To see the cards themselves, check out this Card list for the Reflections 2.0 set.

#2249-Adapted to Service Us, Event, Cost: 1 /R/

-To play this event, you must command three [Borg] personnel. Plays in your core. When you win combat or an engagement involving your [Borg] personnel, you may discard the top card of your deck to take command of an opponent's event that has no cards on it. (Move that event to your core.)

"Recognize it?... It's your nanovirus. With a few modifications. We've reprogrammed it to target the mutated drones."

PICTURE: A good Borg pic, with nice colors and shading and a dramatic shot of the Queen, but it doesn't relate very well with the title and effect, as often happens with these Borg mottos. It's more of a companion to the lore. That said, it still looks good, and gets a 3.4.

LORE: Rather specific to the virus from "Unimatrix Zero", but does the job of showing a concrete example of adapting something to serving the Borg. Also relates well to the game text. Not particularly witty, but then, the Borg rarely are. A 3.2.

TREK SENSE: One of the things the Borg do is absorb technologies and cultures, and adapt them for their own needs. This is the relevant card. First, you need to have a Collective going (the 3 Borg). This is a little odd, in the sense that usually, these requirements are to prove you actually are using an affiliation, as opposed to only reporting one for some effect. But since you can't mix and match the Borg with others, a single Borg would be proof enough. Odd, but quite acceptable as a measure of the manpower (dronepower?) required of any task. Ok, so when you've won a battle against an opponent, you assimilate something about their culture or technology, as represented by an Event. The normal expenditure of resources to accomplish this is there in the form of a draw deck discard, and the Cost is low because this is a very natural thing for the Borg. It all seems TOO easy, in a way. Events with cards on them aren't eligible, but when you check those out, they would either be "occupied" by personnel or ships (and we're not assimilating those right now), or are in the process of Decaying (the Borg want some new shiny toys). There are exceptions, but they're not a big issue. No more than all the Events that just wouldn't help the Borg, or are too affiliation-related to help them. A very fun idea worth 4.4 here.

STOCKABILITY: I love this thing! Its Cost is very low and it may be reused again and again. You need to win a battle, sure, but the Borg have a number of ways of doing this (and engagements are fairly easy for them). You still get the reward for the battle, PLUS this effect if you want it. A simple discard from the top of the draw deck and you take control of an opponent's Event. You may wind up with many events, none of which cost you any counters. There are three reasons to assimilate (read: steal) an opponent's events. First, because they would help you! It takes something good from them and turns the tables on their deck. Commonly used events like Machinations are prime targets. Second, you may just want to take away an opponent's advantage. You don't really need it, but if your opponent played it, he or she means to use it. Too bad. And third (usually in combination with the last one), you can just grab unusable Events to convert into discards for the likes of Defragmentation Drone who turns them into read card draws. Even the events that have cards on them will start out without any, and can be stolen at the right moment. A very cheap card that hurts them and helps you, what could go wrong? (A Borg opponent also using Adapted to Service Us could steal your copy!) Never works the same way, but with the need for having events in play growing, you're sure to have targets. A high 4.7.

TOTAL: 15.7 (78.5%) Reflections 2.0 is off to a rockin' start (as opposed to a rocky start).

#2261-Aftermath, Dilemma, space/planet, Cost: 3 /R/

-Randomly select three personnel. If the total cost of those personnel is 4 or less, they are killed. Otherwise, randomly select one of those personnel to be stopped.

"Lieutenant, I need bandages, disinfectant... something with alcohol in it."

PICTURE: I'm of two minds about this one. On the one hand, the casualties on the ground look realistic and gruesome, which makes the pic chilling. On the other, the colors come off too blue, and the crowd in the background is framed badly. They're ghostly and creepy with that color palette. Composition's not great, and it just doesn't look like a memorable moment of the series. A 2.7.

LORE: Doctor's orders, but the title is much more vague than that. Vaguer, but goes better with the game text than the quote. Quote matches the pic, but other than that... An average effort at 2.9.

TREK SENSE: Where to begin? Let's sort of ignore the title, because it's clearly post-dilemma, and doesn't explain why anyone would die here. But something does happen. A massacre of some sort, and explosion maybe. Alright. In the Aftermath of that disaster, you find out that either 3 of your personnel are dead, or that Ensign Bobs (in space) or locals (on planets) are dead and wounded and need medical help. The first possible effect follows the Star Trek tradition known as redshirts. Low cost personnel, who don't always equate with disposable personnel, but usually are exactly that, are always getting killed. Of course, a high-cost personnel in the randomly selected sample can save the other two. There's no clear story here as to what happens exactly. After all, a trio of weenies would not be saved if no high-cost personnel was selected among them, yet crews are present together. With the second effect, there's a question as to why the stopped personnel isn't Medical, if we go by pic and lore. Other than that, why does it have to be one of the random three? Again, no story. Cost is ok if we're talking about some kind of surprise disaster that can kill a bunch of people. Ultimately, this is a mechanical exercise that doesn't really work parallel to the show. Barely manages its 1.8.

STOCKABILITY: A weenie-hoser if I ever saw one, if the 3 selected personnel are the cheapest of weenies (one of them may cost 2), all three are killed. That's worth the 3 counters, I should say. Now that we also have Cost 0 personnel, you might even hit a bigger personnel. Mains are also getting some cheaper versions, cheaper but still pretty useful. They are all at risk. Should be most successful against Terok Nor dissidents and the Borg, which have a lot of weenies even if they don't care to create weenie decks specifically. Even if the dilemma doesn't hit, you still get to filter out one of the trio. There's at least a one in three chance you'd get a higher-cost personnel, since the trio was worth more than 4. Weenie decks remain popular, and this dilemma has an effect no matter what. That's a strong 4.1.

TOTAL: 11.5 (57.5%) After all that, there are too many problems to get a passing score.

#2273-Alexander Rozhenko - K'mtar, Personnel, Klingon, Cost: 4, unique /R/

-Human/Klingon; 2 Diplomacy, Honor, Programming, Transporters; Command icon; Future icon

-High Council Member; When you play this personnel, if each of your non-headquarters missions requires Diplomacy, you may download up to two events, then play each of them at cost -3.

"I never became a warrior! I became a diplomat! A 'peacemaker'."

-INTEGRITY: 8, CUNNING: 5, STRENGTH: 8

PICTURE: Though the pic is firelit and moody, totally in keeping with its template's color palette, it comes off as dark and a little blurry. Even the composition is lackluster. A dull, but ok 3.

LORE: "K'mtar" tells us about Alexander's future, HIS future. A very fitting quote for a Future personnel. The quotation marks around "peacemaker" also gives it a distasteful Klingon spin. Deserves its 3.6.

