Dial-Up Your Dilemma Pile

by Austin Chandler, Staff Writer

22nd October 2010

Dial-Up comes from one of my favorite Voyager episodes and is in fact the second dilemma to come directly from that episode. It features a picture of Rain Robinson calling Henry Starling, all the while overheard by the Voyager crew. It’s a perfect sense of a phone tap for the 24th Century, and this card allows you to ‘tap’ your opponent’s Special Download-icon personnel in the attempt.

Text: All personnel with [the Special Download icon] in Away Team are “stopped.” Place this dilemma on this mission; you may not download cards. Nullify with 3 Computer Skill and Anthropology.

How many of us have attempted a mission knowing we could suspend play to download a card that will provide critical assistance when needed? Dr. McCoy comes to mind. So do Tasha Yar – Alternate, Admiral Riker, and others.  Dial-Up can put the brakes on that during an Away Team's mission attempt. First of all, your  personnel are stopped. Then, the dilemma is placed on the mission, with a two-turn countdown that prevents any downloads. On top of that, the nullification requires 3 Computer Skill and Anthropology... that is pretty hefty by itself.

While the card might not always hit personnel, there is a good chance that it will at least prevent desired downloads for two turns. For decks that depend on downloads, especially for card draws, this is a nightmare dilemma to discover.

Combos:

Dial-Up + Distracted By Thoughts of Home + The Clown: Bitter Medicine + Implication OR Shaka, When The Walls Fell.

Eliminate the Special Download-icon personnel, all personnel have a -1, some have a -2, and the wall should hold them for a few turns. And they can’t download a PADD or personnel to help out.

Access Denied + Make Us Go + Dial-Up + Unscientific Method + Ancient Computer & Microvirus.

Play Access Denied on the mission, which makes Dial-Up require 4 Computer Skill and Anthropology to get past. Make Us Go takes one ENGINEER out of play, Unscientific Method removes a SCIENCE, and the Ancient Computer requires 3 Computer Skill OR 3 SCIENCE OR 3 ENGINEER to get past and no instant downloads to help them out.

Access Denied + Dial-Up + Horta + Holographic Ruse OR Shaka, When the Walls Fell OR Implication OR Dead End.

Access Denied adds the extra Computer Skill to Dial-Up, Dial-Up can stop any Special Download that might affect Horta or the desire to download a personnel to try and get rid of Horta more quickly. Then your opponent encounters the wall, which hopefully will buy you some time.

Dial-Up + A Fast Ship Would Be Nice + "God" Dial-Up can help prevent downloads, even of new ships with Spacedock; A Fast Ship Would Be Nice will either eliminate an empty ship or a personnel; and "God" can destroy the ships in orbit. While it might not always work, it has the potential to strand an Away Team for a couple of turns if it doesn't have another ship nearby, or the opponent one in hand.

-djl-