To Boldly Go: Attack Wing's Federation Faction Pack

It feels like an eternity since the Vulcan, Klingon, Cardassian and Federation expansions plus the seemingly sold out Alliance were announced but at last...they're here!

With a universal sigh of relief there's some new packs for us tabletop gamers to chow down on and over the next few weeks we'll be looking at them each in depth.

First up on the schedule is To Boldly Go. Not exactly the most original name for a set but with it containing four Federation starships it does seem at least somewhat apt.

Longtime players will already have all of the ships in the pack; Galaxy, Akira, Miranda and Defiant although this time they're all spruced up in a nice silver finish. The detailing is fairly precise if basic but since none of these are new I'll refer you to the relevant reviews of the existing/original items to refamiliarise. 

Opening up my pack I was a wee bit disgruntled to discover that the Galaxy Class model had come battle damaged and was missing a nacelle. Not to worry though since there's another three in the collection but if you were buying this as part of your first steps into playing it would royally p**s you off.

One thing to note too is that this pack is heavily influenced by DS9 and some of its key moments. Point in case for that is the USS Odyssey as featured and as destroyed in season two's finale, The Jem'Hadar.

The picture on the card isn't the best but the stats are more important so we'll let that one slide for the minute. Sporting the average Galaxy Class 4 Attack, 1 Defence, 5 Hull and 3 Shields, the Odyssey can also take 3 Crew, 1 Weapon and 1 Tech upgrade for a 26 point cost. As you would expect and is standard across all 4 of the pack vessels, each comes with standard Actions of Evade, Target Lock, Scan and Battle Stations. Movement cards for each of the classes is also identical to existing packs so again we'll skip past!

As the Odyssey's free action you can place an Auxiliary Power Token on this vessel and then target a friendly ship within range 2 and with a Hull Value of 3 or less to provide it with 2 additional defence dice and the chance to convert a blank result into a Battle Station on that round. One for actioning on support craft but very selective as to when that can be used and would need a particular fleet dynamic to work perfectly. Both the Tian Na Men and Sao Paulo in this set would be eligible.

Just as notable a vessel as the Odyssey is the USS Sao Paulo. This, only the third named Defiant Class in the franchise, would be renamed Defiant after the original's destruction at the hands of the Breen. Coming without the cloaking device of its predecessor, the Sao Paulo attacks with 3, defends with 2 and has a Hull of 3 and 4 Shields. Her slots allow for 2 Crew, 2 Weapon and a Tech upgrade for a cost of 20 points. Her Unique Action sees you claiming a Battle Station token in play when you spend one. Not a stellar ability but one that might pay off in defence. Also, shame the card doesn't show the Sao Paulo but then we never actually saw her named that way in the show.

Third up is the Akira Class USS Spector. Costing 24 points you're expecting more for your money and you do get that with a 4 Attack, 2 Defence, 5 Hull and 3 Shield. She also punches a little more than the Sao Paulo with 3 Weapon slots, 1 Crew and 1 Tech. All of the Weapon upgrades utilised on her also cost one point less each. The Spector is a quality craft also packing a Unique Action that sees guaranteed Shield damage as long as there is an active Shield when using the Photon Torpedoes upgrade.

Last in the box is the USS Tian An Men which would likely play a supporting role in any operations. A low 14 point cost comes with 2 Attack, 2 Defence, 3 Hull and 3 Shield. She also has only 4 upgrade slots with 2 Crew, 1 Weapon and 1 Tech option.  Its Unique Action also suggests that supporting role as a friendly ship within range 2 can be assisted. If that ship has an Auxiliary Power Token in play then the Tian An Men adds 2 Time Tokens to one of its Crew upgrades and that vessel can still perform an Action. It's one of those very specific events and would ensure the fleet does have full operational ability.

To Boldly Go manages to include a hefty 5 Captain cards. There's yet another Benjamin Sisko (skill 8) but this one works especially well against Dominion forces. In fact during Attack he'll automatically gain a Critical Damage result and during the End Phase he'll clean off an Auxiliary Power Token. If you're playing any form of Dominion War campaign this is the Fed captain to have in play.

