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Borg versus Borg

Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2021 9:46 pm
by Marvant Duhon
I am making a Borg delta quadrant deck. What happens if my deck meets a similar Borg deck? Both decks have a Borg Queen, Unimatrix Zero (which usually downloads that queen on turn one), a Transwarp Hub, and in Missions each player has only one Mission that is a Nebula (and they are the same Nebula). Do the two decks ignore one another except when allowed to by a card, eg Eliminate Starship?
Thanks!

Re: Borg versus Borg

Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2021 12:45 am
by Armus
Marvant Duhon wrote: Sun Nov 28, 2021 9:46 pm I am making a Borg delta quadrant deck. What happens if my deck meets a similar Borg deck? Both decks have a Borg Queen, Unimatrix Zero (which usually downloads that queen on turn one), a Transwarp Hub, and in Missions each player has only one Mission that is a Nebula (and they are the same Nebula). Do the two decks ignore one another except when allowed to by a card, eg Eliminate Starship?
Thanks!
Yeah. The one thing you have to watch for is that only one player can *scout* (i.e., complete scouting) a given mission. So if both players' current objectives target the same mission, whoever completes scouting first "wins" and the other player's objective can no longer be completed.

In short, Borg duplicating missions can be *real* interesting...

Hope that helps. Good luck! :cheersL:

Re: Borg versus Borg

Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2021 2:27 pm
by Marvant Duhon
Thanks! And here's a Borg vs Federation question that is very unlikely to ever occur.
I assimilate as my counterpart William T Riker - probably by using a Borg Cutting Beam to snatch him. My cube battles Federation ships in a nebula. (I have to have a nebula for one of my facilities, so I decided to have three nebula missions and stock a couple of Riker Maneuver in my tactics deck because Borg are often attacked by several ships.) For my tactic I draw and use a Riker Maneuver. Since all Riker's knowledge is mine, do I get the Riker bonus on the tactic? Thanks!

Re: Borg versus Borg

Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2021 3:11 pm
by Iron Prime
Not if he's a drone. I'm not 100% sure on if he's assimilated as a counterpart though...

Re: Borg versus Borg

Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2021 3:23 pm
by patrick
Iron Prime wrote: Mon Nov 29, 2021 3:11 pm Not if he's a drone. I'm not 100% sure on if he's assimilated as a counterpart though...
Why not? I don't see anything in https://www.trekcc.org/op/1e_rulebook/?borg=y or https://www.trekcc.org/op/1e_rulebook/G ... -personnel about the name becoming irrelevant... Am I looking in the wrong place?

I'd go as far as saying he doesn't even need to be assimilated, as long as he is on board... (even as an intruder...)

Re: Borg versus Borg

Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2021 3:33 pm
by Iron Prime
It has something to do with being a drone now; I don't recall the details and can't find them atm. Maybe @BCSWowbagger can help us out...?

Re: Borg versus Borg

Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2021 3:59 pm
by BCSWowbagger
I don't have a chance right at the moment to check the assimilation rules word-for-word like I usually do before answering questions, so take this with a grain of salt and confirm it against the rules. But I think this is what's up:

In 1997, when Borg came out, Decipher created the first rules about personnel assimilation. According to those rules, when a personnel is assimilated as a drone, it gains a Borg staffing icon and associated attributes, its classification becomes its first-listed skill, it retains its skills, and it loses all other characteristics, including title, species, anything in lore, even its icons and restriction boxes. William T. Riker would be assimilated as Third of Twenty: Titleless Drone (or the moral equivalent of that).

I think that's what @Iron Prime is thinking of.

In 2001, when The Borg expansion set came out, Decipher rewrote this rule, but didn't do a particularly good job (IMHO) of calling attention to some of the subtle changes in the new rule. One of those changes is that Borg drones now retain most of their characteristics and icons, with the exception of gender.

Therefore, post-2001, it is my understanding (without double-checking the rules) that a William T. Riker assimilated as a drone will be able to activate the Riker Maneuver.

EDIT:

P.S. And, yes, the fact that restriction boxes are retained now could have very amusing repercussions if you assimilate Solkar.

