When the Emperor of the Klingon Empire makes a request, how can the Spacedock refuse? Hence, at the command of Kahless:
The I.K.C. Chang's uses:
BaH!: The first thing that sticks out about the I.K.C. Chang, of course, is its marvelous attributes. Weapons 9 is sufficient to damage most ships, while Shields 9 would be superb for a Federation vessel--making it truly awe-inspiring in the Klingon fleet. Both these attributes and its remarkable Range of 10 make the I.K.C. Chang a superb vessel for battle-based decks, with high Range to get to the fight and superb Weapons and Shields to win it.
Do The Locomotion With Me: Of course, the I.K.C. Chang can do more than fight. Those same attributes that made it a battle-ready vessel also make it an excellent mission-completion ship. High Range gets the I.K.C. Chang to missions (even on space-dominated spacelines), and the best Shields in the Klingon Defense Force protects the I.K.C. Chang against the depredations of attacking ships. Add in a Cloaking Device (marvelous for avoiding bothersome stoppages due to combat), Holodeck (allowing the use of Fek'lhr--come get me, Borg invaders!), and Tractor Beam (Radioactive Garbage Scows, beware!), and the I.K.C. Chang shapes up to be a superb mission-completion ship.
Not Every Ship Can Take The Future Enterprise... : ...but the I.K.C. Chang can. With its Nemesis Icon, the I.K.C. Chang can wipe out the FE (when the Pasteur is in play) or the U.S.S. Pasteur without ever firing a shot. This means that the I.K.C. Chang can destroy two of the Federation's most useful ships without even being stopped by the battle!
"Isn't That A Bit Frilly For A Klingon?:" Not only does the I.K.C. Chang have the aforementioned Cloaking Device, Holodeck, Tractor Beam, and Nemesis Icon, but it *also* has a marvelous special ability--when in play at the same time as the I.K.C. Fek'lhr, both ships require one less AU personnel to crew--a valuable two-ships-for-the-AU requirement-of-one deal. Even without the I.K.C. Fek'lhr, the I.K.C. Chang is not especially difficult to crew (see the discussion of staffing in Spacedock #1: I.K.C. Fek'lhr). In addition, the I.K.C. Fek'lhr also gets the I.K.C. Chang 's Nemesis Icon--great for destroying both the Future Enterprise and the U.S.S. Pasteur on the same turn! Combine all of these items with Captain's Log benefits from the endlessly useful Governor Worf, and the I.K.C. Chang seems a very frilly ship, indeed!
And yet, there is trouble in paradise...
"A Blaster Is A Good Weapon, But It Can Point Both Ways:" The advantage of the Nemesis Icon is obvious--but the price it exacts is high. Even as the I.K.C. Chang can destroy two of the Federation's best ships, the Federation can do the same to the Klingons. In fact, the Federation has the advantage in this matter; the Future Enterprise and U.S.S. Pasteur both have higher Ranges than the Klingon vessels, and so are more likely to get the drop on their foes.
Final Analysis: The I.K.C. Chang offers many, many advantages--and one overwhelmingly nasty disadvantage. In fact, the Nemesis Icon disadvantage the I.K.C. Chang suffers from largely relegates the ship to second-line duty, since it is unsafe to use when the opponent is playing Federation (although at other times it should be safe enough). In all, the I.K.C. Chang is entirely worth including in a Klingon deck--it may just not be worth playing.
Next Week: The Spacedock risks assimilation as it delves into the bowels of the Queen's Borg Cube (at the request of Elim).
The Spacedock would like to apologize to Terix for failing to publicly state his requests for this review and Spacedock #8: U.S.S. Enterprise-C. The Spacedock would also like to thank Issac Asimov.
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Feel free to e-mail Phalanx
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