Cosmic Encounter Frequently Asked Questions
by Kurt Adam (mage@vt.edu)
Welcome to rec.games.board.ce. This newsgroup is for discussing the
game Cosmic Encounter (CE). General topics include rules and timing
questions, new expansions, powers and flares, and general gaming
discussion.
Many FAQs, including this one, are available on the archive site
rtfm.mit.edu in the directory pub/usenet/news.answers. The name under
which a FAQ is archived appears in the Archive-name line at the top of
the article. This FAQ is archived as games/cosmic-encounter-faq.
Note that FAQs are available at this site, but NOTHING ELSE. This is
not the general CE archive site which is described below. This FAQ is
also available by WWW using http://www.vt.edu:10021/cns/mage/ce.html.
If you do not have ftp, you can request messages from rtfm by using
the local mail server. Send mail to mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu contain-
ing the line "send usenet/news.answers/games/cosmic-encounter-faq" to
get this file. Send a message containing "help" to get general
information about the mail server. The rtfm mail server can ONLY be
used to obtain FAQs. It cannot be used to get files from the CE
archive site.
The CE archive contains many materials including powers, expansions
and clarifications from back issues of Encounter (the CE newsletter,
see below).
If you have any additions/corrections to this file, please email them
to Kurt Adam (mage@vt.edu).
* 0. Table of Contents
* 1. What is Cosmic Encounter?
* 2. How is the game played?
* 3. What versions of CE are available?
* 4. What comes with the game?
* 5. What is Encounter and how can I get it?
* 6. Where can I get additional stuff?
* 7. General timing questions
* 8. Questions about powers
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1. What is Cosmic Encounter?
Cosmic Encounter is a board game first developed by Eon Games, then
briefly distributed by West End Games and Games Workshop, and now being
distributed by Mayfair Games. Cosmic Encounter is a trademark of Mayfair
Games.
In it each player plays the part of an alien trying to conquer the
universe. Each player's alien has a power that allows it to break some
of the game's rules. The interaction of the powers during conflicts is
the basis of the enjoyment of the game.
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2. How is the game played?
The game is rather simple: Each player has a "home system" with 5
planets in it, and 20 tokens, which start the game evenly distributed
across the 5 home planets. The object of the game is to establish bases
on 5 foreign planets. A base is any number of tokens on a single planet.
Any number of opposing players may have a base on the same planet.
Cards are dealt and the order of play is established. Then the first
player is directed by a colored card to the system in which s/he must
make her/his first attack. S/he designates which of the home bases there
s/he'll attack and deploys 1-4 free tokens to a cone representing the
attack field. The defending player (who is the owner of the system)
defends with whatever tokens are on the planet being attacked. Each side
in the challenge can ask other players to ally with 1-4 free tokens.
Each main player then plays a challenge card face down (challenge cards
include attack cards numbered from 1 to 40 and compromise cards). After
cards are revealed, the card number is added to the total of the main
player's and allies' tokens on that side of the challenge...higher total
wins. If a compromise card is played it indicates that that side loses,
but the player who played a compromise card takes consolation cards from
her/his opponent's hand. If both players play a compromise, they have 1
minute to make a deal which can include exchanging bases, cards or some
other immediate actions.
Winning tokens on the offense get to establish a base on the planet
attacked. Winning allied tokens on the defense gain their owner rewards,
either new cards or freed tokens. Winning main player tokens on the
defense get nothing. All losing tokens go to the "warp" where they're
not free for use.
Each player is entitled to a second challenge if their first challenge
is successful. Play then continues around the board.
In addition, each player has an alien power which lets her/him break a
rule in a particular way to her/his benefit. There are cards in players'
hands (called flares and edicts) that grant temporary or instantaneous
powers, such as freeing tokens from the warp, re-establishing home
bases, etc. There are cards that act to multiply an attack card played.
And many more game extensions that give CE it's character and it's
unpredictability. This unpredictability is what makes the game so
exciting!
