To see the cards themselves, check out this Card list for the Holodeck Adventures expansion set.

#2278-Rusot, Personnel, Cardassian, HDA

"Arrogant Gul. Gathered support in the early stages of the anti-Dominion resistance, despite his disdain for covert tactics. His Cardassia's dead, and won't be coming back."

-OFFICER; Your [Car] personnel with resistance in lore may report where present; Treachery, Astrophysics; Command icon

-INTEGRITY: 4, CUNNING: 6, STRENGTH: 7

PICTURE: An appropriately peeved expression, though perhaps more fearful than arrogant. Great colors in the background to highlight the main figure, and we can see we're underground, where resistance cells dwell. A well composed 3.5.

LORE: Some very good stuff here, describing Rusot and his participation quite well. The final sentence is his eulogy. Memorable words used to great effect. A strong 4.1.

TREK SENSE: Rusot is a Gul (Officer/Command icon) of the old Cardassia (Treachery/Integrity 4). His Astrophysics isn't as clear, even if it's an okay skill for a ship commander to have. The fact that 2E Rusot doesn't have the skill may be damning evidence. The special skill is most interesting, showing exactly what he did for Damar. He gathered support for the resistance, and that means getting interested parties into the group. Such personnel report to his location. Simple and effective. Cunning shows his lack of vision. Strength is soldierly enough. A solid 4.

STOCKABILITY: Rusot has few skills and no attribute of note, but he can help you report personnel faster, which is always good. He, himself, is a Gul, so can report for free to Central Command. Once in play, the following personnel can report directly to his side: Ekoor (who then allows universal SECURITY to report directly to HIS side, for free!), Kira, Seskal, Vornar, Legate Damar, and Mila (with her Equipment download and Honor needed For Cardassia!). Few personnel, but two are universal and could be multiplied. In combo with Ekoor, this becomes a good assault team reporting engine for whatever battling or capturing strategies you might want to line up. A useful 3.7.

TOTAL: 15.3 (76.5%) He's in the same ballpark as other resistance fighters like Damar and Garak.

#2290-Sam Lavelle, Personnel, Federation, universal, HDA

"Typical Starfleet ensign eagerly chasing a promotion. Served aboard the Enterprise in 2370. Decent poker player. His grandfather was Canadian."

-OFFICER, Navigation, Computer Skill; SD Lower Decks; Staff icon

-INTEGRITY: 7, CUNNING: 7, STRENGTH: 7

PICTURE: The boyish charm comes across very well, and the pose isn't the usual cliché from the helm (you know the one, looking ahead seriously). A nice, likeable 3.5.

LORE: I like how they describe his ambition, and the reminder of all the poker played in "Lower Decks". The last phrase is fun (plus, I'm Canadian too, and have a right to my own, quiet patriotism), but the boring bit with the date in it could have been replaced by some mention of Riker NOT being Canadian. A shot at humor using Lavelle's bootlicking attempt would have been nice here. Oh well, still enough for a 3.4.

TREK SENSE: I wish Sam Lavelle wasn't a universal, since he was so distinct a character on the show, but with the Lower Decks download (which I'll get to in a minute), it fits his theme. Besides, aside from Ogawa, the other Lower Decks characters were made universal too. His skills were easy to hit upon since he worked ops and the helm. Officer, Computer Skill and Navigation are what those positions are all about. The Staff icon too. As for Lower Decks, I love this download. It helps represent his chasing after a promotion. Lower Decks boosts his attributes because he's trying to be a better officer to get that promotion. He's in competition with other universals, so they kick it into high gear too. Nicely played. His starting attributes might all be referred to as "Starfleet standard". They all make sense within the context of bridge crew. A strong 4.4.

STOCKABILITY: Lower Decks is a key event for any deck that uses a lot of universals (like Mission Specialist decks), but it's unseedable. A personnel that downloads it is thus useful because it can help put that event into play faster. Since Sam is universal, you can stock more than one copy of him to make sure Lower Decks gets into play as quickly as possible. The bad news is, his skills are the most common out there. They ARE useful in multiples, but still, his mission profile is a little dull. Good attributes though, all 9s once Lower Decks is in play, and even without it. In hand, he can win double points at Slots, so extra copies need not be used in play if you self-seeded that dilemma. A good personnel, though perhaps one-note. Scores 3.5.

TOTAL: 14.8 (74%) He's no Eddington, but he scores a little higher. Go Canucks!

#2302-Satan's Robot, Equipment, holographic, HDA

"Robotic minion of Chaotica. Warns of invaders and deals with intruders. Nearly conquered the world in the final chapter of one of The Adventures of Captain Proton."

-Participates in battle like a personnel; has NO STRENGTH vs. a Borg or android adversary, otherwise STRENGTH=8. May capture any female or [Holo] adversary it stuns. (Unique.)

PICTURE: You know I love the idea of making Captain Proton cards in black and white, and to boot, the design of Satan's Robot is quite excellent. The image has him ambling, which is perfect, and the background plays with shadows and curves that are fun and dizzying. A bit busy, perhaps, but still an excellent 4.3.

LORE: Good stuff, written in a Saturday matinée style. I especially like the bit about warning of invaders, which was pretty much its only available dialogue. A fun 3.6.

TREK SENSE: They could have made Satan's Robot a personnel, but he's a lot closer to an Echo Papa than, say, Lonzak, so Equipment it is. I guess he was unique, since we only ever saw one, but is an army of these guys really that far-fetched? Don't they have copy/paste capability on a Holodeck? Satan's Robot has no mission-solving ability and only comes online when he has to fight. In personnel battle it has a Strength of 8, which is reasonable within the context of the holodeck "game", but given the slow movements of the Robot, I doubt the equivalent would be true outside it. When you're playing Captain Proton, you play along. In the real world, I doubt anyone would let this thing even come close. The absence of Strength when fighting Borg and androids is puzzling, and just seems like a joke. Real mechanical men vs. a glorified tin pot. Reference: Seven reached inside him and pulled out his wires. When the Robot stuns a personnel in battle (the only thing it may do unless the safeguards are disabled), it may capture them if they are either holographic (since holograms are programmed to "believe" other holograms' abilities) or female (in true B-movie fashion, though the same problems that applied to battle in the first place apply here too). A lot of fun, and the problems are basically those shared by many period-specific holograms. A good 3.5 then.

