BLOGMIC ENCOUNTER

Sunday special: Cosmic on my iPad

2011-05-22T11:55:00.000-07:00

Yeah, that's right, I said it: Cosmic Encounter on the iPad. It's the dream, baby — and I'm feeling dreamy today.

I'm playing a lot of boardgames on my iPad right now. In fact, I interrupted a nice game of Neuroshima Hex to type up this quick post. And don't even get me started on the time I've spent with Ticket to Ride, Bang, Small World, and about 15 titles from Dr. Knizia.

And here's the thing: I'll often make a move in one of these and be struck by a powerful thought: "I can totally see playing Cosmic Encounter on this thing!" I can visualize it so easily ... moving ships with my finger, swiping to play cards from my hand, clicking inside some simple dialogue boxes. And all in gorgeous color on my convenient, 1-pound, go anywhere, internet-ready device. (And how about purchasing "Alien Packs" with iOS' In-App Purchase feature? Someone get the cash register ready!)

I'll go out on a limb here: I think, one day, I will be able to play CE on the iPad (or the iPad's successor, whatever it might be). I think it's almost inevitable, in fact, and a natural progression for the game. It won't be happening this year or in 2012; I understand that. But in the short- to medium-term future ... ? I can really see it happening.

I know it sounds a bit nutty on the surface. "Cosmic on the iPad? No way!" But you know what else sounded really nutty a few years ago?

Cosmic Encounter Online.

So who's with me? Is anyone else seeing my vision? And how do you see it working? Four players ... five players ... more? In-app purchases? Achievements and leaderboards? Dare to dream, friends.

Sunday special: Going digital (part 1 of 3)

2011-05-15T08:49:00.000-07:00

With Symbiote and Tick-Tock having been announced as "under development" at Cosmic Encounter Online, it's a good time to look at what other aliens might be good candidates to become digitized.

"Hulk SMASH!"

What follows (in three parts) is a look at 11 good candidates from the Fantasy Flight Games edition (FFG being the currently "in print" edition of the game) who would likely make good aliens at CE Online. Why 11? Well, why not? Top 10 lists are so routine and mundane ... it's time to break free of those shackles.**

But we can't just throw the kitchen sink at this exercise — not all CE aliens would be fun to play at CE Online. So what does make for a strong digital alien? These are some of the leading factors:

Flexibility: A good CE Online alien should be easy enough to play for most newcomers, yet challenging to play for CE veterans. Sorcerer is a good example of this. Anyone can understand a simple switching of cards; playing Sorcerer well, though, requires some experience.

Relative simplicity: Hey, I like both Plant and Insect a lot, but there's some good reasons they aren't included (yet) at CE Online. They are complex aliens which introduce a metric butt-load of obscure rules issues, for one thing.

Ease of coding: This is certainly not my area of expertise, but I do know "simpler" when I see it. I know intuitively that Zombie would be easier to code than Reincarnator ... I know the simple math of Virus would be easier to work with than the invisibility factor of Ghost.

So, keeping the above in mind, here's five good CE Online candidates, in no particular order, from the FFG base set:

1. Cudgel. A simple smash-and-grab alien. Losing ships is something all CE players can easily understand. I'd think it would be a breeze to code, too.
2. Mirror. I'm personally not a huge fan of this sort of number-manipulation, but I can where others might think it's very "cosmic." Plus, being able to turn a bad hand of cards into a great one is a dream come true for all CE players. Even easier to code than Cudgel?
3. Masochist. Hey, we've all lost a ton of ships when we didn't mean to ... why not finally be rewarded for it?
4. Hacker. The first part of the power is similar to how Mind works, so it's already kind of in the game; the second part would require some new code, but it doesn't seem like an insurmountable problem.

"My best friend is Void"

5. Amoeba. Scores extra points for being one of the few original Eon aliens not already present at CE Online. Some sort of dialogue box would need to be added, but that doesn't seem insurmountable.

There's certainly some good honorable mention candidates, too, that I left off the list for various reasons. Fodder and Fido would be fun to play, but have more steps than are usually seen at CEO; Grudge is pretty simple, but would introduce the concept of tokens for the first time; Human couldn't possibly be simpler, but is almost universally loathed; and Spiff would be fun, but desperately needs a name change, which is a subject for a different day.

Coming next week: Three aliens from the Cosmic Incursion expansion who should be digitized.

**Actually, that's not it at all. I'm trying to take the FFG releases proportionally ... so, five from the core set, and three apiece from the two expansions.

Can Twitter be a game-maker?

2011-05-14T12:02:00.000-07:00

"Play me!"

Just throwing this out there for any Cosmic Encounter Online players: would it be possible to use Twitter to set up games?

I've seen this occasionally with some other games. Players will use hashtags to let others know, in real time, that they are available for a game. I'm thinking something like "#cosmicnow" or "playCE" might work.

Overall, it's probably still easier to use instant messaging to set up games, but not everyone uses the same service or is on the same friends list. So we'd need to start a user-name database or something for that to be effective ... hmmm, that could be a future blog post.

So, what say you, CE Online players? Does this idea have any legs?

Sunday special: The $10,000 question

2011-05-01T16:21:00.001-07:00

Here's a question I never get tired of posing to Cosmic Encounter players. I've asked it in blog form, on messageboards, in the Cosmic Encounter Online lobby, and in general conversation with CE fans.

Here's the scenario:

You are a finalist in the Cosmic Encounter World Championships. You will be playing one game, with a $10,000 prize for first place — and it's winner-take-all. Second place will get nothing; third place will get nothing ... I'm sure you get the idea.

Here's some other specifics:

Five foreign bases are needed to win;
The game must be won solo; no shared victory is allowed;
Flares will be included in the game, but no other "extras" will be used (no kickers, no lucre, no reinforcements, etc.)
For the sake of discussion (and because this is an exercise in imagination), just assume you'll be playing with the rules set you're most familiar with.

And now for the fun part: you get to pick your alien! Woot!

Again, some requirements:

For the sake of discussion, just assume your four opponents have no interest in your preferred alien;
Published aliens only! No homebrews allowed. (And "published" doesn't include old magazines or fanzines, or published on the internet ... it means, basically, Eon, Mayfair, Avalon Hill, or FFG)

So, there's $10,000 on the line — but you have to win. Which alien would you pick?

(I'll add my own answer in the comments later. And, trust me, that answer will not be "Virus" ...)

The First Fifteen: Virus

2011-04-29T11:45:00.000-07:00

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)

2011-04-27T11:27:00.001-07:00

Listen!
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)

2011-04-25T10:03:00.001-07:00

Listen!

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

2011-04-24T12:02:00.001-07:00

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

2011-04-23T09:42:00.000-07:00

Listen!

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.

Fascinating Olotka interview (plus Dune news!)

2011-02-28T15:00:00.000-08:00

A recent podcast featuring Cosmic Encounter designer Peter Olotka is making the rounds, and it is well worth a listen. The Little Metal Dog Show caught up with Peter and had him share about 50 minutes' worth of insights into Cosmic Encounter, its history, and the current state of the game.

It's also worth noting that there's quite a bit of juicy news concerning the Dune boardgame, including the first public mention that I've ever heard that the new version of the game — Fantasy Flight Games' Twilight: Dune or Dune: Imperium or whatever — will actually be produced.

There's also some fascinating stuff about the somewhat troubled history of the Dune game, including Peter talking directly with Frank Herbert himself at one point. Look for the Dune content at roughly the 32-minute mark.

The podcast is available as a direct download from the Little Metal Dog site or as a free podcast at the iTunes Store.

