Outline of cosmic encounter rules description

CosmicEncounter.md

Cosmic Encounter

Intro

• Many Alien species, each player chooses from two
• Each have a special power on big card, plus related flare card, which significantly alter game
• Have just discovered warp portals left by ancients, but have little control
• Aim is to establish 5 foreign colonies first
• Joint victory is fine
• Each player has a starting hand of 8, can only get new cards when all normal cards used - good and bad

Colonies

• colony is one or more ships on one planet
• start with 5 home colonies in your home system (4 ships on each planet)
• as you succeed in invasions these ships will move to other peoples systems and become foreign colonies
• destroyed ships go to the warp, and slowly get repaired (one ship back at start of turn, defensive rewards, some abilities/cards)
• 3+ home colonies required for alien power to function
• empty home planets must be invaded to re-establish colony
• empty home planets are still defended, but with 0 ships

Turn

• Turn has one or two encounters, divided into 7 phases
• Current player is the offense
• Abilities only work in certain phases - cards show those phases in orange
• Start of turn
  • redraw? must have encounter or use any start of turn cards, then discard and draw 8
  • not part of encounter, some abilities trigger
• Rest are Encounter - may be repeated if first is successful + still have encounter card

Build Up Phases

• Regroup (get a ship)
  • One ship back from warp to any colony, or directly to gate if no colonies
• Destiny (determine gate destination)
  • Draw card
  • must have encounter in that system
  • if own colour: redraw, attack foreign colony, re-establish home colony (auto success)
  • wild - any other player
  • artifact - do what it says on card (counts as colour of decided person if it matters)
• Launch (choose planet and ships)
  • system owner becomes defense
  • choice of target planet - point gate
  • other player colonies are bystanders and are not involved
  • Place 1 to 4 ships from any colonies on gate
  • can empty colony but this is usually a bad idea
  • can be from multiple colonies
• Alliance (invite friends to attack or defend)
  • Offense extends invites
  • Defense extends invites
  • Each other player clockwise from offense
    • accepts one invite (or declines all)
    • Place 1-4 ships from colonies on gate/near planet
    • becomes offensive ally or defensive ally
  • Offense reward: foriegn colony!!!
  • Defense reward: more cards/ships (reward deck?)
• Planning (choose an encounter card)
  • If defense has no encounter card reveal hand, play/discard all, draw 8 new cards - repeat until 1 or more encounter card
  • Choose card face down

Cosmic Cards

• Encounter cards - once out redraw at start of turn
  • Attack (numbers - majority)
  • Negotiate - auto lose unless both players use - if so make deal
  • 1 Morph - copies other card
• Other basic cards
  • Reinforcements - modify after cards revealed
  • Special - rules on card, show examples, explain Zap!
• Flare
  • 2 per player - both alien races that player had to choose from
  • Not discarded when used (but are when out of encounter cards)
  • 1 per encounter
  • Use wild unless matches your race AND your power is active (not zapped or low colonies)
• Cosmic Quake - if can't draw cards - everyone gets new hands of 8

Outcome Phases

• Reveal (show cards, determine result)
  • Both players reveal chosen cards
  • Attack vs Attack: add ships higher total wins - defender wins ties
    • Offense, Defense, and Allies may play reinforcements to either side in any order until all pass
  • Attack vs Negotiate: Attack player wins, but loser gets compensation
  • Negotiate vs Negotiate: Deal
    • Allies return ships - get nothing
    • Offense and Defense have one minute to make a deal, or lose ships
  • Morph vs Morph - both lose
• Resolution (hand out rewards and penalties)
  • Offense win: offense + allies form colonies, defense + allies ships to warp, offense may have second encounter
  • Defense win: offense + allies' ships to warp, defense allies return to any colony - 1 rreward (card or ship from warp) for each ship defended with, no second encounter
  • Deal Made: carry out terms, offense may have second encounter
  • Deal Failed: both players lose 3 ships of their choice to the warp, no second encounter
  • Compensation: loser takes 1 card at random from winner's hand for each ship lost to warp (not allies)

Deal

• Allow establishing a colony where you have ships - ships sourced from gate/colonies
• Transfer cards in hand
• something must happen - card change hands and/or new colony
• does not have to be equal
• ships left on gate return to colonies