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Deep Space Nine

The release of the Deep Space Nine expansion September of 1998 represented the biggest add-on of cards at that time. This stand-alone expansion brought many new, exciting elements into the STCCG environmnet, along with a wealth of new playing concepts and deck themes. Also, it added new card types and expanded on others. Following is a list of the big additions this large expansion as brought.
~Two new affiliations: Bajorans and Cardassians--It may be thought of as difficult to fit in two whole affiliations in one expansion and balance them out while still paying attention to other affiliations, but Decipher has done a wonderful job. Both of these new affiliations have their strengths and weaknesses and can be a new surprise to conservative players.
~Facilities: space stations and headquarters--The space station was almost assumed to have been included in this set, as Deep Space Nine is set on a station. The amazing effects that the station has on the entire game is what is exciting. It offers a whole new approach to the game and many new strategies. The Nor is the common space station anyone can use, but it starts out Cardassian. While Nors are not strong offensively for battle, it takes a lot to bring them down. Headquarters also add strengths to a deck and can be the center of deck themes. Other cards with "HQ" in the title can be used in combination as well.
~New card type: Site--Site cards are the "customizable" part of Nors, in essense the rooms on the stations where the personnel are located. Each site offers their own bonuses and place on the station, and are the only ways for people, ship, and equipment to report aboard (traditionally). But remember that anyone can be on a space station at any time, so the advantages could go either way. Any player can seed sites to any player's Nor, making defensive strategies essential to a Nor player. Control of a station--and thus its advantages--could be lost quickly and permanently if a player isn't careful.
~Delta Quadrant--With Deep Space Nine comes the Wormhold, which allows easy travel to the Delta Quadrant for everyone. The DS9 expansion contains a number of missions that are seeded in the Delta Quadrant, which is not connected to the Alpha Quadrant space line. Delta Quadrant missions form their own, separate space line, but can be reached through irregular means, such as the Bajoran Wormhole, or other cards that can move a ship other than by normal means. The only thing is, if you find a way to get there, make sure you can get back! :)
~Tougher dilemmas--The more than dozen new dilemmas that are introduced in DS9 bring out more challenges than previous cards. Some less-common skills, such as biology and geology, are used and more cards are aimed at stopping personnel if they aren't killed. This can lead to more involvement with the opponent and more battles. It is now even more wise to include more than one Scan card in your deck and a balanced Q's Tent. Also, players would be wise to have a healthy stock of weapons to protect away teams and crew.
~Altered battle rules--To make opposition more effective, away team battles were changed and made slightly random, as casualties in battle actually ends up being more random than not. Both players face off each of their personnel, one-on-one, to weed out "stunned" and "mortally wounded" personnel. Weapons have an amazing advantage for this purpose, and so now have added value. After all of one's personnel have been faced, then all of the standing bodies are counted to make one final kill, as was the case in the rules before. It is therefor all the more necessary to be wary of the opponent's position when venturing out with very weak personnel that have key skills.

RULES:The seeding requirements were changed, as were the deck size limits. Missions are now seeded for free, and all seed cards still can't total over 30. BUT, your draw deck's only limit is a minimum of 30 cards--no upper limit! Also, other cards types, such as events for treaties, are seedable, which is very cool. This no longer hampers many themes. Also ammended with the rule change was that BOTH players' draw decks must be depleted to end the game.

=Deck Themes=
*Ore Processing*--This theme depends on the Nor, the basic and universal space station, and the Ore Processing Unit, an uncommon site. The objective Process Ore (also uncommon) is also essential, as it drives this theme. The card is played on the unit to allow the controller of the Nor to "process ore" each turn. That player discards a card from hand, takes the bottom card from the discard pile to the bottom of the library or out of play, and then draws up to two cards. This obviously gives you an additional card, and replenishes the draw deck, but not with dilemmas. :) The Federation and Bajorans cannot utilize the objective, however, so this is an easier theme for a Cardassian deck.
_The difficult thing is to get a hold of the objective as soon as possible. Thus it would be wise to stock three or maybe even four copies in the deck, depending on how big the draw deck is. Getting to cards that are needed is very valuable, but make sure to have defenses for cards that eat at your hand. Note that drawing two cards is optional. You "may draw up to two cards," which means that if you're still behind points, and your opponent's deck is gone, it may be beneficial to not process ore until you're ahead.

=Card Highlight=
Establish Landing Protocols --This common event is bound to be a "granted" part of many people's decks, as it can be seeded or played, and is a Captain's Order card, which means it can be downloaded by Ready Room Door. While in play, it allows any of your ships "with no staffing requirements" to land or take off once a turn, for only 1 Range. This can be used to get through anti-beaming cards, and can help some mission requirements, such as the universal Planet from "First Contact." Also, your fast scout ships, which tend to put up less of a fight, can safely land on a planet until help arrives or the threat has passed.
_It does require you to stock a balanced portion of small and larger ships, however, which may take some play testing to finalize. Early in the game, small ships are often very useful, but most games require some big muscle to either thwart off opponent attacks, or to be safe from some nasty space dilemmas.

Please send any comments, questions, or ideas to honestal23@yahoo.com. What card would you like to be featured next? Do you have any deck themes?

Last updated:7-31-02

Links

My Star Trek CCG Page (menu)
My Nor/Cardassian Deck