Mark your calendars for national CE Day

2011-01-19T09:41:00.000-08:00

Wow, first post since June? Yikes.

Short answer, for those who might care: new work situation; two very active ankle-biters. And, since I don't really expect anyone to care too much, I'm just going to leave it at that.

Wait ... where was I?

Oh, right: February 12 is officially National Cosmic Encounter Day.

No, really. It's official and everything.

Personally, I know I won't be able to play CE on that day with actual physical components — I'm reasonably certain I'll never actually play the boardgame version again — but I will be making an effort to get in some time at CE Online that night.

Either way, I'm asking all true and faithful CE players to spread the word and mark their calendars. February 12, brothers and sisters. Be there or be L7.

Cosmic Encounter in the cloud: FAST!

2010-06-11T08:30:00.000-07:00

The Thursday test of Cosmic Encounter Online running on a cloud-based server seemed to be a smashing success. With about 90-percent of the game totally functional (things such as Join In Progress were turned off), the site performed at top efficiency, supporting many rooms of players and a chatty lobby. At one point, in fact, players were encouraged to post as fast as they could in the lobby, which has often been a problem area in the past. The result: not even a minor hiccup.

To the best of my knowledge, no players reported any errors or issues with lag. I personally had one laggy moment, but I'm 99-percent sure the problem was on my end, as I've really been struggling with AT&T for the last couple of weeks. Other than that, I didn't hear of any other players having issues.

The hope is that this could lead to a better experience in all areas of the game. A faster experience, combined with some bug-fixes and new aliens, would also be just the ticket to draw in a new generation of players and entice some of the old-school veterans to return.

Thursday testing for "Cosmic in the cloud"

2010-06-09T08:58:00.000-07:00

Re-blogging from the official Cosmic Encounter Online blog:

We want to get a bunch of players in the game on the development server to try to replicate the LAG problem that’s been plaguing the game since we have been running on Network Solutions. Our goal is to fix up the current game and then add aliens from the new FFG set.

(Can I just add that I really love that last line?)

The test is scheduled for tomorrow, June 10. All of the details can be found right here.

Dune Express: really digging it

2010-05-25T12:51:00.000-07:00

(Get it? Digging? You know, sand? Desert? Bah, never mind ...)

I've been playing a lot of Dune Express lately, and my initial skepticism has been replaced with a healthy dose of respect. There's a lot of game there, man. And my biggest complaint — essentially, lack of movement — isn't nearly so important now that further plays have revealed more about the mechanics of the game (not to mention that the entire board only has six spaces; "movement" really isn't that necessary).

The game bills itself as a fast-playing version of the classic Dune boardgame from Avalon Hill, which is reasonably accurate. The only two major things that are missing are rules for leaders and storms, but both of those have been covered with fan-made variants. The basic game also doesn't include faction powers, but there's no shortage of variants for those, too.

I really heartily recommend Dune Express to fans of the original boardgame, those looking for a quick Dune-themed dicefest, fans of print-and-play games, or fans of the Dune series looking to play their first game with an Arrakis setting. And you can't beat the price; if you own a printer and some 6-sided dice, you're ready to go.

BoardgameGeek: always good for laughs

2010-05-20T15:58:00.000-07:00

So it looks as if BoardgameGeek's relentless quest to turn every single aspect of gaming into a piece of quantifiable data has reached another milestone. In addition to the ongoing controversial attempt to marginalize all games that aren't brown-cube-shuffling, penguin-moving, bishop-influencing Euros, the site now features rankings broken down by mechanics. Jesus wept.

So did you know that Cosmic Encounter is, apparently, the 13th-best theme-driven game ev-AR? Did you realize that CE was, in fact, "theme-driven"? Yeah, neither did I.

That place is a real head-shaker, I swear. So much data ... so little thought.

I have thoughts. Often, on games

2010-05-11T16:59:00.000-07:00

And here's the proof:

So ... anyone desperately bored enough to see what I'm thinking about the world of gaming — definitely including my perpetual favorites, Cosmic Encounter and Dune — is invited to follow along. I'll even provide a convenient link!

Gamer cards? I'd buy some of those

2010-04-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

Here's some classic gaming humor from RPG Blog II. (Sidebar: is there an RPG Blog I? I've never seen it ...)

My gamer card would list nothing but Cosmic Encounter from 2005 through 2007. I swear, it's all I played then. It's like I had a fever or something.

Twitter: power to tantalize

2010-04-09T14:26:00.000-07:00

Check out that intriguing Twitter entry from Peter Olotka! Hokey smoke!

Maybe if we're nice, Peter will share. If we're nice ... and if we all agree to play lots of Cosmic Encounter Online.

Replace "Small World" with "Cosmic Encounter"

2010-04-05T11:36:00.000-07:00

I'm back to dreaming of one day playing Cosmic Encounter on the Apple iPad.

Saturday's announcement that Days of Wonder's Small World boardgame was being released in a digital version in the iPad App Store ($4.99; here's a handy link) was a welcome surprise. Not only is Small World a pretty fun little game on its own, but it shares a number of features — light basic rule-set, races with variable powers, social aspect, etc. — with a game we have discussed quite a bit around here.

Small World serves as proof that interesting boardgames can be done for the iPad (and, peeking into the future, for whichever directions mobile computing takes in the next few years). This isn't yet another app for hearts, or poker, or a Yahtzee variant — it's a beautiful recreation of a very popular boardgame. It can be done, and it can be done well.

So why not Cosmic Encounter? Well, as Cosmic Encounter Online owner Peter Olotka is quick to point out, time and money are two big factors. But those are hurdles that can be overcome — they might not be easy, but they can be conquered. And, once they are, I really see no reason at all why we won't someday be playing CE on our iPads. Picture the following set-up:

Cosmic Encounter app: $4.99 for a base version with 10 to 16 aliens;
Alien expansion packs: $1.99 (or maybe 99 cents) for maybe four to six more aliens;
Large expansion packs: $3.99 or $4.99 for a major addition such as moons or lucre; $2.99 or $3.99 for a mega-pack of 15 aliens.

That's all off the top of my head. It seems like a win-win to me: the owners of the CE brand can generate some much-needed revenue beyond CE Online; veteran CE players will feel like they've died and gone to heaven; newcomers — and there would be hundreds, at least — will experience a classic game for the first time.

Update: Major slowdown; posts will be infrequent

2010-03-26T17:59:00.000-07:00

No long speeches ... just a notice that maintaining a low-key gaming blog has been forced way, way, way down my priority list due to Real Life concerns.

~~I do not know when — or, frankly,~~ if ~~— this blog will be updated again. For now, I will leave it open for searching and archive purposes.~~

(Update 3/5/10: The blog, generally, is still a low priority, but I'm going to post interesting items if the seem worthy. For now, I'd guess that will mean no more than two or three posts per month. So, it's not "dead" ... just "slow.")

No one is dying or anything dramatic like that; it's just priorities.

May your Viruses always multiply by 4.

— Duke

Cosmic Encounter: the fifth game you MUST own

2010-03-04T12:58:00.000-08:00

Seriously. It says so right here in this list of "The 10 Games Everyone Should Own."

The highlight:

It’s ripe for expansion, it’s rarely longer than 90 minutes, and the shifting, conditional alliances always make for some exciting table talk and good laughs. It’s everything a hobby game should be — fun, imaginative, challenging, and interactive.

The Dune boardgame also gets a shout-out as the "... best game ever published ..." (yikes!) but author Michael Barnes rightly doesn't include it in his list, which is focussed on games that are either still in print or else attainable with a minimum amount of effort.

