So what the heck is
Star Trek: ConQuest Online? Well, I’ll tell you what it is and highlight the important terms.
Star Trek: ConQuest is an online turn-based strategy game that is similar (in style) to chess, set in the genre of Star Trek.
Online: The only thing you can do with this game while offline is play the cumbersome tutorial and manage your game pieces.
Turn-based: The reason why this game will fail in the realm of online games is found in one word -- turn-based. There aren’t many people out there who want to hook up over the internet to play someone in a turned-based game. I admit, the game is fun, and there is no way to make it real time, but no one really wants to play multiplayer turned-based games on the net.
Strategy: As depicted from the Q faced box, this is a game of cunning, guile, and mainly strategy. If you don’t like to think five moves ahead, find another game.
Chess: This game plays somewhat similar to chess. Let me explain. The game foundation is the same. You have to make a move in response to your opponents move while setting up your next move. More on this later.
Star Trek: Well, if you know even a little about Star Trek (and I know you do), then you will have no problem understanding each game piece. Everything is set in the Star Trek universe.
Okay, here’s the game. You are a Q (apparently, there are many Qs in the universe), and your opponent is a Q. The object to the game is to beat the other Q. When a Q starts and ends a turn on a planet he doesn’t control, he loses. The Q is the “king” piece. The game runs on the point system. You get points from your Q and all the planets that you control. You use points to deploy, move, attack, and defend pieces.
Star Trek: ConQuest Online consists of three phases: deploy, attack, and movement. The pieces span different Trekkie races (Federation, Borg, Klingon...) and items such as ships, people, and objects. Each piece has abilities and point allocations. You start your registered character with 40 or so default pieces. To add rare and more powerful pieces to your arsenal, you can trade with other players, auction off for other pieces, or purchase them (this is where the credit card comes in).
Overall, the game is fun, but turn-based multiplay gets very old, and don’t insult me with this purchase addition pieces stuff! This game will not make it. It is a shame because it’s a good game; it’s just not implemented right.