Star Wars Customizable Card Game The " Star Wars " Customizable Card Game ( SWCCG ) is a collectible card game based on the original trilogy ( including " " ) as well as " " . It was created and released by Decipher , Inc . ; however , Decipher lost its license to publish official " Star Wars " products in 2001 . History . Star Wars CCG was first released in December 1995 . Over the years , Decipher added eleven full expansions to the original card base , as well as numerous smaller expansions , special - purpose sets , and promotional releases . The last set , Theed Palace Limited , was released in the fall of 2001 . The game spanned all of the original " Star Wars " trilogy ( " " , , and ) as well as . During several years of the game ' s run , between 1995 and 1998 , it was a top - selling CCG , second only to " " , according to the InQuest magazines . Decipher lost its license to produce official " Star Wars " products in 2001 ; the CCG was replaced by Wizards of the Coast ' s Star Wars Trading Card Game . Expansions . Decipher released over twenty expansions and small boutique products . Expansions are the way in which new cards are released to add to the game . Expansions ( Cancelled ) . Prior to Decipher ' s loss of license , a number of sets were officially announced but ultimately not released . A fifth set , Reflections Gold , was in development at the time that Decipher lost its license and , despite protests by the company , the cards were not allowed to be released to the public , even in a digital - only format . Over the years , draft versions of many of these cards have appeared on the secondary market and they are considered extremely rare . Distinguishing features . Compared to other trading card games ( TCGs ) , SWCCG is complex and has a steep learning curve . It has more rules than other TCGs , with some of these rules being obscure and seldom - needed . Some of the basic concepts ( such as the distinction between " battle damage " and " attrition " in battle ) can be counterintuitive . On the other hand the basic mechanics are innovative and flexible , giving SWCCG a game depth that appeals to serious gamers . One other feature distinguished SWCCG from many other TCGs : while Decipher oversaw the game , no card was ever banned from tournament play . Instead , when a card or strategy was deemed abusive or too powerful , Decipher chose to release " magic bullets , " new cards which were specifically designed to counter the offending strategy . In some cases , Decipher also used errata , modifications to game text of a card that supersede the actual printed version . The use of errata also contributes to the steep learning curve , since players need to be aware of errata in order to use the affected cards properly . While other formats have been created , using a limited card pool , the original open format still has no card banned from play . Game play . Each game requires one player to play the Light Side of the Force , while the other plays the Dark Side . The objective of the game is to deplete the other player ' s deck . In friendly play , a player can specialize in one side or the other , but for tournaments , players need both Dark and Light decks . The action of the game occurs at various Location cards ( both interstellar and planet - bound ) from the " Star Wars " universe . Locations can be deployed as the game progresses ; furthermore , most locations come in both Dark and Light Side flavors , and an on - the - table location can be " converted " ( changed to the other side ) at any time . Most locations affect game play in some way ; all also provide " Force icons , " which represent the amount of " Force " — the game ' s resource — that a player can activate per turn . Each unit of the Force is simply a card from the top of a player ' s deck , placed off to one side in the Force Pile . When used to deploy something , each unit of Force is placed on another pile , the Used Pile , which then cycles back to the bottom of the deck . Unused Force remains in the Force Pile , and can be conserved for the next turn or drawn into hand . The objective of the game is to force the opponent to discard all of his or her Life Force ( consisting of Reserve Deck , Force Pile and Used Pile ) . This is accomplished via Force Drains ( forcing the opponent to discard cards by controlling , unopposed , a location with their Force Icons on it ) , battling opposing characters , and resolving certain climactic situations ( for instance , freezing a character in carbonite , winning a pod race or dueling a Jedi ) . The game system also features Destiny draws , which represents the elements of chance , uncertainty , luck and the Force . Each card has a destiny number , from 0 to 7 , at the top right corner ( except locations , which count as destiny 0 ) , and rather than using dice for generating random numbers , players " draw destiny " from the top of their deck , revealing the top card and using its destiny number as the result . This is used for a variety of purposes , from determining weapon hits to mandatory losses your opponent incurred to resolving whether a character passes a Jedi Test . The drawn Destiny card goes to the Used Pile and is recycled into the deck . Through this system , a skillful player can legally count cards , remembering where the high - destiny cards are in the deck . Finally , the stronger ( or rarer ) cards generally had lower Destiny values , though there were exceptions . Star Wars CCG had more basic card types than most CCGs ; the game began with 8 card types , most of which contained several subtypes . Later expansions added new basic card types . The original card types were : Card types introduced later : Related games . Decipher produced two other TCGs based on the " Star Wars " universe : Young Jedi , based on the prequel trilogy , and Jedi Knights . Neither of these games matched the popularity of SWCCG . Both were discontinued when Decipher lost the " Star Wars " license . The original Star Wars Customizable Card Game had initially been continued by a Players Committee , through the release of new " virtual " sets . Any cards produced post - Decipher are neither official nor considered canon . As of 2013 , the SWCCG still has an active playing community administered by the Players Committee .