Star Wars Pocketmodel TCG: NEAT!

I do not think I have yet stressed how awesome the Star Wars Pocketmodel TCG is. So...

The game combines miniature and TCG mechanics in a manner that is delightful, fun, and conducive to creative strategy. Players create fleets of 30 build stars worth of ships and decks of 30 cards. A player loses if:
1) They have no ships in play.
2) They have no objectives in play.

Decks:
Decks are composed of two types of cards.

Combat: Objective:

Combat cards are used to modify combat. The number in the upper left hand corner of the card (+1) is used to modify the stat of a ship on which it is played. Red deals with attack, blue with defense, yellow with damage, and green with shields. Every combat card has a number in the upper left hand corner, so it is never dead in the hand.

In the text area of Combat cards one will usually find an icon with text next to it. On the Admiral Ackbar card is it a green icon with a little picture of a laser within it. If the ship upon which the card is played has that same icon then the ship will get that bonus. So, if we play Admiral Ackbar on a ship with the little green laser icon the ship will get both the +1 from the upper left hand corner as well as the effect of the Ackbard card, "+1 attack for each opposing {green stormtrooper icon} unit in your unit's zone". As one might guess, the green stormtrooper icon, just as with the green laser icon, appears on some ships. So, when constructing one's deck and fleet one must assess the value of specific cards and specific ships as well as the interaction of those cards and ships. If one builds a deck of very powerful {green laser icon} cards but uses very powerful {green stormtrooper icon} ships then the cards and ships will not interact as well as they could if they had matching icons.

Objective cards can be compared to Global enchantments in Magic, kind of. When the game starts players place three cards from the top of their deck face down on the table. These are their "objective" cards. Players can use their ships to attempt to destroy and opponent's Objective. The number seen in the lower right hand corner of each card above is that card's objective number. So, if Ackbar is the objective one must be able to beat a nine. If Mustafar Mining Platform is the objective one must beat a twelve. When the game begins one places three face down cards as their objectives, but as actual objective cards are drawn one can place the objective card on top of the face down objective card and replace it. While one might think this a peculiar and problematic game mechanic it actually works well in gameplay. Different objective cards have different effects, some global, some player specific, some which trigger when the objective is revealed, etc. So selecting objective cards also adds to the customization and strategy of the game.

Fleets: Fleets are constructed using thirty build stars worth of ships.

This ship has 3 stars on its base (the three stars above the three icons at the bottom of the base). So this ship is worth 3 build stars. Ships currently can be worth 1-5 build stars. Capital ships are worth more build stars, and fighters are generally worth less build stars. So when constructing a fleet one must assess the value of a given ship with regard to its stats (2, 8, 3, 3 on the example) and its build star worth, as well as the sorts of cards with which it would interact.

Ships are the means by which things are done in the game. They are one's "units", if you will through which one interacts with other units and objectives. Ships have four stats. Red attack, Blue defence, yellow damage, green shields.

Gameplay: During one's turn one may either move, combat, or strike.

Move:
A player may move 5 build stars worth of units to another zone. There are 3 zones in a two player game. Your home zone, the contested zone, and your opponent's home zone. Your home zone is where your ships start and objectives are. The contested zone is the area in the middle. Your opponent's home zone is the area where your opponent's ships start and where your opponent's objectives lie.

Combat:
None of this will make much sense without a brief explanation of Combat. Combat takes place in the following steps:
1) Declaration of groups. The attacking player specifies 5 build stars worth of attacking units and 5 buid stars worth of defending units.
Once declaration of groups happens each attacking ship gets its battle phase. Once all battle phases are complete combat ends. Battle phases take place in the following manner:
1) The attacking player selects an attacking and defending unit.
2) Combat cards are played. Attacking player may play a card then defending player may play a card. If the attacking player opted to not play a card but the defending player does play a card the attacking player may play a card.
3) Each player rolls two six-sided die
4) Players then apply their attack stats, card effects, objective effects, etc. to the die roll to see if either ship managed to hit the other.
5) Damage is assigned based upon the outcome of the die roll and the stat modifications of these rolls. If either ships is destroyed it is removed from the game into one's "reserve" area. If a ship was damaged and not destroyed damage counters are added to it.
This sequence is repeated until all of the attacking ships have attacked.

Strike: Players may attempt to destroy an enemy's Objective if they have a unit in an enemy's home zone. One specifies an attacker and a target objective, then rolls to see if one destroys that objective by beating the number in the lower right hand corner of that card. Combat cards may not be played to enhance / decrease a Strike. Strikes may only be made by units in an enemy's home zone. So if I have an A-wing in your home zone I can attempt to destroy 1 objective in that zone per turn.

I think that is pretty much the Star Wars Pocketmodel TCG...BUY IT!