Commonly missed rules in Cosmic Encounter

[@ElphieCoyle]

Excellent video mate, learned a couple of things through it. I'm the founding designer of the card game Infinity Wars, well done on being a part of the design of such an incredible game that I adore and respect so much!

[@Squatch_needs_no_heroes]

Nuclear War in the background. Legend!

[@Jaded_AF]

Definitely include rearranging ships. I've played with a few people who see regroup phase and just assume you can do that.

[@TheJamon79]

I consistently find the most confusing rule for new players is when to draw a new hand. Although as long as you explain it deliberately, people understand it.

[@changest5227]

If you had an encounter card as an offense main pkayer, but then get the to planning and have no encounter cards whats happens? Meaning do you still launch ships call for allies, then while planning just lose all ships on the warp due to not have a cardto play? Or does all your ships and allies just go back?

[@jackredathewarp]

If as offense, you do not have an encounter card in planning, your turn ends.

[@CS-pm5bf]

My first play of Cosmic Encounters was terrible. I had never played the game but was so excited to. I felt like getting rid of it. I did some digging and I found a few things I did wrong. Unfortunately I didn't explain it right to begin with (the true art form any board game). I also didn't emphasise certain key points. Can someone help make sure I have this right: (1)You MAY ask for alliance. You don't have to. I had one player jumping in and just declaring they were going to assist with the attacker. This lead that person to smash it before I even got a turn. (2) Your defending ships don't go to the warp, and whatever is on your colony automatically adds to your defence total. (3) I should have included Alien powers from the start I thought we'd get through a couple of turns before introducing them.

[@pieman2906]

1. the main players, offense and defense are in control of who they invite to ally, other players cannot join a side unless that side has invited them. 2. if you are the main player who is the defense, you do not "send" ships to the encounter, the ships you happen to have on the planet that got targeted are the ships involved in your defense. if other players ally with you, then *they* will send their ships to sit next to your planet, but if you have 0 ships on your planet, then you're defending with 0 ships. If the defense loses, then all the defenses ships on that planet, and all the ships your allies sent to help defend *do* go to the warp. Any foreign colonies that happened to be on the planet are unaffected, cause they weren't involved. 3. Though you can choose to play cosmic without using Alien powers, It's kind of like trying to play an army game with no soldiers. wacky interactions of different alien powers is the soul of the game.

[@Yoogsaroon]

After your destiny color is drawn Can you encounter a player in your home system to make deal with him and getting a colony on his system

[@jackredathewarp]

Yes!

[@tacitozetticci9308]

Hi Jack! We're new to CE and we have a question. Apparently, we've played our first 3 games "wrong". For us, the colour you draw from the destiny deck only tells you whose system you're gonna play on, but then you can choose whose colony to attack, and THAT's gonna be the defense: the colony owner. (This also means that whenever a planet is empty, no matter if it's a home planet or a foreign one, you can always instantly move in skipping all the way from launch to resolution.) We've had a lot of fun playing like that and now we don't really want to follow the actual rule because our version makes the game a little bit more "wild" and we like it like that. Do you think that this is gonna break the game? An example we've already thought about is the Leviathan. It's significantly weaker with our rules. As the offense, if you lose an encounter where you've used a worldship, you'll be left with a planet that's completely free for others to conquer until your next regroup phase, they just need to draw your destiny card. (It still sounds kinda balanced though). What do you think? Thank you!

[@jackredathewarp]

I think the reason Cosmic has stood the test of time is because the rules as written work. They are simple, and create a foundation strong enough to support all the aliens and variants. It is strong enough apparently to support your variant (for now), but ultimately I wouldn’t want to deviate from then this way. Over time you will find many and more effects won’t play nicely.

[@tacitozetticci9308]

@@jackredathewarp Thank you. Your warning makes sense, we're talking decades of good games after all. I want to try the real thing now. We'll be cautious about deviating. Have a nice week sir!

[@manukorni680]

oh yeah we did the same thing, and the main problem we had is that you can just almost always select another player’s colony instead of the normal home planets of the color you‘ve drawn and then it takes much longer for someone to win; but still i grew very attached to the rule because i like how it groups different colors on a planet together

[@tacitozetticci9308]

@@manukorni680 exactly, 100%. That's why we ended up creating a hybrid thing. We now use a neutral system of planets where destiny works our way, while home systems work the classic way. It's kind of like the "battleground" of the table (in fact you're also very likely to draw it since it has 6 cards in the destiny deck instead of just 3). Of course this is a simplified description lol. It's so easy to get carried away with house rules with this game, goddamn ...

[@MrCrazynova]

Is that mean only the owner of the system can kick someone out?

[@jackredathewarp]

Yes. Effects like Will are the exception.

[@MrCrazynova]

@@jackredathewarp Thank you.

[@Davbo37]

Hey Jack - I've got a question about the invader, which isn't really related but is sort of related to the destiny deck so I'm going to ask anyway. The alien discusses adding the 'invasion' cards to the destiny deck, and if one is pulled invader gets an encounter. Okay, cool. Then later on, the card says (cutting not relevant details): 'As a main player, after ... a destiny card of your player color is drawn, you may use this power to [do a thing] before having your extra encounter.' This is the only reference to having an extra encounter in response to your own colour being drawn and it is not very clear. if, say, quartermaster draws invader's colour how do we decide who is the defence? Also, after the extra encounter, does quartermaster then resume their turn and have an encounter where invader is the defence? Or, is this a mistake and the invader only supposed to have an extra encounter on drawing 'invasion!' cards? Thank you!

[@jackredathewarp]

The "extra encounter" only applies to the Invasion destiny. If Invader's normal destiny color comes up, Invader can draw a new hand, but no extra encounter will take place.

[@Davbo37]

@@jackredathewarp right, that does make the most sense. Thanks for the clarification!

[@jackredathewarp]

@@Davbo37 Wording could have been clearer, for sure.

[@araaraste]

Hi I got a question, If I want to attack one of my own planets which there are 2 enemy colonies on it (for example red & green), who will be the defender? should I choose between them? and If I win, I will kick out both colonies out or the enemy I chose? Thanks!

[@jackredathewarp]

@@araaraste you choose when you position the gate. Only that player’s ships are involved and at risk.

[@araaraste]

@@jackredathewarp Ok cool, thanks very much ❤

[@jonahbradley7638]

If the offense has a successful encounter and gets a second encounter, but they have no encounter cards, do they get a new "start turn", so they can draw new cards at the beginning of the second encounter?

[@jackredathewarp]

There’s only one Start Turn, before one’s first encounter. With no encounter cards at the end of that first encounter, their turn ends.