Im a board gamer for a while, and have been playing mainly Talisman, Carcassonne, D&D Mini board game, Ingenious, Blokus, Betrayal at the House on Hill, Settlers of Catan, Pirates of the Carribean, etc.. I normally play with my group of gamers (5 people) and a bit of competition and interaction is always necessary..

I came across this board game out f coincidence when i was reading through the top 200 board games in BGG. I read the desription at the box and found it very interesting..

Recently I was icthing to get a new board game, and this could be a highly potential one..I have never had a science-fiction themed board game, though I seriously dont mind if its nice.. I can't remember when was the last time I play any sci-fi board games.. Im very much into RPG themed board games, rarely in sci-fi theme, that's why I really need to be sure before I make the decision, as it is not that cheap too..

My interest in board game is quite varied, as you can see from the list I mentioned.. I don't mind simple board game that do not require lots of strategies, thinking or complicated rules or system, main criterias Im looking for are fun, simple to learn and play but deep enough for experienced players, exicitng, high replayability, strong theme, some role play element is great though not a must, good players interaction and quality bits...

I have read some of the reviews and they sort of gave me very positive feelings with lots of good comments, though im not sure whether I will like it..

I would appreciate if anyone here kind enough to give me some of your personal thoughts. Thanks for all your feedback and advice. If I find it nice, I may just get it..

I'd say that the only thing missing from CE that you want is theme. Sure, it's a sci-fi game, but outside of the alien powers, there's very little theme. I'd say about the same level of theme as Carcassonne

In a single word: Definitely.


Cosmic Encounter may seem a bit chaotic (and it is), but it's definitely FUN. It's a game where you never know if you're gonna win or lose a combat, and it has a HUGE replayability (there are 50 races, each with it's unique power, plus tons of tech cards).
The rules are simple enough. It just gets a bit complicated with some race powers combinations, but usually you can figure it out pretty easily, just pay attention to when each power is used exactly (most issues are just timing-related).

As for roleplay possibilities... hmmm... it has some openings, since you can try to convince players to help you attack or defend, and it has a special action to negotiate with them (you can negotiate ANYTHING, as long as a colony in-game is involved somewhere in the negotiation).

All in all, it's a fun, fast paced, fun-packed game.

Ah yea... I have to agree on that. Well, at least it got flying saucers for player's armada to conquer planets, not generic meeples that fits roles either as knights, thiefs or farmers...

hehehe :P

Cosmic Encounter is fabulous in all aspects. As you are drawing the destiny tokens (or cards) it's not even very aggressive. It's just "Sorry… I have to attack you.")

It's worth it. I think there's enough theme. Space ships, planets, a hyperspace gate, a warp for holding the defeated armadas. I suppose you could try slapping a different theme on there, but it's hard for me to imagine what it would be.

Fantasy is the Joker of themes.

I was reluctant to buy CE but it has quickly become one of my TOP games. Itš fun, fast and you can teach it to everyone. Based on the games you listed, I think you will enjoy CE.

I see. Thanks a lot for the comments, really appreciate it.

What really excite me is the replayability and the sci-fi theme. Though i have never got any sci-fi themed board game, i really hope to get a classic one, just like Talisman, its classic in its unique genre..and i can keep playing it without feeling bored or fed up.. another classic is carcassonne, simple and yet gives players a sensational playing experience, no matter how many times i play and no matter whether the player is new to the game or experienced, the fun is just never ending...thats what i really call great board games.. those are the ones im looking for, and im really hoping CE is the one for its genre..

Im seriously considering now, found a copy. But i was told it was the earlier version, may i know how many edition are there around? I thought there are the older edition in the 80's or 90's and another one is released in 2008. Unless im wrong about this...

You are right.
There are four versions:
- the EON version, from 1977 --- Cosmic Encounter - plays from 3 to 6
- the Mayfair version, from 1991 --- Cosmic Encounter - plays from 3 to 6
- the Avalon Hill version, from 2000 --- Cosmic Encounter - plays from 2 to 4
- and the Fantasy Flight Games version, from 2008 --- Cosmic Encounter - plays from 3 to 5

I REALLY encourage you to get the Fantasy Flight version, since it's the better overall.
It got 50 races (some of the others have less races), it's the prettiest and has the best overall quality components. FFG also offers a good support to it's customers.
The only downside is that it still doesn't have any expansions out, but hopefully, they'll come...