TREK SENSE: A possible Future self for Alexander is K'mtar. In that timeline, he became a great Diplomat (twice the skill), certainly deserving of Honor and high Integrity. In that future, he's a member of the High Council, so the Command icon is natural, though Leadership might also have been part of the equation. Programming could stem from his work creating holodeck simulations for his younger self. Transporters is a mystery to me, though I admit not having seen "Firstborn" in ages. Does it have to do with the (as far as I know, unexplained) method of time travel he used? Not sure I like his special ability either. He's a great diplomat, sure, but while in the present (where the game takes place), his mind wasn't on Diplomacy missions, but rather on making Alexander NOT become a diplomat. So why would having K'mtar in play in the present reward you for making him do a diplomatic tour of the galaxy? The reward is also highly vague, with the events perhaps representing things gained through treaties (their Cost negotiated down), or else things he's brought into being thanks to future knowledge (though how that would work isn't really clear). Attributes not mentioned include a surprisingly average Cunning, especially for someone of his achievements. Not sure it's appropriate even if his trip to the past was foolish. The Strength matches his actions in the episode however. His Cost is high since he's not only a High Council Member, but one not of this time. And of course, there's always the problem with him not being able to interact with another Alexander since they have the same title. Decipher really does have to give us a card that would allow Future/AU icon cards to interact with similarly-titled cards lacking these icons. I'm afraid I can't go higher than 2.3.

STOCKABILITY: K'mtar is one of those new-fangled personnel that encourage certain missions. In this case, creating a Klingon Diplomacy deck. It's quite possible, with as many as 10 possible missions, and with K'mtar himself, you'll have the proper skill base (plus the super-useful Honor, the somewhat rare Transporters and a little Programming thrown in for good measure... and some great attributes). As a High Council Member, you can even download him via Guidance of the Council. If each of your missions requires Diplomacy, you get to download 2 events and play them for -3 cost, which might be for free in many cases. That's in addition to an event download triggered by his being played where K'Tal is present. These could be anything, from battle permission slips to the always useful Warrior's Birthright to dilemma manipulators. Anything. Helps justify his high Cost, at any rate. And note that Diplomacy often has an alternative requirement attached. You don't necessarily have to load up with Diplomacy personnel (though there are many decent ones). Add those cards that use the Future icon - Fitting In gains access to some excellent attributes, for example - and you get a rather high 4.

TOTAL: 12.9 (64.5%) I do like that the designers try to instill some life in atypical missions (like those without Honor, in this case).

#2285-Annexation Drone, Personnel, Borg, Cost: 3 /R/

-Borg; Geology, Navigation, Physics, Transporters; Staff icon

-Drone; When you play this personnel, if each of your non-headquarters missions is an [AQ] mission, score 5 points. When you lose command of this personnel, remove it from the game.

"Task: Review targets for expansion in peripheral unimatrices. Classify."

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

PICTURE: A lot of elements playing off each other, but it works ok. The golden tones are fairly original, and Chakotay appearing in the corner helps thematically with the Annexation idea, especially since he is "peripheral" to the drone (more on this under Lore). A fun pic of a Borg aboard Voyager, and it fits the drone type well. Hits 3.5.

LORE: I'm sensitive to wordplay, and sometimes, I do detect this type of joke where, perhaps, none was intended. In this case, the word "peripheral" conjures up "peripheral vision", and so there's something fun about the pictured drone having Chakotay in its peripheral vision, and even more with the drone not seeming to HAVE peripheral vision because of that bulky eyepiece on its face. We're peripheral to it too. Well handled lore whether this was a conscious choice or not, and the drone's name works too. A 3.5.

TREK SENSE: Keeping the drone's Task in mind, we can see how his skills would be wide-ranging. If the Collective wants to annex a planet, he classifies it using Geology; if a spatial phenomenon, he uses Physics; a sector of space, Navigation; people, Transporters. Well, it's a bit glib, as Anthropology would no doubt have been a better gauge of people, but there's no real problem with him having Transporters either. Maybe he reviews targets by getting samples, or calculates coordinates for beam-down points. It's debatable, but very acceptable nonetheless. As for the special ability, it ties into the idea of assimilating another unimatrix. Now I do believe there's more than one of these in each quadrant, but here, he's a drone designed to go to the Alpha Quadrant. His classification of far-away mission sites would seem to be a small goal, since 5 points are scored. But why only if all missions are in the AQ? Wouldn't he have to classify missions there even if there was a single one? What about the GQ? It drives a "TNG"-style theme (as opposed to a Voyager DQ theme), but otherwise, it doesn't quite work. There's also no real reason extra Annexation Drones should score points after the first one has scored his. I'm also not sure why, aside from mechanical considerations, you would remove him from play when you he is killed or captured. Drones can be recycled much more than typical personnel, after all. The Cost matches the abilities, but as a simple drone, it's hard to justify that Cost to the Collective. A good skill list, but otherwise quite problematic. Manages no more than a 2.

STOCKABILITY: The Borg have some DQ missions, and their HQ is that quadrant, but their ships are fast enough not to be that bothered by the +2 Range required to go abroad. Between Distant Exploration and Annexation Drone, there's no reason not to do just that, and in fact, every reason to do so. Distant Exploration will get you +5 points when solving that AQ mission. Fine. But Annexation Drone will, each time it is reported, score 5 points for just having all missions in the Alpha Quadrant. The game text is set up so that you can never play each copy more than once, so no tricks allowed, but since you can have 3 copies of any card, you stand to make 15 free points from this guy. And while he's in play, he's not at all useless! 4 skills, useful in a variety of situations, some for planets, some for space. Though limited in your mission selection, Annexation Drone puts his latinum where his mouth is, proving skills for Plot Invasion and Expand the Collective, which expands your choices. Yes, he's Costly, but if you're using this theme, you'll want Annexation Drones in your deck. And hey, it can't really be captured and used by your opponent. An excellent 4.

TOTAL: 13 (65%) I like thematic helpers, I do.

#2297-Biogenic Weapon, Event, Cost: 2, unique /R/

-To play this event, you must command two [Fed][Maquis] personnel. Plays on a mission. This mission cannot be attempted unless its owner has completed each other non-headquarters mission he or she commands.

"He launched three stratospheric torpedoes at the planet and spread cobalt diselenide throughout the biosphere. ...The Cardassians are already evacuating."

PICTURE: A bit underwhelming actually. The planet is fine, and the torpedoes racing towards it represent the Weapon, but it's all so dull. The torps look like mere flashes of light, and there's not much in the color department. It's a good thing it's foiled or there would be very little interest. I agree this is a hard one to pull off (atmospheric explosions, perhaps?), but there you have it. A 2.5.

LORE: Puts the point across, though the exact Biogenic compounds are just technobabble to my ears (or eyes). Also makes a promise the game text can't keep. Still, a solid effort worth its average 3.

TREK SENSE: A dreadfully incomplete picture of what Biogenic Weapons can do, the card does make this a Maquis strategy by requiring 2 Fed Maquis in play. Why Feds? Because Maquis in other affiliations can work with their affiliations without really being Maquis. The Federation kind are tied to the Maquis HQ and their presence proves Maquis involvement. Plus, they may find it easier to gain access to these proscribed materials (justifiably unique). The Weapon basically makes a mission unattemptable by dispersing poison/disease into the atmosphere of the planet. Did I say planet? Why yes, it's quite wrong-headed that this would work on space missions. Now, the mission can't be attempted, granted (it may even disappear in the case of a Diplomatic mission with an evacuated population), but your personnel can still go there for rest and relaxation. Nothing prevents it. If you can go, and the mission was just some kind of mineral survey or whatever, what prevents it anyway? Of course, the effects are reversed if you have nowhere else to go, which may mean that it's too much trouble to attempt the mission right now until it gets cleaned up (time for clean-up varies, but seems too quick in any event). Even the Cost is outrageously low for a regulated item like this. Just doesn't pass the Trek Sense test. How about 1.7?