Mystery boxes revealed; zero relevant news

2010-02-22T20:29:00.000-08:00

So that third mystery box over at Fantasy Flight Games turned out to be some sort of bizarre you-got-your-chocolate-in-my-peanut-butter combination of BattleLore and A Game of Thrones.

Personally, it would be impossible for me to be less interested in this item. I mention it only because it serves as sort of an official end to the speculation: none of the three mystery boxes had the slightest thing to do with Twilight Dune: Dinosaur Ninjas, Borderlands, or Cosmic Encounter.

Bleh.

My God ... Cosmic Encounter is full of stars!

2010-02-20T12:39:00.000-08:00

It looks like the Cosmic Encounter creativity bug has bitten some of the usual suspects. Two major homebrew projects are currently getting a lot of reaction over at the self-proclaimed Leading Boardgames Site, and both are pretty neat (both are what might be called "planet-based," too, which is kind of interesting). Anyway, point that clicking thing at these links for Cosmic Stars and Planetary Profiles.

As an aside, I'll add that I really enjoy this direction for CE variants. As I've made clear elsewhere, I am pretty much over the whole "homebrew alien" thing; we just don't need a 37th variant of Pacifist. In fact, I'm actively boycotting any discussion at any site regarding homebrew aliens — I just literally skip right over those threads. Bleh. I've got your Macron variant right here, pal!

But adding entirely new concepts to the game — especially those that have been playtested at least a little bit — is definitely something TheDukester can support.

It's the player aid that ate Cincinnati

2010-02-19T13:18:00.000-08:00

What's great about Toomai's Timing Sheet for Cosmic Encounter is that it's so ... extreme. In a very literal sense, it attempts to detail every possible action and reaction for every Cosmic Encounter alien, step by step, as the phases of every turn progress. In a more "meta" sense, though, it's a wonderful look at just how much "the game that breaks its own rules!" really does do just that.

The real comedy, of course, comes from the fact that anyone showing this sheet to a new CE player would cause that player to flee madly for the nearest exit (probably muttering something about CE being "10 times more complicated than Arkham Horror"). But, as we all know, Cosmic really isn't that bad, once a few simple rhythms are learned — and it's not like all 70 aliens are involved at once.

Anyway, be sure to click on the image here to see it a bigger, more readable size. It's worth admiring the sheer scope of the thing ...

Quite possibly the world's geekiest shirt

2010-02-13T14:46:00.000-08:00

(Not that such a thing stops me from wanting one, of course ...)

You've got to love getting two solid gaming references for the price of one shirt. And the "flow" line is bigger than just the Dune book: I've never played a single game of the Dune boardgame, FTF or online, where "The spice must flow" wasn't uttered by someone or other.

It's also nice that even the little details are right. For instance, that's a regulation-size Settlers of Catan board pictured.

(Tip of the fedora to Cosmic Encounter player Bioball for the heads-up)

First look at our 20 new alien friends

2010-02-09T13:28:00.000-08:00

As usual, a good starting point for all things Cosmic Encounter is The Warp — not the place where your lost ships go because you're playing like a bonehead, but the actual person. Much like he did when the Fantasy Flight Games base set arrived, Jack Reda has provided his initial thoughts on the 20 new aliens found in Cosmic Incursion.

It's well-written, it's got pretty formatting, and it's worth a read.

CE Online on the iPad? Why not?

2010-01-29T12:14:00.000-08:00

And that's not just me talking crazy, either. Here's Cosmic Encounter designer Peter Olotka, commenting at this very blog:

Bill and I are committed to getting some of the new aliens online. And we are discussing the possibility of an IPad ce online. Our Cosmic flash guru Alan Queen did this little game in flash and ported it to the iphone:

Search the app store for
Star Match ABC
by DigiDood

Well, that would be enough to pretty much make my head explode in a tremendous spray of blood and gray matter. As a longtime member of both the Apple and Cosmic Encounter cults, playing CE Online — with some new aliens, too! — on Apple's shiny new gadget would be a clear case of Fanboy Overload for me. I will say right now, on the record, that I would gladly pay my CE Online Founder's fee again if it guaranteed I would be playing the game on my iPad by this date next year.

Seriously, where do I sign up?

+++++

One technical question: is getting CE Online to play in a non-Flash environment a feasible thing? Because Apple will not put Flash onto its mobile devices, and that includes the iPad.

First look! All 20 Incursion aliens!

2010-01-28T15:08:00.000-08:00

With the Cosmic Incursion expansion now in the hands of at least one eager player/consumer, it's fair to lift the veil of secrecy surrounding the 20 aliens who made the cut for the first expansion to the Fantasy Flight Games edition. They are, in alphabetical order:

Bully, Chronos, Cryo, Deuce, Disease;
Ethic, Fungus, Fury, Genius, Ghoul;
Guerrilla, Leviathan, Locust, Magician, Mercenary;
Merchant, Plant, Seeker, Sniveler, Symbiote.

My first take: I'm seeing at least nine — maybe 10, depending on possible name-changes — that look like first-time appearances. It will be very interesting to see if that trend continues.

My second take: Disease and Fungus? ... Plant beats Insect onto the list of official FFG aliens ... Deuce is a personal favorite, so I'm happy with that ... and Bully? I would have lost that bet.

(Another shout-out goes to Kobold Curry Chef — that's two in a row. The rest of you better get with the program here)

Incursion: off the boat and on the truck

2010-01-22T14:16:00.001-08:00

It appears that the news is all good for those of us eagerly anticipating the arrival of Cosmic Incursion: the official FFG Upcoming Products and Reprints page has changed CI's status from a boat icon to a truck icon.

In English words:

The product is being shipped from the FFG warehouse in Minnesota to stores and distributors. This process takes between 7-10 days for the US, or a few days longer in Canada.

(Tip of the hat to Kobold Curry Chef for the sharp eyes)

Celebrating 10 years of CE with food and fun

2010-01-21T09:58:00.001-08:00

The fine folks involved with the Seattle Cosmic Game Night recently celebrated their 10th anniversary with a food-themed night of Cosmic Encounter.

The best part is that each alien power was backed up by a real-life snack. So, Amoeba is a Jell-o sculpture, Aristocrat has hoity-toity tiny sandwiches, and so on. It's all very clever and looks like it was great fun.

There might be more pictures available soon; if so, I'll update this post with where to find them.

Congratulations of 10 years, SCGN.

Have I been playing it wrong all this time?

2010-01-20T15:16:00.001-08:00

Ah, yes, Cosmic Encounter: diplomacy, bluffing, variable powers, backstabbing ... hot alien sex?

Wait; what?

Oh, right, there's a rulebook, too

2010-01-12T09:59:00.001-08:00

Duh.

I totally forgot to mention this part in my excitement over yesterday's super-cool new alien: the rules for Cosmic Incursion are available at Fantasy Flight's CE support page.

I'm not sure why they sort of buried the news at the bottom of an alien preview, but, still, the important thing is that they are out there and available for immediate download.

Cosmic Incursion: It's like magic!

2010-01-11T19:34:00.001-08:00

That headline will seem a lot better once you head on over to Fantasy Flight Games and read the description for the newest Cosmic Incursion alien.

(And it's by Bruno Faidutti, too! That's just made of win.)

Quick take: it's my favorite of the CI aliens revealed so far.

Dune: A love story in two acts

2010-01-10T09:59:00.001-08:00

Well, it took a year, but at least the story has a happy ending. Follow the link to read the heart-warming story of Dune hatred becoming Dune love.

The author's conclusion is worth reading for any new-ish Dune players or anyone else who feels they'll never "get" the game:

This game is worth figuring out, and certainly it does take some figuring out. It's not readily apparent what you should do with each faction. Take your time learning, play with people that know the game, and read some strategy [articles].