On expansions: Cosmic Incursion was announced a couple weeks ago and I'm guessing will be out sometime next year.

The More the Merrier.....

I just recently started board gaming, the group that got me interested was 5 strong, I was the 6th. After a couple sessions I wanted to bring a game to the table. I picked this up it looked great, for all the reasons you mentioned, we did the same research.

Well for some reason that 5 or six plyers has become 2 or 3 and CE has made it to the table for one three player game, it really needs all 5. Maybe 4 but then you could choose sides and swap planets all day, you really need the 5th wildcard.

So I would say it is a great game, but don't bother if you don't get 4-5 players on a regular basis, it just won't make it out enough.

EDIT: I really should take advantage of the PREVIEW feature!

What you have probably found, if it's in a standard store, is the Avalon Hill edition. The most recent one is the Fantasy Flight edition. You can look at the pictures here on the Geek.

I'e got the Avalon Hill edition, and have played it many times. I've also played the FFG edition. The FFG edition is superior in all important aspects. What makes the center of the game is the interacting superpowers of the aliens ('characters') you play. The Avalon Hill edition has 20 different aliens to choose from, the FFG edition has 50. The FFG edition also has the special flare cards (cards that are in the main deck of cards that players will draw from), that add a nice spice to the game. And, perhaps most importantly, FFG edition has very clear and precise rules wording, which rules out many "what happens first?" questions as to when powers are activated.

As for the board's and bits, you've got plastic stackable ships in both versions. The AH edition has a pretty cool board, actually. But what's sad is that it has only bits for 4 players. FFG has bits for 5 players.

That said, the AH edition is still Cosmic Encounter. It plays as nicely, it just doesn't have the same huge variations. Bits are equal, the biggest difference is the number of alien powers and the flare cards. Rules you can always learn. If you count on playing it time and time and time again, the FFG will pay off. If you plan to play it perhaps 10 or 20 times, the AH edition will do as good a job, although a couple of FFG believers will roast me for that.

If you can get the AH version for some $20, go for it to see if you like the game. Else, go for the FFG edition because it's simply better. Sadly it's not so much better that I want to shell out the full price for a new game just to get the improved parts, but I'd gladly pay the difference.

Jocose, u got a very interesting point there..

Our gamer group usually plays with 4, maximum 5. Occasionally 3 players. With fewer number of players, is that so significantly different and much less satisfying? I really hope not..

Thanks for the info guys. I guess the FFG version is the one i will try to get, i wont buy the AH version cos i always get the most recent and revised version, as much as i can..

I know by now, after reading quite a number of reviews which are generally good, that the aliens cards and tech cards really change the game and these are the most important factors that makes the game interesting.. i think i like that idea..

What i see in the BGG uploaded images, that's the FFG version board right? I dont see any actual board, except some spiral thingy, rounded shapes of stacks of bits i think..not as impressive as i was expecting though, when u imagine i played board games like Talisman that comes with a nice board..just a thought..

The cards seems nice, but consist of quite a bit of text, i hope its not that text heavy and reading game..thats all..

the game definitely shines with 5. with 3, it's still a good game, just not as chaotic (a.k.a. FUN) as with 5. There's also a variant to shorten the game (you only need 4 foreign colonies to win) which I think might work well with 3, never tried it though.


Yea, the game doesn't have a board per se. At least not the FFG version.
Each version has it's own entry on BGG (check one of my earlier posts for links to all four), so, each entry should contain only pics from it's specific version.


the only cards that are text heavy are the flare and tech cards (which you don't draw as often anyway), but even then, usually they're simple enough.

I've seen many posts here claiming 4 is the sweet spot. Personally, I think it shines with 5 or more, but it's perfectly playable with 4. I'd probably looks for another game with 3 players, but it's still playable. I just think at that size you're more likely to see sustained 2 against 1 alliances. And it's worth keeping in mind that the relative powers of the aliens will change based upon number of players, so aliens that are strong in 3 player will not be so strong in 5. So there will be a different feel to the game based on the number of players.

