To see the cards themselves, check out this Card list for the Rules of Acquisition expansion set.

PICTURE: You wouldn't think so, but I like this one. The angle and shimmering colors create dynamism within the simple composition. Simple, but shiny. A 3.4.

LORE: The mention of a specific salvage makes the Artifact already acquired, no? From Pegasus Search at least! Otherwise, we might believe that once salvaged from the Pegasus, it was lost again. The details about the Treaty of Algeron are welcome however. Falls somewhere in the middle at 2.9.

TREK SENSE: This is one of those artifacts that may or may not be one. Thankfully, while it's no ancient relic, it is at least unique. Or is it? The Federation one is, but we know the Romulans once had access to something similar. Ok, ok, since it isn't unique, and could exist on multiple ships simultaneously, we could just say this technology is rare, dangerous and illegal. Not unique, but rare, giving it its Artifact status. Unlike a regular Artifact, we know it was found at a space missions, i.e. Pegasus Search. They've generously included that element, but allow for the Cloak to have been moved some time ago (or be another prototype altogether) now situated on a planet. Sure, but it seems more likely that you would find one on a ship adrift in space. Well, that's a matter of opinion. Makes me wonder why asteroid fields can't have Artifacts in them (after all, many are destroyed planets). The Cloak can be carried under one's arm, so it can be moved around like Equipment, sure enough. And of course, it lends the Phasing Cloak ability ("special equipment" if you prefer) to your ship. An Engineer to install it might have been nice, but I won't argue about it too much, nor is the Range boost afforded by such ships (see the Apnex) because suddenly, you don't need to make course corrections for planets and stars in the way of your destination. The card does not represent well how this thing was dangerous however. The Enterprise did ok with it, but the Pegasus didn't fare as well. Nothing like that here to preserve its usefulness, but a simple countdown icon might have shown how you only use it in case of emergency, y'know? Tries hard, and achieves a 3.2.

SEEDABILITY: Basically gives your ship an advanced cloaking device, one that not only cloaks the ship, but makes it immune to a lot more effects (including environmental/polluting Events) as well as many cards that uncloak a "cloaked ship" (it's a "phased ship"), and gives it extra RANGE. The Romulans have the Apnex that already does this, and some affiliations have ready access to a regular cloak, but even so, an affiliation running scared (the pacifist Feds, for example, or Bajorans not swarming with Interceptors, or Ferengi merchants) probably wouldn't mind the protection. It's not just protection against attacks either (or pollution for that matter), it's also a pretty hefty RANGE hike. Use Engage Cloak, and your phased ship can turn up pretty much anywhere soon enough. You have a good range of choices as far as seeding it goes: planets, obviously, but also one space mission - Pegasus Search, a 50-point mission that's pretty good on its own, though your opponent is likely to guess that self-seed of yours - and getting it through Starry Night as an Artifact/Equipment card (even two of them!). It's vulnerable to Disruptor Overload, but so are the Romulan Cloaking Device, Stolen Cloaking Device and Small Cloaking Device. The Phased Cloak is more universal than any of them at any rate, lacks the last's countdown icon, and besides, phases as well as cloaks. A nice one to acquire, so a 4.

TOTAL: 13.5 (67.5%) Well, it's not perfect... as Captain Pressman found out.

PICTURE: A very strange effect, which almost entirely obscures the Ferengi Marauder emitting it, you can sort of see why the whole idea was abandoned by Paramount. It looks like a filmed video effect, and if you've never seen the episode, you don't know what you're looking at. The planet on the left is neither a plus nor a minus here, though I generally like it when they don't CGI objects out of space scenes. Certainly distinct as far as Tactics go, but only a 3 for this effect.

LORE: N/A (score will be adjusted accordingly)

TREK SENSE: Though Tactic cards pull double duty as Tactics and damage markers, this one has a [down] icon linking the tactic with its own effect. In other words, "Plasma Energy Burst" and "EM burst" are interchangeable. Its effect on the show was to disrupt the Enterprise's systems so that it was, for all intents and purposes, dead in space. There's no way to avoid the kind of wavefront this represents, and consequently, you get a [down] result whether you score a hit or not. Fine, but it's hard to resolve how you COULD get anything more than a single [down] using this weapon. Are you firing at the same time? If so, you'd hit a ship at the same time its Shields should go down because of the pulse, so why isn't the Hull damage you score higher than normal? Sure, the [down] is in ADDITION to the usual [flips], but doesn't offer any extra Hull damage. The Marauder that used the Pulse didn't look able to fire while spinning on its own axis to generate it either. Other ships in your group could still fire, but what, they aren't affected by the pulse? They could be modified to be immune to the effect, but then why aren't opposing ships other than the target affected? The field effect just isn't represented. Creating an ocluding energy cloud, I'll believe your ship(s)' Defense is heightened, and showing your back really wouldn't increase your Attack. Of course, D'Kora-class ships, which are supposed to be actually equipped with this weapon, get major boosts to both Attack and Defense if they are the one firing. I'm of two minds on that one. On the one hand, I believe this trick could be achieved with a deflector dish, so it's okay not to limit it to Ferengi ships, but at the same time, it's the Ferengi who are turning their backs to their attackers. Then again, D'Koras are built for this, so I can also believe that they know how to use it adequately in combat. Ok, as to the damage marker, it disables Weapons entirely until the effect clears up, and this occupies all the Engineers aboard for the duration. Big panic. Well done. It also causes more permanent damage to Weapons and Shields, perhaps attributable to power feedback(?). Nothing for Range? It's a power system just as much, no? More good than bad certainly, I think it works as well as it can within the Tactic structure. A 3.8.

STOCKABILITY: Any Ferengi worth his latinum using a Battle Bridge side-deck will want to use this one. With D'Kora-class ships (either the big Marauders or the smaller Transports) will get a huge Attack boost (+4) and similar Defense boost (+4 too) in battle, then if it hits (there's a good chance), it may score as many as 5 damage markers, including this one! That said, if it DOESN'T hit, you still score 1 damage marker: this one. Now, the damage is pretty paltry, so make sure you have some Ferengi Energy Weapons in there too to cause Hull damage, at least. That said, you can easily use a Battle Bridge full of these if you're running a small support craft strategy, and not just Ferengi shuttles either. Any affiliation can use it with the same bonuses (or lack thereof) as those shuttles. As long as you aren't destroyed by an attack (well, even if you are), your opponent won't be firing twice on you. You get to slap this thing on them basically for free, disabling their WEAPONS until the end of their next full turn, and also stopping all their ENGINEER-classification personnel. That last effect is gonna be tough on many a Federation deck, and indeed many mission solving parties in the Delta Quadrant (heavy on ENGINEER requirements). It also makes this  a great damage marker for dilemmas that damage ships, because ENGINEER is a vital requirement. Or don't wait: Attack a ship with your disposable vessel and crew, get this on them, then let the ship fly right into your Abandon Ship, damaged. Unless you've got a D'Kora firing, it's not much of a Tactic, but the damage marker can't be beat. A strong 4.2.

TOTAL: 14.67 (73.33%) Not bad, so why was it abandoned by the Ferengi along with the Whips? Answer: Not marketable enough.

PICTURE: Mean-lookin' Ferengi, good close-up, good detailing on the uniform (actually looks rich compared to other DaiMons), and I see they'd eliminated the commander's tatoo by this time (since DS9 I gather). Hey, pretty good as far as TNG Ferengi go: a 3.3.

LORE: Universality is worked in, and then pretty much the whole extent of his role in "Force of Nature". That all explains his game text, so I can see myself give him as much as 3.2.