STOCKABILITY: Holograms are not all that efficient in personnel battle even if they are difficult to truly kill. After all, you need Disengage Safety Protocols to make them mortally wound, and some kind of card to allow them access to non-intruding opposing Away Teams. Otherwise, they're stuck battling only personnel that board your ship with Holodeck. With the right cards in play and/or an opponent's boarding strategy (more common in the Delta Quadrant), Satan's Robot is still interesting. A STRENGTH of 8 means it can usually stun average-STRENGTH personnel, and when it does, it may capture that personnel if it is female (which usually have lower STRENGTH) or holographic (this would be rare, since these are less likely to board a ship). Capturing is nice (and the skill does make Satan's Robot a capture-related card for Prepare the Prisoner), but you need to be matched to the right adversary AND be able to stun it. On top of that, the Robot is useless against the Borg and Rogue Borg, as well as more rarely-encountered androids. There are various ways to report it (for free, if need be), but its uniqueness further limits its usefulness. Overall, something of a stunt card, to which I give a 3.

TOTAL: 14.4 (72%) A fun design, which doesn't mean it's especially useful.

#2314-Seal Rift, Mission, space, Any crew may attempt mission, Delta Quadrant, HDA

Near Grid 986: Use an anti-tachyon pulse to implode this artificially-created temporal phenomenon.

-SCIENCE x2 + ENGINEER x2 OR Admiral Janeway

-Span: 3; 35 points; Until solved, AU ships may report here.

PICTURE: A pretty and distinctive space phenomenon, it looks like it has water splashing out of it, giving us incentive to seal it. A pretty good 3.5.

LORE: A distinctly Borg place name, but they can't attempt missions. Just thought I'd mention the incongruity it causes. Otherwise, there's enough technobabble to understand our task, but no real motivation for doing it. A little subpar at 2.7.

TREK SENSE: Though Admiral Janeway has a reason for Sealing the Rift she created (though in the game, may be unrelated to her), so that no one follows her from her future, there's no real motivation for "any crew" to attempt to do the same. The AU reporting scheme kind of recreates that element, making the danger of invasion very real, but the Rift can be used just as well to report friendly ships. It's all a little loose. The AU ships further don't have to come from the same timeline, making the Rift very erratic indeed. While something that does this could exist in the Star Trek universe, it doesn't really model the events of "Endgame". As for the requirements, we know the Admiral knew exactly what to do, she's a possible lone requirement. Without her, you have to come up with some Science and Engineers. Ok, but not revolutionary, or even very specific (which Physics might have been). Span and points are likewise ok without seeming perfect fits. A lot of plot holes make this a 2.4.

SEEDABILITY: DQ decks are already well keyed to ENGINEER missions, and with a member of the Think Tank thrown in, the SCIENCE shouldn't be a problem either. For a solution with even less personnel, report an AU ship there and use Crew Reassignment to report Admiral Janeway aboard. If you have the cards in hand, of course. The AU ship reporting is the real key to seeding this card, of course. It's a sort of mini-outpost as long as you don't solve it for any AU-driven strategy, including OS, Mirror-OS and CF decks. They too can go to the Delta Quadrant. Crew Reassignment or Home Away From Home should help keep the ship(s) staffed. Revenge Is a Dish Best Served Cold and the Reliant are perfect for this mission too. Of course, the mission can't be protected with Fair Play, so your opponent may try to solve it to keep you from reporting ships there. Maybe a few self-seeds would be called for, though that means less dilemmas for your opponent's actual missions. At the very least, this should be an easy 35-pointer (45 with both Leahs and ASM). Manages 3.7.

TOTAL: 12.3 (61.5%) Half the categories yield so-so results.

#2326-Secret Agent Julian Bashir, Personnel, Non-Aligned, HDA

"Bashir, Julian Bashir. Role in a holoprogram created by his friend Felix, of a spy for Great Britain in the Cold War of 20th-century Earth. Has escaped countless traps."

-OFFICER, Geology, MEDICAL, Biology; SD '45 Dom Perignon; Your personnel may not be captured where present

-INTEGRITY: 7, CUNNING: 9, STRENGTH: 7

PICTURE: Bashir playing cards here is a bit passive (see '45 Dom Perignon for his action shot), but his concentration and "cool" are obvious, and the lady at his shoulder plays on that aspect of the Bond legend. That bright pink unbalances the composition without really giving us eye candy though. Fairly likeable, but not as exciting as it might've been. A 3.4.

LORE: I find the title long and a bit dull ("Our Man Bashir" was more interesting to me), but the lore makes up for it by unashamedly using the famous Bond introduction formula. "Felix" is also a Bondian name, and I'm glad the holo-programmer got his name in. The last phrase explains the special skill, and isn't bad either. They didn't go overboard with the Bond references, which is probably a plus. Hits 3.5.

