Tuff Stuff's Gamer Fall 1997 - 62 - X-Files CCG: Feature - Gaming Guide - The X-Files 101361
Gaming Guide
THE X FILES
101361
By Steve Fritz
Last time I looked, "X-Files" was
a fundamentally good game
marred by horrid collation and
too much emphasis on rare and
ultra-rare cards. A deck with the chase
cards Deep Throat and X, and the rare
card Hack Into Government Files, would
inevitably overpower the game - unless
the opposing deck had its own combina-
tion of rare and chase cards to counter.
Thankfully, the United States Playing
Card Co. has done much to address both
of these problems.
First, the collation debacle: With the
release of the second edition of the basic
"X-Files" set, titled "The Truth Is Out
There," a new schematic for laying out the
card sheets means you'll no longer buy a
15-card booster pack and pull nine Site or
X-File cards. Instead, you get a pretty nice
mix of everything except Agent and X-File
cards - those are now only in the starter
decks. Plus, buying a starter deck used to
be a crapshoot. Now USPC pre-sets 50 of
the 60 cards in the box. Thus a deck and
a couple of boosters will give you a pretty
good sealed-deck game.
THE X FILES
101361
By Steve Fritz
Last time I looked, "X-Files" was
a fundamentally good game
marred by horrid collation and
too much emphasis on rare and
ultra-rare cards. A deck with the chase
cards Deep Throat and X, and the rare
card Hack Into Government Files, would
inevitably overpower the game - unless
the opposing deck had its own combina-
tion of rare and chase cards to counter.
Thankfully, the United States Playing
Card Co. has done much to address both
of these problems.
First, the collation debacle: With the
release of the second edition of the basic
"X-Files" set, titled "The Truth Is Out
There," a new schematic for laying out the
card sheets means you'll no longer buy a
15-card booster pack and pull nine Site or
X-File cards. Instead, you get a pretty nice
mix of everything except Agent and X-File
cards - those are now only in the starter
decks. Plus, buying a starter deck used to
be a crapshoot. Now USPC pre-sets 50 of
the 60 cards in the box. Thus a deck and
a couple of boosters will give you a pretty
good sealed-deck game.
Now, on to the issue of rarity.
On the not-so-great side, USPC pulled
30 of the first edition's rare and ultra-rare
cards and replaced them with new cards
of similar rarity. Just like that (insert
snap here) the Deep Throat, X, and Hack
cards are gone. The new rares and chase
cards, however, are just as powerful as
the ones they replaced - which could lead
to dealers breaking down cases of these
cards, chucking the commons, and sell-
ing single rares.
Thankfully, the first "X-Files" expan-
sion, "101361" (Fox Mulder's birthdate,
for the unenlightened), goes a long way
toward rectifying this situation. The
125-card set adds a number of new, more
common cards, like Witness cards that
can contribute to two different skill
checks, weenie agents who are meat by
themselves but can give Mulder and
Scully much-needed boosts, and some
mean Bluff cards that really amp up the
game. In fact, rather than tone down the
expansion cards to balance out the
game, USPC has added even more power.
On the not-so-great side, USPC pulled
30 of the first edition's rare and ultra-rare
cards and replaced them with new cards
of similar rarity. Just like that (insert
snap here) the Deep Throat, X, and Hack
cards are gone. The new rares and chase
cards, however, are just as powerful as
the ones they replaced - which could lead
to dealers breaking down cases of these
cards, chucking the commons, and sell-
ing single rares.
Thankfully, the first "X-Files" expan-
sion, "101361" (Fox Mulder's birthdate,
for the unenlightened), goes a long way
toward rectifying this situation. The
125-card set adds a number of new, more
common cards, like Witness cards that
can contribute to two different skill
checks, weenie agents who are meat by
themselves but can give Mulder and
Scully much-needed boosts, and some
mean Bluff cards that really amp up the
game. In fact, rather than tone down the
expansion cards to balance out the
game, USPC has added even more power.
The new cards also make deck con-
struction easier. There are now enough
different Site cards that you can focus on
three or four key skills and have all you
need to deduct an X-File's characteristics.
