Even though the memory of Earth has faded, space travelling technology has been rediscovered. Moreover, a new elite caste of society has risen: the ‘capsuleers’ are highly trained, physically modified humans capable of piloting starships through sheer mind power. The governments of the nation-states are starting to realise how much influence these capsuleers have gained and behind the scenes, they are scheming. Meanwhile, the worlds of EVE are slowly but surely edging closer and closer to the brink of war.
Five of the colonies grew to become major empires that nowadays share the power in the known universe: the Amarr Empire, the Caldari State, the Minmatar Republic, the Gallente Federation and the Jovian Empire.
The Amarrians were the first to rediscover warp technology after the collapse of the EVE gate. This enabled them to conquer world after world, subjugating entire civilisations. Their dominance was ended by the mysterious and superior Jovinas, after which the slave population of Amarr launched a great rebellion. This act led to the founding of the independent nation-state called the Minmatar Republic, but the Emperor of Amarr and his subjects still propagate slavery in their home territories.
The Caldari State is a military nation, which believes in conflict as essential to survival in the harsh worlds of New Eden. The society here is based on hyper-capitalistic markets, with its mega-corporations being the largest, non-nation business entities in the galaxy.
The Gallente Federation is constantly expanding, but it doesn’t do so through force or terror. Instead, Gallenteans believe in the triumph of free will and the sanctity of human rights. It has become an economic giant because of its willingness to trade with every civilisation it has encountered so far. Because of their self-righteousness, they have engaged in bitter conflict with the Caldari in the past and even now, the two nations maintain an uneasy peace that continues to weaken with time.
The seven original Minmatar tribes believed in the virtue of loyalty, but became slaves to the Amarrians after Amarrian warships invaded their world. After centuries of occupation, the Minmatars managed to oust their enemies, partially thanks to Jovian and Gallentean support. Still, the Minmatar Republic has been greatly weakened and many Minmatars are still living as slaves.
So much for the setting. EVE Online is one of the most popular MMORPG’s (Massively-Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games) ever. In it, players take control of a starship and try not only to survive, but trade and thrive in an enormously big virtual world. Now, EVE is also a collectible card game in the ilk of Magic: The Gathering.
In Eve: The Second Genesis, players take on the role of the CEO of an aspiring corporation. At the start, each CEO controls a single starbase, has a steady income and has access to a market from which (s)he can buy whatever is in supply. Each CEO also knows about several valuable outer regions which can generate the extra income necessary to build up his or her corporation and crush his or her rivals. The aim of this CCG is to generate enough money to adequately fortify your own starbase and eventually destroy your opponent’s starbase.
EVE: The Second Genesis consists of 240 cards. The Starter Kits contains 110 cards, representing the Caldari and the Gallente. Each booster pack includes another 15 randomly sorted cards, of which 10 are common, 3 uncommon, 1 rare and 1 is a home region or outer region. Each booster pack has a 50% chance of containing a nice-looking premium card which replaces a card of the same rarity.
Each player controls a single deck, which must contain a single home region. This Starbase is put face up on the table and determines the race (s)he is playing. The cards the deck is constructed of must share one of their race icons with the Starbase. Some cards have no race icons and are useable by any faction. Starbase cards have two sides. When a certain cost is paid, the card is flipped over, which reveals an upgraded version of the home region. Every Starbase has a round icon which indicates the income it generates every turn, a Shield rating, another round icon representing the upgrade cost and one or more specific Abilities.
Players also begin with three Outer Regions which are kept aside with the faces down. If enough money is spent, any number of Outer Regions can be played in a single turn. However – and this is one of the most important rules in this game – no benefits are gained from an Outer Region until it is controlled by one or more Starships. Every outer Region has a specific cost needed to play it out of a hand, a bonus income added to the total generated every turn and a maximum number of Locations that can be played on it.
Each Starship is represented by its own card. When a ship is first played from a hand, it is docked inside the Starbase. Ships need a set number of turns before they are assembled. Once docked, a ship cannot be targeted, but it is of no use until it is actually played. Ships have a certain Cost needed to build, a line indicating the time they take to be assembled, an Attack rating, a Shield rating, a Command line and one or more Abilities.
News cards are the only cards one is allowed to play outside of the management phase. They have a specific effect on the game play, then go in the scrapheap or stay in effect for several rounds. Every News card has a price and possibly a specific duration. This is listed in the borders and the cards are turned every turn so that the number of turns the News card will stay in the game is visible on top.
Cards representing Starbase Structures are attached to a Starbase and are thus always played in a home region. Starbase Structures have a set price, an icon indicating bonus income and a Shield indicating bonus defence, as well as specific abilities.
Locations can be played into the home region or any Outer Region in play, no matter who controls it. All Outer Region cards have a box in the upper right corner indicating how many Locations can be played on a single one of these cards. Locations have a set price, bonus income and mineral value.
Every game starts with each player holding 7 cards in hands, not including the Starbase and three Outer Regions. Income is represented by round counters and first only gained through the Starbase. Later, Outer Regions can be played on the table. When a Starship is played on an Outer Region, it is controlled and the extra income and abilities come into effect. However, it is entirely possible to attack an Outer Region already under control with one or more Starships of your own. Unless an appropriate News card is played or a specific ability is in effect, the defender can always withdraw, thereby relinquishing the control of an Outer Region. If not, the attacking player chooses his or her targets and compares the Attack ratings of his or her ships with the Shield ratings of the defending ships. If a ship receives damage equal to or greater than its Shield, that ship is destroyed and placed in the scrapheap.
The game is won by attacking the opponent’s Starbase. First, any defending ships have to be destroyed. After that, the home region itself can be targeted. Even if an invading ship has already attacked, it can still bring its weapons to bear against its target region. If the damage is equal to or greater than the Shield rating of the Starbase, the home region is destroyed and the attacker wins the game.
Before any of this happens, though, a single game sessions has usually gone through many different Setup, Draw, Management and Battle Phases.
A CCG is highly dependent on three things: its artwork, its playability and its attraction to collectors. The EVE: The Great War art is excellent and catches the eye immediately. Every single card in the game is beautiful and the premium cards are appropriately special.
While playing, we were reminded many times of Magic: The Gathering. EVE is hardly an original game, but all of the rules fit the setting perfectly and represent trade and the acquisition of territory fairly well. Moreover, this is a fun, addictive game, with reasonably simple rules. Despite the lack of complexity, there are a lot of tactical options and careful thought is necessary in order to win a game. This makes for an excellent rules set, which will please card gamers and EVE enthusiasts alike.
Personally, we don’t like collectible aspect of this kind of games all that much. It’s easier to collect a competitive deck when one has more money to spend, and it’s impossible to know exactly what you’re buying. However, this doesn’t mean the games themselves are bad. In fact, EVE: The Great War is a great, albeit not very original, game. It will be tough to sell to gamers who have never played EVE Online before and it will be just as difficult to get computer gamers to play this CCG, but if gamers give EVE: The Great War a chance and are willing to look past Magic: The Gathering and World of Warcraft, they are sure to discover an excellent card game. We are going to play this CCG a lot in the future, and we hope many will follow our example. ****
More info: www.ccpgames.com
Dirk Vandereyken