As for text, it's been a while since I played Talisman, but I can't imagine it's more text-heavy than that. The majority of the text explains how to use an attack card or how the destiny cards work. Well, about 2/3 of the deck is attack cards, and they all work the same, so you'll be ignoring most of the text by the second game. Flares are a different matter, but there's 10 of them in the deck for any given game.

great info Filipe, thanks a lot for your comments, it certainly helps...

now i hope they have the FFG version, or else i would havve to get it somewhere else, maybe my neighboring country..but slightly more expensive..

ya, i saw the news on latest expansion, will ask my FLGS to order for me..most likely they can ship it 1 month after FFG sent the stocks to the distributors..

im getting quite excited with CE now, hope it wont let me down in any way...

I don't think you'll be let down. I also took a flyer on it when it came out solely based upon reviews, announcements, and asking a few questions as you have .... and it has become the local favorite. And that is coming from our group that had been playing A Game of Thrones, Imperial, Diplomacy ... all diceless strategy games.

I think Cosmic Encounter just has that fun factor that is hard to describe. I play this with my wife and 8 and 5 year old boys, but my game group of hardened gamer buddies love it as well.

Based upon the things you were looking for, with maybe the exception of role-playing, it has all the fun, easy to learn, very high replayability.

QFT
CE is awesome with 5 players and very good with 4. With 3 players, there are many better games to choose. And the replayability is almost infinite, the 50 aliens in the FFG version and their combination make sure you won't get the same game twice. I also recommend to sleeve the cards, they are from fine stock but we play CE so often that they wear quickly

How does it work playing with kids? Do you end up having to help them read all the cards? I had my husband buy this one, because I enjoyed with a group, and thought we could do 3-player with our oldest daughter (she's 7), but so far we haven't tried out as we have been worried the special abilities cards would be too frustrating for her to figure out.

Yes!

I just played this last night (as the Zombie) with my wife (Clone), son (Oracle; at 6 years old, needed a bit of coaching on when and how to use cards) and brother-in-law (Macron). We played the AH version, which is certainly playable (but see Zimeon's comment - more alien powers and more players = better).

It was great fun for everyone at the table. As for the role playing/ theme aspect, you get out of it what you put into it. The BIL is an avid gamer and role player, and my son has a vivid imagination. We found ourselves addressing each other by our races within two turns, and embellishing our table talk to suit. For example: "After our recent encounter with the Oracle, the Zombie record keepers note that several powerful weapons have gone missing. I think we all know where they wound up, wink-nudge..."

Remembering what cards have been played, reading each others' bluffs, and managing your hand provide plenty of opportunity for purely strategic thinking, but playing more theatrically just happened naturally with our group.

I add my voice to the chorus: get it!

I'd like to plug for steadym, and anyone else in the New Jersey area, that we had two games of CE at Dexcon last July in Morristown. One for newbies, and a 6-player game with Lucre for the experienced players. We'll probably have at least one or two at Dreamation this Winter. Come on down.

Let's put it this way. Cosmic has been worth it enough to still be selling since we first published it in 1977. (Designed in 1972). It has been produced in English, French, German, Japanese, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Finnish, Portuguese. It's been played online at cosmicencounter.com. since 2003 in its current version and back in 1997 in a java version.

I don't have any kids, and don't play with them often, so I'm probably not the best person to answer this one. But at a guess, I'd say if the kids are still tackling reading comprehension, this game might be a little advanced for them. Still, there are plenty of options to simplify the game for them.

The alien cards in the FFG version of the game come color-coded as Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced aliens. A lot of people assume that the advanced aliens are more powerful, but really it's a complexity sorting. If you stick with the Basic aliens the powers tend to be more straightforward, and presumably easier for children to grasp.

Also, while most people consider the Flares a standard part of the game, it's already a recommended teaching tool to remove them for the first game or so. Not only does removing the Flares simplify the game, it removes the most verbose cards from the deck. There's still a lot of text to understand on the Alien powers themselves, but those can be explained thoroughly before the actual play starts, and they're all open information, so she won't have to figure out the abilities on her own.

Theoretically, you could take out the powers altogether, but then the game becomes REALLY dry; it's not Cosmic Encounter any more, but a supercharged game of War.

Since you already own the game, I'd recommend giving it a try with the Basic aliens, no Flares, and also there's a 4 planet variant to speed up play, which might help with attention span issues.

Of course its not possible to be sure, but from your interests it sounds like a reasonable bet that you will enjoy Cosmic Encounter. Personally, its not my thing, but I can understand its appeal.