Siskoid's Rolodex...............2nd Edition (4)



< Previous 20.....................................................................................................................Next 20 >

To see the cards themselves, check out this Card list for the 2nd Edition set.

 

#2233-Cargo Rendezvous, Mission, planet, Alpha Quadrant, unique

-Engineer, Physics, Transporters, and Integrity>29 or Acquisition, Transporters, Treachery, and Cunning>34

*Beltane IX: Arrange a cargo transfer at this major commercial shipping center.

-Bajoran/Federation/Ferengi/Klingon/Romulan; 30 point; Span: 2

PICTURE: It's hard not to compare 1E and 2E cards, especially when they use the same titles and pictures, so I'll indulge. This has always been a nice illustration. There's a sense of Rendezvous between the planet and its moon, and a "business" by there being more than one sphere in the image. I also like that at IX, this planet would be far from its sun, so they made it an inhospitable gas giant, with the moon as the probable commercial center. So is there a difference between this and the 1E original? Technically none, but the tighter frame creates a even busier scene, so I have to give the edge to this one. A 4.1.

LORE: Similar to 1E's, but a little clearer perhaps. And that typo's been fixed. Still an average 3.

TREK SENSE: One of the most obvious updates is that they included more affiliations so that trading isn't restricted to the Federation, Klingons and Romulans. Bajorans and (especially!) Ferengi are fairly mercantile races that should have access to this. It's the Romulans that probably shouldn't be here, though perhaps we can now see this mission as occurring during the Dominion War. All the Alpha Quadrant allies are there. There are two ways to go about this mission, as I suppose there might be two kinds of cargo. In what we'll call the "honorable" trade, Integrity is a factor, and the cargo seems to be hazardous in nature. Engineer and Physics are the key to that notion here, and Transporters allows you to beam the cargo safely. The Integrity establishes the trust that's required in such a deal. Ok, though Transporters not being aboard the ship is odd. As for the "treacherous" trade, we have here the kind of Ferengi deals your mom warned you about. Treachery and Cunning tells me there's a con going on, with Acquisition a strong tool. Transporters are still here (same problem), but have a different function ... like not having to be face to face with your buyer upon reception. Points are less than they used to be, but more acceptable for such a generic mission. You can't really compare spans due to changes in the game engine, but a 2 makes this close enough to everything to actually be a busy center of activity. Still has its problems, but a more complete and interesting picture than 1E gave us. Consequently, a 3.5.

SEEDABILITY: It's good that the Ferengi have been given some advance missions for where they get here in Brave New Worlds, or you could try attempting with Quark and Rom and some Non-Aligneds if you're into stunts. The mission is open to 4 other affiliations, and though you might think that Romulans and bad Klingons and Bajorans might go for the Treachery option, the "honorable" trade remains the easiest to complete. Transporters isn't the most common skill, but Acquisition is even less so. Non-Aligned help would be required in most cases in fact. Engineer and Physics, however, are much more likely to be part of every deck. And though the less reputable affiliations have less Integrity, it's easier to come up with 30+ Integrity than it is 35+ Cunning in most cases. That said, it's entirely possible for even the Feds to do the second set of requirements (what with their high Cunning androids and such). All in all, though it's a possible addition to many decks, the requirements may be a bit much for only 30 points. If you have the skills, however, then it's fine. Slower ships might enjoy the proximity as well. An average 3.2.

TOTAL: 13.8 (69%) I do miss the ENGINEERING snafu though... ;-).

#2244-Center of Attention, Dilemma, space/planet, Cost: 3

-Unless you have 3 Security or a Hand Weapon and Cunning>28 or Quark, your opponent chooses a Treachery personnel to be killed, then all your other personnel are stopped.

"Alright, somebody else count it."

PICTURE: A repeat from 1E, but it's a good one. Quark is the Center of Attention, surrounded by guns. The composition is only marred by the white stripe of light in the shot, but the whole thing is funny enough to retain a strong 4.1.

LORE: The original had a rather clever pun, but you can't do that as well with quotes. The quote here is well selected and funny, but of course, not as clever. It's a little divorced from any context, so if you haven't seen the show, neither lore nor title give up the details. That said, still a charming 3.6.

TREK SENSE: The former partners in crime are the dilemma here, and your opponent chooses just which Treachery personnel has crossed them somehow, the personnel that becomes the Center of Attention. The whole mess stops the rest of the crew as they pick up the pieces, arrest the hitmen, have a funeral, whatever. So how do you prevent the hit? Well, lots of Security would do it, that one's obvious. Owning a Hand Weapon would help, but you still need enough Cunning to outwit the assassins. This one's ok, but not as efficient, seeing as you need to pool various personnel together that may or may not have anything to do with the Center of Attention. I suppose they help figure out there will be a hit, and who the target is, etc. As for the last possibility, Quark WAS the Center of Attention in "Who Mourns for Morn?", but he may not be here. The justification would be that he keeps abreast of all the criminal activity in his area and would be able to warn any target, manipulate any hitman, etc. so that you'd get a positive resolution. The Cost/danger is high enough. Finally, I do have an issue with this being a space/planet dilemma: Access to ships should be too restricted for this to work. They're not open ports of call, after all, and I should think you'd be safer aboard a Jem'Hadar Attack Ship than you would be on a planet. A 3.6.

STOCKABILITY: Fairly high requirements, an opponent's choice kill plus the whole crew stopping, both space and planet, what's not to like? I think the Cost is just right for this card. Three options may seem like a lot, but Quark is a specific personnel that's not expected to be in every affiliation, even eventually. 3 Security is a good number, and not that easy to come up with. Crews will often carry 2 of everything, but 3? Not always. And losing a personnel somewhere along the line could cause problems as well. The Cunning requirement is possibly the easiest, but it comes attached to a Hand Weapon requirement, and these aren't used by everyone. You often think to bring skills, but not always equipment. Three ways to hit then. Excellent. So now you need a target. There are Treachery decks, and then there are decks that hardly use it or have it. But it's become such a useful skill that you'll probably have a target. Your choice, but of course, that choice needs to have the skill (some combos can help). Not a big problem then, though note that you still stop the rest of the crew, which is what you use dilemmas for in the first place. Stopping attempts is your ultimate goal. An excellent 4.

TOTAL: 15.3 (76.5%) Less than 1E's on account of the lore.

#2256-Chagrith, Personnel, Romulan, Cost: 1, BC

-Reman; Archaeology, Geology, Science; Staff icon

"... one side of Remus always faces the sun. Due to the extreme temperatures on that half of the world, the Remans live on the dark side of the planet."