There are also many game extensions that add additional twists to the
game (e.g. moons, lucre, alternate hexes, praw, flares, ...) Many
additional powers and new game extensions have been invented by CE
players, some of which are available through the archive (see below).
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3. What versions of CE are available?
The original Eon sets as well as the West End and Games Workshop
versions are long out of print. The only version that is available new
right now is the Mayfair one.
Mayfair publishes three sets: Cosmic Encounter, More Cosmic Encounter
and Simply Cosmic Encounter. Cosmic Encounter is required to play with
More Cosmic Encounter. The basic set gives 48 aliens (and their flares),
6 hexes (with reverse hexes), warp, cone, cards
More Cosmic Encounter gives 54 more powers (and flares), Moons, Lucre,
Special Destiny Cards, Comets and more.
Simply Cosmic Encounter is a stripped-down introductory set. It contains
enough for four people to be introduced to the game. It includes 8
aliens (Filch, Grief, Laser, Loser, Mind, Sorcerer, Warpish, and
Zombie), 4 sets of hexes and tokens (in different colors than the
original basic set), warp, cone and cards.
The trading card version of Cosmic Encounter has been cancelled.
Mayfair is working on a new expansion, tentatively titled A Bit More
Cosmic. It will include 35 new powers with Flares and Novas and two sets
of hexes and tokens (dark green and brown). It is currently in playtest,
and is planned for release in late this year or early next year.
Also, an expansion called Cosmic Novas is planned for release before
Christmas. It will contain only cards that add Eon-style flares (called
Novas) which are not discarded after use.
Finally, Mayfair is planning a second edition of the basic set and More
Cosmic Encounter with new art. However, these won't be released until
the backstock of the current edition is depleted.
Mayfair's address is: Mayfair Games
5641 Howard Street
Niles, IL 60714
(800) 647-9650
(708) 647-9650
(mayfair@aol.com)
Mayfair now has a web site at http://www.coolgames.com/, but there's not
a lot there at the moment.
Eon published the base set and nine expansions. The Eon editions do
occasionally get auctioned off either at cons or on the net, but they do
get expensive (a complete Eon set with all 9 expansions recently went
for $200).
The West End sets have also been sighted (albeit less frequently).
I have never seen a Games Workshop version.
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4. What comes with the game?
The two Mayfair sets contain the following:
Basic Set
48 Alien powers (with flares):
94 Cards
Attack 40(1), 30(1), 20(2), 19(1), 18(1), 17(1), 16(1), 15(4),
14(2), 13(1), 12(5), 11(2), 10(6), 9(2), 8(8), 7(4), 6(8), 5(2),
4(2), 1(1). Compromise(17). Edicts(22).
6 Planet Hexes (with reverse hexes on the back)
6 Token sets: Red, Blue, Yellow, Purple, Light Blue, Orange.
1 Warp Hex
1 Hyper-Space Cone
1 Rule Book
More Cosmic Encounter
54 Alien powers (with flares):
88 Cards
Attack 20(1), 19(1), 18(1), 17(1), 16(1), 15(2), 14(1), 13(3),
12(2), 11(3), 10(3), 9(4), 8(3), 7(3), 6(3), 5(1), 4(3), 1(1),
0(2), -1(1), -4(1), -5(1), -6(1), -8(1). Compromise(11).
Kickers(9). Reinforcements(15). Edicts(10).
26 Destiny Cards (including 16 Comets)
100 Lucre counters
100 Moons
1 Rule Book covering the extra components
A parts list for the other versions is located at
http://www.gamecabinet.com/ruleComments/CosmicEncounterComponents.html.
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5. What is Encounter and how can I get it?
Encounter was the support magazine for Eon's games and originally
published by Eon. The magazine contained rules questions and
clarifications, new powers and expansions for CE as well as things for
their other games. 6 issues were released while the game was produced by
Eon.
After Mayfair began producing CE, it also revived Encounter. However,
after 3 issues they ceased publication. Mike Arms (marms@sandia.gov),
the editor, is working on starting it up again, but right now it is
officially "on hiatus".
