Siskoid's Rolodex #143 ... Siskoid ... [4/ 7/99 08:31]

[Siskoid's Rolodex offers spot reviews of all the cards judging them by their less tangible qualities, searching for the elusive perfect card: their picture/graphics, lore, Trek sense and stockability. Each on 5 points (so on a total of 20). Mondays, I do Premiere. Tuesdays, AU. Wednesdays, Q-Continuum. Thursdays, First Contact. Fridays, DS9. Saturdays, The Dominion. And Sundays, Premium cards. Comments always welcome.]

#143-Drought Tree, Event, AU, 7 points
"'This sappling is planted as an affirmation of life, in defiance of the drought, and with expectations of long life. Whatever comes, we will keep it alive as a symbol of our survival.'"
-Plant on a planet mission you completed to score bonus points. Points may be nullified by any unopposed Away Team.

PICTURE: Ho-hum. The tree's too close up for my taste. We don't see its full foliage and can't really tell what's going on in the background. Heck, it took me a long time to realize the picture came from "The Inner Light" instead of some poorly remembered episode like "The Ensigns of Command"! As it is a Drought Tree, why not show it in the middle of an arid expanse, or with people celebrating quietly around it? Far from being a favorite: 1.5.

LORE: A great quote which works better than some dry (pun not intended) dictionary definition. You can see how the game text figures into the card. A very good 4.2.

TREK SENSE: Thanks to the great lore, the card makes a lot of sense. While this could have been an Interrupt (hopefully with a "not cumulative" on it), the planting of such a tree is indeed and Event. The AU icon is there to remind us it came from the Ressikan "illusion", but why couldn't you plant one with no AU door in play? I've said it before, Trek Sense dictates that Points = Accomplishment. The way the lore is phrased makes the planting exactly that. And the symbol of survival only lasts as long as the planet is conceptually "yours". When another Away Team arrives, it rips out the tree I suppose, killing the points. (This part's iffy, so it won't be a perfect score.) Why 7 points? Lucky 7? More life-affirming than 13? Finally, it would be easy and nonsensical to plant a drought tree on a fertile planet, and pretty arrogant to do so on a civilized world other than your home planet. Good work, but some bugs. A 3.9.

STOCKABILITY: It's another Particle Fountain with different difficulties. It doesn't require the presence of specific skills, but does count as your card play. It's worth slightly more, but can be nullified. You can play both on the same planet mind you, since the mission is completed and you don't have to worry about Altonian Brain Teaser (unless it's already there), netting yourself an extra 12 points in the process. I don't like the fact that an unopposed Mot the Barber can nullify your event just like that (and 7 points to boot). So you have to guard it I guess, but that also has its problems. I'd put Spot out in the sandbox to protect her territory. She's the best "opposer" because she won't die and will pounce on any lone tree killer. A 3.1.

TOTAL: 12.7 (63.5%) Pretty average, but oh, so ecological.

COMPARISON CHART

Adapt: Negate Obstruction - 18.4 (92%)
Assimilate Homeworld - 17.33 (86.67%)
[...]
Varon-T Disruptor - 12.8 (64%)
Albert Einstein - 12.7 (63.5%)
Anti-Matter Pod - 12.7 (63.5%)
Archer - 12.7 (63.5%)
Cargo Rendezvous - 12.7 (63.5%)
Drought Tree - 12.7 (63.5%)
Antique Machine Gun - 12.6 (63%)
Auto-Destruct Sequence - 12.6 (63%)
Alien Groupie - 12.5 (62.5%)
Assimilate This! - 12.5 (62.5%)
Vekma - 12.5 (62.5%)
[...]
Zibalian Transport - 7.1 (35.5%)
Door to the Fajo Collection - 3.47 (17.35%)

Siskoid (so thirsty)