TREK SENSE: So he's the universal (typical) Ferengi DaiMon, eh? Not so sure about that. First, there's the matter of ship commanders being painted as support personnel. It just never sits well with me. Second, I think a typical DaiMon would be Greedy, at the very least. No, this card represents Prak himself fairly well, but I wouldn't call him a typical Ferengi at all. As Prak, the card makes good. Navigation and Stellar Cartography are related skills that are relevant to the sensor information he gave Picard. And the fact he didn't try to cheat Picard means no Greed or Treachery, and reasonably high Integrity. However, Cunning and Strength are a little high for my tastes. He looks tough, and he wasn't played stupidly like some other Ferengi we know, but 8/7 seem to be pretty high on his species' curve, especially for a so-called universal. I don't see it as a mistake, it just doesn't fit that well. All that said, I don't think other DaiMons couldn't possibly be like this. Some no doubt are. And the skills aren't unique to Prak, I'm sure. Again, it's all a matter of 1) being slightly off, and 2) my being nitpicky. How 'bout a 3?

STOCKABILITY: Prak is the only Ferengi support personnel with either Navigation or Stellar Cartography, but that's because he's the only Ferengi support personnel! Ouch, that bodes ill for any kind of Assign Support Personnel strategy. Well, that's not necessarily so. The Ferengi can use Non-Aligned personnel to do their dirty work, though that's not always a sound mission solving strategy. No, your best bet with Assign Support Personnel is to seed it to get Prak on your first turn as a download. But do you really need him early? Well, not necessarily early, but his Stellar Cartography is relatively rare in the Alliance, yet required of the universal mission Market Research. Both that skill and Navigation turn up on the equally universal survey Star System. He's got relatively high attributes too, especially for a universal personnel. He can help with Maglock and everything. Basically, he's a cheap source of Stellar Cartography, with no big weaknesses to deter you from using him exactly in that role. Maybe 3.3.

TOTAL: 12.8 (64%) Forgettable as a character and as a card.

PICTURE: What makes the scene work for me is the fact neither Gral nor Grand Nagus Quark are looking at each other. You can tell the nasty Gral is treacherous by his looking around to make sure he's not caught, and read what's going on in Quark's head from his own eyes. And as usual, the lavish textures of Ferengi cards are pleasant to our own eyes. A 3.7.

LORE: N/A (score will be adjusted accordingly)

TREK SENSE: There's a high level of storytelling here, and it works for the most part. Treacherous Ferengi are into this kind of thing, but a real nasty personnel from another affiliation/species would of course be able to make these kinds of threats. Here's what happens exactly: Your Treacherous personnel threatens an opposing personnel (the Borg are exempt because threats are irrelevant, of course) with death. "Do as I say", it says, "or I'll kill ya." Fair enough. What doesn't work though, is that it's the player who is asked to do something, and that something may well involve cards outside the realm of influence of the threatened personnel. It's more "Do as I say, or I kill personnel X." Too bad, because the card really makes sense only if the threatened personnel gets the requests. Just look at the rest of the card as if it were the case: If the personnel complies, then that's it, the threatener has won, discard incident (ahh, but wouldn't the threatener continue to make requests seeing as the threatened personnel is so weak-willed?). If they don't comply, they must live in fear for their lives, losing their first-listed skill in the process. Fear makes you fumble, in other words. And there's of course a chance the threatener will make good on his threats, which is where the probe comes in. I like the choice of probe icons here, with the assassin slipping through an open Doorway (hehe) or that lost skill making the personnel slip up at the wrong time. Assassination is all about opportunity. I do believe the intention to run a Protection Racket would be a Hidden Agenda, and I also respect the countdown icon. See, if the threatener doesn't make good on his threat within 4 turns, well, you know he was either bluffing, or that your personnel will always be one step ahead of him. If he dies in the meantime, maybe he left instructions for his assassin to finish the job anyway, so that's not that bad an anomaly. Since even the big problem can be fixed by saying the threatened personnel is resourceful enough to "go to the top", if you will, and get the threatening player's demands met, I have no choice but to give this one a fat 4.3.

STOCKABILITY: There are two ways to play this. The first is to make a reasonable request that your opponent might accept. Among the more "legal" moves, you could ask them to fly or beam into your ambush, attempt the mission where you put the biggest dilemma, etc. It's often about calling your bluff, I guess. The other is to make an outrageous request ("attack my homeworld", when there's an obvious Defend Homeworld in play would do the trick, but I'm sure stuff like "fly to the end of the spaceline" or "don't attempt any missions for the next 10 turns" would work too, or since the request doesn't have to be "legal" how about "all dilemmas now have murder in the lore", "lick the underside of your seat", "give me a hundred dollars" or even "give me 100 points") and thus set the threatened personnel up for assassination. In the meantime, the lost first skill should impede mission attempts at least a little bit. Probing for a Doorway might not be all that easy, but do you really think it'll take 4 turns for you to come up with a personnel card for that skill dot? Surely not. Either way, you need a Treachery Ferengi, of which there are plenty, even the Non-Aligned Bok, or a Treachery x2 personnel, and again, you have many choices (several being NA). You only need to be at the same location, not "present", which shouldn't be too hard to do on your own turn. Just fly over to the personnel's location. And make it a good personnel if you want your opponent to have a little dilemma on his hands. Note that the Borg are sadly immune to this. The card can be seeded face down and sprung into action when required, or played later, at your convenience. Gral even downloads it, fully surprising your opponent's personnel even during their turn (Hail would make the ship stop there, Birta downloads that). Kind of involved for what it does, but when downloaded cheaply... why not? I'm game for a 3.7.

TOTAL: 15.6 (78%) And here my first impression was that it sounded more like an alien power out of Cosmic Encounter.

PICTURE: A dead rock in space, much like our moon, but plainer. Actually, it's not a bad idea that a moon fit for purchase would have little in the way of craters or other geographic obstacles. Still, it's just a gray sphere, so no more than 3.3.

LORE: "Habitable satellite" creates a couple of problems. One is that it makes the mission sound like a universal, the other is that the pictured moon doesn't look habitable at all, not without domes anyway. The mission description is better though. It avoids the consequences of owning a moon in the game (whatever they might be) by making this about making an offer on the satellite. We don't know if it's actually bought. And of course, there's all the fun Ferengi marketing words, like "on the market" and "upscale". Love the idea of sectors being treated like present-day real estate. All that props the score up to 4.1.

TREK SENSE: The Ferengi are the perfect affiliation for this, since they use money and have been known to covet "their own moon" (like Gaila). Greed provides the impetus for attempting the mission, with Acquisition being the key skill in making a palatable offer. Geology and Astrophysics are used for the inspection of the planetoid. I do have a beef with Astrophysics because to me, that's more about stars and other astral phenomena than it is about planets. I think Stellar Cartography would have been a superior choice, to check on neighbors, nearby resources, etc. And Latinum has to be discarded to make a bid. Non-refundable if you don't get the moon though. Well, I believe it from the Ferengi. It's hard to gauge the exact relationship between your latinum bid and your points. See, the less Latinum I pay for my moon, the better the deal, and the higher my points should be (I'm a more successful businessman). Or is the moon's worth (in points) relative to the moon's actual worth? A small moon costs 1 Latinum, the luxury model costs 4. A possibility, but the mission's not universal, so it's always the same moon. Should have been universal in my opinion (no specific location, every Ferengi wants one), but given that it isn't... Maybe making a laughable offer still gives your Ferengi bargaining experience, as represented by 10 points. Possibilities abound, but nothing clear-cut. It also begs the question as to how much Latinum is contained in a Latinum card. Is 4 enough to buy a moon? Or is the moon never purchased? Then why call the mission that? No real explanation is given as to the flat rate on the other side of the card. Span's a bit high, and I don't know whether that's a good thing, making the upscale sector very private and exclusive, or a bad thing, being too far from shipping lanes to help our Ferengi businessman. The questions keep us at 2.9, but I generally like the card.