-INTEGRITY: 4, CUNNING: 6, STRENGTH: 6

 

PICTURE: Chagrith shows off well the similarity between the Remans and vampires - they live in the dark and all have that Nosferatu look, but here even the pose and costume help sell the idea. The background is sufficiently gothic as well. Some weird lighting effects makes the pic slightly blurry, and it's sadly not really a frame from the film (always annoying to me), and it IS just a background extra. The mood created wins out over those problems, landing us at 3.3.

LORE: Some information on Remans as a whole, and I like that generic personnel get generic lore. Goes well with the creepy pic, but only marginally helps the game text. But I'm getting ahead of myself. A 3.4 here.

TREK SENSE: I'm a little unclear as to what this "universal" personnel is meant to be typical of. I guess, from the lore, he's just your everyday Reman. Remus is being mined of its resources, so Chagrith works in the mines. That's Geology, and if you want to stretch it, Archaeology. And once you're there (improbably, perhaps), those two are Sciences. So after Geology, we were in trouble. He served aboard the Scimitar (according to the pic), so the skills CAN be justified. I'm just commenting on how the whole reasoning came about. Staff icon's fine, of course. He's got under-average Integrity, since the Remans are even turning against their own affiliation, but are still loyal to their own species. Cunning is above average, so he can use his skills, and justify his position as - I guess - Science officer. The above average Strength seems to be biological, judging from what we've seen of the species. In total, I'm not blown away by the design, but it holds up. No problem with Cost, obviously. A 3.
1E TREK SENSE: The usual personnel conversion problems apply. Chagrith lacks a true classification, and his attributes are lower than intended. This is mitigated by the fact universal personnel have unproven attributes anyway. Still, a science officer should have a little more Cunning than this. I'll say that. Drops to 2.7.

STOCKABILITY: A Romulan weenie that, along with other Remans, may cause Racial Tension problems. Remans do trigger some beneficial effects, like boosting Range with The Reman Mines and card manipulation when played with The Viceroy in play. The skills are all good, and only the Integrity is (predictably, in this affiliation) flawed. All his skills appear on other non-unique personnel, but not in this particular configuration, which is well adapted to planet missions. As good as any weenie at 3.5.
1E STOCKABILITY: Can't quite say the same in 1st Edition. There's no Cost advantage to playing universal personnel, unless they can somehow be reported for free or downloaded. Can't do that with 3-skill personnel, making them the least useful of all universals. SCIENCE is always good, but would have been better as a classification. Archaeology fits some Romulan deck archetypes, but is less useful against dilemmas than most others. Even the attributes aren't quite worth his inclusion. Weenies don't do so well in 1E, so a 2.5 for the elements (the Reman stuff is all backwards-compatible, at least).

TOTAL: 13.2 (66%) A decent score, all things considered.

1E TOTAL: 10.9 (54.5%) Vade retro, Nosferatu.

 

#2268-Changeling Research, Mission, planet, Gamma Quadrant, unique

-2 Exobiology, Geology, 3 Science, and Cunning>42

*L-S VI: "One of the Bajoran science probes recently scanned a planet about six light-years from the wormhole. It picked up some very unique and familiar DNA patterns."

-Bajoran/Cardassian/Federation/Romulan; 45 points; Span: 2

PICTURE: A repeat of the 1E mission, but what else can you do with planet shots like this? I generally liked it there, and must do the same here. L-S VI looks more realistic than most, and its colors mirror those of the attempting affiliations, giving the card a nice unity. New element: The striking Gamma Quadrant icon. Going back on my scoring of the original and calling it a higher 3.5.

LORE: Love the use of quotes for missions, which were stuck with some of the dullest lore in 1E. In this case, it lets the title do some of the work, only implying changelings in the quote itself. The cartographic details are also unusual and interesting. A fine 3.4.

TREK SENSE: Aside from adding a governing attribute (most sensibly, Cunning) to the requirements and another attempting affiliation (the Bajorans' best pals, the Feds), this mission reads much the same as it did in 1E. The 6 light-years from the Wormhole are represented by a short Span (all the attempting affiliations are from the Alpha Quadrant, after all). The big discovery about changelings makes this a high-point mission, though with the extra 5 points from 1E's 40, I wonder if it's not a bit too high. We'll come to find little relation between Odo's cousin and the Dominion's changelings, right? The addition of the Federation is good, but it was originally a more Bajoran mission. The Cardassians are also close by and always competing with Bajor for discoveries. The Romulans are ok as scientific explorers, but the Dominion might still have been a better choice - they could have learned about their roots, or something. Requirements are fine, with Geology helping deal with the volcanic environment. Exobiology, Science and Cunning are all about identifying this new life-form and analyzing it. Despite the tiny fixes from the 1E version, this still has less flavor due to the missing Seismic Quake effect. Puts us at about 3.6.

SEEDABILITY: A difficult mission to be sure, with plenty of skills and a high Cunning requirement. All that, plus it's in the Gamma Quadrant, at an effective 4 Span from any Alpha Quadrant mission. But for 45 points, or a possible 50 with Distant Exploration, it may well be worth it! You'll find enough Science-related missions in the Gamma Quadrant to make the trip worthwhile anyway. Four affiliations have access to it, but though you'd think the Romulans would corner the market, their average Cunning is still surprisingly low. The Feds remain the best mission solvers here (between their androids and mutants), though the Bajoran Mora Pol has the most skills to offer. It'll take a good number of personnel to complete the mission, I'd say a minimum of 6 after dilemmas, but probably more unless your average Cunning is very high. But for some 50 points, you can afford to spend a little time on it. A good 3.6.

TOTAL: 14.1 (70.5%) Outshines the original.

#2280-Chart Stellar Cluster, Mission, space, Gamma Quadrant, unique

-2 Astrometrics, Programming, 2 Science, and Cunning>34

*Edge of Denkiri Arm: Conduct long-range scans to refine maps of this remote section of the galaxy.

-Borg/Cardassian/Federation/Ferengi/Romulan; 35 points; Span: 4

PICTURE: A repeat from 1E, but looking smaller and tighter somehow. It's all about the framing. A distinctive 3.7 still.

LORE: Some small changes from 1E's version, but nothing to change its average score of 3. Solid, but plain, work.

