Highly regarded by many people, this game definitely deserves a place in the Gaming Hall of Fame, if only because it was so original for its time. This is the original version, produced by Eon in the seventies. Cosmic Encounter has since been produced by West End Games, Mayfair Games, and Avalon Hill (Hasbro) as well. A new edition has been released by Fantasy Flight Games in late 2008. Each version is slightly different, but all share a core set of features.
Players represent alien races that are seeking to spread themselves onto five foreign worlds. To accomplish this, they make challenges against other players and enlist the aid of interested parties. But alien powers, which are unique to each race, give players ways to bend or outright break some rule in the game.
Expanded By:
The original 1977 version had the following expansion sets available:
Re-Implemented by
The Mayfair Games version has its own entry here:
The Avalon Hill (Hasbro) edition has its own entry here:
The new version from Fantasy Flight Games has its own entry here:
Re-Implementations expanded by
The 1991 Mayfair Games also had the following expansion set available:
The 1986 Jeux Descartes / West End Games French version had the following expansion available:
Introductory version:
Mayfair Games also made the simplified version: