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Commentary on the Stage 1 Command Cards for the Overmind Faction in Starcraft The Board Game.
I have the listed the three command cards for the Overmind in order from least favorite to my most favorite card to use.
Endless Hunger Command Card
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The Endless Hunger card is definitely my least favorite of the three command cards. On the surface, it seems quite beneficial. Endless Hunger grants the Overmind an additional one mineral and one vespane gas to their permanent resources. Over the course of the game this small amount of additional resources can end up adding a lot to the war effort.
The problem is that the trade off for this card is that the starting units for the Overmind are a lot less then the other two command cards. When playing as the Zerg, I play very aggressively. We have the most units in the game, so I like to put them to use. With the other command cards, I can get enough troops built up in the first turn to quickly expand to a second planet. Once the 2nd planet has been secured, I can easy bring in more minerals then the Endless Hunger Card would provide. With the limited amount of units provided by the Endless Hunger card, I actually found myself on the defensive early in the game.
The Swarm Command Card
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The Special Victory command card is the classic one. The special victory and starting forces on this card matches the starting information found on the Overmind Stat Sheet from the base game. I commented a little bit on the Overmind's special victory here, but I will go into it a little deeper.
Playing this card depends on two questions:
1) Are you playing aggressive? If you are not an aggressive player, do not throw down this card. You need to have a strong hold on three planets if you plan complete this special victory.
2) Are your opponents aggressive? Playing aggressive players will make completing the special victory more difficult. If you think you will be in for a fight for that third planet, it might be best to choose the Overmind card and go after the standard victory.
Too bad you cannot choose your command card after setting up the galaxy. Seeing the layout of the planets could make this choice much easier.
The Overmind Command Card
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The Overmind is my most favorite card because it is the best general purpose card. I like to win by being aggressive and go for the standard victory. Since the Overmind grants one additional command point per turn, this card goes along way to securing that victory.
Using this card is quite simple. Keep the Overmind protected and fight as normal. Be careful when taking on Arcturus Mengsk. His stage II command card Tactical Mastery can ruin your day. It gives him two command points per turn, which as you can see is better then your one. The best way to deal with him is to keep constant pressure on his planets and dissuade him from playing this card. I'll write an article on the Tactical Mastery card in the near future.
We will be reviewing Starcraft Brood War by Fantasy Flight Games on a future episode of the Tabletop Battlefield
