If you are unfamiliar with Exode, it is an upcoming Hive Based Co-op PVE space colonization strategy/trading card game. Since it is on the Hive blockchain this means you can freely trade cards and play without any gas fees. All you need is a hive account which can be created when you register. You can learn more at the official website, look at the numerous posts on Hive or simply ask in the comments below.
The Baldie is one of my favorite ships in Exode, the challenge of using the bare minimum of crew and supplies is exciting. The latest challenge, to settle a planet using a Baldie, is also surprisingly good for new players to compete in. While it's nice to have options, you only need a bare minimum of cards. The only non-standard card you require is a Baldie Shuttle which is fairly accessible on the market.
If you are interested in the challenge, make sure you read the official post here
I am NOT involved in running the challenge. I am just trying to make it more accessible to new players.
To that end, if you haven’t bought your Exode starter deck(s) now, you should! If you use my referral code (984a3c4) you’ll get two free booster packs. In addition, I’ll send a Baldie to the first three people who use my code to enter this contest as well. You need to be quick though, the challenge ends Monday (and the free Baldie offer ends Sunday).
If you aren’t sold on the game yet, that’s ok, no pressure. The price of the starters isn’t going to change and I can understand wanting to wait until you can see more gameplay. While you can’t participate in the challenge without an account, you can still try your hand at deck building. I’ll walk you through the options provided by the starter deck bundle.
Spaceship
For the challenge the ship is easy, you HAVE to use a Baldie shuttle.
Origin
This card represents YOU. It determines what other cards are available to use based on the faction it grants. The three choices in the starters are Navy Lieutenant (Military), Ark Scientist (Science), and Elected Leader (Civilian). They each have a distinct playstyle and will provide benefits to units which share a faction with them.
Officers
Each of the starter origins allows you to take three officers with you. These are typically the most skilled people on your ship. With the starter decks your choices are fairly limited, since most of the officers can only be used by specific origin. The starter decks contain two versatile cards which can be used by any crew. These are the Communications Officer and Security Officer
If you chose the Navy Lieutenant as your origin, it grants you the Military faction. That allows you to take a Weapons Officer and Tactical Officer. As expected from the military they are combat focused.
If you chose the Ark Scientist, you will have the science faction. This gives you the most choices by adding the Research Officer, Exploration Officer, and Preservation Officer. They are research and exploration focused.
If you chose to be the Elected Leader then you have the least choices out of the box, but hopefully you will get more options from your free booster packs. The only civilian faction officer available is the Administrative officer. This means you don’t have any options unless you get other officers elsewhere.
Which origin and three officers would you choose? Please share your choices in the comments below!
Crew
The next decision you have to make is your crew. You get to choose two crew members, and despite some being faction limited you have a lot of options from the starter decks. There are 17 different cards to choose from and six of those can be used by any faction. The six versatile units are Space Surgeon, Life Searcher, Welfare Specialist, Maintenance Staff, Civilian Pilot, and Security Guard. They all have potential to be useful for this challenge.
The Military Origin has the most faction specific options. You can choose from a Military Pilot, Signals Specialist, Defense Specialist, Trooper, or Military Engineer in addition to the previous choices.
The Science Origin has the second most options. You can have access to a Xeno Analyst, Space Bioscientist, Animal Handler or Lab Scientist.
The Civilian Origin has the fewest faction specific options, only adding the Propaganda Specialist and Population Analyst to the list. Still you are choosing 2 cards from 8 options so this isn’t a problem.
The Starters contain highly usable crew members, and you have a lot of choices depending on your planetary strategy. Which two would you choose for the challenge?
Equipment
The next choice you have is equipment. The Baldie allows you to take one piece of equipment. The starters contain six different equipment items to choose from. Any origin can use Rare Plants Collection or the Federal Database.
The Military origin can bring along weapons and armor, so you will be prepared for a fight, or just hunting for dinner.
The Science Origin has Research Suits which will help three people survive in harsh environmental conditions.
Lastly the Civilian Origin will come bearing gifts. They have Diplomatic Gifts which unfortunately do not seem particularly useful for this challenge.
Which piece of equipment do you choose? Remember, you only have space for one card!
Passengers
Normally you would have passengers in your collection as well. Unfortunately the starters do not come with any so unless you received some in your booster packs you’ll have to leave these two slots empty. Based on this challenge, I don’t think this will actually hurt your chances. In the game they will have randomized stats and are extra mouths to feed in this challenge. If you really want them though, and are one of the first three people to use my referral code to join the contest, I will send you an Unstable Genius and Socialite as well.
Cargo
This is likely to be the part which will hurt the most in the competition. The starters do not contain any colony / cargo cards. The Baldie can take up to four items depending on size, and for this scenario you pretty much have to take supplies if you are going to try and survive on the moon or asteroid. Fortunately you should be able to get everything you need to survive on the water planet so you won’t automatically lose because of it. Unfortunately aside from a TOM Starter (which is not very useful) I don’t have any cards I can give away at this time.
For $20 that’s a decent amount of options! Just surviving the first day of the challenge will win you free prizes as well. If you want to participate, you have until Monday morning to submit your entry.
I know that’s not much time, and I wanted to post this sooner, but sadly my schedule didn’t allow it.
If you want to use my referral code, you’ll want to buy your starter deck ASAP to ensure there is enough time to get your two free boosters and four extra cards from me (the Baldie, Unstable Genius, Socialite, and TOM Starter). While only the first three people to use my referral code (984a3c4) to enter the contest get free cards directly from me, everyone who does will get the bonus boosters directly from Exode.
Even if you aren’t going to officially enter I’d love to hear what build you choose to use in the comments below. If you are curious about my entry, you can view it here.
Thanks for reading and good luck!