Challenging the Pack: Universus and Lower Decks

Recent months have taken me away from writing for a variety of reasons however with the arrival of UVS' Universus card game there's a lot to talk about.

And while we await the arrival of Magic: The Gathering's new Star Trek line it's worth not forgetting another card-based entry into the sci-fi gaming market.

Launched at the end of 2024, the Lower Decks series has been fully utilised to create four new character packs which are ready to play straight out of the packaging. Mariner, Boimler, Tendi and Rutherford are all here along with a full stack of cards meaning you're ready for combat straight away.

Each 60 card deck also comes with a foil wrapped 6 card booster pack which contains a random selection of alternative art and foil cards to supplement the packs.  For note, these seem to have dropped in price significantly in recent weeks at some retailers so now is the perfect time to grab the set.

At the centre of the packs are the character cards. Each of the Lower Decks characters has two options as their character plus a lenticular version of their "main" version. A Universus deck also comprises of Attack and Foundation cards with which to build and launch your attacks however the Challenger series also packs in two further card types with Asset and Action variants.

Each of the two character options is itself varied providing a trade off between hand size (number of cards you can have at your disposal) and health. More options means a lower health bar but that can all change depending on how you play out your rounds.

Each character will also have traits to enhance your defence or attacks as you move further into the game.

I'm not going to detail the rules of this because, honestly, they are a whole post in themselves and the videos online from Universus are far better at explaining the systems and dynamics of the game but I can say that there are multiple variations and possibilities that I'm only beginning to scratch the surface of.

The benefit is that you can mix and match across the ranges to provide better and more apt abilities to your characters. That said, I'm more than likely to stay Lower Decks pure. With four packs detailing each of the four main characters that offers 2 x 2 player games running at the same time. Each of those characters has their own tweaks and traits starting right back at their character cards.

These sets also come with a bonus blind booster pack which features alternative versions of some of the cards in the main deck. These might be foils or alternative artwork and can be tracked using the leaflet included that details all of available options. Across the four boosters of the four characters here I didn't get a duplicate which was lucky and added extra cards to each of the four basic packs.

The only thing I could grumble about here is that a search of the ol' internet turned up very little hopes of locating any more of the booster packs if you were determined to locate all of the variant cards.

One more point to note, unless you're a totally hardcore Universus player it's unlikely you will have purchased one of the table mats which provide health points and reminders for actions. In that case make sure you have a pencil and some paper to hand in order to keep track of your health points and potentially a few pointers on what order to complete actions. Unfortunately there are no instructions included for quick reference so if you do want to check a point you'll have to skip through one of the online vids to jog your memory.

While this isn't multi-player and therefore not a good one for group gatherings, it's a gem to play if you have a spare half hour to kill with a friend or sworn enemy. The variations in results, character combinations and choices certainly ensure that no two games will play out the same although I would say you do need to confirm a deck size limit especially if you happen to have added s few more options thanks to the blind boosters.

Whether of not it will survive the onslaught of the highly recognised Magic: The Gathering is a point I would rather not dwell on but given the size of that licence I tend to believe it will overshadow this entry into the Universus catalogue. A big shame yes, but with only these four packs in existence the lifetime of Lower Decks Challenger Series seems limited. Had there been further packs from Strange New Worlds or Picard for example it might have extended the interest but as of now I'm unfortunately convinced this will be it. 

Go out and grab a few packs or the full set while you can because it's still worth playing and an enjoyable way to delve into a bit of Lower Decks antics while you have the opportunity!

Set a Course...For Home: Lost in the Delta Quadrant

With the arrival of the Delta Quadrant's Adversaries there had to be a pack designed to take them on.

Lost in the Delta Quadrant provides just those ingredients. New versions of USS Voyager, USS Equinox, Delta Flyer  and a brand new Raven. The latter is the first time this ship has been available in the main catalogue believe it or not!

What we didn't mention in the review for Adversaries... was that a lot of the cards included with both of these expansions do effectively retire a chunk of older Attack Wing content. The costs of cards have dropped, the new features make these a lot more appealing to select and being in a set means there's some form of theme running through the options.

Unusually here there are two Voyager card options as well as USS Nova and the Delta Flyer II but let's not get bogged down in the names because there's a lot packed into this set that needs unpicking.

Aside from the cost changes which make Voyager an extremely appealing ship choice, the range of captains is certainly an eye opener with most of them also having the ability to double up as crew. Chakotay - in much the same way as with Turanj in the Adversaries... pack can be flipped to take command if the captain is lost. Big bonus there which keeps your ship with some form of command skill if things do go a bit pear shaped.

But the biggest newcomers here are the Lower Decks and Night Shift cards in terms of crew and the revamping of craft with a hull value of two or less becoming Auxiliary Ships. These ships can only be part of a fleet if there is at least one ship in the party that has a hull value of four or more.

