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Non-Aligned Review: An Overview of Our New Affiliation
by Scott Arany The latest current rulings (as of April 25, 2000) have added two "new" affiliations to the ST:CCG universe. Non-Aligned and Neutral are now treated as standard affiliations. With this ruling, the Non-Aligned affiliation becomes possibly one of the most flexible affiliations in the game. Playing Non-Aligned has plenty of advantages, and a few drawbacks. First I'll cover the bad stuff, and then I'll do the cool stuff. Non-Aligned Disadvantages Massive Compatibility -- Anyone can use Non-Aligned stations. Empok Nor is not exclusively yours. Anyone can report there, though not everyone can be downloaded there. Soong-Type Androids -- Can't be downloaded or reported to your Non-Aligned Nor, because they don't have a classification. Low Point Missions -- The majority of missions with Non-Aligned icons are worth less than 35 points. While this may protect you from the Borg, it can slow down your game. Having to complete 4 missions for the win instead of 3 can be a definite hindrance. Lack of Free Card Plays -- With no headquarters, no personnel play for free there. The only possible free card play you can get out of a pure N/A deck is free freighters, and free System 5 Disruptors at Korma. Editor's Note: And free STAs with Soong at a Husnock outpost. With those piddly detriments aside, on to the good stuff! Non-Aligned Advantages: Empok Nor -- With a mission specialist (Narik) who has both Computer Skill and ENGINEER, you can commandeer the station early and process ore. Yes, there will be the possible Reactor Overloads, and Empok Nor dilemmas, but those are problems every affiliation faces. Where Empok really shines in a Non-Aligned deck is the station's download of any number of equipment. Your personnel are now all +35 strength. Add in a download of Lore, Roga Danar, a few Nausicaans, and the Non-Aligneds can even face down Dominion Death Troops. (Yes, this could be considered cheese, and in fact it probably is cheese. But seeing as the Non-Aligned color is yellow, and some cheese is yellow... oh, never mind.) While having a Non-Aligned station allows any personnel to report there (after all, Non-Aligned is compatible with everyone), this does not make Empok Nor easy pickings. Beyond using Sisko 197 Subroutine, you can protect your station with brute force: That +35 strength, Lore, Roga Danar, and two Nausicaans are nasty, nasty personnel in a fight. Also, consider using the Non-Aligned Cardassians (Garak, Ocett, Evek, and Madred) with Automated Security System to protect Ops (thanks to the Prince of Insufficient Light for that one). But as Tom Paris pointed out on Decipher's Discussion BBS, watch out for the prepared player to tow a Radioactive Garbage Scow to Empok's location, and detonate it with Destroy Scow. But that shouldn't be a problem! Simply play Thermal Deflectors. There are a number of excellent Non-Aligned personnel that can be downloaded with Empok Nor. Vekor (lose her to a Plague ship? Download another!), Lore, Roga Danar, Soto and Altovar, Kasidy Yates, Tallera, Morn (just because he's cool), John Doe (for life saving), Suna, Dathon, Ty Kajada and the Albino. Rax'na (much under-rated... universal SCIENCE with Biology and Astrophysics and immune to Unscientific Method, what's not to like?), Galen, Nick Locarno, 10 and 01, Dr. Reyga and Salia. And don't forget that all those non-aligned ships. Download multiple Darmoks, one for each choice of equipment. Empok Lore -- It seems that Lore has taken a cue from Dukat and set up his Rogue Borg cult on this abandoned station. Empok Nor's advantage in downloading Lore leads to another vicious offensive tactic: Rogue Borg. A few Rogue Borg here and there can stop anyone before they even get to your station. While Reactor Overload is again a concern... well, you've got more Rogue Borg, right? The Reactor Overload will return to hand, giving you another window to attack without fear of EM surges. With Lore virtually guaranteed on your second turn, Crystalline Entity and Rogue Borg decks (both pinging and slaughter) should see a rise. Speaking of cheese... Kova Tholl -- Download the little pacifist over and over again, slaughtering him each time with Rogue Borg. Even with Intermix Ratio in play, you can score up to 50 points this way! Just avoid the Klingon pain sticks. Massive Compatibility -- Non-Aligneds can work with everyone. Go ahead and let the Ferengi set up shop on Empok Nor (of course, without Quark's Bar). Let the Romulans watch you, take the Federation along on Geological surveys. In fact, this flexibility is possibly one of the Non-Aligned's greatest strengths... "Espionage" without the Espionage -- With Kasidy Yates, Garak, Aluura and Tallera, your N/A forces can attempt any Bajoran, Cardassian, Federation, Ferengi, Non-Aligned, and Romulan mission... at any time, without worrying about incompatible personnel. Add in Quark-SoK or Sisters of Duras (always good in a non-aligned