STOCKABILITY: Possibly the most powerful card in the Maquis arsenal, with Biogenic Weapon, you can force your opponent to complete all 4 of their missions, and that's a nasty trick. For example, say they seeded 3 planets and 1 space. You'd play the card on the space mission, so to score a win, they'd have to complete all 3 planets before Biogenic Weapon can be dispelled. In more balanced spacelines, players will still use some easy mission or two as a finishing move or to get a good foundation before all personnel are reported. Most 3-mission wins include a 4th mission that isn't really meant to be completed. Well, now it has to be (you have to gauge which is which, of course). Point differentials may prove deadly, say if three missions are worth 30 points, and another more. Stock more than one if you'd like to do a switcheroo by destroying your own Event (with Santos, for example), or in case your opponent does so. (How many points is he or she willing to lose to Amanda Rogers, I wonder - not that there aren't other ways to nullify Events.) Serious interference for your opponent, and it's not even costly to play it. You only need 2 personnel to get it into play (measly), and it costs only 2 counters! How could the Maquis not use this? Not being foolproof, it can't be perfect, but a high 4.8 seems reasonable.

TOTAL: 12 (60%) High marks in Stockability save the card from Rolodex failure.

#2309-Bustling with Activity, Event, Cost: 2 /R/

-Plays in your core. Each time you play a personnel at Mouth of the Wormhole, each player may discard a card from hand to download a personnel of the same affiliation as the played personnel.

"With the discovery of the wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant, Deep Space 9 became a center of commerce and base of exploration virtually overnight."

PICTURE: A very nice and offbeat pic, showing a small crowd of people, those nifty acrobats (one of them spinning in mid-air) from "Fascination", and some pleasant colors and lights. A cozy composition and an original angle on the Promenade. I give it a cool 3.7.

LORE: Written lore rather than a quote from the show, it's fine, without being particularly great. The link to the game text is clear. Manages 3.2.

TREK SENSE: I like this. The Event states that where there are people, more people are sure to follow. The Mouth of the Wormhole HAS become a hotspot in the quadrant, and the station IS usually Bustling with Activity. When a personnel plays there, others of its affiliation tend to go there too. That's a limited view, since a Ferengi merchant might well attract Bajorans or Non-Aligneds there as well. The downloaded card replaces the discard, which is as good an explanation of that cost as any. All players may exercise that option so that the HQ really does "Bustle". The more, the merrier. As for Cost, I suppose it could represent setting up proper docking facilities and procedures, or simply getting the word out to the galactic community. Though some aspects require justifications, this is a quite likeable idea at 3.7.

STOCKABILITY: A personnel-downloading engine for either DS9 or Terok Nor decks, it's balanced in a few ways, but none are big problems. The first is that those HQs allow multiple affiliations to report there, but the download has to be of a personnel of the same type. So you can't download Quark after playing Sisko. Still, there's encouragement here to use more than one of each possible affiliation, or a single focused affiliation, with each reporting personnel breeding the next. Well, there's a discard to consider, but that's a common enough cost. Many key affiliations can make use of them anyway. The second balancing factor is that your opponents can also download a card. That's IF they have personnel of the same affiliation. That's entirely possible since both HQs are multi-affiliation in nature. Even Romulans and Klingons should eventually get DS9 personnel. Your chances are probably 50/50 as it is, though NAs are probably out of the question. Also note that you can't initiate a download when you PLACE a personnel on your HQ, so watch out for those effects. A help in getting your cards out, though of course, it can't be put into motion until Bustling itself is out. With Dissidents, the discards required may be a bit overwhelming, but other personnel shouldn't be a problem. The balancing factors reduce the usefulness of the card, but it remains an interesting tool for two particular HQs. A 3.4.

TOTAL: 14 (70%) Interesting to see cards for specific HQs, rather than actual affiliations.

#2321-Change of Heart, Interrupt, BC /R/

-To play this interrupt, you must command three [Rom] personnel. When a random selection is made by a dilemma, you may ignore its results and select again.

"Commander Donatra appeared to Suran for support when she came to realize not only that do the ends not justify the means, but that Shinzon's goals had little to do with hers."

PICTURE: And here I thought it would come from the episode of the same name, but that wouldn't do for a Romulan card. Too bad it had to be that way, because a couple of Rommies from Nemesis just sort of going their separate ways isn't very inspiring (nor is that what they're meant to be doing according to the lore). Seems hardly relevant to the effect, so only a 2.

LORE: Not a quote, just a context for the Change of Heart, one that almost manages to make sense of the card's effect. And it wastes a DS9-related title. Another below average score at 2.2.

TREK SENSE: In Nemesis, the Romulans were split into factions, but we've seen other people faction off this way, including the Klingons and Bajorans, so that this Change of Heart would be Romulan-only doesn't sit well with me. The effect suffers from conceptualism. The card would have us believe that the Romulans in control of any given situation might change gears and direct their attention to a different opponent. Makes sense on the surface, but since dilemmas aren't related to a player's affiliation... Now, there may be something to the notion that the Romulans, being master manipulators, have a hand in what dilemmas an opponent might face, but that's a little facetious, and won't work on a case by case basis. And what about the dilemmas they themselves face? What's the justification there? And if they are so cunning, why is it a random selection in the first place? And one replaced by yet another random selection? I'm afraid I can't go higher than a 0.7.

1E TREK SENSE: I don't see a change between environments, so again, a 0.7.

STOCKABILITY: An Interrupt with the Alien Gambling Device's ability, the differences being that the card is spent once used, is Romulan-only, only works for dilemmas, and has no Cost. A fair bargain? Well, having a Gambling Device in a crew makes it vulnerable and obvious to all opponents, and will only work at its location. Nothing's stopping you from using the AGD for one selection, and on the same turn, use a Change of Heart for another. Twist of Fate is another, similar card, that can save a third personnel. Someone gets hit anyway, of course, but this could save an important personnel. Of course, you need to hope for a less important personnel as the new selectee. Perhaps the card works better offensively, with your forcing an opponent to choose a MORE important personnel after a weenie has been randomly selected. Here, though your Romulans have access to cards that make them follow or "be" at an opponent's mission easily, Change of Heart may be more practical than an AGD. But random selections being what they are, there's always a risk, and then the Interrupt would be in the discard pile. A 3.6.

1E STOCKABILITY: Similar, though of course, it's far easier to make use of the card without actually playing all-Romulans. Defensively, the Alien Gambling Device is a better deal (adjacency, no Cost, etc.). Offensively, it's a good surprise, though still risky (random for random), and a lot easier to play than having to follow Away Teams around a spaceline. A little better here, and little worse there... Let's keep it at 3.6.

TOTAL: 10.5 (52.5%) Unless I change my mind...

1E TOTAL: 10.5 (52.5%) Nope, still hasn't changed.