STOCKABILITY: Well, the mission's requirements are easy for the Ferengi to come up with, and totally thief-proof unless facing another Ferengi player. Even then, your opponent can't do a quick 10-point steal, nor get it for all it's worth. Flate rate for them. Greed and Acquisition are super-common, and both Geology and Astrophysics have great sources (Letek, Nava and Lurin for the former, Rom and mission specialist Mordoc for the latter). As for the Latinum discards, you've got plenty of ways to get those into your Away Team, from Morn's download and Ishka's free play to various Rules of Acquisition (1st, 34th, 35th, 75th), not to mention Vaccum-Dessicated Remains, Cargo Bay and Dabo. Speaking of the 1st Rule, it allows you to download Latinum from your discard pile, so getting those 4 Latinums back shouldn't be a big problem. And hey, if you don't have 4, you might settle for 10, 20, or 30 points for this mission. Or save if for the end when you know how many points you're missing. Just 10? Got a random Latinum on your ship? Go for the last turn attempt. Usually though, you'll be going for the full 40, an excellent bounty. Possibly 45 with Mordoc, 50 with Dr. Farek. I'd say this seminal Ferengi mission is worth a full 4.

TOTAL: 14.3 (71.5%) Valuable.

PICTURE: The golden glow of Kamala's cocoon creates dramatic lighting, even if it over-exposes Qol a bit. In his expression and even his posture, you can feel his excitement. The tricorder, blurry though it is, gives him something to do, and the dark blue background adds depth to his plainer uniform. A dynamic 3.5.

LORE: Naming Par Lenor is useful for the 6th Rule. The rest is the story, and in somewhat scientific terms to match his sphere of interest. No acknowledgment of universality though. Good enough for a 3.4.

TREK SENSE: A Scientist, yes. Specialized in Exobiology, could very well be. He was, after all, quite interested in that metamorph. But wouldn't all that sneaking around require a little Treachery? Maybe Computer Skill? He would have been a natural Tricorder download. That none of that is here isn't a big problem, but it's noticeable. Integrity seems a bit high, though those TNG Ferengi can often be too silly to truly be evil. Cunning's about right for a scientist, though again, the silliness factor might have driven it down. And finally, no complaints about the Strength, as he was in the military AND a would-be intruder. Meant to be a "typical" Ferengi scientific specialist, it's hard to see anything wrong on that basis. As Qol, he's not that sharply drawn. Gets my 3.

STOCKABILITY: The Ferengi have only a few mission specialists, but enough to use Assign Mission Specialists. SCIENCE/Exobiology is a great combo for dilemmas and missions alike, and none of his attributes are a problem (with Lower Decks, he outright sings). Unfortunately, there are very few Exobiology missions open to Ferengi, and none in the Alpha Quadrant! Aid Fugitives is in the Gamma, and Cure Deadly Virus in the Delta, that's it! Using Non-Aligneds to initiate mission attempts, or outright Bribery are the only ways to really exploit Qol's single skill for points. Ah well, at least he can be downloaded early for dilemma-busting (not a lot of Ferengi have Exobiology). Dr. Borts is a pretty good partner to AMS for him. Par Lenor's Greed allows him to cycle Qol, or let Qol cycle him. That little bonus factored in gets him a 3.4 overall.

TOTAL: 13.3 (66.5%) About middling.

PICTURE: Though a bit claustrophobic in this close-up, it's a good shot of Quark thinking about future profits. And the bottle he absentmindedly strokes against his cheek put us in a bartending mood, and is also what he wants to grow out of. I'd do without the patchy background, but otherwise a strong 4.4.

LORE: Shortening an important chatracter's lore is usually painful, and particularly here. I like the full name of his establishment, and "bartender" does something, but the part about Odo is slim pickings. There's so much more to tell! What's here still takes us to 3.

TREK SENSE: A bartender/bar owner would be a Civilian, yes, and while Acquisition would be useful in such a profession, he's also shown he's got the lobes time and again. Not enough for a x2 (still in that bar at the hind-end of space), but enough to have the skill, as well as the Greed that fuels it. His criminal activities get him some Treachery (mostly for cheating clients, spying and such) and Smuggling. The high level of Computer Skill befits a Ferengi able to get through practically any lock, and hide/find profits in a computer network. On the cleaner side of the tracks, he's a good negotiator, as he's shown more than once with the less military peoples of the Dominion (Diplomacy). The Anthropology is used to make the various species on the station feel welcome each in their own way and/or as a psychology substitute for spotting rubes. He was able to get a Small (illegal) Cloaking Device for Natima Lang, so that makes a good download for him, though a bit "one-time" for my tastes. He worked on a freighter once upon a time, enough to get him a Staff icon. And he got the Orb icon from the Orb of Wisdom. I like the variable Integrity. It shows that sometimes Quark was scum, and other times he was on the side of the angels. Suits him well. Good Cunning, not too high above Odo's so he can still get caught sometimes, but enough to get all those numbers straight in his head. Always running from a fight, the low Strength is dead on. The room they cut from the lore is really used to make Quark as complete as possible, and so he scores 4.7 here.

STOCKABILITY: He's a big gun for the Ferengi, that's for sure. The load of skills alone should make him a premiere mission solver, for one thing, and he doesn't skimp on hot commodities like Greed, Acquisition, Smuggling and Treachery that the affiliation needs so much (for Rules as well as Missions, Incidents and Objectives). Anthropology, Diplomacy and his double-dose of Computer Skill are better against dilemmas (Ferengi Ingenuity especially comes to mind). That Computer Skill x2 also allows him to be downloaded to hand by Quark's Isolinear Rods, just so you don't have to use up Ops' ability, I'm a Doctor, Not a Bartender, or a Ferengi Conference, or don't want to wait to solve Runabout Search to get him. Plus, once in play, he suspends the Rods' countdown icon, protecting you from Computer Crash all game long, and extending the life of that Q's Tent protection. He's got an Orb icon, which allows him to acquire Orb artifacts easily and get bonus points for them on Bajor. That icon can also interacts with a couple of those Orbs for nifty effects, especially those free card plays from the Orb of Wisdom. An Orb Experience would allow him to peek at any card in play. Heck, he could also Bribe his way onto Cardassia Prime to solve Orb Negotiations all by his lonesome (you're using the mission to seed Orbs anyway, right?). The Small Cloaking Device is an okay download, which goes well with Quark's Treasure, the shuttle he commands. Already fast, Plaquing it makes it RANGE 11! Captain's Log will make the other attributes a little more palatable: 6 for WEAPONS and 7 for SHIELDS. And now you can cloak it for a few turns. The variable INTEGRITY helps him survive Yuta, and can help with some attribute-manipulating dilemmas (some of the Chulas, for example). He counts as part of both the Alliance and the Terran Empire for purposes of interacting with the Emblems, and Crossover can download the Transport Device to him besides. He reports for free to Quark's Bar (duh), solves Tulaberry Wine Negotiations with Pel (the 75th Rule gets extra points for it), and overcomes Center of Attention. Drawbacks: Odo can stop him and he can't wager at the Dabo table (though if you control the station, Latinum and card draws abound, Latinum that can be used at the Credit Exchange no problem). Enough Ferengi name him in their lore that he can use the 6th Rule easily enough. In fact, he should have no trouble using most of the Rules. Two other versions of his persona to choose from, but the Son of Keldar offers little advantage. Lumba might be of interest though, if only to get Nilva's FCA in play as early as possible. I doubt there's any Ferengi strategy that couldn't use Quark, so I'll give him a 4.8.

TOTAL: 16.9 (84.5%) Best known, and just plain best Ferengi.

PICTURE: Quark's Bar is such a large space that it's hard to fit it all in one frame. They didn't try (no door, no second level, no mural), but they do manage to get some of the architecture, along with the bar itself, a table and some gaming concession (part of a dabo wheel). Good try, and I like the composition and various colored bottles, but two things nag at me. One is that this isn't an angle we're really familiar with (goes to how appropriate the shot is). The other is that in trying to clear up focus on everything, near and far, there's an odd treatment over the foreground objects, especially the chair and dabo table. Whether this is obvious CGI or an artifact of the image pull process, or even a natural optical illusion, I couldn't say. Overall, it's likeable, but not without its flaws. A 3.1.