TREK SENSE: The usual holo-personae problems are in evidence, even if Bashir's genetically engineered mind and body can no doubt turn himself into this character (i.e. he cuts loose on the "super-powers" or even compartmentalizes his abilities in some way). Even if he played the part earnestly, that would never really come up in a mission, and there's no sensible justification for his being Non-Aligned and working with other affiliations. Like most of these cards, it's still a good portrait of the holodeck character in its own world. For example, he's meant to be in the military (MI-6 or whatever), so Officer is indicated. But of course, that shouldn't carry into the "real" world of Star Trek, as evidenced by the absence of any staffing ability. No Security for a Secret Agent? I object. In "Our Man Bashir", he could determine the identity of stones and metals at a glance, so he's got Geology (presumably, Bashir's mutant mind could really do this). Medical and Biology are carry-overs from Bashir's real self, and are sort of intruders here. He can't help but use these skills even when role-playing though, so I suppose it's become part of his Secret Agent persona. The special download would have him with a champagne bottle in his trousers at all time, but he's the one that managed to use it for the second ability. You can extend its use to mean any kind of improvised weapon. The first effect has nothing to do with Agent Bashir, so that's kind of dull. As for the special ability, it's phrased a little oddly, but basically works. The fact is, he WAS captured on some occasions, but he always manages to get out easily, along with any of his colleagues. It's not the same as protecting everyone from capture though, but has the same end result. The character's loyalty to king and country gives him a bit more Integrity than the baseline Bashir, plus there's none of that secret mutant stuff in the way. Being out of his actual element (medicine), his Cunning takes a drop, though I'm not sure he's really holding back in this role (see comments on Geology, for example). Finally, he's a better fighter, but that's thanks to the program parameters more than anything. The holodeck LETS him win. Where does that leave us? With a rather messy concept - but fun! A 3.2.

STOCKABILITY: Lots of good stuff for any affiliation here! Agent Bashir's skills include two classifications (including a high CUNNING example of OFFICER to protect from "Crimson Forcefield") and a Geology/Biology combo that's good for planet missions and a number of dilemmas. Federation decks will be able to use another version of his persona to, at a turn's notice, get an extra dose of MEDICAL-related skills into a crew or Away Team, as required. In addition to all that, Agent Bashir also protects your personnel from capture, which should really throw a wrench into Cardassian, Romulan, Dominion and even Hirogen plans. These affiliations more than others can be dependent on capture strategies. The ability will also protect teams from capture-related dilemmas. An immense help. The special download isn't bad either, since Bashir can use it to either stun adversaries in battles, or discard it to turn a universal ship into a unique one. Since he may download to the seedable Noah's Mountain Retreat Holoprogram, you can get your unique ship in only a couple turns: Add a Holodeck to an outpost with Holodeck Door, and Spacedoor a universal ship; then use Mountain Retreat to get Agent Bashir, and immediately, the Dom Perignon; discard champagne to get a better vintage of ship. See how quick and painless that was? I'd say the capture protection alone would be enough to consider him. With all the other bells and whistles, I give him a high 4.5.

TOTAL: 14.6 (73%) Or if you like: 0073% ;-).

#2338-Seskal, Personnel, Cardassian, HDA

"Abrasive Gul. Loyal to Damar, though he believes the resistance movement would do better without the interference of the former terrorist, Kira Nerys."

-OFFICER, SCIENCE, Stellar Cartography, Anthropology; Command icon

-INTEGRITY: 5, CUNNING: 7, STRENGTH: 7

PICTURE: Meh. You know he's in the resistance because there's a cave backdrop behind him, and his sour look goes with the lore. Otherwise, a straight bust shot. A 3.2.

LORE: Good description of his demeanor, and note the mention of the resistance which has a game use. The story is well told, with lots of details fit in. A 3.4.

TREK SENSE: He's a Gul that's flipped to Damar's side, away from the Dominion. That only really confirms the Officer and Command icon elements. The rest, I dunno. Seskal didn't really do much except object to Kira's suggestions. That lack of empathy or understanding of terrorist culture puts his Anthropology in doubt. As for Science and Stellar Cartography, they are likewise tacked on, though the latter may be used strategically to position ships, etc. As a Gul, he might've had them. As a resistance fighter, they don't seem as relevant. His Integrity is high enough to be loyal to his Legate, but low enough to refuse Kira's help. Cunning is high enough to be a high-level Gul, but not so high that he would've seen the wisdom in Kira's strategies. Strength's at a good level. Basically an ok personnel card that suffers from our not really knowing anything about the character. A 2.9.

STOCKABILITY: Seskal can report where Rusot is present, which is the little extra I was talking about under Lore. Otherwise, he's an ok personnel with 2 classifications and a couple of useful skills, especially when it comes to dilemmas. Nothing stellar in the attributes department, but nothing disadvantageous either. As a Gul, he can also report for free to Central Command, which is why we like the second classification. It gives you something other than OFFICERs to report there. A solid 3.4.

TOTAL: 12.9 (64.5%) Just a guy to fill up the Cardassian resistance subset.

#2350-Sheriff Worf, Personnel, Non-Aligned, HDA

"Sheriff of Deadwood, South Dakota, as played by Worf. Though initially reluctant to spend time with his son, the Klingon soon saw the appeal of Alexander's scenario."

-SECURITY; STRENGTH +1 for each opposing SECURITY personnel present; Leadership, Computer Skill, Law

-INTEGRITY: 8, CUNNING: 7, STRENGTH: 10

PICTURE: Worf in western get-up was always ridiculous... Makes for an ok picture with a good, slightly Bajoran, color palette. A 3.3.

LORE: A nice little family story, using at least one line from the show to good effect. Manages 3.4.

TREK SENSE: First, there are the usual holo-persona problems, including why Worf would ever take on this role in the course of actual missions, or why he would suddenly work with any affiliation. It just makes no sense that he would. His abilities are a mishmash of 24th and 19th century skills as well. For example, why does he keep Computer Skill, but not a staffing icon? But if we look at "A Fistful of Dollars", we see how this Worf came about. A Sheriff would have Security and Law, no problem, and since he has a deputy, let's go with Leadership as well. Computer Skill is a holodeck-related skill, though Alexander was the one who programmed the simulation itself. Worf can still operate a console, of course, but it has little to do with Deadwood. The special skill makes Worf rise to the challenge, since he's stronger if there are others from his skill set opposing him (perhaps as he gets more comfortable with the scenario). An interesting ability, but there's no real reason why only Security personnel should push him thus, except thematically. He has the attributes he had during TNG, except for Cunning, which has gone up a point. He was a man from the future, after all, and in his element being a Security-driven story. Then again, it wasn't a part of history he was familiar with. I think the real reason for the change is that Premiere's 6 was way too low. This is a readjustment. Interesting, but ultimately unsatisfying. A 2.3.

