Chuck Kallenbach: Difference between revisions
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[[File:Chuck_Kallenbach.png|thumb|right|260px|Chuck Kallenbach. Still from the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00zEbUKIGRQ BoardMatt interview], 28 January 2024.]] | |||
'''Chuck Kallenbach''' was a Decipher [[Squadron Members|Squadron Member]] (Gold 2) who became a full-time game designer in 1997. He playtested Premiere-era ''Star Wars'' CCG, then designed cards through the later printed sets, and went on to Decipher's ''Young Jedi'', ''Jedi Knights'', and ''The Lord of the Rings'' TCG. Printed SWCCG titles hide his family name, his wife's name, and his dog Raven as anagrams.<ref name="tor-lotr1">[https://www.theonering.net/torwp/2002/05/17/26593-decipher-talks-lotr-part-1-chuck-kallenbach/ Decipher Talks LOTR Part 1: Chuck Kallenbach], TheOneRing.net, 17 May 2002</ref><ref name="pc-sm">[https://www.starwarsccg.org/decipher-swccg-squadron-members/ Decipher SWCCG Squadron Members], starwarsccg.org (Gold 2, Overland, Mo)</ref><ref name="ana">[https://www.geocities.ws/plarathas/anagrams.html Anagramed Decipherians]</ref> | '''Chuck Kallenbach''' was a Decipher [[Squadron Members|Squadron Member]] (Gold 2) who became a full-time game designer in 1997. He playtested Premiere-era ''Star Wars'' CCG, then designed cards through the later printed sets, and went on to Decipher's ''Young Jedi'', ''Jedi Knights'', and ''The Lord of the Rings'' TCG. Printed SWCCG titles hide his family name, his wife's name, and his dog Raven as anagrams.<ref name="tor-lotr1">[https://www.theonering.net/torwp/2002/05/17/26593-decipher-talks-lotr-part-1-chuck-kallenbach/ Decipher Talks LOTR Part 1: Chuck Kallenbach], TheOneRing.net, 17 May 2002</ref><ref name="pc-sm">[https://www.starwarsccg.org/decipher-swccg-squadron-members/ Decipher SWCCG Squadron Members], starwarsccg.org (Gold 2, Overland, Mo)</ref><ref name="ana">[https://www.geocities.ws/plarathas/anagrams.html Anagramed Decipherians]</ref> | ||
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See [[Anagrams]] and [[Easter eggs]]. | |||
Those anagrams have no effect on play. See [[Anagrams]] and [[Easter eggs]]. | |||
== After SWCCG == | == After SWCCG == | ||
Latest revision as of 12:23, 27 September 2026
Chuck Kallenbach was a Decipher Squadron Member (Gold 2) who became a full-time game designer in 1997. He playtested Premiere-era Star Wars CCG, then designed cards through the later printed sets, and went on to Decipher's Young Jedi, Jedi Knights, and The Lord of the Rings TCG. Printed SWCCG titles hide his family name, his wife's name, and his dog Raven as anagrams.[1][2][3]
The Players Committee Star Wars CCG Facebook page announced on 1 October 2024 that he had passed away.[4]
He is not on Wikipedia's founding SWCCG designer line (Tom Braunlich, Rollie Tesh, Warren Holland, Jerry Darcy).[5] His own interviews describe Premiere playtest first, then a 1997 hire.
Squadron Member
The published Squadron Members roster lists him as Gold 2, Overland, Missouri, on both the GeoCities fan table and the Players Committee reprint.[2][6] Gold 2 is the first numbered slot under Gold Leader Kendrick Summers at Decipher Inc.
