"Star Trek: Fleet Captains" - " ̶F̶i̶v̶e̶ Four Year Mission" Solitaire Mode

There have been quite a few Star Trek board games produced over the years, but, IMHO, the one that's come closest to the spirit of the concept is Star Trek: Fleet Captains.

I've already expressed my love of this game three times in the past, first in a "gameplay"-style video that's racked up 45,000 views (!) and in two session reports, one featuring the Klingons and another showcasing the Romulan expansion.

Despite a vague rulebook that's generated a veritable WikiPedia of FAQ, both formal and informal, I still completely adore this game and it will never leave my library. Unfortunately, it's long since fallen off the "hotness" list, so it's a tough sell whenever I wanna get it to my gaming table.

Because of this, I'm trying to develop a solitaire mode where you control a single ship, discovering the board as you go, dealing with random threats, completing Missions and contending with ever-encroaching Klingon influence.  

So, if you have a copy of the game, give it a whirl and let me know what you think!

Live long and prosper, folks!

Star Trek Fleet Captains (Solitaire Mode)

“ F̶i̶v̶e̶ Four Year Mission”

Goal of the game: collect as many Victory Points as you can in five “years”, with 12 turns per “year” and a total of 60 turns. Game is lost with a score of "0" if  your ship gets destroyed! Henceforth, one Federation turn is referred to as a “Stardate.”

The Klingon sphere of influence starts adjacent to their Command Post and expands outward by one Location fer “year.” Whenever the Enterprise enters Klingon space (or moves out), they must roll % dice to see if they are interdicted by a random Klingon ship of the same era, I.E. either equal, one size lower or no more than +2 higher in ship size. Chance of a Klingon encounter depends on how deep the Federation ship is in Klingon “territory”: 20% one hex deep, 40% two hexes deep, 60% three deep, 80% four hexes deep.

After a random Klingon ship is drawn, draw four cards from the Klingon Command Deck and “crew” the ship from any available cards (I.E one Captain, one Officer...etc). If the ship has Cloaking technology it will attempt a surprise attack, nullified by the Federation vessel succeeding at a Level 15 Sensor check. Klingons attack on sight and pursue your ship until they either destroy you or you destroy them.

All other rules are identical to the original game.

Here's my take on this scenario. NOTE: for "brevity's" sake, I just did four years not all five. 

Year 1

Stardate 1 - The USS Enterprise leaves spacedock, using her one Action per Turn to Scan ahead and discover a “Protostar Nebula.” She proceeds into the system and completes a Level 12 Sensor check to complete the “Nebula Probe” Mission.

Stardate 2: The Enterprise Scans the “Empty Space” ahead and “Investigates an Anomaly”, discovering an Abandoned Outpost just one sector away from Earth. The Federation recovers it for themselves, transforming it into Starbase 1. This earns another Victory Point.

Stardate 3: The Enterprise Scans a sector close to Earth and discovers a “Black Hole.” They give this sector a wide berth, choosing instead to enter a “Dark Matter Nebula.”

Stardate 4: The Enterprise Scans a new region two sectors away from Earth and discovers a “Subspace Rift.” Like the the “Black Hole”, they decide to navigate around it and, in turn, they discover a "Class D Planet."

Stardate 5: The Enterprise discovers a "Class M Planet" two sectors away from Earth and they do an Influence Action to Control the region.

Stardate 6: The Enterprise presides over the construction of an Outpost on this new "Class M Planet", dubbed “Vanguard Station.”

Stardate 7: The Enterprise continues to monitor the development of Vanguard Station. With another Influence Action, the Outpost becomes a Colony, since this "Class M Planet" requires one less Control token to build it. This completes the “Colonization” Secret Mission for 1 more Victory Point.

Stardate 8: The Enterprise Scans ahead, ventures towards a newly-discovered "Class H Planet" and places their Scan Token on their “Exploration” Mission Card.   

Stardate 9: The Enterprise Scans ahead and then passes into "Empty Space." This scan token is placed on their “Exploration” Mission Card, completing it for a Victory Point! They discard the "Exploratory Advantage" Mission Card and draw another Influence Mission.

Stardate 10: The Enterprise moves into an “Emission Nebula” and rolls a "1" for an Encounter, namely the “Aldeans”. Since they have no Crew Cards onboard to Trash, the Enterprise is sent all the way back to Earth! As a consolation prize, they complete the “Localized Survey” Mission for a Victory Point!

Stardate 11: The Enterprise passes through the "Protostellar Nebula", scans ahead and discovers yet another "Class M Planet"! There is no Encounter as they enter orbit.

Stardate 12: The Enterprise Scans ahead and detects a "Class T Planet", but changes course to fly through a sector of previously-unexplored "Empty Space." On a roll of "1", an Encounter occurs. The “Rebellious Influences” Encounter is discarded and another is drawn: a “Supernova”! They need to perform a Level 10 Engines Test, and they’re already at 9, it’s an automatic success. That Location, and all adjacent locations, are replaced by new, face down Location Tiles! Yikes!

Year 2  

The Klingon sphere of influence moves forward one hex!

Stardate 13

Taking advantage of the forced return home, the Enterprise undergoes a minor refit, improving its Shields permanently by +1 via “Yellow Alert.” After performing a Scan to  discover an “Inversion Nebula,” they discard the “Nebula Exploration” Card and draw a new Influence Mission, which turns out to be a “Rescue Mission.” An Away Team marker is placed on an unexplored planet deep in Klingon territory!

Stardate 14

The Enterprise warps past a "Class Y Planet" and then enters "Empty Space." On a roll of 2, there’s an Encounter: “Shockwave.” The ship must perform a Level 10 Shield Test. They play an Interrupt Ops card, “Red Alert”, increasing their Shields by +2. Current Shields level is 5 base +1 for the "refit" and +2 for the "Red Alert." Roll is "3" so total is 11...success! RULES NOTE: Encounters end movement!

Stardate 15

They move on to a “Class L Planet.” With a roll of "1" there’s yet another Encounter, which is revealed as “The Nexus”! The resulting roll is “3”, so the Enterprise narrowly avoids destruction!

Stardate 16

The Nexus moves one Location Tile to the right. The Enterprise continues into deep space, encountering a "Class L Planet." They roll a "6", so there's no Encounter. Now at maximum warp (speed 9), she proceeds on to the next Location, which turns out to be "Empty Space." The resulting roll is "3"...also no Encounter. They assume a standard orbit around this "Class L Planet" where the Away Team is marooned. An Encounter roll of "6" means that they're in the clear! There's also a 20% chance that they might encounter a Klingon ship, but a roll of 77 means they're safe! This completes the “Rescue Mission”! (RULES NOTE:  Transporter actions end turns! Plus: the Klingon encounter roll should occur just as a Federation ship enters their space, possibly interrupting their intended action.)        

Stardate 17

The Nexus moves one tile off to the right and a roll of 82% means that there is no Klingon encounter to start the Federation turn. The Enterprise Scans a nearby Location, finding "Empty Space." She then enters a "Class 2 Nebula", but with a roll of "5" there's no Encounter. Now out of Movement, the Feds discard their “Morale Blow” Mission Card and draw a new one.

Stardate 18

The Nexus moves one tile off to the right. The Enterprise crosses through "Empty Space" and then observes a "Hyper-Giant Star." A roll of "3" means no Encounter, but the ship is now out of Movement.

Stardate 19

The Nexus moves off the board. The Enterprise backtracks to the "Class D Planet" and sends down an Away Team.

Stardate 20

The Enterprise beams up the Away Team, completing the “First Contact” Mission.

Stardate 21

The Enterprise warps off to Vanguard Station and does an Influence Action to place a Control Token.

Stardate 22

The Enterprise presides over the construction of a Starbase at Vanguard Station, completing the “Militarization” Mission.

Stardate 23

Staying in orbit, the Enterprise does a Power Adjustment to maximize Sensors and then plays “Emergency Power” to auto-succeed on a Level 12 Sensor Test. This completes the “Planetary Survey” Mission.

Stardate 24

The Enterprise warps off to the "Class D Planet" and does an Influence Action to place a Control Marker there.

Year 3 

The Klingon Border moves up 1 sector.       

Stardate 25

The Enterprise heads out to the nearby "Class H Planet" and does an Influence Action to place a Control Marker there.

Stardate 26

The Enterprise ventures off to an sector of "Empty Space" and does an Influence Action to place a Control Marker there. This completes the “Establish a Hold” Mission. They discard the "Eject Warp Core” Command Card and draw a new one.