But yes, Lower Decks and Night Shift. The former means that two cards bearing that text can take up a single Crew slot on your ship roster as long as they are from the same faction. With Night Shift, the text on the card listed under that heading is in play when your opponent has the Initiative Token. There are six of the Lower Decks cards in this pack offering the chance to disable opponent upgrades, take Time Tokens when another upgrade would be hit and even providing Free Actions. Night Shift seems to be limited to two cards in the form of Harry Kim as a Captain and the Elite Action, Coffee, Black.

Personal thoughts on both of these new abilities is that it does provide the Federation faction with even more advantages with no hint that these new inclusions will be available for other factions in the future.  It also seems these new features have really split the fanbase for the game with several notes that it's changed the dynamics completely. I guess sometimes you do need to stir things up and hey, it's not as if you HAVE to use these new packs or their additional spins. My thoughts would be to run this and the Adversaries pack as a campaign combo using the Delta Quadrant missions included. Then the new rules are kept enclosed to these ships. IF Wizkids do produce some more sets and further the Lower Decks and Night Shift rules into those then all the better.

If new players are coming to the game with just a starter set and these packs then it's an even better deal to keep the game alive but that's just my own thoughts right now.

Some of the other cards in here are well worth a punt too. Seven of Nine allows use of the singular Borg upgrade buried in the set. The XO, pilot and CMO from Caretaker are all discards (well played once again, Wizkids). You can upgrade your ships defences with Ablative Armour, add weapons in the form of Transphasic or Gravametric Torpedoes. Changing speed can be made through Variable Geometry Pylons.  The Nova Class can benefit from Rechargeable Shield Emitters and even the Delta Flyer can pop some added Photonic Missiles.

The Raven does seem under represented here with nothing "anti-Borg" or able to slip past the odd Cube. Perhaps a missed opportunity not to double-side Magnus Hansen as a Borg drone? Nor are there any references to the creatures the Equinox used to speed up their voyage home. Erin Hansen interestingly can only be equipped to the Raven - which I also feel should apply to her husband!

Another point is that the symbol for the Luna Class turns up AGAIN on the Bio-Neural Circuitry card... surely this has to be a sign that the Titan is on the way? Otherwise, frankly what's the point.

Adversaries of the Delta Quadrant: Attack Wing Launches into 2024

Three new expansions line up for March and we'll be looking at each one in turn, starting with a new Independent pack that takes fans back to the adventures of one USS Voyager.

Cleverly utilising four already existing Attack Wing models, Wizkids have certainly packed out this release to the max with a storming 52 playable cards, six ship options and a campaign book (make sure you check under the box tray!).

The ship options comprise of the Alpha Hunter and Relic Stalker for the Hirogen, the Fina Prime and Honatta Prime for the Vidiians, the Antares Shadow Numiri patrol ship and the Nasari Nerada. 

The Hirogen, Vidiian and Numiri ships are pretty evenly matched in terms of their basic stats although the Antares Shadow does suffer from not having the Scan ability.  Previously seen in the game as the Bajoran troopship, it's features here in the Delta Quadrant make it significantly more playable especially with the chance to pick off weaker targets with added firepower. The Nasari ship... well, that's a Romulan Science Vessel backwards - just as it was in the show!

But each has its own twists. The Alpha Hunter can Sensor Echo after every move, the Relic Stalker can gain a Battlestations if it's in range of an enemy ship after moving. For once it feels as though the adversaries might have a better and more productive run with some genuinely effective Actions.

Even the significantly lower scored Nerada can kick back if it gets up close to an opponent. 

As for captains, the pack takes its lead from right across the spectrum of Voyager's journey. Alongside those expected faces of the Hirogen and Vidiians are Iden from Flesh and Blood, Dala from Live fast and Prosper and the Vaadwaur Gaul from Dragon's Teeth. Iden, the Bajoran hologram, is the highest priced here at a full 10 points for a skill of 10 although his cost reduces if you equip other "?" upgrades to his ship. The downside is that he's only really effective against other Independent ships or ones with "?" upgrades onboard. A personal favourite in here has to be the new version of Karr that sees the Hirogen built to pick off weaker captains as well as being able to re-roll dice on attacks. 

But where I really feel this pack excels is in its choice of subject matter and then into the abilities. Choosing to dive into the holographic crew from Flesh and Blood was a bold move but with the chance to use them as either Crew OR Tech upgrades it opens up the dynamics of your ships. Just playing about with these cards I initially thought of using the Relic Stalker but then contemplated switching it out for the Antares Shadow. Why? Because by using the hologram crew upgrades Iden became cheaper to attach as a captain.