STOCKABILITY: Even without Deadwood, Sheriff Worf is a good SECURITY personnel with the rarer Law. Leadership allows him to initiate battles, and that high STRENGTH is easily boostable when facing other SECURITY. Great attributes throughout, and he'll work with anyone. But aside from his assault team prowess, there the Deadwood Holoprogram. Not only does it allow him and Deputy Rozhenko to report aboard, but while they're aboard, it lengthens the Span of the present mission, interferes with opponent's mission attempts by requiring more SECURITY than what you have there, and allows Worf to nullify dilemmas that require SECURITY, like Barclay's Protomorphosis Disease and Berserk Changeling. An impressive number of extras! Durango here will boost Worf's STRENGTH some more (and hers), and Deputy Rozhenko's special skill allows you to score 5 points when Sheriff Worf stuns a personnel with Treachery in battle (shouldn't be hard, and an incentive not to go for the mortal wound). Is there more? Well, let's not forget that there are many more versions of the Worf persona, which some affiliations can access. Easy report to Deadwood, then switch over when you need another Worf. The Feds of course have the Premiere and First Contact versions, but unless Honor is important to you, not much incentive to make the swap. The Klingons have the Son of Mogh (either alone or with his brother), which can boost your Bortas at a moment's notice, among other things. And for the rest, there's either the true hologram Duchamps (could be interesting, but limited) and the TwT Worf, which again, I don't think beats the Sheriff. And like I said, even without all that, he was already a good battler and mission solver. A 4.4.

TOTAL: 13.4 (67%) If only these card could respect Trek Sense more.

#2362-Sherlock Holmes, Personnel, Non-Aligned, HAD

"The role of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's brilliant detective was often assumed by the Soong-type android Data."

-CIVILIAN, Biology, Physics, Music, Computer Skill; At start of your turn, you may draw cards (without downloading) until your hand is equal to opponent's

-INTEGRITY: 8, CUNNING: 12, STRENGTH: 12

PICTURE: While the "j'accuse"-type pose is perfect, the Victorian mists have sadly made this pic dark and gray. Data looks too shiny in his high-contrast state. Disappointing stuff, I must say, but due to technical issues. Drops to a 2.7.

LORE: Shortened lore caused by too much game text, it's ok, without being great. Arthur Conan Doyle at least gets a credit. An ordinary 3.

TREK SENSE: Same old problem with holo-personae - are we to believe that Data would ever take on this role over the course of a mission (I'm not sure the one time with the pipe and Agatha Christie speeches counts)? That he would work with any affiliation as a result (since the "real" Holmes belonged to no affiliation)? That some of his skills would disappear (as well as his staffing icon) so immersed he would be in the role? (At least Data can theoretically compartmentalize his mind to create this effect.) It's not like he's statted out as Sherlock Holmes only, who I doubt had Computer Skill. On the same note, all attributes are at Data's level, since 1) he's not that good an actor, and 2) his android mind and body are irrepressible. Apparently. He and Holmes share a talent for the violin, i.e. Music. Holmes showed some knowledge of plants and general Biology, and though Physics is less appropriate, it's nonetheless credible (just not the kind of warp engine Physics we're used to). The real Holmes might have had Anthropology, but Data has trouble with understanding humanity, so no go. So as far as attributes and skills go, the card borrows from one persona and another. The special skill? A mechanical affair that could simply be summed up as Data being the equal of any opponent he might come across. He's immensely resourceful, and the same can be said of Sherlock Holmes in the stories. Bah, kinda dull, really. With other problems, that gets us to a merely ok 2.5.

STOCKABILITY: A Non-Aligned android with very high attributes that you can download to any ship or facility with a Holodeck thanks to 221B Baker Street? That should be enough to attract attention. But there's more, of course. He triggers John Watson's special skill, allowing you to discard your hand at the start of your turn, and then redrawing it with Holmes' special skill. For more card manipulation, he counts as "any Data" for All Threes. In the absence of any combo, the special skill simply gets you some card draws as you "even up" with your opponent. Sometimes useful, but no game-breaker. He has three useful skills, and the less stellar Music and CIVILIAN, but being an android is probably the better feature when dealing with dilemmas and other cards. As a version of Data, he can be swapped with other Datas when you don't need the even-up ability (perhaps after the easy first turn reporting noted above). The Federation and Romulans each have their versions (the Romulan one also requires a Picard, while the Feds have access to 4 in all with 2E in the mix), which are pumped on skills and may command the Sutherland. For other affiliations, there's always Carlos, though he's got little to do unless you own the ultra-rare Dixon Hill. Even if you're not into card manipulation, an easy android of his caliber that plays in any deck is certainly useful. A 4.2.

TOTAL: 12.4 (62%) No Moriarty.

#2374-Sigmund Freud, Personnel, Non-Aligned, holographic, HDA

"Neurologist who founded the science of psychoanalysis on Earth in the late 19th century. Data looked to this re-creation for interpretations of his first nightmares."

-MEDICAL, Your personnel and equipment may report where present (if AU); Biology; SD Alternate Universe Door

-INTEGRITY: 6, CUNNING: 8, STRENGTH: 4

PICTURE: Ol' Sigmund seems to be having a good time here. It's a good, scholarly pic with some texture in the background. A balanced 3.4.

LORE: First, a line about the real Freud, then, one about the holographic representation from "Phantasms". Not bad, but no sparks, so a 3.1.

TREK SENSE: By taking a thematic route, holo-Freud takes something of a hit under Trek Sense. But lets start with what works. As a psychiatrist, Medical is certainly ok, and Biology has some merit. But more merit than Anthropology? A big hole right there. As for attributes, Integrity puts him on the side of the angels, but acknowledges that he had a streak of selfishness and ambition. Cunning works fine too. Strength is a tad high for a rotund, older man. I can't see him in a fight. And after that, we're squarely in thematic/conceptual territory. If he could work around Android Nightmares, that would be one thing. But the focus on AU cards has no bearing on what the hologram could actually do. It is simply a link to the landscape of the mind, which are the less satisfying of AU cards. It was always a flaw to me that illusions and "it's all in your head" concepts were put on the same level as concepts from other times or parallel universes. So the reporting ability and download follow that theme, but are really nonsense. Drops the card down to a weak 1.7.

