One of the most exciting things a Player Expansion adds to Star Trek: Ascendancy is a new sense of adventure and discovery in the form of new Exploration Cards. The Cardassian Union Player Expansion adds ten new cards to the deck, introducing new challenges for civilizations as they explore the Galaxy.

The Cardassians are an aggressive people; their hunger for vital resources puts them in conflict with species across the quadrant. That aggressiveness theme carries through to the new Exploration Cards in the form of "Confrontations". A Confrontation is a Crisis Card that immediately puts rival players into conflict, forcing a choice between immediate hostilities, gunship diplomacy, or surprise annexation. If the Confrontation occurs in the early days of a civilization’s expansion, it could lead to a long and fruitful peace or decades of interstellar war. If a Confrontation occurs in the later days of expansion, a rival may gain an unintended foothold behind established borders. Regardless, the repercussion of a Confrontation Crisis will be keenly felt.

Cardassian 'Confrontation' Crisis
Klingon 'Confrontation' Crisis 

Peace often comes at a price and concessions must often be made on both sides. Cardassian Armistice Accords requires players to exchange control of worlds they control and rarely will those worlds be viewed as equal. One world may have a greater strategic location while another world may be richer in resources. These de facto demilitarized zones may lead to peace or may just exacerbate tensions between great empires. In the end the pioneering colonists who worked hard to establish a new home on alien soil, will see their dreams vanish as their world is handed to a foreign regime.
 Cardassian Armistice Accords


Cardassian negotiators may seem thuggish and combative, but they are subtle manipulators, often extracting concessions from their established trade partners. A Cardassian Delegation enriches the Union, ensuring that vital resources flow back to Cardassia Prime in greater quantities. The Delegation may also benefit a loyal friend of Cardassia boosting their bounty as well. However, the meticulousness and detail of Cardassian negotiations will mire unaligned rivals in bureaucratic red tape, with valuable shipments of resources lost to onerous regulations as they host these Cardassian disruptors.

Cardassian Delegation

With six Crisis Cards, two Discoveries and two Civilizations the Exploration Deck is sure to become even more unpredictable and exciting with the addition of the Cardassian Union Player Expansion to the game. Look for the Cardassian Union Player Expansion in stores later this fall! 


Later this week, prepare to enter into negotiations as the Ferengi Alliance Player Expansion preview arrives at the bargaining table.