To see the cards themselves, check out this Card list for the Call to Arms set.

#2294-Depression, Dilemma, space/planet, Cost: 3 /CtA/

-Unless you have 2 Anthropology or 2 Medical or Telepathy and Integrity>32, your opponent chooses a personnel to be stopped and this dilemma is returned to its owner's dilemma pile.

"One has to find something to do with one's time. For some reason, my work isn't as... fulfilling as it used to be."

PICTURE: A beautifully lit image, with Odo basking in the same kind of glow we've come to expect from the Great Link. He's replaced one link (addiction) with another. Well staged, well acted, and pretty edgy as far as Star Trek is concerned. A well done 4.5.

LORE: A good line, and an original dilemma. The drinking is understated, but completed by the card's image. A good 3.5.

TREK SENSE: The main flaw, I think, is that your opponent chooses which personnel gets Depressed (stopped). How could he? In a sense, Odo was Depressed over something the Founders did to him, but it's hard to justify a similar situation for every personnel that might be targeted. Otherwise, it works ok. Counselor-related skills help crew morale stay up so that Depression doesn't occur, or to cheer up personnel at risk. This may be done with psychology (Anthropology), meds (Medical) or simple moral support (Integrity), though in the last case, you need the ability to spot the warning signs. Telepathy serves that purpose there, while Anthropology and Medical are self-sufficient (in fact, one of the 2 required instances of a skill may represent spotting it, with the other treating it). The dilemma returns to owner's pile because Depression may recur - a medical reality. The danger factor represented by Cost may be a bit high, though one personnel not doing its work because of Depression puts everyone in jeopardy. Mechanically, yes it deserves that Cost. In Trek Sense, it's a bit much. A still solid 3.4.

STOCKABILITY: Three sets of requirements isn't a good thing, even if one of these makes use of the much rarer Telepathy. Unfortunately, it shouldn't be too hard to get 2 Medical, if not 2 Anthropology. And at 3 Cost, I want to be sure. If it hits, of course, it's your choice of who is filtered out (and possibly killed if you follow up with A Bad End or Don't Let It End This Way). Targeting the right personnel before Depression hits is key. A Medical-related dilemma followed by Overwhelmed might do the trick nicely, for example, but we're up to Cost 7 without that Medical-related dilemma already. Time to break out the dilemma-manipulating cards to get more bang out of your buck. Is it even worth it then? Well, opponent's choice dilemmas don't grow on trees, though Assassin's Blade may be easier and more efficient to pull off. I'll say 3.3.

TOTAL: 14.7 (73.5%) There's a Depression in the scores as we go along, but it starts out strong.

#2306-Destroy Iconian Gateway, Mission, planet, Gamma Quadrant, unique, BC /CtA/

-Engineer, Leadership, Physics, Security, and Strength>34

*Vandros IV: "Dominion scientists recently discovered a Gateway on one of our outlying worlds. ...But their Jem'Hadar guards rebelled, and are now trying to complete the Gateway themselves. ...With the Gateway, they could put a million Jem'Hadar warriors on any Federation planet instantaneously."

-Dominion/Federation; 35 points; Span: 2

PICTURE: A pretty enough class-M planet that matches the setting seen in the live-action scenes. Not much insight other than that, it scores a fair 3.4.

LORE: Wow, that's a long one, but as long as you have the space, why not explain the mission context entirely? A solid 3.5, with everything that's at stake well presented.

TREK SENSE: The joint Federation/Dominion mission from "To the Death", I can't help but feel this could have been a bi-modal mission to represent the renegades' objectives. If the allowed affiliations are limited to the Feds and Doms, it's because only these two would see the Gateway as an artifact to be destroyed. Others might try to gain control of it instead. (Though this is debatable with the Bajorans.) The planet lies in the Gamma Quadrant, of course, and close enough to shipping lanes at Span 2. I have no evidence to the contrary, but that seems a little off. Requirements include Engineer and Physics to destroy the Gateway, Security and Strength to fight the renegade Jem'Hadar, and Leadership to even be cleared for this information. It checks out. 35 points isn't a great bounty for such a crucial mission, especially without any other kind of incentive. I mean, if you don't complete this mission, do Jem'Hadar start reporting all over the place? No. It lacks that certain storytelling flair. Will have to settle for a rather ordinary 3.3.

1E TREK SENSE: Span seems even shorter here, but that's not a huge thing. The card could do a little better because it's far easier to make the Dominion and Federation cooperate at this mission to recreate the episode, but the lack of a connection with the Iconian Gateway artifact hurts it more. No more than 3.

SEEDABILITY: The Dominion starts in the Gamma Quadrant (unless it's at Terok Nor), so missions they can complete in their own quadrant avoid any Span trouble going cross-quadrant might cause. Even at Terok Nor, that HQ has such a short Span, that Vandros IV can't ever be too far away (and you can use Distant Exploration to bring the mission up to 40 points). In any case, this is a pretty easy mission for the Dominion, especially for the Jem'Hadar. They have the Strength, Leadership and Security up the wazoo. Physics and Engineer are also on some of them. If trying to avoid the other species (and any Racial Tension that might result), this is a natural. For the Feds, the Strength requirement is prohibitive, though the skills really aren't. Not impossible, just not as well suited. A clean 4.

1E STOCKABILITY: On the one hand, those skills are easy to come up with in 1E, but on the other, attribute totals are more of pain. 35+ Strength requires fewer personnel than in 2E though, and the Jem'Hadar should still be very quick to rack that up, especially given various reporting tricks they have. With that short Span in the least populous quadrant (in our universe), it should be real easy to get to and finish. Again, the Feds are less well suited, but should have much less trouble coming up with the Strength total (and absolutely none assembling the few skills). 35 points is just about right for the level of challenge, and the Feds can prop that up with mission specialists and Explore Gamma Quadrant. Can still call it a 4.

TOTAL: 14.2 (71%) Just not as imaginative as I would have liked.

1E TOTAL: 13.9 (69.5%) What I just said.

#2318-Destroy Transwarp Hub, Mission, space, Delta Quadrant, unique /CtA/

-2 Engineer, Exobiology, Navigation, Physics, Programming, Security, and Cunning>48

-Nebula; You may attempt and complete this mission for 35 points using your [Borg] personnel with these requirements: Engineer, Programming, 2 Security, and Cunning>34.

