Realm of Fear Releases Today!

by Ross Fertel, Released

25th April 2025

The latest set for Second Edition, Realm of Fear, releases today. Even if you have been combing the internet to find the latest information, four cards have remained a mystery, until today that is! For a set whose genesis is based around separating the Earth icon from The Original Series', it is only fitting that both are equally represented.

Starting with the Earth icon, Hardy is deceptively simple. His skills offer great redundancy for the faction overall and he bears the Command icon, helpful for staffing purposes. The attributes are perfectly fine, but with a cost of one, you can play him for free with Rapid Deployment. He is a nice, solid card for many decks.

Julia Gordon, Reliable Assistant, brings the Chef and Waiter keywords to the table. Her Earth icon means she cannot get the boost from Joseph Sisko, Creole Chef, but she can take advantage of the keyword nonetheless. Her gametext lets you destroy a Paranoia event if you stop her when one is played, helping you manage that part of your deck. By design, most Paranoia cards have a drawback, and she helps you get around that. You can destroy Hollow Hospitality and play it later when your opponent is less spread out. Best of all, she broadcasts her ability, so you do not have to keep her at a specific mission.

The biggest rivalry of the franchise in general and twenty-second century in particular was the Federation and Klingons. In the game, several members of the Federation from The Original Series like being at Klingon missions. It is fitting that the final two cards are in this vein. Dimitri Valtane, Science Officer, lets you replace any skill on a dilemma you encounter at such a mission with three Officer. You should have that in the deck, but just in case, Valtane has one instance of it himself. It is once a turn but can help fill in a skill hole. That might not be as much of an issue as you would think since Valtane has a nice selection of skills at the ready.

Of course, we couldn't base a design around this theme without a Kirk. The price is a fairly high one for James T. Kirk, Cold Warrior needing to not only win an engagement but willingly going into a brig to get a dilemma under a mission. Thankfully, they have Number One, Reputable Officer to bring him back among other similar tricks. You will be without the downloads of his Highly-Decorated Captain version, but those are ultimately necessary to make the deck work. You should have enough to draw into them rather than relying on a download.

None of these cards would exist without the efforts of the design team. They are led by Nathan Miracle in his third set lead overall. Richard New, an experienced designer in his own right having been involved with virtual sets for quite some time, was also on the team. Rounding things out for two of the most experienced designers is Benjamin Liebich with Realm of Fear being his second design. All three have experience with The Original Series and Earth.

Realm of Fear releases today and is tournament legal next week, Friday, May 2, 2025. This set would not be possible without the efforts of Rules, Creative, Programming, Art, Proofreading and scores of playtesters!

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