Importantly, all 5 Captains have the ability to field an Elite Action although I tend to find I barely touch them - probably something I should look to change.

The second CO in the chair is the Odyssey's Captain Keogh. Bearing a skill of 7 for a cost of 4 points, Keogh's Action can only be used at up to range 2. He's very specific too with the ship he's commanding needing to have an enemy attacking another Federation ship in its forward firing arc (read that back slowly and it should make sense). As part of that Attack, one of the Damage results can be turned to a blank. Does seem a lot to save a single point!

Jadzia Dax can finally be added to the Captain ranks with her 6 skill and 4 point cost. Cleverly Dax can field a Klingon Unique Action without a faction penalty which would open a lot of different strategies - best get hold of the Klingon Faction Pack!

But aside from that benefit, she only allows your ship to perform a bank 1 left or right during the Activation Phase. Hmmmm.

The 86th Worf card made for the game is dual faction, allowing him either to play on a Federation or a Klingon fleet. His Action, for once in this pack, isn't a one in a million chance as spending a Battle Station will allow you to convert all your blank results into Damage. Have to admit, quite excited by this prospect as I have a notable ability for throwing rubbish attacks. Note too - no disable or Time Tokens for use here so it's usable every round.

Last up is the Captain/Admiral card of Leyton. Featured in Homefront and Paradise Lost attempting a military coup on Earth, Leyton skills up at 6 with the equally familiar cost of 4 points.He's all about the delaying tactics, forcing a ship at a maximum of range 2 to attack last in the round. Leyton himself incurs 2 Time Tokens but that's a decent price for a tactical advantage, especially if that ship has a higher Captain skill than your own.

Five Captains get 5 Crew and not necessarily who you might expect. The ever-reliable Kira Nerys costs 3 points and disables a Tech upgrade on an enemy ship within range one. She then rolls an Attack die and if there's a Damage or Critical Damage result, that target ship loses a Crew upgrade as well. Tough luck but she does have to receive 3 Time Tokens for this shattering blow. I am surprised with the choice not to make Kira dual faction when both Worf and one other card in the deck have this functionality.

Second we have Julian Bashir. Operating at range 1, the good doctor costs 2 points and can target a Crew upgrade during the Activation Phase. Note that it's any Crew upgrade since Bashir affects either friend or foe. If it's one of your own then he'll remove either 2 Time Tokens or a Disabled Token while if it's on the opposing team, the ship it's on rolls 1 less attack dice that round. Bonus note - he's reusable every round since the Bashir card itself doesn't get disabled or discarded.

Ezri Dax is your typical sacrificial card to take Damage for others. At least she adds a Crew upgrade to your ship and then will also mean that Captain or Crew cards will receive one less Time Token when their feature is activated.

Sarita Carson, again a 2 point Crew card, might leave you stumped where she's from. Featured in only Starship Down from DS9's 4th season, Carson allows you to move during Combat either 1 or 2 forward at the cost of 2 Time Tokens - which is precisely where you could combo it with Ezri Dax. Finally there's the tragic Enrique Muniz from Rocks and Shoals. 

Working at up to range 2, Muniz gains 2 Time Tokens so that the ship he is stationed on can utilise an Evade, Battle Stations or Scan token from the target ship as if it was on Muniz's ship.

To Boldly Go offers four different Weapon options for your fleet. Phaser Cannons allows for a double attack. Disabled with 3 Time Tokens, this card pumps 4 attack dice at an enemy followed by your standard Primary Weapon roll. Double trouble and no doubt wth a bit of digging there's the chance to increase that even more. It can only be equipped on a Defiant Class and to the forward firing arc. 

Offering a Weapon upgrade solely for the Akira Class is Dorsal Torpedo Pod. No need to disable or discard again since this one enhances your Photons allowing them to be fired through a full 360 arc. It does mean sacrificing a Tech slot to enhance another feature but counter to that it does provide full attack possibilities.

