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Sunup on Jouret IV. There had been an outpost here once. But now, as Data and Shelby investigated, they could find nothing. Nothing but a huge gash in the ground -- a canyon, really -- and the faint trace of a Borg energy signature ...
Wolf 359. Commander Benjamin Sisko's crewmates had to forcibly pull him away from Jennifer Sisko's shattered body and cram him into the escape pod. It had barely reached a safe distance when the U.S.S. Saratoga exploded under the Borg onslaught, another starship destroyed by their relentless advance. It was only a single cube, but its unrelenting path to Earth was paved with the wreckage of dozens of Federation starships ...
Visions of scenes like these dance in the heads of Star Trek CCG players who are attracted to the Borg affiliation. However, the game mechanics of the Star Trek CCG are such that games do not often replicate Star Trek episodes precisely. Even with its WEAPONS and SHIELDS of 24, a Borg Cube is not quite the one-ship armada that a Vor'cha under the influence of Kurlan Naiskos is. The Borg are constrained by very particular battle rules that are not immediately obvious, and may perhaps be counter-intuitive, to some players attracted to the Borg.
The key to understanding the battle aspect of a Borg deck lies in the very simple but easily overlooked distinction between can and may. In other words, you must distinguish carefully between ability and authorization (or capability and permission) if you want to grasp the Borg affiliation's battle capabilities -- and disabilities.
In terms of attack capabilities, the Borg are certainly a force with which to be reckoned.
Starship Battles. Borg Cubes are, with their WEAPONS and SHIELDS of 24 each, the most formidable ships available. Unenhanced, a Borg Cube can take out most ships with a single shot. Beyond this, it is fairly easy to enhance a Borg ship's armaments. Borg ships get full benefits from standard WEAPONS and SHIELDS enhancements such as Bynars Weapon Enhancement, Metaphasic Shields, Nutational Shields, Plasmadyne Relay, and so on (and if you can get out the Queen's Borg Cube or Locutus' Borg Cube with the matching commander aboard, the ship benefits from Captain's Log, Defiant Dedication Plaque, and so on). Even better, the very drones required to staff the huge ship can provide it with added benefits. Each Eighteen of Nineteen (Astrogation Drone) aboard provides RANGE +1, each Four of Eleven (Guard Drone) aboard provides SHIELDS +2, and each Thirteen of Nineteen (Tactical Drone) provides WEAPONS +2. Moreover, Nine of Seventeen (Multiplexor Drone) allows a single Borg ship to use its full WEAPONS against multiple targets in the same attack. If Four of Eleven, Thirteen of Nineteen, or Nine of Seventeen are lacking on the ship at the start of the battle, the Awaken interrupt allows them to be downloaded to the ship before the battle is resolved (one per Awaken played, unless the battle was initiated by the opponent, in which case it is two per Awaken).
Personnel Battles. Borg drones are not quite so intimidating in personnel battles as Borg Cubes are in starship battles. Indeed, [Com] and [Nav] drones hardly live up to the claim made about them on the Android Headlock card: "drones are physically stronger than humanoids" (sure, if the humanoid is Katherine Pulaski). But the drones are no slouches, either. Each Eight of Nineteen (Assault Drone) present in an Away Team gives each Borg present STRENGTH +2. Two or three Eight of Nineteens in an Away Team produces a fighting force against which even Klingons might suffer. Eleven of Nineteen (Bio-Med Drone) functions as kind of poor Borg's Genetronic Replicator, recycling killed Borg into the owner's draw deck for later reuse. And, of course, Three of Nineteen (Talon Drone) has the ability to immediately abduct and assimilate any adversary it stuns (for more information on this, consult the Personnel Assimilation Directive for more details on this).
As seen above, the power of a Borg Cube can be intimidating to its opponents and intoxicating to its owner. However, the collective's potential reign of terror is checked by the game mechanics that constrain what the Borg may do. In general, the Borg may not take any actions that they are not directed or permitted to take by their current objective. For battle, this means that the Borg may not initiate battle unless their current objective authorizes battle initiation. Unfortunately for those Borg players enticed by visions of the wreckage at Wolf 359 or the scar on the bleak surface of Jouret IV, current Borg objectives are rather limiting in this respect. Moreover, the Borg may (under present rules) pursue only one objective at a time.
As a general rule, you must have a [Def] Borg present to initiate an attack. This is analogous to the rule that requires other affiliations to have a leader present in order to initiate an attack, although a [Def] Borg is not considered a leader.
Eliminate Starship. This is currently the only objective authorizing the Borg to initiate battle against an opposing ship. When you activate Eliminate Starship as your collective's objective, you must immediately choose one opposing ship as your target. Eliminate Starship then gives your Borg permission to initiate attacks against that ship, and only against that ship. Note, however, that until that ship is destroyed or the objective is removed from play in some other fashion (e.g., with A Change of Plans), your Borg may not pursue any other objective than the destruction of the target ship. Note also that you do not score any points from successful completion of Eliminate Starship.