TREK SENSE: A long Span for a far-away mission, since we're talking long-range scans and simply being on the edge of the cluster. Astrometrics and Science are the obvious skills, and Cunning the obvious controlling attribute, and lots of each is fine since you gotta chart a large section of space. Programming makes it in to run sensors and create databases of information. Various affiliations are included in the attemptability list, and each would chart the cluster for their own ends. The Borg show up, though we don't know of any incursion into the Gamma Quadrant on their part. The rest did take an interest in the GQ, but it's all a little arbitrary. The Dominion's absence is to be expected, but why no Klingons or Bajorans, for example? The original offered 40 points, which I thought was fine for an endeavor as large as charting a whole star cluster, but since that cluster never became important in the stories, I have no problem with the adjustment down. Though there are changes, I don't really think the card's been improved or hurt by them overall. Still 3.7.

SEEDABILITY: The mission requires a good chunk of Cunning, and is VERY far away once you factor in the +2 out-of-quadrant Range penalty, but the skills are tight and not too difficult to come up with, and many affiliations can make use of it. The Borg especially, have fewer missions than most, and the Ferengi will also get a late start. Most might not be able to justify bringing all this together so far away from home for a mere 35 points. An average 3.

TOTAL: 13.4 (67%) Different realities, different play value.

#2292-Chorgan - Leader of the Gatherers, Personnel, Non-Aligned, Cost: 2, unique, BC

-Acamarian; Law, Leadership, Physics, Transporters; Command icon

-Gatherer; Thief; While this personnel is facing a dilemma, if another Gatherer is present, this personnel is attributes +1 and gains Diplomacy and Leadership.
"Say what you came to say. But I doubt I'm going to believe you."

-INTEGRITY: 4, CUNNING: 5, STRENGTH: 6

 

PICTURE: A good no-nonsense expression and a fashion sense like no other, that's what you get with Chorgan. The shapes in the background support his leather jacket's, and the lighting and composition are both good. A rather fun 3.7.

 

LORE: Again, no-nonsense, and the line goes with the pic. It's all about attitude, though we don't learn much else about Chorgan from it. Subtitle's a little dull. A 3.3.

 

TREK SENSE: The Gatherers are represented as space gypsies I suppose (based on the stereotype, not actual Roma people, etc.) so they are a loosely-knit band of nomadic Thieves. They do have a Leader, and that's Chorgan. He uses Law to settle disputes among his own people, and Transporters to raid and steal. Physics, I'm less sure about, though it doesn't seem out of the question for a small group like the Gatherers to have picked up skills here and there. When facing a dilemma, i.e. when in a dangerous situation, Chorgan becomes a better man, but only if the lives of other Gatherers are at stake. This represents his stepping up to the plate in "The Vengeance Factor", becomes a super-Leader (leading more than just his small band, but all Gatherers everywhere) and making use of Diplomacy (which isn't in his usual nature, yet to protect his brothers...). All attributes also go up with that sense of duty. The normal attributes are fine for everyday use, with the Integrity showing someone loyal to his people, but who could backstab anyone else; average Cunning, which is exactly how I'd have described him; and Strength equal to Sisko's - yeah, sounds about right. Cost is low, but not a 2, that's because Gatherers aren't considered important in the grand scheme of things, but Chorgan is still an important individual among them. So while I'm not too sure about Physics, the card paints a good picture of this character. A 4.

1E TREK SENSE: Everything stands except the usual caveats. Strength is suddenly too low, and there's no classification to speak of. As a 1E card, no doubt he would have had some interaction with The Gatherers dilemma as well. Drops the score down to 3.4.

 

STOCKABILITY: When selecting Non-Aligned help, you might do so thematically. The Gatherers, for example, offer a number of skills, and using them together should give you certain card interactions. Unfortunately, the Gatherer keyword hasn't been used much (consider this a request). One special effect associated with it is in boosting Chorgan during dilemmas, reason enough to use a second Gatherer in your crew. Oh, Chorgan has ok stats, and a very good skill list that includes the rarer Law and Transporters, but when facing a dilemma with another Gatherer in tow, he becomes a 2 Leadership personnel with the added skill of Diplomacy. Tense Negotiations is only one dilemma he can get rid of when he's at full power. His attributes are also boosted, which is important in 2E. Gatherers may also lose Thief to gain Geology thanks to Marouk, but let's not forget that Thief keyword, which appears here without Treachery, so can't be targeted by cards that do so. Pickpocket will boost his attributes even more (good to use with Gatherers in general, since they all have Thief). Other than that, The Orion Underworld allows him to initiate battle for points, and Bank Heist adds to his skills. You can rally your Non-Aligned support around a personnel like this, and he's pretty cheap to boot. A good 3.7.

1E STOCKABILITY: Law and Transporter Skill remain coveted skills in 1E, of course, but the lack of a classification may hurt him. Even with another Gatherer during a dilemma, his attributes only go up to 5-6-7, which isn't great, and while the boost to skills is good, it's not as good as in the 2E environment. Obviously, if both players are liberally using 2E cards, Tense Negotiations becomes an issue just the same, and The Orion Underworld may be used in combination with the Thief keyword. Fewer tricks, and a less impressive mission-solving profile, he only gets 3.4 here.

 

TOTAL: 14.7 (73.5%) I was glad to see some TNG NAs had not been exploited yet.

1E TOTAL: 13.8 (69%) Still a decent score.

 

#2304-Chula: Echoes, Dilemma, space/planet, Cost: 1

-Randomly select three personnel. If the highest Cunning among those personnel is even, all three of them are stopped.

"Players of Chula must quickly learn that anything and everything in the game might be a potential pitfall. Sisko, Dax and Kira were misled by the ghostly voice of the missing Julian Bashir."

PICTURE: A repeat of the 1E image, which I praised for its composition and rich colors, but decried for being a little dark and blurry. 2E blows the picture up to a larger size, which unfortunately highlights the problems over the pic's qualities. Settles at 3.3.

LORE: A lot more general than the 1E original, but the wording is more in line with the card's game text, "misleading" the crew, where the original would "separate" them (and then doesn't). Slightly better, then, at 3.2.

TREK SENSE: It's hard to believe that the Gamma Quadrant-specific game of Chula would be encountered and played anywhere in play. It's just as hard to believe your crew would stop what they're doing to play a quick game. There's also the underlying problem that Chula dilemmas aren't part of the same mechanic, being divided into various unrelated challenges. That last point can be addressed (though perhaps not all that convincingly): During your game of Chula, you only get hung up on certain obstacles and not others. "Bob chaps", if you will. As for Echoes' specific effect, well, there's no actual difference between odd and even attributes in real life. Thematically, odd Cunning could have a personnel have a skewed point of view that allows the three personnel pictured to guess the Echoes are false. At least, they listen to the highest Cunning in the bunch (wrong or not). The three personnel must be separated from the rest by Chula's doors to be singled out, but are only stopped if they go in the Echoes' direction instead of toward the rest of their crew. These justifications aside, we still have to swallow a lot of strange stuff . The low Danger Factor is in keeping with the idea that this is a game. No real change from the original, but the sensical Cost boosts the score a little to 2.5.

