Debate Over Dinner

by Kevin Jaeger, Staff Writer

9th April 2008

Here's a list for you to consider:

A Royal Hunt, Biochemical Hyperacceleration, Casualties, Cave-in, Charged-Particle Precipitation, Coordinated Effort, Crew Advancement, Entanglement, Final Adventure, Financial Pitfall, Heart to Heart, In Training, Interphasic Effects, Molecular Mishap, No Kill I, Profitable Venture, Renegade Ambush, Talosian Trial, The Clown: Guillotine, Toe to Toe, Tragic Turn, Under Pressure, Up the Ante, Urgency, Zero Hour.

The common theme is pretty obvious - they are all dilemmas that consume a fixed number, and because they consume, they tend to have powerful effects at a reduced cost. However, the consume itself can be a very, very hefty price and for that reason, players tend to use consume dilemmas sparingly. With Debate Over Dinner, you just got a price reduction that will make it worth it.

Imagine you are playing Maquis. With three copies of Debate Over Dinner, you can stick a Biogenic Weapon on a mission an opponent is busy attempting and then stick a copy of Debate Over Dinner on each of his or her remaining missions. Your opponent just took a beating, and now has to face the reality that attempts at any other missions are going to get messy. When it looks like your opponent is about to complete a mission with Debate Over Dinner on it, Santos can step in and prevent the opponent's five point gain.

Now imagine you are playing Borg. With Fourth (Neonatal Drone), you can download two copies of Debate Over Dinner right away, stick one each on an opponent's space missions and leave him or her with a tough choice: face the likelihood of Tragic Turn plus Final Adventure plus The Clown: Guillotine killing four with four dilemmas overcome or face the likelihood of Tragic Turn plus Necessary Execution killing four with only two overcome dilemmas.

In either case, you can get a nasty combo without worrying about Brunt ruining your day. Not that you'd have to anyway since you're undoubtedly packing Instigate Dissension.

Regardless of stops or kills, the Tragic Turn pile just got a major shot to the heart. Rumors of its death were greatly exaggerated.