#2333-Changed History, Event, Cost: 1, BC /R/

-Temporal; Plays in your core. When you win an engagement involving your [Borg] ship, you may reveal the top card of the loser's deck. If it is a personnel you do not command, you may place him or her on that ship. (You now command that personnel.)

"They must have done it in the past. They went back and assimilated Earth."

PICTURE: A retread of 1E's Assimilate Homeworld, it's the same, but it doesn't look the same. That is, the colors are more sickly this time around, and there are parts of the image now hidden (like parts of Mexico and the Caribbean). Better? Worse? At least Nova Scotia seems to have been restored here. Still a strong image at 4.4 (decimal loss due to loss of detail).

1E PICTURE: Since this creates two cards with the same pic, I'm gonna do something I normally don't and score the Picture a second time. What's with this repeat for a card with a totally different title?!? This time I'm mad, and drop the score to 2.

LORE: Very straightforward, but the classic set-up to First Contact. Fits well with the Borg theme of the card. A solid 3.3.

TREK SENSE: This one's all over the... hum... map. Changing History sure is Temporal, but should it be so easy that it only costs 1? I think not, not even for the Borg, or else they'd do so more often. The effect is then predicated on the Borg winning an engagement. In First Contact, they resort to Changing History because they LOSE one. There, the Sphere goes back in time, and loses its own engagement. But let's say the Enterprise doesn't succeed here (since it prevented Changed History). The Borg have gone back in time, and now a personnel may find itself retroactively assimilated, before it has a chance to get out of the draw deck. That's an interesting idea, though it seems pretty far from "9 billion... all Borg". And when a personnel isn't the top card, nothing happens. Why not? A lot of problems, and so, only a 1.4.
1E TREK SENSE: Cost may not be a factor, but the rest of the review holds. A 1.5.

STOCKABILITY: A cheap Event, but an iffy effect to go with it. What you get out of it is an assimilated personnel BEFORE it is actually played each and every time you win an engagement with your Borg ship. They are powerful enough to win often, but if the "scouted" top card of a draw deck doesn't hold a personnel, there is no effect. I don't think 1 counter is necessarily too much to ask for an intermittent bonus to winning battles (i.e. in addition to those given by the Maneuver card), but I do wish it had a little more bite. Play three (still cheap) to get that bite, assimilating up to 3 personnel at a time. Still not easy to check on the top card beforehand, since the Borg don't really have Thieves (with Pickpocket). An ok effect then, at the right price. At least, it's a cheapo to enable Ohhhh! Nothing Happened! with. A 3.5.

1E STOCKABILITY: In 1E, you have the added complication of needing special permissions to attack using the Borg. They can be attacked, but only when an opponent thinks he can win. And no 2E Borg Maneuvers are compatible. Cost 1 or not, that's your card play. Not really worth being used too often then, even if deck manipulation is possibly easier. A 2.5.

TOTAL: 12.6 (63%) Pretty average for a Borg card.

1E TOTAL: 9.3 (46.5%) Probably didn't need to be 1E-compatible.

#2345-Dark Secrets, Interrupt /R/

-Pah-wraith; When your [Baj] personnel is facing a dilemma, remove two cards in your discard pile from the game to make each of your [Baj] personnel attributes +1 until the end of that dilemma (or +3 if you choose an opponent to choose the two cards you remove from the game instead).

"The Pah-wraiths aren't evil, but they are powerful. And they're willing to share their power with you. ...do you want it?"

PICTURE: The burning pages of the Kosst Amojen are beautiful and dramatic, revealing, as it does, secret Bajoran texts. A good 3.7.

LORE: Funny that one of the brightest pictures would be accompanied by a "Dark" title. The bargain with the devil as stated by Dukat is self-serving, but enticing. A well done 3.5.

TREK SENSE: The Pah-wraiths' Dark Secrets can give your personnel power, but they do take a toll. That toll is represented by 2 cards from the discard pile. For the Bajorans, that's their pool of reclaimable resources and/or elements of their ancient culture. Thematically ok, since the ancient texts are from that culture, and more benign traditions are set aside to make way for the Pah-wraiths'. It's tabula rasa before the ol' Golden Age. The greater the toll, the greater the power, which is the point of allowing your opponent to select the cards in your stead. Thematically, there are shades of a Cardassian (Dukat) choosing the Bajorans' path, but it's pretty thin. The boost itself being triggered by a dilemma is iffy as well, as is its duration. Not much of a Golden Age after all. The Pah-wraiths just help you through the one danger. That's ok (for example, the dilemma may be to find the ritual), though why they boost Integrity as well as Cunning and Strength is a mystery. No matter what Dukat says, they ARE evil. Plays very loose indeed, and as an Interrupt, it even goes against how hard it was to unlock those Dark Secrets. The themes are interesting, but the execution is haphazard. A 1.8.

STOCKABILITY: Bajorans key off a number of effects from cards in their discard pile. It's what they do. But not all the cards in there are useful, and some could be sacrificed. With Dark Secrets, you can sacrifice 2 of those to give each of your Bajorans +1 in every attribute. A small hike for a lone Bajoran, but a large crew would benefit a lot, and the card doesn't discriminate as to which attribute. When in great jeopardy from a dilemma, possibly when using a smaller crew (or a crew that has been whittled down), a +3 bonus would be better. If you go that route, then an opponent chooses which cards are placed out of play. This could be interesting for 2 players trying to take down a third (does this happen much in multi-player games?), but usually, you're placing yourself in the hands of that opponent. Still, discarded cards are discarded cards. Just watch what you throw away consciously, and be prepared to write off any cards you truly lost. This card may just save you from Dangerous Climb or Whisper in the Dark (to name but two). The Pah-wraith keyword is useless for now, but that shouldn't last. Right now, this might be a good exit from a big dilemma, or it may turn out to be useless. It all depends on the dilemmas you face. A 3.6.

TOTAL: 12.6 (63%) Can't give glowing reviews to evil, can I?

#2357-Deanna Troi - Major Rakal, Personnel, Romulan, Cost: 2, unique /R/

-Betazoid/Human; Anthropology, Telepathy; Command icon

-While this personnel is present with a [Rom] Dissident personnel, she is attributes +1 and gains Intelligence, Leadership, and Security.

"How typical of the military to resort to brute force when discretion is required."

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

PICTURE: Same as 1E's, but the shoulder pads are better suited to the more horizontal frame, but the image is fairly equivalent to its old self. Again, we have a good composition based on triangles, with enough color to keep one's interest. It all comes together into a 4.

LORE: A reproachful quote that says something about the Tal Shiar, but can also refer to Troi's situation. A good enough 3.4.