LORE: N/A (score will be adjusted accordingly)

TREK SENSE: Quark's Bar is on the Promenade of either DS9 or Terok Nor (Alpha AND Mirror), and we've seen it on all versions of this station. Run by Ferengi, its staff, even the non-Ferengi dabo girls, is all Ferengi-affiliated. They can report here, as can Morn, the customer who wouldn't leave (in one possible future, he even wound up running the bar). Note that Ferengi patrons are also likely to come here, but reporting them directly seems odd. They should arrive. In fact the free reports (and optional downloads) of the staff really take care of the bar's needs without that first reporting effect. You'd naturally expect dabo girls, waiters, bartenders, Quark and Rom to be here. Of course, in practice, the only bartender made as a card that ever worked here was Quark himself. Guinan wouldn't tend bar here would she? It does allow Mr. Nog to report for free to the Mirror Terok Nor though. The next two effects are more thematic than anything else. Morn unopposed here gets an extra card draw each turn, but why? Conceptually, it encourages you to keep him here, just like on the show. It's the reward that doesn't have a Trek equivalent. The same goes for the penalty for killing waiters and dabo girls. Sure, this should be illegal, but discards? How are resources in hand affected by killing the bar staff? Capturing the killers, maybe. Finally, we've got the free docking pass for Ferengi at this Nor. Think of the show: Even Ferengi bad guys were given free access to the station. Brunt was always walking in on Quark without so much as an invitation. Sisko and Odo never even tried to get Gaila off the station. The Bar truly is the "last outpost of Ferengi civilization" and a reason for them to come here. Not sure how Mirror and Cardassian administrations see this though. A lot of fine stuff here, and even the conceptual stuff enhances storytelling, but the buck stops at 3.9.

SEEDABILITY: Thanks to this site, the Ferengi actually have a better reason to use Deep Space 9/Terok Nor than Bajorans or Cardassians do! Is there anything that can't be done here? The card itself turns the station into an all-inclusive outpost for the affiliation (and species, Farek, Bok and Reyga may apply). Further, like a Headquarters, you can report some personnel there for free, like the excellent Quark, Rom and Leeta, as well as a couple waiters (like Pel and Frool). A few Bajorans in there, so that affiliation can use the site for such. These personnel can even be downloaded instead of your standard card play and draw without controlling Ops. Morn reports here, but not for free, though with Cargo Bay, he can still download not far from there. Having him in the Bar gets you an additional card draw each turn, which, with the Ferengi's high-speed reporting skills, may mean an extra personnel or ship to report each turn. He has to remain unopposed, of course, and you can enforce that somewhat by putting lots of waiters and dabo girls at the site. You want to oppose my Morn? Ok, I'll use some Leadership personnel to initiate a battle between my Frools and your opposers. Frools die, you lose 2 cards for each. Waiters' and dabo girls' low STRENGTH should make that conclusive. The last effect is a simple one, but necessary: It basically gives free reign to your Ferengi, making the Bar almost a true outpost. Reporting, docking, undocking and repairs all included. That's right there on the card. And if you cross-reference other cards? Lots more. The 211th Rule can be played here to force your opponent to discard resources each time he wants to play a card during your turn, the number of which is relative to the number of waiters and dabo girls you have present. Watch out though, this might invite him to go out an oppose the bar staff. See Frool attack trick above. Two Chula dilemmas relocate personnel here, when you might ambush them with a Nausicaan assault team (just a thematic suggestion). Ferengi Conference only seeds/plays here allowing for important personnel downloads (perhaps lots of cheap waiters?), or downloading a number of 75th Rules to Acquisition personnel present (you need a Nagus either way). Dabo plays here too, turning wagered discards into points, Latinum or card draws (Quark and dabo girls required). It's also one of the spots for Ferengi Credit Exchange, this one turning Latinum (perhaps gotten through Dabo) into points, card draws or recycling. If Starry Night is acquired at the same location as the Bar, it allows you to download 2 "Equipment" Artifacts right then and there, and it's one of the places where Latinum can be converted into actual Equipment cards. On the Mirror Nor, while it doesn't allow for as much reporting (though 3 of the 4 MQ Ferengi can be downloaded here), it creates a safer (unopposed) place for Dabo and other activities. One Ferengi strength is fast reporting, and when you use the Tower of Commerce AND Quark's Bar, you get plenty of that, even without an occasional Conference. At the center of so many strategies, I'm giving it a 4.9.

TOTAL: 15.87 (79.33%) Free publicity for Quark's!

PICTURE: Essentially a prop shot, and well, it's just a box really, it's at least bathed in a golden (latinum?) light. The textured flooring and colored tags on the rods also help energize the pic. Rises above mediocrity with a still-low (but at least respectable) 2.5.

LORE: N/A (score will be adjusted accordingly)

TREK SENSE: A lot of thematic effects, and some not even that, but the basic fact that those effects cover the whole of the spaceline(s), no matter where Quark might keep his Rods, makes this card conceptual at best. What are these rods? Well, they're the Cardassian equivalent of Federation isolinear chips. Quark's in particular, seen early on in "Past Prologue", contain programs that bypass security programs. He can't be "locked out" if you will, and that's the gist of many of the effects. These are illegal, ergo the Hidden Agenda. Advanced security systems can detect illegal entry and close off those access ports, so there is a pretty short countdown to the card. Effect #1: Ignore Computer Crash. Well, that card does show a computer lock-out, not a crash at all, so it works in that sense. (Note that Computer Crash is highly conceptual, so this related effect is too.) Effect #2: Nullify cards preventing Q's Tent. That's an even more conceptual "lock-out", since Q has nothing to do with computers. Q even punishes you for thinking you can mess with him and forces you to discard the incident. Effect #3: Downloads. In the first two instances, it grabs cheese-hosers, both hitting stategies that might "lock you out of the game". Bah, it's more like you're locking your opponent out of some strategies. Getting a non-Officer with Computer Skill basically brings someone who could use the Rods to good effect. Cart before the horse kind of thing. Maybe your using the Rods attracts the attention of a computer whiz, but it'd probably be your opponent who gets the download then. And there's no real urgency since it goes to hand anyway. Either way, why not an Officer? Can't some affiliations' Officers use illegal equipment? Effect #3 is the poorest of the lot. The last line shows that these really are Quark's Rods (not that only he or even the Ferengi can make use of it, he certainly leased them out). He can use them without getting caught, in effect suspending the countdown. Starts off conceptual, and then makes mistakes within that conceptual framework. No more than 0.5.

STOCKABILITY: The Rods really don't last long, so choose your time properly using the Hidden Agenda icon. Unless you have Quark, of course, who may in fact be downloaded with another copy (he can't stop the discarding, only the countdown). If he's in play, the Rods are basically permanent when it comes to protecting you from Computer Crash. With downloading being pretty important to Ferengi, it's an important function. The rest discards the incident, so the countdown is pretty immaterial in those cases. If you're using a Q's Tent and are rather paranoid about Wrong Door or Revolving Door, you might keep the Rods around to nix one of those cards if they come up. Q's Tent is a powerful strategy, so many players will stock counters to it. Protecting yourself does cost you the incident though, but it may be at a crucial point in the game. I know Intermix Ratio and The Big Picture aren't seedable, but I think Q the Referee takes care of those better than the Rods. Getting a Computer Skill x2 personnel may be more useful, and with a seeded QIR, you can get that personnel on your first turn. You may choose among: Quark of course (the überFerengi, also the Son of Keldar version), Odo (strong Bajoran), Bareil (lots of skills), Elim (excellent Garak persona), Lamat'Ukan (WEAPONS boost), B'Elanna Torres (one of our better ENGINEERs, also the Daughter of Miral and Maquis versions), Enrique Muniz (ok support), Lewis Zimmerman (kickstarts a holo-deck), Mr. Scott (CF version, with a Divert Power download like B'Elanna), Mr. Quark (in Mirror decks), Jorik (Hirogen), Donik (for Hirogen holo-decks), Nevala (Romulan), Senator Letant (not a bad battler), Sulan (an excellent Vidiian), 10 and 01 (THERE's your Computer Crash protection), the non-Borg Seven of Nine, The Artificial Intelligence (good NA SCIENCE), and Carlos (for easy Dixon Hill stuff). A good selection, but remember that they must still be reported. They download to hand. Right now, I'm looking at a collection of effects, many of which can be achieved though other means. The personnel download (hey, don't mind the Ferengi Ingenuity) remains the best thing here. 3.7 okay?