But dig even further into the cards and there are some new and intriguing features plugged in to add a new layer to Attack Wing. Faux Janeway aka Dala utilises a new Reputation Permanent Effect which (if I read the rather convoluted phrasing correctly) makes any game effects hit it as though it's on the enemy fleet ie the ones who gave it the token. I'll have to play around with this a bit more to totally understand it in play.

Kurros also has one of these nifty new abilities. He can place a Bounty Permanent Effect on an opponent allowing the theft of a unique Crew upgrade. For the rest of the game attacks at the BPE ship gain an additional damage point if a blank or Battle Stations is rolled. 

These two new inclusions do turn up the heat a bit with more peril for players encountering them and maybe even a faster ways to a defeat. Interestingly enough, this pack looks more to causing operational restrictions on an opponent than physical points damage. Check out the Vidiians for one as they are all about disabling Crew while the Tech cards tend to lean more towards repair and consolidation of your fleet. It's certainly a different dynamic to play with instead of just a continuous pummelling of weapons fire. 

The adversaries do play to their character traits in that sense  so the Hirogen do still cater for pure assault while there are more "intelligent" ways to battle and demoralise your enemy. Take away their upgrades, reduce them to a shell and then move in for the final kill or in some respects, let them do it to themselves!

Also in the box players will find the new Delta Quadrant Campaign. Duplicated in the Lost in the Delta Quadrant set, this new series of missions offers a host of scenarios to recreate Voyager's journey home. Ok, you could do this with any ship and any auxiliary craft but let's be honest, most players are going to want to follow it with Voyager and the Delta Flyer. Having the chance to complete each mission and reset does mean you're not trying to keep track of progress too much (well played Wizkids for the series nods in the booklet). It also makes players want to try as the Delta Master since this pack is a lot of fun with new things to try and a campaign that caters for both sides almost equally.

Would I consider playing out a Delta Quadrant fleet? After this pack, the answer is a resounding YES.

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Infinite Possibilities

Paradox Interactive have an illustrious history when it comes to simulation management with winners such as Cities: Skylines and Stellaris under their belt.

2023 adds one more to their repertoire with Star Trek: Infinite. Stellaris fans will recognise it instantly since it is, for the most part, a reskin of that well-played PC game.

Platers choose their initial power from the Federation, Klingons, Romulans and Cardassians before embarking on a galactic expansion. The ultimate aim is to either win on a points victory by the mid-27th Century or manage to absorb different civilisations through diplomacy or conquest. If you're also familiar with the long-running mobile game Fleet Command then this is similar but on steroids and without the need to wait days to complete upgrades or fork out continuously for more parts. Ok, there may not (at launch date) be as many ship or recognisable character options available but I suspect there's more satisfying results in the gameplay.

Just to take the Federation as the example here, players start off with a series of worlds and can then expand through exploring with science vessels and building starbases, mining stations, observation posts and research facilities to build up abilities and resources. Starbases allow for the building of fleets and through research paths you can be commanding fleets of Galaxy Class vessels to defend your borders.

So as you make your way into the game it’s important to build up those resources be they minerals, energy, dilithium or even experience to help progress a growing civilisation. Players can send out colony ships to settle new worlds but be careful what you find as some of them may be more inclined to join with an opposing power than settle for the welcoming arms of the Federation. Don't get hung up on the map being canon-accurate either as it will naturally change a lot over the course of the game and races will not necessarily spawn their societies in the same parts of the galaxy as they did in a previous game. It does mean you can't anticipate where to head out and survey and adds back in the mystery with every new game.

Players will also be joined by a series of familiar faces including Picard, Riker, Sloan, Data and Janeway but these are little more than images of the characters with them adding little to the gameplay. Indeed, the only two that do offer some additional features are Picard and Janeway who are essential to the completion of the Borg mission strand.

The main Mission Tree does divert your empire off into different paths and the benefit of repeat playing is finding out just where these can take you. Do you track a journey where the actions of Section 31 are prioritised or do you tread a more peaceful and open adventure? The choice is yours. 

One of the benefits of the Federation Mission Tree is ticking off the tasks to unlock the USS Enterprise-D and her crew which in turn leads to the Enterprise-E. Deep Space Nine can be acquired if players can bring Bajor into the Federation too.

It’s definitely a game that takes a lot of trial and error with some goals becoming out of reach if certain characters die or territory is lost. Take too long on searching the galaxy for example and Picard may have aged himself out of contention to encounter the Borg. 

