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Overview

Upgrade cards enhance ships with additional weapons, technology, crew members, and special abilities. Utopia Fleet Builder includes thousands of upgrade cards across multiple categories.

Upgrade Types

Upgrades are organized into several categories based on the type field:

Weapons

type: "weapon"Torpedoes, phasers, disruptors, and other offensive systems

Technology

type: "tech"Shields, cloaking devices, sensors, and advanced systems

Crew

type: "crew"Officers, specialists, and personnel

Talents

type: "talent"Special abilities and tactics for captains

Common Upgrade Structure

All upgrade cards share these base properties:
type
string
required
Upgrade category: "weapon", "tech", "crew", "talent", or "question"
id
string|array
required
Unique identifier(s) - can be array for variants
gameId
number
Game system identifier (typically 1)
set
array
required
Set codes where this upgrade appears
name
string
required
Upgrade card name
image
string
URL to card image
cost
number
required
Squadron points to equip this upgrade
text
string
required
Card ability text with HTML formatting
unique
boolean
Whether only one copy can be fielded per fleet
factions
array
required
Compatible factions

Weapon Upgrades

Weapon cards add offensive capabilities to ships.

Weapon Properties

attack
string
required
Attack dice value (e.g., "4", "5")
  • May reference ship stats: "0" means use ship’s primary weapon value
range
string
required
Effective range (e.g., "1-2", "2-3", "1-3")
FrontArc
boolean
Whether weapon fires from forward arc only
alliance
boolean
Alliance faction designation

Weapon Example: Photon Torpedoes

{
  "type": "weapon",
  "id": ["W250", "W250a"],
  "set": ["75016"],
  "name": "Mark VI Photon Torpedoes",
  "image": "https://i.imgur.com/7DumuJZ.png",
  "cost": 2,
  "text": "<b>ATTACK:</b> If this ship has a [target-lock] Token on the defending ship, disable this card and target that opposing ship: <b>MODIFY DEFENSE DICE STEP:</b> Convert 1 [battlestations] or 1 [evade] into 1 [blank]. <b>DEAL DAMAGE STEP:</b> If the defending ship is hit, you may acquire a [target-lock] on the Defending Ship.",
  "attack": "4",
  "range": "2-3",
  "alliance": false,
  "FrontArc": true,
  "factions": ["federation"]
}

Weapon Example: Phase Cannons

{
  "type": "weapon",
  "id": "W247",
  "set": ["75016"],
  "name": "Phase Cannons",
  "cost": 2,
  "text": "<b>WHEN ATTACKING WITH YOUR PRIMARY WEAPON:</b> You may perform a second attack with your Primary Weapon.",
  "OnePerShip": true,
  "alliance": false,
  "nxLimit": true,
  "factions": ["federation"]
}

Technology Upgrades

Tech cards provide defensive systems, sensors, and special equipment.

Tech Example: Enhanced Tractor Emitters

{
  "type": "tech",
  "id": ["T309", "T309a"],
  "set": ["75016"],
  "name": "Enhanced Tractor Emitters",
  "image": "https://i.imgur.com/0WdSeM8.png",
  "cost": 2,
  "text": "Add the 'Tractor' Action to this ship's Action Bar. <hr> <b>AFTER THIS SHIP PERFORMS THE 'TRACTOR' ACTION:</b> Disable this card. Place either an [evade] or <img src='img/stuff/effect_auxilary.png' width='18' height='16'> Token beside the target ship.",
  "OnePerShip": true,
  "alliance": false,
  "factions": ["federation"]
}

Tech Example: Cloaking Device

{
  "type": "tech",
  "id": "T304",
  "set": ["75015"],
  "name": "Translocator",
  "cost": 3,
  "text": "<b>ACTION:</b> Discard this card and target an opposing ship within Range. Steal 1 [tech_text] or [weapon_text] Upgrade equipped to the target ship and equip it to this ship ignoring this ship's restrictions.",
  "range": "1",
  "OnePerShip": true,
  "shipIndependent": true,
  "alliance": false,
  "factions": ["independent"]
}

Crew Upgrades

Crew cards represent officers, specialists, and personnel assigned to ships.

