Just a random question. I play the game because I love the franchise first, and because it's a card game second. My main thrill is seeing how well the characters, places, and happenings in the galaxy are reflected on the cards portraying them. I build decks for flavor, not to win tournaments, though I do hope to become a decent player. I just don't want to build a deck that doesn't 'feel' right, if that makes sense.

I'm drawn to the Jedi, since my favorite classes in RPG are the healers and wizards/scholars. I'm also a grad student, myself, working in literature, so I might end up having my own little holocron to keep someday, if all goes well. X3 Also, when I play Magic (not often anymore), I always play white and green, with a preference for white. Given all this, I think Jedi is a natural fit for me.

I also love Scum, because the coolest aliens in the movies are all bad guys (well, except Shistavanens, my favorites, ironically), and I love the capturing mechanic, even if its performance is sometimes...um...less than optimal. Besides, who can say no to Jabba and live to tell about it?

I play for flavor as well. But I often find that difficult to do in this game, particularly when playing Light Side, due to the deckbuilding mechanic. This isn't a fault of the mechanic itself, I feel, but rather the way in which the designers have divided the cards amongst the objectives...or more accurately, the flavor applied to the cards (by which I mean the titles, artwork, and so forth). Many objectives have associated cards whose flavor is spread across the timeline; for example, Last Defense of Hoth by its very title implies an association with the time in which the Rebellion controls Hoth, yet we see Don't Get Cocky, a card explicitly set years earlier, during Luke's earliest days fighting the Empire. Now, they have said that they intend for this game to take a "timeline neutral" approach to continuity, and I am perfectly fine with this, but I would still like to see them move away from breaking continuity within objective sets, so that those of us who enjoy theme in deckbuilding can derive that aspect of enjoyment from this game. I find that this is less of a problem with Dark Side objectives; there, the issue is more that the artwork doesn't match up to the lore. An example would be the objective, A Dark Time for the Rebellion, which features Ralph McQuarrie's concept art for the opening scene of Return of the Jedi above Endor but is a Hoth objective.

Besides, who can say no to Jabba and live to tell about it?

Leia. Definitely Leia.

@MarthWMaster:...and Luke... and Han.

Having some experience playing other people's Magic decks, I found myself looking for a card game of something I could really get into. Found this and I've been hooked ever since. I play for fun, make decks based off of strategies I see within separate Objective Sets and usually keep to 1 Affiliation per deck. It's fun and easy to teach to newbies.

I play for flavor as well. But I often find that difficult to do in this game, particularly when playing Light Side, due to the deckbuilding mechanic. This isn't a fault of the mechanic itself, I feel, but rather the way in which the designers have divided the cards amongst the objectives...or more accurately, the flavor applied to the cards (by which I mean the titles, artwork, and so forth). Many objectives have associated cards whose flavor is spread across the timeline; for example, Last Defense of Hoth by its very title implies an association with the time in which the Rebellion controls Hoth, yet we see Don't Get Cocky, a card explicitly set years earlier, during Luke's earliest days fighting the Empire. Now, they have said that they intend for this game to take a "timeline neutral" approach to continuity, and I am perfectly fine with this, but I would still like to see them move away from breaking continuity within objective sets, so that those of us who enjoy theme in deckbuilding can derive that aspect of enjoyment from this game. I find that this is less of a problem with Dark Side objectives; there, the issue is more that the artwork doesn't match up to the lore. An example would be the objective, A Dark Time for the Rebellion, which features Ralph McQuarrie's concept art for the opening scene of Return of the Jedi above Endor but is a Hoth objective.

Besides, who can say no to Jabba and live to tell about it?

Leia. Definitely Leia.

I noticed the Don't Get Cocky issue, too, and I can't say I'm thrilled. Also, I love lore and the team's willingness to draw from lots of EU sources, but I think there's really so much they haven't tapped into from the original movies that I'm a little confused at the decision to start working in content from video games (Kyle Katarn, etc.) Keep in mind that this is mostly sour grapes, as I've never played said games. In fact, I know a fair amount of EU lore, but it's mostly from secondary sources as my reading time is taken up by too much other stuff to devote too much time to reading EU novels. The short story collections from the mid-'90s, however, are fantastic.

I'm sure we'll see plenty more from the movies, but particularly for Jedi and SIth if they wanted to give them more "main" characters they were going to have to move on to some EU stuff. I understand not wanting the entire Jedi affiliation to be Luke, Yoda, and Obi-Wan over and over.

