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. Back to the holograms from The Big Goodbye...
EXPANSION: Holodeck AdventuresPICTURE: Though the color palette and background are fairly dull (you'd think the holodeck would have been a nice place to get away from the gray and beige once in a while), it's a good action shot, with Leech coming off more scared than whoever he's pointing his gun at. There's a sense of danger, but I like how dinky he looks, from his size to that of his gun... even his tie and wristwatch look silly on him. A 3.6.
LORE: He's labelled as a Dixon Hill character to start with, and then we get justification for his special download, though that's also a little joke about how if one character appears, the other can't be too far behind. The last sentence gives us events from the show, but is less interesting than the rest. How about a 3.5?
TREK SENSE: You know, I'd much rather holograms were affiliated with whoever created them, like Einstein and the Children of Light, but when holodecks go wrong, and holograms turn on you, they might as well be Non-Aligned. Felix Leech is a Civilian, as most minor thugs would be, and he has no standard skills. From the way he handled his gun, not even Security, I guess. Holding people at gunpoint, he keeps them from using their classifications. You know, like, "Don't move, doctor!" Why a personnel can still use, say, Geology or Mindmeld is beyond me, though. Or a special skill. It's a very odd skill focus. You probably couldn't keep me from being a Civilian if you had the biggest gun in the world. We then have a special download that makes some measure of sense in the holographic universe. Since holo-novels are scripted, one character may well herald another's appearance. And in this case, there is further a trigger for Leech's boss to show up. The trigger should be for Redblock's interests to have been attacked (Leech then finds the attackers and summons Redblock), but it's made conceptual by turning Redblock's interests into the player's. The special skill thus loses points by virtue of going far afield of the holodeck. I have fewer problems with the attributes. He's got low Integrity (smarmy and ruthless), low Cunning (stupid and one-dimensional) and low Strength (if he didn't have that gun, wouldn't last a second in a fight). I like the ideas that drive him, but their conceptual slant keep him at 2.4.
STOCKABILITY: Anyone may use Felix Leech, and that anyone should probably do so in conjunction with Holoprogram: The Office of Dixon Hill. That Incident will download Leech, in turn allowing him to download Cyrus Redblock as soon as you've been attacked. Cyrus then may request the "item" for points or free card plays AND give a free kill to all your "murder" dilemmas. Once that's over and done with, you might try to put his other special skill to use, but that's not necessarily an easy thing. You have to look at how suspending classifications can actually hinder your opponent to get a real feel for the skill. Putting Leech in an away team with a Mobile Emitter might keep OFFICERs from acting as leaders in a battle against you, but they surely have other Leadership available, no? Having him in an assault team might keep SECURITY from turning into Bodyguards, for example, but again, nothing great (plus, he's got low STRENGTH and can only kill with Safety Protocols Disengaged). Your best bet is actually to put Holo-Projectors on an opponent's planet, and drop Felix there to hinder any Away Team's mission attempts. Classifications are an important part of passing dilemmas in particular, or you could make sure to drop Leech on a mission that requires classifications mostly (OFFICER in particular, isn't often in a skill box). A hologram can't really be killed, but I guess you have to keep him "attached" to a ship. Feds who can't initiate battle against him would be most affected. He's a rotten mission solver himself, and is mostly useful as a tool to get a quick Cyrus Redblock. No more than a 3.
TOTAL: 12.5 (62.5%) Oh, I just got it! He leeches classifications out of personnel!
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