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Overview

Captain cards represent the commanding officers of starships in Star Trek Attack Wing. Each captain has a skill level, special abilities, and can equip talent upgrades.

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Captain Data Structure

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type
string
required
Always "captain" for captain cards
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id
string
required
Unique identifier (e.g., "Cap053", "Cap052")
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gameId
number
required
Game system identifier
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set
array
required
Set codes where this captain appears
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name
string
required
Captain’s name (e.g., "Jean-Luc Picard", "James T. Kirk")
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image
string
URL to captain card image

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Captain Statistics

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cost
number
required
Squadron points to field this captain
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skill
number|string
required
Captain skill number (activation order)
  • Standard range: 1-10
  • Special: "*" for variable skill (e.g., Borg Drones)
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talents
number
Number of talent upgrade slots (0-2)

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Special Abilities

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text
string
Captain’s special ability text with HTML formatting and game mechanics
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unique
boolean
required
Whether this is a unique named captain (only one per fleet)
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factions
array
required
Faction affiliations:
  • "federation", "klingon", "romulan", "dominion", "borg", "independent", etc.

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Restrictions

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range
string
Range requirement for abilities (e.g., "1-2", "1-3")
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hullConstraint
string
Hull value restrictions:
  • "3-" - Hull 3 or less
  • "5+" - Hull 5 or more
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nxLimit
boolean
Restricted to NX-class ships

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Real Examples

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High-Skill Federation Captain

{
  "type": "captain",
  "id": "Cap049",
  "gameId": 1,
  "set": ["75016"],
  "name": "Jean-Luc Picard",
  "image": "https://i.imgur.com/jDXSyy0.jpg",
  "unique": true,
  "text": "<b>EACH TIME AN OPPOSING EFFECT WOULD DISCARD, STEAL, OR PLACE ANY TOKENS ON A [crew_text] UPGRADE:</b> You may have a [weapon_text] Upgrade equipped to this ship become the target instead. <hr> <b>FREE ACTION:</b> Place either a [battlestations] or an [evade] Token beside this ship.",
  "factions": ["federation"],
  "cost": 6,
  "skill": 9,
  "talents": 1
}

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Classic Starfleet Captain

{
  "type": "captain",
  "id": "Cap043",
  "gameId": 1,
  "set": ["75016"],
  "name": "James T. Kirk",
  "image": "https://i.imgur.com/x8vhsHg.jpg",
  "unique": true,
  "text": "<b>REVEAL DIAL STEP:</b> Place 2 <img src='img/stuff/effect_time_token.png' width='20' height='16'> Tokens on this card Rotate this ship's Maneuver Dial to a different Maneuver.",
  "factions": ["federation"],
  "cost": 5,
  "skill": 8,
  "talents": 2
}

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Multi-Faction Captain

{
  "type": "captain",
  "id": "Cap044",
  "gameId": 1,
  "set": ["75016"],
  "name": "Mr. Spock",
  "unique": true,
  "text": "<b>PLANNING PHASE:</b> Once per game, you may cancel any Active Negotiations in play. <hr> <b>FREE ACTION:</b> Perform either the [target-lock] Action or [scan] Action as a Free Action.",
  "factions": ["federation", "vulcan"],
  "cost": 5,
  "skill": 7,
  "talents": 1
}

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Independent Captain

{
  "type": "captain",
  "id": "Cap035",
  "gameId": 1,
  "set": ["75015"],
  "name": "Karr",
  "unique": true,
  "text": "<b>WHEN ATTACKING: ROLL ATTACK DICE STEP:</b> If your Captain Skill is greater than the defending ship's Captain Skill. Roll +1 attack die. <hr> <b>WHEN ATTACKING: MODIFY ATTACK DICE STEP:</b> You may re-roll 1 of your attack dice up to two times.",
  "factions": ["independent"],
  "cost": 6,
  "skill": 8,
  "talents": 2
}

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Generic Captain

{
  "type": "captain",
  "id": "Cap101",
  "gameId": 1,
  "set": ["72300p", "71120", "71121"],
  "name": "Federation",
  "unique": false,
  "text": "",
  "factions": ["federation"],
  "cost": 0,
  "skill": 1,
  "talents": 0
}

