[edgeofhearing]

It's a Designer Q&A thread. I tried to scoop up questions from other threads; let me know if I missed one, or just ask a question here.

edgeofhearing (Lucas Thompson)
The Guardian (Richard New)

So, what's the best place for the new Intel mission?

The gameplay needle we were generally trying to thread with these missions was not-better-or-worse-just-different (and still playable). Argus Array doesn't slot directly in to existing Tain decks (intentionally), but it gives them a different path they can follow in deckbuilding. Also, generally, there just aren't a lot of playable 30-point Strength Space missions, it felt like a good place to inject some variety.

Am I the only one who thought the borg icon was a subtle call back to a TNG novel?
https://memory-beta.fandom.com/wiki/Vendetta
https://memory-beta.fandom.com/wiki/Doomsday_machine

You know, I didn't think I was influenced by memory beta-realm content for Sector L-374, but I'm fairly certain I must have read Vendetta as a kid. I thought that the requirements looked like the kind of requirements Borg decks like. Since it seemed like a good gameplay fit, I justified it by thinking the Borg sure would want to assimilate something with that kind of power - but I'm now guessing I was influenced at some level in that process by a book I read probably 30 years ago.

Where's the Thief keyword? Why does he have the Commander keyword? - he never flew the ship, as he was locked out almost immediately.

Nathan got it later in that thread: the bar for Commander is incredibly low in 2e, and Heartless Profiteer barely clears it. Also, Nathan's comparison card, Kudak'Etan, notably is also not a thief. Yes, his commandeering was an act of war rather than "legal" salvage, but the Ferengi are just lucky that the Federation didn't declare war on them over a number of their TNG actions.

Maybe it's the ? - why does this version have it, when no others do.

The staff icon on Selfless Scapegoat is largely a what-can-we-do-to-make-a-chump-version-of-a-Bajoran-hero-card-playable concession. The DS9 icon probably does it on its own for DS9 decks, but in Bajoran decks? It's difficult to imagine ever not using Esteemed Vedek. (There is one version of Bareil Antos that does have a staffing icon, but it's in the edition-that-shall-not-be-named.)

[abargar7510]

What card do you think will be most impactful in terms of new deck types or increased card diversity amongst existing deck types?

[Armus]

What card do you think will be most impactful in terms of new deck types or increased card diversity amongst existing deck types?

If you use it right, the Rescue the Klingon mission...

[abargar7510]

What card do you think will be most impactful in terms of new deck types or increased card diversity amongst existing deck types?

If you use it right, the Rescue the Klingon mission...

You’re referring to the planet nebula rather than the DQ mission right?

[Armus]

What card do you think will be most impactful in terms of new deck types or increased card diversity amongst existing deck types?

If you use it right, the Rescue the Klingon mission...

You’re referring to the planet nebula rather than the DQ mission right?

Yup...

[abargar7510]

If you use it right, the Rescue the Klingon mission...

You’re referring to the planet nebula rather than the DQ mission right?

Yup...

[edgeofhearing]

What card do you think will be most impactful in terms of new deck types or increased card diversity amongst existing deck types?

In terms of new decks, I agree with Brian that Sector 3641 is probably the card for that. Getting the Nebula keyword on a planet is exciting for the kind of deck Maggie wrote about in her article, or even a solver that uses Hurried Departure.

In terms of increased diversity among existing decktypes, the mission that's probably the easiest to slot into existing decks is probably Omicron Theta. I have some trepidation about that one since those skills are common and appear on high attribute personnel, but it's also a 30-point planet, which aren't historically very popular outside of 30-30-40 decks. That's oddly a mission pattern that has faded over time, with decks either going for the traditional 30-35-35 or some flavor of two-mission-win. Anyways, it's always tough to get a mission in that sweet spot of being playable without being overplayed, but I'm optimistic that Omicron Theta will be in that window.

[edgeofhearing]

Okay, let's see if this works: here's a link to an instagram post with a video of foils I made of these cards: (Link)

[Nate Winchester]

You know, I didn't think I was influenced by memory beta-realm content for Sector L-374, but I'm fairly certain I must have read Vendetta as a kid. I thought that the requirements looked like the kind of requirements Borg decks like. Since it seemed like a good gameplay fit, I justified it by thinking the Borg sure would want to assimilate something with that kind of power - but I'm now guessing I was influenced at some level in that process by a book I read probably 30 years ago.

As someone who read that same book so long ago, I'm not judging you. If anything it made me smile with memories.

Also seems weird the displaced time planet doesn't have some effect representing that. Like... "can only beam to/from once per turn."

[Fritzinger]

Okay, let's see if this works: here's a link to an instagram post with a video of foils I made of these cards: (Link)

This site literally cannot render the emojis I need to express my reaction .

(So many star eyes that my head explodes)

[edgeofhearing]

Also seems weird the displaced time planet doesn't have some effect representing that. Like... "can only beam to/from once per turn."