Here's where I'm playing my next game of CE

2010-01-07T09:13:00.001-08:00

I figure I'll be comfortable enough with 8,000 square feet. Heck, that might even be big enough to accommodate The Warp's super-deck.

I must note, also, that Fantasy Flight's new Gamer Heaven is the first thing I've ever encountered that made me wish I lived in Minnesota.

Third FFG mystery box: Dungeonquest?

2010-01-05T09:27:00.001-08:00

No matter how much I want it to be, I no longer even remotely believe the third of Fantasy Flight Games' three mystery boxes contains the new Twilight Dune: Dinosaur Imperium game.

I'm going with this rumor instead: it's a new version of Dungeonquest.

Which, frankly, is made of awesomesauce ... albeit an event unlikely to be detailed too much in this space.

Virus and Zombie: switched at birth?

2009-12-31T19:14:00.001-08:00

Not wanting to end the year on a negative note, I'll end it instead with this interesting thought: when you get right down to it, FFG's Virus sort of looks like Zombie, and Zombie sort of looks like Virus.

I won't got so far as to say there was a mistake — I can say with first-hand experience that CE designer Kevin Wilson really nurtured the game during its development phase — but I will say that it's a pretty interesting side-by-side comparison. My guess would be either, A) a last-minute switch in artwork, for reasons unknown; or B) everything is as it was meant to be, and the folks at FFG must be thinking we're all a bunch of conspiracy theorists.

Still ... just look at those pictures.

Uh, oh ... Incursion due date slipping?

2009-12-31T15:54:00.001-08:00

Don't take this as the gospel truth, but at least one major gaming retailer has shifted Cosmic Incursion's due date back a month. Funagain Games, which I've always found to be a pretty reliable indicator of these sorts of things, now lists "March 2010" on its CI page.

FWIW. YMMV. SPQR. UCLA.

There's a Fungus among us!

2009-12-29T16:01:00.001-08:00

And, yes, I've been just waiting to do that headline ...

To the point: the fourth alien preview for the upcoming Cosmic Incursion expansion has been announced over at Fantasy Flight Games, and it's a classic from the Eon expansions. It is my great pleasure to introduce Fungus.

Because I haven't done the eBay thing in a while

2009-12-29T14:46:00.001-08:00

It's a beautiful set, no doubt about that. I'd love to have sealed copies of all nine Eon expansions for Cosmic Encounter.*

I just don't think it's going to sell at $730.

*I've got seven of them sealed, for those wondering. Which was probably no one.

Lawl! Cosmic rules "discussion" FTW!

2009-12-29T14:17:00.001-08:00

Man, we've all been there. Sometimes, alien Q acting in phase V does not play well with player X attempting to play flare Z. But, still, it's funny to see someone actually take it public:

... wish I got to play that game of Cosmic Encounter with you guys. The argument after you left went on for another hour.

Locust ready to devour unwary players

2009-12-23T15:29:00.000-08:00

The third alien preview for the upcoming Cosmic Incursion expansion has been posted, and it appears to be Cosmic Encounter's answer to Marvel Comics' Galactus.

Everyone say hello to Locust.

A late candidate for Best Line of Year

2009-12-20T09:12:00.000-08:00

Bill Martinson, via BGG:

Mayfair's flares are Curly-Joes ...

For the full context, click upon this hyperlink. It's worth it.

Yeah, I'm a rebel. That's how I roll

2009-12-19T10:52:00.000-08:00

Inspired by this thought over at BGG ...

... why would I want to ask for allies? An extra point per ship is pretty weak and the reinforcement cards are rare.

... I'm going to repeat an experiment I did a couple of years ago. For my next 30 games at Cosmic Encounter Online, I am not going to invite a single ally, offensively or defensively.* I will track the results and post a summary.

Anyone thinking "playing the 'no-invite' guy should be an easy win' " should look for user ID TheDukester at CE Online.

* The obvious exception, as always, is asking for defensive allies when defending against a possible game-winning challenge. I won't play kingmaker just for the sake of an experiment.

Terrifically tantalizing Twitter tidbit

2009-12-18T21:33:00.000-08:00

I try not to read too much into these sorts of things, but I did find the following Twitter tweet pretty interesting. Oh, who am I kidding? I love to read too much into stuff like this.

Cosmic Encounter designer Peter Olotka:

In the future (late 2010 + -) there will actually be an abstract connection between Cosmic Encounter and Twilight Imperium.

Let loose the hounds of rabid, uninformed gamer speculation!

CE alien survey #30: GAMBLER

2009-12-16T08:40:00.000-08:00

First appearance: Eon expansion #2.

Plain-English power: Play an encounter card face down and just say what it is (often legally lying about it).

Loved by: People with good poker faces.

Loathed by: The insecure and the gullible.

Three ways to win as Gambler:

If you don't have that many ships in the warp, you can afford to bluff more freely. It helps if you attack with only 2 ships (then you'll only lose 2 more ships if your bluff is called).
When your opponent reveals his or her card, take a moment to "do the math" before declaring what your card it (especially when you are NOT bluffing and your card is giving you a higher total). Your opponent may be more likely to call your bluff and suffer additional losses.
When you play a negotiate, and your opponent reveals a decent attack card, look disappointed and then declare your card is a negotiate. You may be able to trick your opponent into calling your bluff this way as well. You'll still lose the encounter, but you'll at least sting your opponent.

I was bluffing about only three ways to win. Here's a fourth:

Use negotiates early to get cards away from your opponents. It helps you if there are players that know about certain cards in your hand. If you get the 30 or the 40, you want players to know you have it. You can bluff about that for several encounters.

Three ways to win against Gambler:

When you only have 1 or 2 ships in the encounter, call the Gambler's bluff, especially when he has beaten you by a small margin, or declared that he played a big attack card. Even if he did play the 40 after all, it's good to know that is no longer in his hand.
Late in the game, when resources are spread thin, Gambler is less likely to attack you with 4 ships AND bluff about his card. Maybe he's hoping to scare you into accepting the totals, but you may have to chance the extra losses yourself.
Reinforcements are rarely factored into Gambler's bluffing. If you have some, you may be able to overcome his totals, even if he is bluffing.

Double bluff!

Keep in mind that there are several cards in the encounter deck that are not duplicated. If one has already been played (or you are holding it), and Gambler says he's playing it, call that bluff! These cards appear only once in the base deck: 40, 30, 23, 15, 13, 12, 11, 09, 07, 05, 01, 00, Morph.

At CE Online? No.

— Submitted by Jack Reda

FFG's second big mystery box: not within the scope of this fine blog

2009-12-11T14:26:00.000-08:00

Cutting right to the chase: it's a big-ass Warhammer 40K thing. I know zero about the setting and care even less.

What I do care about is that fans of the classic Dune boardgame are now down to just the remaining "small" mystery box if they're hoping to hear any news concerning Dune: Imperium / Twilight: Dune / Dune: Dinosaur Planet in 2009 or early 2010.

My gut feeling is that the small box will not be the new Dune game. Considering the original announcement came in the summer of 2007, I'm beginning to lose faith that FFG will ever get this game to market.

Incursion: It's a work of pure genius

2009-12-02T12:45:00.000-08:00

A brand new alien known as Genius just became the second official Cosmic Incursion preview posted at Fantasy Flight Games. It joins Sniveler on the short-but-hopefully-getting-bigger-soon list.

First reaction: another clever alternate-win alien. And I'm a card-hoarder, so this one automatically gets my seal of approval.