*Grid 986: "It allows the Collective to deploy vessels almost anywhere..."

-Any affiliation (except [Borg]) may attempt this mission; 50 points; Span: 3

PICTURE: An exquisitely beautiful mission, showing how the Borg have harnessed the power of a small star (looks like). The Hub itself, and a cube, give the location its scale. You kinda wish missions cards "bled" in 2E as in 1E, just to get more of it. An impressive 5.

LORE: The grid number definitely makes this a Borg location, and the quote itself, while brief, tells us WHY we must complete the mission (if we're non-Borg) and simultaneously, why the Borg must protect it (with the alternate requirements). That's a very nice balance. A 4.

TREK SENSE: Bimodal missions are great, because they allow both sides of a conflict to actually do their thing. As every opponent of the Borg may feel compelled to Destroy the Collective's Transwarp Hub, the Borg themselves would feel compelled to protect it, each in their own way. If you're out to destroy the Hub, you'll need a lot of smarts to get by the Borg's defenses. Navigation and Security both play a role there too. To actually destroy the thing, a lot of Engineering and some Physics are appropriate. Programming may help with either facet, keeping the Borg busy or directly infecting the Hub with a computer virus. Exobiology is obviously meant to understand the Borg "species", but doesn't seem to be of immediate importance. Maybe to affect the biological components of the Borg, but that's not where their weaknesses really lie. The payoff is immense at 50 points, but it's quite an achievement. You might even say it's a series ender ;-). If you're the Borg, protecting and maintaining your Hub is an everyday kind of thing, and not as exciting, so only a still respectable 35 points. Engineer and Programming takes care of the maintenance element, while Security does the same for Hub defense. I'm a bit surprised Cunning is the controlling attribute here, since Strength would be better at defense, but you still have to be smart about it and not forget the maintenance aspect. The Span of 3 makes a bit far from main spacelanes, which increases its defense (as does being inside a Nebula). And though the location has no inherent relocation powers, the card Transwarp Conduit does that job (not extremely well, but we'll have to wait until we get there to really comment). I'll still say that Destroying the Hub has no effect on its ability to Transwarp ships. Being bimodal is a plus, but not all the requirements are necessarily dead on. A 3.8.

SEEDABILITY: For non-Borg, this mission represents a huge windfall, clearly half the points you need to rack up to win the game. That's immense, and can get higher thanks to cards like Distant Exploration and Solbor. It's got high requirements to match, of course, including harsh Cunning requirements. Skills will have to come from a lot of different personnel anyway, since the requirements are usually associated with varied "classifications". And there's of course the matter of how far the mission is (still within the Range of most ships from their HQ). If you're playing the Borg, the mission is much easier, but is also worth much less. Still, the Collective has fewer missions than most, and this one's in their home quadrant. The most difficult requirement here is the Cunning, given the low average Cunning of most Borg personnel. Being a Nebula location does nothing in 2E for now. As an extra incentive for ANY player, you can use Transwarp Conduit to transport any of your ships here to any location. Well, the Borg can also do this from the Unicomplex HQ, so it's not a huge incentive for them. For others, though, it means a quick return to one's own quadrant when the mission's over or in trouble. No Range is used up either, meaning you can return to the Hub on your own power once you've picked up extra resources. For the Borg, a rather unremarkable, routine mission. For every one else, definitely of interest. A 4.

TOTAL: 16.8 (84%) A new top mission, in large part due to the gorgeous picture.

#2330-Dispensing the White, Event, Cost: 0 /CtA/

-To play this event, you must command a Treachery Vorta. Discard a card from hand to draw two cards. Destroy this event.

"...receive this reward from the Founders. May it keep you strong."

PICTURE: Weyoun playing with vials of ketracel-white is an ok image, though one vial following the contour of his shoulder makes for a somewhat messy pic. The frame seems tipped back slightly, and the lights on the wall creep in distractingly. Ok, but with many tiny flaws. A 2.9.

LORE: Imagine it with a bored, mechanical delivery. Part of the white-giving speech, perfect for this concept. A good 3.5.

TREK SENSE: Cycle cards are best approached, I've found, as moments of inspiration when Cost drops to zero and one resource becomes two. Each affiliation has something like it, with varying requirements. In the case of the Dominion, that inspiration is calling on the zeal of the Jem'Hadar. The required Vorta isn't just Dispensing White (they're the ones that do so though), he's also manipulating the troups with their loyalty to the Founders, and thus: Treachery. As with other cycle cards, it's an interesting take on this very mechanical idea, but being so conceptual has its price. And so, a 2.

STOCKABILITY: I've always been of two minds about cyclers. They're a good way to dig deeper and more quickly into your deck, but at the same time, act as dead weight within that deck. They don't actually offer a bargain when it comes to card draws, since the 2 discards (the card from hand and this card) would have cost 2 to draw in the first place. But to some players/strategies/affiliations, deck management is very important. The Dominion has enough Treachery Vorta to have ready access to its cycle card, but not as much as, say, the Feds, who only require an Engineer. The Dominion's more specific requirement still isn't that bad, as only Yelgrun lacks the skill. With the Dominion's many species and strategies, getting the card of the moment in hand may well require deck-digging, so I'm gonna pass this card like its cousins, at 3.

TOTAL: 11.4 (57%) Did better than Back-Flush Bussard Collectors, at least.

#2342-Dissolving the Senate, Event, Cost: 1, unique /CtA/

-To play this event, you must command three [Rom] personnel. Plays in your core. When your personnel is stopped by a dilemma, you may destroy this event to make one of your unique personnel present attributes +4. This effect lasts until the end of that mission attempt.

"As happens frequently on Romulus, a new government came to power."

PICTURE: In Nemesis, the Romulan Senate turned to ashes, and we're getting some praetorial agony here. Good, even with the limited color palette, though probably puzzling if you haven't seen the movie. A 3.4.

LORE: While the lore goes directly to the title, and without the pic, can be read as very plain, when you add that image, you can see that the title is an outrageous pun, and that the lore is dryly humorous. Not sure how "frequently" Romulus actually changes governments, but a nice little song and dance here, at 3.8.