Playtester, then designer
Kallenbach was on the Genie Decipher boards as a Star Trek CCG playtester. Sandy Wible won the internet-representative job over him, then asked him to playtest SWCCG.[7] At the first Virginia playtest, unopposed battles were dropped in favor of Force drain; he went 9–1 with a Star Destroyer deck that day and picked up the nickname "Devastator Chuck." He suggested the title Gravel Storm; the hidden-image easter egg was added in-house.[7]
TheOneRing's May 2002 interview states he playtested premiere Star Trek and Star Wars CCGs and joined Decipher full-time in 1997, then helped develop Young Jedi, Jedi Knights, and the Lord of the Rings TCG (including LOTR rules editing).[1][8] A 2021 May the 4th recording has him describing Cloud City as already designed when he arrived, then working with Jerry Darcy on Jabba's Palace alien mechanics.[9]
Radio Free Decipher placed him with Darcy and Tom Lischke from Broadcast 2 (11 December 1998) onward, later on Young Jedi, Jedi Knights, and LOTR episodes. Decipher WARS Radio billed him as WARS Brand Manager.[10]
Cards named for him and his family
The GeoCities anagram list (copied onto Encyclopedia 3.2 p.200) maps these printed titles:[3][11]
| Card | Unscrambled | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| Chall Bekan | Kallenbach | family |
| Imperial Helmsman (Bachenhall) | Kallenbach | family |
| Chyler | Cheryl | Cheryl Kallenbach |
| Blizzard 2 (Nevar) | Raven | his dog |
| Nevar Yalnal | Raven | his dog |
Those anagrams have no effect on play. See Anagrams and Easter eggs.
After SWCCG
Later interviews cover Star Trek CCG, Young Jedi, Jedi Knights, LOTR TCG (InQuest / Origins awards for that game), WARS, .hack//ENEMY, Sony's Star Wars Galaxies TCG, and other titles. The Booster Pack series (2021) called him a designer of thousands of cards across more than two dozen collectible games and used the "Devastator Chuck" playtest nickname.[12][13]
Death
On 1 October 2024 the official Star Wars CCG Facebook page posted: "Chuck Kallenbach, former designer of Star Wars CCG, has passed away." The post said he was a designer at Decipher during the later years of SWCCG and on other games including Lord of the Rings TCG, and offered thoughts to his family and friends.[4] The working copy of that post is archive.ph/jbfZk. The announcement does not give a calendar date of death.
Interviews and audio (selected)
| Title / episode | Date | Link |
|---|---|---|
| TheForce.Net Flashback Premiere | 2002 (posted) | theforce.net |
| TheOneRing Chat — Lischke and Kallenbach | 2001-10-20 | archives.theonering.net |
| Decipher Talks LOTR Part 1 | 2002-05-17 | theonering.net |
| RFD Broadcast 2 — Darcy / Lischke / Kallenbach | 1998-12-11 | YouTube |
| May The 4th Be With Chuck | 2021-05-03 | YouTube |
| THE BOOSTER PACK #07 / #08 | 2021 | Part 1 · Part 2 |
| Corran On The Horn 16 | 2022-11-22 | KendallCast |
| BoardMatt interview | 2024-01-28 | YouTube |
See also
- Squadron Members · Anagrams · Easter eggs · Radio Free Decipher
- Sandy Wible · Cheryl Kallenbach · Jerry Darcy · Tom Lischke · Josh Radke
- Creators of SWCCG · Jabba's Palace · Force drain
- Decipher · Star Wars CCG
Sources
- Decipher SWCCG Squadron Members (Players Committee; Gold 2)
- Squadron Members (geocities.ws)
- Anagramed Decipherians
- SWCCG Collecting Encyclopedia 3.2 (p.200)
- TheForce.Net Flashback Premiere
- Decipher Talks LOTR Part 1 (TheOneRing, 2002)
- Radio Free Decipher episode index
- Star Wars CCG Facebook, 1 October 2024
- archive.ph/jbfZk (working copy of that Facebook post)
- Booster Pack #07 · #08
- KendallCast
- BoardMatt (28 January 2024)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Decipher Talks LOTR Part 1: Chuck Kallenbach, TheOneRing.net, 17 May 2002
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Decipher SWCCG Squadron Members, starwarsccg.org (Gold 2, Overland, Mo)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Anagramed Decipherians
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Star Wars CCG, Facebook, 1 October 2024; archive archive.ph/jbfZk
- ↑ Star Wars Customizable Card Game, Wikipedia
- ↑ Squadron Members, geocities.ws/plarathas
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 TheForce.Net Flashback Premiere — Chuck Kallenbach (Red 84 / Josh Radke)
- ↑ TheOneRing Chat — Tom Lischke and Chuck Kallenbach, 20 October 2001
- ↑ May The 4th Be With Chuck, 3 May 2021
- ↑ Radio Free Decipher episode index, LOTR-TCG PC wiki
- ↑ SWCCG Collecting Encyclopedia 3.2 (p.200)
- ↑ THE BOOSTER PACK #07 — Chuck Kallenbach PART 1
- ↑ THE BOOSTER PACK #08 — Chuck Kallenbach PART 2