Interesting review from a new CE "convert"

2009-12-01T13:15:00.000-08:00

I somehow missed most of this discussion the first time around, but it's certainly worth a quick link. Click here for a solid Cosmic Encounter review from a new-ish player; there's some interesting perspectives.

The highlight for me:

The biggest miracle though, is that it's an absolute blast to play. The game feels untamed, as if it is bucking against the confines of its own design.

Well-said, brother.

Yeah, but WHICH twenty aliens ... ?

2009-11-30T01:00:00.000-08:00

With the official announcement of Cosmic Incursion having now rebounded back and forth across the interwebs, it's time for the speculation to begin. Just which aliens will be included in the announced 20?

So far, some of the better discussions can be found here and here.

Anyone want to go on the record here? Just hit the "comments" button, yo.

Dune Express keeps harvesting accolades

2009-11-28T11:48:00.000-08:00

("Harvesting" ... see what I did there?)

Dune Express, mentioned briefly in this very space, has turned into quite the home-published phenomenon over the past few months, generating much praise and many player-created additions. The latest coup for the game — which shows some faint echoes of the Avalon Hill classic while still managing to go in an entirely new direction — was picking up a Golden Geek award for Best PnP Game of 2009. Pretty heady stuff for what clearly began as just "let's play a super-quick Dune using a bunch of beads we've got laying around."

For more on Dune Express, place your cursor upon this link and press once.

CE: Incursion due in February?

2009-11-24T14:40:00.000-08:00

Boardgame News is reporting that the Cosmic Incursion expansion set is due in February of 2010, citing Fantasy Flight Games as a source. The FFG site itself, it should be noted, makes no mention of a release date that I can see.

So, for what it's worth: one site (albeit a usually reliable and professional one) is reporting an early 2010 release date. Make of it what you will.

Super-cool Founder news at CE Online

2009-11-22T08:42:00.000-08:00

An interesting alien-gram recently landed in my in-box from Cosmic Encounter designer and CE Online owner Peter Olotka, who was celebrating a new Founder (lifetime subscription) at the online site:

Of note is wchaga's member ID of 101, having signed up on July 27, 2001 way back in the Java game days. By comparison, if you sign up today you will sport a number in the 90,000 range.*

It's always good to have an original player return to the mothership. And to return and decide to become a Founder is just made of pure awesomesauce.

*I've been playing since 2005, and my number is 38,309. I can't imagine having a three-digit number.

FFG provides a first look at the rewards deck

2009-11-17T17:17:00.000-08:00

Interesting stuff. A 32-card deck, available only to successful defensive allies.

Details are right here, my funny little meat-puppets.

Pacifist is peaceful ... until it's not

2009-11-15T09:32:00.000-08:00

The line of the week, via Twitter:

I think the Pacifists in Cosmic Encounter are inappropriately named.

Classic.

CE alien survey update: 30 in, need more

2009-11-15T09:05:00.000-08:00

I'm looking for more submissions in our ongoing project to post basic strategies for all 50 aliens from the Fantasy Flight Games base set. It's a simple, two-step process:

Check the list below for availability;
Write up a short entry (using the style seen in the ones already posted) and drop it off in my in-box.

Fame and fortune are sure to follow.

(Well, not fortune. And, actually, fame is pretty unlikely, too. So forget about that part.)

Is Cosmic Encounter "worth it"?

2009-11-09T10:44:00.000-08:00

Why, yes. Yes, it is.

Reminder: Halloween tournament at CE Online

2009-10-30T21:52:00.000-07:00

What better way to relax before or after some trick-or-treating? Or, you know, while you're ignoring the doorbell because, honestly, you really don't even like those neighborhood kids ...

Get yer details right here.

CE alien survey #29: RESERVE

2009-10-28T12:26:00.000-07:00

First appearance: More Cosmic Encounter.

Plain-English power: Attack cards of 6 or less can be played as Reinforcements. Negotiates can cancel others' Reinforcements.

Loved by: Everyone (when he's allied with them); spammers; fans of the cavalry; World War II Russian tacticians.

Loathed by: Everyone (once he's in the lead); those who despise surprise attacks.

Three ways to win as Reserve:

With 15 applicable Attack cards in the deck, there's no reason you shouldn't win every encounter you're invited to ally with, more or less. Jump to an early shared lead by joining the offense. When they start to realize you'll only pull ahead more, they'll start to only invite you on defense. Use that to refuel your reinforcement hand. (Then they'll stop inviting you, period.)
Reinforce intelligently. Only play what you need to edge out your opponent. If you're dropping down an Attack 6 when you only need one more point to win, consider losing so that you can save the Attack 6 for when it really matters. If your opponent blew a big card (20-plus) to beat you, then you can be confident that his next card (and possibly others' cards) will be considerably less powerful.
Your power works as an ally on either side. Therefore, you may have even more control over the outcome than either main player. It doesn't matter which side invites you, as long as you're invited. Accept the invitation of the guy needing you for the joint win, then sabotage him by dumping Attack cards on the defensive side, and win on your turn instead!

Three ways to win against Reserve:

Reserve as an ally is potentially more dangerous and unstable than as a main player. Just because he joined on offense doesn't mean he's trying to get a colony; he just wants in so he can use his power for some purpose. Invite him only when you're absolutely sure he's going to actually fight for your side. If he limps in for one ship, beware!
Only 15 Attack cards are useful to Reserve. The more you see played/discarded, the more impotent he is, but remember he can always cancel real Reinforcements with one of the 15 Negotiates, as well.
Attack 1's and 2's can be used by him, but it doesn't mean they're that helpful. Look for him to use his power just to empty his hand fast (whether it helps or not) so he can re-draw for some powerful cards (unrevealed flares, or high Attacks that haven't surfaced).

At CE Online? No.

— Submitted by Zach Gaskins

The Cosmic Twitter madness continues

2009-10-28T10:17:00.001-07:00

Ladies, gentlemen, and aliens: I give you ...

... Cosmic Encounter designer Peter Olotka's Twitter feed.

CE: INCURSION DETAILS ANNOUNCED!

2009-10-27T15:55:00.000-07:00

No release date yet, but Fantasy Flight Games has posted some information about Cosmic Incursion, the first expansion for the 2008 edition of the game.

No huge surprises so far: 20 aliens and pieces for a sixth player were very much expected; reward decks and "cosmic quakes" sound pretty interesting.

Suggested retail is $24.95. That sounds about right, from what I'm seeing. Hell, that cover is worth $10 all on its own.

And now even aliens have Twitter feeds

2009-10-23T09:34:00.000-07:00

That Anti-Matter has always been a bit of a rebel. You know, with the whole "lowest total wins" thing and all that.

But now it's broken some entirely new ground. Anti-Matter is the first Cosmic Encounter alien to have its own Twitter feed. Oh, Anti, you crazy, nutty non-conformist.

My only question: how does it type without any hands?

You do NOT want to miss aliens in costume

2009-10-22T14:39:00.000-07:00

Be sure to set aside some time on All Hallows Eve for a visit to Cosmic Encounter Online. There's nothing quite like seeing all of the aliens get dressed up.

All of the details can be found here. Be there or be relentlessly mocked.

Wow, down to two already ...

2009-10-14T20:11:00.000-07:00

It looks like the item below was posted just in time, as Fantasy Flight Games has already revealed the first of the three Big Black Mystery Boxes.

It's not Dune: Imperium. It's something called Runewars.

Actually, it looks kind of cool.

It'll be Twilight: Dune. Wait, no, it won't! Hmmm ... yes, it will! Gah! I can't decide

2009-10-12T09:19:00.001-07:00

Some out there in gamer-land might remember that Fantasy Flight Games ended its annual GenCon "state of the nation" address with a mysterious graphic showing three large black boxes. These served as teases representing three larger products — apparently, two huge "coffin box" games and one game of "standard" FFG size — that the company had in production, but was not prepared to announce publicly.

Now, two months later, the boxes are back.

Pictured above is a screen capture from FFG's home page, heralding the return of the three black boxes and promising that details are forthcoming. Being basically the same person I was two months ago, I'm still wondering the same thing I was back in August: will we be seeing Twilight: Dune (or Dune: Imperium, or Dune with Dinosaurs, or whatever) in one of those boxes?

I think we might. Being a gamer has taught me that wishful thinking is often a disappointing road to travel, but there's a few reasons to believe that there might be a new Dune game announced soon. For one thing, the original announcement that FFG would use the Dune mechanics for a new Twilight: Imperium-themed game came in 2007, so they've had plenty of time to work on it. For another, FFG
has lately shown a willingness to go into stealth mode concerning some upcoming projects (Android, I'm looking at you), and I think Dune: Imperium would fit in with that concept quite nicely. Lastly, Twilight: Imperium will always be important to FFG and founder Christian Petersen — the first edition essentially launched the company — and I'm just having a gut feeling that it's time to announce something that involves the TI universe.

So, my official prediction: yes, there is a new Dune somewhere in one of those boxes. Some other guesses from throughout the interwebs can be found here and here.

Anyone else have any strong feelings? Hunches? Complete guesswork?

A quick note, then my favorite word

2009-10-08T11:51:00.000-07:00

First, you've just to love a game that makes people want to say things — to potentially millions of other people — such as this:

I'm the ruler of the universe! MUWAHAHAHAHA!#@!#

Now, part II: it's time for a hiatus. What a wonderful word; it ranks right up there with "plethora" and "penultimate." Anyway, there's too much RL going on right now, so the 'ol blog is on hiatus until at least next Tuesday.

CE alien survey #28: CHOSEN

2009-09-29T15:55:00.000-07:00

First appearance: Mayfair base set.

Plain-English power: Draw three cards after Reveal; if any are Encounter cards, one may replace/add to the card you played.

Loved by: Slot machine enthusiasts; fans of the movie "Maverick"; top-decking SOBs.

Loathed by: People who play straightforward; unlucky saps.

Three ways to win as Chosen:

There are 15 Negotiates and 39 Attack Cards. Why get stuck with playing a low Attack? Go ahead and toss it out, and pray for a Negotiate; be sure to give thanks to Chosen's Higher Power for what ye are about to receive.
If the average value of Attack cards is 10.5, then the average value of any two random Attack cards is 21. That's the kind of advantage you have going into most encounters!
Any cards you draw when you "pray" are discarded. Note what they are. If you get rid of high Attacks, then that's one more Attack that can't be played strongly against your additive power. In some cases, using your power just to burn through the draw deck faster can get good cards back into rotation quicker, or make sure they aren't drawn for a while.

Three ways to win against Chosen:

Ionic Gas. Why? Because it's likely if Chosen fails to beat you mathematically, he'll turn up a Negotiate with his power and settle for draining your hand.
When playing against Chosen, ensuring you're at least 11 points ahead before the three cards are drawn makes the random draw a bit less in Chosen's favor (see #2 above).
Clumsily hand a mirror to the Chosen player before the game gets going, or make him walk under a ladder. Barring that, make sure the Chosen player's not much of a churchgoer.

At CE Online? No, but wouldn't be terribly difficult to code. It could easily be displayed as the "Slot Machine Of The Gods", complete with Vegas sound effects! [editorial intrusion: then someone code the damn thing!]

— Submitted by Zach Gaskins

Catching up with the champions, part II

2009-09-18T10:50:00.000-07:00

Following up on yesterday's post, it's a good time to examine the history of the prestigious monthly championships at Cosmic Encounter Online. With his just-completed August title, veteran player Tmax has now won 10 monthly championships, the most of any player.

Here's a list of everyone who has won five or more titles ... the players who can truly say, in other words, that they are, indeed, the champions:

10: Tmax
7: AP
6: Barrok, Fiddler, Williamson
5: Mystique

So, between them, this group has accounted for 53 percent (40 of 75) of all the monthly championships in CEO history.

Catching up with the champions, part I

2009-09-17T13:18:00.001-07:00

It's been far too long since we've taken a look at who is taking over the most planets at Cosmic Encounter Online, so it's time to play catch-up. First up: here's the list of your monthly champions so far in 2009:

January: Williamson
February: Mailman
March: Toomai
April: Mailman
May: Mailman
June: Barrok
July: Mystique
August: Tmax

So, for a quick summary, it looks like Mailman has already won thrice, Tmax has added yet another monthly trophy, and July featured the return of old-school legend Mystique. Good stuff so far.

Crazy Cosmic-on-steroids list: a must-see

2009-09-16T15:16:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if this is just thinking aloud ... or a tease of some new features ... or maybe a combination of the two. But I do know that if even one-fifth of this list ever became reality, I'd never leave the house.

Word on the street: 20 new aliens coming

2009-09-09T08:42:00.000-07:00

And this street is actually called "Olotka Avenue," so this is a level above your everyday rumor: 20 new aliens are coming for the first Cosmic Encounter expansion.

(No word yet if Human's friends Elf, Dwarf, Half-Orc, or Halfling made the cut ...)

Okay, now it just needs to stop

2009-09-08T21:06:00.000-07:00

The "let's stretch the rules to the breaking point" game is great fun ... every so often. It's not meant to be a daily thing ...

Can EVERY player win? A theoretical challenge

2009-09-04T19:39:00.000-07:00

I'm not completely sure that the example here follows the timing rules 100-percent correctly, but I'm totally confident that the author has forgotten more about Cosmic Encounter's rules than I'll ever know, so I'm willing to roll with it. The basic premise: it's possible to have a five-way win in a five-player game.

If pressed, I would have guessed "not possible." I've always thought that someone — the poor slob playing defense being the most obvious example — had to lose in any given game of CE. Now I'm not so sure.

What say you, rules gurus? Genius idea ... or does it all fall apart somewhere?

Hypnotized by the silly Twitter widget

2009-09-03T08:59:00.000-07:00

Although I'm not a Twitter user myself, I must admit that I'm enjoying the little widget I installed over there in the sidebar. It's sort of fascinating to see people around the world talking about Cosmic Encounter in real time.

A couple of my recent favorite entries (all due respect, Twitter, but I will never be able to say "tweets" with a straight face):

Taping together a 31 year old Cosmic Encounter box.

And ...

Cosmic encounter is a damn fine game.

Why, yes ... yes, it is!

CE alien survey #27: MISER

2009-08-29T09:20:00.000-07:00

First appearance: Eon Expansion #2.

Plain-English power: You have two hands of cards.

Loved by: Greedy guys, those who like a safety net.

Loathed by: Card-stealers, those who enjoy pounding their enemy's hand, Han Solo.

Three ways to win as Miser:

At the start of the game, pick your better hand as your hoard. Generally, this hand would include more Artifacts, more Flares, or just your best Attack.
Don't assume your hoard is only for emergencies. Treat the safe cards the same as your regular hand.
Miser is the best alien at storing cards until the best time, especially since he can keep a hoard without encounter cards. However, if you can't see how your hoarded Artifacts and Flares will have a significant effect, then get a new hoard.

