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. Our first look at the TNG-era Romulan ships...
PICTURE: (Note that this isn't an exact shot from the episode, but I suspect this was a model shot rather than a screen grab.)This is the basic Romulan warbird, no bells, no whistles, no frills. And unfortunately, that means no drama. The angle reveals the "inside" of the warbird, there's a little protrusion or module there I didn't know existed, but other than that, it's pretty dead in space. I still won't dump it... it's an average 3.
LORE: Not much here! A kind of comparison chart and no more, and there was space and opportunity to DO more. Ah well... it'll have to settle for a 2.4.
TREK SENSE: The basic D'deridex is obviously universal and, since it's much larger than a Galaxy-class, but really its equivalent, it deserves the same staffing and similar attributes. Or does it? Warbirds are supposed to be substantially larger than Galaxies so would probably require more staff. The universal Galaxy is 8-7-9 to the D'deridex's 8-9-7. The Federation is bigger on defense, the Romulans on offense. Specific ships may vary. Often mentioned to be slower than the Enterprise, the D'deridex is perhaps a notch too fast here. The Cloak and Tractor Beam are both supported. No other special equipment would be. Makes sense, but isn't particularly imaginative or interesting at 3.9.
STOCKABILITY: What can I say about universal ships like this? Well, the big birds have big stats, but also big staffing which hinders speed of play. Still, if you're going into battle, you can't be using dinky shuttles and scout ships. The problem with basic models is also that they rarely have matching commanders. But this one does! Yep, the otherwise useless Tomalak (the regular one) can put this one up to 10-12-11, Plaqued and Logged. The Romulans are a great affiliation to Ready Room Door with. Since the D'deridex is universal, you can download it with Spacedoor, then download its commander to it, and maybe a couple of Staff icon mission specialists to fill out the crew. Crewed Warbird on your first turn! Let the rampage begin. It also shares abilities with the unique warbirds - a nasty Cloaking Device, a Tractor Beam for dealing with Scows, taking in shuttles and Scouts, etc., and the ability to stage a Romulan Ambush. I'd get some SHIELD enhancements, but otherwise, it's a fit ship. Because of the combo mentioned above, a 4.4.
TOTAL: 13.7 (68.5%) When you start putting cards together, it can produce some niiiiiiiiiice effects.
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