To see the cards themselves, check out this Card list for the Deep Space 9 expansion set.

PICTURE: Aside from her smug Romulan look, I have to commend the card on its background, which looks like an evil halo around her head. Nice visuals worth their 3.7.

LORE: I like the "delegate" in quotation marks, though the rest is pretty standard fare. How about a 3.2 here?

TREK SENSE: If she's no true delegate, then why make her a VIP? STCCG does this a lot, what with personnel like Jodmos et al. who are designed as what they appear to be, not what they really are. It works here though, because VIP is more a question of status (and appearance of status) than it is a skill base. So while I wouldn't believe a fake Engineer could actually fix an engine, a fake VIP could still come aboard your ship to Open Diplomatic Relations (as a ruse of course). Karina seems to actually be a Science personnel in real life, and her expertise may have been needed to help collapse the wormhole. Of course if that were true, she would have had something like Astrophysics too, no? Treachery's fairly evident for a saboteur, but Transporter Skill requires a little more context. Among the various tricks the saboteurs in "Visionary" were pulling was the installation of various booby traps by transporting the necessary elements into bulkheads. Karina's purview? Apparently so. The Integrity matches that of Dominion infiltrators, which is pretty appropriate. Cunning's high enough to account for her skills, and Strength's on the high side, but possible for an intelligence operative. Note that these weren't Tal Shiar, which just goes to show that the regular Romulans are pretty under-handed too. A fairly good effort at 3.6, but it really needs sabotage ability.

STOCKABILITY: Karina's a dual-classification personnel with the excellent SCIENCE coupled with the less useful VIP, but VIP can still be used to board opposing ships and Nors, with Open Diplomatic Relations or at Docking sites. Romulans running a capture strategy might be interested in that. Romulans are kind of low on Transporter Skill, so that could make her useful to you. And just so she fits in with almost any Romulan deck, she's got Treachery. That's all combined with relatively high attributes, so it's good. But is it enough? A rare from a double set (so actually rarer) with only 3 skills, none of them special. I really can't recommend her as really efficient enough for your deck. What's there does garner her 3.3.

TOTAL: 13.8 (69%) Of course, Romulan players were just happy to see any personnel at all!

PICTURE: The ferns and trees are in a color range not often seen on these cards, and at a cool angle, but the action is a little hard to follow. The Kidnappers' robes all flow into one another, and you unfortunately can't really see their blank faces very well. The color palette's excellent though, and that carries the card to 3.4.

LORE: Lots of stuff about the Circle, but with such a generic title (and indeed, game text that doesn't just involve the Bajorans), it should have opened itself up a lot more. 2.9 then.

TREK SENSE: Well, this is a rather sexist card. Though Kira is the one being napped in the picture, why should only a female ever be the target of a kidnapping? This is at random no less, so why not choose a male instead? Why is it random at all? Don't Kidnappers target very specific people? My other question is as to the identity of the Kidnapper(s). Is it the opposing Security? If so, what stops the personnel while we wait for that Security to arrive? Are there lame Kidnappers that wait for that Security to pick up their prize and let her go when the Sec is late? Can the female get away from these Kidnappers unless a tangible Security is present? And if something like Common Thief can be space/planet, why can't this? While Kidnappers makes for a pretty obvious capture card, the details are muddy. Only 1.4.

SEEDABILITY: A filter with an extra bite, it'll be especially effective in combos with Female's Love Interest and Matriarchal Society. Weeding out female personnel can really stop an Away Team in its tracks, especially one of the newer affiliations' who tend to have fewer women. Of course, the female is free to go next turn, so you should definitely plan for that extra bite by having a SECURITY personnel standing by. Seeding this close to a facility might be a way. Better yet is to hide a cloaked ship in the area with Engage Cloak, ready to appear and grab the Kidnapped personnel. Ships that may report personnel aboard of the appropriate classification could also be a way. Bottom line, it shouldn't be hard to turn this stopper into a capture card. A pretty good 3.7.

TOTAL: 11.4 (57%) Trek Sense was hurt by Decipher reproducing the pictured scene a little too closely.

PICTURE: Though the lore gives details from later in her life, this image of Kira is from an appropriate spot - the major Bajoran episode, "Shakaar". It's often been said that a lot of these episodes end in a "heavy lies the head" situation for the Major, and here, Kira's troubles show through her eyes during a discussion with Kai Winn. The stripe of light in the back add to this edgy feeling as well. A fairly good 3.6.

LORE: "Outspoken" may be downplaying it a bit, especially when considering earlier episodes, but the last sentence puts us in the 6th season (because she wasn't yet a colonel). I kinda wish they'd kept that later material for a Colonel version in fact, and stuck to the first half of DS9. Otherwise, I do think a bit more flavor could have been added, securing space by deleting "assigned as" in front of her position. It's really not necessary. The resistance cell membership may be more of a liability given the existence of Silarin Prin. Not detestable, but a disappointment, at 2.7.

TREK SENSE: Kira's a Bajoran national for sure, though I wonder if some of these DS9 mains couldn't have had a built-in way to work with the Feds (such as a Fed icon). Anyway, she is the first Officer, so the classification, Command icon and Leadership skill aren't in question. She was part of the Resistance, so that skill isn't either. A soldier in the Bajoran militia, Security is also believable, and I think her keeping abreast of security concerns with Odo every morning and working the Defiant's tactical station certainly kept her skill honed. The Navigation stems from her flying Bajoran Raiders and Federation Runabouts, but x2 seems a bit high to me. It's not like she was ever painted as a master helmsman, and indeed let Dax take the conn on the Defiant (of course, Jadzia also has Navigation x2). I guess it passes the test. Computer Skill is one of those skills that are hard to refute when the personnel comes from the 24th century. Does Kira have particular skills in that regard? I never really thought so. As much as the next person, I guess, so she must use the skill to route docking/undocking orders to the right parts of the station or something. The Orb icon is warranted since she did have an Orb experience, one that showed her a naked Bareil. Her Integrity must have shifted a lot during her life, but she's basically a good person who feels guilty about some of the things she had to do, and was able to forgive some Cardassians (like Aamin Marritza), so 7 is ok for the basic character. She's very resourceful, so I might have gone a little higher on the Cunning, but the designers are probably right that her impulsiveness drives it down again. She's a soldier and a rather violent person, so a top Strength of 8 looks good on her, especially with the brief special skill that allows her to cut loose against the hated Cardassians. While some elements leave me a little cold, I can't really argue with any of the logic. 4.4 from me here.