Three ways to win against Miser:

Keep Miser's regular hand small. He already has twice as many cards as you, so cut him down to size a bit.
Try to force the good stuff out of Miser's hoard, especially at the beginning of the game. For example, make him play his best attack out of it. A hoard without good cards is more of a burden than an asset.
Watch how often the Miser player checks his hoard. If he checks it often, chances are he'll use it more often than someone who lets it sit for a few encounters at a time. Frequent checks can also mean he has a good stored card he doesn't want to miss using (although this is dependant on how good his memory is).

At CE Online? No.

Anything else? Miser appeared twice in major CE expansions, but never in a base set until the FFG edition.

— Submitted by Toomai Glittershine

Follow-up Friday: CE expansion still in warp

2009-08-21T11:56:00.000-07:00

It's looking more and more likely that any possible Cosmic Encounter expansion is definitely not in Fantasy Flight Games' immediate post-GenCon plans. The company has released a very specific list of release dates for September and October, and there's no mention of the game to be found. FFG is also currently releasing rules and news for a number of their games at a very rapid clip — just take a look at the front page of the website and you'll see what I mean — and, again, there's not a "Cosmic" or an "Encounter" to be found anywhere.

It's still possible that the expansion could be a stealth release, of course; there's no rule that says FFG or any other gaming company has to do things in any specific order or has to announce their every move. But I'm leaning more and more toward a late fall or early 2010 release, after this current huge wave of post-GenCon products has been in the pipeline for awhile.

Ummm ... then again, maybe not ...

2009-08-14T23:31:00.001-07:00

So ... never mind on those posts below. Ignore them. I was only kidding; clearly, there won't be any Cosmic Encounter news coming out of GenCon.

Or at least not in this six-minute video, which appears to be a series of highlights from Fantasy Flight Games' annual "InFlight Report" state-of-the-company address. There's all kinds of cool stuff in the video — especially if you're into things such as Descent and Talisman — but the words "cosmic" and "encounter" are never mentioned.

Now, as much as I'm disappointed, I'm also going to add that I don't think there's anything sinister going on here. I suspect that the long-rumored CE expansion simply hasn't found a place yet on FFG's production schedule, which, in all the years I've been following the company, has never been so crowded.

Stay tuned to this channel. If my Bothan spies report back with any sort of update, it will be posted immediately.

(No Twilight: Dune news, either. With or without dinosaurs)

Play Cosmic on a $1,500 table! Why not?

2009-08-14T10:21:00.000-07:00

Just revealed at GenCon: from the folks who brought you the $9,000 Sultan gaming table comes ... The Emissary! It's a fraction of the price, and you can eat off it!

I'm getting two.

My official CE: Incursion predictions

2009-08-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

I figure we're almost exactly 24 hours from the expected announcement of the first Cosmic Encounter expansion — see post below — so here's a quick guess at what we'll be seeing:

Title: Cosmic Encounter: Incursion.
Size: No more than half the size of the big CE box. Thinner, like one of the Lords of the Rings expansions.
New aliens: 20 to 25.
New mechanics: Hazards is a definite, as its already mentioned in the original CE rulebook. Rules and pieces for a sixth player will be added. I also expect to see one totally new mechanic (much like Tech was completely new in the original edition).
Price: Either $29 or $39, depending on how much of the new stuff is printed on heavy stock.

CE expansion news coming on Friday?

2009-08-13T09:49:00.000-07:00

The last couple of GenCons have been good ones for fans of Cosmic Encounter: the 2007 show brought us news of Fantasy Flight Games' upcoming new editions of Cosmic Encounter, Borderlands, and Twilight Imperium: Dune with Dinosaurs, while the 2008 show featured the actual first look at the new edition of CE.

Now, for this year's show, comes word that FFG will be hosting an "InFlight Report," where the company is expected to provide the gaming equivalent of a state-of-the-nation address. Here's the key part of the announcement (emphasis added):

... the 2009 InFlight Report will highlight FFG thoughts on its position in the marketplace, interesting anecdotes about FFG's operations, as well as a bundle of news and announcements.

Given that CE has been a runaway success for FFG (it completely sold out its first printing) and given that an expansion to the game seems to be about the worst-kept secret in all of gaming, I'm fairly optimistic we'll be seeing some news tomorrow. I'm pretty sure that deserves a "W00t!"

And, hey, FFG, if you're not too busy? Please, please, please announce something for Dune: Imperium. Enough with the wating game; let's hear something concrete.

Who's playing CE? Twitter will tell ya

2009-08-12T08:31:00.000-07:00

So I've been noodling around a bit with Twitter, being the Web 2.0 god that I am, and one neat thing I've discovered is that its search function can provide what is essentially a real-time look at who out there might be discussing a certain topic (and how popular the topic is at any given time). It's really kind of fascinating to observe.

For instance, posted above are the results from a search for "Cosmic Encounter" that I did about 90 seconds ago. Now, I might know any of these people, but I can see where our shared love of the game might lead me to open a conversation with one of them, which might lead to making some sort of stronger connection down the road. Sometimes, I begin to understand why this social-media thing seems to be gaining so much traction.

Beyond possibly finding other CE fans out there in on the interwebs, though, it's really just sort of hypnotic to see what people are talking about in as close to real-time as we've got right now. We've come a long way since I first used a Macintosh SE at the campus computer lab.

Please play the DUNE boardgame today

2009-08-04T11:49:00.000-07:00

On our national day of mourning, I think it would be great if we all tried to get in a game of the still-fantastic DUNE boardgame today.

(And when you're done with that, be sure to drop an email to Fantasy Flight Games inquiring about the status of DUNE: Imperium).

Bill is the alpha player at Alpha league

2009-08-01T15:13:00.000-07:00

The Alphabetical Aliens league is in the books at Cosmic Encounter Online, with Bill needing only three games to dispatch with pretenders Sleepy Weasel, Zxzxi, and BH Zach. I'll spare everyone the usual "he h/\xXz0rzd teh game!" comment. Full details can be found here.

That wraps up another CE Online league, and I'm hoping the next one is equally as entertaining. I didn't know what to think when the alphabet concept was announced, but it turns out that almost every one of the combos was a real blast to play.

Finals details announced for Alpha Aliens league

2009-07-25T20:19:00.000-07:00

After starting at A (Anti-Matter) and ending at Z (Zombie), eight sessions of the Alphabetical Aliens league are in the history books, leaving only the final round to play. That little detail will be taken care of Monday at Cosmic Encounter Online when Zxzxi, Bill, Sleepy Weasel, and Zach of the Stupendous Hat-Rack meet to determine just who exactly is the greatest Cosmic Encounter player in the world.**

Full details can be found here. And here's a quick glance at the four finalists' records:

zxzxi: 6-13 (.315)
Bill: 5-6 (.454)
Sleepy Weasel: 4-9 (.307)
BigHeadZach: 2-6 (.250)

That's Monday at 8:30 E / 5:30 P. You won't want to miss it.

**"Greatest" until the next league, that is ...

Time for some heavy metal boardgames

2009-07-21T08:04:00.000-07:00

Here's another laugh-out-loud entry from McSweeney's. I think my favorite is Hungry Hungry Skid Rows.

"Yes, but WHY do you like Cosmic Encounter?"

2009-07-20T18:03:00.000-07:00

Cosmic Encounter is often a tough game to put into words. There's a lot going on that's not always apparent until you've played quite a bit — negotiation, politics, diplomacy, back-stabbing, and alliances (often of convenience) are just a few parts of the Cosmic experience. And that doesn't even mention the variable alien powers, how they work together, and the other parts of the game that literally break the rules.

But putting it down into words is exactly what our friend David Montgomery did in this interesting post at a leading boardgames site. After playing more than 100 times with the new Fantasy Flight Games edition, DavidMont's got some interesting insights into the experience.