TREK SENSE: There is a question as to whether or not Rakal should be a Romulan or a Federation Infiltrator. The jury's still out on Infiltrator status, but since she was working with Romulan Dissidents and not the Federation, the affiliation is a fair choice. Thanks to a Dissident faction, the Romulans were more or less Infiltrating themselves, but I'm flogging a dead horse here. Another keyword that might've made sense is Dissident, or do you have to truly espouse Dissident values and agendas to count as one? There's also a problem with Cost, as far as I'm concerned. Grabbing a Federation officer, surgically transforming her into a Romulan and setting up her identity as a Tal Shiar agent can't possibly be that easy. Now, on to the good stuff. I do like the way they've split her skills. Her listed skills are those of Troi herself - Telepathy (empathy) and Anthropology (psychology). If a Dissident is present, she's told what to do and what to say, boosting her attributes (more on that in a second) and helping her "sell" the idea that she's in the Tal Shiar. That role includes Intelligence, Leadership and Security, all well related to that agency. The Command icon should maybe be included in that package, though Troi has it as a Fed as well. It's so intimately linked to Leadership in my mind. I'm glad to see that Troi's attributes remain the same as her Federation self/selves. I was never comfortable with the 1E style of changing attributes to fit the role, as if play-acting would really make the person smarter or less moral. In full Major Rakal mode, she has an attribute boost anyway, though individual boosts may be suspect. She's got more Integrity because she has a cause to fight for? Ok. She's certainly smarter because she's being fed information. But stronger? Not sure how this is so. Overall, however, a much better version than the seriously flawed original, though not without its inconsistencies. A 3.1.

STOCKABILITY: Telepathy is an extremely rare skill, so Major Rakal, at the very least, provides that skill to the Romulan Star Empire. But ok attributes and one other skill does not equate with a Cost 2 weenie. If you're using Dissidents, though, you can make her much better, with 7-6-5 attributes and 3 useful extra skills. Intelligence, in particular, is associated with a number of tricks, including Sensing a Trap, Shadow Operation, The Enterprise Incident, and Protection From the Tal Shiar (to get that second Telepathy, maybe?). Back to the Telepathy, throw in Secret Conspiracy, and you make a mission much harder to complete. That interesting skill pool is what gets her up to 3.5.

TOTAL: 14 (70%) To 1E's 12.9. Major improvement (pun not intended).

#2369-Dignitaries and Witnesses, Dilemma, space/planet, Cost: 4, BC /R/

-Unless you have an Admiral or a General or 3 Leadership, all your personnel are stopped and this dilemma returns to its owner's dilemma pile.

"'Today the guns are silent. A great tragedy has ended. We have known the bitterness of defeat and the exultation of triumph, and from both we have learned there can be no turning back. We must go forward to preserve in peace what we've won in war."

PICTURE: Three species represented, all in a formal, austere row. It sells the concept, and I like the look at the Romulan dress uniform (or whatever that's supposed to be). It's a bit cramped and dark, but holds some interest. A 3.4.

LORE: You know, I always thought it lame that Admiral Ross couldn't think of his own inspirational words in that scene and had to go steal them from General MacArthur. The lore her immortalizes that event. Great words, but they annoy me. MacArthur gets a 4.5, Ross gets a 1.5, and the card gets a 3.5. Is that fair?

TREK SENSE: Doesn't seem like a huge dilemma (so points off for the high Danger Factor), but I'm sure there are situations that call for higher-ups, usually in dealing with native officials. In space, that's less obvious, though the Enterprise has had diplomatic conferences or ferried officials often enough. Besides, the requirements give you several options that might suit any scenario. Two are military: General and Admiral. The other, 3 Leaders, can cover the use of politicians as much as ship officers of higher rank. Relative weight isn't really explored though, so results may vary. But basically, you can't get anything done unless a high-up character officiates, approves, signs off on, etc. It's definitely a war thing, or else Legates, Chancellors, etc. might have made the list. The dilemma returns to the dilemma pile, so I guess whoever or whatever asks for these high-ups eventually settles for lesser cronies. Not without covering a crew in red tape, of course, and plenty of complaining. Think Bashir's role in "The Forsaken" and you'll get an idea. Not perfect, certainly, but makes a good attempt at something different. I'll say 3.6.

1E TREK SENSE: In 1E, the indignant Dignitaries remain as a wall, which is fine (you just never get to pull a Bashir). Since 1E has "keyworded" more titles (President, Proconsul, et al.), the question of the more limited list may come up, though they don't all have a military connection. A slight drop to 3.4.

STOCKABILITY: 3 Leadership is a fairly hefty demand, especially if Officers have been weeded out by a dilemma already, and the other solutions are much rarer, with only 5 Generals in the game (Bajoran, Klingon - just Martok - and Romulan) and 9 Admirals (7 of which are Feds, the others Romulans). Other affiliations will have to come up with the Leadership. The Ferengi and Borg might be in more trouble than Cardassians, Dominion or Klingons, depending on a crew's make-up. Of course, the Borg Queen has the requisite 3 Leadership, so she must die ;-). Pricey, but not a bad combo finisher. If used before Overwhelmed, it might open someone up to a nastier dilemma that requires Leadership (and bye bye Queenie), though you're up to 8 counters right there already, so you won't be able to squeeze off much more than Kolaran Raiders without some help. Takes a little more work if you want to use it as more than a finishing wall. An overall 3.7.

1E STOCKABILITY: A real wall that's not unlike Executive Authorization, D&W is probably easier to pass. Admirals and Generals can report for free to a couple HQs, though that'll only help Feds and Romulans. In 1E, there are Generals in the Dominion, Federation, and Cardassian affiliations too, and Romulan Admirals. A lot more affiliations will be stuck using Leadership, including the 4 DQ natives. The Borg, Vidiians and Ferengi seem most hosed by this dilemma, but Leadership is very common (or interlinkable). Gorn Encounter or Trabe Grenade might filter out the right personnel before an Away Team gets here. At least Cost isn't a problem. Similar enough for the same 3.7.

TOTAL: 14.2 (71%) If you'll only bear witness to these comments.

1E TOTAL: 14 (70%) A poor man's Executive Authorization.

#2381-Disadvantage Into Advantage, Event, Cost: 1 /R/

-To play this event, you must command three [TNG] personnel. Plays in your core. The first unique personnel played each turn costs -2.

"My technique was to look for some thing, no matter... no matter how small, that was common to both groups. And then, to begin a process where one person or one group expresses themselves to each other."

PICTURE: The yellow tint on this card is definitely striking, with Riva waiting for the delegates. You have to know the episode to understand the relevance, but the quote does help with that. A neat enough shot at 3.4.

LORE: Cool title, and the quote offers good advice for diplomats. I could've done without the stumbling repetition, but otherwise, some good dialogue. A 3.3.

TREK SENSE: Riva ISN'T a TNG personnel, but that's the least of this card's problems. It seems to have very little to do with diplomacy or anything Riva-related. There's only the most remote link to turning a Disadvantage Into an Advantage. Being unique is a Disadvantage? I don't know about that. Bottom line, a personnel is reported at a lesser Cost, so makes itself more available. Thematically, they're being drawn in by Riva's techniques, where before they were more reticent. Giving this to TNG personnel follows their diplomatic theme, even if none of that comes up in the effect (maybe if your Non-Aligned personnel were cheaper...). Cost is low because this is just an idea, not anything physical. Quite mechanical, it has trouble staying afloat. I can give it 1.7.

STOCKABILITY: A very cheap Event that makes other cards cheaper, I'd say this card would speed up a TNG deck and make its big mains much more playable. Data for 3 counters, Picard for between 2 and 0, etc. It's like having 2 extra counters, as long as you play a unique personnel card that costs 2 or more. I suppose it's meant to encourage something other than weenie decks. With big androids and such, you don't mind it doing that even in a weenie deck, since it can weenie up a big unique character. That extra speed puts this at 3.5.