The space combat sequences are very basic if truth be told and more of the gameplay is to be found in scrolling through your planets for potential upgrades of populace resettlement to a more successful colony. Keeping your people happy and occupied makes for a more content Federation and at the same time assists in helping you look like a good place to live. Be careful not to overexpand though as it will stretch resources so players might want to wait before adding another couple of starbase. Perhaps open dialogue with the Bolians or Trill and bring them aboard to stabilise your stats otherwise the Cardassians or Klingons might see territory ripe for the invading.

If you’re looking for a first person, action adventure Trek then this is absolutely not going to tick a single box. This is all about planning, patience and tactics. When to expand and where, what travel lines you can open up and how you can link the different parts of the Federation together for the benefit and security of all. 

I can guarantee that if you are into that management style game then be prepared to sink a fair few hours into it. Yes, there are ‘issues’ with the timeline in that uniforms don’t change depending on the century or that you could be using Excelsior class when you'd be lucky not to be retiring a Constitution III Class. Really the size of the ship is more of a guide to how advanced your civilisation has become and the calendar sort of becomes irrelevant in terms of "factual" Star Trek history. It actually becomes more of a reminder of just how long you have until that peace accord wears off and you can get attacked again. You will inevitably go through a lot of planetary governors, scientists, admirals, spies and generals all of which cost resources to purchase. Repeated plays (and regular saves!) will help you hone skills and also utilise parts of the game you may never have touched before. 

If you've never played Stellaris then Infinite might seem overwhelming initially and the tour at the start is frankly atrocious. I dived in, paddled a bit and took some risks on my first game just to see how the whole thing worked. It was well worth it and on the restart I scored a win with the Federation although slightly hollow as the Cardassians invaded Earth and Vulcan at the exact same time I integrated the final society.

Expansions seem to be a possibility too and even with the initial game there are two options, the slightly more expensive offering a Klingon voice pack and the California Class among other titillating extras. 

I'm not a huge PC gamer and have only Cities: Skylines as experience when it comes to Paradox Interactive but in terms of this one I'm hooked in if only to try all of the scenarios and outcomes. I'm even invested in seeing where I can shave down time or put more effort into one direction than another just to see if the end result is more favourable. If you want something that will make you think, has decent enough graphics and sets itself in the Star Trek universe then this is well worth the price at under £30 and will provide hours of thought and gameplay. Just be prepared for the mental onslaught at the beginning and you'll be fine.

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On a Mission: Gale Force Nine Beams You Aboard

Gale Force Nine’s last entry into the Star Trek market was the incredibly in-depth, long playing Ascendancy where anything above a two player game potentially means booking a week off work to see it through.

The arrival of Away Missions (due out in the UK in August) counters that intensity perfectly with a game that can be over and done in 90 minutes while still fulfilling that desire for some proper Star Trek tabletopping.

The premise behind the game sees away teams from one of the available factions dropped onto either a Borg Cube or the USS Ahwahnee (one of the ships lost at Wolf 359) with a main mission objective and several secondary objectives to complete. 

Time is limited with both sides having to play their actions out across just three rounds. Does it work? Absolutely and with that restriction you become a lot more honed in on exactly what you need to do and the strengths of one faction over another.

The core box contains the Federation and Borg parties. Initial concerns that the 4 vs 6 squads might be a little biased is quickly removed when you understand that bonus actions have been built into the mechanics to ensure that play is fair. Each miniature comes with an accompanying stats board referencing their personal traits and attack, defence and skill levels.

With a set of interchangeable double-sided boards there are a variety of layout combinations that can be achieved. Each board contains different stations (Command, Sciences, Operations, Medical) within sections of the ship or cube that players will need to interact with to complete challenges while also avoiding or engaging the opposition.

Let’s look at how each round works. Using the core box Federation set of Riker, Shelby, Data

and Worf, each character can conduct two actions per round aiming to complete tasks and build up the most points. These two Actions don't need to be a "Move plus something" and you can mix and match to suit your tactics.

The Borg start with two drones and add a further two characters to the board at the beginning of each subsequent round, rebuilding their forces and overrunning the ship. Ultimately there's the chance to have five drones and Locutus in play by the conclusion. That's no including any members of the opposition away team you might have managed to assimilate! Due to their hive mind nature the Borg can also transfer their actions to another drone which comes in useful when you’re needing to grab some final points  in the last throws of round three.

As part of each round you replenish your Support and Mission cards which will help gain points. Players keep these in their hand until they need to be played and the decks from which they are drawn (a set 20 cards) can be customised from the sets included in the core box. 

Support cards will add in benefits such as the phaser rifle or transporter pattern enhancers while Mission cards will provide side quests to boost your points total such as performing a skill test at a certain console. This in turn will depend on the abilities of your characters as to who is best suited for what (and is detailed on their stats card). That will then determine your path through the rooms of the ship or cube.

