Good Card, Bad Card #90

Location: Madison, GA

I was all ready to do my first Good Card retraction. Like I said last time, Disconcerting Displacement wasn't being used by anyone, so I decided to see if I could make something of it. I was rolling through Josh Sheet's area, from Wisconsin to Georgia, so I stopped by for a game. After 6 months of not making any new decks (except for the family, for #ATLMasters), I finally forced myself to make something new. I was running a kill pile (not 20 card ACE scumbag, but old school TT), and Josh splits his crew between the mission he just solved and the one he's attempting. So when he attempts, I play Displacement. Now I have to make an educated guess what four personnel he left to staff the Enterprise-E. If I'm right, I'll destaff the ship, stranding it at the mission. Making it a little easier is that "The E" requires two command stars to staff, so that narrows the choices. He has a couple of Rixx running around, but Displacement requires you to name a unique personnel. I say "Babyface Riker" (Riker from Necessary Evil). He's on The E, so now he pops into the attempting crew. Like a scumbag, I draw TT and the first consume is an ACE. I name Anthropology and randomly select Babyface Riker. Flawless Victory....

Since I did Josh dirty, I let him pick today's cards. The theme being the same character.

Good Card: Weyoun, Instrument of the Founders

Why: The card is mostly average. I'm spending three, getting 5 skills. That's nice, but most of those skills are Dominion heavy. Intelligence and Treachery is common for Founders. I'm going to get Exobiology and Leadership (and my gained Security) on my Jem-Hadar. He's got Diplomacy. Nice, but I'm always going to be struggling to get past Gomtuu. The thing that makes this Weyoun Good is that he not going to slow you down solving the mission. When playing Dominion sometimes you get too many Jemmies stopped and you just fall short on strength because of those pesky 4 strength Vorta. Well, this Weyoun has been working out, he'll be at 6 unless something goofy happens. But I'll be making sure there's a 10 strength Founder Architect with him. Because I like getting my Founder on the cheap.

Bad Card: Weyoun, Scheming Negotiator

Why: Two Weyouns in Call to Arms and neither are the matching commander for the Tenak'talar. Whoops. Somebody fell asleep at the Design wheel. This card was from the first CC-era set, The Undiscovered Country. I'm guessing Brad tried to go back and fix what went wrong. I would've preferred 'Quantum Leap Errata', simply add it to the old Weyoun, than making a Bad Card. He cost 2 and has Science, he's got that going for him. But then we gets to this worthless ability. If you recall, that set had some wonky 'put cards from the bottom of your deck on top' cards. Nobody every used them. I guess the plan was to get dead Jemmies back, use a super-specific event to put them on top, and then pay a counter to draw it, then play the Jemmie again. Bad Plan. Small mistake, but big design lesson to learn. Sometimes you have to let old design mistakes go. Trying to fix them just leads to more mistakes.

Good Card, Bad Card #89

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Good Card, Bad Card #88

Location: Home

Pic: Heavyweight Champ Nick Yankovec taunting me with Dr. Who buttslamming Captain America.

"Criticism is futile it puts the person on the defensive and usually makes him strive to justify himself. Criticism is dangerous, because it wounds a person's precious pride, hurts his sense of importance, and arouses resentment." -Dale Carnegie