STOCKABILITY: THE Bajoran main, Kira Nerys has a large number of useful skill, all of which can be applied to missions in the Bajor region (inlcuding Relocate Settlers which has her as lone requirement). That aside, the Navigation x2 will be great in Badlands decks too. Resistance has been able to do a few things for a while (download Interrogations and such at your Brig, boost Bajoran Phaser Banks, pass Palukoo, play Espionage for free, and benefit from War Room), but with Bajoran Resistance Cell, it can do more. Kira can now report for free, even to any planet, and allows her (if at least one other Resistance personnel is in play) to get card draws in relation to Espionage cards. SECURITY's a good second classification, and Computer Skill and Leadership are always useful. The Orb icon adds a few options, such as helping solve Orb Negotiations (she's tougher than most icon holders), peek at cards with an Orb artifact, play Return Orb to Bajor, allow time travel through the Orb of Time and allow the Orb of Wisdom to play for free. Her hate for Cardassians gives you an advantage in personnel battle against them, making her STRENGTH 11 (that's before all the other bonuses Bajorans often benefit from are applied). Up against the Dominion instead? Switch her to the "Kira" version to get the same bonus (with a similar skill mix) against them. She's the matching commander for 2 ships too. The modest Bajoran Raider can be boosted (Plaque/Log) to 6+X-8-7, for example, and the Yangtzee Kiang (which doesn't even require a Treaty to be used by Bajorans, but is the only ship that can't be helped by Rinnak Pire) up to 9-8-9. Not bad for small landable ships. Either of them could use Ready Room Door to download Kira, of course, or if using Deep Space 9, you could use Ops to download her instead. Other tricks include exposing Kira Founder and helping The Intendent come into play in the Alpha Quadrant. She's got enough meat on her bones for most (if not all) Bajoran players to include her in their decks. An excellent 4.2.

TOTAL: 14.9 (74.5%) Always been a fan.

PICTURE: We don't get night scenes very often, so this one is welcome, even if it re-uses some material from as far back as "Angel One" (the night matte later returns in "Ex Post Facto", I think). The dark colors and balconied building in the foreground differentiate it pretty well here, though of course, there's always the matter of showing space-bound facilities right on a planet. A 3.3.

LORE: Well, there's a lot of talk about Klaestron, the planet, but not a lot about their outposts. The alliance with the Cardassians is mentioned, but I'm not sure if it's enough to justify the Cardassian affiliation icon. Whatever, it scores about a 2.9.

TREK SENSE: Perhaps because we never heard from the Klestron government before or after "Dax", I find it hard to believe they rule more than just their own system. I mean, Outposts that can be anywhere? If Kleastron indeed is a member of the Federation, then there could be a Federation Outpost in that system, with no distinction. That distinction, of course, is that the Klaestron people maintained a strong alliance with the Cardassians throughout their history, but can the Outpost really "change alliegance" at the drop of a hat? It's not a MEMBER of the Cardassian Union. The political lines seem badly drawn, though it is believable that personnel from either camp might report here. Maybe I'd have made the game text simply allow simultaneous reporting of Feds and Cardies, without the affiliation switching. At least the building of it is left to the Klaestron themselves (but of course, we still have the unique particularity that one Engineer can build a facility by himself - see other Outpost reviews for a full discussion). The Shields are lower than on the regular Outposts, and I just don't know enough about the Klaestron to make a judgement about their level of technology, except that they had a military history and enough know-how to capture Dax on Deep Space 9. Seems like their Shields could have been a little higher, eh? Seeing as even the concept's existence is in doubt, this doesn't go above 0.6.

SEEDABILITY: There's a lot of competition for main reporting facility these days. Not only do the Feds have their own Outpost (with higher SHIELDS), built-in Outposts (on Mission IIs) and a Headquarters (free reports), but many of their ships are designed to report/download personnel to them. It's the same on the Cardassian side, with their Outpost, Headquarters and 2 different Nors (in the present-day Alpha Quadrant, at least). But you can only seed one of each, so players afraid of Outpost-destroying armadas or dilemmas could very well want to stock up. Well, at the cost of a seed card, the Klaestron Outpost with its small SHIELDS isn't that good a bargain. The only real reason to play the Klaestron Outpost is if you have a Federation/Cardassian Treaty going. See, the outpost allows that Treaty to be seeded, ready for game's start. Fine, but if you have a Treaty in play, couldn't your Cardassians simply report to a just-Federation Outpost? Sure they could. And indeed, you can do the same trick with Open Diplomatic Negotiations, and use up no extra seed card slots by using a built-in Fed Outpost. So what's the use? All I can really think of is if your Treaty gets Deviled out of existence, you can still report both your Feds and your Cardies on alternate turns. No affiliation gets trapped in hand. No, actually, ODR is still better since it allows you to rescue the Treaty. How about this then: Switching to Cardassian allows you to Assign [Car] Support Personnel there, then Fed, then Cardies, etc. It may be an okay Outpost to play mid-game when your main Outpost(s) is(are) threatened, but to do that, you'll need a Klaestron ENGINEER. There are only 2 Klaestron personnel, but they're both ENGINEERs. Ilon Tandro is especially good, so it's not too foolish to use him to his full potential, but don't lose these personnel before they can build their condo! A cute idea that just isn't worth it most of the time at 1.3.

TOTAL: 8.1 (40.5%) Ideally, these two afilliations should be at war ;-).

PICTURE: With its rich and colorful (yet dark and moody) background, I can't help but like this pic of Tricia O'Neil in Cardassian make-up (you last saw her as the Klingon Kurak, and before that as Captain Rachel Garrett of the Enterprise-C). Her expression is appropriately smug and in control, and behind her, we have the Cardassian "hood" for which she works and a bright bar of energy, representative of her power. Sometimes, eclectic works. A very good 4.

LORE: Bah. I think it could have done more with the exact events of "Defiant", but it's rather spare on detail. It does a fair job of explaining her classification, but doesn't do much for me otherwise. A 3.