TREK SENSE: Since this has nothing to do with Romulan Senators, we're gonna have to see if it scores anything more than conceptual points. Parliamentary-style, when your Senate is stopped, you may Dissolve it, and place another personnel into power. That personnel gets an immense boost in attributes for the rest of the mission attempt. I think that's the basis for this thing. Now, let's pick it apart. Having it surround a mission attempt doesn't quite work, since I don't think the Senate truly attempts missions, nor does it have to be a member of the Senate being stopped, or even a Romulan. But they no doubt sent the crew on that errand. Ok, but then why does a personnel present come into power and get the +4? Maybe that personnel is just a follower of the new leaders and suddenly gains influence among his crew. That +4 is suspect anyway, a very high boost in all categories. The character at once gains higher moral fiber (all that responsibility), possibly genius-level Cunning and super-Strength. And not for long either. Plays fast and loose even when we put the Senate off-screen (which is the better way to go). I think it works ok with the proper justification, but only ok. The Cost is very low, since these changes are "frequent", though you have to give each government a chance to lead, so the event is unique. I'm surprised, but I'm giving Dissolving the Senate a rather good 3.

STOCKABILITY: The Romulans don't have as tight a theme as other affiliations, with various effects playing off different themes. Mission solving IS one of those themes, playing like a weaker version of the Federation there. Dissolving the Senate is part of that theme. When a personnel gets stopped during a mission attempt (is filtered out, as we say in the biz), you can destroy this cheap event to make any of your unique personnel present a whopping +4 to all attributes. That's a big boost for that final stretch, especially if you're up to the part where you're meeting mission requirements. It doesn't matter what the mission's controlling attribute is, you have that +4 to help you. +4 doesn't quite replace a lost personnel, but it helps, and could save you from mission failure or from an attribute-related dilemma that's coming up. Not a game-breaking effect, but when you're accumulating events for Escaping Detection, for example, you might as well throw in a cheapo like this. I'll say 3.5.

TOTAL: 13.7 (68.5%) Nice word play, ok effect.

#2354-DNA Analysis, Dilemma, space/planet, Cost: 3, BC /CtA/

-Unless you have a personnel who has 2 Medical or a personnel who has 2 Science, your opponent chooses a Medical or Science to be stopped. If your opponent cannot, all your personnel are stopped and this dilemma returns to its owner's dilemma pile.

"There's no doubt, Captain. Right down to your regressive strain of Shalaft's Syndrome. He's a clone."

PICTURE: Though pretty enough, screen shots are pretty dull affairs. I've seen worse, but... At least there's the ubiquitous number 47 on it. A 3.

LORE: Ok dialogue from Nemesis, but there's no real sense in mentioning cloning when the game text won't carry through on that idea. Trek has done more DNA Analysis than CSI, so the quote could have been pulled from many sources. Another just ok 3.

TREK SENSE: Suddenly, the whole mission hinges on a DNA Analysis. Might be a little odd for some missions, but it can usually be justified. Some kind of virus that needs to be analyzed can be the old standby if nothing else comes to mind. Medical and Science personnel are the obvious choice for this kind of work (though Biology or Exobiology could also have been included) and one such personnel would be stopped doing the work... unless that personnel is a super-Medical or super-Science. Starfleet CMOs, for example, rarely took much time doing this sort of work. Here's your answer, Captain, what's our next move? That all works fine. Making the ordinary (non-super) personnel be selected by one's opponent is a problem, since you should be ordering your personnel yourself. Cost is also problematic, since there's no consequence to whatever sparked the DNA Analysis. There isn't a big danger here, and so a Danger Factor of 3 seems exorbitant. Two small flaws on an otherwise good card. A 3.6.

1E TREK SENSE: Note to be confused with DNA Clues. No Danger Factor, that's one problem less to deal with, and it's a real wall that must be passed. It doesn't magically disappear at the end of an attempt like in 2E. That's closer to reality, and so the score goes up to 3.8.

STOCKABILITY: Personnel with double-Medical or double-Science are exceedingly rare, and most are within the Federation (and split over multiple factions), so your opponent will often have to allow you to select one personnel with a required skill to be stopped. Since you choose, you can do your best to filter out someone that would be useful for the next dilemma. If there is no Science or Medical personnel (unlikely, but possible), the mission attempt ends right there. So who do you have to watch out for? For now, Beverly Crusher. Julian Bashir, Mora Pol, Jo'Bril and The Albino. See? The latter two are the only thing keeping most affiliations (anyone but TNG, DS9 and Bajoran decks) from getting hit (plus whatever cards can make your personnel gain the appropriate skills). The Cost is right for something so easy to implement, and flexible to boot, but it IS only a lone, of discriminating, filter 99% of the time. A good 4.

1E STOCKABILITY: There are many more double-MEDICAL and double-SCIENCE personnel in 1E. The Feds are virtually immune to the dilemma, for example, as are the Vidiians and any DQ deck making use of the Think Tank. You can still hit, but your chances drop dramatically. The filter's useful, of course, with another MEDICAL/SCIENCE dilemma waiting just behind this one. I'm afraid it can only manage 3.5 in this environment.

TOTAL: 13.6 (68%) Analysis complete. Passes test.

1E TOTAL: 13.3 (66.5%) Analysis complete. Passes test. (Here I go with the cloning jokes again.)

#2366-Don't Let It End This Way, Dilemma, space, Cost: 0, BC /CtA/

-Randomly select one of your stopped personnel on this ship to be killed.

"I didn't have the medical knowledge I needed for Klingon anatomy. ...I tried to save him."

PICTURE: Gorkon lying there dead is much less gory than it might've been thanks to the one-time-only purple blood (side-effect of the same DNA virus that took off their foreheads?), and along with his red leathers, creates a good color palette and composition. Another corpse might've been boring, but not him. Kirk's arms are a little out of place however. A good 3.6.

LORE: The title itself is a quote, a memorable one, while lore itself explains the death. It's a dark irony that the title pleads for the personnel's life, but that there's no way out of the effects. Reaches 3.5.

TREK SENSE: It's A Bad End for space missions, so should work much the same. With its Cost of 0, it's not really a dilemma, but an add-on to a prior dilemma (which is already paid for). So the personnel was sent to sickbay (stopped), but complications occurred, and it died. Sensible, even if the thematic tie to the picture isn't as dead-on as A Bad End's. Since Don't Let It End is a follow-up to another dilemma, that stopper has direct bearing on Trek Sense. Are they all potentially deadly? Very easy to justify when the dilemma is also a killer, like Magnetic Field Disruptions, but you have to get more creative with others. Personal Duty might really put you in harm's way, Temporal Misalignment might put you out of phase with the air you breathe, etc. Some oddities remain, like Sheer Lunacy, but anything could be deadly, I guess. The one big flaw is that A Bad End couldn't take care of both space and planet. No need for the split. A 3.5.

