Challenge #4: Mission Accomplished “Design a mission.”
In this challenge, the contestants were asked to design a mission with a special focus on making a Maquis or terrorism themed mission. The winning card would earn the chance to be play tested in Project Boomer, the upcoming expansion centered around the Maquis. Mission design can be difficult because of the wildly fluctuating standards of what makes a mission “good,” and the extremely limited amount of space on the template. How did our contestants do in their attempts to make playable missions? And which mission will end up in testing for Boomer?
This document contains the results from this challenge, as well as all of the comments and feedback provided during the judging.
Design Credits Here is a list of the cards, their designers, and the scores for Challenge #4:
Card Designer Public Allen Dan Total Vote Gould Hamman Score Ambush Maquis Chewie 6.00 5 6 17.00 Exchange Military Hardware KazonPADD 6.17 5 7.5 18.67 Intercept Convoy Comicbookhero 6.88 7 7.5 21.38 Interrogate Kidnapped Prisoner Orbin 6.70 8 7 21.70 Organize Terrorist Attacks Jono 6.65 5 5 16.65 Recruit Militants Verad 5.26 5 5 15.26 Scrape By BCSWowbagger 7.33 7 7 21.33 Seek Refuge Zef’no 6.88 7 7.5 21.38 No Submission Dogbert ------
Leaderboard After one (4) challenges, here are the standings in Make it So 2013:
Place Contestant Forum Name Challenge #4 Total Score 1 (NC) Stephen G. Zef’no 21.38 96.33 2 (NC) James Monsebroten Orbin 21.70 92.13 3 (NC) Adam Hegarty Chewie 17.00 84.56 4 (NC) Michael Moskop Comicbookhero 21.38 83.63 5 (NC) Sean O’Reilly Jono 16.65 78.36 6 (+1) Paddy Tye KazonPADD 18.67 77.23 7 (+1) James Heaney BCSWowbagger 21.33 77.21 8 (-2) Philip H. Verad 15.26 76.39 9 (NC) David Wong-Faull Dogbert ---- 53.37
The public’s highest rated card was Scrape By by James Heaney. (BCSWowbagger. The judge’s favorite was Interrogate Kidnapped Prisoner by James Monsebroten (Orbin), which is also the winning card of the challenge! Interrogate Kidnapped Prisoner will be added to the Boomer file for testing! What do you think of the results so far? What did you think about this challenge? Sound off on our Make it So forums!
Results The following are the results of the public vote. Each cell indicates the number of votes of that score given to the card.
e Kidnapped Prisoner Kidnapped e
Scores Maquis Ambush Hardware Military Exchange Convoy Intercept Interrogat Attacks Terrorist Organize Militants Recruit By Scrape Refuge Seek 1 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 3 1 1 2 1 0 3 0 2 4 2 2 0 1 2 1 2 1 5 3 2 4 1 4 2 2 3 6 7 7 5 4 5 5 3 2 7 6 6 3 10 4 3 1 8 8 2 1 5 6 6 3 6 2 9 0 2 2 0 1 2 7 4 10 1 1 3 0 1 0 2 2 Votes 23 23 24 23 23 23 24 24 Total 138 142 165 154 153 121 176 165 Average 6.00 6.17 6.88 6.70 6.65 5.26 7.33 6.88
The following are the votes from the judges:
Card Allen Gould Dan Hamman (SirDan) (AllenGould) Ambush Maquis 5 6 Exchange Military Hardware 5 7.5 Intercept Convoy 7 7.5 Interrogate Kidnapped Prisoner 8 7 Organize Terrorist Attacks 5 5 Recruit Militants 5 5 Scrape By 7 7 Seek Refuge 7 7.5
Ambush Maquis Designed by Adam Hegarty (Chewie)
OFFICER x2 + (any Intelligence OR Law) + total WEAPONS > [Maq] total WEAPONS here
Scores Public Vote 6.00 Allen Gould 5 Dan Hamman 6 Rank 6th
Judge Comments Allen - I like the thematic angle, but the points are too high considering one of the requirements will quite often be "WEAPONS > 0".
