“You can't outrun them, you can't destroy them. If you damage them the essence of what they are remains; they regenerate and keep coming. Eventually you will weaken, your reserves will be gone... They are relentless."
-- Q

The Borg are invading Gale Force Nine’s Star Trek: Ascendancy hobby board game! The Borg Assimilation expansion adds an all-new threat the game. The Borg are an independent menace, attacking players’ ships and assimilating civilized worlds; and if they are not dealt with, they could overwhelm the Galaxy. Can the great civilizations put aside their rivalries long enough to face the Borg as a united front? Or will they try to combat the Borg onslaught individually, seizing Borg technology for themselves to further their own agendas of galactic supremacy?


The Borg can imperil the game in two ways. Players will encounter the Borg while exploring the Galaxy; a ship may discover a Borg Cube when they explore a new system or they may discover an entire planet that has already been assimilated by the Borg. Or players may start the game with the Borg invading the Alpha Quadrant by placing the Transwarp Hub System Disc in play. Each turn, a Borg Cube may emerge from the Transwarp Hub and attempt to assimilate players and neutral civilizations. Any System assimilated by the Borg will begin to build new Borg Cubes!

 

Borg Console

The Borg act independently from other players, taking their actions during the game round just as if they were another player, starting with receiving a random Turn Order Card.


When the Borg turn begins, they build new Assimilation Nodes on Borg-controlled worlds. When enough nodes have been added, the Borg World builds and then launches a new Cube. Each Cube then takes a series of actions. First a Cube will engage any players’ ships in adjacent Sectors in space combat. A Borg Cube is formidable in battle, so players with have to muster vast fleets of Starships if they hope to defeat the Borg. The Borg attack indiscriminately, so players from opposing factions may find themselves making a stand together against the Cube. The Cube will adapt during combat, so if it cannot be dispatched quickly, the Cube may become almost invulnerable to attack as it cuts a swath of destruction through the players’ Ships and Fleets.


Borg Command Cards

Next, a Borg Command Card is drawn for the Cube and the Cube will execute the orders on that card, often moving towards developed star systems targeted for assimilation. Just like players, the Borg may establish new Space Lanes to reach their targets. Finally, if Cube ends its movement in a developed system, it will attack the world in an attempt to assimilate the population and its technology. If successful, the Borg will erect a Spire on the planet to harvest its resources and construct additional Cubes. Then the next Cube will execute its actions until every Cube in play has taken a turn. Unless players can deal with the onslaught of the Borg, they threaten to overrun the quadrant! 


Borg Tech Cards

Facing the Borg is risky, but defeating a Borg Cube or Reclaiming a Borg World rewards the victory with Borg Tech; salvaged technology that can be used to advance a civilization’s own ends or vital tactics that can be brought to bear in a civilization’s next encounter with the Borg. Some Borg Tech cards mimic the rules for Advancement Cards and must be further researched at an open Research Node before they can be utilized; others require no further research and are put directly into play. Some Borg Tech cards are one-use advantages that are then discarded when they are played; others are persistent Advancements that can influence the remainder of the game.




Borg Cube
Borg Spire & Assimilation Node


The game expansion contains everything you need to add this galactic threat to your game, including a Borg Command Console and Cube Combat Card, 5 Borg Cubes, 5 Borg Spires, and 15 Borg Assimilation Nodes as well as 20 Borg Tech Cards, 30 Borg Command Cards, 7 new System Discs and 20 Borg-themed Exploration Cards.


While the Borg represent an existential threat to the entire Galaxy, a player’s goal remains the same: to become the dominant civilization - either through cultural ascendancy or military conquest. The onslaught of the Borg makes that goal much more difficult to achieve!


It’s all hands to battle stations when Star Trek: Ascendancy – Borg Assimilation invades game stores later this year!



Assimilate more Borg information in the coming weeks here at www.startrek.gf9games.com