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.