Experimental Torpedo Bay is a stroke of genius and one you'll definitely be wanting to put into play as much as possible. Costing just 2 points you can hide a Torpedo (doesn't specify Quantum or Photon) under this card until the Combat Phase and equip it. The Experimental Torpedo Bay is discarded but suddenly you have a five point card fitted that might take you over your points limit. Dead useful and very cost effective.

Finishing up the Weapons, To Boldly Go has two Photon Torpedo cards. These operate at ranges 2 and 3 and with an additional die to the ship's Primary Weapon. Working as standard, players spend a Target Lock, the card is disabled and all blank results can be switched to Battle Stations. Unusual to return to disabling rather than Time Tokens but it does mean they can be pulled back into action a lot quicker.

With three cards, Tech can certainly assist and Ablative Armour is a good choice to start with. Adding a defence die to your overall roll against attacks it also converts ALL Critical Damage to Damage reducing the risk of a crippling effect on your vessel. At a cost of 2 this is more than reasonable and it's about now you start to realise that the pricing on these cards is well under previous expansions. You can get a lot for your buck in the Faction Pack. Another way to strengthen that defence is with Advanced Shields. Only for use with ships of a hull value of 5 or more, it adds 2 Shield points on and when discarded repairs up to 3 Shield points. It's a bt more expensive than the armour, coming in at 4 points but for a larger capital ship this is a must for an extended lifespan.

Last up is the Metaphasic Sweep to allow a ship to perform a Target Lock as a free Action even if there's a Cloak token in play on the TARGET ship. Might not seem a lot but against an invisible enemy we all know how important it is to maximise that attack since the defensive roll adds a ton of dice to the equation. For a 1 shot card, the 1 point cost is insignificant but can't be underestimated.

As mentioned though, the massive new feature arriving with the latest Faction Packs is Ambassadors. Each fleet can only field one Ambassador and negotiations start from the beginning of the game. If accepted then the ship on which the Ambassador is equipped and a chosen opposing vessel there is an effect covering both ships. If negotiations are denied then the enemy ship receives a detrimental effect from the off.

In the case of Lwaxana Troi (3 points), whenever her ship moves within range 1 of the opposing target ship both the Captain of her ship and either the Captain or a Crew upgrade on the enemy are disabled. Should negotiations be denied with Troi then the opposing chosen ship has 3 Time Tokens and a Disabled Token placed on its Captain or Crew upgrade. 

Sarek - who can be either used for Federation or Vulcan factions (3 points) stops two ships from attacking each other if they are within range 3 or less unless there's nothing else to shoot at. If negotiations are denied with Sarek then all the opponent ship Weapon upgrades get 3 Time Tokens dropped on them. Of the two, Sarek is the more harsh option given his lengthy effect on Weapon upgrades. Game changer? Absolutely. Best start stocking up on cards that reduce the number of Time Tokens assigned to your ship just in case he comes calling.

To keep you nicely occupied with the new pack, To Boldly Go includes two scenarios; Insurrection! and Operation: Rescue. Both are 2 player missions utilising the ships from the set to help kick off your involvement with the game and for those of us who are a little more logical, it's the structure we love!

To Boldly Go has been, frankly a long, LONG, LONG time coming and a welcome return for Attack Wing. The reduction in costs for upgrades means you'll get a lot more on your ship and potentially fully equip every slot on every craft to maximise your battle opportunities. The ships themselves are nothing new - as none of the ships in the four most recent expansions are -  although each has some new Actions the price for them remains oddly the same. There's a decent mix of Disabled, Discard and Time Token use within the set which makes a pleasant change although it does suggest some disorganisation c. Wave 15/16 when Time became a factor over Disabling upgrades. At least now there's a mix of uses to liven things up. Ambassadors is a neat spin to each side although I can't see them getting a lot of love as they will hand tie a lot of players after they've spent an age selecting the right combos for the situation.

Have to say, great to have Attack Wing back and in good shape - at least better shape than my USS Odyssey model at the least...!

You can check out all our Attack Wing reviews over on the Gaming Section!

Enjoyed this article? Why not like and share to spread the word!

Like our page on Facebook 

Follow us on Twitter