Honorable Prey

by Paddy Tye, Dramatis Personae Lead Designer

4th June 2025

"Even half drunk, Klingons are among the best warriors in the galaxy."
"But they're already in the middle of a war with the house of whatever it is."
"Then you'll just have to convince them that there's a more important battle to be waged."
- The Doctor and Neelix, "The Killing Game"

When we began working on Dramatis Personae, one of the design objectives was to create new ways to play, based around new key personnel. Charlie introduced the first such personnel on Monday - Jonathan Archer the Xindi-Insectoid "Mother". Here, we introduce the second: Klirogen Neelix!

Yes, I'm introducing a new term here for our new decktype: Klirogen - the combination of Klingon and Hirogen. Two strong warrior races that we saw together in the Star Trek Voyager episode "The Killing Game". And one of the main crew we saw in that Klingon simulation was Neelix.

Neelix is not the first dual Klingon/Hirogen personnel we've seen (see Janeway from The Gift). But here he plays an essential role. As a Security personnel, you'll be able to download him on turn one. And from then on, you'll have access to his special download: Surprise Reinforcements.

Don't forget this new version of Neelix also provides Geology, Diplomacy and Honor - and you could also send him to the Holodeck with Ch'Regha for some draws from Hologram: Cafe des Artistes.

So what does Surprise Reinforcements do?

As the lore explains, Neelix (assisted by The Doctor) used his role within the Klingon House he was part of to persuade his fellow warriors to lend their Bat'leths to a different battle. And that is exactly what Surprise Reinforcements reproduces.

The mixing offered here is limited though. Your Klingon personnel (not ships or facilities though) can mix with Karr and your universal Hirogen - ships and facilities included! But by not being a traditional Treaty card, it isn't vulnerable to The Devil!

Remember that Neelix himself would probably need to switch to Klingon affiliation once Surprise Reinforcements hits the table! And if you're using a Klingon Outpost as part of A New Earth, your Hirogen personnel will still need a location where they can report, such as their own Outpost.

Cards like Reunite Legends can still be used (if you are not using Hirogen Hunt: Coordinated Effort anyway) to grab a movie-era Klingon ship with a handy personnel download, but you'd need to be careful who you put aboard!

But once you can navigate the restrictions, there are a mixture of wonderful ways you can combine these groups...

Sample deck!

"Fight on, warriors! This way!"
"Qapla', gentlemen. Qapla'!"
- Neelix and The Doctor, "The Killing Game"

The attached deck is provided to give you an easy starting point for your Klirogen mash-ups!

The deck is based in the Delta Quadrant (not a shock given the requirements of Surprise Reinforcements), uses Homestead (missions all 30 points or less) and The Squires Rules (for ease).

The Hirogen free report comes from Hirogen Hunt: Coordinated Effort - downloaded by the Hirogen Outpost. This universal based engine is also a great synergy with Surprise Reinforcements, and just using Hirogen ships fits with only Klingon personnel being included in the compatibility clause.

The Klingon free report comes from A New Earth and Whisked Away - expanding the available card pool from just existing DQ Klingon personnel to include universal Klingon personnel from the Alpha Quadrant.

The draw engines come from Ancestral Vision (Premiere Kahless fuels this and is one of your Mission Specialists) and Process Ore: Mining (Neelix and Karnog, your other mission specialist provide the Geology). Know Your Enemy was an option here, but only if you seed 1 space and 5 planets! More missions are coming in future to provide more options though!

Turn one you'll need to grab a ship (Spacedoor for Hunting Vessel to Hirogen Outpost), report a free Hirogen and a free Klingon. Download Neelix with Defend Homeworld, then download Surprise Reinforcements - now you can mix! Go pick up your Karnog and drop him and Neelix at a planet without a facility where you can Process Ore! This does depend on how the spaceline comes out, but it can be set up on turn one - turn two if not.

Exposed personnel on a planet's surface might be tempting targets for Vidiians though, so you might want to be prepared in case they come to harvest your organs!

This isn't the only way to play Klirogen though, it's just a simple solver. Maybe using Klingon Transport, T'Ong drops, Devidian Door, Nanoprobe Resuscitation or other shenanigans are more to your preference though! And of course you might want to swap out a few things so you can combine with old school Hirogen toys like Rituals of the Hunt etc.