1E TREK SENSE: Aside from the fact the dilemma now costs something, i.e. a card slot, the same could be said for 1E, plus or minus specific examples. The change in Cost will cost it, so 3.4.

STOCKABILITY: There are a lot of dilemmas that stop personnel, and at 0 Cost, Don't Let It End can turn one of those stops into a kill. Suddenly that lame Command Decisions grew a few teeth. Those dilemmas that only stop a single personnel should most often be the target of Don't since bigger stoppers may well stop the mission attempt before you get a chance to play it. The more specific a stopper, the more you can tailor your combo to make the mission attempt fail. Mega-crew stoppers are also good partners for this dilemma, killing a few, then stopping a few, which you then kill anyway. Stop-or-kill options become kill-or-kill. You can't overload your dilemma pile with Don't Let It End and A Bad End because you can't use more than one per attempt, and you don't want them taking up all your dilemma draws. One benefit that should be mentioned is that it really gives your opponent pause when selecting personnel to be stopped. Some players will filter out their big personnel to avoid them dying later on, for example. Heightened Perception can give you more flexibility with who you kill and not. Like its brother, a good, clean 4.

1E STOCKABILITY: The card slot cost is also an issue here, and for that card slot, you could get a killer. When designing combos, however, it may be a viable strategy to target very specific personnel for filtering, and then kill them off with Don't. So instead of just filtering the skill necessary to pass the next dilemma, add the idea that you're bumping off a rare skill that's in the mission's requirements. There are enough specific filters in 1E for this to be a precise tool, but it'll cost you as much as any dilemma. A 3.6.

TOTAL: 14.6 (73%) A single decimal under A Bad End.

1E TOTAL: 14.1 (70.5%) That ends up being true here too.

#2378-Dressing Down, Dilemma, space/planet, Cost: 3 /CtA/

-Randomly select three personnel. If the cost of any of those personnel is 1, all three are stopped.

"Well, I'm really very sorry you didn't enjoy your time at the Academy, Ensign. As far as I'm concerned, you should have been expelled for what you did. Quite frankly, I don't know how you made it on board this ship. You're dismissed."

PICTURE: Ensign Sito Jaxa gets a stern talking-to here. It's not a great pic, being a little bit blurry, but it does the job. Her expression, the back of Picard's head... Well, at least it does the job. A 3.

LORE: There were a few sources for this concept, but the one chosen gets a good speech in. Really as stern as it ever got. A 3.4.

TREK SENSE: There is much that may be considered wrong with this card, but the basic concept isn't bad. Some personnel are stopped because one of them is doing a poor job, or showing poor attitude, and high-ranking personnel need to take time out to set that personnel straight. A Cost 1 personnel is the trigger, assuming those personnel are cheap because they lack experience or a more prone to disobedience. Hard to prove, I'm afraid. Many of these are non-unique staffers that fit the mold, and Dissidents and "evil Datas" certainly also get in trouble, but there are anomalies too. Rixx is a captain, for example, so who Dresses him Down if there's no Admiral around (a case where he DOES the Dressing instead?). And regardless of rank, what if no one present is above that rank? (A Lily-Picard situation arises?) If I can make excuses for most personnel, it's hard to see the Borg affected by this, and yet, they're the most vulnerable. Now, there's also a problem with it taking 2 people to Dress Down a single individual, unless there's someone submitting the grievance, but that's not really what the dilemma is talking about. The Cost is also problematic, showing a Danger Factor much too high for this kind of internal discipline. I guess you're only as strong as the weakest member of your unit. The random selection here is an odd and unsatisfying sampling, but the concept is interesting overall, and the card gets a 3, mostly thanks to a judicious handing-out of personnel Cost.

STOCKABILITY: The Cost of 3 may seem a bit high, but you have a better than even chance of hitting, depending on the affiliation. In a selection of 3 random personnel, there's a good chance you'll scoop up a cheap Borg drone, for example, and so the Collective is particularly vulnerable to this dilemma. On the other hand, the Dominion has very few Cost 1 personnel, and are almost immune. Dressing Down was designed to attack weenie decks however, and such strategies will be rewarded with 3 stopped personnel, possibly including a high-Cost one simply accompanied by an army of cheapies. Anyway, you'll know pretty quick if it's worth putting in a combo, and can make your decision based on what cards have come out. Stopping 3 personnel is a major drain on skills, whether the next phase is another dilemma or the mission attempt itself. A good 3.7.

TOTAL: 13.1 (65.5%) Not deserving of a lashing.

#2390-Dukat - Liberator and Protector, Personnel, Cardassian, Cost: 3, unique, BC /CtA/

-Cardassian; Diplomacy, Leadership, Officer, 2 Treachery; Terok Nor icon

-Gul; When this personnel uses a skill to complete a mission, each of your opponents discard the top three cards of his or her deck. You may do this only once each turn.

"A true victory is to make your enemy see they were wrong to oppose you in the first place. To force them to acknowledge your greatness."

-INTEGRITY: 2, CUNNING: 6, STRENGTH: 6

PICTURE: Love the dissonance between the all-too-positive subtitle and the megalomaniacal madman in the pic. Cool pose and expression, and by cool, I mean totally evil. A 3.8. (0P3 is a separate card, as far as I'm concerned, so it'll get its own review later.)

LORE: Wow. This is great stuff, and again plays beautifully with the subtitle. Dukat is only that positive a figure when he's beaten you so soundly, you acknowledge him as such. A great statement of his megalomania, it get a high 4.5.