STOCKABILITY: Chula dilemmas are useful because you can't really build your crews to counter their effects. It's relatively easy to build appropriate skills pool and attribute totals, but making sure your high Cunning personnel are "odd", that's a little harder. There are a lot of Cunning 7 personnel that would pass the dilemma, but only one with Cunning 9 (Data/Loyal Brother). Cunning 8 and 10 (for most androids) is most likely. Starting a combo with Chula: Echoes might well succeed and filter out 3 personnel at random. From there, any other preparations against standard dilemmas might be out the window. And quite cheap too! Strength-based decks might sidestep it on purpose, but that's it. Scores 3.8.

TOTAL: 12.8 (64%) Didn't plan it that way, but scored the same as the original.

#2316-Chula: Pick One to Save Two, Dilemma, space/planet, Cost: 2

-Randomly select three personnel. Choose to return one of those personnel to its owner's hand or to have all three of them be stopped.

"Thialo... Sacrifice one so that two may live."

PICTURE: Never really liked this pic, with its dull and ugly color palette and the lack of any real design connection between the pieces shown and the characters they were meant to represent. The one redeeming quality was that the lighting effect on the center piece makes it look "picked". The only real difference with the original 1E version is a tighter zoom-in, which doesn't really help the card. Feels blurrier and more cramped. A 2.7.

LORE: Falow's line is perfect, and really does sound like a rule from a game, though now it seems to repeat the title of the dilemma. This would have been a good time to change that title to Chula: Thialo. A 3.2.

TREK SENSE: Chula dilemmas are all more or less conceptual in execution, since it's hard to see how games of Chula would be played all over the galaxy regardless of their Gamma Quadrant origins. Few affiliations would take the time to play such a game during a mission attempt, and separating various game elements into different dilemmas is less than satisfying from a Trek Sense perspective (though you could say the only dilemma in the combo is the only point in the game that gave you trouble). The danger factor, though relevant in the Chula context, is also too high if there are no lasting repercussions (even if Quark didn't know that on the show). That said, thialo is close enough to the show's events. Three personnel are separated from the rest, and are either stuck on the chap for the turn (until they find another way up) or you sacrifice a pawn to skip levels. The sacrifice doesn't kill the personnel, but takes it out of the game of Chula back to its owner's hand. That's a bit too far, in my opinion. Sure, the personnel should only report back after the game of Chula is over, so the time it takes is fine. I just don't agree that the personnel would be relocated to its HQ, basically, and not to the planet or ship where the game was played. All in all, I give it only a 1.9.

STOCKABILITY: A not-too-costly filter that has one of two effects, really. Either it filters out (stops) 3 personnel, which is a lot to take out in one swing, or it takes one of the randomly selected trio and returns it to hand. The victim's choice on that one, though it may not be easy to make that choice, and it's not exactly the discard pile, but it still filters out one personnel, which must now be paid for again, and picked up at the HQ on a later turn. Expect your opponent to select the personnel with the lowest Cost, or else one that is fairly redundant or unnecessary to the mission requirements, but again, there may not be a choice depending on the crew being hit. Dilemmas that return personnel to owner's hand might also free your personnel Brainwashed by Romulans or assimilated by the Borg. Hey, you never know. A strong crew disruptor that always hits is especially useful with dilemmas that hit if a mission isn't completed on a given turn, like The Dreamer and the Dream, so a good 3.8.

TOTAL: 11.6 (58%) Hard to beat the usual Chula penalties.

#2328-Collect Sample, Mission, space, Alpha Quadrant, unique

-Physics, 2 Science, Transporters, and Cunning>34

*Gaseous cloud: Beam a sample of this volatile gas aboard your ship and explore possible applications in weapon design.

-Cardassian/Dominion/Ferengi/Klingon/Romulan; 35 points; Span: 3

PICTURE: This has always been a nice pic of swirling cloudstuff - beautiful colors, dynamic motion - and here the shot isn't as tight as the original, so is more sweeping and distant. As pretty as before at 3.6.

LORE: Only a subtle change from the original's, making use of the extra space provided. I think "possible applications" is more credible than "weapon component", myself. It was always an interesting "invented" mission (non-canon, that is), and it's just a little better written here, so 3.4.

TREK SENSE: The more aggressive affiliations are all invited to the party this time, all seeing the use in exploring gaseous clouds for possible weapons. I think the Bajorans, Borg or Maquis could have been interested too, but perhaps they don't have the manpower, or it isn't really in their corner of the quadrant. The mission is no longer universal, note, but since it's invention, it can be taken either way. In 2E, such clouds are simply rarer. Since the properties of the gas are more important than those of the cloud phenomenon, Physics is a better fit than Astrometrics, and since weapon applications are more subtle in this version, 2 Science do better than 1. Transporters are still used to get the gas aboard. Cunning is the guiding attribute, of course. Gone are the requirements that hinged on motivation, and though they worked, there's nothing that truly says this mission is unethical, so good riddance. Span's a bit long, since I doubt this location would be near the main spaceways. Points are good for the possible windfall, though perhaps high for what is merely a first step. Still no inherent danger linked to volatility. Overall, a better go at it than the original, though that one was sensible too, in its own way. A 4.

SEEDABILITY: Cunning missions aren't necessarily the best for warlike affiliations, as even the Romulans are a deficient in high-Cunning personnel. Let's just say the 7s are few and far between, so Non-Aligned help may be warranted if you want small, efficient crews here. The requirements are otherwise fair for 35 points, with good Science personnel being important, and maybe an engineer that carries Transporters. I'm not overly enthusiastic, though perhaps the Ferengi icon adds a little something extra. An average 3.

TOTAL: 14 (70%) A tiny decimal drop from the original due to lukewarm usefulness.

#2340-Colony Preparations, Mission, planet, Gamma Quadrant, unique

-Biology, Geology, Science, Security, and Strength>34

*Suitable planet: Conduct a survey of this uninhabited Class-M world and evaluate its potential as a colony site.

-Bajoran/Cardassian/Federation/Klingon/Romulan; 35 points; Span: 2

PICTURE: Same as in 1E, but just as suitable, if a little on the cut & paste side. The central planet has all these "colonies" (its moons), and the scheme seems to give us a choice as to which world we'll take. A cool 3.8.

LORE: Just a more long-winded version of the 1E version, still as dry, but fine. And I still like the title of the planet. Still 3.3.

