Hi everybody!!! Ok, my computer's a big peice of junk! Or, at least my Internet Service Provider is. this is the second time in trying to write this to you! Anyway, I'm back with a juicy update for all of you Star Wars and Young Jedi junkies out there. And, boy, do, I got some great stuff for you! Let's get started: State Championships- On April 15th the battle for the right to be called "Best in California" will be raged at Neutral ground in Mountain View (same place as the Grand Slam). The Star Wars event will be held at 11:00am. It will be directed by your truly. The Young Jedi will be raged at 6:00pm with Chris Donati at the helm. The winner and runner up of these tournaments will recieve a first day bye at the Continental Championship in August. This is a way to get you to the World Championship (alternative to the Regional Championships that we all know and love). You know, on a personal note, I really like all of these large, high profile, tournaments that we've been having lately. It has a really cool way of bringing all of us together. I get a chance to meet old friends that I used to know in other parts of the state, that I wouldn't have seen in a normal, smaller tournament. Also, it really cool to see that you're a part of something a whole lot bigger than just a bunch of high school buddies getting together to play cards. It's sooo cool! Anyway, here are some things that you should know on your way to the championship! 1) Deck Lists- I need 'em! For the Star Wars event, you will be required to have a deck list filled out. If you need one, you can get one off of the Decipher Website, or you can find one in this months Alderaan Express. Please, try to have this deck list filled out before the time of the event. Time will be an issue and we've got a lot of gaming to do, so, you may not have time to fill it out before the actual tournament begins. Come prepared! 2) Foils- I posed this question to you all regarding how foils cards should be played in a large scale tournament like this one. I generated a concensus and this is it: You have to make every attempt to to bend the foil (if it's warped) to it's original shape. If your opponent continues to have a problem with it's shape, you may be asked to replace this card with a non-foil version of it (if available). If none are available, you will be asked to proxy this problematic foil. Both you and your opponent must agree on the use of the proxy card. 3) Counting Decks- Your opponent has the right to count your deck at the beginning of each game. I won't require it, as I have a deck list (that I may randomly check from time to time for correctness). Please, make sure your decks have the right amount of cards and are properly described in your deck list. You Have Been Warned. 4) TO Software at the tournament- I will be using Decipher's Tournament Organizer Software to run these events. Please, make sure you listen to your name and affiliation when it is called out. Do not deviate from these pairing. If there is a problem with the pairing, please alert one of the command staff and we'll take care of it. Don't take matter's into your own hands. Your affiliation is imperative. Please, remember it. Any mistakes in pairing or affiliation could take hours to correct. The Battle of Naboo- Last week the Battle of Naboo was release to the public. I, for one, love this new set and, I believe it's gonna shake up the way we play this game. The new Effect cards are gonna rock people's worlds! I for one, like the Effects that let you event up to more cards, and the ones that let you deploy for more. MORE is better! My favorite card (beside P-59, Destroyer Droid Commander (I really love dstroyers)) is Darth Maul's Lightsaber. This bad boy lets you draw TWO destiny when you use it! How cool is that! I also really like the Force Push battle cards. Those really rock! If you like Gungans, this set is chock full of those long eared boyos... I'll be updating the Gungan hoard deck on my website to include these cool new Gungan cards. Third Anthology- At last, we get some info on the Third Anthology. This bad puppy, expected to release in early May, is gonna make you take a long hard look at those dusty cards you have in your A New Hope collection. We finally got to see the Massassi Base Operations. This thing makes Attack Run so much easier to pull off. It does this, mainly because it make's it easier to get the stuff you need. Since you can pull it out of your deck, the Attack Run no longer needs to be so card intensive. Right now, I'm putting together some information on how you might be able to get this objective to work for you. I should even have a Massassi Ops deck up for you to look at as well. As many of you know, Prisoner 2187 is a character. How many of you think it's gonna be a new Leia? Rescue the Princess anyone? The Alderaan Express- First off I'd like to thank some of the people how've helped me get this newsletter off the ground. Karry Cannon has been vitally intrumental in getting the newsletter put together and out to your hand. She's provided me with the color printer for the reallt awesome look the newsletter has, and she's been tireless in getting the mailings done and helping out with it. If it wasn't for her, there wouldn't be a newsletter. Big, phat, industrial-sized, props goes to her and her big heart! I also want to thank all the Squadron Members for helping me distrubute the newsletter to their players. You're really helping me get the word out. If you don't know, the Alderaan Expres is a newsletter designed to get Star Wars and Young Jedi gaming information to players that don't have easy access to the Internet. It keeps them up-to-date on what's happening in the Star Wars and Young Jedi community and get's them news that we take for granted because we have access to Decipher's website, the listserve and other Internet drive mediums. If you know of players who don't have internet access, or have a difficult time getting there. Let 'em know about the Express. If you want the Express and you're still not getting it. Let me know and I'll get it taken care of for you. Well, that's all for now. If you wanna know what tournaments are happening near you. You can find 'em out on my website in the event's area! Until next time... "Stay in attack formation!"