TREK SENSE: We've got a lot of Dukats, including a Klingon-fighting patriot, a Bajoran religious zealot, a Past-icon prefect, and an ordinary Gul. This is the Terok Nor version who sold his soul to the Dominion to get to command DS9 and Bajor again. He's still a Gul, and so an Officer with Leadership and a Command icon. He's sold his people to a fearsome empire and appears to be more ruthless than they are (ready to forget about the Bajoran treaty, etc.), explaining the double Treachery and low Integrity. Diplomacy is used to deal with the Dominion, among others. He's always been silver-tongued, that one. I kinda miss Security in this profile, since it there was a war on and dissidents on the station. Above average Cunning and Strength are both fine. The special ability rests on the quote used for his lore. When Dukat is victorious (personally completes a mission), each opponent is forced to acknowledge his greatness by paying tribute to him in the form of discards. More thematic than sensical, but it's nonetheless an interesting take on it, and I admire it a lot, though completing a mission isn't as much of a victory over an opponent as winning a battle would be. As for his Cost, 3 seems to be the going rate for Dukat, but I still think that's too low. He's pretty much the head of his side of the government here, so should be a little harder to get ahold of. Then again, he's very hands on, and likes to be on the front, so I won't complain too loudly. I like the card's ideas, but the thematic nature of the special ability keeps the score at no more than 3.1.

1E TREK SENSE: The usual problems crop up, including the lack of a true classification and Cunning and Strength that are way too low on 1E's scale. Otherwise, I think it works out to about the same, even though the Terok Nor icon and Cost are irrelevant. Down to 2.4.

STOCKABILITY: The Cardassians have other Dukats, but a Terok Nor deck is limited to this one. That's not a bad deal, though, since he's pretty good. With a fairly common Officer/Leadership/Diplomacy profile, he's also got the double-dose of Treachery that'll make him compatible with Vorta, which brings some mission choices to mind. His special ability would encourage you to select missions that have his skills as requirements. When you do complete a mission with him (say, Deliver Prisoners or Military Exercises, to name just a couple), all opponents discard 3 cards from the top of their draw decks. That can be pretty annoying. Have Kotra in play, and you score 5 points if a personnel card is so discarded. Add Building a Bridge, and more discards (this time from hand) should follow. Appropriately, this is a bit less effective against the Bajorans who make so much use of their discard pile, but the extra tricks will still work. In a Cardassian-only deck, True Cardassian is a better aggressor, and you might want Military Adviser to command the Prakesh. Prefect of Bajor is interesting for his Past icon, and has an ability that might be used more often than Liberator's. A good Treachery personnel with some teeth, I'll round it out to 3.7.

1E STOCKABILITY: Lower attributes and a handicap when it comes to using Equipment, but this Dukat has some good, if rather common, skills, and a special ability that can sting as much as in 2E (or more). Unless a Treaty is in play (and the one with the Dominion plays for free with him in play), you're limited to Cardassian missions (there's no use for the Terok Nor icon here), but there are enough that feature his skills to warrant his inclusion. Not as much a skill horse as his 1E persona, he nevertheless has Treachery x2, which allows him to kill someone with I Do Not Take Orders From You (if you can find someone with lower CUNNING, eeech), have access to Protection Racket and The Art of Diplomacy, and protects him from Sabotaged Negotiations. Ready Room Door will still get him out to a number of ships for which he is matching commander, and alternately, he reports for free to Central Command. All that is worth the missing skills, I should think, though most of it is also available to the 1E Dukat. As far as the persona swap goes, you're either using Liberator's strategy, or you aren't. There's not much call to stock both. A bit better than in 2E, with 3.9.

TOTAL: 15.1 (75.5%) Now this is a real villain!

1E TOTAL: 14.6 (73%) To the original's 16.7.

#2402-E'Tyshra, Personnel, Non-Aligned, Cost: 2 /CtA/

-T'Lani; Diplomacy, Engineer, Intelligence, Leadership, Treachery; Command icon

"I truly am sorry, Doctor. But at least you have the consolation of knowing that your deaths will be for a noble cause."

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

PICTURE: Never been able to take the T'Lani very seriously with their finned haircuts, and in this case, while there's a lot of color in the background, there are also distractions like Sharat and the chair. A little more razzle-dazzle than the 1E version, so something like a 3.3.

LORE: A cold, cold quote that's really pretty cool, but there's no sense of this being a universal character. Manages 3.4.

TREK SENSE: Well, why IS she a universal? A universal what? We've never seen T'Lani outside of "Armageddon Game", so a universal ambassador of that world is an odd thing to include, it seems. A universal Non-Aligned ambassador "up to no good" then? Yeah, I guess. She was a high-up, able to authorize some pretty Treacherous acts, though to save her people (the Integrity is rightly set at 4), giving her both Leadership and a Command icon, despite her roots in Diplomacy. Intelligence is an interesting addition, made possible by the generalization of that skill. Yes, she was involved in some secret activities, forged documents, etc. A major change from 1E is Engineer instead of Medical. There's no evidence that she knew anything about the harvester virus itself, so Medical wasn't a given, only justifiable. Engineer is just as justifiable since the virus had a mechanical (nanotech) component. I have no trouble with it, nor do I find it inspiring. She's got some average Cunning, which is fine since she didn't have the vision to see beyond her original plan. The Strength allows her to take violent action, but it's not something she was really trained in. The Cost is fine for a high-up from an unimportant culture. I can imagine a non-unique version of this character, I suppose. You just have to jettison the exact plot details. A 3.4.

STOCKABILITY: A Non-Aligned that can supplement any deck with a variety of skills, and face it, low-Cost NAs without special skills really should offer that variety to make themselves useful. Diplomacy and Leadership rub elbows here with Engineer and Treachery. These aren't obvious combinations. Most interesting, however, is Intelligence, which for some affiliations is pretty rare. A Non-Aligned non-unique source of this skills is definitely of interest. Marshor is another non-unique that offers the skill (for only 1 counter), but the card definitely has less variety. The attributes are pretty weak, but E'Tyshra may well help you through a number of very different dilemmas and missions. A 3.5.

TOTAL: 13.6 (68%) While the 1E version just didn't get a passing grade.

#2415-Elim Garak - Plain, Simple Tailor, Personnel, Cardassian, Cost: 2, unique, BC /CtA/

-Cardassian; Diplomacy, Intelligence, Programming, Treachery; Staff icon; DS9 icon

-When this personnel is about to be killed by a dilemma, you may discard a personnel from hand to take this personnel into your hand instead.

"Truth, Doctor, is in the eye of the beholder. I never tell the truth because I don't believe there is such a thing."