TREK SENSE: An Obsidian Order operative would normally be considered Security, I believe. Though she has that classification in her skill box as well, they made her Officer. Why? Well, the fact that she's high-ranking must be it. An Officer in the Order, if you will (higher up on the ladder, and you're a VIP). This is further supported by a Command icon and the Leadership skill, both of which she exercised in keeping an eye on Dukat. Treachery also makes an appearance since she was hiding the fact that the Order was illegally building ships. Integrity mirrors this as well, while Cunning is pretty high on the deviousness meter (an organization like this doesn't promote idiots, that's for sure). An intelligence agent from an aggressive species no doubt has fighting tricks up her sleeve, so the Strength works as well. Nothing really original here, but you can't fault what's here. 4.1 should do it.

STOCKABILITY: Obsidian Order personnel are useful for a number of effects, including managing Espionage cards using Plans of the Obsidian Order, downloading captive-related cards at a Brig, and upkeeping the Keldon Advanced's attributes. Furthermore, they are allowed to report to Garak's Tailor Shop no matter who controls Terok Nor/Deep Space 9, and Korinas' Treachery further allows her to peek at the top card of opponent's deck while at this site. If there and not in control of the station, she also allows other Cardassian personnel and Equipment to report here. 5 missions require the skill, and Defensive Measures allows her to initiate battle against a Cardassian opponent. Oh, and there's Primitive Culture too. She's a strong and smart OFFICER to boot, with a good secondary classification in SECURITY. Treachery and Leadership are both good for Cardassian mission solving. It's unfortunate that she reads a lot like Gul Madred with fewer skills (but slightly better attributes), but since no Obsidian Order personnel are universal, you'll need a few to make your OO strategies work. Korinas is good, but redundant, so make your missions redundant! A pretty good 3.5.

TOTAL: 14.6 (73%) Dukat didn't like her as much as I did.

PICTURE: Sometimes the production design and costuming department help a card along. Case in point, Pa'Dar's costume is of a Bajoran shade, and guess what, his son was raised by Bajorans. It creates a nice contrast in the image, with his quite sharp, expressive enough, and has a fair composition. A likeable 3.7.

LORE: Wow, an "exarch". The title is singularly intriguing. There was a little space left in which we might have learned Rugal's fate, and that's the only thing I'll hold against the lore. A fair 3.1.

TREK SENSE: The equivalent of a mayor, perhaps? It's known that he was influential, so all the VIP/Leadership/Command icon stuff is definitely warranted. Diplomacy is also a natural considering that influence, as well as his tactful demeanor on the station in "Cardassians". Geology? Well, what do you think Cardassian civilians were doing on Bajor? Exploiting its mineral richness, that's what. Having participated in that exploitation, no amount of diplomatic skill could get him extremely high Integrity, so I respect the 6. Cunning seems fine for a man in his position, and Strength for a man of his obvious bulk. Very well done, if a little lack-luster. A 4.

SEEDABILITY: Three-skill personnel aren't too exciting, not having a very large pool of skills, nor few enough skills to make mission specialist or support personnel. Oh, Geology's useful in Forced-Labor Camp strategies, certainly, but it never figures on a Cardassian mission with his other skills except in the Delta Quadrant (Mine Gallicite). None of them actually appear together on the same Alpha Quadrant Cardassian mission. It doesn't mean he's useless, since each of the skills does appear on missions (especially Geology), and on dilemmas, but hey, the Cardassians are short on none of these. I suspect he was filler to make the DS9 starters work. A 2.9.

TOTAL: 13.7 (68.5%) I'm surprised we haven't yet gotten a dual-aligned Rugal.

PICTURE: Kovat, as he realizes he's won(!) is pulled from an important scene, but the lighting is a bit dark for the card's purposes. The background, though its Kovat's element, the courtroom, is haphazardly composed thanks to the appearance of jury members. Its heart is in the right place, but the execution is a bit muddled. A 3.

LORE: It's worth it just for the last sentence, which says a lot about the Cardassian justice system, more than words like "conservator" ever could. I think a 3.7 here.

TREK SENSE: I have to wonder about the underlying concept behind the Law skill here. If Kovat is one of the best Cardassian lawyers, why couldn't he have the Law skill at the x2 level? Makbar has that Law x2, and she's an archon (or judge). Is Law tied to a personnel's ability to enforce it as much as to knowledge of the skill? Aside from that consideration, Kovat's obviously a Civilian, and being very nice and, after a fashion, supportive with O'Brien, I think Honor and Diplomacy can be justified. The Honor can also be seen as his unwavering duty to the state, and Diplomacy in his dealings with the court. The skill that I don't find justifiable, however, is Anthropology. It was clear that he didn't understand O'Brien's culture, or even Miles' inability to accept Cardassian custom. I have the feeling he was given Anthropology because he worked on an "alien"'s case, but I'm afraid he was out of his element in doing so (even if he was assigned by the state because he apparently had this skill, he didn't prove it to me). Though he has Honor, he's still the toady of a corrupt state, and as such doesn't get very high Integrity. Cunning's high enough to be really good at his job, but not so high as to allow him to lose the case according to his plan. Strength may be a bit high for an older Civilian, though he had a certain bulk to him. An important false step can cost you a lot sometimes, and Kovat only scores a 2.9.

STOCKABILITY: Kovat's skills are a pretty helpful lot. His Honor makes him useable in combination with For Cardassia! The CIVILIAN/Anthropology combo allows him to pass Primitive Culture. He's one of only 3 Law Cardassians, a rare skill indeed that nevertheless helps out with a disproportionate number of dilemmas (Framed for Murder, Drumhead, Vendetta, Implication) in addition to enabling Extradition and showing up on a few missions (plus it's fairly uncommon for Cardassians). Hey, Diplomacy isn't bad either! Just the Law could be enough to include him, so he scores a 3.6 here.

TOTAL: 13.2 (66%) Didn't quite lose here either.

PICTURE: I know it's the old Antares-class again (Zibalian Transport, Bajoran Freighter, etc.), but I like it. That ship, all alone, waiting for the Rendezvous. It's really appropriate. I'm gonna give it a 3.5.

LORE: "Near Cardassia" is a bit vague, but I can't argue with the lore itself. I even think more stuff about the Circle should make it into the game. A fairly good 3.3.