Assimilate Counterpart. This is currently the only objective authorizing the Borg to initiate personnel battles. When you activate Assimilate Counterpart as your collective's objective, you must immediately choose one unique male personnel controlled by your opponent. Assimilate Counterpart then gives your Borg permission to beam to the target's ship or Away Team location and initiate battle against the target's crew or Away Team, and only against the target's crew or Away Team. When one of your Borg personnel engages the target in battle, you have the option of immediately abducting him. If you exercise this option, your Borg immediately lose their authorization to beam to and initiate attacks against the target's crew or Away Team (though see the discussion of retaliation below). Note, however, that until the target has been assimilated as a counterpart (through successful probing, as described on the Assimilate Counterpart card) or the objective is removed from play in some other fashion (e.g., with A Change of Plans), your Borg may not pursue any other objective than the assimilation of the target.
Strategy Tip. Using the options that Assimilate Counterpart gives you, you may temporarily transform Assimilate Counterpart into a de facto "Eliminate Opposing Personnel" objective. To accomplish this, simply choose not to abduct the target when your Borg engage him in battle. Stun him instead, and at the end of the battle kill at least one opposing personnel by winning the battle. (To ensure that you win the battle, make sure your drones outnumber the opposing crew or Away Team, and use at least three Eight of Nineteens in your Away Team). This can go on until the personnel randomly selected to die at the end of battle is the target of Assimilate Counterpart. When that personnel dies, you must immediately discard Assimilate Counterpart because it no longer has a valid target. On your next available card play, you may play another Assimilate Counterpart, select a new target, and begin the process again. As long as this goes on, you have permission to attack certain opposing personnel. And should your opponent choose to counter-attack on her or his own turn, you gain additional attack authorization for your ships (see the discussion of retaliation below). If you choose to pursue this strategy, keep firmly in mind the fact that none of this will net you any points.
The discussion above focuses on receiving attack authorization from your current objective. There are, however, four other cards that grant attack authorization to your Borg, and one that looks like it might, but doesn't.
Gowron of Borg. This counterpart, one of the Enhanced First Contact premium cards, has the special ability to allow his hive to initiate an attack once per game. That may be all you need. If you want to use him, though, be sure to take account of his [AU] icon, and don't forget that you may not have both Gowron of Borg and Locutus of Borg in play simultaneously, since both are counterparts (unless you demote one with He Will Make an Excellent Drone).
Saltah'na Clock. If you can get a Saltah'na Clock aboard your Cube, you can do a lot of damage. The Saltah'na Clock actually requires your personnel to initiate a battle (ship or personnel, depending on what is possible and/or appropriate) whenever possible. Of course, getting it aboard your Cube may be a bit tricky (requiring a successful probe plus a Survey Drone), and it does not give you the option of not battling if you'd prefer otherwise.
Conundrum. If your Borg encounter this dilemma and your crew's total INTEGRITY is less than 40, you must immediately choose one of your opponent's ships, and then do nothing except chase and attack that ship (note that your ship is stopped if the crew does not have the necessary INTEGRITY; the chase must begin on your next turn). Conundrum overrides affiliation-specific attack restrictions, which means that a Borg vessel under the influence of Conundrum may, indeed must, attack an opposing ship regardless of your collective's current objective. Think of Conundrum as temporarily suspending your current objective, if you have one, and giving you a new objective: attack an opposing ship. Since Conundrum overrides normal battle restrictions, no defense subcommand Borg is necessary to initiate battle while your crew is under Conundrum's influence. Once you have attacked (n.b.: attacked, not destroyed) the target ship, however, the influence of the Conundrum expires (the dilemma is discarded) and all relevant affiliation battle restrictions are in force again.
Strategy Tip. As a Borg player, you may be tempted to seed a Conundrum and encounter it yourself, giving yourself attack authorization. If you choose this strategy, be aware that you must commit yourself to an objective that allows you to scout a space mission in order to encounter the Conundrum. Then, once you have attacked the target ship, you must resume your current objective (or discard it using A Change of Plans). Also, the crew of a fully staffed Borg Cube (it is very risky to use this strategy with a Scout Vessel or Sphere) has a minimum INTEGRITY of 36 (defense and navigation subcommand drones have INTEGRITY 5; the Borg Queen has INTEGRITY 6; communication subcommand drones have INTEGRITY 7; Locutus has INTEGRITY 9), so make sure you count your INTEGRITY carefully before triggering a self-seeded Conundrum.
The Issue Is Patriotism. If your Borg encounter this card from your opponent's Q-Continuum, you must immediately initiate a battle at a location where your opponent has one or more ships or Away Teams. The Issue Is Patriotism overrides affiliation-specific attack restrictions, which means that a Borg collective under the influence may, indeed must (if part of the collective is at the same location as an opposing force that it can target), attack an opposing force regardless of your current objective. Since The Issue Is Patriotism overrides normal battle restrictions, no defense subcommand Borg is necessary to initiate battle while your crew is under the influence of The Issue Is Patriotism. Once you have attacked (n.b.: attacked, not defeated) the target force, however, the influence of The Issue Is Patriotism expires (it is discarded) and all relevant affiliation battle restrictions are in force again.
Strategy Tip. As a Borg player, you may wish you could play The Issue Is Patriotism on yourself. But because it is a Q-Continuum card, you cannot do so. Your Borg will only experience The Issue Is Patriotism if your opponent stocks it in his or her Q-Continuum side deck.
Scout Encounter. When a player encounters the Scout Encounter dilemma, that player's opponent may download to that location a scout ship staffed by one or two universal personnel. According to the Scout Encounter card, "That ship may (if possible) initiate battle against you or move away." Unlike Conundrum and The Issue Is Patriotism, Scout Encounter does not override affiliation attack restrictions, precisely because of the wording "may (if possible)." Thus, if you (playing Borg) seed Scout Encounter, the Borg Scout Vessel that you download when your opponent encounters Scout Encounter may not initiate battle against your opponent's ship at that location unless you immediately reveal an Eliminate Starship objective previously played as a Hidden Agenda.
There is one other way the Borg may receive authorization to attack, without the use of any cards.
Retaliation: Returning Fire and Counter-Attacking. The above discussion explains the constraints on the Borg initiating battles. When the collective's adversaries initiate the battle, however, the gloves come off. If your opponent initiates battle against your Borg, you are permitted by the battle rules to retaliate. Retaliation takes two forms. During the battle your opponent initiated, you may return fire. If your opponent initiated a starship battle, your Borg ship may return fire using its WEAPONS against the ship or ships that fired at it (and only against the ship or ships that fired at it). If your opponent initiated a personnel battle, your Borg personnel may return fire by using their STRENGTH to stun and mortally wound personnel in the crew or Away Team that attacked them (and only the personnel in the crew or Away Team that attacked them). Your Away Team or crew may return fire even if no defense subcommand Borg is present. On your turn immediately following the turn in which your opponent initiated an attack against your Borg, your Borg may counter-attack. No matter what kind of battle your opponent initiated, your Borg ships may target your opponent's ships and outposts, and your Borg personnel may target your opponent's personnel (if they are on the same planet, ship, or outpost). However, your counter-attack may only target opposing forces that are still at the same location where the previous attack was initiated, and each of your crews or Away Teams that counter-attacks must include a defense subcommand Borg.
Strategy Tip. If you want your opponent to start the battle (so you will have a larger number of targeting choices), you can try to force your opponent to attack you by seeding Conundrum, and by seeding Q-Flashes with a generous stock of The Issue Is Patriotism in your Q-Continuum side deck.
Since Borg Cubes are so powerful, you may wish to avoid battling them. This is largely in your control since the Borg have such tight requirements to meet before they can receive attack authorization. The simplest way to avoid battling the Borg is to forego attacking them. If your opponent has a Borg Cube nearby, don't kill that drone that used to be a key personnel before the Borg Servo assimilated her or him. Just leave it alone. Similarly, just ignore that Borg Scout Vessel that suddenly appeared when your ship encountered the Scout Encounter dilemma.
Avoiding battle brought on by an Eliminate Starship objective is more difficult, since the Borg player will often leave the objective hidden (Eliminate Starship may play as a Hidden Agenda) until s/he is in a position to attack your ship immediately. Should your ship survive the first battle (perhaps using Anti-Matter Spread, which will drop a fully staffed Borg Cube's WEAPONS to 19 or less under most circumstances, because all Borg drones have a CUNNING of 5 or 7 and no Borg currently has the ability to add to other Borg personnel's individual CUNNING scores), you may be able to return to your outpost and take advantage of its SHIELDS. Since the Eliminate Starship objective targets a particular ship, and not a particular crew, you may wish to get your crew off the targeted ship and onto another ship. Your Borg opponent receives no points for eliminating a starship, and must keep trying to destroy the ship until it is destroyed or until Eliminate Starship is replaced using A Change of Plans.
Personnel battles initiated by the Borg will generally be rare. Since Assimilate Counterpart is the only objective that permits the Borg to initiate Away Team battles, and since each collective may have only one counterpart in play at a time, Borg-initiated personnel battles should occur only once per game under most circumstances (but see the strategy tip above). As noted above, Borg drones are not particularly strong unless they are accompanied by Eight of Nineteen (Assault Drone) in multiples. On the other hand, Borg players know this, and are likely to stock multiple Eight of Nineteens if they are planning to assimilate a counterpart. Remember that when pursuing a target for assimilation as a counterpart, the Borg need not overcome that target in battle; all they need to do is engage that target in battle. Prepare Assault Teams allows you to split your forces, reducing the probability that the Borg targeting your personnel for assimilation as a counterpart will engage the target in personnel combat. You can also deprive the Borg of their prize by playing Mercy Kill on the target after abduction but before your Borg opponent's next turn (which, because of the requirement that the target be occupying an Assimilation Table combined with the fact that the target and his Borg escort are stopped after leaving the battle, is the earliest chance your Borg opponent will have to probe for the Assimilate Counterpart objective).
Whether you are playing Borg or anticipate playing against a Borg opponent, remember this: regardless of their capabilities, the Borg must have permission to initiate an attack. They can only get that permission from an objective, encountering a card that overrides affiliation attack restrictions, or the initiation of an attack by opposing forces.
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