TOTAL: 11.9 (59.5%) Hey, just turn that into an advantage.

#2393-Distant Exploration, Event, Cost: 2 /R/

-Plays on your headquarters mission. When you complete a mission that has a different quadrant icon than this mission, score 5 points.

"The lifeforms who created the wormhole have agreed to allow safe passage for all ships traveling to the Gamma Quadrant."

PICTURE: Those weird nodes are really interesting and strange, and the runabout in the middle of it all is certainly faced with the unknown. One is reminded of the old Where No One Has Gone Before picture, where you had no normal frame of reference. We're inside the Bajoran Wormhole, so we're no QUITE in another quadrant here, I'm sorry to say. But the image is striking enough to forgive all that, especially foiled. A 3.8.

LORE: And here we have further explanation of how the picture relates to the game text (though of course, it conveniently forgets about the Delta Quadrant). It's a fair effort, but not really interesting by itself. A 3.

TREK SENSE: Simple and to the point. When you go complete a mission in another quadrant, you have a side-mission that deals with exploring that quadrant at the same time. Sensor scans, observation, etc. You're in a "strange land", and you never know what you'll pick up, even if your main purpose is to Access a Relay Station or make Peaceful Contact or whatever. Depending on the quadrant or even area, 5 points may be too little, but since it's more or less a passive scan with no skill required, I don't see the problem. At first, I thought that Charting/Investigation/Study missions shouldn't be eligible, since they are already about exploring, but the 5 points obviously come from exploring locations between your quadrant access point and the mission. You're going there anyway, so you'd have to justify the extra Cost for Distant Exploration. Off the cuff, I'd surmise it was the sensor package that's put on your ships or advance pay for the work to be done by Ensign Bob. You only pay once for any number of times you might score from the card, and it plays as cumulative, so it's a hard sell. That's the only iffy thing about the card, so a strong 4.4.

STOCKABILITY: In multi-quadrant decks, you can justify your loss of speed with Distant Exploration's bonus points. If all your missions are "abroad", then by all means, don't just play one, but up to 3 copies of Distant Exploration on your HQ to reap as much as (let me do the math here...) 15 points more per mission. After 2 missions, you've score 30 bonus points, which is equivalent to a third mission! Should be a strong incentive for fast ships to head on out. A firm 4.4.

TOTAL: 15.6 (78%) A better card than 1E's Explore Gamma Quadrant, I think.

#2405-Dominion Battleship, Ship, Dominion, Cost: 7, BC /R/

-Battleship [2 Command, 3 Staff] This ship is attributes +1 for each of these species you have aboard it: Changeling, Jem'Hadar, and Vorta.

"...that ship out there is a direct threat to every Federation outpost and colony within fifty light-years."

-RANGE: 9, WEAPONS: 10, SHIELDS: 10

PICTURE: Wow, that's really cool and beautiful, especially when you compare it to the 1E card of the same name, which was a blurry mess. This one has teeth! Not to mention color, detail and weight. Happy to give it its 4.1.

LORE: Certainly makes the ship sound threatening, which is a good thing, but it's a little one-sided. What about ships and non-Federation resources? A good 3.3.

TREK SENSE: This Battleship is HUGE! That's why it requires such high staffing. It probably could have needed even more (I think it was bigger than the similarly staffed Scimitar), but you have to remember that even a Jem'Hadar Warship only requires 3 personnel. The reason, I think, is that in the Dominion, you've been bred to staff a ship, so you're a lot more efficient at it than the usual humanoid. Cost is still way up there, of course, as are the attributes, bettering the Warship's Weapons and Shields by 1. Or more than 1 thanks to the special ability. Now this encourages you to fully staff your ship with all three of the basic Dominion races, showing that each one has its special function aboard ship. Fine, since a Changeling would definitely boost morale, and a ship of only Jem'Hadar or only Vorta would be missing something. At a minimum, the Battleship should be 10-11-11, which accounts for its imperviousness to the Valiant's Weapons 10 (although with all the Cadets aboard, its own attributes would have been much higher than that, ah well). Still a bit close for comfort. I'll say it's a good 4 that you shouldn't look at TOO closely.

1E TREK SENSE: With a Dominion Battleship already in the fleet, it's hard to see how persona-swapping is supposed to work. Why would the ship's attributes, staffing, et al. suddenly change? There's no real call for it, and it just makes this version of the Battleship weaker than it should be (still higher than the Warship thankfully). Gone is the Holodeck (never proven anyway) and the Invasive Transporters... The switch really is problematic. Even if you're not into swapping, a lone 2E Battleship is underpowered and missing elements, though the staffing is perhaps now more appropriate. Again, this ship is made GQ when it was clearly built on our side of the Wormhole while it was closed. All things considered, I think this is a drop to 2.

STOCKABILITY: 5 staffing icons is a lot to ask for, but you certainly get the attributes that come with that price (not to mention the 7 counters). To get those icons, you'll have to bring aboard all three Dominion species, which should put those attributes at a whopping 12-13-13. You shouldn't have trouble with battles from then on. With 12 Range, you should also have no trouble coming and going from the Gamma Quadrant inside of a single turn. Fast! Even without all your species aboard, it's still a strong ship, rather impossible to find at its printed levels (you'll always have at least one species aboard. Still a matter of needed 2 more staffing icons than the already powerful Warship, but in a one-ship strategy, this could be pretty impregnable and auto-sufficient. A 4.

1E STOCKABILITY: The 1E version has higher natural attributes which can be boosted using VR Headset, Invasive Transporters to stage your personnel battles, and a Holodeck to report those nifty side-abilities found on NA holograms. Furthermore, it requires 1 less staffing icon, and can use Crew Reassignment to report Jem'Hadar aboard. Why would I use the 2E version, or swap for it, ever? 12-13-13 is nice, but the 1E ship starts at 10-11-12 (not far). Have one VR Headset and Captain's Log, and you get an impressive 10-15-16 with just one Vorta in the crew. Absolutely no reason to have made this card backwards-compatible. It's still a strong ship, and I have to acknowledge that, but it certainly pales in comparison to the original. A 1.5.

TOTAL: 15.4 (77%) Not perfect, but packs quite a punch.

1E TOTAL: 10.9 (54.5%) Wins over the original by half a percent, mostly because it had one of the worst pictures ever (got 0).

#2418-Enabran Tain - "Retired" Spymaster, Personnel, Cardassian, Cost: 3, unique /R/

-Cardassian; Anthropology, 2 Intelligence, Security, 2 Treachery; Command icon

-When you play this personnel, if each of your non-headquarters missions requires Intelligence, you may draw up to seven cards, then discard two cards from hand.

"I take this action not in defiance of the Cardassian state, but in defense of it."

-INTEGRITY: 2, CUNNING: 7, STRENGTH: 3

PICTURE: A lot of rich colors and a cool play of light and shadow, but there's perhaps too much going on in the background, including Garak and a Romulan loitering around. Tain's expression is silly and he's too low in the picture. I'm afraid I can't go higher than 2.8 here

LORE: This is our second "Retired" Enabran Tain, but this time the quotation marks means he's not quite as Retired as the other version. The lore itself? A justification for his actions and the bad company he's keeping, but nothing too witty. A 3.3.

