Wesley's STCCG card of the day #62

Hi, folks,

some of you have requested I review some Missions. MISSIONS??? Aren't they all the same??? Well, I tried my best to pick a few not so standard ones and I promise to do my best. Anyone not in favor of this idea, quit now and come back for #67...
For the rest, here comes a worthy beginning (and the proof that not ALL missions are the same :-) )

HUNT FOR DNA PROGRAM

Mission, Fed/Klin/Rom, planet, rare.
55 points, Span 5.
Archaeology x 3 + Computer Skill + Biology + Leadership + STRENGTH > 40.
"Vilmor II: Seek and secure last strand of DNA program on this desert planet."

This is the largest point source in the whole game, and also the one with the most requirements and it has (besides others) the largest span available. Let's first try to assemble the smallest crew that can solve this:

Jean-Luc Picard         Archaeology, Leadership, Strength 6.
Baran                   Archaeology, Computer Skill, Strength 6.
Roga Danar              Biology, Strength 12.
Ocett                   Archaeology, Strength 6.
Data                    Strength 12.
------------------------------------
Total Strength: 42. One more than needed.

(Anyone who can do this mission with FOUR cards, please mail me. Of course you can do with four CREW if you have two phasers, but that makes 6 cards...)

Klingon players can substitute a Gowron and a Koral for Picard and Data (Str 43 total), Romulans can use Taul and Tomalak (Str 41).

So at least this mission is balanced, everybody needs five crew, nobody can do with less. All three crew consist of four universally usable members, only Baran sucks a little, so once you get this together you might as well solve a few other missions, too (or instead).

Note that in all three crews it is very hard to replace one of the five personnel and still have all skills and attributes, so any strategy relying on this mission is vulnerable. This and the fact that it easily can be snatched by your opponent when she gets the necessary crew first make this card a risky proposition. I prefer two single-affiliation missions instead to make 60 or 65 points and gain TWO artifacts along the way...

However, this mission makes for a great bluff. Seed it and grin widely. Pretty sure, your opponent will put her best Dilemmas underneath in order to stop you from gaining 55 points - which you smilingly counter by flying the opposite direction and solving three 35 point missions that don't have anything hard underneath as everything is placed you-know-where....

Favorite combo(s):

Well more like best Dilemmas: Try spicing this mission with Alien Abduction (against Feds, steal Data), any love interest (5 crew necessary, good chance to nail at least one) or anything that requires MEDICAL (preferably more than once).
No good: Anything that requires [Attribute] > *. Crews for this mission are LARGE!

Ratings for :

Wesley's rating:                7.5
Allen Castaban's rating:        6.0
Data's rating:                  6.1
Habib's rating:                 8.0
Jeff's rating:                  8.5
Jason's rating:                 7.5
Tim's rating:                  10.0
Conner's rating:                6.5
Owen's rating:                  ---
Mike's rating:                  8.1
Ian's rating:                   ---
MacPhisto's rating:             ---
Jack's rating:                  8.0
----------------------
AVERAGE RATING:                 7.62

Please direct all email concerning card of the day to: blohmer@pips11.informatik.uni-mannheim.de

LLAP,

Wesley Crusher, the new STCCG Lord

"A couple of lightyears can't keep good friends apart"