Regeneration

by Niall Matthew, Broken Bow intern designer and the inserter of tubules

27th March 2017

The latest expansion for First Edition, Broken Bow, is days away from release.

We crammed everything but the kitchen sink into this set. And naturally, because I'm involved, it would feel wrong if there wasn't any Borg love. So behold the latest spoiler: Four of Fifty. A conversion from the Second Edition set The Undiscovered Country, this Drone wields all the regular skills of the original version, be it in a slightly different order. That Backward Compatible icon is now transformed into a lovely Defense subcommand icon, which makes him good in a fight. So far so good, now onto the more interesting stuff....

Being frozen at the time of Captain Archer gives Four of Fifty some icons which you normally wouldn't see from his affiliation. For starters, he bears the 22nd century icon, leaving the door open for a potential Enterprise era faction in some far off expansion. Most importantly, he retains his Alternate Universe icon, so all you First Edition purists now have a new weapon against dilemmas like Quantum Incursions. Don't forget though that he has a Delta Quadrant icon, so normal reporting is still required.

Let's move on to the special skills. He possesses two types of download options. The first is the ability to download One with the Borg in place of a card draw. Not only can you download it into play, you also have the option of downloading it to hand (since it is in place of a card draw). As you can see, that card has not surfaced yet. Place your bets on how it will work.

The final line of gametext is a special download, with the choice of two cards; Orbital Bombardment or Establish Tractor Lock. These two cards are Objectives which do not have the Borg Only icon and can currently be downloaded with A Change of Plans. I say currently because A Change of Plans is on the watchlist. Perhaps there is a reason why these two Objectives should end up on a Drone which can be downloaded into play easily with cards such as the Borg Queen or We are the Borg.

Overall, Four of Fifty is a powerful addition to any Borg deck, be it a solver or a straight on interactive assimilator. The combination of icons, essential skills, and powerful downloads will help in your mission to assimilate the galaxy. I know I'll be using him from now on. Are there any more cybernetic surprises to come? Find out when Broken Bow is released on Friday.

Tomorrows article: Stand at attention as we introduce the latest additions to Starfleet, the MACOs...

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