The model sculpts are nice but they are begging to be painted up and I can see a lot of players wanting to do that. Each does represent their respective onscreen persona very well adding in phaser, tricorders and a customary bat'leth for Worf - ideal since his hand-to-hand combat gains you an additional damage point.

Talking of that, facing off against six Borg can seem a little daunting however with the way the stats are built, three rounds is more than enough to dispatch at least one or two as combat is done on a comparison of scores from highest to lowest. This means that while you might stop the drones from completely taking over.

One thing that I really like about Away Missions though is the quick start guide. The rulebook itself (already available for download from the Gale Force Nine site) covers every eventuality but can be a bit of an overload on first glance. The quick start guide takes you through the basics of the game and in the box there are even a starter Support and Mission card decks comprising of 20 cards to ease you into the action. Once you've got the game down you can rip open the larger packs and start customising your 20 card deck depending on the board and opponents. What works against the Borg might not be the best option against the Romulans for example.

A large Borg force might be enticing but to be able to control any of the areas of the ship you do need to have assimilated members of your opposition since the drones themselves have no set skills until they, well assimilate them. This will mean that your starting tactic for round one might be to add to your workforce while Starfleet's could be to avoid the Borg completely and repair the ship asap.

The Klingons favour full on combat while the Romulans are all about their intel. The Federation is a bit of a mix although they will only stun opponents unless they're the Borg.

Once you get past the first few games and make a few mistakes (I had the Borg being able to do anything until I realised why assimilation was so key!) and how you can play the game more tactically dependent on your faction, this is a fantastic experience. The downside is that you can't get all four factions out at once unless you have two core box sets. That initially sounds a bit grim but given the number of spaces on the four boards you'd be falling over each other from the first move.

Away Missions is a great and thoughtful game for Trek fans and I can't recommend it enough. There has been a bit of bad commentary over the figures but you need to look beyond and actually play the game rather than worrying about representational pieces of plastic (if they bother you that much). I genuinely hope this gets super popular as I would definitely be interested in a Dominion pack or a Cardassian pack. Maybe there's scope for more boards and a DS9 setting and crew? Mix and match options to pick your best away team? Kirk and Spock on the original Enterprise?

The possibilities are right there for the taking and it would be great to see a fair few of them come to fruition.

Away Missions launches August 12th and is available to pre-order NOW.

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Seconds Out: Alliance: Dominion War Campaign Part II

Tired of replaying the original Alliance missions over and over again?

In that time honoured tradition the wait is finally over as Alliance 2 has broken cover and brought the Klingon Empire into the Dominion War.

For anyone just dropping on here for the first time, Alliance is a sort of Attack Wing version 2.0. Utilising the same movement and combat systems as that Wizkids tabletop game, this version pits players against a common foe through co-operative play.

Featuring familiar Attack Wing ships, the initial box saw the Akira and Excelsior Classes under player command across four linked missions. These could either be played singularly or as part of a campaign in which players could gradually upgrade their ships and skills.

Alliance 2 continues in the same manner however this is very firmly an expansion to the original rather than a whole new pack so having either the Attack Wing Starter Set OR the original Alliance box is essential as the core pieces such as dice, damage cards and movement templates are not included.

The first Alliance introduced the AI feature onto the Jem'Hadar fighters, three of which were in that pack. This sequel now adds the Cardassian Galor Class to the Dominion ranks and the hefty Jem'Hadar Battle Cruiser for good measure.

Wizkids seem to have learnt quite a bit from that first box as well as their lengthy history with Attack Wing itself. Inside the box there are lots of new bits to enhance the Alliance experience and actually add to the original set.

For example, there are additional cards and manoeuvre dials so that the Jem'Hadar ships from box one can be played in Attack Wing as well as generic Dominion captains. There are also some card markers which can be pulled into use if you require the fighters in this expansion but don't have any or enough available (say if you only have the Attack Wing starter pack). This makes Alliance 2 super easy to get into as long as you have those core gaming elements.

As recognition to anyone who did get that first box and wants to continue using their Federation captains, there are a series of new upgrades for those craft in here too. That's a brilliant pay off for those that have intentionally played it all through ready for Alliance 2 to continue the story.

For those wanting a new challenge or are more of a Klingon persuasion, Wizkids has packed in two player ships here in the form of the Vor'Cha Cruiser and a Bird of Prey. Both are ratified with the new points scores introduced over the faction packs, offering more scope on upgrades.

Not to coin a rather cliched phrase but (sigh) this pack is the best of both worlds. It doesn't rely on just having Alliance 1 plus it actually realises some of the pitfalls of that first box and works to rectify them. Add in another four missions to the overall Dominion War campaign and you have a very well rounded pack.