My personal experience with story restrictions for 2E missions is that they're often more trouble than they're worth. They result in lower requirements than you'd expect for the points, and the results generally veer from overpowered to unplayable with very little space in-between. I'm happy to have the requirements of the mission tell the story, as in the case of the Weird Planet, but I understand if that's not universally satisfying.

This site literally cannot render the emojis I need to express my reaction.

Glad you like the foils! Here's how I made them on my home inkjet printer:

You'll need a color printer, transparency paper that is compatible with your printer (I've found out the hard way that transparency paper quality matters), any kind of shiny paper, spray adhesive, and some software that can flip a pdf horizontally (I used photoshop, I imagine gimp would work fine too). Please note that this technique looks great, but it produces a very thick card that won't work well for any card that needs to be shuffled in a deck (unless you make a whole deck this way).

Steps:

• Open the pdf in your image editor of choice and flip it horizontally so it looks like it would in a mirror
• Print the flipped image on transparency paper
• Allow to dry as recommended by the transparency paper manufacturer
• Use the spray adhesive on the printed side
• Apply the transparency paper to the shiny paper
• Cut out the cards
• Adhere the cards to the ccg card backer of your choice

There are inkjet-compatible foil papers out there, but there are a few advantages to avoiding them:

• I've had a printer get irrevocably gummed up by the finish on the paper. That can happen with low-quality transparency paper too, but there's more transparency paper out there to try (and it's cheaper). I got my current stock at my local Staples.
• Even good-quality inkjet foil paper will not be very durable; even after giving the print plenty of time to dry, it's not hard to blemish the image by touching it. That won't happen with reversed transparency paper.
• Using transparency paper means that you can use any shiny paper you like. Found some cool stuff at the craft store? Great! Got some nice holographic wrapping paper left over from Christmas? That'll work too!

Enjoy!

[vlasopes]

I wonder why some of the missions in the set have requirements below 32. A threat of getting hit by the Insurrection has limited the mission selection ever since it came out. Isn't the insurrection a threat anymore? According to the number of decks using it recently I would argue that the dilemma is still in many dilemma piles, leading me back to my question - why below 32?

[Danny]

I wonder why some of the missions in the set have requirements below 32. A threat of getting hit by the Insurrection has limited the mission selection ever since it came out. Isn't the insurrection a threat anymore? According to the number of decks using it recently I would argue that the dilemma is still in many dilemma piles, leading me back to my question - why below 32?

I wondered this too, but came to the conclusion they might be aimed at the Hall of Fame crowd (where Insurrection has been retired).

[edgeofhearing]

I wonder why some of the missions in the set have requirements below 32. A threat of getting hit by the Insurrection has limited the mission selection ever since it came out. Isn't the insurrection a threat anymore? According to the number of decks using it recently I would argue that the dilemma is still in many dilemma piles, leading me back to my question - why below 32?

Glad you asked! Insurrection definitely is still a threat, but what I've found is it hasn't actually changed player behavior - vanilla 30 point missions with a >32 requirement aren't any more playable with Insurrection around than they were before it was a thing. It introduces more risk to the types of 30 point missions that appear in this set, but players still (generally) prefer to use missions like them in their decks, when their decks use a vanilla 30 point mission (or two). There are a few good >32 30 pointers, but they largely have impactful gametext (like Cryosatellite, Abandoned Relay Station, or Secure Strategic Base) which the missions in this set were never going to have.

I understand if, in your personal deckbuilding risk assessment, the 30 point missions here aren't worth the risk of Insurrection. If that's the case, hopefully some of the >30 point missions appeal to you. Or, as Danny points out, you may find the Timeless 30 pointers useful if you find yourself playing a Hall of Fame format tournament.

[vlasopes]

Glad you asked! Insurrection definitely is still a threat, but what I've found is it hasn't actually changed player behavior - vanilla 30 point missions with a >32 requirement aren't any more playable with Insurrection around than they were before it was a thing. It introduces more risk to the types of 30 point missions that appear in this set, but players still (generally) prefer to use missions like them in their decks, when their decks use a vanilla 30 point mission (or two). There are a few good >32 30 pointers, but they largely have impactful gametext (like Cryosatellite, Abandoned Relay Station, or Secure Strategic Base) which the missions in this set were never going to have.

I understand if, in your personal deckbuilding risk assessment, the 30 point missions here aren't worth the risk of Insurrection. If that's the case, hopefully some of the >30 point missions appeal to you. Or, as Danny points out, you may find the Timeless 30 pointers useful if you find yourself playing a Hall of Fame format tournament.

These are fair points. Nevertheless, IMHO for 30 point missions with requirements >30 and no gametext they do not offer any incentive beside easy skills (and cool images ). Have you considered making them >28 or giving them some text or the limited spacing did not allow that? Also, did they undergo any changes of the requirements based on the reports from the testing groups?