The Alpha and the Omega:
Harnessing the Power of the Omega Particle

by Kim & Allen Gould

The Omega Particle opens up interesting and risky new strategies for Borg and non-Borg players alike. While great benefits can be gained by harnessing the power of Particle 010 (as the Borg like to call it), if unsuccessful it can cause great harm. Let's take a look at it.

The Omega Particle itself plays on your outpost. Simple, yes? Except that unless you do something with it, in three turns it will destroy the outpost, and ships there, and increase the span of the mission. Not the best possible result. Luckily, the Particle allows players to download the cards needed to use it.

In order to harness perfection, the Borg will want to Harness Particle 010. It looks simple at first glance - scout the mission, bring a staffed Borg Cube, and probe any of three different icons. Score your 30 points, and double all the rest of your Borg-Only objectives (setting up a two-mission win using either Assimilate Homeworld, or Salvage Starship along with Resistance is Futile). The catch is the countdown - you can't have scouted the mission previously, and you have only three turns to complete scouting and successfully probe. If you complete scouting the first turn, you'll get two chances. If it takes you two turns, you'll only get one. If it takes longer than two turns, you might not want that fully staffed Borg Cube around when the countdown expires. Service the Collective adds an extra turn, but three chances are the best you'll get. Some probe rigging is recommended.

For the rest of the galaxy, the mission is somewhat simpler - destroy the particle. The requirements are a little specific - you need the matching commander of the ship on board, as well as a (Command Star) personnel (if the matching commander isn't one). If you can probe correctly, you'll discard the particle, draw two cards, and score ten points for the trouble. As an added bonus, that ship is free from attack restrictions while there - convenient if an opposing ship happens to come along.

As a final note, there are situations where you might want the particle to explode on its own. The Enhanced Premiere mission Explore Typhon Expanse II (with its built-in outpost) is a great example. With a normal span of 5, an expired Particle will increase the span to 8 - perfect for staging ambushes, stalling armadas, and keeping smaller ships from even reaching the mission at all!

So however you decide to unleash the power of the Omega - just make sure not to let it destroy you!

August 31, 2001