But of course the cards are one of the biggest draws here. Alliance 2 adds in four for Federation captains; Co-ordinated Assault to transfer an Evade, Battle Station or Scan token to another ship at close range, Battle Plan adds a Battle Stations token to your ship if another allied craft is in close range. Extend Shields provides a friendly ship with a shield fix and Engineering Officer allows for an Action to be conducted even if there is an auxiliary power token in play. 

On top of those new upgrades, there are 24 cards to start building that Klingon Fleet. That's six Crew, five(1) new Elite Actions for the captains, five for Weapons and seven Tech. The Crew options do tend to revolve around the utilisation of either the Target Lock or Battle Stations tokens to bolster attack or defence with only Helmsman providing a spin on movement. 

In the Elite Actions Reckless Assault offers repeat usage for head on combat alone. Evasive Maneuvers awards an Evade for use of an Evade while Strafing Run is reliant on overlapping bases to inflict more undefended damage.

Glory to the Empire! acts as an alternative Target Lock to reroll attack or defence. Fight with Honor teases better odds in taking on equal sized or bigger opponents. Eye for an Eye is a real diamond in the pack with the chance to inflict critical damage if you yourself suffer likewise with no chance to defend it.

The Weapon upgrades offer a series of ways to target multiple enemies, improve rolled results and in the case of Converging Fire, allow other friendly Negh'Var or Vor'Cha Class ships the use of the host ship's Target Lock. 

Equally as good is a unique chance to Target Lock two different opponents with the four point Targeting Array. Secondary Cloaking Coil provides a chance to do repairs and cloak in the same beat although as a discard it's a one off. Reinforced Hull also offers a surprising upgrade to any ships with a hull value of four and above. Nor do any of the Tech upgrades have any real deficits or negative impacts so they would be features I'd choose to get onto my ship first.

But let's get it set right, this is a superb pack that offers so much to all players who have at least the ability to play at a base level. The option now to play as either Federation or Klingon will be wildly popular and the inclusion of two new ship classes under AI control opens up options for this and for straight Attack Wing single player scenarios. The cards themselves are top drawer with Helmsman seeming to be super popular. Thinking to add in Attack Wing cards was a bonus that pays dividends too.

News is that with Part III the Romulans will allow you to mix and match anything so you’ll be flying a Federation ship tooled up with anything you can select from any of the three packs.

A great addition if a long time coming and it’s not over yet!

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Gaming Trek Back in Business

For years fans have been screaming for a new Star Trek console game that encapsulates the true spirit of the franchise.

In recent times we’ve had the Kelvin Universe back in 2014 as a prequel to Into Darkness, the VR reliant Bridge Command and only a matter of months ago, Prodigy’s Supernova. Yet nothing seems to have captured the imagination of the Trek gaming community as much as classics such as Bridge Commander and A Final Unity from the 1990's.

Resurgence was slated as the Next Big Thing. There’s been hype, trailers and much excitement around Dramatic Labs new addition to their catalogue. Could this be the game to revitalise Star Trek on consoles and PCs? Might this be the first real chance to bring in fans to the levels that Online has managed?

While Supernova was evidently aiming for the junior Star Trek fan market (and some could argue completely failed at that), Resurgence is the one most fans will have been waiting for. Taking a more adult and more conversational direction, it perhaps encapsulates the franchise's nature more absolutely.

Set during the Dominion War timeframe, Resurgence will go some way to appease fans of the 90’s generation of shows. The uniforms, the ships, the Starfleet environments; all are incredibly familiar and all tied into a heavily narrative driven adventure. Don't expect that "Dominion War" tag to pay off however as that seems to have been just for marketing purposes since there's not a Jem'Hadar in sight from beginning to end.

If you’re looking for lots of shooting and high octane kicks then it might be better to head over to STO or perhaps even the (somehow still going) Alien Domain. This is a game requiring much more attention and understanding of the overall plot. 

The USS Resolute has finally been put back into service following an "incident" which is unseen during the game itself but can be found by reading the prequel comic series. Taking on a new first officer, the ship is tasked with helping negotiate between the Hotari and Alyidans over dilithium mining rights. Now this might not seem super exciting to begin with but trust me it does get going although it does seem to take a while to switch into gear.

During the mission you get to play as both first officer Jada Rydek and Petty Officer 2nd Class Carter Diaz allowing for two different perspectives on the ship and adventure as time progresses. 

As noted, this isn't a phaser fight all the way and relies much more on decision making and attention to detail. Yes, there are some combat elements but these are far outweighed by the choices made along the way. 

The first few missions do allow you some time to adjust to what might be a slower pace of gaming as you're taken through the steps - how to use the tricorder, how to interact with objects, how to shoot... before the story really kicks in.