Stardate 27

After scouts determine that an invasive, aggressive and militaristic alien race is encroaching on Federation territory, the Enterprise enters the "Class 2 Nebula" and performs an Influence Action to remove the Klingon Control token there, which completes the “Disrupt Influence” Mission. They are met with no resistance. They then discard the "Code 47" Command Card and draw a new one. Finally, they promote Owen Paris to the Captain role and draw a new card!

Stardate 28     

The Enterprise goes to maximum warp to try and reach a new sector of unexplored space. This requires three percentage die rolls for possible Klingon encounters and they get "57", "90" and "14." With this last roll they are interdicted by a Klingon ship in orbit around a "Class L Planet"! They get a free Scan attempt to notice the cloaked ship by succeeding in a Level 15 Sensor Test. Unfortunately, the Enterprise has nothing to modify its current base Sensor setting of 10, and with a roll of "3" they fail to detect the encroaching ship. The Klingons de-cloak and immediately fire on the Enterprise, playing a “Surprise Attack” Card. Their total is 10 Base + 1 for Captain Kang + 4 for "Surprise Attack" + a roll of "1" for a total of 16 versus “All Power To The Shields” base 5 + 1 for Refit +1 for Paris + roll of "5" = 11. With a difference of "5", the Enterprise is hit, but since the Shields weren't doubled, the Enterprise only takes one tier of "Yellow Alert" damage! Both factions then draw new Command Cards.

Stardate 29

Damaged and outmatched, the Enterprise attempt to warp away from the fight. The Feds  roll "3" + Ship Size 2 = 4 versus 4 + 4 = 8. The escape attempt fails, so they can either fight back or flee and suffer an attack of opportunity! They try to fire back, playing “All Power To The Weapons” but that only gets them to 5 (!). Roll is "1" for a total of 6, so the Klingon Shields easily hold! The Feds throw out “Reinforce” and draw a new Command Card.

The Klingons strike back, playing “Battle Rage”, giving their Weapons a permanent +1 and Shields a permanent -1. That’s 10 + 1 for Kang +1 for "Rage" + 1 for their roll = 12 versus 5 base +1 Paris +1 refit + 5 roll = 12...the Enterprise’s Shields barely hold up under this vicious battery!

Stardate 30

Another escape attempt...the Enterprise rolls 6 +2 = 8 versus 4 +1 = 5...this time they manage to break away! First they play “All Power To The Engines” to get up to 8 Movement on the dial + 1, then they play the “Geordi LaForge” card as an Interrupt. This lets the Engineering team add +2 to the Engines this turn, for a total of 8 + 1 +  2 = 11. They manage to get all the way to the "Class H Planet", destination: Vanguard Station!

The Klingons crank their engines up to 9 and fall into pursuit!

Stardate 31

After the Enterprise does a hasty Repair Action, she takes on a new Captain: one James Tiberius Kirk!

The Kronos One arrives at Vanguard Station and attempts to finish off the Enterprise. They fire a “Photon Torpedo” but the Feds play the “Orion Slave Girl” card for its Combat Ability by throwing out the “Command Support” Ops Card to pay for it. This cancels the Combat!   

Stardate 32

Now with Hikaru Sulu at the helm, the Enterprise fires back at their Klingon rivals! Base 5 then +2 for Kirk + 2 for Sulu (in the Officer role +2 Weapons) and they also play “Tasha Yar” as a Combat Card for another +4. Add in a roll of "3" and the total is 16!!! The Klingons are at Shields 10 but -1 due to “Battle Rage”. Roll is "5" for a total of 14. The Enterprise damages the Klingon ship, which immediately Cloaks by playing “Hit and Run” and discarding “Wariness.” The Feds throw out the “Admiral Hanson” card and draw a new one.       

The Klingons play their “General Chang” card as an Interrupt. This lets them Trash a card (namely “Opportunist”) to attack while still Cloaked! Their combat value is 4 base + 1 for Kang +1 "Battle Rage" +3 for “Heavy Armament” + 5 for the roll = 14! The Enterprise Shields are 5 Base + 1 for Refit then they play “System Bypass” to Disable their Engines (!) to add 1/2 value (9 / 2 = 4) + roll of "1" = 11. The Klingons still hit and the Enterprise is damaged again!

 Stardate 33

With the Klingon ship still Cloaked and reeling from the exchange, the Enterprise hastily affects repairs! They opt for the special Starbase rule that lets them sacrifice Movement to repair without using an Action! By doing so, Montgomery Scott distinguishes himself as Chief Engineer! They attempt to locate the Cloaked Klingon ship...but they need to succeed on a 15 difficulty level Sensor Check. They get 10 + roll of "3"...15. Nope! The Feds throw out “Dramatic Victory” to draw a new Command Card.

The Klingon ship de-cloaks, does a Power Adjustment to Deactivate their Sensors and then they divert all power to their Weapons and Shields. Then they fire: 9 Weapons + 1 Kang +1 "Battle Rage" + 4 "Surprise Attack + roll of "1" for a total of 16!!!  This is compared to 5 base + 1 refit + 6 roll = 12. The Enterprise is damaged once again!  They throw out “Cause Uncertainty” to draw a new Command Card.

Stardate 34   

The Enterprise discards “Diplomacy” for a new Command Card and then attacks! Base 5 +2 Kirk +2 Sulu +  a roll of "3" = 12 versus 8 - 1 for Battle Rage + roll of "3" = 10. Once again, they Klingons are bested and knocked down to the "Red Alert" damage level!

The Klingons discard “Battle Challenge” and Klag joins the bridge crew! They fire again, 8 base + 1 Kang +2 Klag +1 "Battle Rage" + roll of "1" = 13 versus the Enterprise's base 5 Shields +1 for the refit but then Kirk sacrifices himself for his Combat ability, adding +4 to Shields! Roll is "2"...total is 12. Unfortunately, the Enterprise is still damaged!

Stardate 35

The Enterprise discards “Pushing the Limits”, draws a new Command Card and then attacks. The ship must first do a Power Adjustment to activate their Sensors to play a "Modified Torpedo." Attack value is 4 +2 Sulu and + 4 "Torpedo" + roll of "4" = 14 versus Klingon Shields base 8 -1 "Battle Rage" + 2 Klag + roll of "2" = 11. They lose and the Kronos One is destroyed, earning a Federation a Victory Point for the “Death Blow” Mission!

Stardate 36

The Enterprise pulls into Spacedock for some badly-needed repairs! They discard the “Dramatic Defeat” Card and get a new Command Card.  They also jettison the “Dominant Power” Mission to draw a new one.  

Year 4

The Klingon line of influence expands to five sectors, eliminating the Federation Influence marker in "Empty Space" close to the "Class 11 Nebula."  

Stardate 37

The Enterprise jets out, with maximum Engines (9 + 2 for Scotty). They manage to get all the way over to a region of "Empty Space" between the "Class L" and "Class Y Planets" and then Scan an adjacent Location. They also throw out the "Nebula Research" Mission.   

Stardate 38

The Enterprise moves through unexplored Empty Space, but a "5" means no Encounter. They then move into a new location, discover a "Class J Planet" and then roll a "1" for an Encounter! It’s “Conditional Friendship” and the random Mission is “Colonization.” They then play “Command Authority" to place a Control Marker in that space (and every adjacent space) as their Action. Finally, they discard “Zero Losses” to get a new Mission.

Stardate 39

The Enterprise moves into a new quadrant, discovering a "Class T Planet", but there is no Encounter. They then travel towards a previously un-examined "Class 1 Nebula." They Encounter "Ferengi 'Traders'” and, on a roll of "1", get a permanent +2 Weapons Token! They then play “Command Authority" do an Influence Action in this Habitable system and build an Outpost!  

Stardate 40

The Enterprise takes advantage of the Nebula’s ability to build a Facility with 1 less required Control Token, so they construct a Colony! They throw out “Resource Extraction” for a new mission and “Battle Challenge” is discarded for a new Command Card.

Stardate 41

The Enterprise returns to the "Class J Planet" and they complete “Conditional Friendship” by finishing the “Colonization” Mission! Mr. Spock is then promoted to the bridge crew! They immediately head back out into "Empty Space."

Stardate 42

The Enterprise reaches the "Hyper-Giant Star." 20% for a Klingon encounter, but they roll "40." Thanks to Spock at the science station (and a Power Adjustment to get a base 10 value on their Sensors), they easily complete the “Stellar Survey” Mission.