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

PICTURE: Garak's expression is more sad and resigned than it is mysterious and gleeful, but it fits the exiled nature of this version. The background is unusual and plays off well the greens from the Cardassian template. A solid achievement at 3.5.

LORE: Whenever Garak talks about truth and lying, I'm mesmerized. Ergo, a good choice, and it ironically comments on his subtitle (a classic). A great line worth 4.2.

TREK SENSE: What we have here is Garak the Exile, as I think is exemplified by his special ability. See, instead of allowing himself to be killed by a dilemma (something "arranged"), the wiley Garak has managed to do away with the person that would have him dead (conceptually represented by the card in hand - possibly one of his own people, a Cardassian) and gone underground (back into hand). It's ingenious even if the circumstances may or may not fit this little story. He uses his Diplomacy to survive in his new environment, and retains many of the skills that made him a superlative Obsidian Order operative: Intelligence, Programming and Treachery. The Staff icon makes him able to staff ships, and the DS9 icon relates him to his new location. The Cost is right for a Plain, Simple Tailor, even one with a past, though if working with the Cardassians, he should be a little harder to get ahold of. In fact, it's a wonder this version would be Cardassian at all, though later events on the show do have him loyal to a certain idea of Cardassia. I wish they'd given Garak more Cunning, and perhaps a more variable Integrity, but I can't really argue with the attributes as written. Overall, I think there are questions, but he's well built, especially on a thematic level. A 3.8.

1E TREK SENSE: No classification (though Civilian doesn't do much), and all too low Cunning, but those are to be expected. The fact there already is a version of Garak called "Plain, Simple Garak" in 1E creates inconsistencies. Why is one tailor Integrity 7, for example, but the other a 3? The lack of any Acquisition may mean he's not quite as deep into his cover yet, and hasn't been "infected" by Federation values, if there is to be a difference. And with the DS9 icon meaningless here, he loses that element of cooperating with the other Niners. Only makes it to a 3 this time around.

STOCKABILITY: Though he doesn't have all the skills to be found on Agent of the Obsidian Order, this Garak has still held on to the rare Intelligence and some useful skills besides. The special ability means you need never lose those skills to a dilemma, or at least, not for long, if you can produce a personnel from hand to throw in the discard pile. Now granted, Agent is the better mission solver for the Cardassians, but this Garak is the only one for the DS9 affiliation, where he works much better. Think about it... Intelligence is much rarer for that subset of personnel, for one thing, so you don't want to lose it if you can avoid it. Furthermore, DS9 gives you access to Bajoran themes that make use of personnel in the discard pile, meaning those discards aren't wasted after all. As for the Mirror Garak, he's good in a capture deck, but again, has no place in a DS9 strategy. A limited Garak, but one makes sense in his particular context. A 3.7.

1E STOCKABILITY: There are a number of great Garaks to choose from and to swap with, so the competition in 1E tends to be more intense. Of course, thanks to swapping, there's no reason you can't use Plain, Simple Tailor as well as other versions. In fact, he can switch from Plain, Simple Garak at the drop of a hat, possibly saving your Garak's life during a mission attempt (possibly even by discard PS Garak himself!). Then again, you could be swapping with a more useful selection manipulator, and the Elim Garak version could just avoid any randomized death. Still, he's still a solid personnel with all of Garak's usual possibilities, like reporting to the Tailor Shop for free, using Obsidian Order cards, and passing In the Pale Moonlight. I say 3.3.

TOTAL: 14.7 (73.5%) Not far behind Dukat.

1E TOTAL: 13.5 (67.5%) He wasn't received as warmly here.

#2428-Enemy in Your Midst, Event, Cost: 1 /CtA/

-Infiltration; Morph; Plays in your core.

-Order: Destroy this event to place any number of your Infiltrators at one mission aboard a ship at the same mission.

"If one of my people were loose on the station for that long, there's no telling how much damage they could do. ...And remind everyone that next time, they'd better sweep everything. A changeling can be anything. A post, a pillar, even a patch of reflective surfacing."

PICTURE: This one's beautiful, with a strange angle that gives the card a lot of depth, the great interplay between Odo and the reflective panel, and the nice blue and gold color palette. All those qualities make me forgive the fact that Odo isn't exactly an enemy ;-). A high 4.5.

LORE: A long one by 2E standards, Enemy in Your Midst, but it gives a lot of interesting examples, and underscores the danger as well. A likeable 3.5.

TREK SENSE: Very simply put, Infiltrators (whether shape-shifters or not) have gotten aboard your ship. Yes, they would want to do that, but there are things I question about this event. For example, getting aboard all at the same time isn't really a good idea if you want to keep your identity a secret. Also, the Cost is a bit low. I know it would be easy for a changeling to do this (easier than we think), but not all Infiltrators would be changelings, and it seems like there's no difference between sending one or many. Another thing is that this event gives your opponent a heads up, seeing as it plays in core before being activated, but that's just bad intel, not really a problem with Trek Sense. After all, Deep Space 9 knew full well that there could be infiltrators aboard. This card could be used to simply beam an assault team aboard a ship, which is certainly in keeping with the tone of the lore, though I do have reservations about how Infiltrators work in 2E. All those problems drive the score down to 2.9.

STOCKABILITY: Getting Infiltrators aboard an opponent's ship is just 1 counter away, isn't it? Now, the fact there isn't a personnel limit on this means you could just use it to send a bunch of changelings start a battle aboard that ship (or run a Pseudopod assassination), but Infiltration cards should provide a lot of more subtle options. Changeling Sabotage damages the ship in question, for example. Or you could screw around with the crew's mission attempts through Founder Trap, Set Up, Under Suspicion, etc. Remember: Your opponent can't attack your Infiltrator without destroying a proper Assault card. There's lots to do. Specific Infiltrators may also have ideas, like Founder Agitator sending universals back to hand. A few of them can even download this event (cheaper than Anything or Anyone), lower its Cost to 0, or recycle it. A cheap and easy way to set up your infiltration strategies, it lands at 4.

TOTAL: 14.9 (74.5%) Iffy Trek Sense, but the rest of the card is excellent.

#2441-Evade Borg Vessel, Mission, space, Alpha Quadrant, unique /CtA/

-Astrometrics, Leadership, Navigation, Officer, and Cunning>36

-Nebula; You may attempt and complete this mission using your [Borg] personnel with these requirements: Astrometrics, Engineer, Physics, Security, and Cunning>34.

