Gambit Mercenary Deck
Tallera (clmay@uiuc.edu)
September 1998

The two-part episode "Gambit" has always been a favorite of mine, and I liked the idea of a completely Non-Aligned "theme deck" based on it. Acquiring a true Non-Aligned outpost (Husnock Outpost) from the OTSD and the final personnel I needed (Galen) from a lucky Q-Continuum booster pack, I decided I was ready to fashion the all-time greatest Non-Aligned deck! Well, maybe not, but it does have its strong points, and I'm very proud of some of the finer details!

Missions:
I decided on the six missions for this deck because I had to give up one slotin order to seed the two universal Space missions (which, due to the card's ability to be inserted anywhere in the spaceline, should be adjacent) and use the Black Hole. All of the other missions are attemptable by Non-Aligned personnel or by one of the multi-affiliation personnel included (i.e. Garak, Tallera, etc.). Be sure to try and seed Qualor II Rendezvous at one end of the spaceline. This is also the mission where your outpost and Persistance of Memory should be seeded. Also, try and seed one of the space missions on the opposite end of the spaceline. The Vulcan Stone of Gol can go anywhere; I included it more for its thematic value than its game text. Be sure to bring along some extra universal space missions for the Black Hole to spit out (see below).

Dilemmas:
The dilemmas are listed in seven combos, and should be encountered in the order listed. I am a big fan of "weeding" combos, in which the first two or three dilemmas "weed out" certain personnel types before the last dilemma hits 'em with a dire need for just those personnel that are no longer around.... I've included two planet, two space, and three space/planet combos.

Play:
With so many Q's Tents in the draw deck, hopefully you'll get one or two in your very first seven cards. Use one ASAP to grab the Red Alert! and/or the Kivas Fajo - Collector, in order to get as many personnel through your hand and onto the table as possible early. There is also a second Collector in your draw deck for use later, and a Res-Q and Palor Toff in order to get one back. It would also be a good idea to get that Kevin Uxbridge out of the Tent and into your hand early, in case he's needed. The Charybdis is a quick and easy way to prevent your opponent from acquiring any of those artifacts s/he seeded without some Archeology, while you have Galen and Baran to come to your aid. The Ready Room Door can be used to download Baran to the Mercenary Ship or Dathon to the Tama once you have them out, followed by Tenting for that Captain's Log to raise the ships' stats. Your outpost is seeded at the Qualor II Rendezvous, so as soon as you have Amarie at your outpost you can start attempting the dilemmas there using whatever strategy you prefer.

FYI, however, there are lots of superfluous personnel included, so red-shirting is a distinct option. Once you've got those 30 points under your belt, you'll want to quickly target another mission so that you can play your Colony (remember you can't play a Colony at the same mission as your outpost, so you'll need to attempt another mission first). Leave as many uneeded personnel at your (well-protected) colony as possible for those extra points. At this point you should also Tent for your Black Hole and play it between the two universal Space missions. Then immediately play your newly-acquired Persistance of Memory on that Hole in order to reverse it. According to the Current Rulings, "reversing" a Black Hole means that instead of sucking in pieces of the spaceline, it starts spitting out new ones! Every four turns, insert a universal Space mission on alternating sides of the Black Hole. Pretty soon your opponent will have a pretty long hike in between missions and outpost, while your outpost is all the way at one end, and Lakanta lets you skip around the edge!

This extra-long spaceline also makes the Cytherian dilemma a VERY painful 15 points! And if your opponent tries to play WNMHGB, Uxbridge it, to force that affiliation to take the looooooong way around. Even if Lakanta manages to foolishly get himself killed, you can hopefully build that Neutral Outpost on the other end of the spaceline, and the Zalkonian Vessel's significant range and super-easy staffing requirements will help ease the pain of your long journey. Don't let your opponent's wrath intimidate you, either. With a good Captain's Log and Plasmadyne Relay, any attack of vengeance won't bother you a bit. Continue to clean up your missions with impunity as your opponent struggles to cross the quadrant for your 100 points.

Finally:
Since "Gambit" is a Next Generation episode, and since I had alreay started creating this deck when the DS9 expansion was released, this deck contains no DS9 cards. For a slightly different flavor, a few DS9 Non-Aligned personnel could be substituted for some of the dilemma fodder listed here, and Deliver Supplies can replace Test Propulsion System. While Kasidy Yates isn't yet an option for completing this mission, two CIVILIANS and Transporter Skill are a snap, and the Zibalian Transport again comes in handy. This mission is worth quite a few more points, too! In any case, I hope this deck is as fun for you to tinker with and play as it was for me to create! :c)