Dan - Story is good, and requirements fit nicely between Intercept Maquis and Intercept Renegade. Except the points - both of those missions are 30 pointers. Does the potentially "harder" requirement of having more weapons than a possible maquis opponent equal 5 more points? And do we need a third mission with very similar requirements? Solid mission, perhaps too many points, but doesn't fit into the global picture.
Public Comments I guess the last part (weapons > Maquis weapons) is obsolete. I cant really imagine Maquis armadas. Very situational. Might be too easy for a 35pt mission? Also, a Nebula mission in a region presents some interesting prospects for Borg, which may not be a good thing. The way it is worded it cannot be solved by Maquis ships, if given the choice I'd rather see other missions appear in Boomer that actually help the Maquis Routine. Not great, not terrible. Solid but sort of bland, like a chocolate-chip cookie left out overnight. Pretty good mission, but comes of a little generic. Good. The problem with "any Intelligence" on a Dominion mission is that Founders don't count. This and Intercept Convoy both take form their story form the same episode and even though it's a TNG story it could still fit. The idea behind the card is sound and I welcome cards, especially missions that force players to interact. This however seems to be a little on the "is it worth it" side. In a more limited format it would probably see less play as the probability for a Maquis opponent is bigger, thus making the mission harder to solve. But if no opponent plays with Maquis then this mission would be a breeze. So barring any balancing issues and the rules dispute over if a Maquis personnel aboard a Federation ship is still "Maquis WEAPONS present". Maybe the mission points are a bit high? Take it down 5 maybe. Attempting icons look correct, those are all the guys who'd want to potentially ambush the Maquis. Requirements make sense, you'd want to have some officers to lead the attack, some intelligence about who you're fighting OR some legal justification for the attack, and you want to be able to win the fight (more weapons). Three skills and one other requirement sounds right for 35 points, but in most games the weapons requirement would essentially be a non- requirement. I'd be more okay with 35 or even 40 if the Maquis icon were changed to the word "opponent's" - as it is it feels more like a 30 point mission. Bonus for not being able to use mission specialists for the TNG affiliations. 6/10 Maybe a few points higher then it should be. 7/10 I would like to have seen > opposing [Maq] total WEAPONS Decent enough, maybe would've made more sense to say 'opponents maquis ship' as it's pretty much 2 OFFICER + Law otherwise. Great concept and design, but I would change the WEAPONS requirement to require a minimum number. Otherwise, I don't see it coming into play, even if Maquis decks become playable. I also don't like that I could solve this with a Yridian Shuttle.
Exchange Military Hardware Designed by Paddy Tye (KazonPADD)
Diplomacy + CUNNING>35 + any [Kli] or [Maq] leader When solved, may download Stolen Cloaking Device here
Scores Public Vote 6.17 Allen Gould 5 Dan Hamman 7.5 Rank 5th
Judge Comments Allen - I like the story idea, but I think you're a bit light on requirements for 30 points, especially since you're handing out bonus equipment.
Dan - I like fringe-y missions that describe what "could have" happened or maybe was referenced as a throw away line. I also like the requirements that don't scream "use mission specialists!" with the skills required, though they may be too easy. No acquisition though? Perhaps it was sacrificed for the "when solved, download" text, which is neat. Points look good, so no marks off. Only slight is the affiliations that can attempt. There are enough NA Maquis leaders that this mission could be splashed easily, which I don't like.
Public Comments I like that all affiliations can do it if they have a collaborateur. I dislike it´s only 30 points. Nice carrot to encourage a 30pt mission, but equipment downloads are easy to get, and the Stolen Cloaking Device won't be of any use in many games. May not be enough of a carrot Excellent storytelling and gameplay fit. One of my favorites of the set. Good mission. Good idea as to how to make it a Klingon or Maquis mission without making it their affiliations. But the bonus (the cloaking device) might be a little too good considering its point value and requirements for completion. Cute. Huh? Don't remember the story but it seems plausible at least. The mission requirements seems reasonable but as the bonus download the mission points seems 5 to high. As most of the other Badlands mission also require CUNNING then another one, even though high, with the same requirements seems a bit strange balancing vise. Maybe require something else. The name seems a bit wrong too as I doubt that the Maquis have anything the Klingons really want. I suppose anyone could be interested in this, though the addition of a Kli/Maq leader in the requirements makes the attempting affiliation box fairly irrelevant. I'm okay with Maquis missions generally having "any crew" text with Maquis icons in the requirements, since the Maquis are such a hodgepodge already. Two skills and an attribute for 30 points sounds right, but then we have the download too. Just downloading a cloaking device equipment for one ship isn't that big a deal though. A bit of an oddity with the lowest span of any Badlands mission. 6/10 Why not make it any equipment? 5/10 Nice benefit to point ratio Surprisingly low span for a Badlands mission, but 30 points with one specific skill ie diplomacy can be a nice contingency 3rd mission incase of the opponent messing your 2 win strategy, cloaking device is a neat download best acquired early I imagine that a Maquis deck would love to download a cloaking device. This just feels awkwardly implemented because it's trying to represent both sides of a specific event at once, when Range to low for a Badlands mission.
Intercept Convoy Designed by Michael Moskop (Comicbookhero)
2 [Maq] leaders + Navigation + SECURITY
Scores Public Vote 6.88 Allen Gould 7 Dan Hamman 7.5 Rank 2nd (Tie)
Judge Comments Allen - no attribute requirement makes me sad, but I do like the bonus on the opponent's side.
Dan - It took a few beats to realize that the convoy being intercepted was not a Maquis convoy, but probably a Cardassian one. The requirements match the points, as they can probably be done with many combinations of just 2 personnel. That is a long lore, and we are also running into the problem of just how long the phrase Demilitarized Zone Region is. I like the asymmetric mission, with a bonus for cargo runs. It may hardly ever come into play, but the one time it does it will be memorable. I can't say I like the NA icon, though many of the Maquis personnel are non-aligned. Not sure I can take points off.
Public Comments 30 points for a mission that benefits my opponent more than me. Not really clear whether the player who seeded this will get the bonus from cargo runs? Either way it's not particularly interesting for a 30pt mission, too easy to pass over for a better 35pt mission Nice use of both sides I think this one might be trying to do too much. Bonus point for offering the Cargo Run boost, though. Good card, but the 'Opponents side' text is unclear. Does the extra for cargo run something you get every time you pass, every time you pass after its completion, only one time when you 'pass' (i.e. complete) the mission, or is it something else? Span too high. Difficult. This card is the perfect use of the "asymmetric mission" concept. This is the clear winner. Let's end MiS 3 right now and hire this guy. This card shares the story with Ambush Maquis but does it in another way. This card have a lot of good things inserted into it and that is probably its downfall. Just going with one of the ideas would have been great. I really like the idea of a card that gives you a bonus to cargo runs. And I like the idea of asymmetric missions. And trying to squeeze to many affiliations on both sides just makes the story suffer. The requirements seems to be balanced together with the mission points. Maybe the span could be 3 instead of 4 though. Tie for my favorite! I'm having a bit of trouble wrapping my head around the story for this card. I guess the Maquis are doing the interception based on the own-side requirements, and the affiliation icons are just there to allow whatever random Maquis you have to attempt. I guess I liked the "any crew" with Maquis in requirements route for Maquis missions better, because this way I'm trying to figure out why the Klingons care, but only when they have Maquis leaders. The other problem, which is admittedly more my problem, is that the first story that comes to mind when thinking of intercepting smugglers is that of Kassidy getting caught by Sisko - but, upon reflection, there were lots of smuggled Cardassian weapons coming in to the DMZ, so that makes sense. In that case, I'd rather not have Federation on the opponent's side attempting icons, because the Maquis are more likely to want supplies from the Federation. Four skills for 30 points feels like a bit much (in terms of skills), but they are really easy skills. 5/10 Solid Mission 8/10 I really like this card. Good story and the cargo run draw bonus promotes interaction. Gotta feeling nav and security will be common with maquis, so easy requirements are kinda balanced with the cargo bonus the opponent will get Opponent's side is interesting, but my side isn't. Interrogate Kidnapped Prisoner Designed by James Monsebroten (Orbin)
SECURITY x2 + Treachery x2 + Biology + CUNNING>30 * +10 if your escorted captive here
Scores Public Vote 6.70 Allen Gould 8 Dan Hamman 7 Rank 1st
Judge Comments Allen - Solid requirements, with a nice boost for having a captive. I like this one.
