Number [06] six

LOOKING FOR SHIPS IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES

U.S.S. ENTERPRISE-C
"Predecessor of U.S.S. Enterprise-D. Famous for heroic action in Battle of Narendra III, where it also entered a temporal rift. Commanded by Rachel Garrett."

Rare Federation Ship, Ambassador Class
Range 8, Weapons 7, Shields 8, AU Icon
Staffing Requirements: 1 Command + 1 Staff + 1 AU icon personnel
Enters play damaged at any location. Tractor Beam.

I.K.C. T'ONG
"A Klingon sleeper ship from the 23rd century, an era when Klingons despised humans and attacked them on sight. Commanded by K'Temok."

Uncommon Klingon Ship, K'T'inga Class
Range 5, Weapons 6, Shields 6
Staffing Requirements: 1 Command
Cloaking Device. Reports at end of spaceline with up to 3 personnel.

T'PAU
"Vulcan merchant vessel named for the only person to ever turn down a seat on the Federation Council. Stolen from Surplus Depot Zed-15 at Qualor II."

Uncommon Romulan Ship, Merchant Class
Range 8, Weapons 7, Shields 6
Staffing Requirements: 1 Staff
May report for duty at Qualor II. Tractor beam.

Three ships, three affiliations, all have in common the ability--or requirement--to report somewhere other than (usually) an outpost. Sounds like that could be be useful, but is it?

Enterprise-C seems, at first glance, to have a lot going for her. She can report to any location. Good for rescues, or for staffing from a Cryosatellite (Rachel Garrett, Beverly Picard, and Tasha Yar-Alternate give you OFFICER, ENGINEER, MEDICAL, and SECURITY; beam over a SCIENCE from the crew that just completed the mission and you have a nice secondary core crew), or with a Devidian Door/Ophidian Cane. Perhaps the most obvious advantage is those last four words in the lore; get Rachel Garrett aboard and you can get Captain's Log benefits. 8-10-11 isn't bad at all; for that matter, the base 8-7-8 is pretty respectable.

There's only one catch. This ship's base stats are actually only 5-7-8, due to the "damage" that you pay for the ability to report anywhere. So unless you forgo that ability and report her to the outpost, and THEN wait two full turns to repair the damage, she's not going anywhere very fast without either a Plasmadyne relay or an Exocomp aboard. Add to that the heavy three-staff requirement, including an AU icon, and the ship's own AU icon (requiring that you have an open AU Doorway), and the poor Enterprise-C doesn't look so inviting any more. You'll be better off with the non-AU Phoenix or Stargazer (plus a shield enhancer), both of which require only one Command and one Staff, and both of which are eligible for Captain's Log as well.

The T'Ong, on the other hand, at first glance doesn't look so hot. Weapons and Shields are so-so...equal to a standard K'Vort...but the Range of 5 won't let it keep up with a K'Vort fleet, and it can't even be "repaired" to a higher Range like the Enterprise-C. It's highly susceptible to Baryon Buildups. It has no tractor beam for towing Garbage Scows. And instead of reporting anywhere, it's restricted to the ends of the spaceline.

But look at the T'ong's advantages. It's not AU. Staffing requirement is minimal. Damage won't affect its range. And most important, the ship is a mini-Red Alert. Four cards played for one turn, you don't need anything else in play first, and no AU restrictions on the personnel. Uses once in play? Aside from possible Love Interest rescues, let them join a K'Vort armada and beam or Devidian Door a Plasmadyne Relay aboard. And although K'Temok doesn't exist yet, chances are someday soon the T'Ong will get Captain's Log benefits too.

That leaves the T'Pau. What can I say about this ship? She has decent stats, better than a Science Vessel, with minimal staffing required (one Staff star), so she could lead a Science Vessel armada. The mediocre shields are easily enhanced. She can tow Garbage Scows. And she can report at your outpost if you so desire. Which is a good thing, because for the life of me, I can't figure out why you would want to report her at Qualor II. Any Romulans you have there are either already on a ship, or in stasis and unable to beam aboard, and non-aligneds can't fly her. Besides that, no Captain's Log benefits are possible. If only this ship had been made universal, she would be the Romulans' answer to the K'Vorts. No dice, she's unique.

Final analysis? Depends on what you're looking for (speed, battle ability, versatility, mission-solving), and of course, which affiliation you'd like to play, but all in all I'd rate the Enterprise-C and the T'Ong about equal in play value, though for very different reasons, with the T'Pau way behind.

The Major's Combos:

- Enterprise-C + (Rachel Garrett + Beverly Picard + Tasha Yar-Alt on a Cryosatellite) + Captain's Log
- I.K.C. Tong + Plasmadyne Relay + a Klingon Commander
- Taris + Haakona + Captain's Log

By: Kathy McCracken
Major Rakal (majorrakal@decipher.com)