Stardate 43

Klingon encounter? 86...no! The Feds do an Influence Action to remove the Klingon Control Marker, letting them complete the “Disrupt Influence” Mission.

Stardate 44

The Enterprise does a Power Adjustment to ramp up its Engines and then enters the Klingon-controlled "Class 2 Nebula." Encounter? Roll 17...yes!

The Gr’oth, captained by Koloth, enters the region and fires on the Enterprise. Base 7 +1 Koloth + 3 for "Heavy Armament" + roll of "3" = 14 versus Enterprise Shields 5 base plus roll of "2" = 7.  Normally the ship would take two damage, but they discard the "Leonard McCoy" card to prevent one damage!

Stardate 45

The Enterprise attempts a break-away! 2 + a roll of "3" = 5 versus 3 + a roll of "1"...success! The ship does a Power Adjustment for maximum Engines and then warps off to Vanguard Station.

The Gr’oth falls into pursuit. Under the pretense of proposing peace talks, the two factions meet at Vanguard Station. During the negotiations, the Klingons sell some innocuous furballs to some undiscriminating members of the Enterprise crew...furballs who turn out to Tribbles! Pretty soon, the pests are breeding at warp speed and two of the ship's systems have been Disabled...namely Weapons and Engines!

Stardate 46

With the Tribbles quickly swarming the ship, the Enterprise attempts to beam them back to the Klingons, using Sensors base 8 + 3 Spock + roll of "3" = 14 versus Shields 7 + Koloth's +3 then + 3 for the roll for a total of 13. The Klingons fail to block the mass beaming, forcing them to Deactivate Sensors and Engines! The Enterprise then warps away with 10 movement, off to "Empty Space"! They also turf “Masterful Bluff” for a new Command Card and complete the “Sector Survey” Mission since they’ve explored 9 adjacent Locations!  

The Gr’oth Disables Sensors and Weapons and limps after the Enterprise with 8 movement. They also discard “Wariness” for a new Command Card.   

Stardate 47

In a sneaky little diversion, the Enterprise doubles back back to Vanguard Station and does a Repair Action! They also complete the “Stake a Claim” Mission. The Feds discard “All Power To The Shields” and draw a new Command Card.

The Klingons doggedly pursue. Since they need Engines to move and Weapons to fire, they are forced to de-activate their Sensors and Shields! After catching up to their foes, they fire with 7 base + 3 "Honorable Warrior" +1 for Koloth + 2 for the roll = 13 versus Enterprise Shields base 5 +2 "Yellow Alert" card + roll of "5" = 12. One level of damage!

Stardate 48

The Enterprise battles back. Base 5 +2 Sulu + 5 "Command Scrutiny" + 2 Ferengi Weapons upgrade + roll "1" = 15 versus 6 +3 Koloth (lone ship advantage) + roll "5" = 14. The Klingon ship takes a hit!

The Klingons fire back. They have a base of 7 +1 Koloth +1 "Battle Rage" + roll of "3" = 12 versus base 5 +2 Sulu’s Interrupt / Discard Ability +1 refit + roll of "6" = 14. Their Shields repel the attack!

The game is called! 

Victory Point Tally

+1 for constructing a Starbase 

+1 for Destroying an Enemy Ship

Missions Completed: 

Death Blow - 1 VP, Colonization (Secret Mission) - 1 VP, Colonization - 2 VP’s, Militarization - 1 VP, Localized Survey - 1 VP, Disrupt Influence x 2 = 1 VP each, Sector Survey - 2 VP’s, Stake a Claim - 1 VP, Establish a Hold - 1 VP, Stellar Survey - 1 VP, Nebula Probe - 1 VP, Planetary Survey, Investigate Anomaly - 1 VP, Exploration - 1 VP, First Contact - 1 VP and Rescue Mission - 3 VP.     

22 Total Victory Points on four turns!

***

As you can see by this session report, Fleet Captains is pure Star Trek. You explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations and boldly go where no one has flipped a Location Tile before! There's exploration, adventure, missions, random complications, planetary settlement and conflict with hostile alien races. To me, it easily eclipses games like Star Trek Ascendancy, which felt more like Romulan ale-flavored Twilight Imperium to me.

In fact, the only other game that genuinely feels like Star Trek is The Adventure Game.

But that's a story for another time!

P.S. what follows is a handy summary to clarify and underscore the most important and frequently overlooked rules in the game. I hope it helps you navigate through that big, wide, wonderful galaxy! 

***

IMPORTANT RULES REMINDERS FOR STAR TREK: FLEET CAPTAINS

NON-ACTION ACTIVITIES 

During your turn, you get to do all of the following in any order you choose:

• Move each ship in your fleet.

• Make one Power Adjustment with each ship in your fleet.

• Take 3 Actions. (1 per ship)

• Play Command Cards.

• Cycle a Mission Card (discard an uncompleted mission card for a new one).

• Discard 1 Command Card.

ACTIONS

Each turn you can take up to three Actions with your ships. Actions are your main way of interacting with the game. Normally, each ship can only take one action per turn (some Command Cards may allow a ship to take an extra action). There are seven types of Actions you can choose from:

• Cloaking Actions—engaging Cloaking Devices to make your ships undetectable.

• Combat Actions—attacking opposing starships.

• Influence Actions—taking control of locations and building installations.

• Reinforcement Actions—replacing lost ships in your fleet.

• Repair Actions—removing damage from a ship at an installation.

• Scan Actions—examining unexplored Location Tiles.

• Transporter Actions—moving crew or cargo between ships and planets.

• System Tests — when voluntary, such as when completing a mission (see ”Missions”).

MOVEMENT STOPPAGE

You must stop moving your ship if any of the following occur:

• You draw an Encounter Card when exploring a new location.  

• You try to Evade an enemy ship and fail.

• The ship (or any other ship) takes an Action.  

• You run out of movement points.

• You make a Power Adjustment on any ship.

• You begin moving any other ship.

OPPOSED TESTS / COMBAT FLOW

1. Declare the action. If it is a combat declare your attacker(s) and your target.

2. Active player may make a Power Adjustment to his ship(s) as long as the ship(s) have not had a Power Adjustment this turn.

3. The active player may play a single command card.

Note: Combat cards may only be played during Combat or Weapons or Shields tests. If the test is not one of those, only Ops cards are allowed. Ops cards may also be played during a

Weapons or Shields test that does not involve attacking another ship. Crew cards cannot be assigned to ships once the test has begun.

4. If this is an opposed test, the Target player may play a single command card. If it is not opposed, each other player, starting with the player to the active player’s left, may play an Interrupt card. As soon as one opponent does so - no other cards may be played (this will make more sense with 3-player rules as teams can work together to decide which card to play).

5. In an opposed test, if the active player did not play a Command card and the Target player does, the Active player may play a Command Card now.

6. Add up all assigned crew on the ship(s) that apply to the test.

7. Roll your die and add it to the total for the test

8. For the active player;

a. For System tests, the total must be greater than or equal to the number.

b. For Opposed System tests the final total must be greater than the opposed system.

9. You can discard/trash crew members that were previously assigned to ships at this time if they have a red Combat or a special blue discard or trash ability (like Data). If you discard or trash a crew, remember to ignore their bonus that you applied earlier (top of page 27 in the rules). Your opponent may also play on their own initiative or in response and discard or trash crew of their own. As this is rare we do not recommend a specific phase as there would be a majority of “Pass/Pass” results but if you wish for clarity - then use the same timing for playing command cards (steps 3 and 4 above) except that you can play more than 1 crew affect (and must play all crew you wish to use) during the time you are allowed to.

    

Ménage à Troi - "Star Trek: Fleet Captains – Romulan Empire"

I absolutely love Star Trek: Fleet Captains. As a kid I always wanted to own a board game that would let me dispatch a flotilla of individually-crewed starships out into the GREAT UNKNOWN, encountering bizarre anomalies, completing missions and eventually skirmishing with alien races over territory and resources. If it was set in the much-beloved Star Trek universe then that would have just been gravy.

It made sense that the Klingons were included in the base game since they were the Federation's main foil throughout the the Original Series as well as the movies up until Star Trek VI. Although I certainly dig the Klingons, I've always found the criminally under-used Romulans to be a lot more interesting.