Dan - This mission could have either a fed or NA icon, but it doesn't. I like that. The requirements look hard for the points, but it could easily be 50 for Romulans with a captive and specialists. This is the same location as Search and Rescue, but the rules allow for it, so it will just be a different version of the planet. (Although it is missing a dash.) The downside is that we add missions hoping to avoid duplicates on the spaceline, and this is contrary to that goal. Will changing the the location take too much away from this entry? That might be what would happen.
Public Comments tbh I liked the card more while it didnt have the [Car]-icon because it could be an incentive for affiliations that usually dont have captives. Got bumped up in rating when the Cardassian attempting icon showed up! Interesting special text- not sure if its point value is too high or too low for the requirements. The Romulans have a secret base in the Badlands? Should have included Cardassians. I like how this card works with the Captive things the Cardassians got in Emissary. Otherwise it doesn't really stand out from a lot of other missions in the game. Tough. Span too high. Story connection to Cardassian and (especially) Romulan is a bit tenuous but OK. For the romulans this could be a mission that could be done with 3 missions specialists, a lower decks and a pad for 55 points. That feels a bit to good. Skill requirements match alot of other Badlands missions which would make for a thin skill selection. The idea tho boost the points with captive is good and balanced. Flows well with the story. A fairly standard card made interesting with the special points boost. Solid if a bit on the sway side of game balance. If this is the Dukat story then there was never a definitive confirmation that it was an M-class planet. Though the cardassians are most the most likely ones to have an escorted captive, I actually liked having the Federation icon here - the Maquis (primarily Fed) were also apt to take prisoners and want to interrogate them, and are likely to want to do so in the Badlands. I'm having trouble thinking of a time that the other affiliations have done so in the Badlands (if someone else can, let me know, that's why I post these in this thread), so the Demilitarized Zone may have made more sense here. Five skills, a captive, and an attribute are about right for 40 points, especially for an unstealable 40 point mission - five skills and an attribute is steep for 30 points, but there are plenty of other missions for people without a captive. It can be a 50 point mission for TNG Romulans with a captive, but it is still harder than other potential 50 point TNG Romulan planets, so I'm okay with that too. Normal span for a Badlands mission. 7/10 Solid Mission 7/10 I like the bonus point option. Definatly good for a Rommie HQ deck as the skills are very common, I like 35 point or less missions that give a bonus over the stealable threshold. Easy enough to grab a captive with this one and can be boosted to 50 with TNG MS guys :D I don't think Biology is necessary for either storyline or balance. Otherwise great.
Organized Terrorist Attacks Designed by Sean O’Reilly (Jono)
Leadership + Navigation + Resistance May seed a [Univ] [Maq] ship or Bajoran Raider face up here.
Scores Public Vote 6.65 Allen Gould 5 Dan Hamman 5 Rank 7th
Judge Comments Allen - I'm sorry, but I'm really done with the "missions that give free cards" theme. And 30 points for three skills and no attribute as well? I like Maquis; I don't like 'em that much.
Dan - This mission seems to call for a team-up Bajoran Resistance/Maquis deck. In fact, if the Maquis ship seed wasn't there, this could be all Bajoran Resistance. Continuing that line of thought... I don't think this is a Maquis mission at all. There is only one or two Bajoran maquis, and none of them have Resistance. Nothing wrong with that though, the challenge was broad, and I'd include Bajoran Resistance in the theme we called for. But then, I have to judge it in that environment. And to that I say: eep. Bajoran Resistance is already a huge powerhouse. Most of their ships come at interrupt speed anyway, but seeding another is just crazy. 30 easy points for skills the big hitters have. If the build wasn't strong, I'd say this would be a great mission to help out. Solid mission. Alas, it isn't something I think is needed.