Precisely, there are only so many versions of one character before it gets ridiculous. To do a cycle essentially focused on Sith/Jedi they had no choice but to go to the EU stuff.

As for the original question, I play because I love Star Wars, I love the LCG format, and I really like the mechanics of this game. I never played any of the other Star Wars CCG's as I was not a fan of stills as the artwork and they were CCG's.

I play for flavor as well. But I often find that difficult to do in this game, particularly when playing Light Side, due to the deckbuilding mechanic. This isn't a fault of the mechanic itself, I feel, but rather the way in which the designers have divided the cards amongst the objectives...or more accurately, the flavor applied to the cards (by which I mean the titles, artwork, and so forth). Many objectives have associated cards whose flavor is spread across the timeline; for example, Last Defense of Hoth by its very title implies an association with the time in which the Rebellion controls Hoth, yet we see Don't Get Cocky, a card explicitly set years earlier, during Luke's earliest days fighting the Empire. Now, they have said that they intend for this game to take a "timeline neutral" approach to continuity, and I am perfectly fine with this, but I would still like to see them move away from breaking continuity within objective sets, so that those of us who enjoy theme in deckbuilding can derive that aspect of enjoyment from this game. I find that this is less of a problem with Dark Side objectives; there, the issue is more that the artwork doesn't match up to the lore. An example would be the objective, A Dark Time for the Rebellion, which features Ralph McQuarrie's concept art for the opening scene of Return of the Jedi above Endor but is a Hoth objective.

Must really bug you then, when they create a set like A Hero's Resolve? Why can't they do that all the time?

Must really bug you then, when they create a set like A Hero's Resolve? Why can't they do that all the time?

Y'know, I'm still kind of sad we didn't get a Luke in the Wampa cave card with his lightsaber and some kind of enhancement search for Jedi. Plus a key Tauntaun shelter card is also missed.

Very true. I think I came off as a little more angry than I really am. I love a lot of the EU stuff, don't get me wrong. XD

Must really bug you then, when they create a set like A Hero's Resolve? Why can't they do that all the time?

Must really bug you then, when they create a set like A Hero's Resolve? Why can't they do that all the time?

Ah yeah. A Hero's Resolve is some good stuff. Makes me wonder if they'll continue to name Luke's objectives "A Hero's [blank]." It would be a nice nod to Luke being the lead protagonist of the Original Trilogy.

A Hero's Whiny Voice.

I wonder if he ever got a chance to pick up those power converters...

I wonder if he ever got a chance to pick up those power converters...

My guess is there was no need, having his own X-Wing, being part of the Rebellion and his old home of course being ransacked and all by the Empire.

I play the game because I like both strategy games and Star Wars. I am a convert from SWCCG, so the play-base is also important. That being said, what I have come to enjoy is the thrill of the edge battle and the developing pool of cards.

It is really cool getting to see the new cardpool developing right from the start.

I love lore and the team's willingness to draw from lots of EU sources, but I think there's really so much they haven't tapped into from the original movies that I'm a little confused at the decision to start working in content from video games (Kyle Katarn, etc.) Keep in mind that this is mostly sour grapes, as I've never played said games. In fact, I know a fair amount of EU lore, but it's mostly from secondary sources as my reading time is taken up by too much other stuff to devote too much time to reading EU novels. The short story collections from the mid-'90s, however, are fantastic.

I see this as a marketing decision, and a wise one IMO. By mixing in a healthy dose of Expanded Universe material, the team takes control of their playerbase in two ways: First, those who appreciate the EU have plenty to enjoy in this game right away. And second, those who are drawn to the films first and foremost have plenty to look forward to, as you have pointed out, fans who would otherwise have only limited interest in the game's flavor once most or all of the film material were covered.

This way, both types of Star Wars fans can speculate on which film and EU sources will appear in current and future Force cycles. For example, while I'm Echoes of the Force will draw heavily from the EU, I still see potential for film-based cards to explore the Force theme. I wouldn't be surprised to see a post-redemption Anakin Skywalker card in this cycle, and associated rules to resolve the conflict of the same character being on both sides of the table simultaneously (a moral battle, if you will). Due to the compulsive nature of the dark side, I anticipate that it will be harder to bring dark characters to the light than vice versa, but also more rewarding.