Crew Example: Geordi La Forge

{
  "type": "crew",
  "id": "C442",
  "set": ["75016"],
  "name": "Geordi La Forge",
  "cost": 2,
  "text": "<b>ACTION:</b> Perform a Green Maneuver on this ship's Maneuver Dial.",
  "unique": true,
  "alliance": false,
  "factions": ["federation"]
}

Crew Example: Data

{
  "type": "crew",
  "id": "C441",
  "set": ["75016"],
  "name": "Data",
  "cost": 3,
  "text": "<b>COMBAT PHASE:</b> Place 2 <img src='img/stuff/effect_time_token.png' width='20' height='16'> Tokens on this card and spend a [scan] Token beside this ship. Repair 1 Shield on this ship. If this card is equipped to a <img src='img/text/faction-federation.png' width='20' height='20' title='Federation'> Ship, Repair 2 Shields instead.",
  "unique": true,
  "alliance": false,
  "factions": ["federation"]
}

Crew with First Officer Ability

{
  "type": "crew",
  "id": "C440",
  "set": ["75016"],
  "name": "William T. Riker",
  "cost": 4,
  "text": "Add 1 [crew_text] to this ship's Upgrade Bar. <hr> <b>FREE ACTION:</b> Disable this card. Perform the Action listed on the Captain, [talent_text], or [crew_text] Upgrade equipped to this ship as a Free Action. <hr> <b>(First Officer) IF THE CAPTAIN EQUIPPED TO THIS SHIP IS DISCARDED:</b> Flip this card over and equip it as the Captain.",
  "unique": true,
  "alliance": false,
  "factions": ["federation"]
}

Talent Upgrades

Talents provide special abilities and tactics for captains.

Talent Example: Legacy of the Name

{
  "type": "talent",
  "id": ["E196a", "E196"],
  "gameId": 1,
  "set": ["75016"],
  "name": "Legacy of the Name",
  "cost": 3,
  "OnePerShip": true,
  "captainFederation": true,
  "shipFederation": true,
  "text": "Can only be equipped to a <img src='img/text/unique.png' width='18' height='18' title='Unique'> ship. <hr> <b>FREE ACTION:</b> Place 3 <img src='img/stuff/effect_time_token.png' width='20' height='16'> Tokens on this card. Perform a [battlestations] Action or an [evade] Action as a Free Action. If this card is equipped to a ship with 'Enterprise' in its name, you may perform any available Action as a Free Action instead.",
  "factions": ["federation"]
}

Special Upgrade Restrictions

Restriction Fields

OnePerShip
boolean
Only one copy allowed per ship
unique
boolean
Only one copy allowed per fleet
shipFederation
boolean
Requires Federation ship
captainFederation
boolean
Requires Federation captain
nxLimit
boolean
Restricted to NX-class ships
sovereignLimit
boolean
Restricted to Sovereign-class ships
hirogenLimit
boolean
Restricted to Hirogen ships
hullConstraint
string
Hull value restrictions (e.g., "3-" for Hull 3 or less)
attackConstraint
string
Attack value restrictions (e.g., "3-" for Attack 3 or less)

Question Mark Upgrades

Special hybrid upgrades that count as multiple types:
{
  "type": "question",
  "id": "Q032",
  "set": ["75015"],
  "name": "Kejal",
  "cost": 3,
  "text": "This card counts as a [crew_text] Upgrade for a [tech_text] Upgrade. <hr> <b>ACTION:</b> You may remove a <img src='img/stuff/effect_disable.png' width='20' height='16'> Token from a <b>?</b> Upgrade equipped to this ship and repair 1 Hull or Shield on this ship.",
  "unique": true,
  "alliance": false,
  "factions": ["independent"]
}

Upgrade Costs

Weapons

  • 0-2 SP: Basic weapons, enhancements
  • 3-5 SP: Advanced torpedoes, special weapons

Technology

  • 0-2 SP: Basic tech, sensors
  • 3-4 SP: Advanced shields, cloaking devices

Crew

  • 1-2 SP: Junior officers, specialists
  • 3-4 SP: Senior officers, tactical crew
  • 5+ SP: Elite crew members

Talents

  • 2-3 SP: Standard tactical abilities
  • 4+ SP: Powerful special abilities

Special Keywords

Night Shift

Some upgrades have (Night Shift) keyword - enhanced abilities during specific phases.

Lower Decks

Junior crew members with (Lower Decks) keyword - representing less experienced personnel.

Disabling and Time Tokens

Many upgrades use:
  • Disable Tokens: Card is temporarily unavailable
  • Time Tokens: Track cooldown/activation costs

Data Sources

Upgrade data is located in:
~/workspace/source/src/data/
├── weapons.js    (Not shown, but follows weapon structure)
├── tech.js       (Not shown, but follows tech structure) 
├── crew.js       (Not shown, but follows crew structure)
├── talents.js    (Not shown, but follows talent structure)
└── upgrades.js   (Combined upgrade file)
The data files show upgrade structures from ships.js, captains.js, and the upgrades data embedded in other files. Actual weapon, tech, crew, and talent data follows similar patterns.

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