deck for their skills), and you can attempt Klingon missions. And you can do all this without resorting to Espionage, which keeps your mission attempts safe from Kevin Uxbridge. Asides from the Ferengi (Bribery), what other affiliation has such easy access to such wide range of missions? Just beware of using these dual affiliated personnel. Once they switch to an aligned mode, you are now vulnerable to infiltration. Used Tallera to access a Federation mission? Keep an eye out for a rather gooey O'Brien Founder. You can always use Assign Mission Specialists to download the affiliation you want, and have that available right from the start of the game. Diplomatic Conference -- This can now be accomplished with 2 VIP's from the same affiliation: 2 non-aligned. Bring along the Sisters of Duras, and maybe a AMS'd Kell... easy sixty points. Editor's Note: This works for now, but the next CR is expected to change the text to "any 3 aligned VIPs + 1 NA VIP" Cargo Runs -- With Cargo Bays specifically tailored to non-aligned usage, cargo runs will be a cinch to pull off. Seed a Husnock outpost at one end of the spaceline, and Empok Nor somewhere further along, download Kasidy Yates and you're off! With the Empok Nor equipment-downloads, you'll have tons of (non-weapon) equipment to ferry to the Husnock (or any other outpost) and back to the Cargo Bay. Lack of a Homeworld -- While some players may initially think of this as a drawback, it isn't. This new affiliation has no homeworld for the Borg to assimilate. That Lore you've been using would sure make a tempting counterpart. If he is assimliated, though, you won't have to worry about losing your homeworld. (Sure, Service the Collective could be annoying, but there's a sneaky way to get around that problem, see below.) Meaning, you'll never have to worry about losing your HQ, and not being able to report to your outposts. Instead, use that fake homeworld... Qualor II -- Since the Non-Aligned are still *non* aligned, they should still be able to use Qualor II as a safe haven. No other affiliation has a place where nobody can touch them. Facilities and ships are vulnerable to Invasive Beam-In, and Away Teams waiting on planets aren't always safe. But at Qualor II, the affiliated forces will not be able to follow you to the planet's surface. Beware of opposing Non-Aligned forces though. This planet might be a good place to build a colony. Qualor II can also be used as a way to thwart the Borg: It's immune to planet assimilation (worth less than 35 points), and if you use landable ships, you can keep your ships from being assimilated. Just land and lock those Borg in stasis. Low Point Missions -- Many Non-aligned planet missions are worth less than 35 points, making them all immune to assimilation. Helpful. While this could slow down your game, try supplementing the mission points with Dabo, AMS with Narik, Dr. Farek (also useful as a Ferengi with Greed), and Kathleen Tonell (who is the *only* [AU]-icon mission specialist in the game), bonus point dilemmas, and a Colony. Recruit Mercenaries -- Better than Bajoran Civil War, this'll get you a lot of Non-Aligned personnel, or even Lore. Trip a self-seeded Altonian Brain Teaser to nullify the point loss. Access to any ship in the game -- Seed Spacedoor on your Husnock outpost and download any universal ship you want. Alpha Attack Ships, U.S.S. Nebulas, K'Vorts, D'Deridex Advanced (of course, with appropriate personnel or a Reflection Therapy). While these would require a few Memory Wipes, that's not a huge drawback. Memory Wipe -- No other affiliation has the ability to convert a shipload of personnel into an entirely new affiliation with one card play, and no restrictions. With this card, you can turn your U.S.S. Defiant loaded with Federation crew into a completely Non-Aligned force, in effect "erasing" all previous affiliated characteristics. If Memory Wipe did this for every affiliation, it would read "Plays on any ship. Ship and all personnel aboard all lose previous affiliation and gain one of your choice." That would be a powerful card. Frame of Mind -- This'll produce a personnel for your affiliation with custom skills. Use the already handy Suna to download Reflection Therapy and capture the new "recruit". In The Bag -- Take advantage of the fact that anyone can work with you, and also use all those weapons downloaded with Empok Nor to grab Founders regardless of Quadrant and Affiliation restrictions. The Founder Infiltrators have great skill sets, and they can staff Alpha Attack Ships with no need of Memory Wipe. It's been suggested to me that a Non-Aligned capture deck with an AMS'd Kell, Flaxian Scouts, Extradition, Madred, Suna (Reflection Therapy + FoM), a couple Holding Cells on Empok Nor, and E-Band Emissions (for free with Kell) could be nasty and viable. Hmm... [wicked scheming pinky smirk] Now go out and enjoy the wonders and flexibility of our game's newest affiliation! Jolan True, Scott 'Aranamac' Arany
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