The First Fifteen: Virus

Second in a series of articles taking a (mostly) fond look back at the 15 aliens included in the original 1977 release of Cosmic Encounter:

Name: Virus
Description: "Multiplies in attack"
Power: "You have the power to multiply"
Art: A scary-looking bacteria dude
The rule it breaks: You add your ships to your card number.
Still active? Yes; included in the FFG core set
CE Online? Yes; generally regarded as "unbeatable" ... until it starts getting beaten all the time
One-sentence pass/fail test*: Pass. "You multiply your ships times your card."
Power scale (1-5): 4. Definitely powerful ... and easily beaten. Virus often seems like a 6 on the power scale; a bit of experience proves this isn't the case.
For 30 years, Virus fans have said: "200! Booyah!"
For 30 years, Virus detractors have said: "Seriously? Your total is 200? Clearly, this game is broken."

* A completely arbitrary test of whether an alien power can be explained to a CE newcomer in exactly one sentence, using basic English. 

An introduction to CE Online (part 2 of 2)

Here we go with the second and final part of an overview of the differences between Cosmic Encounter (the boardgame) and Cosmic Encounter Online. Part I can be found below.

There's no central theme this time, but three general areas are covered:

• The difference in scale between the two versions;
• The social aspects;
• And the difference in play styles.

Just press "play' and all of this CE goodness can be yours for a low, low introductory price.

An introduction to CE Online (part 1 of 2)

Are you a new player at Cosmic Encounter Online? Been lurking for a while? A former player who hasn't been back in some time? Visited the site once and were flummoxed? Or maybe a veteran who might be interested in hearing some thoughts on how the game is played?

Well, if so, then this is one of those fabled lucky days. Just press "play" above to hear my take on the major differences between Cosmic Encounter (the boardgame) and CE Online.

Bonus: it's the first of two parts. More audio fun to follow shortly!

The First Fifteen: Trader

First in a series of articles taking a (mostly) fond look back at the 15 aliens included in the original 1977 release of Cosmic Encounter:

Name: Trader
Description: "Trades hands with opponent"
Power: "You have the power of transference"
Art: A space crab
The rule it breaks: You're stuck with your own cards; you can't just grab other players' cards
Still active? Yes; included in the FFG core set
CE Online? Yes; one of the six aliens which can be played for free
One-sentence pass/fail test*: Pass. "You get to trade hands with another player."
Power scale (1-5): 4. Trader can be an absolute game-changer if the timing is right.
For 30 years, Trader fans have said: "That's right ... come to papa!"
For 30 years, Trader detractors have said: "What? Twenty-seven cards for one? Clearly, this game is broken."

* A completely arbitrary test of whether an alien power can be explained to a CE newcomer in exactly one sentence, using basic English.

Cosmic goes social, and other notes

It's the first episode of "Poor Man's Podcasting." Just press play to get my earth-shaking thoughts on Cosmic Encounter's official presences at Facebook and Twitter.

Also of note:

1. Blogmic Encounter can now be accessed directly from the CE page at Facebook. The link is in the left-hand column.

2. As mentioned at the end of the audio, my first project right now is to clean up/add/remove/improve the links at Blogmic. If anyone has come across any new CE (or even Dune) links, please let me know.