STOCKABILITY: If you're using a lot of AU cards, Freud may be of interest. Where present, and you can report him to a Holodeck directly with Holodeck Door, AU cards can report without the benefit of an outpost. DQ and GQ affiliations need not apply then, and even the Bajorans, Cardassians and Ferengi may find it hard to justify his use (unless also using lots of Non-Aligned cards). The original three, however, have a potable number of AU cards, and reporting directly to your ship speeds things up some, especially when going cross-quadrant. TOS, Terran and CF decks can usually do the same with Crew Reassignment, without the need for a Holodeck Door and a special personnel, and that card covers all ships in play. The special download will only come up if your up against certain cards, since its in-deck use is completely reactive. It gets you through a Q-Net, for example, and nullifies Temporal Rift, Subspace Schism, Door-Net and Revolving Door. Could come up, especially the latter. Other than that, Freud is a fair MEDICAL with Biology that remains on your ship and is hard to kill, like other holos. Unfortunately, his uses are limited to a certain type of deck. A 3.

TOTAL: 11.2 (56%) Sometimes an average card is just an average card.

#2386-Small Oversight, Interrupt, HDA

"Holographic technology is notoriously finicky. Before The Doctor acquired his mobile emitter, attempts to project him outside of sickbay or the holodeck invariably met with problems."

-Plays on a [Holo] personnel who is not wearing a Mobile Holo-Emitter. [Holo] and [Cmd] personnel present are each attributes all -3 and lose first-listed skill for rest of turn.

PICTURE: A fun picture with the admittedly ridiculous mini-Doctor, well composed with patches of effective color. A cool 4.

LORE: Fun stuff, and any pokes at holo and transporter technology are appreciated, because of their use as ye olde plot devices. A good 3.5.

TREK SENSE: I think it's probably better to think of this card as any number of malfunctions concerning your holo-personnel's programming and physical integrity, because the game text doesn't necessarily mesh with the game text (for example, why only the first listed skill, when all skills should be equally disrupted). But since there have been other problems (loss of memory, projection into outer space, etc.), we can surmises that a "Small Oversight" in the code could lead to all sorts of trouble with your virtual guys. A Mobile Emitter is high technology, and the program is safe in there. I'll buy it. Other holos may be targeted by this card. In such a case, the hologram has lowered attributes and loses its first skill. Now, this is pretty much arbitrary and lacks personality, especially the number of skills affected. But it interferes with the hologram's work, so it serves its story function well enough. I do find it odd that this condition affects other holograms present, leaking the bad code to them. Well, it's all the same projector system, right? Except that a holo protected by a Mobile Emitter CAN be affected this way. Command personnel are also affected the same way by these troubles, and while I don't mind one of them being short-tempered (lower Integrity) and distracted, ALL of them is a bit much. The -3 is a bit much too. And that it would reduce something like STRENGTH has little Trek Sense. The short space allowed the game text just doesn't allow for something more appropriate. Sinks to 2.

STOCKABILITY: Not everyone uses holograms, even after the many possibilities opened up by Holodeck Adventures, so a card like this is always a risky one to stock. There's not much chance of playing it on your own holo to affect opposing Command personnel, since that hologram would need a Mobile Emitter to really go after opposing personnel. If your opponent IS using holograms, then this card will, for a single turn, significantly reduce the attributes of all holos and Command personnel (the latter might be many, though the former might represent a sizeable portion of the crew if, for example, Children of Light is used) and take out their first listed skill. Could play havoc with a mission attempt, or even suspend a special skill (think Sigmund Freud, Falcon, Chaotica, etc.), but for a single turn, it's not that big an effect. It's a common card you could keep playing copies of, but again, what if there's no applicable holo-icon personnel? You can't fill your deck with Small Oversights. So I'm gonna give it a score of 2.8.

TOTAL: 12.3 (61.5%) A card with limited appeal because it follows a specific theme.

#2398-Study Protonebula, Mission, space, Any crew may attempt mission, Delta Quadrant, HDA

Protonebula: Monitor emerging phenomenon and record the effects of its radiation on the crew.

-Astrophysics + Biology + Navigation x2

-Span: 4; 30 points; Your end: Once per game, you may download One to your ship here; Opponent's end: Once per game, you may download a [Borg-only] objective.

PICTURE: Seems like the Voyager environment has a lot of pink and purple gas clouds, or is it just me? Fine and pretty, but less interesting this time around due to the central composition. Bah, just a 3.

LORE: I'm not quite sure what a protonebula is (and rather sure that the episode flew in the face of scientific wisdom when it comes to the formation of nebulae) and the lore only veils it in mild technobabble. I'm a little put off by the idea that recording radiation effects on your crew would be a mission objective. If you inverse the verbs (monitor and record) is seems less like a mad scientist experiment run on your own crewmembers. How can I give it more than a 2?

TREK SENSE: There's some danger in being this close to a Protonebula, so you need lots of Navigation to steer clear of the effects, and some Biology to make sure the crew isn't too toasted. Astrophysics is used to study the phenomenon itself. While those skills have their place, they seem badly proportioned. Why more Navigation than Astrophysics? It puts the mission objectives in second place. Not all affiliations are gung-ho about exploration missions, so "any crew" could ring false (with the Kazon, for example), but it's a minor point if there's something to be gained here (who knows what). Points are ok, as is Span, since I don't think there's much of anything else in the area. On the show, the protonebula's radiation caused the creation of the super-drone One. You can download him here just like that. The problem, in my eyes, is that you don't need the Mobile Emitter from which he sprang. That's a pretty unique piece of future technology, and there would never have been a One without it. So where is it? Since you can bring One into the world, you might attract the attention of the Borg. They can download one of their Objectives to deal with the super-drone. Cool resonance with the episode, but unfortunately, you need not have downloaded One for your opponent to take advantage of this, nor is he or she limited to playing out the Objective at this location. Tries hard to mimic the events of the episode, but there's just no room to do it justice, and the requirements are iffy. Another 2.

