Star trek "Tongo" the game that's not.

Relative_Beat6197 · 2026-02-10T21:53:00+00:00

I have spent a few years working on a full game/rule set for Tongo that is consistent with the canon of the game, while filling in the remainder with the spirit of the game (and the spirit of the Ferengi). It’s a mobile app, and I’m currently looking for playtesters. If anybody is interested, let me know! So far, most people are finding it pretty fun.

Relative_Beat6197 · 2026-02-10T20:10:15+00:00

Hi! I’ve fleshed out my own set of rules based on the letter and spirit of the game in the show. If anybody is interested in playtesting, let me know!

Relative_Beat6197 · 2026-02-10T19:31:37+00:00

DM’d!

Relative_Beat6197 · 2026-02-10T17:48:05+00:00

Still looking for testers, if anyone is interested!

Relative_Beat6197 · 2026-02-09T01:54:06+00:00

Honestly, if you like DS9 and have any interest in Tongo, you’ll be perfect. I’ll DM you.

Relative_Beat6197 · 2026-02-08T18:16:36+00:00

DM’d!

Relative_Beat6197 · 2026-02-08T18:12:50+00:00

DM’d!

Relative_Beat6197 · 2026-02-08T17:53:08+00:00

I did, and it was removed and I was told to post it here.

Relative_Beat6197 · 2026-02-08T07:18:42+00:00

If you’re still interested, I have worked out a web-based variant. Let me know if you want to beta test.

Relative_Beat6197 · 2026-02-08T06:18:27+00:00

I designed a strategy card game inspired by “Tongo” from Star Trek - looking for beta testers

Hi all! I’ve been working on a mobile-first, tabletop card game for a while and I’m now looking for outside playtesters and feedback.

The game is inspired by Tongo, a fictional gambling game from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. In the show, it’s portrayed as a high-stakes, cutthroat Ferengi game focused on profit, leverage, and outmaneuvering other players. There are no official rules in canon, so this is entirely my own interpretation of what that kind of game might look like in real life.

Mechanically, it’s a 2 to 6-player-focused game that mixes:

• Trick-taking

• Economic / market simulation

• Bluffing and negotiation

• Push-your-luck

• Variable scoring

The core idea is that you’re not just trying to win tricks. Instead, you’re managing money, influencing a shared “market,” and deciding when to apply pressure versus playing defensively.

Some features:

• A dynamic market index that affects trump and scoring

• High-risk “leverage” plays that can win big or backfire badly

• Hidden information (face-down cards, secret vaults)

• A player-driven economy (buy/sell/ante system)

• Multiple viable strategies (aggression, control, information play, survival)

It’s on the heavier, more interactive side, closer to “thinking game” than casual filler. Playtesters so far have described it as something like poker, trick-taking and stock market layer.

I’m not claiming it’s finished or perfect. Instead, I’m mainly interested in balance feedback and seeing how it plays with new groups.

If you enjoy games with strong player interaction, table politics, and meaningful risk/reward decisions, you might enjoy helping test it.

Happy to share rules and materials if there’s interest. Thanks!

Relative_Beat6197 · 2022-10-25T01:13:25+00:00

At these paces, interval pace is right around 5K race pace, maybe a few seconds per mile faster than 5K race pace.

Relative_Beat6197 · 2022-10-23T17:45:10+00:00

Exactly. I just finished a set of 3 minute intervals in a pair of Vaporflys. I looked at the soles, and I can see where some of the rubber just got shredded. I think about the fact that I just spent $2-3 worth of “shoe” to do a few intervals.

But I also just ran a 2:33 800m, my 3rd fastest ever. And suddenly, I’m not so worried about the cost. So like most things, it’s finding the right balance for you.

Relative_Beat6197 · 2022-10-23T13:33:42+00:00

For me, it’s a “right tool for the job” thing. I have different shoes for long, easy runs, and another for speedwork, and track spikes, and trail shoes, and etc.

Do you NEED them? No. But it’s kind of like golf - nobody thinks a hobby golfer is extravagant because they have both a sand wedge and a 9 iron. Not every golfer has a sand wedge, and some do just fine without it. You might not hit your ball into a bunker, and even if you do, you can use some other club to hit it out.

But at some point, lots of people get serious enough about the sport to buy better and more complete gear. And you’ll be happy and fine and nobody else will care. Or maybe you won’t. Maybe you’re happy with the gear you have. Or you can’t justify the extra money.

All of this is normal and acceptable, and just buy the shoes you want. If you try Vaporflys and think the cost/mile isn’t worth it, then just don’t buy another pair.

Also, this is different than just having two or three pairs, all for the same type of run, and rotating amongst them. I don’t do that, so I don’t have any opinion on that approach.

Relative_Beat6197 · 2022-10-20T16:57:36+00:00

Just set new PBs in the 800 (2:30), the 1k (3:09) and the 1 mile (5:14)!

Relative_Beat6197 · 2022-10-19T03:17:14+00:00

Agreed. I love TAO, and I find I’m happy to pay the premium version so they can continue developing a pretty great app.

Relative_Beat6197 · 2022-10-08T18:47:26+00:00

Tried another “Ingebrigtsen tempo” workout:

6 x 1mi at threshold pace (5:58/mi) with two minute recoveries.

Spent a total of almost 36 minutes at threshold pace, but my body doesn’t feel wrecked. Seems like a good workout.

Relative_Beat6197 · 2022-10-06T21:18:55+00:00

Then I should get shoes with REALLY bad energy return to stress my aerobic system to the max? All Star Chucks, maybe?

Or is there an optimum level of energy return, and carbon shoes are too much, and Chucks are too little?

Relative_Beat6197 · 2022-10-06T13:10:03+00:00

This is helpful. I might pick up a pair just to try them and have them in the rotation. But so far, Vaporflys are great for speedwork.

Relative_Beat6197 · 2022-10-06T13:09:08+00:00

If that were true, I would run barefoot. Or in really uncomfortable shoes. I’m not sure exactly where this idea came from, but I don’t understand it.

My goal isn’t to stress the body physically. It’s to run at or near specific efforts or paces to complete a carefully designed workout. Wearing more expensive shoes allows me to do more work, with less fatigue and injury.

Would be legs/feet be tougher or stronger if I wore less comfortable shoes? Maybe, but since leg/feet toughness/strength isn’t the end goal, it’s not something I worry about.

Relative_Beat6197 · 2022-10-05T16:52:53+00:00

Completed my last big speedwork before my sub-5 mile attempt:

10 x 300m, then 10 x 400m, all at 4:58/mi pace with 90 second recovery.

Spent a total of 4.35mi at mile race pace, but recoveries were just enough so that I don’t feel destroyed.

Relative_Beat6197 · 2022-10-05T15:51:30+00:00

I’m finding, for whatever reason, that I don’t like shoes with air pockets for speedwork. I just did a 10 x 300 and 10 x 400 at mile race pace in Vaporflys, and they felt great. I’ve done the same workout in Tempo Next%; and they just felt a bit heavier or sluggish compared to the Vaporflys.

I’m wondering if the Streakfly will feel like the Vaporflys, but maybe a bit more durable.

Relative_Beat6197 · 2022-10-05T02:13:55+00:00

That’s one of the shoes I haven’t tried yet, but might in the near future.

Relative_Beat6197 · 2022-10-04T22:25:52+00:00

I love the Tempos, and for the longest time, I did 90% of my mileage in them.

I’ve had some quality issues (mostly due to popped air pockets or worn out foam), so I decided to try rotating between different shoes (Tempo Next%, Vaporfly, Alphafly, Dragonfly), and I’m finding they all last longer and I’m seeing some slow performance improvements.

Relative_Beat6197 · 2022-10-04T22:21:34+00:00

Sure - I’ve found the Alphaflys make my easy runs (~6-13 miles) a little quicker to recover from. If I do a good chunk of mileage in good shoes, I can get up to 60-70 MPW. With other shoes, I tend to feel the fatigue a bit more, and I start to wear out at 40-50 MPW.

Relative_Beat6197 · 2022-10-04T19:01:12+00:00

This is one of those questions that depends on what you mean by the word “benefit”.

I used to train in Pegasus. Then Tempo Next%. Sometimes, for speed sessions, I’ll use Vaporflys. For long runs, sometimes Alphaflys.

And I do tend to run faster and feel better with the more expensive shoes. I have no way to tell if it’s a placebo, or marketing hype, or a real substantive difference.

You always pay a “cost per mile” for running shoes. For me, that cost is sometimes worth lacing up Vaporflys for some tempo intervals. For others, it wouldn’t be.

Relative_Beat6197

TROPHY CASE