I still hold firm to everything I've said, and feel towards the Continuing Committee and the trek community, my fellow nerds. Problem is, I've been going about my business the wrong way. All I do is criticize. On the boards, on The Discard Pile, right here in GCBC. I do it because I'm a nerd and that's what we do, bitch about meaningless stuff. But my main goal is to influence change. There's only two ways to do that: make people want to change by them liking you, or "hold a gun to their head". I did the latter plenty during the Great Nerd War of '15. But those tactics don't get lasting change and you run the risk of burning the whole thing to the ground. Now let's be real, I'm not good at making friends. Sure, I have plenty out there. I've been traveling around the Lower 48 the last 6 months in the #whiteknight stopping from time to time visiting them. It makes my job easier, it keeps me from going Bibbles. I'm lucky to have them. I also have plenty of people out there who harbor great resentment towards me. And it turns out it's completely justified. All I do is criticize their decisions I disagree with and never acknowledge the good work they do. I earned every friend and every enemy. Now I'm reaping what I've sowed. To his credit, Charlie, Mr. Chairman, has swallowed that resentment and keeps me around. But it's very frustrating to be sitting in CC meetings (well attended this time by the way, it's good to see the new hires showing spirit. One time I was the only guy to show up to a meeting) and listen to the Chairman saying he's willing to wait two months to simply talk to a guy whether making a decision on a CC position. While the guy who shows up to meetings, pitching ideas is prefaced with warnings like "We're not making an decisions today." ,"This is only an idea." all because he isn't likable. It's a tough spot to be in. I don't have to energy or ability to make friends anymore. I'm too old for that stuff. It requires a degree of fakeness I've never possessed. I think Pride is foolish and I can't stomach people's perceived sense of importance. But I can tone down my criticism. Is that enough? Probably not.

Since I'm still paranoid of duplicated old GCBCs, I'll pick two from the 20th anniversary collection.

Good Card: Varon-T Disruptor

Why: It's a Corbett Original, that's why! What an asshole I am. Actually, some people don't like the card because it doesn't fit Story Mode. They don't like the New Bajor "shoot you in the face deck" (combined with Stone of Gol), but Stone of Gol has no business in there either. Gameplay-wise, it's a success. Combat decks have never really had their day in the sun. Old school Klingon was decent, Dominion Jem'Hadar never was good enough. Plenty of Engagement decks that work, blowing up ships is relatively easy combined with the right dilemma pile. So Story Mode is going to have to take a backseat to fun. That Bajoran deck is fun to play, and that's what the game desperately needs more of right now.

Bad Card: Split Second

Why: Fuck, fuck, fuck. Another missed opportunity. For the love of Kahless, take the last sentence off. Prevent & Overcome doesn't deserve and quarter, it needs to be hunted down and destroyed like a terrorist who kills little girls for going to school. Excessive? The metaphor, yes. The idea, no. And if you're going to ruin such a good card with that terrible stipulation, at least don't make me spend 2 for it. You want me to pay for something that might only last two turns, and might go away when I solve a mission? Fuck, change it to 'when an opponent solve a mission' and it's maybe, maybe, maybe usable. Each card in the XX Anniversary set was supposed to resemble a previous 2E set. Varon-T was Necessary Evil. I like to think I accomplished that goal. Split Second was Fractured Time. In which case, maybe it's a success. I hate it like every card in that terrible expansion (Sorry Med Teams, we're still cool).

Good Card, Bad Card #87

Location: Home (Denison, TX)

Pic: Salt Flats in Moab, Utah.

Two years back I used to go to this dentist down the road. First time there, the dentist is taking a look, making some comments, and I'm thinking, "Man, this guy is a bit of a dickhead." Hey, we all have bad days, I didn't think much of it. Second time I'm there, he's got the same bad attitude, and I'm thinking, "Wow, this guy is a real asshole." Third time I'm sitting in the chair, nothing different, I say to myself, "Why the hell am I here? I can go to any dentist." That's how I am though. I'm a creature of habit. Simple things like, going to a dentist that doesn't talk to you like a child, don't even cross my mind. The same thoughts crossed my mind regarding the trek message boards the other day. A 'why am I still doing this?' moment. 90% of the people I communicate with on it I've never met, or rarely see. And I don't need it to do any Design work (fingers crossed, rumor has it work is returning) or get in touch with any person organizing a tournament I might roll up to in the #whiteknight (my truck). I've been around the block now, most of the people who actually support the game, and promote events, I have their phone numbers. All the CoC 'cleanup' did was replace one set of trolls with another. This new passive-aggressive, snarky wannabe type. Say what you want about the olds one, but at least they were fun.