Public Comments Seeded ship is always nice! Most universal ships can be downloaded via Hidden Fighter so I dont know if I even used this but ... having the option to is nice. Solid card, with an ability that you will want to use, which is one way to force players to take a 30pt mission! The Bajoran icon means it would likely see use in Maquis decks, and not in Bajoran Resistance Cell decks, which is a nice touch I'd like to see this open to more affiliations, but otherwise it's intriguing. The seed is nice, but it might be a bit too much considering how well off Bajorans are already with certain decks. Maybe just make is a seedable thing for the Maquis? And the mission requirements do look almost painfully easy to complete. Maybe too good. Solid. Credits for using the planet Sindorin even though not considered pure canon. Seems like this mission lacks the right story or it was tweaked to fit with using Resistance as a mission requirement. I really think that the resistance skill could extend out to other affiliations too. We already have a cardassian, 2 federation and a Dominion with it. So it could work even without the Bajoran focus for the mission affiliation requirement. This card suffers from the same problem as the others with a bonus download but here even more. When seeded your opponent needs to have a fitting ship (and the required landing protocols card...) in his deck somewhere to even be able to use this game text. The skill and mission point seems fitting though. Bajorans would want to do this mission, but so would the Maquis and Maquis Bajorans are the exception rather than the rule so I feel like the Federation icon (or some other more general way for Maquis to attempt) is missing here. Again, in the requirements, the resistance skill would likely exclude most Maquis decks. On the other hand, Resistance in the skills and no Fed icons means a TNG Federation deck can't just seed a 40 point (with MS) planet that allows the seeding of a (likely low attribute) ship, but requiring a Maquis icon for staffing Maquis ships would help there (and would fit with the Liberty precedent)(though the BC Maquis ships become troublesome). I guess what I want is something like "any AT with Maquis may attempt" text. Three skills for 30 points is fair, though the ship seed may tip the balance here. Normal span for a Badlands mission. 5/10 Decent Mission with a seeded ship 7/10 Nice to see another affiliation getting a seedable ship. Hmmm.... more seeded ships is not what the game needs i reckon, especially giving the already powerful bajoran resistance a boost, especially when you can DH for Kira and get + 5 weapons and sheilds. She can also do the mission herself, which for 30 points, isnt too bad, but a bit easy to start busting through Combos well with a Resistance Cell deck, but almost seems a little too easy for 30 points. seeding ships is VERY powerful, and with Maq ships being NA that is a VERY strong ability that needs to be harder to solve or worth less points.
Recruit Militants Designed by Philip H. (Verad)
OFFICER + SECURITY + Leadership + Treachery + CUNNING>32 When you solve, download up to 3 [Univ] Treachery personnel here.
Scores Public Vote 5.26 Allen Gould 5 Dan Hamman 5 Rank 8th
Judge Comments Allen - That might be a lot of requirements for 30 points, but it's still not enough for 30 points *and* three downloads.
Dan - That is a lot of skills for just a few points... but then there's a reward. That's a great reward, but the mission is universal. And anyone can do it! There's no way this mission isn't stolen. Most decks pack at least one treachery, especially Feds wanting to get around In the Pale Moonlight. This mission is like a beefed-up Establish Relations... which also never sees play outside of sealed. I think it could be tweaked - perhaps become unique? But there's a lot to do before this would see play.
