Star Trek: Expeditions was a cooperative-play ("co-op") game set within the "alternate reality" of Star Trek, as depicted in the 2009 movie. It was created by famed game designer Reiner Knizia, produced by WizKids, and debuted at retail in June 2011.
The game used the "Clix" method of play that was established in WizKids' popular series of HeroClix games but was not compatible with other titles in the series, principally due to the unique dial markers used. Nonetheless, the first seven character figures (player movers) were released with compatible Clix dials in an expansion pack for the later Star Trek: Tactics game.
The game was rated as suitable for players over fourteen years of age and its duration was estimated at sixty minutes.
Gameplay
Up to four players assumed the roles of Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and/or Uhura and were involved in an "episode" that immediately followed the events of the 2009 movie.
The USS Enterprise had been assigned to Nibia, a new planet that had petitioned for Federation membership. However, when the ship arrived, they found three things amiss:
- A Klingon Battle Cruiser was orbiting the planet;
- The planet was on the verge of a civil war (due to Klingon interference); and
- The planetary government was reconsidering its petition for membership.
A player's mission was to deal with the first two challenges and convince the planet to join the Federation.
Each player had thirty days (thirty turns, with each turn representing a day's activities) to complete all three facets of the mission before the battle cruiser was joined by the rest of its battle fleet, forcing the Enterprise to withdraw and lose the planet to the Klingon Empire.
As with all "co-op" games, players did not compete against each other and had to work cooperatively to complete all the game's requirements. The game used a "branching mission system" which allowed for up to sixteen different mission outcomes, so each time the game was played, the players' decisions lead to different outcomes. When a team played successfully, the number of available plot options increased.
Unlike other "Clix" games, the dials on the bases of the player's movers changed depending on which "duty" had been assigned to that crewmember or when the crewmember took "damage".
Additionally, players used the "Energize" cards to build Away Teams that were sent to the planet to counter the Klingons' machinations and stop the civil war. Away team missions were determined by the "Captain's Log" cards as randomly dealt onto the game board.
Game components
- 4 × "HeroClix"-style player movers:
- 2 × "HeroClix"-style starship markers:
- 15 × "Regular Discovery" game tokens
- 5 × "Major Discovery" game tokens
- 4 × "Away Team" cards" (1 for each playable character)
- 4 × "Turn Order" cards
- 3 × custom dice
- "Score Tracker" board with 3 game tracks
- Deck of 14 "Stardate" cards
- Deck of 42 "Energize" cards
- Deck of 21 "Captain's Log" cards
- Deck of 25 "Captain's Log Supplemental" cards
- 23" by 24" game board
Expansions
Like Wizkids' Star Trek: Fleet Captains, the game was designed to be complete and playable straight out of the box with no further accessories or "blind box" items required. Nonetheless, one expansion set and an extra card was released:
Star Trek: Expeditions Expansion Set 1
Along with updated rules allowing a fifth player to participate, the set included player movers and cards for:
Tribbles! promo card
One "Tribbles!" Captain's Log Supplemental card was given out as a free promotional item at SPIEL '11, a gaming convention in Essen, Germany. It was retailed through BoardGameGeek's online store. [1]