Strategy suggestions

[Raoul]

I'm about a half-dozen games into playing the Enterprise edition, but I'm still trying to figure out what sorts of game plans should be out there.

Is there, for example, much of an incentive to go for an all-one-race crew, or is it just a matter of picking up the best card at whatever XP level you can afford?

Are there situations where picking up two 4 drops would be better than an 8 drop?

About how soon can one reasonably expect to venture out to space? It seems like you have to have about 8+ attack or 4 diplomacy to risk it.

What can you do to avoid the runaway leader issue? In other words, I have played 2 or 3 player games where one player gets a 25 point starship, and it's basically all over from that point. They can go to space every turn and get points, while the other player(s) struggle to catch up. In a 4- or 5- player game, it seems like the others can gang up on that person long enough to attain some sort of equilibrium.

What are the key early purchases one should be looking to make, and what are cards to avoid?

Am I missing something, or are the Warp Speed/Shields/Impulse Drive cards somewhat lacking?

[Sprenger]

3 speed / 2 Diplomacy is when I start exploring. The worst that could happen is that you gain an ensign if you are destroyed.

Having shields is really not that important in this edition so Sheilds and Impulse is never worth it.

Personally I don't buy anything from Star Base (no matter how good it is) until I have at least 4 Commanders in my deck.

I never buy anything unless I can search out the next card revealed.

If I can't buy it and it is a good card I alway push it.

In the first set the Ferengi are my favorite of the 4 factions. Despite having the least amount of cards with diplomacy the attack and speed along with their abilities make them pretty awesome.

Finally Warp Speed is amazing. +5 speed and you get to discard to draw...

[Mr. Domino]

What makes this game so great is that there is no real "right way" to play it. I've played dozens and dozens of games, and they never ever go the same way. There is a good, solid use for every card in the set - certain cards may not fit everybody's play style, but there's not a single card in the set that doesn't have something to recommend it. The trick is figuring out which cards work for you, and (if you have a dedicated play group), which cards work for your opponents, so that you can get your own cards, and deny them theirs. I could post some in-depth strategies (and may still at some point), but a lot of what makes one successful in this game is knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the cards, and being adaptable to whatever hand you happen to be dealt. I've won games with 30+ card decks chock full of ensigns and starter cards (those are frustrating games) and I've lost games where I got down to a 5 card deck of pure badassery.

Actually, I think I have a project. I will try and come back here today and post a detailed write-up of all the maneuvers and setups in the Premiere Edition. I'm going to be bored at work, and this seems like a good use of my time.

[TribbleStew]

I would like to see more activity on this thread. I agree, what makes this game so fun is how many different strategies are possible. If your new to the game, i would advise focusing on getting cards with speed and diplomacy early on. The best thing that can happen to you is gaining a better flagship. Once that happens, any strategy will be easier to pull off.

Does anyone have any advanced/specialized strategies???
I would love to play games focusing on extreme strategies, just to see how they pan out:

1)Focus on Attack & Speed, no diplomacy (every hand has +15 attack)

2)Focus on slowing down your opponent i.e.: trashing, giving them lame cards, discarding (you win if you can drag the game on for 2 hours

3)Only buy Upgrading cards and Basic characters

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I guess thats all ive come up with so far. Has anyone played a game like this before? How did it turn out?

[qurgh]

I tend to start the game focusing on Speed and Diplo, along with Explore deck manipulating cards (sensor scan, etc).

If the people I'm playing against start picking up combat cards, or if I know my deck can easily do 11-12 diplo with ship stats, then I switch to grabbing a few combat cards. If they are getting damage cards, then I'll grab some shields or warp core.

If I'm playing catch up (others have grabbed the good diplo cards) then I'll go the combat route very quickly. While I can't do as many mission, I try and pull wars to blow up my opponents to pack their deck with Ensigns and slow them down.

In multi-player games, the metagame is very important. If you can convince others to team up against the leader, you can quickly knock them down a couple of pegs. This can be a lot of fun too, especially when you try and bluff your way out of being attacked.