TREK SENSE: Who would supply the Circle with weapons? Well, the Cardassians most certainly (as they did in the show), but I don't think the Ferengi would be above supplying arms to a terrorist group (they may have in addition to the Cardassian connection). The short Span also makes sense given the proximity to a represented planet, and the idea that in-region locations should be nearer to each other (of course, that's all moot when arriving to the region from outside it). That an Officer is required is something I don't really see. Smuggling, yes, that's very much the activity happening here. Treachery x2, yes, you have to be duplicitous to create chaos in Bajoran society and/or even befuddle the clients (the Circle) themselves. Officer, I don't know, since the classification basically differs from others in its authority/authorization codes. The Cardassians might need a Gul-type to imagine this plan, but the Ferengi would be more or less dealing from their heart (shrunk as it is), and a Civilian could finalize the deal. I do like the points handed off for hand weapon discards. It's not entirely satisfying, since some hand weapons are invisible here (the ones worth the initial 25 points). There's also the further muddling of hand weapon Equipment cards - so, just how many hand weapons are there to a card? I hope the deal wasn't for 1-4 guns! And of course, why can't Circle Bajorans actually pick up those weapons (not a bad idea for a new mechanic, by the way). Still, you do have your chance to actually trade Equipment cards for points, and that's a winner. Would have been fun to give something to the Kressari though. Overall, I'd have to say 3.2.

STOCKABILITY: This is a big one, and often mentioned. Though only worth 25 points, it could actually be worth 45 with 4 hand weapon discards (is that such a bad thing with the various recycling strategies out there?). Mix that up with cargo run strategies that force you to play equipment anyway (with Bok'Nor attending), or hand weapon-downloading personnel, and you have some fairly easy extra points. It can easily be married to Search for Weapons, a mission that can include hand weapons as a solving reward. Weapon Lockers can also help. And it's real easy. Cardassians and Ferengi both have a couple of OFFICERs with Smuggling, and are equally Treacherous if you don't have the Smuggling skill handy. Really, it's all about the number of weapons you'll throw away (you might think twice about getting rid of protection in the current environment, of course), so watch out for Common Thieves, Gatherers and the like. It's even real close to the Cardassian HQ where all those Gul OFFICERs report for free. I tell ya, this one's a strong 4.5.

TOTAL: 14.5 (72.5%) Often mentioned because it's popular.

PICTURE: Though there's an odd lack of contrast (or too much of it, I can't decide), the effect and colors may be due to the color of Bajor's sun. As such, this is an atypical card that wins by its originality. I also very much like the stripes of green and sand behind Lenaris, which gives a fluidity and epic grandeur to the scene. A good 3.6.

LORE: We get a lot of information for a character that didn't have much screen time, and I'm grateful for it. It's sometimes a bit dry, but the stuff about his brother puts a human face on it (or a Bajoran face, whatever). A more than competent 3.4 here.

TREK SENSE: Lenaris Holem is a former Resistance cell member who has since joined the militia (like Kira, for that matter). He's a Colonel which accounts for his Officer/Leadership/Command combo. He knew when his orders were morally wrong and when to disobey them to achieve a peaceful result, so Honor and high Integrity are definitely indicated. Physics, I just don't know about. I mean, it's possible that he was good at judging weapons fire angles, that kind of thing, but I saw nothing to actually indicate that he had any competence in the skill. What I might have given him? A way to nullify Sniper. Integrity and Strength are fine, but do we agree with the low Cunning? I guess he was an easily convinced man, obeying Winn's orders, then switching sides when he met Shakaar and Kira, but more than that, he led his men into an ambush. I'll give him the 6 then. Aside from one odd apple, it's a good effort. A 3.9.

STOCKABILITY: Bajorans do very well with Resistance personnel, and Lenaris isn't a bad one. Like his cell mates, he can use Bajoran Resistance Cell to report for free to a number of places and draw cards when playing Espionage. His attributes can be boosted with HQ: War Room and The Earring of Li Nalas (attribute boosts are a common theme for the Bajorans, so there are even more you can add), and he can Brainwash/Interrogate/Torture in your Brig. The various Resistance personnel don't cover much of the same ground, so they can all be used with a minimum of duplication. Physics is good for Bajorans, being featured on a few attemptable missions, including a couple in the Bajor Region and Test Propulsion Systems which could boost those lame ship stats of theirs. Honor and Leadership have less appealing personnel/missions ratio, however. I'd say Lenaris will fit well into your Bajoran Resistance deck, and is playable on the principle that they don't have a lot of free-report OFFICERs. A 3.3.

TOTAL: 14.2 (71%) I'm sure he was happy not to be "holed". "Hole 'em"? Sniper? Aw, forget it.

PICTURE: It's a good looking effect, the lightning bolt casting an appropriate blue light. Some good action with a main character taking the brunt of the damage. Me like: a 3.8.

LORE: A bit too specific to the episode, practically talking about the burglary more than the telepathic attack. The last sentence is pretty weak as well. I'm not gonna go above 2.7 for this one.

TREK SENSE: The idea is that a Lethean attacks a personnel in your crew or Away Team and places that personnel in a degenerative coma. 2 Empathy (what basically constitutes telepathy) can save your personnel from this attack by helping the personnel excise the telepathic damage. I think Mindmeld should also be able to do this. If your personnel is strong mentally and physically, he or she may fight off the damage and would only be disabled for 3 turns. This was basically Bashir's story. If the personnel in question doesn't have the stats, he or she would die from the Attack. Fair enough. I think the dilemma is well designed, but the choice of target is problematic. Though it happened to Bashir on the show, the conditions of the game are never going to be like those of the episode. Bashir cannot face this dilemma in DS9's Infirmiry. It just can't be done. So why would the Lethean jump on Julian while on a mission? Why him more than another? That little snafu takes the card down to a still pretty strong 4.

SEEDABILITY: There are few Empathy x2 personnel in the game, and a player isn't very likely to use more than one Empathy personnel, period, to take care of Cardassian Traps and the like. That means the requirements will be difficult to pass at least most of the time. The dilemma then would go to a random selection (hopefully, since Julian Bashir would survive it). That personnel needs CUNNING + STRENGTH of 16 or more. That's an average 8 in each of the attributes. Not too common even if many super-strengthers (like Jem'Hadar and Hirogen) and geniuses (androids and some Romulans) can come up with the right total, as well as some mains like Kirk and Sisko. Throw in hand weapons, and the dilemma will be unable to kill on any regular basis. But still, whatever random target (or Bashir) the Lethean chooses, it is out of commission for 3 turns. That can be as good as death in a fast-paced game. There are a number of checks and balances to the card though: It has no staying power, Soto can nullify it, and its selection IS random. Seems a bit risky for a random kill as too many things can go wrong, and you can't force me to use Empathic Echo in front of this. Just forget about the kill and concentrate on your chance to disable. That makes it a 3.5.