What becomes immediately obvious is the amount of replay there will be Resurgence. Each choice leads to another but perhaps not one you chose on the last run through. Each decision also influences the relationships that character has. For example Chief Engineer Chuvok (yep, he's a Vulcan) will have his opinion of Diaz changed dependant on which of three answers he gives at a chosen point. 

At first this may not seem to cause any major ripples but as you get further into the story, or replay to see other results, these paths become more obvious.

Resurgence isn't a totally new set of characters either with the already announced Captain William T Riker (voiced by Jonathan Frakes) appearing as well as legendary Vulcan ambassador Spock. Nicely voiced by Piotr Michael you'd swear it's Nimoy and his inclusion in the game is definitely one of its highlights. His inclusion might seem like a bit of a marketing ploy but his place in the story does help tie elements together.

As is the choice to bring back the Tkon Empire. Perhaps not referenced as much as the Ionians, the Tkon appeared in TNG's first season The Last Outpost and this game plays as a decent if long overdue sequel. In the game 16 years have passed since that encounter while in real time its 36! In fact the game even takes players back to the location of that very episode as part of the story itself, further integrating it into the fabric of the Star Trek universe.

Important to note is that given the price tag, don't expect this to be the next Skyrim or GTA for quality. It's a decent mid-range game that knows it has a somewhat niche gaming market and as such you can sort of tell that it's not quite pushing the boundaries for the PS5. There are an annoying amount of glitches. The AI walking ability is horrid at points and when characters are talking you can see pretty much into the back of their digital skulls. The audio is also out of sync with their lips which gets increasingly frustrating as does the odd sound echo or cut line. Hopefully these are issues that can get ironed out with future patches and it certainly needs them to really get that immersive Star Trek episode experience right.

Resurgence in that sense does need a chunk of work doing to it in the form of patches and upgrades to iron the bugs out and make this a much smoother gameplaying experience but I guess it's initial popularity on shelves coupled with how much replay value there is will determine what that will look like.

It does also offer the chance to expand into other episodes with these characters and take them and the Resolute into different areas of the Star Trek universe. A single play through of the game's 40 episodic slots doesn't really give it a fair shot if I'm honest and it may find its true value in subsequent run throughs to highlight the results of different choices  on the story as well as those characters around both Diaz and Rydek. It's also a long game in terms of payoff just in that first experience because there are little nuggets dropped in that don't seem to really have much effect. But don't despair because everything in here has a purpose.

While enjoyable it does feel that there's still much work to be done to bring this up to warp speed and I for one look forward to seeing how the developers expand this unique entry to the Star Trek gaming catalogue.

What's your experience of Resurgence been so far?

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Attack Wing: Secrets of the Tal’Shiar

To top the excellent Ships of the Line is going to be a hard act to follow but it looks like this new Romulan faction pack has just the cahoonas to do it.

Featuring four Romulan ships; a scout, a D’Deridex warbird, Valdore class warbird and the Scimitar, Secrets of the Tal’Shiar has gone exceptionally dark. Just out of the box, the biggest thing to notice is that the four models have all been "cloaked". Rather than polish them up with a new paint scheme such as Ships of the Line did in its nod to Online, these pieces have gone to the other extreme.

Translucent plastic, the ships retain their distinct features from previous expansions although this time their colouring is speckled with a "stars" effect to simulate the activation of their stealth technology. For the sake of repetition let's skip over analysis of the models as they are exactly the same as before. One further point - what the hell has happened to the quality of the stands and pegs? Ships are leaning all over the place and putting the clear poles together seems to have become a monstrous and rather frustrating task. The stand bases are fine but the pieces between the model and those elements can do one. They're equally as poor as the fittings from the Ships of the Line pack which saw the Sovereign Class nosediving.

As with the new expansions, the pack has taken account of the new points scoring for the fleet with a few points deducted from each vessel. For once the Scimitar is not too far out of reach to make a decent build but we'll come to that and some of its unique additions in a bit. 

Dropping a whopping four cost points, the Reman Warbird retains its six attack, two defence, seven hull and four shields but now utilises its unique feature to remain cloaked while attacking although it does acquire an Auxiliary Power Token,  The named version also slightly changes its upgrade bar to two Tech, two Crew and only a single Weapon upgrade where previously there were two Crew and one Weapon slot available.

With the Twilight's Wraith D'Deridex Warbird there is a two point adjustment down to a cost of 28 points and the IRW Belak by three to 27. One of the big wins in both this and the Ships of the Line pack is that there are more than one option for your included ships but here only in the case of the D'Deridex and Valdore Class Warbirds. In turn it allows players to tweak their formations out of the box for either a more offensive or defensive strategy. It can also provide balance to a fleet or adjust play so that captains can utilise more flexible tactics on the field.

