DECIPHER.com > Star Trek > Expansions > Reflections 2.0

"Nice to see you in action one more time... "

by Matt "Captain" Kirk

Final Adventure. The name says it all... someone isn't coming back from this mission. One of the nastier dilemmas from Reflections 2.0, Final Adventure sticks it to those players dependent upon notoriously low- or high-cost personnel. The multiple-headquarters dilemma hate continues with this bomb, killing one personnel quasi-randomly for every HQ a player uses. This caliber of dilemma would not be appropriately priced at three without an additional requirement, hence its Consume: 2. However, most players will agree that two overcome dilemmas are quite a bargain in exchange for a guaranteed dead Lore. And, it returns to the dilemma pile after being used! This will force players using high-cost personnel to stock multiple copies of Escape, Emergency Transport Unit, Sickbay, and/or Personal Forcefield. Or of course, they could always diversify their personnel selection...

Some Final Adventure dilemma combos to consider:

• Secret Identity – make sure your Final Adventure target is present.
• Tragic Turn – probably not worth the total Consume: 4 unless your opponent is playing two HQs.
• Sorting Things Out – common enough after the "guaranteed" kill.
• Dressing Down/Training Accident/Casualties of War – eliminate a high-cost personnel before the random selection looking for the cheap ones.
• The Demands of Duty – followed by Final Adventure, this leaves either all personnel stopped with two overcome dilemmas, or two personnel killed with three overcome dilemmas.
• Any skill-based dilemma – Final Adventure is a new weapon to players tracking an opponent's personnel. With a chance to more accurately eliminate typically higher-cost skill-laden personnel, most skill dilemmas become even harder to pass in the right hands.

Many popular deck archetypes will have to be altered to avoid this unwelcome surprise. Bajoran Integrity decks will need to find ways to protect Opaka, Bareil, and Sisko; Borg players face the chaos of functioning without the Queen and/or Locutus; and players everywhere will no longer smile quite as broadly when investing six counters in Lore. Federation decks have a bit of an advantage against this dilemma, with personnel like Beverly Crusher, Alyssa Ogawa, and Julian Bashir keeping the Starfleet crews healthy (not to mention Fractured Time's Medical Teams). Typically, crews of one- and two-cost personnel shouldn't have to worry about seeing this dilemma. But of course, they will find themselves In Training more often than most. Remember: in Star Trek, no matter how climactic the story, no matter how fantastic the death, no matter how glorious the sacrifice, no adventure is ever final.

November 22, 2004