TOTAL: 14 (70%) You have to put things in perspective.

PICTURE: I like the concentric circles of the access tunnel and Li's resigned expression. You can tell he's thinking of making the ultimate sacrifice for the good of his people. Good composition too with his gaze flowing into the recursive loop of the tunnel. A goodly 3.7.

LORE: On the telegraphic side, the information given is good, but a little obsessed with giving him as many titles as possible. It just doesn't go INSIDE the man enough. I would have liked something about the truth behind his "heroic act", but I understand there wasn't really room for it. Still, a little dry. A 2.9.

TREK SENSE: Li Nalas is the only person of note held at Cardassia IV's Hutet prison camp, so it makes sense you could pick him up there despite his not being universal. His many years working the mines there earns him Geology. Though made first Officer of DS9, he's still a recognized figure and a VIP. That's just about all Navarch is supposed to mean. He was a member of the Resistance, one that became prominent. And he proved himself in the end by sacrificing his life for his crewmates. I'd say that's worth the Honor and high Integrity. Cunning and Strength aren't legendary level, and hint at the blind luck that helped him become a myth. He's not so smart or so strong, yet achieved all he did. In practice, the attributes may be a bit higher however. No real mistakes. A 4.6.

STOCKABILITY: If picking up a load of universal personnel at Cardassia IV, why not grab the much nicer Li Nalas while you're at it? Before doing so, earn The Earring of Li Nalas at another location, it'll make Rescue Prisoners worth a whopping 50 points! He's a Resistance personnel (as are any Gantts you also seed here) and so would get The Earring's +3 attribute boost. Resistance has a few more uses since Bajoran Resistance Cell came out, and Li could enjoy them, including reporting pretty much anywhere for free. Or you could use his VIP to send him to any Nor's Guest Quarters, or download him to Deep Space 9 specifically. There's no lack of a way to get him into play. Are his skills worth it? Well, they're ok. Bajoran missions rather frequently require OFFICERs, his second classification that makes him a leader for battling purposes, and Geology and Honor are generally good for dilemmas as well as missions (Search and Rescue in particular). Attributes are good though the STRENGTH is nothing to write home about, but The Earring drives his totals to 11-10-9 before any other adjustments. Happy with Li, especially in an Earring combo. A 3.9 here.

TOTAL: 15.1 (75.5%) Bajoran personnel with his scores seem to always be great historical figures.

PICTURE: The box itself is a pretty boring prop, but Quark's greedy little fingers make the image more dynamic. I would have liked to see a little more of what was happening (such as that other prop), but there's too much shadow here. A plain 3.

LORE: There's a comma missing from that run-on sentence (but I'm one to talk!), and it's like the Lockbox solved the murder, not the evidence. Good thing the word "murder" is in there (see below). A 2.5.

TREK SENSE: Ok, so is Greed really the "thief" skill? It's more often used as an "exploitation" skill (as on the universal Planet), or as a character flaw/quality. Here, I suppose you could say Greedy personnel have made it a point of learning lockpicking skills, but that's often been the perview of the Security "skill", or else Computer Skill (most locks in the 24th century could be worked this way). The card does not do a good job of convincing me that Greed is an appropriate requirement. In any case, if you don't get the information you need from the Lockbox, your Away Team is stopped. That sounds fine on the surface, but has two problems. One is that this is planet-only. Why? Quark was in space when he opened it, after all (of course, planet missions might have a more justifiable need of "evidence", but that's really on a mission-by-mission basis). The second is that the dilemma is discarded if the Away Team is stopped. It seems odd that not having important information stops you, but only for a turn. Why isn't it important later on? This could be explained in a couple of ways: Either the information isn't that important, and the Away Team lost time fiddling with the red herring, or else the time lost is used to break the thing open through other means that take more time. The points make sense in that getting the evidence is a goal unto itself, linking it to the mission is actually a cool thing. The evidence would seem to add to the mission goal itself, so for example, a better peace is forged at Diplomacy Mission thanks to the info, or it leads your Klingon troops to more efficiently exert Brute Force. The problem here is that if you don't complete the mission the same turn, but do complete it, you get no bonus. Has someone acted upon the knowledge that you had special information to invalidate that information? I'll buy it, but I'm working hard here. A half-and-half kind of deal. 3.3 here.

SEEDABILITY: I must say that since the arrival of the Ferengi, Greed has become fairly commonplace. The Ferengi have it in spades of course, and that has led to more Greed-requiring cards (including the Rules). In turn, this has led Decipher to making more Greed personnel for other affiliations (including a large number of NAs) so they too can overcome/take advantage of Greed-related cards. And Lockbox? Its requirement is now pretty easy, and it's got bonus points attached to it. That leaves two possibilities. One is seeding them against your opponent, but making sure they are stopped later so they can't possibly take the points. Now, the dilemma is basically a stopper (not really a wall since it disappointingly discards no matter what), so if you need to seed another stopper/wall after it, what use is it? Skip it. The other use, and I think what it may have been designed for primarily, is to self-seed it for the points. It's got a very easy requirement, and if seeded first (encountered last), it's reasonable that you might be able to solve the mission on the same turn. That's if your opponent's dilemmas haven't paired down your Away Team too much. Tell you what: Sarjenka does something similar and only asks you to stop a single redshirt. Not as much risk involved. And in any case, self-seed bonus point strategies are dangerous because of Writ, so you might as well get to 20 as fast as you can and be done with it. I'm not sure Lockbox is the way to do that. Its saving grace may be that it has "murder" in its lore, meaning that it now kills one personnel present if Cyrus Redblock is in play. Not the dilemma of choice for this because of its other effects, but a bonus nonetheless. About a 1.7.

TOTAL: 10.5 (52.5%) Lock me up if I'm lyin'.

PICTURE: A good angular composition thanks to the background plates. Lojal's costume is pretty good. Otherwise, a pretty straight bust shot. I'll give it a 3.2.