Since their first appearance in the Original Series episode "Balance of Terror", I've always been intrigued by these Imperial space Romans. I know that their physical similarity to Vulcans was born from budgetary restrictions but it gave the writers a chance to explore the developmental path of racial off-shoots. Instead of being cold and logical like their Vulcan cousins, the Romulans were hot-blooded, opportunistic and decidedly shifty.

At first I was skeptical when the producers of Star Trek: The Next Generation neutered the Klingons but at least this forced the writers to develop new adversaries for the Federation. Finally my beloved Romulans came into their own! In stark contrast to the honorable, nigh-suicidal brute force often exhibited by the Klingons, the Romulans used bluff, bravado, subterfuge, espionage and deceit to try and win the day. What's not to love?

Needless to say, when WizKids released their Romulan expansion for Star Trek: Fleet Captains it was only a matter of time before I picked it up.

Quite a bit of time, as it turned out, 'cuz that fucker's almost as pricey as the base game. But don't let the sticker price deter you; as soon as you crack the seal on this bad boy and get a load of those gloriously-detailed lime green Heroclix starships, any buyers regret will surely melt away like a cloaking warbird!

So what's new here besides the obvious? I'll let the Praetors at Wizkids field that one:

"In Star Trek: Fleet Captains - Romulan Empire, the Romulan Empire expands its influence into the game of Star Trek: Fleet Captains.

"This expansion features twelve new Romulan ships molded in color and ten new Romulan Command Decks. A new game mechanism — Espionage — adds new Missions for your fleet and the new Saboteur crew members allow you to deploy secret agents onto your opponents ships! An updated rulebook includes rules to allow for three-player games."

If you wanna go all Tal Shiar, then just click on the following link to wring all of the intelligence out of this awesome expansion.
    

***

As soon as I got a free moment I decided to run of the game solo. This would give me an opportunity to capture all the minutia of an individual turn, hash out any rules questions and hopefully provide a resource for anyone out there who wants to learn how to play the game.

I was also really wanted to see how a three-player game would work so I went whole hog and set up the Federation, the Klingons and the Romulans! And since I'm all about the olde skool I decided to select Command Decks and ships representing the older, wilder, Frontier-era of Star Trek.

Here are the results of this mad experiment...

COMMAND DECKS AND INITIAL SHIP DEPLOYMENT

The Federation Command Deck consisted of "Starfleet Command", "Heavy Security", "Main Engineering" and the "Capt. Kirk" deck. The initial Federation ships included the U.S.S. Enterprise-A, U.S.S. Excelsior, U.S.S. Reliant and the U.S.S. Yeager.

The Klingon Command Deck used "Battleship", "Imperial Expansion", Code of Honor" and "Hidden Enemy". The first compliment of Klingon vessels featured the Gr'Oth, Rotarran, Ch'Tang and the Klothos.

The Romulan Command Deck compiled "Imperial Honor", "Balance of Terror", the "Tal Shiar" and "Pride of  Romulus". The starting Romulan fleet tabled the Vorital, Cadius, Deniath, R'Liria and the Talvath.

TURN ONE

The Reliant used an Action (1) to Scan one of the three sectors closest to their Command Post and discoverd an Inversion Nebula. The Yeager (which clearly fell through some sort of a space / time anomaly to arrive in the distant past) used an Action (2) to scan another adjacent system, discovering a Class Y Planet. With an up-and-coming science officer named Spock on the bridge, the Enterprise moved through this system, making sure to keep their Shields up to avoid any damage. During this operation there was no Encounter! She then used an Action (3) to Scan ahead, revealing a Class-L Planet. Finally the Excelsior began a "Warp Experiment", cranking its Engines up to the maximum setting of nine.

The Ch'Tang passed into Empty Space and then rolled a "5" so there was no Encounter. The ship then took an Influence Action (1) to place a Control Marker there. The Rotarran barreled straight ahead, discovering an O-Type Star and rolling a "4" to avoid any Encounters. She then used a Scan Action (2) to investigate the unrevealed Location next to the Klingon Command Post, revealing more Empty Space. Next the Gr'Oth passed through this sector, rolled a "1" for an Encounter and promptly discovered an "Abandoned Outpost"! She immediately performed an Influence Action (3) and placed a permanent +2 Shield Token on this newly-discovered Installation! This polished off the "Localized Survey" mission for 1 VP! The Klothos then spent one movement point to enter Empty Space and then three more to discover a highly-prized Class M Planet! On a subsequent roll of "2" the ship Encountered an "Iconian Outpost". So far, everything's comin' up Klingon!

After Dr. Telek R'Mor was appointed the Talvath's senior Engineer, the ship spent one point to move into the Nebula. Unfortunately, on a roll of "2", the Nebula prevented her from moving any further. Meanwhile, aboard the R'Liria, a Centurion rose through the ranks to distinguish himself as an Officer. Then the Cadius, Deniath, and the R'Liria all used Cloak Actions (1-3) to fulfill the "Caution" Mission Card for a Victory Point. The Torvath cruised into an adjacent location, discovering a Small Dark Matter Nebula and rolling a "5" to avoid an Encounter. The Vorital then discovered a sector of Empty Space and, thanks to a roll of "1", Encountered a peace-loving "Delegation of Organians". Fortunately, the Romulans weren't concealing any Combat Cards so they passed the Organian's test and scored another Victory Point!

TURN TWO

The Excelsior used an Action (1) to Scan the last unrevealed location next to the Federation Command Post, revealing a Class-J Nebula. She then moved on with Phase II of her "Warp Experiment". Still getting oriented to this new time setting, the Yeager spent a moment point to enter the Nebula and discovered an "Automated Station" when the Encounter roll was "1". This turned out to be a friendly Starbase for the Federation. Although the Encounter ended her movement, the Yeager burnt an Action (2) to scan the Location to the north east which was revealed as a D-Type Star. The Reliant then spent one movement point to enter the Class Y Planet and then used four points to cross through that system. On a roll of "5" she experienced no Encounter. The Enterprise drifted into the exact same system and then used the final Federation Action (3) to beam down an Away Team.

The I.K.S. Gr'Oth veered 315° to port revealing a Stable Wormhole. On a roll of "4" they Encountered a "Dead Colony", which seemed to be de rigueur by that point. Naturally the Klingons immediately seized control of the place! Even though the Encounter ended her movement, the Gr'Oth used an Action (1) to Scan the Location dead ahead which turns out to be Empty Space. The Klothos followed this up by spending a movement point to enter this sector, avoiding any Encounters with a throw of "4". With six adjacent locations now explored, the Klingons spiked the "Expansive Survey" Mission for 2 more Victory Points! The Klothos then burned the last three of her four movement points to explore the location dead ahead, right next door to Romulan territory! This also turned out to be Empty Space but the Encounter roll of "2" brought on a nasty "Plasma Storm". This forced the Klingons to perform an Engines Power Adjustment to 8, the highest possible Engine setting. A die roll of 6 was added to this for a total of 14 and with the challenge met this Encounter was claimed as a Victory Point! Next the Ch'Tang took an Influence Action (2) to place a Colony in the sector of Empty Space adjacent to their Command Post. The Rotarran forged on straight ahead, locating the other end of a Stable Wormhole. On a roll of "4" there was an Encounter in the form of a "Displacement Wave". In reaction to this, the Rotarran's Engines were cranked up to the maximum of six but her escape attempt would have to wait until next turn.

Perturbed by the close proximity of the Klingons, the Romulans dispatched the cloaked R'Liria and the Cadius into the same Empty Space sector to deal with the inbound threat. Upon arrival, both ships de-cloaked and then used two Actions (1-2) to Attack, thus completing the "Aggressive Negotiations" Secret Mission.

The combined Romulan Weapons value was 10 (5 per ship) with a +2 bonus added to Weapons and Shields thanks to "Battle Stations" giving a pre-roll total of 12. In response, the Klingons played "Battle of Honor" forcing the Romulans to discard "Battle Stations".

(Editor's Note: Looking back, I'm not sure if this was played properly. As the Aggressor, technically the Klingon card wasn't the "first" to be played in combat so this might not have been a legal play) 

The Klingon Shields were set at 7. The Romulans rolled a "4" on their attack and the Klingons scored the same, giving a final tally of 16 to 11 which inflicted one point of damage on the Klothos! Next up the Vorital took an Influence Action (3), placing a Control Marker in its spot. The Talvath boldly banked 315° to port, using one movement point to reveal a Class-K Nebula. The subsequent Encounter roll was "6" so nothing happened. She spent her remaining five movement points to forge on dead ahead, locating an M-Type Star. The Encounter roll was "5" so once again all was quiet. Finally the still-cloaked Deniath exhausted her movement to join the Talvath in the M-Type Star system.