TREK SENSE: There's a big question as to the redundancy of this version of Enabran Tain. Isn't he in the very same position as Head of the Obsidian Order? Both are from the Romulan ship and that particular endeavor! And if they wanted to concentrate more on his "retirement", well, we already had Retired Mastermind. So I'm just not sure where he's coming from. The 2 Intelligence for being still top dog of the Order is there, but not the Leadership (Command icon, yes). Security and 2 Treachery have been on all his cards and rightly so. The new skill here is Anthropology, which helps him work with Romulans, as well as understand various enemies of the state. Makes sense, but I'd rather have seen it on one of the other versions. Cost takes a -1 from Head of the OO, to signal the retirement, I suppose. Attributes haven't changed, of course, from the low, low Integrity, to the high Cunning, to the aged man's Strength. That's all fine. The special ability is gonna read conceptually, I'm afraid, since it deals with resource management. It basically says that if all your missions have an Intelligence angle to them (i.e. he planned or ordered them all), he can better allocate your resources, bringing 7 to the fore (the hidden fleet, for example) and discarding 2 (the Obsidian Order personnel he had killed to hide this allocation). Conceptually very sound, and he IS in a position to make this happen. Where conceptualism often sinks a card, in this case, it helps save a personnel that's just too close to other versions to make sense without it. Until then unconvincing, we get back to a 3.

STOCKABILITY: You have 3 Tains to choose from at the moment if you're playing Cardassians (although Head of the OO might be used in a joint Romulan deck). While Head is good for space combat and Mastermind has some sticking power during mission attempts, Spymaster should be used when, for skill redundancy, you're playing with Intelligence missions only. If each of your missions requires that skill (and the Cardassians can of course pull it off), then playing Tain will net you a large hand draw, at the cost of discarding 2 cards (either from your old hand or your new one). Massive resource management and you save a number of counters this way. Tain has only one good attribute, but some good skills, including double helpings of Treachery and Intelligence. The rest is good too, and he should be helpful in solving those Intel missions (Intercept Renegade comes to mind, for example). He should also easily go through dilemmas like A Klingon Matter, Primitive Culture and Damaged Reputation. And if you allow him to be killed, more copies of him could be played for further card draws, and he's not that Costly. We suggest using High Command "Motivation", which also allows you to play a lot of those drawn cards. So there you have it: A 4.

TOTAL: 13.1 (65.5%) Not quite at Mastermind's level.

#2431-Eye to Eye, Dilemma, space/planet, Cost: 4, BC /R/

-Your opponent names a number. Randomly select two personnel. Each of those personnel that has an attribute matching that number is stopped.

"You don't trust me." "I guess I am... a little... afraid of you." "Then you fear yourself."

PICTURE: What's interesting here is that we get an actual mirror shot from a Mirror Universe episode. Fun. And this also gets points for being a mirror of both Head to Head and Face to Face. Again, a fun theme. Unfortunately, the card is entirely too dark, with a strong white light anchoring the whole thing and drowning the characters in shadow. With that deduction, we're down to a still potable 3.3.

LORE: Again, we get bonus points for the HtH/FtF theme, and further, there's a nice circular logic that can only apply to "doubles" episodes like this one. Interesting stuff, it gets a good 3.8.

TREK SENSE: This is where it might fail. Similar to Head to Head, for example, but requiring an attribute number rather than a skill, and making the penalty "stopped" instead of "killed". Thematically, you get 2 personnel, just like in the picture, and they may be stopped just like The Intendent stopped Kira. But that's it. Like its cousins, the dilemma is actually something else. There, unseen assailants had chosen a skill they didn't like or wanted out of the way, grabbed a couple of personnel, and killed anyone with that skill. Worked in a way. In this case, attribute numbers are a lot more abstract. I mean, why would you stop a personnel with 3 Integrity, but not one with 2 Integrity? And why both the immoral 3 Integrity and the weakling 3 Strength? See, you don't even have to match attributes, only the number is important. And though a game might be quantified, the real world isn't really like that. It falls apart, despite having a fair Cost. How often would you meet yourself exactly? ;) I'm afraid I can't go higher than 1.6.

1E TREK SENSE: I think the same can be said here, so the same 1.6.

STOCKABILITY: At Cost 4, it should be a very good dilemma, but I'm not sure it really is. If we compare it again to Head to Head and Face to Face, Eye to Eye can be played at either planet or space missions (good), but it doesn't kill, it only stops (not so good). Naming a skill may be a lot easier to tailor to a mission (and to the upcoming dilemmas) than naming an attribute number, but you have 3 chances per personnel to hit said number. The 4-6 range should hit the couple fairly often. Still a Costly filter, and still pretty random. Not as enthusiastic as with the other two dilemmas, I can't do better than 3.7.

1E STOCKABILITY: A 1E player would face another difficulty, namely that attributes vary a lot more in that environment. The average range is probably closer to 4-8 and there's no upward cap. You should probably go for Integrity, which doesn't go above 10, but you really do take a greater chance than with a skill call. On the other hand, the high Cost means nothing to that same 1E player. Filtering up to 2 personnel would be a good thing, so let's say 3.3.

TOTAL: 12.4 (62%) Same as Face to Face, far below Head to Head.

1E TOTAL: 12 (60%) The lowest of all of them.

#2444-Final Adventure, Dilemma, space/planet, Cost: 3 /R/

-Consume: 2 (Your opponent places the top two cards of his or her dilemma pile and places them face up beneath this mission.) Your opponent names a number. For each of your headquarters missions, randomly select a personnel who has a cost equal to that number to be killed and this dilemma returns to its owner's dilemma pile.

"The least I could do... for the Captain of the Enterprise."

PICTURE: Kirk's death is a shocker, and we're really seeing it close up here, but there's a plasticity to his skin's sheen that distracts from the scene. Still, does the job, and I can't think of anyone else's death that would have served the title as well. Kirk was the biggest adventurer there was in Star Trek, at least, who's journey had to end. A 3.6.

LORE: Not his last line, which might have been jarring, but one of his last, underscoring his sacrifice, commitment to duty, and the circular nature of Star Trek. A good 3.5.

TREK SENSE: Basically, this dilemma's effect is a kind of joke. Simply put, your personnel dies because "his or her number was up." Otherwise, it doesn't deal very well with the concept of a Final Adventure. What works is the Consume keyword, since this Final Adventure would indeed be comprised of more than one dilemma situation - it's a whole Adventure! However, the relationship between a named Cost and a personnel's death is mystifying beyond the joke mentioned above. A high-Cost personnel might be older, more experienced, in which case their Final Adventure would have more gravitas, but the player is not held to that and may call out the number 1. The fact that the dilemma returns to the pile takes away from its finality and drama, though of course, every mission might be someone's last (often is). Why is the number of HQs relevant? It's isn't really. And the Danger Factor could probably be higher since this is in many ways a suicide mission (of course, the Consumed dilemmas are part of the Cost , but that's neither here nor there). A weak 1.4.