TOTAL: 8.93 (44.67%) A new low unfortunately.

PICTURE: It's the oddest view of a Ferengi shuttle we have, with the forward pincers looking like cow horns. I don't much care for it, to tell you the truth. It's hard to know just what you're looking at, the model looks a bit fake, and I don't care for the lime green highlights on the orange surface. As much as 1.8 for its original treatment.

LORE: Matching commander status is usefully conferred, and while I would usually balk at "briefly", in this case, it's something of a joke because the shuttle was booby-trapped by Gaila. Speaking of which, Gaila's made matching commander too. How Quark got it is explained well, and I also like the comparison with the Romulan interceptor, not that we've ever seen such a vessel exactly. A 3.7.

TREK SENSE: Gaila probably knew this ship enough to squeeze out extra attributes from it as matching commander, but Quark had for so short a time... I mean, if he really knew it enough, he'd have likely caught his cousin's sabotage. In fact, once it's Quark's ship, it should be expected to have problems, but that's not part of the card. As far as attributes go, Ferengi shuttles have an amazing range because each owner customizes his vessel. Quark's Treasure has minimal Weapons and Shields, but does have some. It used to belong to an arms merchant, after all. He must've smuggled weapons in it, so boosted the Range to 9, and Quark really had no trouble getting from DS9 to Earth in a shuttle. I don't know how fast a Romulan interceptor is, but Quark's Treasure matches the Romulan Scout. A pretty basic design with maybe one matching commander too many, so 3.3.

STOCKABILITY: Easy to staff, this craft has massive RANGE, especially if you decide to launch it from a bigger ship to extend its crew's actual range. And not just a 9 either, since it can be Plaqued (and Logged) by one of two possible matching commanders to 11-6-7. The first of them, Gaila, can download Hidden Fighter, which in turn downloads Quark's Treasure. One Ready Room Door later, and you've got Quark aboard as well, and he can download a Small Cloaking Device to protect the shuttle at a moment's notice (though for a limited time). A cargo run with Quark's Treasure on Engage Cloak can be great too. At the same time, it gets one of the best Ferengi personnel into play. Wanna save Gaila's Hidden Fighter for something else? Ok, he can also use his ENGINEER to Construct Starship. For giving ultimate speed to the Ferengi, a 3.8.

TOTAL: 12.6 (63%) Not really a treasure.

PICTURE: A great shot of the upper levels of Deep Space 9, the station looks almost coppery in it. The lightning is dramatic, but of course, not a great color palette. Hey, good enough for a 3.6.

LORE: N/A (score will be adjusted accordingly)

TREK SENSE: Referee-icon magic bullets tend to be rather conceptual, can this one be any different? The first function says that if someone (and by "someone", I mean a Cardassian player) has processed too much ore on a turn, it overloads the reactor and blows up the Ore Processing Unit site. Since the effect is conditional on behavior, it covering all stations from the table (rather than being played on a specific station) makes sense, though the delayed effect could be a problem in some cases. The second function is an EM surge occuring on your ship or station that disables electronic beings. Androids then require a Cybernetics personnel to repair them. Holograms are erased from their Mobile Emitters. As for Borg, they are killed (Rogues too), which is in keeping with canon, but a Communications drone can somehow save them (well, not the Rogues obviously). I'm not sure how though. Possibly, the drone has patched into the computer system and sees the Overload coming, so it can react to it, disconnect other drones, etc. Only a drone though? I'd have thought the Queen could have been helpful too. Since both these effects are momentary, the card then goes to your hand. I agree the second function shouldn't stay in play, and I also agree the first function should somehow return (or stay in play), but the dragon has two heads and doesn't know which way it wants to go here. That Hidden Agenda seems to indicate that the Overload is caused by sabotage because accidents are "agendas" no matter how unexpected they are. Well, the card is played by the victim's opponent, after all, and even used as a defense against intruders, so I'll buy it. Finally, we have the Referee icon, which is totally conceptual even if the card isn't. The icon passes the Trek Sense test if it actually counters abusive strategies. In this case, it curtails the Cardassian card manipulation strategy that had become just a tad too strong, but perhaps it hit it a bit too hard. The EM surge is less solid though. Androids and holograms are very strong personnel that don't die easily in battle, so using them as intruders could be considered abusive, but you could use only one and still be hit by Reactor Overload. It also goes after Rogue Borg, but not annoying pinging per se: it seems better against a big Rogue Borg drop. The Borg killing is somewhat unwarranted however. It's like a magic bullet that would kill all Federation personnel simply because they're too good at mission solving. So they like to assimilate your ship and personnel, it's their way. Maybe a decimal off there, but overall, I'm surprised at how well this card represents "reality". A 4.4.

STOCKABILITY: The meta-game makes this card useful even if you don't stock it, but having a Ref icon, it's easily downloaded or discarded if you do need it or realize you never will. It attacks two specific strategies in limited ways. The first is the Cardassians' ore processing by basically limiting the card draws to a single card per turn. They still get to use Process Ore, but not to get totally ahead of you. Many feel this took the Cardies right out of the running. In actuality, many ran to the Mirror Quadrant where a simple Emblem card protects the Ore Processing Unit from Reactor Overload if 2 ENGINEER are present (knock out the ENGINEERs though...). If a player does try to milk Process Ore for all it's worth, a flip of the ol' Hidden Agenda will destroy the OPU site and any cards present as well. It's a severe penalty, which few will brave (even with no Hidden Agenda on the table now, Q the Ref can still suspend play to grab it). The other strategy it counters is that of using powerful intruders against you. Super-strong Androids with Computer Skill (for eventual commandeering) are disabled until repaired, which basically means they'll stay on your ship unless there was a Cybernetics personnel in the Away Team to cure them. Not a common skill at all. Holograms would be totally erased, but the way Holo-Projectors works now, a holographic assault team is highly unlikely. Maybe you could kill one with a Mobile Emitter, but I doubt there'll be many more. With some of the combat abilities some of them have, especially in Holodeck Adventures, it could be useful to zap them. Borg looking for a Counterpart, assimilating your ship or your personnel, are a great danger to your crew, so Reactor Overload would definitely be useful against them. The thing is, all they need is a Com drone in the hive. It doesn't even have to be on your ship with the stronger Def drones. Finally, it does away with Rogue Borg. For RBM pinging, Intruder Alert is best, but when it's a smackdown (creating Rogues of amazing STRENGTH), this is the card. Once you blow up a site or defend against intruders, Reactor Overload isn't discarded, but doesn't stay in play either. It's sent back to your hand for easy replay. Seems like this card was stronger when it came out though. Since then, Process Ore has found another home, holograms have been made tougher to intrude with, and Rogue Borg have had tons of counters. What's left is still worth a 3.8.

TOTAL: 15.73 (78.67%) Though a Cardassian player might have another opinion.

PICTURE: Taken from "The Assignment", this is where Rom actually became part Bajoran after signing up as an engineer. He's telling Quark all about it now. So you've got the Bajoran moment and uniform, and his former life, the Ferengi bar, behind him. Appropriate, and color-wise, quite warm. I love it when personnel pictures tell a story. A 5. You heard me.

