Zocalo - the Neutrals
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Collectible Card Game Corner
Contributed by Steve Crow <Steve_Crow@ncs.com>
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Part 5 - The Neutrals

Before we begin, the category "Neutral" is applied to any character who is  not specifically a member of one of the four factions.  This can be a bit confusing.  Catherine Sakai and Cynthia Torqueman are listed as "Neutrals" even though they are Humans.  Hopefully this won't prove confusing if a future card targets "Humans."  Kosh Naranek is also a Neutral character - if the Vorlons in future become an actual faction (as is hinted at in the rulebook), his use by other factions may be disallowed.

The best way to look at the Neutrals is to go down the list and see what each one contributes to particular strategies.

Catherine Sakai:  Good for finding Locations, which suggests she is best suited to an Earth deck (four Locations).  The Narn (two Locations, both fleet-oriented) can also gain some benefits from her just because their Locations are important to an attack strategy.

Cynthia Torqueman:  Who cares?  She can contribute to any number of conflicts, but with only one Diplomacy this is negligible unless you increase her Diplomacy.

Dan Randall:  Useful in a two-player game for practically anyone, but in a 3+ player game you can probably find better things to do with three Influence.

Disaffected Narn, Human, Centauri, Minbari:  I've never particularly seen the need to bring in characters from other races - there are enough Events to cover racial weaknesses (the Narn's lack of Intrigue, for instance) that "borrowing" from a race with that attribute seems unnecessary.  These Disaffected characters are as good as any method if you pursue this route.

Elric:  Only really useful if you use the Centauri without a Shadow strategy.  There is currently only one card that requires a Seeress. The release of other such cards may increase the need for this Technomage.

Jason Ironheart:  He has the potential to become the most powerful Psi-type in the game.  Good for an end-game, when you need the boost and want to immobilize a character for just a few turns with Psi Attack

Jha'Dur:  Useful to the Narn, as she can give them a quick early-game boost before anybody _can_ rotate to attack the fleet she leads.  Also good with powerful fleets.  Place her on the Minbari Gray Council Fleet and nobody will dare to rotate to attack her (18 strength) fleet.

Lyta Alexander: Comes in the Earth starter deck.  However, she is better suited to the Minbari (due to his discount cost based on number of Vorlon marks).  This makes her, appropriately enough, a prime target for Vorlon Enhancement.

Marcus Cole:  If you're going to pursue a Ranger-based strategy, use him. However, I'm not that impressed with either of the Ranger-oriented Groups (Rangers Surveillance, Ranger Strike Team).  But he is one of the few non-Narn characters with a Strife mark.  Give him a Concealed Weapon and send him out against Intrigue-type characters.

Mary Ann Cramer:  Good for starting and ending wars.

Morden:  Unbelievably powerful, and a must in any Shadow deck.  He starts with 6 Intrigue, and reduces the cost of Shadow-based cards considerably. All for a mere eight Influence cost.  If you favor the Shadows, it's well-worth putting him in your starting hand.

Mr. Adams:  A must for Dilbert fans.  Useful for practically anyone - even the Centauri if they are using the Knowledge is Power Agenda.

N'Grath:  Initially cheap, but he is too easily bought off against you. You'll probably end up paying more to get him to work for you than if you just sponsor a character with the same Intrigue that you control.

Rogue Soul Hunter and Soul Hunter:  These both seem to do about the same thing.  They 're not bad, particularly if you use a heavy duty Soul strategy using Knowledge of the Soul and Harvest Souls.  However, Free the Souls, an Intrigue Conflict, is playable even if there are no Soul Hunters in play, and gives an Intrigue-type a practically free shot at playing Intrigue Aftermaths.  Most people won't bother trying to oppose this Conflict, and most may want to make sure Soul Hunters don't come into play. So using them is a risk.  However, if you plan on taking out a lot of characters with attacks, Kidnapping and Attack Pawn conflicts, etc., they can be useful to you.

Kosh Naranek:  A very odd "character," since he becomes a Group once he enters play.  A must-have for Vorlon decks, particularly the Minbari. He is great for generating "purgeable" Vorlon marks so that Delenn et al don't have to purge their more "permanent" marks.

Generally, Neutrals should be selected for your particular deck strategy, rather than tossed in willy-nilly.  Some are vital, some are inconsequential.  Choose carefully.

Next week:  Babylon 5 - the station