TURN THREE

On the third round of her "Warp Experiment" the Excelsior moved into orbit around the Class-Y Planet and then took an Influence Action (1) to place two Control Tokens there thanks to the "Command Support" Ops Card. Thanks to her current Shield value of 4 she took no Location-specific damage during this operation. The Reliant then used a Transporter Action (2) to beam up the Away Team, completing the "Planetary Expedition" Science Mission for one Victory Point. With the Romulans lurking just one sector away Lieut. Cmdr. Spock aboard the Enterprise initiated "Diplomatic Contact" via a Level 15 Sensor Test (3). After conducting a Power Adjustment which gave the ship a base Sensor Level of 10 Spock added his own +3 bonus to the effort. The subsequent roll was "4" for a total of 17...success! The mission was completed and the Federation scored one Victory Point! The Yeager then veered 30° to starboard and entered the D-Type Star system. A "3" was rolled so there was no Encounter of note. 

After General Chang took command of the Gr'Oth, he used one movement point to plow through Empty Space and three more to join the Klothos in battle against the Romulans. After a Power Adjustment gave her a 7 for both Weapons and Shields, the wounded Klothos joined her in a counter-attack against the R'Liria, which spent two Actions (1-2) in the process. Their Combat total was 7 for the Gr'Roth, + 6 for the Klothos, + 3 for "Heavy Armament" and + 2 for Chang's Captain Ability for a whopping total of 18 before rolling! The Romulan ship only received a paltry 4 for her Shields and another +1 for her "Opportunistic" trait. The Klingons then rolled a "6" awhile the Romulans scored a "4". The final totals: Klingons 24 vs. Romulans 9. The R'Liria was rocked for 2 points of damage so she dropped down to setting 11. Meanwhile the Rotarran tried to extricate herself from the "Displacement Wave". She had to roll a 6 but only got a "2" so the ship vanished into oblivion. The Ch'Tang then spent an Influence Action (3) to add another Control Token to the Empty Space sector next to the Klingon Command Post.

After their superficially-peaceful first contact with the Federation, Telek R'Mor initiated a Cloak Action (1) and then ordered the Talvath into the Class-L Planet sector unbeknownst to both the Enterprise and the Reliant. Meanwhile, on the other side of the galaxy, the wounded R'Liria joins the Cadius in yet another salvo against the Klothos, spending two Combat Actions (2-3) to do so. Their total is 4 + 5 (respectively) plus an additional 4 for a "Plasma Torpedo" bolstered by two discarded cards for a grand pre-roll total of 1l. At the time the Klothos Shield setting was still at 7. The Romulans rolled a "4" and the Klingons rolled a "3" so the total were 17 vs. 10. The Klothos took another point of damage, putting her into setting 12 of Red Alert territory. Meanwhile the still-cloaked Deniath moved into a sector of unexplored space adjacent to the Federation's Command Post. Responding to a request for assistance from the R'Liria and the Cadius, the Vorital warped into the fray and then adjusted her Power Dial to setting 3. 

TURN FOUR

While at his science station, Lieut. Cmdr. Spock detected what he thought might be a sensor ghost. Suspecting that it could be the Romulans, he attempted a Scan Action (1) searching for cloaked ships in the same sector. With the Enterprise's Sensor value of 10 and Spock's + 3 bonus the total was 13. With a roll of three the total was 16: a success! The secretly-skulking Talvath was suddenly revealed, initiating a rather tense and awkward stand off!

 
Meanwhile, the Reliant ventured into a Proto Stellar Nebula, becoming "cloaked" in the process. She rolled at "2" so there was no Encounter within the Nebula. The Excelsior completed an Influence Action (2) placing the third Control Token around the Class-Y Planet next to the Federation Command Post. She then finished up her "Warp Experiment", collecting two Victory Points in the process. The Yeager turned hard to port and stumbled upon a Class-K Planet. The resulting Encounter roll was "4" so nothing happened. Oblivious to the presence of the Romulan ship in the same sector, the Yeager crossed through this Location and entered the Class-L Planet sector. Still twitchy from their past (future?) encounter with the Borg, the ship's skipper immediately lashed out at the Talvath, expending a Combat Action (3) to so so. Her weapons were set to 7 and combined with an the attack roll of "2" the grand total was 9. The Talvath's Shields, currently dialed to 8, easily repelled this puny attack. For their final step, the Feds discarded the "Humiliation" Mission Card.

Since the Rotarran vanished without a trace, the Klingons initiated a Reinforcement Action (1). Their current Fleet Size was 7 with a maximum of 11. The Rotarran suddenly returned, re-appearing back at the Klingon Command Post! She then entered the adjacent sector of Empty Space where the Klingons were attempting to place their third Command Token. Still locked in a desperate battle against the Romulans, the Gr'Oth and the Klothos spent one Combat Action apiece (2-3) in an attempt to finish off the damaged R'Liria. Each Klingon ship had their Weapons set to 7 for a total of 14 + 3 for General Chang's Captain Ability for a total of 17. With a current Shield setting of only 4, the R'Liria can't defend herself and is destroyed, killing the Romulan Centurion on board. This allowed the Klingons to complete the "Deathblow" Secret Mission and claim 1 Victory Point plus another 2 for the destruction of their first enemy ship! Meanwhile the Ch'Tang peeled off to starboard and discovered another region of Empty Space. The following Encounter roll was 6 so nothing happens. 

In a bold move, the Deniath drifted into the Class-J Nebula and immediately de-cloaked into the highest Sensor setting of 12. The Romulan Commander onboard then used an Action (1) to make a Sensor Test, adding an "Emergency Power" card to add +2 to the attempt. In reaction, the Federation dropped an "Orion Slave Girl" into the mix which nullified the Romulan's Ops Card effect. The following roll was a mournful "2" for a grand total of 14 which failed by one. Undeterred in their battle against the Klingons, the Vorital and the Cadius both spent Combat Actions (2-3) to gang up on the Klothos. The Vorital's Weapons were at 4 and the Cadius was at 5, totaling 11 with a roll of 2. The Klothos rolled a "5" which was added to their reduced Shield score of is at 4 for a total of 9. As a result, the ship was destroyed and the Romulans scored two Victory Points for their first kill. Meanwhile the revealed Talvath used the new "Emergency Cloaking" rule, adjusting to setting 5 for 6 potential movement points. She then used 5 of these points to Cloak and another one to flee back towards the M-Type Star.

TURN FIVE

The Reliant emerged from the Proto Stellar nebula, "decloaking" in the process. She immediately revealed a Pulsar and due to the system's immense size she couldn't clear the Location on that turn. She also rolled a 2 and Encountered "Sentient Nanites". Mercifully, since the Reliant was undamaged, the Federation scored an easy Victory Point! The Excelsior took an Influence Action (1) to build an Outpost. Still bombing around the galaxy half-cocked, the captain of the Yeager charged back to the Class-J Nebula and used an Action (2) to lash out at the now-revealed Deniath. Her Weapons were set to 7 vs. the Deniath's Shields of 4 (courtesy of an Emergency Interrupt). The Federation Combat Roll was 4 for a total of 11 versus the Romulan roll of 5 for a total of 9. After taking her one level of damage, the Deniath immediately Cloaked for free thanks to the Romulan Commander's Captain Ability. The Enterprise doubled back and discovered a region of Empty Space. On a roll of "2" she had an unpleasant Encounter with "The Nexus" but she avoided a close encounter with this anomaly by rolling a "1". She then used a Scan Action (3) on the nearest unexplored tile and turned up a Class-J Planet. Finally, the Feds chucked out the "Intercept Transmissions" Mission Card, which, in hindsight, was just a dumb oversight.

The Klingons moved "The Nexus" into the same sector as the Excelsior but with a roll of "3" the ship suffered no peril. With the loss of the Klothos, the Klingon's Fleet Size is once again reduced to 7 so they took advantage of another Reinforcement Action (1). At that point their maximum fleet size was 12 so they were quick to introduce the I.K.S. Maht-h'a. This newly minted ship immediately set course for the nearby Type-O Star. With her Sensors currently set to Level 5 she spent another Action (2) to attempt a Sensor Test. Unfortunately she rolled a lame-o "1" for a total of 12 which failed the test. Meanwhile the Gr'oth continued its assault against the Romulans, this time targeting the Vorital. Her attack value included 7 for her Weapons plus 2 for Chang's Captain Ability: a tally of 9 before the roll. This was compared to the Vorital's frighteningly-low Shield total of 3. The Klingons rolled a 2 and the Romulans rolled a 5, so it ended up being 11 vs 8. As a result, the Romulan vessel took one point of damage. The Klingons then played "Hit and Run" and immediately Cloaked. For their last step, the Ch'Tang moved into a new sector and discovered an Emission Nebula but on a roll of 2 there was no Encounter.