TREK SENSE: As generic as ever, but now no longer universal. Not sure I like that, since this mission objective could be repeated again and again, and not just in the Gamma Quadrant either. Even if you stick to one Quadrant (thus eliminating the native Dominion), you should still be able to look at more than one suitable planet. The addition of most Alpha Quadrant affiliations here is a positive thing, with only the Ferengi missing, though Colonies aren't exactly their thing. The survey is conducted as it always was, with Science giving a general overview of the world, Biology and Geology going deeper into the animal, vegetable and mineral elements of that world, and Security making sure the Dominion (or something else) won't cause a problem for your colony. To help with that, the controlling attribute is Strength. Enough skills take care of the scientific survey aspect that a little more love can be given to the Security aspect, so why not? No Colony download this time around, but the mission is now worth more points. I don't think I agree, since we never leave the Prep stage here. It's all surveys and evaluations, which just don't get the job done, and shouldn't be worth as many points. Span makes it close to the Wormhole, which would no doubt be an issue. I have reservations (as to its uniqueness, for example), but overall, a good design at 3.8.

SEEDABILITY: The Feds are good at Science, but they don't always have the Strength of other affiliations, which may keep them away from this GQ mission. Still, any of these affiliations could come here (even with the +2 Quadrant-change Span hike, it's pretty close, especially from the Wormhole) to score some fairly easy 35 points. Did I say 35? I meant 40. You ARE using Distant Exploration right? The Cardassians seem well equipped, after a quick skill check, with such personnel as Joret Dal or Mavek, but you'll find those skills all over the place. A solid 3.6 that lacks the incentives of the 1E version, but is attuned to more affiliations.

TOTAL: 14.5 (72.5%) As opposed to 1E's 77%.

#2352-Comfort Women, Interrupt

-When your Gul or Legate is attempting a mission, he or she gains one skill from your non-[Car] personnel at that mission. Also, each of your Guls and Legates involved is attributes +1. These effects last until the end of that mission attempt.

"Your old lives have ended. Your pasts have been erased. You have one purpose and one purpose only: to provide comfort and care to the Cardassian officers stationed here."

PICTURE: Could've been a shot of Comfort Women all lined up, but using Kira has more star power, I suppose. It's also fun to imagine what'll happen after that lecherous Cardassian puts his paws on her. A bit crowded on the composition side of things, but certainly not unpleasant. A 3.4.

LORE: The big speech given to Bajoran women when they enter this "profession". It's quite appropriate, so it gets another good 3.4.

TREK SENSE: Thematically, the boost to high-ranking Cardassians makes sense, with Glinns and such not getting access to the best Comfort Woman (if any), but in reality, it's not good Trek Sense. I'll buy the +1 to attributes during a mission attempt - those personnel are more refreshed, happier, and more productive for having had "company". It's the skill-sharing that doesn't quite work. In this case, the Comfort Woman must be present to whisper skill advice to the Gul or Legate, but that Comfort Woman can be a man! Ocett'll be happy to hear that, but that's about it. These Comfort Woman are represented by personnel that are often anything but comforting (like Kira) though you'll have the occasional dabo girl, I suppose). What are they doing on a mission attempt anyway? Worked much better when the comforting was off-stage, so half the card works, the other doesn't. Leaves us at 2.5.

STOCKABILITY: Comfort Women is the rare card that encourages multi-HQ decks, but the Cardassians can also make use of it with Non-Aligneds, or by teaming up with other affiliations at Terok Nor. Guls and Legates are already good personnel, and with this Interrupt, can boost their attributes (quite useful in 2E) and one of them can share a skill with a non-Cardassian for the entire length of the attempt. A major boost to mission solving, and cumulative to boot! There ARE limits, such as the low number of any non-unique Guls or Legates - meaning Parn is can be very important to this strategy - the risks inherent to playing multiple HQs (if you go that way), and the pollution of your deck with non-[Car] personnel that might interfere with the playing of Cardassian cards, but these are workable. For Terok Nor decks, you have to contend with the fact you'll have only one Gul to work with (only Dukat/Liberator to date), so even there, you might need to play Cardassia Prime in addition to the station. Even with those limits, a strong 4.5.

TOTAL: 13.8 (69%) Just imagine Odo as a Comfort Changeling...

#2364-Command Decisions, Dilemma, space, Cost: 1, BC

-Choose a personnel who has Leadership or Officer to be stopped. If you cannot, randomly select a personnel to be killed.

"Although there was as many command styles as there are ships in the fleet, all the best captains share the ability to make quick decisions in a crisis situation."

 

PICTURE: Not actually from anywhere in Nemesis, this is a production photograph sent to Decipher prior to the movie's release so it could be used for card images. Picard's a little panicky here, so you know something's going on. I do wish he'd been shown in a more flattering light. With that dull color palette, it makes for a pretty forgettable pic. A 2.5.

 

LORE: Well said, though if the commander is stopped, the decision isn't that quick, is it? But I'm getting ahead of myself here. Let's just say that, while well written, the lore doesn't jibe with the game text that well. A 3.2.

 

TREK SENSE: The basic idea is sound. There's a big decision that needs to be taken, which would be the job of a Leader or Officer (designated leaders that need not have the Leadership skill). If the decision isn't taken, a personnel dies. The Leader or Officer that makes the decision is stopped, indicating that it gets its hands a little dirty. I'm thinking something akin to Kirk going down to the dish in Generations. There aren't a lot of details available. There's also a problem with rank. What if Picard is present, but so is Riker. Why does Riker make the decision? What about lowly weenie Officers with a mere Staff icon like Hoya or Lian T'su? Thankfully, there aren't a whole lot of these in 2E comparatively, but they still exist. Of course, it's a space dilemma (kind of short-sighted in that respect, as if there are no decisions to be taken planetside), so personnel may be grouped in various parts of the ship. Geordi makes Command Decisions in engineering without needing to call Picard up on the bridge. The same could be said of a lower decks character. If we allow the Danger Factor (Cost) to be low, it's because of the vague nature of the threat. With a crewman's life on the line, I think it should be higher. It's got its problems, but it's easy to come up with the right justifications to make it work. A 3.5.

1E TREK SENSE: What works in 2E also works in 1E, with minor variations. For example, Cost isn't an issue here. On the other hand, the proliferation of Staff-icon Officers and shuttle-like vessels where personnel couldn't be compartmentalized takes the dilemma back down a notch. I'm gonna keep the 3.5.

