Virus and Zombie: switched at birth?

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.

CE alien survey #30: GAMBLER

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:

1. 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).
2. 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.
3. 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:

1. 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.
   

Yeah, but WHICH twenty aliens ... ?

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.

FFG provides a first look at the rewards deck

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

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

CE alien survey #29: RESERVE

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.
  
  

CE: INCURSION DETAILS ANNOUNCED!

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.

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

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?

CE alien survey #28: CHOSEN

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!

Word on the street: 20 new aliens coming

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 ...)

CE alien survey #27: MISER

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

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 ...

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)

My official CE: Incursion predictions

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?

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.

CE alien survey #26: FODDER

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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

CE alien survey #25: REINCARNATOR

First appearance: Eon Expansion #3

Plain-English power: After you lose any ships, drop your old power and get a new one.

Loved by: Cosmic fans who thrive on chaos and love to innovate.

Loathed by: Long-range strategy types. Insect and Plant should be wary of this alien power.

Three ways to win as Reincarnator:

• A cardinal rule of Cosmic strategy is that your alien power is just a resource like any other: ships, cards, etc. Players get attached to their powers and often make irrational decisions because they're more focused on keeping their power rather than getting to 5 external colonies. You have no such sentimental attachment. You know that your current power is just a tool to get you to 5. Therefore, you are almost always going to want "combat" powers that get the challenge totals in your favor, such as Virus, Anti-Matter, Loser, or Pacifist. Lose until you get one, and then hold on to it.
• You don't have time to mess around with indirect or subtle powers like Shadow, Gambler, Void, Hate, or Barbarian. If you get one of those, lose it — either throw a challenge as main player, or, better yet, ally with one ship with someone who's probably going to lose and is calling desperately for allies. As main player, Negotiates are your ticket to a new incarnation; do not despise them, but conserve them and use them wisely.
• If you get a Cosmic Zap in your hand, keep it to use on youself ("self-zapulation"). Like Human, zapping yourself at the right moment can be key to the game. Unlike Human, you'll use it right after you lose a challenge and your current incarnation is Pacifist, Loser, or some other powerhouse. Your Cosmic Zap is for you, not others.

Three ways to win against Reincarnator:

• If the Reincarnator player is not playing to get or hold a combat power, don't worry about his power. He's not using it. Just don't let him hold a combat power.
• If he's playing strategically, then be very careful about alliances. Generally, you shouldn't do it if he doesn't have a combat power.
• Also, if he's playing strategically, then you want to consider ganging up with the other players to remove his power by kicking him off his home planets. A smart Reincarnator is essentially playing with TWO powers.

At CE Online? Yes.

Anything else? The Wild Reincarnator is a crazy Flare, and most Cosmic. The game practically spirals into chaos as players reincarnate!

— Submitted by Rob Burns

CE alien survey #24: VACUUM

First appearance: Eon expansion #3.

Plain-English power: Sends others' ships to the warp when it loses ships.

Loved by: Vengeful jerks; fans of street justice movies.

Loathed by: Cudgel; Macron; family dogs; people who invite allies without thinking; New Orleans and Florida residents.

Three ways to win as Vacuum:

1. Exact righteous revenge! If someone gets you to ally and then loses (even worse, loses on purpose), punish them. Remind others not to anger you.
2. Resist the urge to play Mobius Tubes to free your ships from the warp; use defensive rewards to keep your ship count up. If someone else plays Mobius Tubes and your ships in the warp are small compared to others, Card Zap the Tubes to maintain your advantage.
3. Keep an eye on who is winning (both in colonies and ships), and punish them by default.

Fantasy Flight's FAQ a fabulous first

While going over Fantasy Flight's official Cosmic Encounter FAQ today, it occurred to me that the document really is the first of its kind. Despite a 30-plus-year history, CE has never had an official** FAQ of any kind, with simple poor timing being a big part of the reason.

Consider the history:

• Eon (1977): The concept of an "internet" was understood by about 23 people in the whole world when Cosmic was first published, all of whom worked for the Defense Department, so that wasn't exactly a big factor. The Future Pastimes gang was able to issue some rulings in their Encounter newsletter, which was nice, but that publication certainly didn't reach every CE player. Later, Expansion #9 cleared up a lot of issues — and, in its own way, was sort of FAQ-like — but that was it for CE in its original form. There would be no further Eon-branded items.
• Mayfair (1991): I think Mayfair, had they kept the CE license a bit longer, likely would have eventually posted some sort of FAQ on their ultra-primitive website of the mid-90s. And we all would have gleefully paid AOL even more usage fees to dial up our 56K modems and have a look at it. Sadly, we'll never really know, though. By the time the concept of the fabled World Wide Web was familiar to more people than just the propeller-heads, Mayfair had long since ceased to actively support CE.
• Avalon Hill (2000): This one is a no-brainer. There's no doubt at all that AH would have eventually released a FAQ ... of course, that would imply that they chose to support the game in the first place, which we all know didn't happen, for whatever reason. But had AH announced plans for, say, one or two expansions, they certainly would have also taken the time to add a FAQ to their support pages, which were actually pretty good for that time period.

(All of which reminds me: you know what other classic game from the same era could really use an official FAQ? Dune. Big-time. Not a bizarre Q&A session that many people have attempted to pass off as a FAQ over the years, but an honest-to-God real FAQ. Anyone who doubts this needs to poll 10 experienced Dune players and ask them exactly how Bene Gesserit co-existence works.)

Wait, I'm digressing. Where was I? Oh, yeah: welcome to the Cosmic family, Mr. Official FAQ Document. Now prepare to be picked apart.

**Official = a FAQ produced by the publisher. Unofficial = all other attempts at FAQs, no matter how well-researched or well-intentioned.

Official Cosmic Encounter FAQ available

Nine pages of Cosmic Encounter rulings from Fantasy Flight Games are available by simply following this link.

CE alien survey #23: VIRUS

First appearance: Eon base set

Plain-English power: Multiply your ships by your card (and then add allies).

Loved by: Low-total-wins powers, math nerds.

Loathed by: The rest of the cosmos.

Three ways to win as Virus:

1. Don't be a bully. Virus is naturally an "outcast" power - everyone will hate you as soon as its sheet is turned face-up. Being nice in the early going (such as not blowing people up with four ships and a 15) will stop it from getting any worse.
2. Your ships are valuable. Risk as few as you can in the opening so you'll have more left over in the end-game, where most good cards (such as the Zaps) are gone and you can really blow people away.
3. If Anti-Matter or Loser is in the game, do what it takes to get the 00 card. Zero times anything is zero. (With that in mind, be very careful about having one of your home colonies vaccinated.)

Three ways to win against Virus:

1. Deplete his resources. Use the Plague. Play N's. Target him as Vacuum or Hacker. Ionic Gas him. Virus can still bring it with few ships and low cards, so destroy as many as you can.
2. Don't invite him. Virus generally doesn't need help getting a colony, and you don't want him to get more stuff (see #1).
3. If you must go toe-to-toe with Virus (such as when he's going for the win), then just Zap him. Power-wise, Anti-Matter and Loser have an easy time dealing with him, while other powerhouses such as Warrior have a decent chance.

At CE Online? Yes.

Anything else? While a number of aliens have been in every released version of CE, Virus is one of the "Original Six," having appeared in the game's first prototype.

— Submitted by Toomai Glittershine