The Romulans moved "The Nexus" to the empty Class-K Planet System. After Nanculus was appointed as the ship's Weapons Specialist, the Talvath received a distress call from the Denieth and immediately moved to assist. She came out of warp in the Class-J Nebula and then used a "Cloaked Scan" card to attempt a Sensor Test by using an Action (1). Added to the ship's base Sensors of 8 was + 5 for the ship's special ability plus another 5 for Telek R'Mor's Engineer skill. Since the total was 18 this counted as an automatic success! This, in turn, fulfilled the "Fearless Surveillance" Secret Mission for a whopping 3 Victory Points. At the same time the fleeing Deniath uncloaked to discover a Stable Wormhole in an unexplored sector. Unfortunately on a roll of "4" there was an unexpected Encounter with a Temporal Loop. She's trapped! Since the R'Liria was destroyed, the Romulan Fleet Size had been reduced to 8 with a max of 11. The Romulans then proceeded to take a Reinforce Action (2) to bring out the Apnex, her Engines initialized to 8. This new ship used one Movement Point to enter Empty Space, two more to cross into the Class-K Nebula and another 5 to navigate past that. She arrived at the Stable Wormhole, broke the Deniath out of her Temporal Loop, and scored her tenth and final Victory Point for the victory.

The Romulans win!

Final Victory Point Tally:
 

Romulans...10

Klingons...7
Federation...5

***

While talking to Mike about the Romulan expansion at Cabin Con I started to regret my decision to buy it. It's his stalwart belief that many of the Romulan ships are grossly underpowered and a lot of their Missions are really hard to complete. Although I can certainly see his point here I also know that the Romulans need to be played radically different from both the Klingons and the Federation.

Some tips for the prospective Romulan player:

• Don't get suckered into an extended toe-to-toe space brawl with someone like the Klingons since they will surely kick the Romulan's asses up around their pointy ears. Use hit-and-run tactics to dissuade rivals from your holdings and don't be too precious about incursions into your own territory. 
• Stay cloaked. Like all the time. Concentrate on moving your ships into position to complete Missions. Take advantage of the new rule governing Emergency Cloaking.  
• Don't be afraid to cycle through the tougher Mission cards to cherry pick what you need.  

REVIEW

PROS

• The game is so fun and thematic that mishaps feel more funny then frustrating. The variable Locations, familiar characters, famous starships, tense Encounters, tactical Combats, Sensor Tests and colorful Missions all evoke feelings of "boldly going where no-one has gone before".
• Each faction really does play very different from one another. The Feds are all science-y, diplomatic and peaceful, the Klingons are all up in yo' grill and the Romulans are a bunch of sneaky l'il gits.
• The Romulan expansion adds a lot of new stuff without troweling on a ton of extra complexity. There so many new strategies to explore! Hell, I didn't even draw any Saboteurs! Hopefully the next time I'll be given an opportunity to seed a few of these annoying bastards on my opponent's ships and then just sit back and and giggle as they gum up the works!
• I discarded the "Intercept Transmissions" card 'cuz I completely forgot about the new "Transmission Interference Sensor Action" rule. Speaking of annoying, I think it would be great to force your opponent to discard a Mission just as they're on the cusp of completing it!
• The Heroclix system is a perfect fit for Star Trek, simulating ship damage and Power Adjustments with elegance. 
• The miniatures really make the game pop on the table. The tokens and cards are also top-notch.

CONS

• The coaster that your Romulan Ale is sitting on is probably ten times more durable and stable then those piss-poor Location "tiles". 
• Sadly, I found myself referring to the rules very frequently, like once every turn. I have to tilt my hat to designers Ethan Pasternack and Mike Elliott for trying to replicate the vast Star Trek sandbox in board game form. If anything they deserve kudos for taking what could have been an unwieldy mess and delivering something that's quite playable. But due to a lot of nebulous wording and a pretty-but-dumb rule book you'll often find yourself pausing the action to look something up or scratching your head in an effort to puzzle out the designer's intent. Let's just say that a more-detailed second edition rulebook would be worth its weight in gold-pressed latinum. 

***

Overall, Star Trek: Fleet Captains - Romulan Empire scores five pips outta five with a tilt up towards Romulus and Remus!

***

Wanna play Commander Tomalak to your opponent's Captain Picard? Then click on the photo below to learn more about this expansion and bring glory to the Blogulan Empire! 

Cosmic Cubes - "Marvel Dice Masters: Avengers vs. X-Men"

So, in my last post I talked a little bit about the genesis of dice-building games...

"Essentially, Quarriors! is two generations removed from Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games. With CCG's, players can spend hours on the sidelines combining cards together in order to create the perfect killer decks, which they can then pit against an opponent in-game.

"Then Donald X. Vaccarino had the brilliant idea of 'Hey, what if designing your deck was the actually goal of the game itself?' And with that, Dominion was born. Now, Dominion is great and all but as a completely original game it's essentially just a mechanic. Needless to say it didn't take very long before titles such as Thunderstone and A Few Acres of Snow came along and successfully married this new genre to an appropriate theme.    

"So, based on the theory of (game) evolution, Eric M. Lang eventually pondered to himself 'Hmmmm, people love rolling dice and we've already had collectible dice games in the past....I wonder what would happen if I came up with a dice building game.' And, yea, with that, THE LANG brought forth Quarriors! into existence and He saw that it was good."

And here's my final word on the subject:

"I'd probably be buying a copy of Quarriors! (right now) if not for the fact that a Marvel-themed spin on the game is due to land sometime around the end of April. I'll be play-testing and reviewing that puppy as soon as I can lay my hot little mitts on it!"   

Soooo, by some minor miracle, I actually managed to score a Starter Set and a few Booster Packs. And by "a few Booster Pack" I mean thirty but, hey, who's counting?

Now before I serve up my session reports, here's the one-sheet splash page on Marvel Dice Masters: Avengers vs. X-Men directly from Board Game Geek:

"Marvel Dice Masters: Avengers vs. X-Men is a collectible dice-building tabletop game designed by Quarriors! creators Michael Elliott and Eric M. Lang.

"In this game, each player fields one of the superhero teams, with each hero — Captain America, Wolverine, Spider-Man, and more — being represented by custom-tooled dice; each team must be composed of 15 dice, and a player can 'purchase' dice only from his team. Each hero also has one or more character reference cards, which show the special abilities for the characters based on the die rolls. Different versions of these cards will be available in booster packs, allowing for more customization of your team. Players use these dice to collect energy, recruit new heroes, and battle head-to-head. In addition, each player brings two basic action cards to the game, which are placed in the center of the table; both players can purchase these cards. A player wins once the opposing player has been reduced to zero life.

"The Marvel Dice Masters: Avengers vs. X-Men starter set comes with 44 custom dice, 38 cards, two dice bags, and a core rulebook. Booster packs include two dice with two matching character cards."  


Looking to digest the full arc of the storyline? Then clobber the following link right in the kisser to read the full rules omnibus right here.  

***

Now, due to circumstances beyond my control, I haven't been able to attend our weekly game night for the past three weeks. For ease of record-keeping and to meet my self-imposed end-of-the-month deadline I decided to run the game solo to see how it worked. Here's then is the result:

The Avengers Dice Roster

Black Widow "Natural" x 1

Captain America "American Hero" x 2

Nick Fury "WWII Veteran" x 2 

Hulk "Jade Giant" x 2

Iron Man "Playboy" x 2

Thor "God of Thunder" x 2

Basic Action Cards: "Inner Rage" and "Focus Power"

The X-Men Dice Roster

Colossus "Russian Bear" x 2

Cyclops "If Looks Could Kill" x 4

Gambit "Ace In The Hole" x 1

Professor X "Principal" x 2

Storm "Goddess of the Plains" x 2

Wolverine "Wildboy" x 1

Basic Action Cards: "Gearing Up" and "Power Bolt"

Note: I specifically used the "Tournament" team-building rules which allows for:

• 20 Life points apiece
• 2 Basic Action Cards per player
• Up to 8 different Character Cards
• Up to 20 Dice, respecting the Dice Maximums as printed on each Character Card

*** 

GAME ONE

The Avengers rolled up two Bolts, a Question Mark (which can represent any kind of Energy) and a Fist. They bought an Iron Man die by declaring the Question Mark to be a Shield.