LORE: Less than impressed on this one. "Befuddled"? Were they going for some kind of alliterative effect? His working for the Bajorans seems necessary to explain the dual-affiliation, but is sort of boring. The long list of relatives helps with the 6th Rule, but is otherwise repetitive, and again, rather dull. And the crush on Leeta reads much the same. There is some in-game usefulness here, and that helps, but overall a rather dry effort. 2.8 from me.

TREK SENSE: We have to place Rom in context - this is not the early Rom who tried to kill his brother and forbade Nog to go to school. This is Rom once he's espoused the values of the Federation, the sweet Rom (Honor and Federation-level Integrity). He's just joined the Bajoran team, and serving with them, may be used by that affiliation. He's still a Ferengi of course. Still just a diagnostics engineer, he holds the Staff icon. Navigation stems from his piloting Quark's Treasure, but the rest is part of his genial knack for engineering. He was not only shown to fix most anything, but also do it quickly. He thought up the whole replicating mines stunt, AND found a way to time travel back from Roswell. That translates as a double dose of Engineer, as well as Astrophyisics and Physics. It'll take 2E to make his skills come and go (after all, in some episodes, he can't fix a bent straw), but at least there's the variable Cunning. 4 is outright dumb, and 9 is quite clever. It also links him to his brother who also has a variable attribute. Last thing: Strength. Awkward and really not very physical, a 3 suits him fine. A very good effort at 4.4.

STOCKABILITY: Super-ENGINEERs are traditionally Feds, but here we have one that'll fit in both a Bajoran and a Ferengi deck. That's one of the most required classifications in the game (if not THE most required). Astrophysics and Navigation are likewise frequent on dilemmas, while Honor and Physics are less so, but possibilities nonetheless. The variable CUNNING can be used on high for attribute totals, and perhaps to pass Subspace Shock Wave or Chula: The Dice, or on low to pass Chula: The Drink, for example. It's a minor ability since CUNNING is usually only good when it's high, but it's there and doesn't take up much room. His skill set is well suited to a few Bajoran missions, like Study Plasma Storm and Characterize Neutrino Emissions, but he'll be more of a dilemma solver for the Ferengi (though he does open up scientific missions with Bribery). All the family members named in his lore except Nog can use the 6th Rule in conjunction with Rom to trade them (or him) off for Equipment, ships or card draws. I wouldn't necessarily get rid of such a good skill package, but you never know (or might be able to more easily recycle a personnel card). Finally, let's not forget Rom can fit in both Alliance and Terran decks, even doing the Crossover/Transport Device trick. He's a bit weak physically to be working with them, but he does add some great skills to either faction. No matter who he works with, he'll still be a Ferengi, so you can give him Oo-Mox (for more ENGINEER), Vacuum-Dessicate his remains, recite The Ferengi Rules of Acquisition, report to Quark's Bar or download to a Ferengi Infestation. Rom gets a good 4 for versatility.

TOTAL: 16.2 (81%) Still under his brother.

PICTURE: The planet's a bit fuzzy, but that's because of its craggy environment. I think they did a good job of presenting the geography seen in "The Ascent" in the live-action scenes. The searching runabout puts a cute spin on the title and creates interest. A 3.4.

LORE: I'm not very enthusiastic about the planet "name", as it sounds like a universal mission. The lore itself is pretty specific to help out with the special game text, and mentions perhaps another runabout (so the title amuses me), though a little crowded. Finally, a 3.

TREK SENSE: Planet/space? Yes, because Transporter Skill is used from a ship in orbit. Making the mission dual insures the rescue ship is there. It's of course used to beam the ship's survivors back up. Medical then treats their wounds. The choice of Honor or Greed is linked to what affiliations can attempt the mission. The Feds are into rescue missions as a matter of Honor. Bajorans have Odo as a friend here, and again Honor is an issue. For Ferengi sweeping the planet for Quark, they're looking to be rewarded for the rescue, so Greed is the underlying motivation. Odo and Quark do have a presence here because they can be downloaded by the solving player. It does create some kind of alternate reality where either Quark wasn't piloted by Odo, or Odo's witness was someone other than Quark, allowing the non-downloaded personnel to be killed in the crash. Being rather irrelevant to another affiliation, the other character might be behind-the-scenes instead. No need to kill off a main using that point of view. I like that at least one survivor can be actually found here. No real problem with the Span, though nameless systems like this one shouldn't really be on the beaten path. Points, however, may be too high. 40 is a lot, and I'm not sure the lives of just two people (mains or not) and information against the Orion Syndicate is worth more than finding cures for diseases that affect entire populations, for example. Mostly a success, so a 4.

SEEDABILITY: New Borg rules have hurt dual-icon missions, because now, they can't complete two objectives at each one. It does give them more flexibility, but that's it. For the actual attempting affiliations, well, you need crew AND an Away Team, which is a disadvantage, especially when the dilemmas start coming at your divided personnel. So the mission better be attractive. Runabout Search certainly tries to be. 40 points is lucrative (though standard for these missions), and with Dr. Farek and Hogan downloaded to any affiliation's outpost as Non-Aligneds with Assign Mission Specialists, the points can go up to 50. Farek even has the requisite MEDICAL. Without mission specialists, only Transporter Skill might prove a problem, since Ferengi are loaded on Greed, the Feds have enough Honor (some on MEDICAL), the Bajorans have a good mix of the two, and well, who attempts missions without MEDICAL anyway? There's also the matter of the extra download of an excellent personnel. The Bajorans can bring in Odo (very good). The Ferengi have Quark, though in this case, Quark is too good and not difficult to report early. I doubt someone would wait for Runabout Search, though a 6th Rule played to send him to the bottom of the draw deck for cards draws, a ship, or equipment with a swift return at the Class-L planet would be cool. For the Feds, there's a Non-Aligned Odo (which could be downloaded by anyone, even spies), but he's better with OS decks. Runabout Search as an OS mission? Why not? Still risky, but a good prize at the end: 3.5.

TOTAL: 13.9 (69.5%) Didn't "ascend" as much as Quark in the episode, but there you have it.

PICTURE: That's a pretty sharp image of the Nagus' golden head, though it seems to float a little because of the constrasting darkness of the background. I'd have liked to see some kissing of the Scepter to represent the Nagus' power, because that patchy background isn't really helpful, and the staff is near-absent. Hits 2.7.

LORE: Oddly telegraphic for an Equipment card, the information is good, especially the description of the shaft and latinum composition, but some of it... Too many "of"s in the first phrase, for example, and "a nagus head" is a little clunky. 2.7 again.

TREK SENSE: Equipment, yes, but unique. The Scepter may travel without the Nagus, but there's still only one. Only the last effect has anything to do with the physical staff: It can be swung to bonk someone one the head and stun them. I'm not sure the Nagus has the Strength to do this though, so I don't support making this effect independent of the wielder's Strength attribute. The other effects have to do with the Nagus' power, which the Scepter is a symbol of. Ok, we're heading down conceptual waters here, especially since you always need a Nagus present. We've seen the Scepter travel and be used by other Ferengi as proof of the Nagus' will, and that would have worked better. As is, the Scepter allows the Nagus to do things he should have been able to do already, walking stick or no. So what can the Nagus do with his power and authority? He can make edicts than empower various Rules of Acquisition, that's what. Free plays of those Rules, and their protection from nullification are what's on the table. You don't contradict the Nagus when he tells you to follow a certain path. Despite the conceptual nature of the card, it enables something real to the Star Trek universe. A 3.9.

STOCKABILITY: Rules of Acquisition are the bread and butter of the Ferengi affiliation, and the Scepter of the Grand Nagus makes each of them a free card play (limited to one per turn) AND protects them from Kevin Uxbridge, Quinn, et al. Since Maihar'du can download it, and he can be downloaded to Ferenginar via Defend Homeworld, you can get this ability into play as soon as you have your Nagus. Any Nagus will report for free to the Tower of Commerce anyway, or really, you can download him using the 1st Rule. After that, all Rules are free plays if you like, including The Ferengi Rules of Acquisition Equipment card, which gives you even more flexibility with your Rules. So now, without using your card play, you can initiate all sorts of card draws, downloads, latinum strategies, etc. The card also helps protect your Nagus in personnel battle, which is great considering that even the strongest, Krax, only has a STRENGTH of 3. The Scepter can stun the Nagus' just-engaged adversary so that the old guy can't be mortally wounded right then and there. Only the end-of-battle kill can get him now. The Nagus remains one of the most important personnel in a Ferengi deck, and this little add-on is certainly worth stocking too. A 4.8.