LORE: Universality is well established and believable. Sure, there's a bit about recommending Bashir for a commendation, but nothing about making his life miserable prior to that. Being an "Ambassador" has a use, but that ugly typo ("recommended") is just terrible. No more than 2.

TREK SENSE: He's your typical Vulcan diplomat, and as such, works well as a universal. Because he's a Vulcan, he gets the obligatory Mindmeld, and as an ambassador, Diplomacy as well. Anthropology isn't unbelievable in that context - it's common of Vulcans trying to understand emotionally-impaired species, and useful for diplomats working abroad. Navigation may have something to do with his fact-finding mission to the Bajoran Wormhole. Perhaps he knew something about navigating trhough spatial anomalies? Not very convincing, I know. With his Staff icon, we might also believe he flew the ambassadors' shuttle to Deep Space 9. A better explanation, but I don't know how true it rings. His low Integrity is unbecoming of a Vulcan ambassador, but he did give Bashir a very hard time and didn't see why he couldn't go to Ops anytime he wanted to chat it up with Sisko. That makes his Cunning about right: a brainy Vulcan, but kinda dumb anyway. And no problem with the Strength (strong Vulcan/pacifist profession). A rather unremarkable, but ok, 3.5.

STOCKABILITY: A universal Federation Ambassador to report for free to the Office of the President, he offers as many as 4 skills, though one of those is the less-used Mindmeld. Navigation and Diplomacy are old standbys that will find use in any Federation deck (not only because of dilemmas and missions, but in combination with other cards as well). Anthropology is a rarer skill, but no less useful these days (newer dilemmas, The Guardian of Forever). But this is the Federation we're talking about, the affiliation that has literally hundreds of personnel to choose from. Well, he's the only universal that can report for free to your Fed HQ, that's gotta be worth something: a cheap source of all his skills. Diplomacy isn't a stranger to the President's Office, but Anthropology is much rarer, and Navigation not that common there. He makes for a cheap Vulcan though not the only free report of that species. And he can solve Observe Ritual all by himself if you like. About 3.4.

TOTAL: 12.1 (60.5%) A jerk, but not quite a failure.

PICTURE: A runabout, a planet, a moon... That's about it. It looks good, but isn't very inspiring. If the pole had had more of an icecap or something, it would have sold the concept better. As is, how about a 3?

LORE: Seems fine, but of course, it wasn't really O'Brien who did this, but his replicant. Then again, he was Miles O'Brien too. It all depends on how you see it. Still, can't let it go that easily, so a 2.9.

TREK SENSE: Basically, it hides your ship from enemy sensors by having it hover over the Magnitic pole of a planet, where the electromagnetic field plays havoc with them. Fine, but why the limit on ship sizes? I might have agreed that larger ships would not be able to mask their presence using such a field, except that Riker is said to have done this (in "Peak Performance", I believe) with something larger. It was some time ago, so undoubtledy there have been advances in sensor technology since then. Then again, the patchwork nature of the game gives us older TOS and CF ships that could probably be fooled by this trick no matter the ship's size. That's minor quibbling however, because mechanically, it works very well, discarding at exactly the right time, etc. It's a 4.

STOCKABILITY: If you want to use plenty of smaller, probably landable, ships, there are incentives like Hidden Fighter, Establish Landing Protocols, free reports to a Docking site, etc., but one of the deterrents is that such ships are easily destroyed by an aggressor. What can I say, low staffing is balanced by lower attibutes. (Of course, it's not all shuttles and runabouts, there are Bajoran Interceptors and the Delta Flyer in there.) Magnetic North can take away some of the heat, but the fact it cannot be downloaded in any way at this moment means that it can't be trusted to save you at the appropriate time. It only works at a planet too, but at least, it only discards once you move off, so you could stay there indefinitely. In fact, reporting personnel to your HQ and beaming to a ship in orbit with Magnetic North on it, protects those personnel cards from attack while they wait for their mission assignments. While it has its uses, I can't say it's efficient enough to actually stock. You'd be better off landing those ships to protect them from battle. At least then, your opponent would have to stock a Orbital Bombardment or a Breenzooka. Oh, a 2.5.

TOTAL: 12.4 (62%) Not very "magnetic", is it?

PICTURE: The lighting's spooky, but it does create odd artifacts on Makbar's costume. What works best is the look in her eyes, and the way her hairstyle flows into the chair. The candy stripe on top of the image subtly unbalances the image, making it more edgy. A success overall, I give it a 3.8.

LORE: Most of the stuff is from the episode, and though a little telegraphic in parts, fairly well told (especially the outrage she felt). The last phrase is total invention, and strange invention at that given that the card came out before The Dominion expansion (and affiliation). It's really too bad it wasn't picked up for the game text (at least, not that I can tell definitely). A sometimes clunky 3.

TREK SENSE: As an archon, or judge, I do believe Makbar would fit into the VIP category, as well as get Law x2, when Law x1 is reserved for attorneys and law officers. Indeed, she should know Cardassian law frontwards and backwards. She might have been chosen for this case because she knew something about humans, or so the Anthropology would indicate. The Medical stems from the related practices of the Cardassian justice system - taking out teeth, etc. - though the whole classification as a skill might be a bit extreme. At least the Treachery (and low Integrity) can be readily explained by her being in the know about the bogus charges brought against O'Brien. Tying her to Extradition makes thematic sense, but how exactly does she double the card? For one thing, she wasn't present at the Extradition itself, which is required of the special skill. I would accept however that, even if this really wasn't done on the show, she could issue warrants that would allow twice the Security to capture 2 personnel. It's within her power. The high Cunning is fine for a high-ranking judge. The Strength may be the only artifact from the Dominion resistance comment in the lore, since it seems a tad high for a woman who seems to do a lot of sitting around. Anyway, some of the stuff doesn't quite satisfy, but the card has a lot of qualities besides. Making it a 3.4.