I guess the main problem with that dentist was that he couldn't communicate. And when he did, he wasn't a professional providing a service, he was a guy acting like he was doing you a favor. That's what CC Management has become. First of, I began using that term as a joke, but the CC operates/thinks like they have 'Management', that passes down information to the public. Now they need the Vice-Chairman to be the puppet that pretends to listen to players complain to management.

I'm confused how this even came to be. What is the CC? When it started it was just a group of players helping to keep the game alive. How can a group of players become out of touch with other groups of players? How did the CC go from a group of players to an Organizing Body? Not playing the game as often is possible, and natural to some degree. My 'clique theory' is still the best bet. Isolation, hubris, inactivity are the ways you lose touch with the people you are dealing with. The CC is way out of touch, and the measures they are taking aren't the answer. Simple is better, less is more.

Shut up and talk about cards! Ok, you got it. The topic is 'affiliation-specific' interrupt & event prevention. Why affiliation-specific? Because if Design is to make more, and for it to be good, it has to be. It can't be generic, like Grav-trap. Nothing wrong with that card, but I was trained by my Design Yoda, Charlie Plaine, that "the stronger the card, the more affiliation-specific is has to be."

I asked on the boards, before my self-exile, for some recommendations. Lustful Distraction was tossed around. I won't list it here (though it might be a previous GCBC), because it's both Good & Bad. Great card to play, but it's a design fail because it doesn't really have a cost.

Good Card: Operational Necessity

 Why: I'm going to talk about this card in a vacuum. If not I'll rant about Alarming Rumors, and how bad of a card (power creep among the reasons) that is. This card is from Necessary Evil, and Maquis wasn't the Tragic Turn/Defiant No Fun to Play/No Fun to Play Against affiliation yet. Sure, stalling was their thing, but it wasn't until they made the cheapest, no talent to play, dilemma pile ever did they veer off into NPE territory. Whoops, I ranted, back to the card. The first sentence is just there so only Maquis can use it. Then you got, basically, a one sentence card. And that my friends is the Holy Grail of Design. Making a good card with one sentence. The threshold is easy, two Blue Maquis peeps. Non-issue. Then the cost for preventing the interrupt is pitching a Maquis card. Card. That's always code for: extra ship. Easy peasy right there. So enjoy this card, it's from a bygone era of when Maquis cards weren't stupidly overpowered.

Bad Card: Diversionary Tactics

Why: A Peak Performance card that isn't broken? It's hard for me to say that's Bad. Reason #1 it's no good, it's fake affiliation-specific, like Security Drills. Blue isn't an affiliation in 2E, it's a color (no pun intended). So making cards like this is cheap Design (Security Drills is from Fractured Time, where everything was intentionally "cheap". To sell boxes, which worked). #2, it's fake interrupt prevention. It's got that goofy 'if one of his or her personnel is facing a dilemma you own' text. Why would we want to single out dilemma cheaters as extra bad? The game is about attempting missions and facing dilemmas. Dilemma cheaters are good for the game, and a large part of what makes this game challenging and fun. It's non-dilemma cheater interrupts that should be singled out more. Design was in a fucked up place during the PP Era. We don't need to get into all that, but we have to make sure like hell it never goes back. Oh, Diversionary has a second part, because it's a 'stone'. Which is code for: Wall of Text. What are we going to really use this Order for? Getting Kirk back, that's what. This isn't the first time a card falls into "Really, more Kirk?" category. I'm starting to come around to Relativity, but even when designing Matter of Time I kept asking Charlie, "We really want to make a sub-affiliation that's all about playing Kirk?" I was wrong, I should've been worried about Chuckles Bros. Did I go off-topic? Oh well, I'm not on the boards. I can do that now without SuperNerds getting high and mighty with me. I'm enjoying this exile already.