 

STOCKABILITY: Sure, the dilemma insures the filtering of a personnel, but if you want to get the kill instead, you need to get around those easy requirements. The best way to go about it is to start off with a dilemma heavy on Officers or Leadership (they are often found together on personnel), and follow it up with Overwhelmed. Start with Personal Duty, maybe? Anyway, with Command Decisions' low, low Cost, you can probably afford the combo. If you miss, at least you'll filter out one personnel. Leaders are most often among the best personnel, so there is that. Needs work, but enough for a 3.6.

1E STOCKABILITY: A preface to Maglock? Could be. In 1E, OFFICERs are pretty much a dime a dozen, and you won't be able to get that kill except against redshirts or if you're very lucky. No Overwhelmed to help either. The filter is SOMEthing, but not enough to recommend an easily passed dilemma. Maybe 2.2.

 

TOTAL: 12.8 (64%) A fair common dilemma from 2E Premiere.

1E TOTAL: 11.4 (57%) You make your decisions, you take your consequences.

 

#2376-Condition Captive, Interrupt

-Punishment; Order: Place your captive on your headquarters mission. You now command that personnel.

"He still hesitated. Prepare the equipment for another session."

PICTURE: Creepy shot of Geordi killing one of his buddies from across a table. A real Manchurian Candidate moment, well executed and choreographed. A cool 3.8.

LORE: We're not there quite yet, according to Taibak here. Great fun tagged onto a rather dry title. Makes it to 3.9.

TREK SENSE: This is what Brainwashing should have been like, though it's still not perfect. While Brainwashing overextended itself by being a Capture card, Condition Captive remains a more sensible Punishment card. A Conditioned Captive is under your control, which is a simple enough effect, but it does ignore the sleeper agent aspect of Geordi's conditioning. Furthermore, as an interrupt, it has no Cost, and yet even the lore mentions how much of an effort this is. And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the instantaneous round-trip back to Headquarters, which require neither time nor ship. I have no real problem, however, with this being open to every affiliation, since only the Cardassians, Romulans and Maquis have access to Capture cards to date, though dilemmas may create other situations. I'm sure thought will be given to this when making future Capture cards. Manages a good enough 3.3.

STOCKABILITY: You've already captured a personnel, and this plays at no Cost to put its skills and attributes working for you. Simple and useful. It also helps that there are no affiliation limits on Condition Captive, which opens it up to the Maquis, the Cardassians (especially) and the Romulans. Dilemmas open it up for the others. The latter may not want to spend the points required of Brainwashing if, for example, they're using other means to capture opposing personnel (like The Enterprise Incident). The Cardassians remain the most likely users, and they can generally benefit from getting other personnel to work for them, getting this card through Fresh Tactic. A nice little 3.7.

TOTAL: 14.7 (73.5%) To Brainwashing's 62.5%.

#2388-Console Overload, Dilemma, space, Cost: 1

-Unless you have 2 Engineer or 2 Programming, choose a personnel who has Medical or Science to be stopped, then this dilemma returns to its owner's dilemma pile.

"Transluminal processors, the 24th-century computing standard, are capable of over 500 trillion calculations per nanosecond. The power needed to operate such systems is extreme."

PICTURE: They certainly had a number of choices for this image! The one they chose looks good, with a crewman dynamically flying backwards and a real plume of sparks. Its brightness does tend to cast the rest of the card in shadow however. It's good, but a little unclear. A 3.4.

LORE: Well, the designers had to find an excuse as to why computer consoles explode so violently in Star Trek, but thankfully, the various Technical Guides produced by Pocket Books provide the answer. We get a sort of excerpt here, made up of interesting technobabble (it isn't always interesting, you know). Do we believe the justification? I guess we must, though I prefer to think of it as enemy disruptor fire overloading your systems. At any rate, a fun wink at an implausible piece of technology at 3.7.

TREK SENSE: Consoles don't just blow up, they're made to by damage to the ship. As such, it seems like this card should figure in battles, or at least wait for a ship to be damaged by a dilemma. It doesn't work like that. Absent any cause for the Overload, we'll have to believe the lore and imagine that these computers can Overload and blow up in your face. Good maintenance will prevent such a thing from occurring, as represented either by 2 Engineer or 2 Programming (the latter working intimately with these Consoles). If not, then mistakes happen, and some poor Ensign Bob gets zapped, necessitating the help of a Medical (it is stopped while it takes care of the patient). If you stop a Science personnel instead, I guess it WASN'T an Ensign Bob, but someone working the sensors, etc. A Programming personnel would have been more appropriate, but there you go. No one ever dies, you'll note, which isn't what the show would have us believe. Seems very much out of place. As for the other elements, they play on the sheer frequency of this occurrence on the show. They appropriately made the dilemma return to the pile AND gave it a low, low Cost. Not without its issues, it gets a 2.9.

STOCKABILITY: The Cost is right for a dilemma that doesn't have too great a chance of hitting, but could perhaps be used once Engineers and Programmers have been weeded out (Bynars' Password?) to put one last nail of a Medical or Science mission's attempt. It's easy to overcome, but it doesn't stick around to count as overcome for later mission attempts. Alternately, you could weed out the requirements using Overwhelmed instead, especially at an Engineer/Programming mission. These two skills are often linked, so you'll come across situations where it'll be useful to stop either group. Not a power card, it nonetheless can be used in the right combo (again and again, since it returns to the pile). A 3.2.

TOTAL: 13.2 (66%) Watch that it doesn't all blow up in your face.

#2400-Contamination, Dilemma, space/planet, Cost: 2

-Unless you have Engineer and Physics or 2 Exobiology, all your Medical personnel are stopped and this dilemma returns to its owner's dilemma pile.

"Although forcefields were originally created with defensive purposes in mind, medical applications were immediately apparent."

PICTURE: The effect tends to make the image grainy, but this is a really nice, at once colorful and moody shot from sickbay. The characters are shadows in the well-lit world of the isolation area. I must confess some affection for the image, and the way it freezes an interesting moment. A 3.9.

LORE: Not a quote, but this tidbit about the use of decontamination force fields is well written and interesting, if disjointed from the title a little bit. A 3.3.

TREK SENSE: The idea is that your crew would get Contaminated with a substance or viral agent, which stops all the doctors as the crew gets treated. The Contamination agent remains present to be encountered again if you're not careful (returning to the dilemma pile). This I find sound enough, though an effect on the crew itself would be appreciated. And even a ship might have contaminants, or be exposed to some. To not get a widespread Contamination, you either need to understand viruses with Exobiology, and immediately inoculate; or else use Engineer and Physics to fine-tune a forcefield to filter out the contaminant. Maybe it's more a matter of making sickbay safe when some infection breaks out, thus limiting Medical personnel exclusively until THEY can be treated or brought out of quarantine. Maybe problems would have multiplied if the contaminant left sickbay. I think it can be made to work, though on a planet, you don't have that exclusion. Not an incredibly destructive disease, apparently, so the Cost is probably right. I think the minor bugs keep it at 3.6.