The new Witness and Agent cards help
in that department, as well. For instance,
if you want to investigate Occult and/or
Criminal sites, team Mulder with Detective
Angela White; they add +1 to one anoth-
er's abilities.
The new Bluffs, meanwhile, when
played in proper combo, can strip an oppo-
nent of all the cards in his hand as well
as take out all of his power; try mixing
This Is Not Happening, Det. Tony Fiore,
and Deceiving the Flock, for example.
You'll notice that I haven't mentioned
new X-Files, Combat, Adversaries, or
Event cards - for various reasons. In the
case of X-Files and Combat cards, USPC
didn't add any new ones in either
"Truth" or "101361." Of course, the game
already has enough X-Files cards, thank
you. But I'd love to see some new Com-
bat cards, as First Aid is the only one pres-
ently seeing much use.
struction easier. There are now enough
different Site cards that you can focus on
three or four key skills and have all you
need to deduct an X-File's characteristics.
The new Witness and Agent cards help
in that department, as well. For instance,
if you want to investigate Occult and/or
Criminal sites, team Mulder with Detective
Angela White; they add +1 to one anoth-
er's abilities.
The new Bluffs, meanwhile, when
played in proper combo, can strip an oppo-
nent of all the cards in his hand as well
as take out all of his power; try mixing
This Is Not Happening, Det. Tony Fiore,
and Deceiving the Flock, for example.
You'll notice that I haven't mentioned
new X-Files, Combat, Adversaries, or
Event cards - for various reasons. In the
case of X-Files and Combat cards, USPC
didn't add any new ones in either
"Truth" or "101361." Of course, the game
already has enough X-Files cards, thank
you. But I'd love to see some new Com-
bat cards, as First Aid is the only one pres-
ently seeing much use.
There are new Adversaries and Event
cards, some of which are among the best
cards in the game. The combo of Margie
Kleinjan and Terri Roberts is now one
of the most lethal Adversary combos in
the game. Captive Hybrid, an Event card
which reduces an opponent's resource pull
by two points every turn, will likely turn
up in a lot of decks. Still, there are some
other Event cards that seem far too spe-
cialized to be worth having, like Skinner's
Wedding Ring.
Overall, USPC has greatly improved its
card game. Nevertheless, if the company
wants "X-Files" to be a truly world class
CCG, it will eventually have to put out
enough cards to allow gamers to make
seriously competitive decks from com-
mons and uncommons. And that hasn't
happened yet. Still, if "22364" (the sec-
ond expansion, named for Dana Scully's
birthday) is anything like "101361," I
wouldn't be surprised if that will soon be
a problem of the past.
cards, some of which are among the best
cards in the game. The combo of Margie
Kleinjan and Terri Roberts is now one
of the most lethal Adversary combos in
the game. Captive Hybrid, an Event card
which reduces an opponent's resource pull
by two points every turn, will likely turn
up in a lot of decks. Still, there are some
other Event cards that seem far too spe-
cialized to be worth having, like Skinner's
Wedding Ring.
Overall, USPC has greatly improved its
card game. Nevertheless, if the company
wants "X-Files" to be a truly world class
CCG, it will eventually have to put out
enough cards to allow gamers to make
seriously competitive decks from com-
mons and uncommons. And that hasn't
happened yet. Still, if "22364" (the sec-
ond expansion, named for Dana Scully's
birthday) is anything like "101361," I
wouldn't be surprised if that will soon be
a problem of the past.
Freelance writer Steve Fritz loves a good
conspiracy as much as the next guy.
COOL COMBOS
If you want to investigate Occult and/or
Criminal sites, team Mulder with
Detective Angela White; they add +1
to one another's abilities.
The combo of Margie Kleinjan and Terri
Roberts is now one of the most lethal
Adversary combos in the game.
Played properly, the
new Bluffs can strip
an opponent of all
the cards in his hand
while taking out all of
his power. Try mixing
Det. Tony Fiore, This
Is Not Happening,
and Deceiving
the Flock.
Captive
Hybrid, an
Event card
which
reduces an
opponent's
resource
pull by two
points
every turn.