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6. Where can I get additional stuff?
Double Exposure, Inc. has an informational web page about the World
Cosmic Encounter Championship that will take place in July. Their page
can be found at http://www.io.com/~doublex/.
Aaron Fuegi (aarondf@bu.edu) maintains a web page of all variants and
expansions that have been posted the rec.games.board.ce or sent to him
(including Bad Powers, Moons List, Zodiac, Quarks, Elementals, Skill
Tokens and Rogues Power). They can be found at
http://www.bu.edu/~aarondf/cosmic/.
Steve Staton (steve@deltos.com) has converted the complete rule book
from Eon's ninth expansion set into Postscript. The two files (one for
the main book and the other for the appendix listing all the powers,
moons, etc.) can be found on the web at
http://www.deltos.com/Cosmic.html or by anonymous FTP at
ftp://ftp.deltos.com/pub/
The FTP site has many interesting tidbits (listed below).
Those without web access can use anonymous FTP. The host is
alpha.gnu.ai.mit.edu (128.52.46.13). To get a file from the archive
follow this sequence:
1) ftp alpha.gnu.ai.mit.edu
2) At the login prompt enter: anonymous. Then at the password prompt
enter your email address.
3) At the ftp> prompt enter: cd ce
4) Then use ftp commands to list (ls), download (get) and upload (put)
files. A guide to using ftp is available in the "Anonymous FTP:
Frequently Asked Questions" posting in news.answers.
Those without anonymous FTP access can use an e-mail to FTP server as
outlined in the above-mentioned FAQ.
Archive Contents
MANIFEST
The original FAQ
CE-convert.sh
Shell archive containing the program that reads Cosmic Encounter
powers and flares in a "raw text" format and produces alien power
cards and flare cards in PostScript format
PS-headers.sh
PostScript files which print materials for Cosmic Encounter (card
backs, cards, cones, hexes, lucre, moons, power cards)
PS-examples.sh
A set of prototype PostScript files demonstrating the use of the
templates found in PS-headers.sh
PS-tutorial.sh
Introduction to (some of) the PostScript headers and their use.
Takes the reader through the generation of a small CE set -- cone,
hexes, destiny deck, challenge deck, and powers (the latter through
ce-conv).
Hazards.zoo
Summary of Matt's add-on hazard cards
asteroids.sh
Rules and PostScript files to create the game extension "asteroids"
created by Andrew Plotkin
Prisoners.zoo
Rules for playing CE with Prisoners, Prisoner-related powers, and a
PostScript file to print prisoner rulings
RulesClar
Summary of rules clarifications
Digest1
Digest of the neatest stuff to come from the mailing list over its
first 19 months, except the other stuff in the archives
cepowers
Consolidated CE Archive in CE Convert format as compiled by Mike
Rizzo. This archive consolidates all non-Eon and non-Mayfair powers
cedpowers
384 Aliens from Cedric Chin in CE Convert format. These are not
contained in the Consolidated CE Archive. The submission is in 8
files: chinaa - chinah.
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7. General timing questions
When collecting consolation, the only card which is allowed to be played
from the hand of the collectee (the one from whom consolation is being
drawn), is Stellar Gas, which prevents collecting consolation.
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8. Questions about powers
Due to the nature of the game and the rules breaking that occurs as a
result, there are many interactions that can cause questions to arise. A
lot of these can be resolved (and have been) within a particular group.
House rulings are definitely de rigeur for CE. However, this section is
intended to cover those rulings that seem to be consistently applied in
most groups.
1. When is the Sting considered to be losing tokens "voluntarily"?
Generally, the Sting is considered to be losing tokens voluntarily only
as a result of an agreement to do so to satisfy the Disease Wild flare.
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Thanks:
This FAQ was developed by Kurt Adam (mage@uu.net), with generous amounts
of help from the original FAQ and the denizens of rec.games.board.ce.
--
mage@uu.net (Kurt Adam)
"Well, you can lead a bigot to water, but if you don't tie him up
you can't make him drown." - Psychodots
