May 2024 First Edition Game Changes Update

by Paddy Tye, Department of First Edition

7th May 2024

Happy May everyone - with Monday 6th May being a public holiday in some countries, this month's update was scheduled for a Tuesday - hope it didn't catch you by surprise!

Before I start on today's regularly scheduled card pool changes (bans, unbans, errata, and watchlist amendments), I'd like to begin with some additional background to some of the changes this month. We had previously mentioned that we are rotating who on the 1E Executive Committee will make these monthly announcements - and yet this month I'm making the announcement again. Why is that? Because of my involvement leading Project Babylon.

Project Babylon... have we heard about that before? Why yes, it's been mentioned as part of Charlie's Project Status Updates and when it delivered changes to walking and beaming for Nors in March 2021 (as part of Dogs of War). The aim of Project Babylon was to making using Nors more fun, and remove some of the dread player's experienced when using a Nor.

Of course, not being able to use your intended facility is a very undesirable outcome, especially for new players where it poses another barrier-to-entry for DS9 / Nor decks. But we'd been looking at the unfortunate outcome of a Nor vs Nor match-up.

These mirror matches can be of two types: traditional mirror matches (ie DS9 vs DS9) or confrontational mirror matches (ie Mirror Terok Nor vs Mirror Terok Nor). While the game had made some accounting for the confrontational mirror matches, players experiencing a traditional mirror match would still be at a disadvantage if they go second (such as losing control over Holosuite programs or the use of the Station's transporters). A coin flip decision here is not ideal.

While Project Babylon explored all of these mirror match-up options, two of the worst outcomes are outlined below:

1) A KCA player could use Greater Glory of Cardassia to download specific personnel to assassinate the Terran Rebels opposition without tripping Contain Boarding Parties and reversing the lock-out onto the Terran player.

2) In an Empok Nor vs Empok Nor match, if the player going second intends to use Mining Survey, but the station gets seeded at a universal mission instead, leaving Mining Survey unattemptable!

The route cause of these situations was most Nors being "not duplicatable" - this is a kind of super-uniqueness that means there can only be one version of that persona in play at a time for both players. So if I seed DS9 in the dilemma phase, my opponent has to discard his Terok Nor. All Nor players need to plan and account for these possible outcomes, which makes the games less fun.

So what was the solution? Removing the "not duplicatable" caveat. Opposing players can already both use their own U.S.S. Enterprise or Kathryn Janeway, so now both players can also use their own Deep Space 9 or Mirror Terok Nor. Players can now be certain that they can (at least initially) use their Nor as intended and any Nor-related draw engines. And while some player's might be concerned around a reduction in interaction, having opposing stations forced to seed close together still encourages forays to opposing Nors and attempts to commandeer them!

As such, many of the errata this month focus on the removal of the "not duplicatable" text, clean up when you seed your Nor (Empok is still during mission phase), and remove alternative outpost downloads etc. The Balance team also introduced a limit on the download of Site and Equipment cards for commandeering Empok Nor (to 10 cards) - this still gives players a nice bonus while making it much harder for Peter Ludwig to abuse! Empok Nor is now removed from the Modern Ban List.

Other errata this month relate to the Vidiians for the upcoming Vidiian-oriented Lifesigns expansion (due very soon) and errata for cards being used in some upcoming Tournament Promos (Series T; also due out soon).

Apart from the Empok Nor unbanning listed above, there are no other changes to the Modern Ban List or Watchlist this month.

Thanks to all the volunteers who helped create these changes: the Art Department, the Balance team, the Creative team, the Playtesting department and the Rules team! All your efforts are much appreciated! In particular, I'd like to thank the rest of the Project Babylon team for helping to get the Nor changes tested and over the line: James Heaney (BCSWowbagger), Derrick Marsh (HoodieDM), Cristoffer Wiker (Smiley), Glen Shipley (rameses niblick 3), and James Monsebroten (Orbin).

