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Cosmic Encounter
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Cosmic Encounter
Cosmic Encounter is a science fiction–themed strategy board game designed by "Future Pastimes" (collectively, Peter Olotka, Jack Kittredge and Bill Eberle, with Bill Norton) and originally published by Eon Games in 1977. In it, each player takes the role of a particular alien species, each with a unique power to bend or break one of the rules of the game, trying to establish control over the universe. The game was inducted into the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design Adventure Gaming Hall of Fame in 1997.
Cosmic Encounter is a dynamic and social game, with players being encouraged to interact, argue, form alliances, make deals, double-cross, and occasionally work together to protect the common good. Most editions of the game are designed for three to five players, although official rules exist for playing with as many as eight players.
Cosmic Encounter is based on a fixed set of rules which are subsequently modified by other elements of the game.
Each player begins with a color-coded "home system" containing five planets, and twenty ships (formerly referred to as "tokens") representing starships that populate these planets as "colonies" (formerly known as "bases"). A central "warp" is used to place defeated ships for all players. The object of the game is to establish colonies on five planets outside one's home system. Each player is dealt a hand of cards from the "cosmic deck," which includes several types of cards: Attack cards with numbered values, Negotiate (formerly Compromise) cards, Reinforcement cards, and Artifact (formerly Edict) cards.
The turn player is referred to as the "offense." On a player's turn, they retrieve one ship from the warp, and then draw a card from the "Destiny" deck, containing color-coded cards which indicate which player they must have an encounter with; that player becomes the "defense." Using a special "hyperspace gate" (formerly "hyperspace cone" or simply "cone") indicator, the offense selects the planet at which the encounter will take place, and then places 1 to 4 of their ships on the gate; the defense simply defends with however many ships they have on the targeted planet. Both the offense and defense can then ask the other players individually to ally with their side; each invited player may commit up to 4 ships to either side of the conflict.
Once allies have committed, the offense and defense both select encounter cards from their hands to place face-down, then reveal them and play out the encounter based on the types of cards they used.
At the end of the offense's turn, they may have a second encounter if they won an attack or made a deal. If they can't, choose not to, or have already had two encounters this turn, then play proceeds to the next player.
The rules become more complex with the introduction of alien powers. These are typically drawn randomly at the start of the game and known to all players; however, variants exist where players can select their powers, use multiple powers simultaneously, or hide their powers until they are used. Each power gives the player a way to bend the core rules to their advantages, typically in one of the following ways:
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Cosmic Encounter AI simulator
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Cosmic Encounter
Cosmic Encounter is a science fiction–themed strategy board game designed by "Future Pastimes" (collectively, Peter Olotka, Jack Kittredge and Bill Eberle, with Bill Norton) and originally published by Eon Games in 1977. In it, each player takes the role of a particular alien species, each with a unique power to bend or break one of the rules of the game, trying to establish control over the universe. The game was inducted into the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design Adventure Gaming Hall of Fame in 1997.
Cosmic Encounter is a dynamic and social game, with players being encouraged to interact, argue, form alliances, make deals, double-cross, and occasionally work together to protect the common good. Most editions of the game are designed for three to five players, although official rules exist for playing with as many as eight players.
Cosmic Encounter is based on a fixed set of rules which are subsequently modified by other elements of the game.
Each player begins with a color-coded "home system" containing five planets, and twenty ships (formerly referred to as "tokens") representing starships that populate these planets as "colonies" (formerly known as "bases"). A central "warp" is used to place defeated ships for all players. The object of the game is to establish colonies on five planets outside one's home system. Each player is dealt a hand of cards from the "cosmic deck," which includes several types of cards: Attack cards with numbered values, Negotiate (formerly Compromise) cards, Reinforcement cards, and Artifact (formerly Edict) cards.
The turn player is referred to as the "offense." On a player's turn, they retrieve one ship from the warp, and then draw a card from the "Destiny" deck, containing color-coded cards which indicate which player they must have an encounter with; that player becomes the "defense." Using a special "hyperspace gate" (formerly "hyperspace cone" or simply "cone") indicator, the offense selects the planet at which the encounter will take place, and then places 1 to 4 of their ships on the gate; the defense simply defends with however many ships they have on the targeted planet. Both the offense and defense can then ask the other players individually to ally with their side; each invited player may commit up to 4 ships to either side of the conflict.
Once allies have committed, the offense and defense both select encounter cards from their hands to place face-down, then reveal them and play out the encounter based on the types of cards they used.
At the end of the offense's turn, they may have a second encounter if they won an attack or made a deal. If they can't, choose not to, or have already had two encounters this turn, then play proceeds to the next player.
The rules become more complex with the introduction of alien powers. These are typically drawn randomly at the start of the game and known to all players; however, variants exist where players can select their powers, use multiple powers simultaneously, or hide their powers until they are used. Each power gives the player a way to bend the core rules to their advantages, typically in one of the following ways: