The Riskier the Road

by Ross Fertel, Second Edition Brand Manager

2nd February 2018

In life, it is not uncommon to look back and see where things can be improved. This is something we’ve all done and there are several expansions that follow up on existing mechanics from prior expansions. There are years of experience gained to use in your favor, not to mention other affiliations that have been added to the game in the interim.

As a case in point, Extreme Measures followed up on Necessary Evil’s theme of lose five points to do something. Not only had many more affiliations and mechanics been added to the game since then, but with Necessary Evil being such a fan favorite expansion, it made perfect sense to get a follow up.

The biggest tool in this set is arguably Ferengi Tradition. The fives are all over this card, in multiples at least. A printed cost of five, a point loss of ten and a point gain of twenty. Admittingly a fairly risky proposition, this became a way for Ferengi to get those extra ten points in a round-the-corner victory or use those extra thirty points in lieu of solving a third mission. Requiring a steep six Ferengi affiliated cards to prevent being used on an off-color deck, this dark horse gave Ferengi a big kick in the arm to go further with another widget in their toolkit. Falsify Distress Signal can help them get another turn for victory as long as they have the lobes. While not as risky as, say, Quarks Treasure, you’ll still need to earn that extra time.

That isn’t all for them as Diamon Solok enters the scene with five points for you, just for getting him in play. It does come at the cost of milling a card from your dilemma pile, putting a twist on the Ferengi liking cards under missions. He’s also got a great set of skills for your solving needs. Speaking of liking cards under missions, Surprise Audit keys off cards under your Ferenginar. The adding of a personnel to a mission attempt is not new, but with a card coming from under your Ferenginar, you can have the security that you don’t necessarily have with it being in your hand or even your discard pile. You know where they are and can get them when you need them. There are more than enough ways to get your card ready to come out when they are needed. Since the trigger is facing a dilemma, they can always come at the end to get you that extra skill you need to get those valuable points.

Only three cards, but they give the Ferengi a lot of options to make use of.

Looking at the other cards in the set, Coolant Leak remains a great filter, while Inequitable Exchange lets you go through a small rolodex for your punishment needs. Both One Step Ahead and The Launching have pretty steep requirements to meet. Assess Contamination has some helpful text that your opponent will need to take into account while putting their dilemmas in order. Opaka Sulan offers help for Bajorans everywhere and a bit of a boost for the Resistance. Borca has help for the Cardassians at a cost appropriate to their mechanics. Charles Whatley and Jaresh-Inyo help Earth Deep Space Nine out quite a bit while Luther Sloane helps out more stationside. Richard Galen gained skills en-masse while fulfilling a goal of long term designer Brad DeFruiter. Croden gives your opponent a tough choice while Doantra can help make your way past dilemmas.

The Bajoran Resistance becomes a force to be reckoned with in this set with Furel, Gantt and Orta giving you the skills to solve and abilities to keep your deck running in the interim. A pair of equipment, The Earing of Li Nalas and Resistance Rifle help get your way through the game in other ways. Finally, Off-World Raid gives you the refill your battle centric deck needs that Benjamin Sisko can’t provide.

Looking back on your past is never a bad idea. With several more factions on the table, Extreme Measures offered more for you to do if you were willing to pay the price. With all the mechanics introduced between the two products, design was able to take advantage of how each functioned and steer them towards having players make tough calls.

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