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. Last one from Skin of Evil. Time to die...
PICTURE: Interesting. They could have gone for someone being killed as they threw themselves in front of another, but they chose the post-mortem image. Along with the lore, it's a nice homage to the character of Tasha Yar and looks both nice (if a little static) and eerie (which is part and parcel of the AU card set's image bank). Unfortunately, Tasha didn't die in the fashion described in the game text. Hers was an empty death. Ah well. Still a 3.7.
LORE: Generalizes maybe a bit too much, since we all know Security personnel who would do no such thing (Lore, for example), but it's no more a problem than how it impacts on Trek Sense. Speaking of which, the "as Tasha Yar did on many occasions" will cause problems in that area. A good description of Security personnel's duties, but not too sharp a focus on the card's effects. A 2.9.
TREK SENSE: If you buy the lore, it's possible to sacrifice yourself and survive. Well, the game text doesn't really allow it (though other cards might), so you've got a problem there. There's also the fact that all Security personnel are NOT this selfless. Lore? Sloan? Tain? Gaila? A Founder? Would they really take a disruptor blast for another personnel? Extremely doubtful as to be nearly unthinkable. That said, the effect is too simple to take any hits by itself. A Security personnel does its job and sacrifices itself for another (more important?) personnel. Very easy to see, and we HAVE seen it. Why only random selections, though? Well, opponent's choice deaths are so specific, the "killer" probably planned it too well, and in the case of personnel battle, the Security probably had its hands full with its own match-up to intercede on the part of another personnel. (The end of round kill is covered, however.) Your choice deaths already have you sacrificing someone of your choice, in a sense, and what would be the point? You could just choose the Security in the first place. Too wide for a great score, but such a simple effect, it's hard to impeach the basics. A 3.7.
STOCKABILITY: Ok, well, while I wouldn't use this on Worf Son of Mogh, there are lots of disposable SECURITY personnel that are just begging to save your Vorta, your Picard, or even, yes, your Worf Son of Mogh. We all have personnel we can't do without at a particular point in the game. The point is, you bring a universal SECURITY along (maybe even downloaded through AMS or, if lucky, in droves with Defend Homeworld) and save your more important personnel from random selection death when it occurs. Now, that's not complete protection, which is too bad, since opponent's choice and mortally wounded deaths aren't covered by the insurance policy, but it'll take care of end of battle deaths and those caused by most dilemmas and damage markers (as well as some other cards). Tell you what, in combination with Genetronic Replicator, the card is very useful to Away Teams: If your MEDICAL gets targeted, substitute the SECURITY then save that SECURITY with the MEDICAL/Replicator. For crews, try subbing for John Doe instead. Probably the hardest thing to make work with this card is having it in hand at the appropriate time. That's why the special downloads on a couple of personnel are appreciated. Amat'igan practically belongs to a race of SECURITY personnel, but you might not want to sacrifice HIM because of his pretty good skill list. Maihar'du is a similar matter, being mostly useful for his downloads. Once they're spent, the reason to keep him around is to provide SECURITY, some pretty good skills and high attributes (definitely good for the Ferengi). Well, you have to make a sacrifice somehow! ;-) Unfortunate that one of these absolutely can't work with other affiliations (no Ferengi Treaties), but really, neither of them are exactly universal panacea. Your best bet is to use cheap SECURITY and a number of Sacrifices, then recycle them by any means necessary. Can be used to good effect, but you can't just live your life in fear and load up on these. That's all you'll draw! A 3.8 again.
TOTAL: 14.1 (70.5%) Took a few hits, but still stands up.
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