*Paulson Nebula: "Should provide an effective screen against their sensors."

-Any affiliation (except [Borg]) may attempt this mission; 35 points; Span: 4

PICTURE: A cool juxtaposition of a colorful nebula (the colors really aren't my type, though) and Borg cube crackling with energy. The danger and the Evasion are well captured in those elements. A bit low on contrast, however. A 3.5.

LORE: One of those David Fincher/Fight Club references in the nebula's name, it seems, with the quote doing a fine job of explaining the means by which the Borg can be Evaded at this location. A 3.3.

TREK SENSE: I don't suppose this is a mission you really plan for. It is thrust upon you. And that's possibly the only real problem with the card, since it behaves too much like a normal mission. Should you really be able to abandon it midway? Shouldn't there be a consequence to failing? And so on. Accepting it as a normal mission, the requirements fall into place well enough. Astrometrics and Navigation help you enter the nebula and maximize its cloaking power. Officer and Leadership help you keep your cool during this very stressful situation. Cunning is the controlling attribute, since you must use guile to Evade a collective mind. The mission's second mode doesn't have the problem described above, since the Borg's mission is to find an Evading ship. That's a mission that makes sense within the usual parameters of the card type. They'll use Astrometrics too, but Physics and Engineer as well to fine-tune their sensors to counter the nebula's effects. With a more aggressive bent, Security also makes an appearance. Cunning, of course, remains the controlling attribute. The points are ok, though non-Borg should just be happy to get away with their skin intact. The Span is long since you ran away from your starbases and territory, not wanting to bring the Borg to your doorstep (and for the Borg, they don't live in the Alpha Quadrant). I love bimodal missions, they have excellent Trek Sense, though there may be hiccups when a mission gets too reactive on one side. Still, a pretty good 3.5.

SEEDABILITY: A mission that's really for everyone, since even the Borg have access to it using alternative requirements. 35 points is a standard booty, and the requirements are nothing difficult to get. It really hinges on how easily you can accumulate Cunning. For the Borg, Computation Drones may be needed to make them more efficient here, though 7 drones (Cunning 35) isn't too hard to come up with. Androids would certainly get through the mission in fewer numbers. I any case, the skills themselves are quite easy. Nothing for Nebulae yet, unfortunately. Span's pretty long, so bring your fast ships. A 3.4.

TOTAL: 13.7 (68.5%) And the Borg need the options, after all.

#2454-Evade Dominion Squadron, Mission, space, Alpha Quadrant, unique, BC /CtA/

-Astrometrics, Geology, 2 Navigation, and Cunning>34

-You may attempt and complete this mission using your [Dom] personnel with these requirements: Astrometrics, Leadership, 2 Navigation, and Cunning>34.

*Kuiper Belt: "We might be able to hide among the comet fragments."

-Bajoran/Federation; 35 points; Span: 3

PICTURE: Simply beautiful. The lighting, the perspective, and the unusual icy asteroids all combine to create an atmospheric and memorable picture. And there's a ship in there too. It takes away from the picturesque image, but is a fun element nonetheless. Hits 4.5.

LORE: Simple, but effective. I'm just happy when they find a proper quote for a mission rather than stick to the old 1E-type standard. A 3.2, then.

TREK SENSE: Another bimodal mission? Yes! Love those. Ok, how does it do? Well, in the first instance, the enemies of the Dominion are running from the Jem'Hadar and come upon the Kuiper Belt. Great place to hide! (Of course, the way the game works, it looks like you're going to the Belt to specifically accomplish this goal - what is this, frosh week?) When I say enemies, it just seems to be the Feds and the Bajorans. That corresponds to the Runabout and Odo on the show, but really, couldn't the Dominion be after any Alpha Quadrant affiliation? To hide among the comet fragments, you'll need Astrometrics (understanding of comet composition), Geology (digging a little hole without destroying the iceberg), Navigation (just piloting through this moving field and losing the Jem'Hadar ships), and lots of Cunning (to remember to turn off the power, or just to figure this whole scheme out, fool sensors, etc.). That's all well and fine, but it doesn't really address the issue of your ship's size. There's a big difference between doing this with a Runabout (not in the game) and with a Galaxy-class starship! There may be other ways to Evade the Dominion using these skills (tractor the field into a barrier, etc.), but you can't really recreate the episode. The Dominion see this mission as "Get That Ship!!!", also using Cunning to beat the Feds or Bajorans, plus the same Navigation and Astrometrics (still needed). In place of Geology, we've got Leadership, still a good standard for initiating battles. The points are a bit high for this "achievement" since it's mostly a reaction (in either case, really). The Span takes the navigational hazard into account, but doesn't put it too far from Cardassia or Bajor. There are problems, but bimodal missions always start with a leg up. I say 3.5.

1E TREK SENSE: Nice to see bimodals aren't forbidden in the 1E environment (Compromised Mission laid the groundwork, in a sense), and I have to say the card reads much the same, with two noticeable differences. One is that here, small ships CAN complete this mission, upping Trek Sense, though of course, they don't have to, bringing it back down again. Ah well. The other is that you actually have a choice between Stellar Cartography and Astrophysics when attempting the mission. Either is good in my book, even if slightly different. Again, evens out, so 3.5 too.

SEEDABILITY: Neither of the three affiliations should have trouble coming up with the skills, with the advantage belonging to the Dominion. Really, it's all about the Cunning requirement, and there, the Feds have genetically engineered and android geniuses to help, but the other affiliations, not so much. Surprisingly, the Vorta aren't all that smart. A couple of Founders hit 7, but most Dominion Cunning scores are set at 5 and 6. The Bajorans fare perhaps worse. The 35 points are surely worth it, but where you save on skills, you still need in number of personnel. A 3.4.

1E SEEDABILITY: All 2E missions take a hit in 1E because of their obligatory attribute component. Why use this when you could use a mission with just a few skills for the same number of points (or more), opportunities to use mission specialists, etc.? The good news is, attributes are also higher in 1E, so the 35 you need is more easily reached. The Astrometrics-related choice may provide a break on the solving of it. Overall ok, but it's not bumping my regular Baj/Dom/Fed missions for reasons other than aesthetic ones. A 3.3.

TOTAL: 14.6 (73%) Nice to look at, at least.