The X-Men diced up two Sidekicks and two Bolts. They re-rolled the two Sidekicks and got another Bolt and another Sidekick. The poor, scared Sidekick was then ushered into the Field for free while the other three Energy was used to buy a Gold "Power Bolt" die.

The Avengers conjured up two Question Marks, a Mask and a Shield and buy a Captain America die.

The X-Men rolled the exact same thing this time around: two Sidekicks and two Bolts. Again they re-rolled their Sidekicks and got a Shield and a Bolt, neither of which could fulfill the Mask requirement to pick up Gambit or Storm. Instead they spent all four Energy on securing a Green “Gearing Up” die.

The Avengers dumped all of their Used dice back into the bag and drew four new cubez. They then rolled up a Level 2 Captain America, a Sidekick and two Masks. After paying the 2 Energy needed to Field Cap and the free Sidekick, ol' Winghead and his ersatz Bucky attacked! The X-Men’s Sidekick blocked the Avenger’s Sidekick, resulting in a double Knock Out. Cap got through, however, dealing five points of damage to the X-Men Mastermind before skipping merrily skipped off to the Used Pile.

The X-Men player hucked all of his Used crap back into the bag, drew four new dice and then added the poor K.O.’ed Sidekick convalescing in the Prep area back into the mix. After turning up a single Question Mark, two Bolts, a Shield and a Sidekick they decided to re-roll the Sidekick, getting a Shield. They then used 5 Energy, I.E. a flat of beer and a pack o' cheap cigars to lure a Wolverine die into the Used Pile.

The Avengers randomly pulled four dice from their bag, remembering to add their own K.O.’ed Sidekick. They then proceeded to roll up three Shields, a Bolt and a Question Mark. With a Question Mark and a Bolt they managed to entice Black Widow into their roster and then used the three remaining Shields to pick up a Blue "Focus Power" die.

The X-Men rolled a Fist, a Bolt and both 2 Green and 2 Gold Energy. They then decided to re-roll the Fist and the Bolt, but ended up getting the exact same thing! Just for the sake of set collection, they decided to buy one Red “Inner Rage” die and one Blue "Focus Power" die.

When the Avengers drew the last two remaining dice out of their bag, they tossed all their Used cubes back into their Sack and then pulled out two more. After producing a Level 1 Captain America, a Level 2 Iron Man, a Mask and a Shield they used their two Energy to Field Iron Man and attack! Since the X-Men had no defenders, they were forced to suck up five more points of damage, taking them down to 10 Life Points! Since Iron Man was Unblocked and Cap was Unfielded (Wow, is 'unfielded' even a word?), both were sent packin' off to the Used Pile.

 
The X-Men drew their one remaining die, bagged their Used flotsam and then dug out three more. They then proceeded to toss one Sidekick, two Masks and a Question Mark. They got a Fist after re-rolling the Sidekick and ended up enlisting a Storm die.

The Avengers got a Question Mark, a Fist, a Mask and a Sidekick. They re-rolled the latter and got another Question Mark. They then used all four Energy to snag a second Iron Man die.

The X-Men rolled two Fists on the Wolverine die, a basic "Focus Power" result, a 2-Burst "Power Bolt" and a Shield. They boldly decided to re-roll all of them. This time they got 2 Blue and 2 Gold Energy, a Level 3 Wolverine (Woot!) and a Sidekick. They decided to spend the three Energy to field Wolverine (D'uh) and the Sidekick, overpaying by one. He then attacked with Wolverine, causing a whopping 8 points of damage while keeping the Sidekick in reserve as a defender.

The Avengers drew their last three dice, enbagified the Used Pile and then pulled out one more. They then rolled a Shield on Cap’s die, a Mask, a Question Mark and 2 Blue Energy. After re-rolling Cap’s die and the Blue Energy, they ended up with a Level 2 Cap and the same Blue result. They then used the Question Mark and the Mask to Field Cap and attack! The X-Men used their Speedbump...er, their Sidekick to block, which promptly got K.O.’ed into oblivion. Humming the "Star Spangled Banner" and picking teeth out of his knuckles, Cap cheerily returned to the Field Zone.

The X-Men moved their Sidekick-in-traction over to the Reserve Pool after adding four more dice from their bag. They turned up 2 Red Energy, 2 Bolts, and 2 Question Marks which they then used to buy a Professor X die.

At the start of the Avengers turn, the 2 Blue Energy slid stage left to the Used Pile. They then rolled up a Sidekick, a Fist, a Mask and a Shield on the Iron Man die, which was promptly re-rolled. After the Sidekick was prodded into attack position for free, one Energy was spent to Field the newly-summoned Level 1 Iron Man, leaving one Fist remaining.  All three dice then attacked en masse, causing a total of 10 damage, ending the game!

The Avengers win!

GAME TWO

The X-Men began first this time, rolling 2 Question Marks, one Bolt and one Shield, which they used to buy a Storm die.

The Avengers summoned 3 Masks and one Question Mark, which let them pick up an Iron Man die.

In response, the X-Peeps rolled 3 Bolts and 1 Shield. They then re-rolled all of them to settle on a Mask, 2 Fists and a Sidekick, the latter of which was dragged kicking and screaming out into the Field for free. The rest of their Energy was spent on to Gambit's obscene signing bonus.

The Avengers rolled up 2 Shields, a Fist and a Question Mark, allowing them to recruit a Captain America die.

The X-Men re-bagged everything precious and then pulled out four new dice, getting a Level 2 Gambit, a Question Mark, a Fist and a Bolt on the subsequent roll. Using the Bolt and Fist, they got Gambit into the field for 2 Energy. They then took advantage of the Cajun's ability to draw and roll a die, but they ended up getting one lousy Bolt. Gambit then attacked, presumably by hurling all thirty-eight cards contained in a Marvel Dice Masters: Avengers vs. X-Men Starter Set at his foe, causing four damage in the process. The Sidekick held back, observing the surreal scene from the comfort of their concrete bunker. 

 
The Avengers returned all of their dice to the bag and then drew four new ones. On the following toss, they got 2 Shields on the Captain America die, another Shield, a Bolt and a Mask. A re-rolled Cap die downgraded to a single Shield so they just spent all 4 Energy to pick up another Iron Man die. 'Cuz, hey, let's face it, you can't go wrong with another Shell-Head, even when he's all gooned up on martinis. 

The X-player moved the one Question Mark and one Bolt Energy to the Used Pile and then drew the remaining four dice from their sack o' mystery. They then dialed up 2 Question Marks, 1 Sidekick and 2 Masks on the Storm die, which was hastily re-rolled. They were lucky enough to get a Level 0 Storm and pretty soon both the Weather Witch and the Sidekick were chillin' out in the Field fo' free. Both of them attacked, leaving the second Sidekick behind as a guard. The Avenger mastermind (Jarvis?) took three more points of damage and was now feeling decidedly punch-drunk.

The Avengers scored 2 Shields on the Iron Man die plus a Question Mark, a Shield, and a Bolt. They re-chucked the Iron Man die again and once again got an inferior result: a single Shield this time. Next up they snared a Nick Fury die with the one Shield and Bolt and then used the Question Mark (as a Fist) and the remaining Shield to pick up Black Widow. So, how does one go about picking up Black Widow? The answer: very, very carefully.

The X-Men moved their 2 unused Question Mark Energy into the Used Pile and then re-bagged all things Used. They then diced up 2 Bolts, 1 Question Mark and 2 Masks on the Gambit die, which was reduced to a single Mask after a re-roll. With this four Energy they procured another Storm die.

The Avengers drew their two remaining dice and then bagged the rest, pulling out two more to make up a total of four. They then summoned 3 Bolts and a Sidekick which got Fielded for free. With the 3 Bolts they decided to invest in a Gold Power Bolt die.

Meanwhile, the X-Men rolled up a Level 1 Storm, two Sidekicks and a single Question Mark Energy. Immediately all three were Fielded and then attacked. Storm's assault forced the Avenger player to re-roll his Sidekick die, getting a Bolt! Effectively “zapped” by Storm, he was dragged off to the Prep to me marinated in a warm tub filled with Bactine. Between Ororo and her 2 Sidekicks, the X-Bullies dealt out a total of 5 points of damage!