SEEDABILITY: In a "former Borg" deck, you'll want to use One to interlink and double up on all your skills. Study Protonebula is an easy way to get the super-drone into play. Just fly there (or even start there) and download him. You don't even need to complete the mission, though it's really not that hard if you choose to. Quite an easy 30 points, actually. The balancing factor is that if your opponent is player the Borg affiliation, he or she can download a Borg-only Objective. Seeing as these things can be seeded, easily be changed, etc., it's not a huge advantage to your opponent. And more often than not, he or she won't even be playing Borg. If you ARE up against the Borg, at least you'll have One's ability to pick up skills from opposing Borg. Tied to a certain personnel, and not too worth it without him, it's still a fair dedicated card. A 3.6.

TOTAL: 10.6 (53%) Cloudy at best.

#2411-Sumek, Personnel, Federation/Hirogen, holographic, universal, Delta Quadrant, HDA

"Initially produced en masse for their logic and strength, Vulcan holograms were soon abandoned by the Hirogen for showing no lust for the hunt or fear of being hunted."

-SCIENCE, ENGINEER, Stellar Cartography; Staff icon

-INTEGRITY: 7, CUNNING: 8, STRENGTH: 8

PICTURE: Splotchy lighting (which may highlight the fact he's a hologram), but Sumek's inexpressiveness borders on an interesting sadness. Everything's in dark blues and grayish greens, except for his sallow face. It works, and there's not much difference between the Hirogen and the Federation frames. Just a question of shades. I'll give Picture a more than competent 3.4.

LORE: Excellent, excellent. They've taken the fact that we saw a couple of Vulcan holos as part of the Hirogen victims and created a whole story around it, using to good effect what we know of both Vulcans and Hirogen. As high as 4.5.

TREK SENSE: They might've put anything on this universal, since he didn't get as much as a line, but making the Vulcan a Science/Engineer support personnel makes sense for the species. Stellar Cartography would not only be helpful for finding places to hide from the Hirogen (which is what the hunters want), but also the Children of Light's quest for their Eden. The Staff icon certainly works on that context, what with the skills being shipboard ones. The high attributes represent the species well, and the Hirogen would have "bred" the best possible examples. Produced en masse, Sumeks are universal. I am also glad to see holodecks can't yet handle Mindmeld. Hirogen in origin, they are programmed to think of themselves as part of the Federation. Therein lies the dual-affiliation, but are they ever really Hirogen? Even when subjugated, they are used as prey, as opponents! And would they be welcome with open arms in Federation society if they ever got to the Alpha Quadrant? Who knows? Affiliation is something vague then, but the rest of the card checks out. A 3.5.

STOCKABILITY: As support personnel, Sumek can be reported to a ship using the proper Assign card, as a hologram aboard a ship equipped with a Holodeck Door, as a Hirogen holo directly to the Olarra, and as a Federation card aboard one of the DQ Fed ships through Home Away From Home. So no problem getting him into play no matter what kind of deck or Quadrant you're running. SCIENCE/ENGINEER is a very useful classification combo, and his attributes are way up there (though can't be boosted using Lower Decks). Plenty of tricks using holograms (including being hard to kill), but harder to use his STRENGTH in battle unless the fight comes to you. But a good help to space mission solving, warranting a 3.6.

TOTAL: 15 (75%) That's very good for someone without a line.

#2424-Talosian Cage, Dilemma, planet, HDA

"Telepathic aliens with the power to create illusory worlds, often based on the memories of life-forms they've captured. Starfleet General Order 7 forbids contact with their homeworld, Talos IV."

-Unless 3 Empathy OR Christopher Pike present, opponent may choose to discard two females (random selection) OR male with most [Skill] icons. Discard dilemma.

PICTURE: There's some blurring on one of the three Talosians, but in general, this is a fun pic. We're looking up at them, making giants out diminutive people, and the cave wall helps with the foreboding. And "The Cage" didn't get enough play, so it's always nice to see something from the original pilot. A 3.6.

LORE: I like that they've brought the Talosians into the 24th century with that last line. Otherwise, no problems. Bonus points for the title that remembers to pay homage to that original episode. A 3.4.

TREK SENSE: The Talosians grab your personnel for their little petting zoo, which discards them without prejudice (i.e. does not count as killing). They're too powerful to have those personnel trapped on the planet to be rescued, so there's no chance of that. On the show, we saw them kidnap Christopher Pike, represented by the best possible male specimen, i.e. the one with the most skill dots. That's one way of seeing it, though attributes are probably a better gauge for this. The episode also showed the Talosians grabbing a choice of females for Pike, which would be the 2 random females here. I'm not sure I like that, since it makes assumptions about what's already in the zoo. Male or female, there should be no difference in the way the personnel is picked (at least it's opponent's choice). Pike was able to overcome this dilemma, so he's mentioned, though I can't believe no one gets stopped in that case. Think about it: It took the entire episode to deal with the situation. Still, he has that force of will, and you could say that he's been here before, so they know him and retreat once again. Matching the Talosians on telepathy also helps, fighting them on their level and disbelieving their illusions. In any case, the dilemma creates a problem by being found off Talos (it has to), so specific it is (certainly thanks to title and lore) to a single - forbidden - place. A lot going on, and it thematically checks out, but I can't go above a fair 3.1.

SEEDABILITY: With those requirements, Talosian Cage packs a punch. Christopher Pike is an AU/OS Fed personnel from a boutique product, and certainly won't be found in every deck. As for Empathy, most affiliations are deficient in Empathy, and even those that do have that skill, may not have 3 instances of it. I mean, you keep a personnel around for the likes of Cardassian Trap, but 3? That's a full telepath plus an empath right there. Possible (it's still only 2 personnel), but generally, you should get a hit without trying too hard. If you hit, you get your choice of discards. Females are less common than males, so with some affiliations, you might be taking out their entire female base, setting things up for Matriarchal Society. Alternately, you can take out the male with the most skills, which is probably a big skill horse, which will certainly impair the mission attempt. So it hits often and has pretty devastating consequence over which you have some control. A high 4.5.