STOCKABILITY: A filter for Medical personnel, it would be a great lead into any dilemma that required Medical (and cheap enough to boot). You just have to make sure it hits, and that's less of a sureshot. Exobiology will frequently be found on those Medical you're trying to stop, and barring that, an Engineer with Physics is far from a rarity. That makes it rather weak and difficult to really make efficient. Balanced down to a 2.8.

TOTAL: 13.6 (68%) Not so sickly.

#2413-Corbin Entek - Undercover Operations Supervisor, Personnel, Cardassian, Cost: 2, unique

-Cardassian; Biology, Exobiology, Intelligence, Security, Treachery; Command icon

-Order: Kill your captive to destroy an event that captive's owner commands.

"I assure you, when it comes to the Obsidian Order, nothing is impossible."

-INTEGRITY: 3, CUNNING: 6, STRENGTH: 5

PICTURE: Dark and blurry, I think the 1E version was better overall. The expanded background here isn't particularly interesting, so we've just sacrificed his expression for some Cardassian decor that he doesn't even own. Only 1.5.

LORE: Not only is it a neat boast about the Obsidian Order, I think it's an answer to a pop culture great - Mission Impossible. Subtitle's a little dry, but the lore does the job, with a furtive tie-in to his special ability. A 3.9.

TREK SENSE: Ok, a Obsidian Order agent, so Intelligence, Treachery and Security definitely fit. Because he sends undercover operatives into the field surgically altered or even with memory implants (people like the real Ilyana and Seska), he scores both Biology and Exobiology. Fair enough. The Command icon goes with his Supervisor rank. Is his Cost low, then, for that rank? Not especially, but it might've been a 3. The special ability swings rather wide, but is meant to represent the far-off operations his people are carrying out. So he uses a captive's knowledge to send an operative in that neck of the woods to sabotage something represented by an Event. Conceivable, but it really depends on the captive and the event. Some may not be related at all. Never impossible, perhaps, but could be improbable. The Order is treacherous even with the Cardassian people, so his 3 Integrity is fine. Cunning and Strength also seem sensible. In all, it's the special ability that may falter, but everything else checks out. A 3.6.

STOCKABILITY: The Cardassians are most adept at acquiring captives and at exploiting them. Entek can of course help trigger capture cards, and even has the Security for Arrest Order and the Intelligence to gain skills from Torture. In addition, he doesn't need to wait for a Punishment card to exploit a captive, he can kill that personnel to also destroy one of its owner's Events. There are loads of Events that may warrant destruction, not to mention strategies that depend on the number of Events a player has in play! With a pretty cool skill list that should get you through a number of dilemmas and missions (including Medical-inspired stuff), and a low Cost, he more than makes up for his lukewarm-to-poor attributes. An excellent addition to the capture deck, he gets my 4.

TOTAL: 13 (65%) And being useful is what really counts, right?

#2426-Cretak - Supporter of the Alliance, Personnel, Romulan, Cost: 3, unique

-Romulan; Anthropology, Diplomacy, Law, Physics, Security; Command icon

-Senator; When you play this personnel, you may download a D'deridex-class ship.

"Be aware that I'm authorized to use whatever force is necessary to see that our medical supplies reach their destination. ... Besides, I would hate to see you throw your life away."

-INTEGRITY: 5, CUNNING: 5, STRENGTH: 5

PICTURE: The original Cretak (the actress was changed for later appearances), we at least get variety in between editions (same with Bok). The pic has some distracting elements, like Admiral Ross in the background, but I like that it's clearly on DS9 and somewhat shadowy. A 3.3 that could have been a bit better.

LORE: There's an irony between the subtitle and the quote, and while I like both separately (especially her arrogance), I'm not sure Cretak is best served by that irony. Change the subtitle and we're alright though. A 3, but I can't go higher.

TREK SENSE: One thing that really bugs me is that she doesn't have a DS9 icon. She had an office there, and is touted as a Supporter of the Alliance at this point. I can the other point of view too (she wasn't really collaborative when you come right down to it), but I still would have preferred her with the icon. (Still waiting for a proper Martok as well.) I'm also surprised she has no Leadership, what with her authority over ships and strategies. She seemed to have more than a Command icon and rank as a Senator. Taking part in those strategy sessions, she has Security, and is silver-tongued enough to warrant Diplomacy. Anthropology helps her gauge her adversaries (such as Kira), Law comes with the senatorial duties, and Physics? Not so sure about that one except as the skill relates to the weapon systems and materials she was defending on the Bajoran moon. It's a very loose fit. Her special ability ahs her summoning a ship much as she did on the show, though you can see it was always in the wings (doesn't come out of nowhere), which is how a download-when-reporting ability is supposed to read. She is loyal to the Empire, but also to a greater cause, going from a 4 to a 5 Integrity, but it's still not more than average. Cunning's a bit low, though I guess she was outsmarted by Kira, and later by Sloane. And the average Strength might be that of a bureaucrat of a physically superior species. Cost is fine for someone in her position. I find many holes in this one, so will only score it a 2.4.

STOCKABILITY: She's a Senator, so can trigger Prejudice and Politics, and when you play her, you can get yourself a D'deridex directly into your hand. Simple perks, but not useless by any means. All depends when you actually get to play her. Once she's in play, she's a solid mission solver, with an interesting mix of skills. Law is rarer than most, for example, and she could contribute either to bureaucratic or scientific missions and dilemmas. I'm not that enthusiastic about her attributes, and she is a bit Costly. Certainly not the best way to get a ship into play early (though once out, you can get its matching commander, etc.), and no strong abilities once she's been reported, she's only good enough for a 3.4.

TOTAL: 12.1 (60.5%) I'm almost surprised I didn't like her more.

#2439-Cry "Havoc!", Event, Cost: 3, BC

-Maneuver; Plays in your core.

-Order: Destroy this event to begin an engagement involving your Leadership personnel. If you win, randomly kill an opponent's personnel involved.

"'... and let slip the dogs of war.'"

 

PICTURE: Those saucer blow-outs in Star Trek VI were pretty shocking, and this freeze frame looks really good. The lack of visible stars is a minor fault, but does make the fx shot look incomplete. A 3.8.

 

LORE: Finishes the line started in the title, from Shakespeare's Henry V. The card game only enhances itself when it incorporates that literary tradition of Star Trek. A 3.5.