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Captain Skill Levels

  • Skill 10: Iden (Independent) - 10 SP
  • Skill 9: Jean-Luc Picard (Federation), Shinzon (Romulan), Kathryn Janeway (Federation)
  • Skill 8: James T. Kirk (Federation), Benjamin Sisko (Federation), Karr (Independent)
Elite captains activate last and have the most powerful abilities.
  • Skill 7: Mr. Spock (Federation/Vulcan), Chakotay (Federation/Independent)
  • Skill 6: William T. Riker (Federation), Edward Jellico (Federation)
  • Skill 5: Jonathan Archer (Federation), T’Pol (Federation/Vulcan)
Mid-tier captains with solid abilities and moderate costs.
  • Skill 4: Geordi La Forge (Federation), Tom Paris (Federation)
  • Skill 3: Harry Kim (Federation), Pavel Chekov (Federation)
  • Skill 2: Clark Terrell (Federation), Magnus Hansen (Federation)
Lower-cost captains for budget fleets.
  • Cost 0 SP, no special abilities
  • Available for all factions
  • Used when no named captain is assigned

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Talent Slots

Captains with talent icons can equip talent upgrade cards:
  • 2 Talents: James T. Kirk, Shinzon, Karr
  • 1 Talent: Most named captains
  • 0 Talents: Generic captains, some specialists

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Special Captain Types

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Borg Drones

{
  "type": "captain",
  "id": "Cap107",
  "name": "Drone",
  "unique": false,
  "text": "At the start of the game, place 1 Drone Token on this card.",
  "factions": ["borg"],
  "cost": 0,
  "skill": "*",
  "talents": 0
}
Borg Drones have variable skill ("*") determined by tokens.

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First Officers

Some crew members have First Officer ability - they become the captain if the original captain is discarded.

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Admiral Cards

Admirals are fleet-wide command cards that provide bonuses across multiple ships. Unlike captains, admirals don’t replace the ship’s captain but work alongside them.

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Admiral Data Structure

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type
string
required
Always "admiral" for admiral cards
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skill
number
Skill bonus when admiral replaces a fallen captain (typically 0-3)
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talents
number
Talent upgrade slots available (0-2)
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range
string
Range for fleet-wide abilities (e.g., "1-2", "1-3")

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Example Admiral: James T. Kirk

{
  "type": "admiral",
  "id": "A044",
  "name": "James T. Kirk",
  "cost": 5,
  "skill": 0,
  "talents": 1,
  "range": "1 - 2",
  "factions": ["federation"],
  "text": "Add 2 [crew_text] to this ship's Upgrade Bar...",
  "unique": true
}
Admirals remain in play even if their ship is destroyed, and can replace the captain on another ship in your fleet.

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Ambassador Cards

Ambassadors represent diplomatic personnel who offer negotiation mechanics. Each ambassador presents an opponent with a choice: accept beneficial terms or face consequences.

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Ambassador Data Structure

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type
string
required
Always "ambassador" for ambassador cards
Ambassadors have unique negotiation text with two outcomes:
  • Negotiations Accepted - Both players gain benefits
  • Negotiations Denied - Penalties or asymmetric effects

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Example Ambassador: Neelix

{
  "type": "ambassador",
  "id": "M013",
  "name": "Neelix",
  "cost": 3,
  "factions": ["federation", "independent"],
  "text": "NEGOTIATIONS ACCEPTED: For the rest of the game, if this ship moves within Range 1 of the target ship or the target ship moves within Range 1 of this ship. Place either a [battlestations] or [evade] Token beside the ship that moved. NEGOTIATIONS DENIED: This ship gains the following ability: END PHASE: Select either a [battlestations], [evade], or [scan] Token beside this ship. That token does not get removed this End Phase.",
  "unique": true
}
Ambassadors add a diplomatic layer to fleet building, allowing players to create interesting strategic choices for their opponents.

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Data Sources

  • Admiral data: ~/workspace/source/src/data/admirals.js
  • Ambassador data: ~/workspace/source/src/data/ambassadors.js

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Game Mechanics

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Activation Order

Captains activate in order from lowest to highest skill:
  1. Skill 1 captains activate first
  2. Skill 10 captains activate last
Higher skill = more tactical advantage.

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Faction Penalties

Assigning a captain to a ship of a different faction typically costs +1 SP unless the captain has multi-faction affiliation.
Mr. Spock (factions: ["federation", "vulcan"]) can be assigned to Federation or Vulcan ships without penalty.

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Night Shift Keyword

Some captains and crew have (Night Shift) abilities that enhance or modify their powers during specific phases.

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Captain Costs

Budget (0-2 SP)

Generic captains and junior officers

Standard (3-5 SP)

Named captains with moderate abilities

Elite (6-10 SP)

High-skill captains with powerful abilities

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Data Source

Captain data is located in: 
~/workspace/source/src/data/captains.js

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