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. Six cards from The Battle, starting with this one...
PICTURE: It makes sense that the transport version of the D'Kora would place its emphasis on the back hull, since that's where the cargo would be stored. From this angle, the ship also looks like it's heading for a cargo rendezvous. Unfortunately, that didn't mean they had to sacrifice scale. The turtle shying away from us should be the same size as the Marauder, but doesn't look it. Too bad. I like it, but there was more to show here. A 3.3.
LORE: Far from as interesting as the Marauder version because of the lack of any real humor, but the details are appropriate. I'd say a competent 3.2.
TREK SENSE: The show never made a distinction between a Marauder and a Transport, and I'm ready to believe the invention is Decipher's. But if the lores of both ships are to be believed, this version sacrifices the raw power of the other in favor of cargo space. Well, cargo space doesn't translate to much (the semi-useful "transport" category) compared to what was removed from the ship. They took out the Holodeck (of course), some Shields and plenty of Weapons. Why Range (engines) though? As far as transporting goods, that's not where I would have made cuts. The staffing is appropriately lower, but still proportional to the size of the vessel. The card makes sense, it all boils down to your agreement or disagreement with the exact attribute cuts. I think they're okay, but not necessarily well justified. A 3.5.
STOCKABILITY: As far as Ferengi strategies are concerned, this is a better ship than the bigger, tougher, Marauder. The Ferengi thrive on speed, and this ship is more easily staffed than the Marauder. That comes in handy when you seed the ship at the Ferengi Trading Post and want it staffed on the first turn. Assign Mission Specialists will get you two personnel, not the three required by the Marauder. The lower staffing also allows it to report to your Quark's Bar's Nor via the Docking Ports, from where you can launch an early cargo run, no problem. You'll also need the Transport if you want to solve the 40-point Deliver Supplies, a rather easy mission since the Ferengi have plenty of CIVILIANs. The low attributes got you down? Well, it can be targeted by System 5 Disruptors, turning it into a stronger, but more vulnerable 7-9-6 ship. It doesn't count as a Transport anymore after that, but it really doesn't need to - all Ferengi ships can be used on cargo runs or Supply Routes. You might lament the loss of the Holodeck, you might be a fan of Non-Aligned Holograms supporting Ferengi decks, but you use the Marauder if that's the case. But face it, the Ferengi aren't really warriors. Let them play the way they were meant to, quickly and underhandedly. A 3.9.
TOTAL: 12.9 (64.5%) This is one turtle that's not being left behind.
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