 

TREK SENSE: A very simple battle permission slip, very much in the tradition of 1E. A Leader is necessary to lead you in battle (Officers, which aren't always Command personnel, are rightfully not included). If you win that battle, there are consequences, such as casualties (certainly, with a pic like that, though it would also seem to inspire ship damage, but that's not included). The Cost is ok, in line with other Maneuvers that aren't specific to warlike races. If there's a weakness here, it's that it doesn't create THAT much havoc. A solid 4.

1E TREK SENSE: You can already start a battle with a Leadership personnel, so that part is just redundant, though it may allow Feds and Borg to disregard their battle restrictions (in what honor?). Really, all it amounts to is an extra casualty, which you might've gotten through a damage marker instead. Cost is meaningless, but otherwise, what I've written above still stands. Adjusted for redundancy, a 3.6.

 

STOCKABILITY: Klingons and the Dominion have loads of Maneuvers, but other affiliations aren't so starved for battle. The Federation, for example, is especially poor in good battle cards. So when a battle event does not make mention of an affiliation, and merely requires a common skill, you take notice. Cry Havoc allows any affiliation to start an engagement, and as a result, kill a random personnel. The Cost is relatively high, so the warlike affiliations should stick to their more specific events. Others looking to just cause damage to their opponents' crews could use this card without much problem, especially if not running coherent capture strategies, etc., but Power to the Weapons is the stronger card, even if more of an investment, and the current stable of Maneuvers just makes Cry Havoc look like a bad quality-price choice. Maybe a 3.

1E STOCKABILITY: Simply an extra casualty at the end of a battle, which can be added to those afforded by Tactic cards, at the cost of a card play. You usually need Leadership (sorry OFFICERs) anyway, so that's no different. It's just that you have to telegraph your wish to do battle (could be a bluff though). The one big reason to use the card is to give affiliations the opportunity to disregard their attack restrictions, giving the big Federation and Borg ships the one-time ability to incur some damage without having been attacked first. A 3.6 here.

 

TOTAL: 14.3 (71.5%) Still near the top.

1E TOTAL: 14.5 (72.5%) Largely redundant, but for a few affiliations.

 

#2452-Cure Blight, Mission, planet, Gamma Quadrant, unique

-Anthropology, 3 Medical, Science, and Cunning>36

*Boranis III: "More than anything, the Dominion wanted my people to bear the mark of their defiance. So they brought us the Blight. We're all born with it. We all die from it."

-Bajoran/Federation; 40 points; Span: 2

PICTURE: A runt of a planet, it's ugly and blurry with one saving grace - conceptually, it actually looks blighted with that dark stain on it. Couldn't possibly go higher than the original 1E score, so stuck at 2.9.

LORE: An excellent quote, saying a lot about the Dominion, and even poignant if you allow it to be. A strong 3.6.

TREK SENSE: I thought the original 1E version was too easy, since even Bashir couldn't do more than find a vaccine rather than a Cure for the thing. The addition of a Cunning requirement helps greatly in that respect, though I'm pretty sure you only find a vaccine too. Bashir and Dax can't complete it on their own anymore, though. Ah well. We still have the high Medical requirement (obvious) and Science too (this thing was engineered, so looking at it from another field's point of view can help). Anthropology helps you convince the natives to give your brew a try, since their culture has accepted the incurable nature of their disease. Though in the Gamma Quadrant, Boranis is close enough to the Wormhole (short Span) that the Feds and Bajorans would be the closest and most likely to help. The points are higher than they were (technically), which gives the sense that besides saving a whole planet's population, you may help yourself in the long run by countering a Dominion weapon. Not flashy, no, but very reasonable at 3.9.

SEEDABILITY: Visiting the Gamma Quadrant (perhaps to add 5 points with Distant Exploration) can be worth it when you don't need to spend too much Range doing it. In this case, it'll cost a ship at the Mouth of the Wormhole no more than 5 to get to Boranis, which is very acceptable, making this a good nearby mission for the DS9 affiliation. Feds have some excellent Medical going for them, including Bashir who has the required 3. They shouldn't have trouble with the rest of the requirements either. Bajorans have fewer high-Cunning personnel, perhaps, but certainly have the skills. And at 40-45 points? A worthy excursion abroad indeed. Hits 3.7.

TOTAL: 14.1 (70.5%) There are a lot of good DS9 missions it seems...

#2465-D'Arsay Archive, Event, Cost: 2

-Count the number of cards in your hand, shuffle them, and place them on the bottom of your deck to draw an equal number of cards. Destroy this event.

"... it's using our ship - our alloys, our DNA - to create elements of its own culture."

PICTURE: Great depth of field on this one, making it look more like a library than it really is. The tiny Data at the end, is he a miniature? Or this really a whole set? A very simple alternate take on Masaka Transformations, but an impressive one at 3.6.

LORE: The Archive is well explained here without resorting to the word Transformations in the title. No more than a thematic relationship to the game text though (how could it?). A good 3.4.

TREK SENSE: The Archive is a thing, even a place, but it doesn't really work as an event. The card is very thematic, even mechanical, in that it doesn't really turn things aboard your ship into things from the Masaka culture. Instead, something like 1E's Masaka Transformations, it transforms a player's available resources into others. It'd be cool (if convoluted) if you could somehow change one "culture" into another, i.e. an affiliation, but there's no real cultural element to the transformations. In "Masks", the transformation was reversible, so here, the cards transformed aren't discarded, but rather recycled. Since it's very close to the same effect and game text as Masaka Transformations (except it only plays on yourself), I'm tempted to give it the same 1, but there's the added issue of Cost to consider. 2 doesn't seem enough for what took an entire episode to resolve. A massive amount of energy would be required, etc. Meh, balances out. Let's say 1 again.

STOCKABILITY: Some cards are good early in the game, others are better late in the game. That's why D'Arsay Archive can be useful. You can get rid of an early hand that has nothing good to offer, hoping for something more appropriate (like a ship!) in the replacement hand. Or you can play it late in the game to get rid of doubles already in play and refresh your strategy. The cards lost are merely recycled, so can be gotten back, even downloaded. It's not goodbye, just see you later. It is a bit drastic for some players, passing an entire hand before you have the chance to play any of them.. A hammer, not a scalpel, it nonetheless scores a good 3.8.

TOTAL: 11.8 (59%) Better than its ancestor by 7%.

< Previous 20......................................................................................................................Next 20 >

Contact me if you wanna talk about any of these :-)


Star Trek TM Paramount Pictures; Star Trek: Customizable Card Game TM Decipher Inc.