Cosmic Encounter

Lots of great feedback in this thread, so my thanks for that. Michael's writeup made me decide I needed to go find some videos and I watched board game brawl to get a better understanding of how the game works, then Board Game Replay which showed a few different parts of the playthrough with the players commenting along the way. I finally saw some hope and now think it may be for me.

I got back into the thread and read some more posts and realize the group dynamic is important for this game, maybe more so than many games. I only have 2 other fairly regulars and once in a while have 4 and super rare more than that. I kept reading (in searches) that 3 player games are dull but someone in this thread said they played a lot of them, so maybe it's OK.

I've decided to look for a cheap copy of it, and talk to my group about if they'd like it, maybe one of them can pony up for a game for once.

I REALLY like the idea of each alien having it's own power, that part didn't really sink in the first time I evaluated the game and I now see how someone's decision, combined with their power can radically shift events, and part of me really likes the idea. I tend to gravitate to games where I own most of my own strategy and have backup plans for what other players do, this game seems like you need backup plans for your backup plans and then you probably wasted your time because by the time it's your turn again, everything has changed. I'm looking to branch out a bit more into games that aren't my sweet spot and will look to add this one down the line.

Thanks everyone again, for your feedback that was more more insightful than the stuff I am used to reading on forums.

Da Bid Dabid wrote: I'm with Dysjunct. It's OK, and can be really fun with the right group.

I traded mine away with an expansion or two for Spartacus and Sekigahara and got WAY more mileage out of those titles.

Sparticus is on my short list of games to get in the future,

san il defanso wrote:

I have played dozens of games of Cosmic Encounter, and none of them have been with three players. I was under the impression it wasn't very good, but now I'm interested to try.

I played a ton of three-player back in the 80's, with the Eon edition. The more players the better, but three was a lot of fun. If you're bored, play with two powers. It was always fun to Cosmic Zap someone's sure-fire winning combo ( like Amoeba + Virus) and send all their guys to the warp.

I've only played my copy twice, with three players. Two garbage games that nixed it with my spouse and the other person.

Too bad. I'll bring it out sometime with 5 and for now it's fame keeps it on my shelf.

Richard Garfield has said that his creation of Magic: the Gathering was inspired by two classic boardgames: Wiz-War and Cosmic Encounter.

Shadowfist, one of my favorite CCGs, has been dismissed by some as a Magic ripoff, but it actually does a better job of emulating the victory condition and temporary alliances of Cosmic Encounter.

The fact that we're still talking about it 40 years later is a pretty big deal. It pioneered the idea that a game can have a relatively simple rule set but be expanded by a ton of cards that offer asymmetric play. I should play Wiz War too, thanks Shellhead.

And it can fall flat. Lots of great games can fall flat with the wrong group. I'm not the right guy to join a 13-hour 18XX session, but people speak highly of those experiences. Games like Cosmic and RPGs are pretty group dependent. Lots of the milquetoast Euros seem to be designed to give the most predictable experiences as possible. People learned the wrong lessons from Settlers and El Grande.

I don't know, I think you guys are exaggerating quite a bit. I think Cosmic is very accessible and fun for everyone, at least as much as Agricola, Lords of Waterdepp or the average boardgame is. It's not a big wargame or though economic simulation.

Cosmic is absolutely one of the best games ever created. If you get that, Wiz-War, and Spartacus, you have the makings of a great collection.

san il defanso wrote: - For those who like strategy, four or five people is about the only player count that will work there. Four players can be VERY intense, and with four evenly-matched people it's one of the most nuanced games out there. Once you start adding expansions, the game becomes really goofy really quickly. Not so bad that you don't have to play well, but the swings become progressively more extreme as you add players..

Agree with all your points in this thread except this. I don't think Cosmic Encounter is nearly as sensitive with player count as most games, and I don't see how other player counts are short on strategy.

Even the oft-maligned 3 player Cosmic, which many people just "refuse to play" on whatever grounds, is a hell of a lot better than 95% of board games out there.

I don't have a specific color that I need to play in every game, but yellow is usually pretty low on my list of choices. Except that I like to play yellow in the FFG edition of Cosmic Encounter, because a stack of my ships looks vaguely like a stack of buttery pancakes. Mmm, pancakes.

For me 4 players are necessary because negotiating with 3 players is very awkard and limited.

3 players has plenty of negotiations if you are doing it right, since convincing the one other player to side with you over the other has so much more weight than normal. At the same time, helping to boost someone or help them preserve their resources is risky, since 3 player is the easiest player count to sneak a solo victory in, so the tension and paranoia is real

Also, 3 player changes the power level of a lot of the aliens in very interesting ways. Many powers become colossal nukes in 3 player, which appeals to my tastes.

It's just good, quick, clean, fun. I wouldn't say 3 is the ideal player count, but it still feels like Cosmic Encounter and it's still awesome.