STOCKABILITY: As a mission solver, Makbar isn't exactly useless. You never really need Law at x2, but Law is a good and rare skill in any concentration. Goodbye Drumhead, Vendetta, all of youse. Anthropology isn't half bad either, and MEDICAL, well, that's one of the better classifications (certainly pays for that darned VIP), and rather uncommon in good Cardassian personnel. And of course, there's Treachery, which is featured on enough Cardassian missions to be worthwhile. High CUNNING's excellent too. And finally, we come to the special skill. Have Makbar at the same location where your opponent set off Extradition, and you can try to capture 2 personnel instead of one. Certainly gives that capture deck a boost. Have her be with as many as 8 SECURITY and beam them over to the offending crew to make the capture, but also do a little personnel battle clean-up, y'know? The universal Dakol could be used to populate that assault team with STRENGTH 9 personnel (STRENGTH 11 with Lower Deck, 13 with HQ: War Room, then factor in hand weapons... you get my drift). Makbar can be a real asset... a 4.1 for the Cardassians.

TOTAL: 14.3 (71.5%) Judge not, lest ye be judged.

PICTURE: There may be a bit too much going on in the background, but Martus' mischievious "what'd I do?" expression is good. Then, there's the gambling device in the shot, which relates to his special skill. Its probability-altering effects may make the background noise palatable because they affect the world at large (shown). So there you go, a 3.5.

LORE: We get species (relevant in this case), occupations, and relationship to the main characters, followed by what he did on the show, and finally an in-joke. Yes, that last phrase mirrors a similar line in The Princess Bride, in which he played the evil Prince Humperdink. It mostly breezes by unnoticed because Martus is in the gambling business, and it just fits so well. Someone had a good ear for dialogue. It's also funny because he ended up being conned himself, so he really DIDN'T know when they were bluffing (not unlike Humperdink for that matter). Hey, how about 3.7?

TREK SENSE: An El-Aurian who used his listening powers for his own purposes, Martus would have Greed as a motivation, and Anthropology as a reflection of that listening ability. He simply understood people enough to listen to certain cues that would give them away. He's a Civilian, plain enough. But Astrophysics? Where is that from? Probabilities (if referring to the device) are more a matter of Physics in my mind, and even so, he never understood how they functioned! I'm trying to come up with something about the bogus mining deal that bookended his episode, but nothing fits there either. Ah well. Special skill relates the Alien Gambling Device, of course, and because he's replicated the artifact, he can use its game text wherever he is. In other words, he keeps a copy around, but he needs the original to make that copy. The only problem is that Martus never needs to come into contact with the Device, so he must have made the copy prior to the Artifact's acquisition, I guess. In attributes, I'll accept what's here though I would probably have dropped him a point in Strength. He was just too much of a wuss to deserve a 5. Cunning helps him listen as well as he does, and the low Integrity makes him out to be a villain, but not too bad a villain. That Astrophysics hurts the most, but an interesting special skill. I'm gonna go with 3.2.

STOCKABILITY: Skill-wise, CIVILIAN is uninspiring, but Greed can help in Ferengi decks at least (and lets him use a couple of Rules, the 33rd and 47th). Anthropology is good for planet missions (in combination with CIVILIAN, it nullifies Primitive Culture), while Astrophysics is better for space mission. A little of everything then. But skills are skills. What would put him over the top is the usefulness of his special skill. Alien Gambling Device is fairly useful in screwing with random selections. You don't like 'em, have another go at them, maybe the second result will be better. It's only once per turn no matter what, but the effect covers not only the Device's location, but both adjacent positions as well. And more than that: If Martus is in play as well, his location and adjacent locations are covered too. That's as much as 6 missions, which should pretty much cover all your ships and personnel, and even your opponent's (don't forget to offensively focus your dilemma power with this). The Device functions as Equipment, so it can be brought in with Starry Night, but it's also vulnerable to Common Thief and Disruptor Overload. How about leaving it at your Outpost then, and letting Martus carry its powers into mission attempts? Oh, and what was I talking about being an El-Aurian earlier? Well, Martus could be relocated somewhere if present with a Guinan when you hit Where's Guinan? as part of a Q-Flash. Not much chance of that. I'd say Martus had more to fear from Hate Crime (unless he hangs out with fellow NA El-Aurians Tholian Soren and Madam Guinan). And he can report to the Enterprise-B. Basically, if you use the Device, use Martus. If not, there's not much point. A 3.6 sounds fair.

TOTAL: 14 (70%) No bluff.

PICTURE: Hey, looks good even if you don't see any of its displays. That's thanks to the caduceus on it, matching that of the Medical Kit. Of course, if you go by the game text, you don't want a Medical personnel to hold it as happens here (Bashir in "Explorers"), you want an Engineer. Ah well. Still worth 3.5 for a fairly original "action" shot (well, look at other PADDs).

LORE: Booooooooring. Really close to what the other PADDs are saying, it does ok with explaining its use, but is otherwise very dull repetition of other lores in the game. Just a 2.5.

TREK SENSE: So you give an Engineer a Medical PADD, and not only can he now understand all the medical terms, but he effectively becomes as good as any doctor or nurse? Add to that the idea that a single PADD turns all Engineers present into doctors. And why can't other classifications use this PADD? Indeed, Science personnel may be more adept at undertanding medicine, no? Engineer and Medical are pretty far apart on the skill scale. I don't think I'd let O'Brien operate on me with this thing. Gotta go with a lame 0.6.

STOCKABILITY: MEDICAL is an excellent skill, and so is ENGINEER. They're arguably the two best classifications in the game. Certainly, it reduces necessary Away Team numbers. It also patches holes in affiliation skill holes. The Klingons, Romulan, Dominion, Cardassians and Ferengi (not to mention the Hirogen and Kazon) all have more ENGINEERs than MEDICALs, and yet MEDICAL remains the lifeblood of many mission attempts. The Feds don't need it that much, but Paul Porter cheaply downloads it when you need a MEDICAL or two, and if it's lying around, Jake Sisko can use it to file mission reports and peek at any deck's top card. Makes for good dual-classification personnel, depending on the affiliation, but not many perks. A 3.5 should cover it.

TOTAL: 10.1 (50.5%) Did a bit better than its opposite, the Engineering Tricorder.

PICTURE: Though more blocky than the Groumall, I tend to like this picture of the class better. The blockiness makes it more freightery (really inventing words today), and I like those big glowing engines, almost like the maw of some great fish. Distinctive, and that's good for universal ships. A 3.7.

LORE: Likeable, even if it is generic. I mean, it explains well how the ship could be both military and a freighter. Enough here for a 3.5.

