WizKids has announced the upcoming release of Star Trek: Captain’s Chair – To Boldly Go, a new, standalone card game that puts you in the shoes of some of the series’ most iconic starship captains. The long-running sci-fi series has been adapted into tabletop games numerous times and in various forms, from expansive RPGs to interactive VHS board games like A Klingon Challenge.
Prolific tabletop publisher WizKids has been behind a few of those, including Star Trek Conflict in the Neutral Zone and the original Captain’s Chair. Now, though, it’s publishing a pair of expansions: the tie-in Second Contact, and the standalone To Boldly Go.
To Boldly Go is a standalone expansion to Captain’s Chair for one to two players, using many of the same concepts and mechanics, but not requiring the original game to play. In it, players can select from one of six captains, including Kirk, Khan, Philippa Georgiou from Discovery, Rebner, and the Pakled Commander from Lower Decks.
Each captain has a unique deck of cards, featuring abilities relating to their allies, abilities, and items from their related series. As a result, it’s an asymmetric game: your chosen captain will play very differently from your opponent’s, almost like a game of Magic: The Gathering‘s Commander format.
That means you’ll have to play to your captain’s strengths; raw power isn’t always the answer in To Boldly Go. Diplomacy or subterfuge may serve you better in certain scenarios, but at the end of the day, it’s all about building up your deck and playing the cards you’re dealt.
To Boldly Go began shipping this July and is already sold out in some places. Certain third-party game stores, however, might still have copies available. It goes for between $50 and $60, depending on where you buy it from, but shipping may be delayed if your copy is back-ordered.
If you’ve ever wanted to simulate the strategy of Star Trek-style captaincy, this is a great way to do so. The asymmetry of the different captains’ playstyles adds a great deal of replay value, and the low player count creates tense, delicate confrontations between you and an opponent.
In case you don’t want to wait, you can check out the original Captain’s Chair, which allows you to play as Picard, Sisko, Michael Burnham, Koloth, Sela, or Thy’lek Shran. There’s also the Second Contact expansion, which requires ownership of the base game and includes captains Pike and Carol Freeman. For Star Trek fans, this is a wonderful wing of the franchise to dive into.