(Here's why I like it: it's teh r0xXz0RRz!!llone!11!)

Cosmic Encounter gets Wiki-fied

2009-07-14T16:10:00.000-07:00

No, not at Wikipedia — that farcical entry is still around, just as embarrassing and semi-useless as any other article at that place. No, I'm talking about an independent site with wiki-based software, written and maintained (presumably) by Cosmic Encounter fans for Cosmic Encounter fans.

It's just getting off the ground now; check it out and maybe think about contributing a thing or two.

Last-chance time in CE Online league

2009-07-13T11:17:00.000-07:00

With no more letters remaining, tonight's eighth session of the Alphabetical Aliens league is the final one on the schedule. Anyone looking for wins will have to prove their mastery over Warpish, Warrior, Will, and Zombie.

The standings are still ridiculously tight, too: two players have four wins, two have three, and four have two. It's still anybody's ballgame.

That's tonight, 8E/5P; be there or be mocked.

Do you like V's? Then tonight is your night

2009-07-06T10:12:00.000-07:00

It's all V all the time tonight (Monday, July 6) at the Alphabetical Aliens league, which will feature Virus, Vulch, Void, and Vacuum as a pre-set combo.

The standings are still absurdly close, with no single player able to break away after six weeks of competition. Here's a glance at the leaders; the full version of the standings can be found here:

Three wins: Bill, Peter, Sleepy Weasel, Zxzxi;
Two wins: IcarusInx, Subby, TheDukester.

It's still anybody's ballgame. Be there tonight (8E/5P) or you'll live to regret it.

Cosmic Online reaches 90K players

2009-07-05T19:55:00.000-07:00

Since the site debuted in May of 2003, players at Cosmic Encounter Online have been identified through unique ID numbers (I am 38309; nice to meet you). Now, a little more than six years later, the 90,000th account has been created.

Be sure to note the clever user ID for player #90,000 ...

Get your league on tonight!

2009-06-29T11:05:00.000-07:00

It's Monday — and that means it's Cosmic Encounter Online league time! Tonight's aliens in the Alphabetical Aliens league: Sapient, Sorcerer, Trader, Tripler.

Set those alarms: tonight, 8E/5P.

Who will be king of the Cosmic mountain?

2009-06-29T10:52:00.000-07:00

Things are still very, very close at the ongoing Alphabetical Aliens league at Cosmic Encounter, where six players have at least two wins, but only one has at least three. The latest standings, heading into tonight's action, can be found here.

Interested parties should also note that a new qualifying procedure is in place. Rather than set an arbitrary number of minimum games played to be eligible for the finals, the number will be determined by computing an average number of games played for all players. This makes much more sense, and it will allow a greater degree of flexibility (busy leagues will have a higher minimum-games-played number than less-busy leagues, but both will be using a valid method to determine the finalists). I hope this new qualifying procedure remains in place for all future leagues.

Alien strategy series submissions report

2009-06-29T09:40:00.000-07:00

(Updated: Monday, 6/29)

Here's your new-and-improved submissions list for our ongoing alien strategy series. It's even conveniently color-coded:

Soothing blue: submitted and posted;
Soothing yellow: a submission has been received and will be posted soon-ish;
Soothing red: I've been asked to reserve this alien (or, possibly, plan to write it up myself).

CE alien survey #26: FODDER

2009-06-29T09:26:00.000-07:00

First appearance: Fantasy Flight Games.

Plain-English power: Play more attack cards under the value of your opponent’s card.

Loved by: People with a lot of lousy cards in their hands, Loser and Anti-Matter.

Loathed by: Aliens that like players who have a lot of cards in their hands, and anyone hoping to squeak by with a mid-range win (oh, and Spiff probably doesn’t like this cat).

Three ways to win as Fodder:

Play a low attack card, but not necessarily your lowest. You may be able to win the encounter with the card you just played, or at worst only one or two attack cards extra.
Use your negotiates in encounters you can afford to lose, especially against an opponent with lots of cards to choose from. You don’t want to find yourself in a situation where you have to play a negotiate when you don’t want to.
Be careful about having too many allies. Chances are good you can win some encounters alone if you have a lot of low and mid-range cards, especially when you know your opponent hasn’t invited a lot of players to his side.

Three ways to win against Fodder:

Be careful about playing attack 23 and 30. It’s easy for Fodder to stack up cards from his hand under those totals. Attack 40 is going to be a lot harder for him to match.
Pay attention to when Fodder is low on encounter cards. If he hasn’t drawn a new hand when you encounter each other, he probably doesn’t have much he can do. Go ahead and play for the big win.
A plethora of allies can make up the difference between your attack totals — just watch out for giving certain players too many gains.

At CE Online? No.

Anything else? This power was created by Jack Reda! Originally it was mandatory for Fodder to play his lowest card initially. FFG developer Kevin Wilson wisely decided that wasn’t really necessary.

— Submitted by Jack Reda

Bill leads at league; fix suspected

2009-06-22T19:33:00.000-07:00

The ongoing Cosmic Encounter Online league is now halfway through the alphabet, with the standings still very tight.

(And, yes, another update will be coming soon; the fifth league session was scheduled for Monday night)

2032 CE world champion says "Happy Father's Day"

2009-06-21T19:26:00.000-07:00

Here's wishing a happy dad's day to all of us who have little aliens at home.

(Check out the cool bib!)

A nice Cosmic shout-out from Bruno

2009-06-17T23:18:00.000-07:00

I mentioned earlier that I was looking forward to Bruno Faidutti's upcoming Ad Astra boardgame, having long ago discovered that I generally enjoy his take on asymmetrical or variable-powers games (and thinking that AA had a bit of a Cosmic Encounter feel to it, too).

So I ended up with a pretty big smile today after reading Fantasy Flight Games' first preview of the game. In addition to discussing the basic engine of the game — which appears to be more Settlers than Cosmic — the article closes with the following statement from Bruno:

In the past twenty years, the board game I’ve played most is certainly Cosmic Encounter.

Booyah! Score another point for CE's legendary influence.

Monday league back to Monday-ing

2009-06-07T09:10:00.000-07:00

After a couple of false-starts, the ongoing Alphabetical Aliens league at Cosmic Encounter Online completed its second session last week and is poised for another go-'round tomorrow, June 8. As a reminder: the new league is weekly and runs on Mondays.

Here's your early leaderboard:

Two wins: Bill, Subby;
One win: Amatecon, AP, Mesmer69, Zxzxi.

More detailed standings will be posted once a few more games are completed.

It's official: Cosmic Encounter > Magic

2009-05-31T08:56:00.000-07:00

So which is the better game: Cosmic Encounter or Magic, The Gathering?

That's easy: it's Cosmic, of course. For proof, look no further than the world-famous Trashdome, where two games enter ... but only one game leaves!

And, this time, the last game standing was Cosmic Encounter. All hail the champion!

(Warning: Fortress Ameritrash often features some ... uh ... "colorful" language and intense debate. If a few F-bombs are enough to make you uncomfortable, you might want to shield your eyes)

Dune in 10-20 minutes. No, really

2009-05-22T11:05:00.000-07:00

Well, here's an interesting take on the classic Dune boardgame: free, quick, and miniaturized. It's called Dune Express, and it's beginning to gain some traction on certain popular boardgaming sites.

I've yet to read through everything yet, although I hope to this weekend. But I'm definitely intrigued by what I've glanced at so far (although I'll be using one of the colored maps that can be found here).

Dune in 10 to 20 minutes? And without paying $125 for a nice copy on eBay? Is it possible?

(Shout-out to Massive-Melon Zeke for the heads-up)