TREK SENSE: Range is the most important thing about a Freighter, because it runs supplies as fast as it can. Shields come second 'cuz you gotta protect that cargo. The moderate armament clocks in at 5. Tractor Beam was shown on the show and fits the size. The Staffing icon checks out too - the military aspect would require more than just autopilot. A little boring perhaps, as most ships are, but reads fine. Of course, I wonder why the only battle difference between a regular Cardassian Freighter and their Military Freighter is a single point in Weapons (check out the Bok'Nor). Eeech. A 4.

STOCKABILITY: The Cardassians have a couple of good Freighters if they want to take advantage of their Nor's Cargo Bay for cargo running and such (by such, I mean Deliver Supplies, 1st Rule, System 5 Disruptors and reporting for free at Docking Ports). The Bok'Nor is the best for cargo runs, that remains constant. But for multiple runs, this universal model may do the trick. Then again, if just using two freighters, the Groumall with its matching commander and special download of Sys5 would be a better choice. Maybe Spacedoor this one to later throw some '45 Dom Perignon at it to get the Groumall? When you've got the Freighter recycled (with Ore Processing), you should still be able to report it for free to Docking Ports, y'know? A little lackluster, I can't go over a 3 with the other choices the Cardies have.

TOTAL: 14.2 (71%) Keeping those Cardassian freighters at the top of the chart!

PICTURE: The pic's in focus, and you get a fair look at her earing, but the dull expression and gray palette are less than interesting. There's nothing more they could have done with her though, so a 3.

LORE: Universality is acknowledged in the first sentence, and her role in DS9 is explained in the last. The middle sentence tries to explain a skill she showed no inkling of, and I think it feels a bit forced. Whatever, another average 3.

TREK SENSE: As the universal Bajoran Minister, I'll believe the VIP and the Leadership, even if politicians don't necessarily have this skill. She led a delegation, sure, but not into battle, which is part and parcel of the Leadership skill. The rest of her skills basically derive from what the lore tells us is her pre-political background (presumably during the Occupation). I could believe it, especially since the Skrreean relocation might have something to do with Stellar Cartography (finding them a home elsewhere was the jist of her argument even if she didn't actually apply the skill), except that this is the universal Minister. Do a majority of them have a background in the sciences? Far-fetched. But for Rosanne, hem, I mean Rozahn, in particular, it can work. I like that she has no Diplomacy despite her role, here. She didn't handle things very tactfully. Her Integrity is low to show her lack of compassion for the Skrreeans, but she WAS protecting Bajor the only way she knew how. Maybe a 6? Her closed-mindedness might have merited a 6 in Cunning as well, but perhaps the Science required her to be a bit smarter. And the Strength? A bit high for a female politician who was a former scientist. Lab and desk jockeys aren't the best of fighters, you know. Although there seems to be something about Bajoran women in general... I'll just say they're... aggressive. A lot of back-and-forth on my part here, and that's not good. A 2.7.

STOCKABILITY: Bajoran missions have a lot of call for Leadership and SCIENCE, but rarely, if ever, together. Stellar Cartography makes few appearances, but it's there with SCIENCE on the universal Gamma Quadrant mission Survey Star System. Sadly, she doesn't help at Refuse Immigration as much as you think she would. Rozahn makes for a fair universal source for these requirements, and one that reports for free to the Chamber of Ministers and passes Executive Authorization (though the Bajorans can also use Kais and the Intendent here). Aside from missions, she'll be most useful as a source of Stellar Cartography, something the Bajorans are very low on considering the number of dilemmas currently requiring it. Leadership and SCIENCE, they have in abundance, and on far better personnel. Still, she's got her niche, and the fast-reports and dual-classification can't make me write her off. In fact, I gotta go with a 3.5.

TOTAL: 12.2 (61%) Hope I wasn't biased because of the bad acting job...

PICTURE: Not as impressive as its Mercenary Ship cousin, the Raider nonetheless shows a little more color and detail. I'd have to say the spidery design still holds our interest. A 3.3.

LORE: They stayed with the "Unkown Class" thing, and I don't blame them for wanting it to match the Mercenary Ship's. However, it's kind of dull isn't it? Why not Miradorn or Raider Class? Anyway, as for the lore, it's pretty telegraphic, and needn't have been, but some points for the matching commanders (which are one and the same card, even if it says they "alternately" commanded it). Ho-hum, and just a 2.9.

TREK SENSE: Both the Mercenary Ship and the Miradorn Raider are universal versions of the exact same class. What gives? They ARE different, however, in a couple ways. One is the staffing, which switches a Staff icon for a Command icon. An error, in my opinion. All we ever saw of the Raider's crew was the two brothers who command it, while the Merc ship had a more complete crew with one commander lording over the others (Baran). When Baran was put out of commission, everyone looked to a new leader. That tells me that the Merc Ship's staffing should have required a Command icon, and perhaps this one too since they're essentially the same ship, but as long as you're gonna make the change, why do it for a couple of interchangeable brothers on their family ship. Is formality really enough of an issue? Which brother took orders from which? Anyway, in exchange for the tougher staffing, the ship gets +1 Range from its Merc counterpart. There's no real reason for it, as both ships did some extensive traveling. I don't disagree with the numbers, but I don't know why there's a change. Otherwise, it's all the same, with the Long-Range Scan Shielding mentioned for both the Raider and the Mercenary Ship. Its biggest sin was to redo a card we already had with an updated title and new matching commanders (couldn't then Baran drive this one, or the twins command the Merc Ship?). Anyway, can't go above 2.4.

STOCKABILITY: This is a good starting ship for your Non-Aligned personnel. It downloads to a Spacedoor and has a dual-personnel card as matching commander (plenty of skills and high attribute totals). With the twins aboard, the ship can be Plaqued and Logged to 10-10-10. This is slightly better than Baran on the Mercenary Ship, and has the same overall abilities, not that players actually use Long-Range Scan, which this ship blocks. The twins also take care of all staffing needs alone, where Baran would need an extra person (he has Command, so it's not like I care that it takes the lesser Staff icons to staff it). And sorry Baran, but that ENGINEER of yours can't be used to Construct a universal Starship, so we don't care about that. Outclasses its Premiere ancestor, though it'd be great if Ah-Kel and Ro-Kel could split up to command two Raiders at once. Giving it a 3.4.

TOTAL: 12 (60%) A tight pass.

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