Ch'Pok
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| Ch'Pok |
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As I worked on the review for Martok I ended up doing a partial review for the Klingon equivalent of a lawyer. I wonder what the Klingon word for lawyer is anyway. Probably translates as vile parasite or some other bleepable word. At any rate let's take a look at Ch'Pok, Klingon advocate, tormentor of Worf and all around pain in the rear.
When I first looked at him I was not overly impressed. Many skills but nothing super exciting. Diplomacy, Computer Skill, Treachery are around in abundance. Law so far has little enough use especially for Klingons which leaves Biology which is not bad but can be gotten elsewhere. So why use Ch'Pok.
First off let's take a closer look at those skills. He does have Diplomacy x2 which gives him a distinction among other Klingons as he is the only Klingon with it at times two. This can be very useful in passing Q-Net, Nagilum and Shaka, When the Walls Fell. Sure you could use Dathon but so can every other affiliation. How about Treachery. This is probably his weakest skill all around. Not a lot of call for Treachery. Could be useful for a few missions. Khitomer Research comes to mind. Outside of a few more exotic strategies that is about it. Law is becoming more popular with Blaze of Glory. The new Space Mission wall drumhead will bring him out of some binders if nothing else. Currently he is the only source of Law. We may get another in Blaze of Glory but we may not. At any rate he will get you by this dilemma. How about Computer Skill. With Empok Nor and the new Commandeer Starship card in Blaze you probably will need several and he is one of many sources. Finally there is Biology which Klingons on the whole have been somewhat lacking in. The combo of Aphasia Device/Tarellian Plague ship is one of the nastier combos and require 2 Biology. Since he is not Medical he makes for an excellent source when attempting to get buy this combo as he will not be picked off by Hippocratic Oath which seems to lead off the combo even if a Medical Kit is present. At any rate you can see his skills are very useful in many decks for dilemmas as well as for commandeering facilities and ships.
Really though I feel that Ch'Pok's strength lies primarily in his mix of skills. All the skills except Law can be gotten from other source but no other Klingon has this particular mix. Why is that important? Well, as some of you may have read in my review of Martok he makes a great partner for the One-eyed general for mission solving. There are 5 missions that he and Martok can complete on there own, one of which is universal. (Search for Weapons, Secret Salvage, A Good Place to Die, Cloaked Mission and Fever Emergency) Not only that but two others Study, "Hole in Space" and Pegasus Search, can be completed by them and any 4 or 5 other Klingons that are high in Integrity. Pegasus Search and Fever Emergency could be set up as a possible two mission win that even "The Big Picture" can't stop. All you need is a few bonus points say Arbiter of Succession and Klingon Death Yell. At any rate you could build a balanced spaceline based solely around this "Dynamic Klingon Duo" and have your opponent scratching his head wondering what on Qo'noS you were doing with that crazy mission skill mix. There are several other Missions he can really help you complete. Khitomer Research, Establish Relations and Impose Order are just a few. He also would fit will in a Klingon Bio-Medical deck, a Klingon Treachery deck or a Klingon Diplomacy deck all of which are not unheard of even if a couple are unusual.
Also don't forget that he has Treachery. In a Klingon deck you may need it if you plan on using Reflection Therapy since so many Klingons have Honor. And he provides the Law and Treachery needed for Extradition. Who knows what other uses Treachery will have in Blaze of Glory. You may want to try building a Klingon Capture deck, which I would think Ch'Pok would figure prominently in.
All in all he is a very solid card. He does well at solving missions and passing dilemmas. He also provides some of the needed skills to commandeer ships and facilities as well as capturing opposing personnel. He may not be needed in every Klingon deck you build but you would do well to consider him as he is a Klingon of many talents and just like with real lawyer we find that we may not be able to live without him even if we want to. So until next time.
Qapla'!
Koloth
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Koloth. This page last updated on November 23, 1999. |
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