TOTAL: 14.1 (70.5%) Not really kissing up to it ;-).

PICTURE: Is the autopsy more grisly because the patient is still alive, or less? Either way, this is an unimpressive image that actually has problems with its color palette and composition. Put your eyes on the center of the pic, and they'll quickly start to go down the bright blue arms of Dr. Crusher, right out of the frame. At least it comes from the same episode as Unscientific Method. Stops at 2.7.

LORE: Obviously, they had to find something from "Suspicions" to mirror Unscientific Method (they didn't HAVE to, but to make it satisfying), and this justification seems to work well, even though it's erroneous. Crusher's scientific approach didn't reveal a thing. Jo'Bril attacking from the bushes, so to speak, did that. Still, the keyword "murder" makes an appearance, getting us back up to 2.2.

TREK SENSE: Whatever situation we're in, the Scientific Method must be applied to get us out of it. Very generic, and not particularly in tune with the picture and lore (Crusher has no Science). 3 Science and Medical may seem a bit much for something we all did ad nauseum in high school (every course had scientific method homework, I remember, even history and geography - "oh, the GEOGRAPHIC method... ok"). In the shows, Spock, Dax or Data could work these things out by themselves. It's also a disservice to some other classifications, especially Engineer, that they aren't given any experience in this. The murder keyword in the lore pretty much means that the conundrum has to do with a murder, so Medical would make sense in that context. 3 Science? This is Star Trek, not C.S.I. That "murder" though, isn't actually one, so Cyrus Redblock's special skill shouldn't really come into effect, should it? A little vague, so has trouble getting up to 2.4.

SEEDABILITY: A big wall, not because it requires 4 classification, but because 3 of these are the same. A crew or Away Team might have a bit of everything, but this much concentration of one classification/skill? Much more rarely. Now, it's also the perfect companion for Unscientific Method, because that dilemma will kill a SCIENCE personnel before the group hits the wall. Do they still have enough SCIENCE to proceed? Alternatively, you can seed Unscientific Method after, because you're now sure there are SCIENCE personnel present to be targeted. To make the dilemma even tougher, have Cyrus Redblock on a Holodeck somewhere to kill a personnel when the dilemma is encountered. Was it a SCIENCE? Could be. And since a wall has staying power, if not passed this turn, it'll kill again when the mission is re-attempted. Better have 2 MEDICAL and 4 SCIENCE just in case the wrong personnel gets hit. MEDICAL and ENGINEER have always been kings among classifications, but this is one of those dilemmas that give SCIENCE a lot of importance. A fine 4.1.

TOTAL: 11.4 (57%) A failure, when you break it down.

PICTURE: There are two Cretaks as far as I'm concerned - the treacherous Cretak played by Megan Cole (see the 2E version) and the honorable one played by Adrienne Barbeau seen here. One ran weapons to a Bajoran moon and gave Kira ultimatums, the other put her life on the line for Bashir and her government. Why they decided she would be the same character, I don't know. But that's certainly a discussion for Trek Sense. Where Picture comes into it is that they very much tried to combine the two Cretaks into one card instead of splitting her into two versions of the same persona. So the Lore doesn't match the events from the pic, nor does the special skill, but if you're gonna slap Honor on Cretak, I guess you should use Barbeau's version. Aesthetically, it's moody and creepy, but largely uninteresting. A 2.5.

LORE: Interesting that we get a full name for her, but the rest is really all about the Megan Cole Cretak. There's nothing wrong with that, but it just doesn't match the pic or the Honor skill. Being a Senator is helpful, so that compensates for the confusion. A 3.

TREK SENSE: Turn Honor into Treachery, and lower the Integrity, and you have a Cretak I can agree with, albeit a Megan Cole Cretak. To make this a true Barbeau Cretak, we'd need to overhaul the special skill entirely. Ok, so as a mix-and-match portrait, how does it look? She's a Senator, so a VIP, but one with control over a fleet of ships, so she has the Command icon too. Law would certainly help in her Senatorial duties, and was an element of her character in "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges", as was Honor. As liaison to Deep Space 9, she was in charge of Romulan interests' Security, fair enough. Physics no doubt has a link to the plasma torpedoes she had going to Bajor's moon, Derna. It's a tenuous one though. Her fleet, being all Romulan ships at her location, has a Weapons advantage either because she's a good tactician, or because they're all packing extra plasma torps. Integrity is that of a true patriot, where we can sort of reconcile the two Cretaks if you will. She couldn't outbluff Kira, and was stung by Section 31, so Cunning can't be too high, while still making her a smart woman. As for Strength, I think it's fair given age, role, gender and species. Not as tightly focused as I would have liked, but there's a lot of good here anyway. A 3.2.

STOCKABILITY: She's a Senator, so she can report for free to the Office of the Proconsul, or download via Going to the Top, but if she IS on Romulus, you can use the 2E card Prejudice and Politics to peek at your opponent's top card to possibly score points each turn (the risk is that it's a personnel and goes to hand). Aside from VIP, all her skills are pretty useful. Honor and high Integrity are relatively rare for Romulans, while Law is always rare for anyone. SECURITY is an excellent skill, and combined with Law, it makes her a perfect personnel to carry out Extraditions. Physics is better for missions than dilemmas, but is still good. As for the special skill, it's an excellent addition to your Romulan armada. These have built-in problems, like high staffing needs, but the Romulans are well-suited to matching commander strategies. Captain's Log makes WEAPONS and SHIELDS +3, but with Cretak, the WEAPONS are an extra +2. And not just on her ship, but on everyone of your Romulan ships at the same location. Means you can have a more effective armada with fewer ships (and thus, less total staffing). Easy to report, good skill list, and a couple of tricks up her sleeve. Another? The Romulan/Bajoran Treaty plays for free if she's in play. And SECURITY allows her to download real early with Defend Homeworld. A 4.

TOTAL: 12.7 (63.5%) The confusion did the card a disservice. Hopefully this won't be a problem in 2E.

PICTURE: Looks like a simple prop shot, but this is an actual pull after Quark lets it tumble to the floor of Natima Lang's quarters. I almost want to forgive the blurriness as some kind of cloaking effect, but you know I can't. A dull 1.5.

LORE: I don't know about the "obtained by Quark" phrase, but the rest is fine, with the last sentence taking care of the countdown icon. So that first phrase is just about the only thing that doesn't help understand the game text. It keeps the score at 3.2.

TREK SENSE: It's a SMALL Cloaking Device, and that's important. It can't hide anything really big, so only ships with no staffing requirements fit the bill. It's also got a short life, giving out after 4 turns of being "engaged". I like the idea of requiring Smuggling or Acquisition to get the device for free, since it is illegal in some parts of space. A better way to handle it would be to only allow it to report to such personnel, because as it is, it may still report normally. It's just that Smugglers and Acquisition personnel are considered to have immediate access to the thing. Seems too easy for an illegal item. Of course, it may not be illegal everywhere, but the matter of location isn't touched on at all. Aside from that little hitch, a clean and simple design. Hits 3.5.

STOCKABILITY: Small staffless ships rarely have Cloaking Devices, yet they lack the SHIELDS protection of other ships. The Small Cloaking Device can remedy that, albeit for a limited time. 4 turns, that's it, but you can save "energy" by not being cloaked when you don't need to be. Small vessels usually land to protect themselves from bigger marauders, but the Breenzooka and Orbital Bombardment have thown a wrench into this strategy. Cloaking the ship once landed protects it from these cards. Another thing that helps is that it plays for free if a Smuggling or Acquisition personnel is present (excellent for the Ferengi and their many shuttles). This equipment card is also perfect for cargo runs, since it allows the cargo ship to cloak while it travels to a Cargo Bay. Another bonus is that Quark can download it. Clearly, it's well suited for the Ferengi, but other cloakless affiliations may like the short-term security it brings. How about 3.7?