So, let's see your own Klirogen (and Youth) deck builds in the coming weeks. Maybe there are some fun ideas from Dramatis Personae you'd like to try out. Maybe even things you'd like to use at Worlds 2025 in Munich?

Discuss this article in this thread.

Decklist

This deck is legal in the following Card Pools:

• Complete

This deck is legal in the following Rules Sets:

• Modern
• Open
• Warp Speed

This deck is currently eligible for the following family or families of achievements:

• Good Casting: Combs (Penk)
• Good Casting: Hertzler (Hajur)
• Make New Home: Klingon Player

Hide Deck Stats

Q-Tent Side Deck
Total Q-Tent Side Deck		13
Equipment		1 (8%)
Event		2 (15%)
Incident		1 (8%)
Interrupt		1 (8%)
Personnel		6 (46%)
Ship		2 (15%)

Draw Deck
Total Draw Deck		48
Doorway		2 (4%)
Interrupt		3 (6%)
Personnel		41 (85%)
Ship		2 (4%)

Seed Deck
Total Seed Deck		12
Doorway		3 (25%)
Event		2 (17%)
Facility		1 (8%)
Incident		2 (17%)
Objective		4 (33%)

Dilemma Side Deck
Total Dilemma Side Deck		18
Dilemma		18 (100%)

"Outside the Game" and/or Seed-Phase Downloads
Total "Outside the Game" and/or Seed-Phase Downloads		4
Event		1 (25%)
Facility		1 (25%)
Personnel		2 (50%)

Skills
Acquisition		1
Anthropology		8
Archaeology		11
Astrophysics		12
Biology		9
CIVILIAN		4
Computer Skill		6
Cybernetics		0
Diplomacy		10
Empathy		1
ENGINEER		13
Exobiology		9
Geology		4
Greed		4
Honor		13
Law		1
Leadership		17
MEDICAL		12
Music		0
Navigation		11
OFFICER		8
Physics		8
SCIENCE		9
SECURITY		17
Smuggling		0
Stellar Cartography		7
Transporter Skill		3
Treachery		8
V.I.P.		3
Youth		0
Rare Skills
Barbering		0
Cantankerousness		0
Guramba		0
Mindmeld		0
Miracle Worker		0
Orion Syndicate		0
Resistance		0

Skill			On # Missions	Skill Dots	Classifications	Total
Acquisition				1		1
Anthropology			3	8		8
Archaeology			1	11		11
Astrophysics			1	12		12
Biology				9		9
CIVILIAN					4	4
Computer Skill				6		6
Cybernetics						0
Diplomacy			2	10		10
Empathy				1		1
ENGINEER			2	5	8	13
Exobiology			1	9		9
Geology			1	4		4
Greed				4		4
Honor			3	13		13
Law				1		1
Leadership			2	17		17
MEDICAL			1	7	5	12
Music						0
Navigation				11		11
OFFICER					8	8
Physics				8		8
SCIENCE			1	1	8	9
SECURITY				6	11	17
Smuggling						0
Stellar Cartography				7		7
Transporter Skill				3		3
Treachery			2	8		8
V.I.P.					3	3
Youth						0
Rare Skills
Barbering
Cantankerousness
Guramba
Mindmeld
Miracle Worker
Orion Syndicate
Resistance
Intelligence Skills
FCA
Intelligence
Klingon Intelligence
Memory Omega
Obsidian Order
Section 31
Tal Shiar
V'Shar
any Intelligence

Traits
Card group
Captains Order		1
Duras-related		2
Tsunkatse-related card		2
Dilemma group
Empok Nor-related dilemma		1
female-related dilemma		1
MEDICAL-related dilemma		1
SCIENCE-related dilemma		1
Equipment group
blade weapon		1
hand weapon		1
Klingon-related Equipment		1
Mission trait
Nebula		1
Personnel gender
Female		10
Male		37
Personnel group
I.K.S. Pagh-related personnel		5
Personnel trait
Alpha-Hirogen		3
Arms dealer		1
Beta-Hirogen		4
Bodyguard		1
Captain		2
General		2
High Council		5
Nurse		3
Support Personnel		9
Ship equipment
Holodeck		4
Tractor Beam		4

Icons
Era
		1
		3
		2
Faction
		2
Nemesis
		1
Quadrant
		34
Special
		1
		1
		10
		2
		1
		1
		1
Staffing
		19
		1
		26