TOTAL: 14.6 (73%) Worthy of the historical pilot.

#2437-Teero Anaydis, Personnel, Bajoran, HDA

"Excommunicated Vedek. Worked in counterintelligence for the Maquis. Experimented with using mind control to recruit agents. Honed his techniques on Tuvok."

-CIVILIAN, Treachery, Exobiology, MEDICAL, Anthropology, Computer Skill; Command icon; Maquis icon

-INTEGRITY: 3, CUNNING: 9, STRENGTH: 7

PICTURE: An intense look, plenty of shadow, and some interesting stuff in the background. Is that some kind of anatomical cutaway of a head/brain in black and white there? Anyway, doesn't look like any other Bajoran card, which is a good thing. A cool 3.7.

LORE: A Vedek, which is useful, and lovely to see the word "excommunicated" on a card. Who'd have thought, eh? The rest is good, and then there's a cool clincher about Tuvok. Very nice, it gets my 4.

TREK SENSE: First of all, let me say I'm disappointed that they couldn't work in some kind of brainwashing/sleeper ability into the card (if only a download of Brainwash). I'm also wondering if Teero wasn't ever in the Resistance, with that kind of background. I think it would have been a natural, especially at his age. But let's get into what's here. The Maquis icon, Treachery, low Integrity and high Cunning are all obvious. Anthropology represents psychology, which is used to program sleeper agents. Exobiology would be useful when programming non-Bajorans (like Tuvok). Medical too. He used computers to transmit the trigger signal, so ok on Computer Skill. He's essentially a Civilian, since he lost the authority of a real Vedek. Unfortunately, he can still use that title where required, which doesn't seem right. Strength is a bit high for his role and age, though I understand that being in the Maquis puts you in an offensive/defensive frame of mind. The Command icon is a bit much however, as I don't see him command a ship (or is commanding sleepers enough). It's a good try, but there's a lot missing. A 3.6.

STOCKABILITY: The Bajorans get another CIVILIAN (eminently boostable and reportable using a variety of Bajoran tricks) and a Vedek (Bajoran Shrine, Refuse Immigration), and one with plenty of skills to boot. MEDICAL is always great, with Exobiology and Anthropology a good 1-2 punch against planet dilemmas. The rest is more common, but not useless. Great CUNNING, even before any boosts, making him dangerous in combination with an Airlock. The Maquis icon also has a few tricks, joining Ro Laren, Tabor and Riker Wil among the Maquis Bajorans. A lot of skills, a lot of little tricks, Teero gets a good 4.

TOTAL: 15.3 (76.5%) A late comer, but built to be useful.

#2450-The City of B'hala, Artifact, HDA

"20,000-year-old depiction of an ancient Bajoran city. Among the most revered icons of their faith. Some thought B'hala a legend until this painting helped The Emissary find its underground ruins."

-May seed only at Bajor. Use as Equipment card. If present where attempting a [Baj] mission, encounter seed cards in reverse order. (Immune to Disruptor Overload.)

PICTURE: You will gain renewed admiration for the ancient Bajoran culture when you see this close-up of this old picture of B'hala. A lot of detailed rendering there. For a prop shot, it's got a lot to look at, maybe even with a magnifying glass. A nice enough 3.5.

LORE: The title is a bit of misnomer, since the City itself isn't the Artifact (nor could it be), but the lore sets the record straight right away. Interestingly, it seems to be written from a Bajoran point of view, with the Emissary being named, rather than Sisko. It's got an encyclopedic feel I like. A fine 3.4.

TREK SENSE: Where do I start? (How about the beginning, Mike? Ok.) While this is a Bajoran artifact, why can't it be found on another planet? It might've been smuggled off Bajor during the Occupation and lost, for example. It's an ok conceit, since that's where it was really found, but other artifacts don't quite stick to established facts so strictly. It is used as an Equipment card. Ok, since I'm of the opinion that if it can be carried, it should be like an Equipment card, though with the effect (which we'll get to in a moment), it could just have played on the table like an event. After all, what's important about this painting is the information it gives about the real B'hala, and you can have that without having the painting. Are you really carrying this thing in your wallet, and how exactly does having it with you affect your mission attempts? Conceptually, it's like it's telling you how to access an area from the underground, the back door, using 20,000-year-old topology, etc., and that has the effect of making you encounter dilemmas (and other seeds) in reverse order. Pretty glib when you look at certain combos (they can't all be geographically placed), and there's no real relationship between B'hala and Bajoran missions (most of which are not on Bajoran territory). Bajor's mission is excluded, for example, and that's where the City is interred. Thematically, the reverse order is like Sisko finding B'hala by using the mirror (reversed) writing from the central spire. Cute, but again, irrelevant. And though a painting is unlikely to explode, there is a line of thought that says Disruptor Overload (by its very title) denotes an explosion of one offstage piece of equipment that destroys another at that location. So this thing is fireproof to boot? It's an interesting idea, but I'm afraid it just can't really work within Trek Sense. I can't go above 1.4.

SEEDABILITY: The Bajorans have a few Artifacts all their own already - The Earring of Li Nalas, for example, and those wonderful Orbs - and the City of B'hala adds to that... or does it? Well, you have to seed it at Bajor, which isn't a Bajoran mission, so you have to be willing and able to complete HQ: Secure Homeworld first. Once you do, your missions (with the proper icon, mind you) will probably be easier to complete. By encountering seed cards in reverse order, you'll probably be dismantling efficient combos. Oftentimes, you're supposed to encounter a late dilemma after key personnel have been weeded out, but you'd still have them under this new paradigm. Think of Abandon Ship, encountered first before your ship has a change of being damaged by a dilemma. Dilemma combos are half the game, so disrupting them will give you an advantage. And the Artifact cannot be destroyed by Disruptor Overload (though it can still be nabbed by Common Thief and the like). Because of its seeding limitation, B'hala may actually be easier to use by non-Bajorans! The Cardassians are to solve Bajor's mission, and then there's the Mirror version of that planet, which can be attempted by anyone that has Non-Aligned personnel in their Away Team. All you need is enough missions with a Bajoran icon to carry you through the end of the game. Should be easy for the Cardassians, as they share a lot of DS9 missions with the Bajorans, but there are many multi-affiliation missions that will do the trick. If all else fails, you may be able to do it with Espionage. A very interesting 4.3.