Public Comments First mission that I would actually play - in a world where universal missions cannot be stolen. But they can and this one will be. would have gotten an 8 if unique. Universal missions are generally binder fodder, unless there is a compelling reason to use them. Combining easy requirements, an "any crew" attempt and a benefit for solving makes this a magnet for mission stealing, with no way to protect against it. Would be better if it just removed universal icon. Possibly overpowered. It's nice to see a new 'Anyone' mission! It feels like it's been too long and the ones we have are not that useful. Unfortunately it feels like for the combination of mission requirements, points, and the 3 universal treachery you are getting a lot for a little, especially on a universal mission. Lowering the points, or making it so you only get one or two personnel might help. Maybe too good. I would like to give this higher points but the problem that arises with having a download bonus on a mission even for the opponent then that bonus needs to be quite the easy thing that would be found in most decks. Otherwise the number of downloads needs to be quite small. Now we have 3 universal Treachery. Most decks could probably not even find 3 Treachery, then having to find 3 universal ones would seem to be quite the hard thing. But playing with it yourself you can plan for it and stock your deck or Tent accordingly. Other than that I really like the card, a good mix of stats and skill for the requirement compared to the mission points. And it's always nice to see a universal mission. Something that can be stolen without having to have 40 points on it. Any crew seems about right, though maybe "any crew except Federation" might be more appropriate. The text of the mission seems sufficiently generic to support being a universal mission. Four skills and an attribute for 30 points (40 for TNG Romulans with MS points) would be steep, but the download of three whole personnel tips it the other way - or would if the mission weren't a stealable universal. As I noted before, while people don't often use universal missions, but they do use stealable 40 point missions when those missions give you enough benefit for doing so. I feel that making this mission is a thoughtful way to balance the download effect. For only 30 points, though, I do wish the download were a little more specific (like, maybe, 3 Univ Maquis), or maybe up the points to 35. Still, a very compelling card. 8/10 Very lame, trying to be cool with a download, but it is a universal mission so it would never see play. Universal missions = crap. Ok mission, thought I think the points are a bit high while getting 3 personnel. Ouch, 3 Gozars. The points compared to the skills seem a tad off. 3 more Gozars. Though its nice to see a universal entry in this round. Please wait while i complete my third one and download 3 more Gozars. ? "One of these things is not like the other..." ? The obvious comparison is Establish Relations, and this looks a little too strong compared to that. just HOLY crap powerful, it's 40 points easy for Romulans, and the 2 AMS people provide also have the classifications! Then 3 more goobers show up to help with the next ONE! Just wow as is this card is beyond broken, it would need major reworking to be balanced, and universal means I can do two of them first getting 6 people to help with a simple 20+ point space mission! OH ya and don't forget TNG ferngi Gozar just needs security+cunning with him to solve it and I can DL 3 GOZARS!!! FAR FAR to strong. Compare it to the other mission that DLs a person, it is 25 points MUCH harder to AMS skills, INT insed of CUN requirement a harder stat to get high and boost, and it gives you ONE NA only personal OK yes it doesn't require universal still WAY less powerful ability. About the only thing it did right was not be part of a region. The ability to download 3 universal people is too strong.
Scrape By Designed by James Heaney (BCSWowbagger)
Diplomacy + Acquisition + (Smuggling OR [Maq] ) +15 if no mission you seeded shows >25 points
Scores Public Vote 7.33 Allen Gould 7 Dan Hamman 7 Rank 4th
Judge Comments Allen - I want to like this card. I really, really do. But you're locking in for a three mission win (and still need 10 bonus points to round the corner), and this mission *has* to be one of them. But oh, is it a cool idea.
Dan - There are things I really like about this entry and things I really don't. This is a nice mission that reflects the residents of the DMZ. Hm. Or are you going to them to get things? That doesn't sound right. So why would the Dominion or the Hirogen attempt this mission? The "Any" could be reigned in a bit. I really like the bonus for playing 25-pointers. That's untapped territory and it could be fun. Hard to do though, it may pair up too well with missions that ramp up like Purchase Moon (or Sybok forbid, The Discovery of Sha Ka Ree). I want to reward the creativity, but something tells me this card won't work out.