In response, the Avengers rolled a Sidekick, two Bolts, a Question Mark and two Shields on the Captain America die, which was immediately re-cast. The resulting Level 2 Cap die was quickly dispatched to the front line with one Question Mark and one Bolt plus the free Sidekick. In a fateful move, the X-Men decided not to block with the Sidekick, letting Cap through for 5 points of damage.

The X-Men pulled out their last remaining die, bagged up all the Used stuff and then drew three more. They scored a Level 1 Gambit (with a Burst!) a Storm, a Question Mark and some Bolt Energy. They re-rolled the Bolt and got a Mask, giving them just the resources needed to Field both characters! Gambit's power came into play, allowing the X-Men to draw 2 dice, pick one and roll it and return the other to the ol' sacroiliac. This turned out to be pretty inconsequential since they ended up throwing a single Shield. Both Gambit and Storm attacked, forcing the Avengers to re-roll their stalwart Sidekick. It became Mask Energy, so the minion was promptly fricasséed and then set aside in the Prep area! Now, without any Blockers, the Avengers were forced to eat four more points of damage!

The Avengers’s unused Bolt Energy slid away to the Used Pile and the “shocked” die in the Prep Area was placed in Reserve. Next they tossed a Shield, a Level 1 Iron Man, a Level 0 Nick Fury, a single Fist on Black Widow’s die and a Mask. They choose to re-roll the Widow die and Mask Energy, getting a Level 0 Widow and a Question Mark. They then proceeded to Field Iron Man for one Shield and Widow and Fury for the low, low price of free. Widow and Iron Man attacked, prompting the X-Men’s Sidekick to block a repulsor ray with its face. Needless to say it was immediately K.O.'ed and then carted away to the Prep Area. Meanwhile, Black Widow got through for 3 points of damage, getting a +1 damage boost thanks to Nick Fury’s sage advice of "HIT' EM HARDER!!!"

The X-Men moved their unspent Shield Energy in Reserve to the Used Pile and the K.O.’ed Sidekick grudgingly went back into Reserve. This, along with four new die were then rolled: netting two Masks, one Bolt, a Sidekick and a Level 0 Storm. As a consolation prize, a Gold “Power Bolt” was purchased with the three remaining Energy. Sensing impending doom, Storm gambled on an attack, hoping to temporarily stun Iron Man and/or Nick Fury with her special ability. This didn't quite go according to plan since both Iron Man and Fury came up again. Iron Man socked Storm right in her pretty mush, sending her packing off to the K.O. box.

For the Avengers, the unused Question Mark Energy was sent off to the Used Pile. After the last remaining die was "yoinked", everything Used got re-bagged and three more are drawn. They got two Fists on the Black Widow die, two Shields on the Iron Man die plus one Shield and one Question Mark for Energy. Both the Widow and Iron Man dice were re-rolled, scoring the exact same result for Widow but a Level 2 Iron Man! The Iron Man was Fielded right away using the Shield and the Question Mark, setting up a nasty double Iron Man pincer attack. The X-Men Sidekick die blocked the Level 2 Iron Man and got creamed but the Level 1 made it through to deal 4 points of damage, boosted by +1 again thanks to Nick Fury’s wise tutelage: "THAT UNI-BEAM AIN'T A PEACE SYMBOL, MOTHERFUCKER...USE THAT SHIT!!!"

The X-Men drew their last remaining die, Storm and the Sidekick came back to the land of the living and the Used Pile got re-bagged for two more dice. They then rolled two Masks on both Storm dice, plus a Mask, a Fist and a Bolt but re-chucked everything except for the Fist and the Mask. The gambit didn't work (pun not intended) since they ended up with two Masks on both Storm dice again plus another a Mask! Without any blockers, all the X-Peeps could do is purchase a Colossus die and hope that the Avengers crapped out.

Such was not the case. The Avengers moved their two-Fist Black Widow Energy to the Used Pile then drew four new dice, getting two Sidekicks, one Bolt and one Fist. They used this to Field both Sidekicks then attack with them plus good ol' Monsieur Stark, racking up a total of 8 damage.

The X-Men have no defenders and are defeated!

***

REVIEW

PROS

• The game is a pretty cool fusion of both Quarriors! and Magic: The Gathering. However, thanks to new additions like team customization, Basic Action Cards and dice, player / Mastermind Life Points, re-rolls and CCG-style combat, I think this one is vastly superior to its older, Q-obsessed cousin. One corollary though: as you might be able to tell by the previous examples it's still possible to get hosed somewhat by bad luck.
• The Marvel license is well-represented. The Characters actually play out like their four-color counterparts. Sorry, but I'll take Sauron any day over a generic, boring ol' Quake Dragon. Assuming, of course, that the Savage Land denizen will one day be made available in an expansion. Oh, who am I trying to kid, of course every single obscure character in the Marvel Universe will eventually be made available. Land and Elliot are gonna run this gravy train into Subterranea.
• The card art is fantastic and the sheer variety of custom-tooled Character dice is phenomenal. It's amazing how easily-recognizable the Characters are just based on the chosen Icons. Admittedly, some of the dice aren't stamped very well but they're few and far between when you consider how mass-produced they are.
• Even though the game is "collectible" the rarer versions of a Character don't always trump the common ones. This is great since it gives casual players a fighting chance while completists / collectors / basement dwellers can go toadly apeshit and BUY ALL THE THINGS!!!
• The Dice Movement Diagram / Play Mat make the game a breeze to teach and play. Thanks to Mike and Eric for delivering a decent rulebook that really strives for clarity.
• The game plays super-quick. Almost too quick; matches seem to end just as things start heating up. My recommendation: play with 25 or 30 Life Points each.   
• The Starter Set is about a third of the price of the Quarriors! base game so it's pretty cheap to get into. Well, in theory. In practice, however...   

CONS

• The collective aspect of the game could make this a money pit for some people. The distribution is also a bit wonky; I've gotten about thirty Boosters so far out of the same gravity box and still don't have a common Doctor Doom, Ghost Rider, Hawkeye, Nightcrawler, Nova, or Phoenix. I do have three Professor X "Principal" cards, however, which are about as useful as a tuxedo on Bruce Banner. *Yippie fuckin' skippy*.

• Didja happen to notice those pretty Dice Movement Diagrams and bad-ass black silk bags in the session report photos above? Yeah, well...I had to print the Play Mats off myself and buy the bags at "Micheal's". Yeah, the game is cheap, but that's because you're essentially paying for a metric shit-ton of dice and a no-frills rulebook. The paper...sorry, tyvek "dice bags" are laughably inept. Personally, I plan to take mine along on my next turbulence-heavy flight. Oh, and I also had to buy a freakin' Plano box to store the dice in since you immediately outgrow the original plastic packaging the game came in just as soon as you buy a few Boosters. Frankly, I think it's lame to be forced to enact your very own Economic Action Plan just to bring a game up to my very low standards. Yes, it's cheap to buy, but there's a reason for it.   

*Ugh*...I shouldn't have eaten all of those dice....HURRK!!!

• The Boosters are shipped 60 per gravity box. On paper it probably seemed like a good idea to seal two plastic dice up in a CCG collectible card pack with the accompanying cards but it's resulted in a lot of warpage. If your one of those prissy types who agonizes over the condition of everything you buy then do yourself a favor and just walk away right now 'cuz this'll drive you completely and totally nutsen.  

***

THE BOTTOM LINE

Despite its flaws, Marvel Dice Masters: Avengers vs. X-Men is an absolute blast. I can't wait to field an all-Alpha Flight team or a Daredevil-dominated Marvel Knights vigilante gang or a Rogues Gallery collection of all my favorite Spidey-villains. It's fun, quick, easy to teach and a breeze to get into. The gameplay is fast, frantic and offers quite a few interesting decisions.

Just keep an Eye of Agamotto on your wallet.

Marvel Dice Masters: Avengers vs. X-Men scores four pips outta six with a tilt w-a-a-a-a-a-y up towards that S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier that's got a bead on ya.

Which reminds me: make sure you check out Captain America The Winter Soldier, kiddies! It's awesome!  

***

Wanna see what happens when you team Deadpool, Venom, Ghost Rider, the Punisher, the Thing, Loki, Wolverine and Professor X up together? Don't use your imagination like a chump! Click on the following images to pick up a copy of Marvel Dice Masters: Avengers vs. X-Men and help this blog get all the way up to Issue #500!