1E TOTAL: 14.5 (72.5%) Glad to have it for this set too. Makes a nice spaceline.

#2467-Evaluation Drone, Personnel, Borg, Cost: 1 /CtA/

-Borg; Security; Staff icon

-Drone; Interlink: Exobiology. (While this personnel is attempting a mission, you may discard the top card of your deck to make each of your Borg gain Exobiology until the end of that mission attempt.)

"Task: Analyze alien species for potential assimilation. Prioritize."

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

PICTURE: A great pic that, while a little blurry, manages to relate very well to the Drone's abilities, especially his Interlink skill of Exobiology. There's all the greenery, and his head tubes tangled like vines. Plus, a good Frankenstein's monster face, and the usual Borg template, which relates well to the colors here, and is the coolest in the game to boot. My evaluation: 4.2.

LORE: Again relating to Exobiology, the lore is very clear and makes sense. Fine title too. My evaluation: 3.4.

TREK SENSE: When a Drone Interlinks, the hive is in a way adapting to a danger, since it must expend energy (a card) to gain a needed skill. The Collective draws on an individual who probably had that skill in life, making it share that skill with everyone. Of course, it's always strange to note that despite the elegance of this solution, the sharing Drone does not normally have the skill in question. Well... why not? In this case, there's also not much of a relationship between Security and Exobiology, and the Task is more Exobiology than Security, the latter being represented by talk of assimilation(?). So we can hardly say the Interlink is a more specialized function of the main skill, as we could with some other Interlinks out there. My evaluation: 3.

STOCKABILITY: The Borg don't have the massive skill pools available to other affiliation, nor even a Non-Aligned option. Interlinking, then, becomes a viable solution to getting all the skills they need to overcome dilemmas and complete missions. Exobiology does appear normally on the Acclimation, Information and Reconnaissance Drones, as well as Seven of Nine, so it's not the rarest skill. You could conceivably have 3 Exobiology without Interlinking or having 2 of the same personnel in play. That hurts this Drone's usefulness. This is dependent on Borg that cost more than 1 counter though, and you might not have those in play or unstopped at all times. Another consideration is: Is the skill required in multiple? No dilemma or Borg mission requires more than 2 (only Hunt Alien), though Microbrain requires those 2 be on the same personnel, and the Interlink can certainly be used to give one of the 4 Exo personnel the second instance, or you can discard a couple cards and get the skill twice. Another purpose for the discards is to get Borg Queen/Guardian of the Hive access to her resurrection ability, so it may be good to give your Borg skills as a front for that. Security's an ok skill, and it makes sure he won't be filtered out with Medical personnel before an Exobiology hoser. Other Interlinks may be a bit better though. My evaluation: 3.3.

TOTAL: 13.9 (69.5%) Not quite a priority.

#2480-Expose Changeling Influence, Mission, planet, Alpha Quadrant, unique /CtA/

-Anthropology, Engineer, Honor, 2 Security, and Integrity>36

-You may attempt and complete this mission using your [Dom] personnel with these requirements: Anthropology, Diplomacy, Intelligence, Security, Treachery, and Cunning>40.

*Ty'Gokor: "...do whatever it takes to prove that Gowron's a shape-shifter."

-Bajoran/Federation/Klingon; 40 points; Span: 3

PICTURE: Simply beautiful. The space station is this odd object, but well detailed, with the Klingon symbols blazing on its hull. You've got ships in the background, making this a busy place. And best of all, no starfield. The yellow and red planet in the background provides just the right color to this army surplus canvas. A very, very militaristic color palette. A beautiful 4.5.

LORE: A simple and effective mission statement, and interestingly biased too (doesn't give away the ending of "Apocalypse Rising"). A cool 3.4 that does its job.

TREK SENSE: A bimodal mission that has the Dominion placing its Changeling infiltrator aboard the station or perhaps just keeping his true identity a secret for longer, while others are trying to Expose that Changeling. Now, while I agree that you should beam an away team to this mission, it isn't really a planet mission per se. But I agree with this, since mechanically, it's not a space (shipboard, bottle show, etc.) mission. There is a matter of a non-Klingon ship being here unopposed which is strange, but perhaps no less lacking than the inability to use this card as a reporting stage for Klingon cards. I guess it can't do everything. To Expose that Changeling, I'm surprised you don't need Intelligence. After all, that was quite a ninja mission the DS9 crew attempted, and the Mission Impossible format of it all should really be reflected in the requirements. Security is placed in its stead and not necessarily wrong. Infiltrating a Klingon ceremony, Anthropology isn't a bad idea (though Klingons might not need it). Honor makes this a mission for good, not some kind of coup, which does give a reason even for Klingons to act here. Integrity has the same purpose, and if you're caught, it helps convince the Klingons you're on their side despite just trying to assassinate their leader. And Engineer is used to zap the Changeling into its true shape. When it comes to the Dominion, their own requirement should probably just be "a Changeling", and I really wonder what Vorta and Jem'Hadar have to do here that would help keep a Changeling's identity under wraps. Getting a Changeling to infiltrate an enemy base has never seemed so difficult. Is there a setting stage for this operation on the planet, undetected? They certainly can't subtly beam en masse to the station! The skills all seem to make sense, with Treachery as a motivation, Intelligence and Security as the necessary skills, Diplomacy for the infiltrator (again, he need not be present!) to lie his way into power, and Anthropology to successfully imitate Klingons. Cunning helps too. Or if you're a spearheading team, to collect all data and prepare your infiltrator for the operation. Not the most seamless of bimodal missions. In any case, the mission affects the quadrant entire, so the points are appropriately high. Nothing to say about the Span, really (seems about right). If Ty'Gokor fails, it's because the card can't do everything it should, and because its bimodal nature never quite works (though the idea is sound). A 2.3.

SEEDABILITY: Expose Changeling Influence offers 40 points, which is the interesting part, and an Honor deck (whether the classic Klingon one or a high Integrity Fed or Bajoran one) would do well with it. Nothing too difficult to come up with among the skills. The Dominion can also use this mission, though in their case, it'll be Intelligence-based. Jem'Hadar decks won't be as effective here, but Vorta and Changelings should have little trouble accumulating the requirements. I'd say this is a winner by virtue of its booty/easiness ratio. Scores 3.6.

TOTAL: 13.8 (69%) From one of my favorite episodes.

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