Public Comments Interesting mechanic which I definately like. Encourages playing with mission that you wouldnt normally choose. I can see a deck built around this one. Great! Very interesting idea, although for a potentially 40pt mission the requirements seem a bit too easy. Also, would think it would be better to add affiliations to the mission rather than "any crew", simply to make it a bit harder to pair with Kressari Rendezvous. The theming on this card and its execution in gametext is brilliant, like a eating flan instead of reheated chocolate lava cake. It feels like there's so few 'Anyone' missions that are useful, and next to no 25 point or less missions are ever used. I like how this mission does both. BUT the +15 (pushing it to 40 points) does feel like it circumvents the 'steelable mission' rules in OTF, especially considering how easy this mission could be completed. Clever. Clever. Seems strange to use Marva as the planet to play out this story on. I really like this card. There is something almost poetic about it. It could be that it never really made it into a deck as this would be the lynchpin in it. This is a deck in itself. That's really good to be able to make that with just one card. The requirements are not that easy so potentially gaining 40 point for it seems fair. Tie for my favorite! Any AT text can be appropriate here, especially with the more specific Maquis icon OR Smuggling in the requirements. Acquisition may be too specific, if we don't get more maquis with Acquisition. I appreciate the desire to make 25 point mission more useful, but without more 25-point-mission-support-cards, I don't see that happening. I mean, three skills (or two and an icon) is really good for 40 points, but when the rest of your missions are 25 points, it just isn't enough on its own. That said, this card does inspire me to want the rest of the Maquis- oriented missions in the next set to be 25 points and for them to get bonuses for solving the low point missions. 6/10 I don't think acquisition is a skill that should be on a non-ferengi mission but I like bonus for 25 point missions 6/10 Interesting bonus point option. My fav card here, I think it's a great idea to add a points incentive for using low point missions. I think a card like this should be made, but with even more of a bonus is needed, even up to +50. +15 ends up not even being a 3 mission win (25+25+25+15 = 90). 2 mission win is competitive. Aaaarraargh! I completely understand the theory and aim of this mission! the question is, was it executed well? I reckon the main points for this mission should've been 35, that way, a 3 mission win would be possible. There would be a chance of a four mission win, but i wouldnt want to risk that. If I played (or my experienced opponent) played this strategy, We'd put our point loss dilemma at the nearest space and planet mission, then place Ferengi Infestation/THTF/Dead end on this one. Making it very difficult to keep up with the opponent. I do love the idea of making low point missions worth using, but this seemes to have missed the mark Good requirements. Encourages alternative mission selection. Cool! at +15 you still need 4 missions or other bonus points in a wennie mission deck, and it's skills don't synergize to well with the other low pointers which balances it as well.
Seek Refuge Designed by Stephen G. (Zef’no)
Navigation x2 + Physics + (Resistance OR [Maq] leader) Span -2 for all [Maq] ships
Scores Public Vote 6.88 Allen Gould 7 Dan Hamman 7.5 Rank 2nd (Tie)
Judge Comments Allen - The requirements are light for 35 points, but I do like the Maquis span bonus.
Dan - I feel like this one hits the mark of "Something for Bajoran Resistance, but it is really for the Maquis" a lot better. The requirements look a bit light for the points. And that span. Yikes. It is bad enough that regions can be used to muck up an opponent's spaceline if they get mission on both sides before you grow it out. But this mission is like Analyze Radiation in that it is probably going to be easier for me, and could be deadly for you. Not universal though, so there's a plus I guess.
Public Comments Reduced span is cool if your opponent wants to battle or is just passing by (Cytherians), but apart from that, standard mission. I like the story but I'm not sure how it lines up with requirements and point value. Could do some really interesting things with the concept. Too many points. Sorry, but either Resistance or a Maquis Leader? Sounds good in theory, but it might end up being a bit too restricting for the Maquis depending on what the CC creates for them, and what sort of 'Leader' cards they get. On the other hand it does address how to make a Non-Aligned mission that can't up and be done by anyone with an NA card on their away team, so that's a plus. It just feels like you made it too restricting towards the Maquis with how you did it. Good. Solid. Seems to be fairly balanced but the skills required seems a bit on the light side for those kind of points. Either beef up the skills or ad stats or lower the points. The special text probably need to be written differently to not be confusing in any way. Now you could figure that it was -2 in span for all missions and all maquis ships. A fairly good card but lacks something that would make it a stand out. Very much feels like how the Maquis should be acting by hiding in the Badlands. Attempting icons will allow Maquis to attempt, and the requirement of Resistance OR a Maquis leader will nicely keep the other guys out (otherwise this could be a 50 point planet for TNG Federation or Klingon). Span is right for a Badlands mission, and I love the span reduction text. I'd actually prefer for similar text to appear on the Maquis Emblem instead (like the text on The First Stable Wormhole. But, since we don't know what that card will say in the end, I'm happy to see that text here. Four skills for 35 points is standard. 9/10 Best Mission of the 8, would take away the parentheses and change OR to and. But still awesome missions 9/10 Pretty solid bajoran mission. If i was Maquis, this would be in the deck for sure. The span reduction is advantageous and the skill/point thingy is decent enough. I would think "repair" is more the domain of ENGINEER than Physics. Otherwise this still looks the most polished of any card. Only flaw with special ability would be if MAQ got a card that did similar to the new GQ one reducing range of missions the stacking range reduction could get a little silly, but starting with 5 helps with that.