Always Welcome

by Darren Lacoste, Editor in Chief

16th December 2008

I love Star Trek: The Next Generation. I always have. And this article's "teaser text" dialogue is from one of my favorite 'feel good' moments in the show. If you don't recognize it, it's from the last scene of the last episode, All Good Things.

Since this is a card extra, it should come as no surprise that Always Welcome comes from the same episode. A zero-cost core event with a -themed "to play" requirement, it should also come as no surprise that this card offers a benefit not just for the person who plays it, but for all of his or her opponents as well. Specifically, when the game text trigger is met, each player may choose to either draw a card, or discard a card from hand to draw two cards.

Expanding briefly on these concepts, let's further analyze the "to play" requirement: you must command six personnel. This culture protection is not uncommon in Second Edition, but the quantity is... six personnel is notably higher than the standard text on other cards calling for just two or three. This serves to ensure that Always Welcome doesn't enter the game too early, a fitting characteristic for a card themed on the end of a series.

Continuing this card's motif of reminiscence, the effects listed above encourage one to recall the early days of Second Edition, when cards like Riva (Respected Mediator) and Back-Flush Bussard Collectors were popular card-drawing mechanisms. I remember those days vividly... good times.

So, we've taken a look at the past and the present. All Good Things even gave us a glimpse of the future. If Raise the Stakes is to be any indicator, our future - Second Edition's future - looks bright, indeed.