Gameplay in Brief:
Each player controls an alien race and tries to colonize foreign worlds. The first player to establish five such colonies wins, but in order to be successful, they'll need at least some cooperation from their opponents -- whom they also will sometimes fight against.
Each alien race (the Fantasy Flight edition features 50 of them) has a unique special power. For example, the Pacifist race wins an encounter by playing a negotiate card even if the other party attempts to attack. The Tick-Tock race can win the game if there is any combination of 10 successful deals and defensive victories.
The Basics:
For 3 to 5 players, ages 12 and up. About 60 minutes per game.
Designers:
Cosmic Encounter was originally designed by Bill Eberle, Jack Kittredge, Bill Norton, and Peter Olotka. Kevin Wilson contributed to the 2008 Fantasy Flight edition.
Publisher:
Cosmic Encounter was most recently published by Fantasy Flight Games in 2008.
Other Editions:
Cosmic Encounter was originally published by Eon in 1977. Editions were also published by Mayfair Games (1991) and Avalon Hill (2000). An online version of Cosmic Encounter is also available.
Expansions:
Two expansions, Cosmic Incursion (2010) and Cosmic Conflict (2011), are available from Fantasy Flight Games. Eon, the original publisher, released nine expansions for Cosmic Encounter between 1977 and 1983. Mayfair Games published one expansion, More Cosmic Encounter (1992).
Why Cosmic Encounter is Part of the Games Timeline:
In Cosmic Encounter, each player has a special power that no other player has. Here are the other games I believe are the most culturally and historically significant games published since 1800.