In terms of the Captain options, Shinzon makes a welcome return with his ability rewritten and significantly shortened. Now a six point rather than an eight point cost, the Picard clone also wields space for two Elite Actions and the chance to use a free Action while cloaked which will counter the Auxiliary Power Token incurred if the Scimitar fires while cloaked. His flip side i also different should players opt to place him in the Admiral position as Shinzon can then remove Disable or Time Tokens as a Fleet Action. 

The additional four Captains (yes, another four!) of Donatra, Koval, Rekar and Lovok all tend to focus on more offensive abilities and I suppose this is in keeping with the more aggressive nature of the Tal'Shiar. One point here - shouldn't Lovok actually be dual faction Dominion?

The only reason I would question this is because amongst the Crew options B-4 is dual Romulan/Independent. Nicely plated with the Soong android as well since his ability also has the chance to directly affect an opponent ship if it's named Enterprise with an additional two Time Tokens on the Captain card as well as being able to alter the maneuver of the target ship.

As with the Captain choices, the Crew complement is packed out with Varak, the Reman Viceroy, Reman Helmsman, T'Rul and Nevala providing various additions to your ships of either two or three points. This might be the ability to equip a Cloaking Device, alter your own moves or increase Captain skill as well as providing some additional forms of defence considering how attacking a lot of this set is. Interestingly B-4 is a five point cost, marking him a significantly higher price tag than any of the other cards in the pack with the exception of Shinzon and a certain super weapon.

Over in the selection for Elite Actions there is that leaning towards more secretive aspects of the organisation with Covert Research working around the Scan feature and Outflank utilising the Cloak ability (two of this card are included which kind of emphasises its usefulness). I am impressed with the Fire Everything card here as provides a chance to turn an ineffective attack around.

Deep in the Weapons selection we have standard Aft Disruptor Emitters (x2) which hits ships out of your firing arc and Disruptor Pulse which allows players to hit multiple targets within the firing arc of your ship. Both are blindingly good upgrades which do make me wonder what players will do with a large chunk of their older cards thanks to these more useful cards and not just because of the cost reductions. Flanking Attack is most effective on the Valdore Class as it provides two additional attack dice. More so if you're firing at a ship not in your forward arc since it reduces the opponent's defence by two dice which is a big reduction.

Of course there's also the Thalaron Weapon which has been somewhat neutered since its original appearance. That cost a ridiculous and game breaking ten points with a ten dice attack. This version is half the cost for a six dice attack that forces the opponent to remove a command or Crew upgrade off the bat and by cancelling a further Critical Damage if successful it can take another of those upgrades away too. Wisely it's a one off discard but still worth a punt for your Reman Warbird if you want to deliver an early crippling blow.

As for Tech, Secrets of the Tal'Shiar offers two Romulan Cloaking Device upgrades which does benefit craft outside of this expansion as well as the chance to use tighter turns instead of the Sensor Echo shift. Advanced Cloaking means you don't decloak this round but incur an Auxiliary Power Token while Improved Cloaking is even more substantial although purely useable with the Reman Warbird. Instead of flipping all shields to deactivated, only one needs to be turned red adding an incredible level of defence to one of the game's deadliest ships.

Romulan Ale offers a get out of jail free option by taking Disable tokens from Captain and Crew to be replaced with Time Tokens as well as placing three onto the card itself plus reducing the effectiveness of attacks at and from the chosen ship. 

A cost of one point is more than reasonable here although it is a card that will reduce your battle readiness in some respects although it will counter by not needing an Action to re-enable some upgrades.

Keeping in line with other packs from the last 12 months, Secrets... includes two Ambassador cards in the form of "It's a Fake!!!" Vreenak and the ill-fated Kimara Creetak. The Ambassador upgrade is something I've still not really tackled in gameplay although the negotiations piece is a nice twist where either acceptance means a "levelling" of the playing field or an increase in hostilities. For these cards there's the chance to increase offensive capability or disable upgrades for one or provide repairs or deduction of Time Tokens on the other. Either way there seems to be a decent advantage - it just depends how you want to play it!

Fortunately with this box you don't need to go hunting under the insert tray to find the missions as they are back on the standard cards. Crossing the Rubicon faces Donatra against the Scimitar. In the second, The Human from Remus, Shinzon boards a D'Deridex Class Warbird, specifically the Twilight's Wrath to defend a planet against the Dominion. This one does require additional ships and cards from other packs to play out but I suspect that's a clever tool to get players to invest in the other recent faction packs!

The Romulans are one of my preferred factions if not playing as the Federation and in this set there are lots of quality options to really utilise them to the best of their subversive abilities. All of these later expansion packs have truly delivered another level to the game. Secrets of the Tal'Shiar might be a pack where you use the cards and ignore the models but it's certainly worth using.

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