Today's changes in detail:

Errata

Parallel Romance
Updating gametext and now uses a Countdown icon.

Randomly select a male and a female. (If you cannot, discard dilemma). Until countdown expires, each of them is stopped and has STRENGTH reduced by 2.

Deep Space 9 (and VP)
Removal of "not duplicatable" text, changes to seed timing, and use of affiliation icons.

Seeds at a Bajor Region location. If commandeered by any personnel who is not or , flip card over.

Mirror Terok Nor (and VP; side)
Removal of "not duplicatable" text and changes to site seeding caveats.

Seeds at Bajor. If commandeered, new controller may flip card over. Quark's Bar may seed or play here. Ops may only seed or play here if in gametext.

Terok Nor
Removal of "not duplicatable" text and use of affiliation icons.

Seeds at a Bajor Region location. If commandeered by any personnel who is or , flip card over.

Mirror Terok Nor (and VP; side)
Removal of "not duplicatable" text, changes to seed timing, and changes to site seeding caveats.

Seeds at Bajor. If commandeered, new controller may flip card over. Quark's Bar may seed or play here. Ops may only seed or play here if in gametext.

Empok Nor (Side 1)
Removal of "not duplicatable" text, updated wording.

Seeds (uncontrolled) during mission phase at a mission. Dilemmas with "Empok Nor" in gametext or lore may seed beneath station; may not be commandeered while dilemmas remain. No reporting aboard. Flip over if commandeered.

Empok Nor (Side 2)
Removal of "not duplicatable" text and limitation on download when commandeered.

When first flipped, each player may download to station up to ten different Site and/or Equipment cards that may play there. (Normal reporting now allowed.)

Center of Authority
Removal of outpost download if Mirror Terok Nor in play, lore added.

Plays on table. Once each turn, your personnel OR personnel reporting to Mirror Terok Nor may do so for free.

Greater Glory of Cardassia
Removal of download, lore added.

Seeds or plays on table. Ore Processing Units on Nors are immune to Reactor Overload if SECURITY aboard. While you have not attempted a mission, Nors you own cannot be commandeered.

I Miss This Office
Removal of outpost download if Deep Space 9 in play, lore added.

Plays on table. Once each turn, your personnel reporting to Terok Nor may do so for free if or have "Terok Nor" in lore. If your personnel just commandeered Deep Space 9, you may download Baseball.

The Vidiian Sodality
Changed Vidiian Cruiser to cruiser, updated gametext and lore added.

Seeds or plays on table. Once each turn, you may report either a MEDICAL-classification personnel or an with "MEDICAL" in gametext for free. OR Plays on your cruiser. Your personnel may report aboard.

Vidiian Boarding Claw
Changed Vidiian Cruiser to cruiser and updated gametext.

Plays on any undocked ship present with your staffed, unstopped cruiser (discard if you lose control of cruiser). Those ships may not fire WEAPONS at each other; yours may not move. Your personnel may walk through Claw to and from other ship. If other ship moves, both ships are first damaged (discard Claw). You may discard Claw during your turn.

Preparation
Updated gametext.

Plays on your unexamined mission if you control personnel with four different classifications there. Examine bottom seed card. OR Nullifies Lack of Preparation (but still lose points).

Shakaar Edon
Updating lore to include gender.

Miles O'Brien
Clarifying restriction box and updating lore to include gender.

Not compatible with Cardassian-species personnel.

I.K.S. Negh'Var
Updating name from "I.K.C." to "I.K.S."

Modern Ban List

Empok Nor
Following this month's errata, this is now removed from the Modern Ban List.

Watchlist

Empok Nor
Following removal from the Modern Ban List, this is instead added to Watchlist for ongoing monitoring.

Coming Soon

Work continues behind the scenes on more errata and the next First Edition expansion Lifesigns will be with you very soon.

Next game change is scheduled for Monday 3rd June 2024.

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