The Star Wars Customizable Card Game (SWCCG) is a trading card game, where cards are collected, that draws its inspiration from the original trilogy (including Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire) and The Phantom Menace. Decipher, Inc. was the creator and publisher of the game. However, in 2001, Decipher's license to officially publish Star Wars products was terminated.
The initial release of Star Wars CCG occurred in December of 1995. Over the years, Decipher expanded the original card set with eleven major expansions, along with various smaller expansions, specialized sets, and promotional items. The final set, Theed Palace Limited, was launched in the autumn of 2001. The game's content spanned the entirety of the original Star Wars trilogy (A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back, and Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi) and Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. During its run, from 1995 to 1998, the game achieved high sales figures, ranking second only to Magic: The Gathering among CCGs, as reported by InQuest magazines. In 2001, Decipher's license to produce official Star Wars products expired, leading to Wizards of the Coast's Star Wars Trading Card Game taking its place.
A guide to assist players with strategy, titled Star Wars Customizable Card Game: Official Player's Guide, was made available in 1996.
More than twenty expansions and smaller, specialized products were introduced by Decipher. These expansions served as the means to introduce new cards into the game.
- Premiere Limited
- Premiere Unlimited
- A New Hope Limited
- Hoth Limited
- Dagobah Limited
- First Anthology
- Cloud City Limited
- Jabba's Palace Limited
- Second Anthology
- A New Hope Revised Unlimited
- Hoth Revised Unlimited
- Special Edition Limited
- Endor Limited
- Dagobah Revised Unlimited
- Reflections: A Collector's Bounty
- Death Star II Limited
- Reflections II: Expanding the Galaxy
- Tatooine Limited
- Coruscant Limited
- Reflections III
- Theed Palace Limited
Prior to Decipher losing its license, various sets had been formally announced, but were not ultimately produced.
- Shadows of The Empire expansion [3] (elements of which found their way into Reflections II)
- Jedi Masters expansion [3] (elements of which were incorporated into Reflections III)
- Skywalkers expansion [3] (elements of which were integrated into Tatooine)
- Scoundrels expansion [3]
A fifth set, known as Reflections Gold, was being developed when Decipher's license was revoked. Despite the company's objections, the cards were not permitted to be released, even in a digital format. Over time, prototype versions of numerous cards have surfaced in the secondary market, making them exceptionally rare.
SWCCG, in comparison to other trading card games (TCGs), is known for its complexity and challenging learning curve. It encompasses a larger set of rules compared to other TCGs, with some rules being infrequently used and obscure. Certain fundamental concepts, such as differentiating between "battle damage" and "attrition" during combat, can be initially confusing. However, its core mechanics are both innovative and versatile, providing a depth of gameplay that attracts dedicated gamers.
Another aspect that set SWCCG apart from many other TCGs was that, throughout Decipher's management of the game, no card was ever prohibited from tournament use. Instead, Decipher opted to introduce "magic bullets," which were new cards specifically created to counteract strategies deemed overly powerful or abusive. In certain instances, Decipher also employed errata, which involved modifying the game text of a card to override the printed version. The utilization of errata further complicates the learning process, as players must be aware of these changes to use affected cards correctly. While alternative formats using a restricted card pool have been developed, the original open format still allows all cards to be used.
In each game, one player assumes the role of the Light Side of the Force, while the other controls the Dark Side. The game's objective is to deplete the opponent's deck.
While players can specialize in either side during casual play, tournaments require players to have both Dark and Light decks. The game's action unfolds at various Location cards (both in space and on planets) within the Star Wars universe. Locations can be deployed as the game progresses. Furthermore, most locations are available in both Dark and Light Side versions, and a location that is already in play can be "converted" to the opposing side at any moment. Most locations influence gameplay in some manner, and all provide "Force icons," which determine the amount of "Force" — the game's resource — that a player can activate each turn.
Each unit of the Force is represented by a card drawn from the top of a player's deck and placed to the side in the Force Pile. When used to deploy something, each unit of Force is moved to the Used Pile, which is then shuffled back into the bottom of the deck. Unused Force remains in the Force Pile and can be saved for later use or drawn into the player's hand. The goal is to make the opponent discard all of their Life Force (comprising the Reserve Deck, Force Pile, and Used Pile). This is achieved through Force Drains (forcing the opponent to discard cards by controlling a location with their Force Icons unopposed), engaging in battles with opposing characters, and resolving specific pivotal situations (such as freezing a character in carbonite, winning a pod race, or dueling a Jedi).
The game system also incorporates Destiny draws, which represent the elements of chance, uncertainty, luck, and the Force. Each card has a destiny number, ranging from 0 to 7, located in the top right corner (except for locations, which have a destiny value of 0). Instead of using dice to generate random numbers, players "draw destiny" from the top of their deck, revealing the top card and using its destiny number as the result. This is used for a variety of purposes, including determining weapon hits, mandatory losses incurred by the opponent, and resolving whether a character passes a Jedi Test. The drawn Destiny card is placed in the Used Pile and recycled back into the deck. This system allows skilled players to count cards, remembering the positions of high-destiny cards in the deck. Generally, stronger or rarer cards had lower Destiny values, although exceptions existed.
Star Wars CCG featured a greater number of basic card types compared to most CCGs. The game initially included 8 card types, each with several subtypes. Later expansions introduced additional basic card types.
The original card types were:
- Character
- Starship
- Vehicle
- Device
- Weapon
- Interrupt
- Effect
- Location
Card types introduced later:
- Epic Event
- Creature
- Jedi Test
- Objective
- Admiral's Order
- Podracer
- Defensive Shield
Following Decipher's departure, the original Star Wars Customizable Card Game was unofficially continued by a Players Committee, who released new "virtual" sets. Any cards produced after Decipher are not considered official or canon. As of 2013, the SWCCG retains an active playing community managed by the Players Committee.
- Star Wars CCG at CCGTrader
- Decipher.com
- Archived copy of Decipher.com's full card list at StarWarsCCG.org
- Star Wars Customizable Card Game on Wikipedia