The Circle of Species

by Ross Fertel, Second Edition Brand Manager

16th February 2018

That little box in the middle of your personnel got the spotlight in Lineage. It is prime real estate and doesn't usually have an impact on the game. Putting it front and center in an expansion elevated it to the point where it proved effective and enabled a few tricks. The Dominion is mainly comprised of three species, but others can come and help them out, or manage their books if you want to go that route.

The centerpiece of the Dominion in Lineage are the three Breen in this set. We start off with Crom, a three-coster who has a download if your missions require strength. That isn't always in a Dominion build, but it appears in their decks often enough that you can work it in and get the bonus. You get three personnel of different species, probably Changeling, Vorta and Jem'Hadar. Early or late, this will help get the key personnel out and in play. Draz fuels your events by recycling them if you have someone with a cost of four or more to stop. This is very useful since your Assaults and Maneuvers destroy themselves to take effect. You can easily stack them in your favor and keep the points, kills and mayhem flowing. We end with Fel, who has late game written all over him. After you meticulously set up your crews to solve the mission, failing an attempt isn't the end of the world. Granted the cost is high because you need to involve him in the initial attempt along with two other Breen and remove him from the game, but it sure beats waiting until your next turn, especially after your opponent has a turn. A bit of setup required, but it pays dividends.

That's not to overshadow the other Dominion affiliated cards in the set. The Founder Instigator is a walking dilemma. Science and Engineer are not that tough to get, but 2 Intelligence will be a hurdle to clear. Outside a fairly specific Paranoia or Cardassian/Romulan build, your opponent will have a tough time coughing that up. You also have Kalita who can help get your mighty Dominion fleet in order, provided you have a Changeling to play.

Lineage did delve into the species theme even further, extending it to missions. The majority of them require a specific species to complete. There is a way to get around it, but who doesn't like easy mode very now and then? This is certainly the case with Penetrate Enemy Lines. It has other attemptability icons, but it might as well just have Dominion. Starting off with requiring a Jem'Hadar which is more often in your team than two Engineer. The gametext might be useful to the Federation, but the Dominion can really reap the benefits, especially since card drawing isn't really in their wheelhouse. There is a similar skill detour with Recruit Ally, letting your alliance with the Breen cover for your diplomatic bluster. The mission will reward you with the download of your personnel, furthering your overall objectives. Finally, there's the one mission, Stage Covert Fleet, requiring the Dominion only and it can skip over your headquarters at a cost. With a skill set that you can easily muster up, you can certainly set things up for the end of the game, this can save you time.

Rounding out the Dominion gifts in the set is Audacious Assault. Yes, you could destroy it and get a quick personnel in play easily, but like No Peace in Our Time, this might be better if it stays on the table. A constant discount if you do not have a species in play, this will pay for itself after not too long, certainly more than the counters you'll save if you win the assault. Either by making sure continuously you have a personnel to play or diversifying your resume, this can help your counter wallet as the game goes on. It's definitely not a whim card, but if you play your cards right, you can keep pace with an Original Series player.

Looking at the other cards, Conflicts of Interests and Ominous Presence keep the species theme flowing though dilemmas and Intimidation is always a fun card to either stop a crew or keep recycling. Infinite Combinations rewards you for mixing things up as does Enrique Muniz rewarding that diversity that only the Federation can provide. Haadok is a late bloomer for the Mirror Original Series.

An oft neglected part of a card, Lineage helped elevate the Dominion to a whole new level while sticking to its own identity. Species are sticking around and can continue to play an integral part of the game. Design doesn't specifically add new species to the game at specific intervals, but they do pique the interest thanks to Lineage.

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