TOTAL: 11.9 (59.5%) Almost made it over the line.

PICTURE: DaiMon Solok looks a bit more rubbery than other Ferengi, like he's wearing more of a mask. I don't dislike the disgruntled expressions, as it makes him in severe need of oo-mox. Everything but his face is sort of dark however. A middling 3.

LORE: Universality is acknowledged, and his backstory is explained, but what is especially fun is the stuff about being easy to manipulate. Typical indeed, as they're all like that (Ferengi males that is). I also like how Picard and Crusher are simply referred to as "humans", though it does forget that Worf was along for the ride. Still a good 3.4.

TREK SENSE: A DaiMon would be an Officer with a Command icon, and he's a typical DaiMon, so universal to boot. Smuggling is the perfect skill for him (you've read the lore, right?), but as for the rest... I'm thinking they're inspired by the Celtris III mission: tunnels = Archaeology, metagenic weapon = Medical... but he wasn't on the mission. Medical is too complex a field to warrant giving it to someone who's basically aware of his lobe physiology, if that's what they're hinting at. Biology would be more than adequate for Solok's purposes. So while Archaeology strikes me as something a "typical DaiMon" would be interested in (priceless Artifacts, and all that), the Medical doesn't ring true at all. Intgerity's good for a typical Ferengi, but it seems a bit harsh for Solok, who didn't even try to betray the Enterprise crew. Cunning's ok for his skill list, though he seemed slightly more stupid than that. I'll buy the Strength. In the final analysis, there are just too many skills that seem thrown on for a good score. Just a 2.

STOCKABILITY: There are very few Ferengi MEDICAL personnel, and it's a very important classification. Solok's one of the two universal MEDs, but he's not quite as easy to report as Dr. Borts is, or even as Dr. Farek if you want to count him. Smuggling isn't all that common either, and fits with more than a few Ferengi missions, not to mention special tricks afforded by Small Cloaking Device and Bribery. If you are going to Bribe your way into missions, then Archaeology and MEDICAL are especially suited for Federation missions. Fair overall attributes, and an OFFICER who can pass Maglock (not always an obvious thing in a Ferengi deck). His skills are just rare enough, just redundant enough, and just good enough that I can't blast him for having "only" 3 skills (or that many), so I'll give him a 3.3.

TOTAL: 11.7 (58.5%) And I keep mistaking him for a Vulcan when I read his name in print.

PICTURE: Kind of a silly picture, featuring a smiling Ferengi in a hawaiian shirt on a sunny day, all made incongruous by the weapon in his hand. He does look like Rom a bit more than I would like, but there are apparently just so many people that will endure putting the Fenengi make-up on ;-). A fun change of pace at 3.5.

LORE: Starts off fine, but I really don't like the expression "facially assaulted". Seems a bit wordy for a simple punch in the face. A 2.7.

TREK SENSE: Sovak is a DaiMon, which certainly makes him an Officer, but shouldn't he also have a Command icon? I know he worked alone in "Captain's Holiday" (or with Vash some time before), but if that's his rank (the tattoo also bears this out), he should be able to command a crew. Really strange. An old partner of Vash, Archaeology makes a lot of sense, as does Greed. I would think he had Treachery too, but the low Integrity will have to do. Who are we to judge another species' morality? Science goes with Archaeology, and the Tox Uthat had a scientific basis. Computer Skill you could give to anyone in the 24th century and I wouldn't really raise an eyebrow. Cunning no more than 6 is fine by me, since Sovak was played like many TNG Ferengi - as stupid, if dangerous. That danger comes more in the form of his Strength, I suppose. Now, is that his Strength with the gun, or without it? Because Picard trounced him in hand-to-hand combat. Not bad overall, but some odd details here and there. A 2.9.

STOCKABILITY: Well, not too bad, with 2 classifications, and 3 mostly useful skills. Greed will certainly fit in with anything your Ferengi want to do. Archaeology is more of a specialty skill, but it immediately makes me think of Uncover DNA Clues/Hunt for DNA Program and Quest for the Sword, three lucrative missions that could use more than just his Archaeology. Computer Skill/Greed allows him to use Airlock, and he's the Ferengi with the highest STRENGTH that can do so. Let's just say Quark and Brunt won't find many targets unless they have a couple of hand weapons on them. Useful in any case, Sovak is better when using certain strategies. A 3.6.

TOTAL: 12.7 (63.5%) Certainly not on Rom's level.

PICTURE: Never seen this clearly in "The Most Toys", the reproduction of Starry Night is crisp and clear, never a substitute for seeing the real thing, but very nice. Too bad it was in the wrong format for putting a picture frame around it à la Persistence of Vision. In a STCCG collection, it's not like those effects in the sky are anything too strange either ;-). I won't rate the work of a master here, but I'll rate the use of his work: a 4.

LORE: We get some biographical details, necessary if not all that interesting. Then the Kivas Fajo connection, nicely preceded by "dubiously", and for once they play with those boring old dates. Finally, a short phrase to put us in the mood for the game text. A 3.4.

TREK SENSE: The logic is kind of spurious, but not necessarily wrong-headed. See, once Fajo's stuff was seized, some of it might have fallen into the market. Case in point: Starry Night, which may be sold for 2 other artifacts. That is has to be "Equipment-like" artifacts has no real reason, nor can we explore why someone would part with a Bajoran Orb for an old Earth painting. Quark's Bar and a Trading Post would be natural places where you'd hold an auction, trade artifacts, etc., but I'm not sure why homeworlds are included. Earth is a homeworld, and the painting comes from there, but why would it be on Romulus or the Founder Homeworld? In any case, what makes little sense here is that to make this lucrative trade, you must have acquired Starry Night at one of these places, where it is immediately converted into downloads. The sensical way to do this is to acquire the painting anywhere, but have to go to one of these places to redeem it. The theme is fine, and it can be extrapolated from the show's events, but it breaks down easily. A 1.8 for what's there.

SEEDABILITY: One of those cards that really has an impact on these reviews. After Starry Night, all use-as-Equipment artifact cards must make mention of its downloading ability. It's simple really: seed one artifact to download 2 artifacts placed in your deck (or Q's Tent) where you have room to spare. You must make sure to seed it at the same location as a homeworld, Quark's Bar or a Trading Post, of course, so that limits your options, but not too much (though Delta Quadrant decks wouldn't be the best place for Starry Night). After all, it allows you to download a couple of cards that could be very powerful (sometimes together), or maybe one or two lesser artifacts that normally wouldn't be worth the effort to earn in the regular way (Croden's Key or Interphase Generator, for example). Every non-DQ affiliation has access to a homeworld, which you should Secure as quickly as possible if Starry Night is under it, though Cardassians, Bajorans and Ferengi might just as easily use their Nor and Quark's Bar at any Bajor system planet location. Ferengi Trading Post can be used by anyone. Now there are disadvantages to each of these locations (opponent's access to your facility or mission), so be quick about it. A couple of free Orbs would be cool for Return Orb to Bajor (note that you automatically have a homeworld in this one). Assault teams could use a boost from the Varon-T and Ancient Machine Gun, though the Bajorans could throw The Earring of Li Nalas and the Klingons the Sword of Kahless in there instead. The Genesis Device, Alien Gambling Device, Phased Cloaking Device, The City of B'hala and more are all part of this artifact category. You can even stock more than 2 and choose once you've earned Starry Night. One of the better artifacts though it really defers to others: a 4.5.

TOTAL: 13.7 (68.5%) Where's the ear joke? Trek is usually full of them!

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