Re: Borg versus Borg

Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2021 4:19 pm
by Iron Prime
BCSWowbagger wrote: Mon Nov 29, 2021 3:59 pm

I don't have a chance right at the moment to check the assimilation rules word-for-word like I usually do before answering questions, so take this with a grain of salt and confirm it against the rules. But I think this is what's up:

In 1997, when Borg came out, Decipher created the first rules about personnel assimilation. According to those rules, when a personnel is assimilated as a drone, it gains a Borg staffing icon and associated attributes, its classification becomes its first-listed skill, it retains its skills, and it loses all other characteristics, including title, species, anything in lore, even its icons and restriction boxes. William T. Riker would be assimilated as Third of Twenty: Titleless Drone (or the moral equivalent of that).

I think that's what @Iron Prime is thinking of.


In 2001, when The Borg expansion set came out, Decipher rewrote this rule, but didn't do a particularly good job (IMHO) of calling attention to some of the subtle changes in the new rule. One of those changes is that Borg drones now retain most of their characteristics and icons, with the exception of gender.

Therefore, post-2001, it is my understanding (without double-checking the rules) that a William T. Riker assimilated as a drone will be able to activate the Riker Maneuver.

EDIT:

P.S. And, yes, the fact that restriction boxes are retained now could have very amusing repercussions if you assimilate Solkar.
I bet you're right...
I was afraid something like that had happened. One of the downsides of being an "old timer"...

Re: Borg versus Borg

Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2021 7:30 pm
by Takket
BCSWowbagger wrote: Mon Nov 29, 2021 3:59 pm I don't have a chance right at the moment to check the assimilation rules word-for-word like I usually do before answering questions, so take this with a grain of salt and confirm it against the rules. But I think this is what's up:

In 1997, when Borg came out, Decipher created the first rules about personnel assimilation. According to those rules, when a personnel is assimilated as a drone, it gains a Borg staffing icon and associated attributes, its classification becomes its first-listed skill, it retains its skills, and it loses all other characteristics, including title, species, anything in lore, even its icons and restriction boxes. William T. Riker would be assimilated as Third of Twenty: Titleless Drone (or the moral equivalent of that).

I think that's what @Iron Prime is thinking of.

In 2001, when The Borg expansion set came out, Decipher rewrote this rule, but didn't do a particularly good job (IMHO) of calling attention to some of the subtle changes in the new rule. One of those changes is that Borg drones now retain most of their characteristics and icons, with the exception of gender.

Therefore, post-2001, it is my understanding (without double-checking the rules) that a William T. Riker assimilated as a drone will be able to activate the Riker Maneuver.

EDIT:

P.S. And, yes, the fact that restriction boxes are retained now could have very amusing repercussions if you assimilate Solkar.

there is one line in here saying restriction boxes go away.........
Its other icons and restriction box become irrelevant.

Re: Borg versus Borg

Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2021 9:58 pm
by BCSWowbagger
Takket wrote: Mon Nov 29, 2021 7:30 pm there is one line in here saying restriction boxes go away.........
Its other icons and restriction box become irrelevant.
*finally takes the time to check the actual rule*

Ahhhh, yes, I see that now. Someone must have added that back at some point -- probably because of Solkar!

*checks the chart*

Ha ha ha! Man, I must be stupid. The Rules Committee added it back last September. I mentioned it in an article! That rule correction is why I know about the whole history of this in the first place! *rolls eyes at self*

Anyway, to summarize, current state of the rules is, when assimilated as a drone:

* Classification shifts to first-listed skills. Skills are retained
* Regular staffing icon updates to appropriate Borg staffing icon
* Attributes update to match Borg staffing
* Loses icons, restriction box, and gender. (Borg drones are genderless.) (Unless Let Me Help has something to say about it.)

Re: Borg versus Borg

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2021 8:40 pm
by Takket
makes it a lot cleaner for the rules to lose restriction boxes, and makes good trek sense too. The idea that a drone Solkar is somehow going to express his free will to refuse to work with Treachery is kind of absurd since it ignores the very way the Borg are designed to work (as a species, not a STCGG entity).