TOTAL: 12.6 (63%) Great effect, but once again at the expense of Trek Sense.

#2463-The Clown: Guillotine, Dilemma, space/planet, HDA

"Though The Clown existed only through the minds linked to his system, he was willing to execute one to ensure the obedience of the others, perpetuating his role as fear personified."

-Unless 2 Diplomacy present, kills one personnel (random selection) and "stops" each personnel whose total attributes are lower than killed personnel until end of your next turn.

PICTURE: You can always count on Clown dilemmas to be colorful, and there's really nothing like them in the collection. The Guillotine in pink is an incongruous image, though its chopping of a log doesn't quite come across here. The characters add a bit of fun. Overall though, a little too busy. Points for originality get it to 3.2.

LORE: The context for the Clown is once again given, which is good, but it does use that capitalize "The" I dislike so much. Sorry, just a strange syntax tradition I can't get behind. That's the only flaw though, the rest being quite good and succinct. A 3.4.

TREK SENSE: Every Clown dilemma has the same basic problems. It's very difficult to divorce the various parts of The Clown from each other, and you can easily wind up wired to his system on various planets and - oops! - aboard your own ship over the course of a game. But taking it alone, as we must, it represents that moment when, unless you can convince him not to with Diplomacy, the Clown kills someone and thereby forces the rest of the personnel plugged into his system to stay (stopped) in fear of also being Guillotined. You're only intimidated if your the personnel killed was "better" than you though. I'd imagine Kirk didn't lose resolve each time Ensign Redshirt got killed. This is a fair modeling of events, though the implication is that you immediately get out of the system if you don't get scared of the Clown, skipping over a large chunk of the narrative. On the other hand, I think this makes a good "version" of the episode, since there's just enough to get you in, get you out, and have consequences while you were inside. Just contracted time, is all. The best of the Clown cards under this heading, it actually gets a good 3.6.

SEEDABILITY: The effects are quite interesting, but they hinge on too easy a requirement. Who doesn't have 2 Diplomacy? You'll have to make your combo hit Diplomacy pretty hard. Maybe with Blended or Strict Dress Code (I don't believe in Zaldan) or some specific killer/filter? If it hits, you get a random personnel killed, and then stop every personnel with total attributes lower than that dead personnel. You might get lucky and kill Data (doubly lucky, I'd say) or not and get a Targ, you don't know, but it could be enough personnel to sink the mission attempt. A risk factor and an easy requirement makes this only ordinary with a 3.

TOTAL: 13.2 (66%) Somewhere between its two brothers, but on top as far as Trek Sense goes.

"Linked directly to the minds of his 'guests,' The Clown could use their deepest fears to torment them. The Doctor's timely arrival spared Harry Kim a violent reenactment of a childhood trauma."

-One personnel (random selection) and all others present who have the same first-listed skill are killed (only "stopped" if a [Holo] personnel present).

PICTURE: Looks a little like My Festival in composition, but it's fun to see the big red carnival head in the background this time. The colors are fun and not too garish this time, and the Clown is effective and creepy with his surgical mask on. A fine 3.7.

LORE: The first sentence explains all of The Clown's dilemmas, giving us a proper context, though between mention of The Doctor and the title, it gets a little confusing as to how it all relates to the game text. But an ok 3.2.

TREK SENSE: As ever, I'm at a loss to explain how you can be cyber-connected to The Clown's VR on your own ship, or on many planets, or on more than one planet per game. But that's a consistent problem with "linked" dilemmas like The Clown and Chula. In this case, the problems go beyond that. If I read the card properly, the Clownish doctor selects a personnel to torment at random, and that personnel dies (of fear, or of psychosomatically causing itself damage), unless a Holographic personnel downloads itself into the virtual reality and interferes somehow (needs not be a Medical, so I'm assuming the personnel brings a dose of reality to the proceedings). Now, this is fine, and the holo probably beats the Clown right there, since the dilemma is discarded, but I don't know what all other personnel present are doing not to be stopped, and indeed, the hologram isn't either - and WAS a valid target for the dilemma in the first place, inferring that it DIDN'T just arrive, etc. What's actually strange is that every personnel with the same first-listed skill as the selected personnel is also killed or stopped, creating a link where there probably isn't between such personnel. If you have Navigation as your first-listed skill, you all had the same trauma and The Clown can get more than one bird with one stone? Unlikely. Falls down before the stringent demands of Trek Sense. A 2.2.

SEEDABILITY: Like Chula dilemmas, The Clown has a way of making dilemma combos more random and harder to prepare for. It doesn't matter if you get doubles of every skill, and even proper attribute levels before hitting a mission, if you encounter Playing Doctor, at least one personnel is filtered out (quite possibly by being killed, since not all decks use holograms, and almost certainly at a planet mission where it's harder to bring them). That's a guarantee. Now depending on what that personnel's first-listed skill is, you could also do collateral damage. It may seem like a shot in the dark, but mathematically, the more often a skill comes up first, the more likely you are to draw in the random selection (barring any selection manipulation from other cards). Could this be a new use for Rascals? The dilemma makes 4 personnel's first skill Youth, and if you randomly select one of those, you've got at least 4 victims. In fact, Youth is often first on Youth personnel. Leadership often first on Officers, etc. There are patterns that can be exploited, and it's hard to a deck builder to really cover those bases. A guaranteed hit and potentially much more, it scores 4.4.

TOTAL: 13.5 (67.5%) Fits midpoint between My Festival and Guillotine.

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