STOCKABILITY: There's a Cost that goes beyond counters with the Consume mechanic, but you can be sure of killing a personnel with this one. Unless you're silly enough to call out a number that does not correspond to a personnel present's Cost, of course. But say you don't make that mistake, you can go after a big 5-Cost gun (possibly the only one, snatching up that Data that's causing you problems, or at least limiting the number of possibilities for the random selection), or you could just throw the net wide and go after any weenie, etc. If your opponent is playing with more than one HQ, then you get even more kills. Furthermore, while you do Consume 2 dilemmas, this one will never go under the mission as overcome, not adding to that stack. Not particularly cheap, but a possibly surgical killer that should never fail to send someone to the discard pile. A 3.8.

TOTAL: 12.3 (61.5%) Playing numbers games in dilemmas creates flexible and/or difficult to prepare for effects, but it's hard on the Trek Sense.

#2457-Friction, Event, Cost: 2, BC /R/

-To play this event, you must command three [Dom] personnel. Plays in your core. When a player plays a non-Jem'Hadar personnel, that personnel is stopped.

"All right, that's enough. ...Now the two of you, sit down. I promise, you'll both have more fight than you can handle before this is over."

PICTURE: Rather dark and claustrophobic, it serves the concept well, in a sense, but those grainy foreground and background legs are just ugly and distracting. For aesthetic concerns, I'm only giving this one a 2.3.

LORE: Friction only, so the quote puts an end to the scuffle. And having Sisko call for a cool-down period goes hand in hand with the game text. A 3.4.

TREK SENSE: Sure, Jem'Hadar are very aggressive and likely to cause Friction, and ok, someone in charge might order some personnel not to antagonize them (thereby stopping them), but since the card does not require Jem'Hadar to be present where the non-Jemmie is reported, it doesn't quite work. And no consequences for the Jem'Hadar? On the show, the disobedient soldier was killed! At that Cost, it takes a lot of energy, it seems, for the Jem'Hadar to cause Friction, something that should come naturally to them. And how does this affect non-Dominion players at non-Dominion locations? Knowing the Jemmies are out there might give you pause, but that's not what that title is all about. Why are Founders losing time? A real mess worth 1.

1E TREK SENSE: Cost isn't a factor, and there's a better chance or reporting personnel directly aboard ships in 1E, as well as ready Treaties between the Dominion and other affiliations. This all helps story-telling, but not enormously. A 1.5.

STOCKABILITY: A very strong card for Dominion players, since it slows down just about everyone else at a Cost of only 2. Your opponents can now no longer report and jump aboard a waiting ship, fly over to a mission and attempt it right away. Nope, that newly played personnel has to cool its jets for a turn before doing all that. The only way to avoid it is by using personnel that are placed into play rather than played. Of course, there's a trade-off, and that's that you must also obey the game text. If reporting a Founder, Vorta or other non-Jem'Hadar, that personnel is stopped too. In Jemmie-heavy decks, though, this might be an excellent trade. Could also be an Event you discard after your first dash of reporting. So a mitigated 3.8.

1E STOCKABILITY: 1E Jem'Hadar have greater need of other species (especially Vorta) especially if Ketracel addiction becomes an issue, so they can't really adventure alone. That makes Friction a riskier proposition. Still, could be a good way to slow down decks that use download chains to get plenty of free personnel out. Speed is key. Add Mission Debriefing to really put the hurt on your opponent. Riskier, so a 3.6.

TOTAL: 10.5 (52.5%) Didn't go all that smoothly.

1E TOTAL: 10.8 (54%) Less of a rough edge.

#2470-Foresight, Event, Cost: 1 /R/

-Plays in your core.

-Order: Stop your [Borg] personnel to examine the top card of your deck, then place it on top or bottom of your deck.

"The knowledge and experience of the human - Picard - is part of us now. It has prepared us for all possible courses of action."

PICTURE: While admit this makes a perfectly fine foil, I just don't like it as a whole. The sickly yellow-green palette eats everything up, blurring details. And the composition isn't as central as it needs to be. Throw in a weak relationship to the title, and you've got yourself a 2.5.

LORE: Some choice words from Locutus, but still keeping in the Borg tradition (calling themselves "us"). It definitely has more to do with the game text, insuring a better 3.3. The title isn't something I'd identify with the Borg however.

TREK SENSE: Not very strong. First off, it doesn't require you to have assimilated a personnel that would allow for the effect. Even if you consider that it could have happened backstage, the low Cost implies too little effort for it. Beyond that, I'm not enamored of the Foresight mechanic. It makes you look at a card in your own deck, but through its lore touts knowledge gleaned from another species. You should be looking at an opponent's deck as well, no? Preparing for possible courses of action, yes, that does entail playing with your own cards. The placement of your top card either on top or at the bottom is ok mechanically, but not very inspired. It's hardly the best fit for the concept. As for stopping a personnel, that's ok. A Borg is used to process the information. But overall, its mechanics just don't realistically fit the idea. A 1.7 only.

STOCKABILITY: An efficient deck manipulator, even if limited in the number of cards you can control with it. It Costs only 1, and can be used over and over as long as you stop a Borg personnel to do so. The insight into what card comes next isn't as important as your ability to place it at the bottom of your draw deck if it's not yet required. Puts the odds in your favor to draw something good on your next turn. Might also be useful when you want to play a card that requires you to discard from the top of draw deck, but aren't in a rush to do so. You might be able to save a primordial card before doing so. Efficient, but not powerful, it gets my 3.4.

TOTAL: 10.9 (54.5%) Shoehorning game text into a concept was its downfall here.

#2483-Full Security Alert, Dilemma, space/planet, Cost: 3 /R/

-Randomly select a Security personnel to be stopped. If that personnel costs 2 or less, randomly select two other Security personnel to be stopped.

"More security, transporter room four. More security. More security!"

PICTURE: Jumbled at best, you have to know you're looking at a couple of guards grabbing at Roga Danar. The background is colorful, but a mess. I think it would have benefited from a tighter close-up (well, ANY close-up). As is, a disappointing 2.

LORE: Not much there, but I do like the growing insistence in the punctuation. A 3.2.

TREK SENSE: So some situation comes up, and Security must respond. The title's not as natural to a planet environment, but it could still happen there. A Security personnel has its hands full and is thus stopped. If it's a "weak" personnel, often a non-unique (though a Cost of 2 or less might find its way on a Worf or Odo, so Cost is not always an appropriate test), then you'll need to call more Security to help it, ending up with 3 in all to cover the situation. That situation must be pretty critical then, justifying the relatively high Danger Factor (3). Works well, though its mechanical conceits do keep it from going over 3.9.

STOCKABILITY: Weenie decks take note! This space/planet dilemma stops a random Security and if it is a weenie, its player gets hosed and 2 more Security are stopped. Three Security down should open things up for the next dilemma. Anything from Automated Weapons to Stolen Computer Core should do. And while weenie decks will certainly be hit, it might also work against anyone using low-Cost mains like Worf/Son of Mogh or Odo/Wayward Link. The Cost is high if you only stop a single personnel (unless A Bad End etc. follows), but appropriate if you get three. Just make sure you do. Since it targets a "classification", this should be a major blow to a normal crew. A 4.4.

TOTAL: 13.5 (67.5%) Seems very generic to be in a specialty set though.

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