In Star Trek: Ascendancy you may take control of the control of the Klingon Empire and guide it with a firm hand. Will you walk the path of the warrior and win by establishing Galactic Supremacy, invading and controlling the other players’ Home Systems? Or will your walk the path of the philosopher and achieve victory through Cultural Ascendancy by redeeming Culture Tokens, representing dedication to your civilization’s ideals? 

Klingons are single-minded in their pursuit of victory. This is reflected in the Special Rules that apply to the Klingon player. These rules appear on the player’s Control Console.

A Klingon player earns bonus Culture Tokens when they defeat worthy foes in heated space battles as a result of their Ever Victorious rule. Every time the Klingons can defeat three or more enemy ships in battle, they prove their worth. Once the Klingons engage in combat, they are honor-bound to see it through to the end. Because of their second rule, Death Before Dishonor, Klingon Starships and Fleets may not retreat from battle and the Klingon player may not Surrender their worlds during Planetary Invasions.

Each faction has a unique Advancement Deck. The Klingon’s deck improves upon their combat prowess and military production. Their Starting Advancement is the brutal Disruptor Technology; as a result of wielding these deadly weapons, Klingons always hit on Attack Rolls of 6, regardless of the strength of their opponent’s Shields. There are other Advancements the Klingons may pursue during the game. For example, when the Klingons construct Orbital Ship Yards, they may place a free Starship at every Starbase they control in the Build Phase of the game. And when they give themselves over to Klingon Battle Lust, they may refresh a Command Token whenever they Initiate a Space Battle and win without taking any causalities; their Battle Lust will also insure that they’ll engage their foes faster. Qapla’!

Klingon Fleets are deadly armadas, committed to victory and glory. A standard Klingon Fleet is one of the largest formations in the game; controlling so many headstrong warriors is difficult, so as a result, these groups do not have any special rules when they are commissioned. Smaller Fleets of Klingon Ships are formed with specific objectives in mind. A ruthless Marauder Fleet claims 1 Production for every rival Ship they destroy, but as a small formation, they are easy to break up in combat unless commanded by a true warrior.

The Klingons are not alone in their desire for galactic dominance. Next week we’ll study the calculating Romulan Star Empire.