Being a look back at cards from the Star Trek CCG, and what I thought of them back when they were fresh and new... in EPISODE order. How about a Tactic card that's very specific to that one episode of TNG?
PICTURE: A very strange effect, which almost entirely obscures the Ferengi Marauder emitting it, you can sort of see why the whole idea was abandoned by the production. It looks like a filmed video effect, and if you've never seen the episode, you don't know what you're looking at. The planet on the left is neither a plus nor a minus here, though I generally like it when they don't CGI objects out of space scenes. Certainly distinct as far as Tactics go, but only a 3 for this effect.
LORE: N/A (score will be adjusted accordingly)
TREK SENSE: Though Tactic cards pull double duty as Tactics and damage markers, this one has a [down] icon linking the tactic with its own effect. In other words, "Plasma Energy Burst" and "EM burst" are interchangeable. Its effect on the show was to disrupt the Enterprise's systems so that it was, for all intents and purposes, dead in space. There's no way to avoid the kind of wavefront this represents, and consequently, you get a [down] result whether you score a hit or not. Fine, but it's hard to resolve how you COULD get anything more than a single [down] using this weapon. Are you firing at the same time? If so, you'd hit a ship at the same time its Shields should go down because of the pulse, so why isn't the Hull damage you score higher than normal? Sure, the [down] is in ADDITION to the usual [flips], but doesn't offer any extra Hull damage. The Marauder that used the Pulse didn't look able to fire while spinning on its own axis to generate it either. Other ships in your group could still fire, but what, they aren't affected by the pulse? They could be modified to be immune to the effect, but then why aren't opposing ships other than the target affected? The area effect just isn't represented. Creating an occluding energy cloud, I'll believe your ship(s)' Defense is heightened, and showing your back really wouldn't increase your Attack. Of course, D'Kora-class ships, which are supposed to be actually equipped with this weapon, get major boosts to both Attack and Defense if they are the ones firing. I'm of two minds on that one. On the one hand, I believe this trick could be achieved with a deflector dish, so it's okay not to limit it to Ferengi ships, but at the same time, it's the Ferengi who are turning their backs to their attackers. Then again, D'Koras are built for this, so I can also believe that they know how to use it adequately in combat. Ok, as for the damage marker, it disables Weapons entirely until the effect clears up, and this occupies all the Engineers aboard for the duration. Big panic. Well done. It also causes more permanent damage to Weapons and Shields, perhaps attributable to power feedback(?). Nothing for Range? It's a power system just as much, no? More good than bad certainly, I think it works as well as it can within the Tactic structure. A 3.8.
STOCKABILITY: Any Ferengi worth his latinum using a Battle Bridge side-deck will want to use this one. D'Kora-class ships (either the big Marauders or the smaller Transports) will get a huge Attack boost (+4) and similar Defense boost (+4 too) in battle, then if it hits (there's a good chance), it may score as many as 5 damage markers, including this one! That said, if it DOESN'T hit, you still score 1 damage marker: this one. Now, the damage is pretty paltry, so make sure you have some Ferengi Energy Weapons in there too to cause Hull damage, at least. That said, you can easily use a Battle Bridge full of these if you're running a small support craft strategy, and not just Ferengi shuttles either. Any affiliation can use it with the same bonuses (or lack thereof) as those shuttles. As long as you aren't destroyed by an attack (but even if you are), your opponent won't be firing twice on you. You get to slap this thing on them basically for free, disabling their WEAPONS until the end of their next full turn, and also stopping all their ENGINEER-classification personnel. That last effect is gonna be tough on many a Federation deck, and indeed many mission solving parties in the Delta Quadrant (heavy on ENGINEER requirements). It also makes this a great damage marker for dilemmas that damage ships, because ENGINEER is a vital requirement. Or don't wait: Attack a ship with your disposable vessel and crew, get this on them, then let the ship fly right into your Abandon Ship, damaged. Unless you've got a D'Kora firing, it's not much of a Tactic, but the damage marker can't be beat. A strong 4.2.
TOTAL: 14.67 (73.33%) Not bad, so why was it abandoned by the Ferengi along with the Whips? Answer: Not marketable enough.
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