of those objective's set of five player cards to your player deck. Game play consists of deploying cards to your tableau, attacking your opponent's objectives, defending your own objectives, and committing cards to the Force Struggle.
The Empire wins if the Death Star dial reaches 12, with this dial increasing by one on each dark side turn, effectively putting a timer on the game. It may also be increased by winning the Force struggle, destroying light side objectives, and via card effects. The Rebels win by destroying three dark side objectives before the Empire wins.
Expansions
Cycles
Like their other living card games, expansions were released in the form of “Force Packs”, Each Force Pack in expands the Star Wars universe and increases players' deck-building options with 60 cards (a complete play set of each new objective, unit, enhancement, event, and fate card).
Hoth
The Hoth cycle invokes a powerful sense of location, and create a sense that the players are fighting over a specific place – in this case, Hoth. The light side player is asked to establish and defend Echo base. On the flip side, the dark side player has extra incentive to go after specific light side objectives to drive the Rebels from Hoth.
| Expansion Name | Release Date |
|---|---|
| The Desolation of Hoth | December 2012 |
| The Search for Skywalker | January 2013 |
| A Dark Time | February 2013 |
| Assault on Echo Base | March 2013 |
| Battle of Hoth | May 2013 |
| Escape from Hoth | June 2013 |
Echoes of the Force
In the Echoes of the Force cycle, Star Wars: The Card Game experiences dramatic changes taking shape as both sides learn to better channel the power of the Force. Its balance has implications that reach far beyond damaging dark side objectives or advancing the Death Star dial.
| Expansion Name | Release Date |
|---|---|
| Heroes And Legends | February 2014 |
| Lure of the Dark Side | March 2014 |
| Knowledge and Defense | April 2014 |
| Join Us or Die | June 2014 |
| It Binds All Things | July 2014 |
| Darkness and Light | August 2014 |
Rogue Squadron
In the Rogue Squadron cycle, Star Wars: The Card Game introduces mechanics to recreate the challenge and tension of dogfighting. Pilot cards can be played as normal units or attached to vehicles, unlocking new powers and card combinations.
| Expansion Name | Release Date |
|---|---|
| Ready for Takeoff | Q1 2015 |
| Draw Their Fire | Q1 2015 |
| Evasive Maneuvers | Q1 2015 |
| Attack Run | Q1 2015 |
| Chain of Command | Q2 2015 |
| Jump to Lightspeed | Q2 2015 |
Deluxe Expansions
| Expansion Name | Release Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Edge of Darkness | July 2013 | “Edge of Darkness”[1] adds 132 total cards (22 unique objective sets) that feature
the dark side’s Scum and Villainy or the light side’s Smugglers and Spies. |
| Balance of the Force | December 2013 | “Balance of the Force”[2] introduces new rules, 154 new cards, and a multiplayer Death Star dial
to introduce two distinct multiplayer formats, two-versus-two team play and challenge decks. |
| Between the Shadows | Q4 2014 | “Between the Shadows”[3] introduces 156 new cards. It includes two copies each of 24 unique objective sets and one copy each of 2 limited objective sets. This expansion focuses on the Jedi and Scum and Villainy factions. |