Good Card, Bad Card #86

Location: Troy, IL

Just shy of three years since the last GCBC. 2013 was more then just a "rough start" like I said years ago. Everything was going down the shiter in 2012. Then in 2013 things got worse, and I decided I was drowning in Jersey. So after a pathetic attempt to continue GCBC, I packed up the convertible and drove off to Texas.

I was in Hustle Mode in Texas. It's when I'm at my finest. A month after getting there I had a job, found a house, and had the family all moved down there. It was really the beginning of a new life, and the beginning of the slow death of my nerd life.

I'm sorry to drag you into the time machine, but I'm afraid I have to. As anyone reading this knows, 2015 was the Great Nerd War. Long story short, they implemented a Code of Conduct on the CC message boards and something stunk. When it was being sold as necessary because of a "toxic atmosphere" and this was a "major problem", my first off-hand thought was, 'Oh, this is just the San Diego group bitching about people after an Arby's tournament.' That's where all my 'de facto capital of the CC' stuff was coming from.

Fast forward a few months later and I'm having lunch with a player who's familiar with the San Diego group. He starts talking about how the SD guys sit around and bitch about certain people in the Trek community. I knew in my heart this was a real thing, but it was disturbing to actually realize it was. It's disheartening to know that policies of the Continuing Committee are just the whims and concerns of one singe playgroup (Online you can add the CAH expansion for $1.99- that gets you the Lobbans. And they just released the Seattle expansion- that'll get you the Van Breeman's and Tufts).

The Arby's bitchfests are a real thing and that's where I'm stuck today, in the fallout of the Great Nerd War. In a state of Nerd Limbo. An unofficial blacklist of sorts. The CC has some issues and I've sent proposals to Charlie on how to turn things around. If I wasn't hated in San Diego I have no doubts things would be different. You know what player hates me the most of all? You'd say Kris surely, but no. Peace, fragile peace, was made. James? Maybe, but he hates everyone. It's actually Dr. Matt Kirk. I'm assuming he has a MD now since he's able to diagnose cancer in the community. So what is a nerd to do? Charlie's roommate/secretary hates me, so he's stuck in a no-win. And I'm stuck watching the CC turn back around in the wrong direction.

I promised you a Good Card, Bad Card. Since I don't want to repeat any old cards, let's pick two from the last expansion.

Good Card: Kromm

Why: Non-uniques. Sign me up. On the design boards yesterday Tyler was saying the game needs interrupt prevention as soon as possible. It's really frustrating that it takes about 12-18 months of Corbett ranting for things to sink in in Design. But at least things are starting to sink in. I've been begging for more non-uniques for a long time, and I'm happy to start getting them. Of course, I have to be force-fed three lines of an ability, but sometimes you have to make the devil's bargain. At least this ability is useful, and encourages people not to use scumbag 3-cost ships. But Kromm is good because he has Navigation and Security. 2 of 3 skills for Provoke Interstellar Incident. And since you're using 8 range Vorchas now, you better be taking advantage of that with a 2-range space mission.

Bad Card: Romulus, Patient Stronghold

Why: I'll try my best not to rant behind the real reason this is a bad card. I've already ran down Charlie enough today. Let's get to the card itself. A new HQ with 4 lines of text, not a good start. Then you waste a line just to make all your ships (unless you're nutty and not playing D'deridex's) -1 cost. Only -1? That's hardly sexy enough to get me plotting on new decks. Then two lines of text on range reduction. I was told 3 was the magic number, but I'm still not smart enough to know why I want to fly back and forth. The Romulan schtick is leaving ships and people at your opponent's mission to fuck with them. In this very set I have an interrupt that does that. So the range reduction is just to drop off random dudes at my opponent's planet missions? Can't say it's worth it. While this HQ was in the works I kept hearing designers talk about the bad range on D'deridex ships. Well, that was kinda the point. Plus, they made a card in Premier, The Reman Mines, to address this. The card simply is no good, and that's why nobody plays it. The timing from Design on releasing it was terrible. You don't drop a new HQ for the most powerful affiliation in Tier-1. Those kind of bad decisions start at the top.