Anatomy of a Bajoran Card

by Brad DeFruiter, Lead Designer

16th April 2008

What does it mean to be a Bajoran? Let me list things that you may or may not know about the design of the Bajorans:

• Bajorans do so much with the discard pile to represent their ability to make the most of what they have. They also go there to represent their ties with the past.

• Bajorans have so much Anthropology because of their large amount of religious-type characters.

• Bajorans like to support one another. This is why they have so many personnel that boost each other.

• Bajorans should not do a lot of card drawing. Getting cards from the discard pile is often their version of card drawing.

• “Bad guy” or “evil” Bajorans remove cards in the discard pile from the game to get effects, while other Bajorans will place cards there, count cards there, or bring cards from the discard pile back to hand.

• Bajorans have poor ships and have to pay more for their ships to work better.

• Bajorans have game-play “bleed” with Klingons [who like to go to the discard pile] and the Maquis [who have Bajoran personnel] and Deep Space 9 [who also have Bajoran personnel].

• Bajorans are more combat friendly than engagement friendly.

• When Bajorans win combat, they usually do not kill personnel but instead destroy things or get “other” results – like scoring points.

• No one [especially me] on the design team [or any past design teams] has an obsession with Kira Nerys or any other Bajorans.

• Ranjen is not a family name but rather a religious title given to Bajoran Prylars. It has been stated in places that a Ranjen is a higher “rank” than a Prylar.

• Bajorans have been in every Second Edition release.

• The first sideways card was almost a Bajoran card. There was talk that Kira Nerys, The Intendant could be done on a sideways card with her lying down as the image.

• Peldor Joi is the only card in Second Edition that has both its title and lore written in a non-English language.

• Bajorans have so few events and interrupts compared to other affiliations because their abilities focus more on their personnel than on verbs.

I hope that this list gives players and fans of Second Edition some insight and a better appreciation of the Bajorans.