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. Now for one of the most interesting Q-cards in the game...
PICTURE: While I appreciate Decipher's extrapolation of what the planet might look like from space based on what we saw of its ground and sky, the end product looks like a big ball of lint (or, more generously, yarn). The moons are okay, but Q's planet itself doesn't look very good. A 2.5.
LORE: The quote is what finally convinced me to put this one with the Q-cards instead of the Missions in my collection. An interesting difference from your regular mission lore. Not as boring, and its mention of a "game" is a fun wink at the CCG itself. A superior 3.9.
TREK SENSE: Q's Planet is an unreal place created (as far as we know) by Q where he forces an Away Team to attempt a mission he has engineered himself. Such a mission has no real purpose, except Q's enjoyment. Is this what we have here? Well, they've done a pretty good job of it, especially for what is basically a "game mechanic" card. First off, it comes out of the Q-Continuum and appears anywhere on any spaceline. True, it doesn't have a fixed location in the universe. The Span of 0 is unique in the game, and represents how Q probably whisks ships passing by the adjacent systems to this Q-location. The Planet probably isn't even there for real. That you can also pick it out of your Q's Tent is fine too. After all, it's Q's. Q, who I often imagine as the instigator of "the game" ("let's see how the Klingons do against the Ferengi, hehehe"), changes the conditions of victory as soon as his Planet comes into play. 40 more points? More or less forces players to either accept his challenge or work harder for the rest of the game. The mission itself isn't actually worth anything except the lifting of this extra obstacle. It's basically a worthless mission, with no real goal, and no positive fallout. You're just playing Q's little game. He doesn't really reward you, he just stops punishing you. To make it a challenge, players may, of course, seed cards here. This is where it gets bumpy: dilemmas will all be things that have been encountered before unless brand new ones were stocked in Q's Tent, and the fact that both players can play seed cards here means Q doesn't have total control over what happens. Of course, Q doesn't really belong to any one player, so I'll let that slide. Finally, the only requirement is a unique personnel. What's that all about? Well, does Q put forth his challenges for the McKnights of this world? No, he goes after the Picards, the Rikers and the Janeways. In fact, Q's Planet was a game he played with Will. The only requirement is thus someone he would want to play with. Remarkably well designed at 4.7.
STOCKABILITY: There are two big reasons to use Q's Planet. One is to block your opponent from winning with fast mission solving by raising the points required for victory. The other is to solve it yourself thereby getting at an Artifact you kept in your Q's Tent for just this purpose. Option one will be especially useful against the Borg who cannot solve the mission except with a brainwashed individual. They'll just have to complete another objective, maybe two, unless you yourself don't decide to do it, or the Collective was smart enough to play Resistance Is Futile. You won't really have to if you seed missions with a lot of points, or that can be solved by your mission specialists for bonus ones. A tip: You can insert the mission into any spaceline, even one that doesn't exist on the spaceline yet. That means that if you aren't using a Gamma quadrant (and any attendant wormholes), you can put Q's Planet where your opponent will have a hard time getting to it. That, and it creates a quadrant where you can field trip opponent's cards, mid-way through the game. Or you can protect it with Fair Play so that your opponent cannot attempt it at all! If you're planning on using it as an artifact warehouse, you better be first on it, or else your opponent might try to do it first to 1) get the prize and 2) get the extra 40 points off their back. Another tip: To restrict the amount or quality of dilemmas your opponent will seed here, either Tent for this before you pass dilemmas at any other location, or barring that, only attempt space missions, so that only space/planet dilemmas will be eligible in your opponent's discard pile. Since any unique personnel will do, you'll always be able to solve the mission (unless Lower Decks intensive), it's just a matter of passing those dilemmas, or not allowing any to be seeded. If, on the other hand, you're protecting Q's Planet from solving (with option one), you might make your dilemma selection with that in mind, using lots of space/planet and planet ones and making sure the Planet isn't used until AFTER a mission or two have been solved. That's when you know if you need it to stall your opponent anyway. This is why stocking the card in Q's Tent is superior to having it come out in a Q-Flash. Control is important. Enough flexibility to be worth your while, though depending on your strategy, you might not need to add the 40 points OR the Artifact. A cute use: As a free (as in, spanless) mission for cargo runs. A 4.1.
TOTAL: 15.2 (76%) One of the more imaginative and point-worthy Q cards!
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