Cosmic Encounter: Cosmic Conflict
Cosmic Encounter: Cosmic Conflict Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Components
Cosmic Conflict should contain these components:
- 20 Alien Sheets
- 55 Cards, including:
- 29 Hazard Cards
- 20 Flare Cards
- 6 Destiny Cards
- 1 Player Colony Marker
- 5 Player Planets
- 20 Plastic Ships
- 14 Cosmic Tokens
- 24 Saboteur Tokens, including:
- 16 Decoy Tokens
- 8 Trap Tokens
All cards from the Cosmic Conflict expansion are marked with a symbol on their fronts. This will allow you to later separate them from your Cosmic Encounter cards if you so choose.
Component Overview
The following are summary descriptions of the various components included in Cosmic Conflict. They should help you identify the components and introduce you to how they are used.
New Aliens
These 20 new aliens are similar to those found in Cosmic Encounter and can simply be added to the stack of alien sheets.
New Cards
The new flare and black destiny cards are similar to those found in Cosmic Encounter and (except as noted below) can simply be shuffled into their respective decks. The destiny cards allow the inclusion of a sixth player in the game, while the flare cards are used for the 20 new alien races included with Cosmic Conflict.
There is also a new deck of cards called the hazard deck, which is used to generate random events during play and is explained on page 2 of the rules sheet (see the Hazard Deck Variant below).
Important Notes: Like the Filch in Cosmic Encounter, the Empath has a classic flare and an alternate flare. Make sure to only use one of them. In addition, the "Invasion!" destiny cards are only used when a player is playing the Invader alien. When an "Invasion!" destiny card is drawn, players simply follow the instructions on the card.
New Ships, Planets, and Colony Marker
These pieces are similar to those found in Cosmic Encounter and allow for a sixth player to be added to the game.
New Cosmic Tokens
Since there's no such thing as too many cosmic tokens, these extra tokens were included and can simply be added to those from Cosmic Encounter.
Saboteur Tokens
These tokens are only used when a player is playing the Saboteur alien. Sixteen of the tokens are decoys, while eight of them are traps. Their use is completely explained on the Saboteur alien sheet.
Setup
Before you play your first game of Cosmic Conflict, carefully punch out the cardboard pieces so that they do not tear.
Integrating the Expansion and the Base Game
Before your first game of Cosmic Encounter using the Cosmic Conflict expansion, shuffle the new flare cards into the existing deck of flare cards. Since the Empath has two different flares, choose which flare you wish to use, returning the other one to the box.
Playing with Six or Seven Players
To play with a sixth player, shuffle the new black destiny cards into the destiny deck and give the extra player the corresponding ships and player planets. Then, place the new colony marker next to the warp by the space marked "0." Finally, when adding flares to the cosmic deck, add all 12 flares that were dealt out.
Playing with seven players requires Cosmic Incursion as well as Cosmic Encounter. Proceed as with six players, by including destiny cards for each player color and giving each player the ships and planets of their color, and then placing their colony markers next to the warp by the space marked "0." When adding flares to the cosmic deck, simply add all 14 flares that were dealt out.
New Rule: Cosmic Quakes
If a player needs to draw a card from the cosmic deck and both the cosmic deck and discard pile are empty, then a cosmic quake occurs! All players discard their hands, the discard pile is shuffled to make a new deck, and then eight cards are dealt to each player.
Hazard Deck Variant
In this variant, unusual conditions called hazards may come into play during certain encounters. This variant makes use of the hazard deck.
Setup
Set up the Cosmic Encounter game as normal, performing the following additional step during Step 5.
5a. Shuffle the hazard deck and place it near the warp.
Extremely Hazardous Variant
For a wilder, more hazardous game, draw a hazard card for each encounter instead of only when a destiny card with a hazard warning is drawn.
Gameplay
This variant uses all of the standard rules and victory conditions, with the exception of the following rules.
- During the destiny phase, if a player draws a destiny card with a hazard warning on it, then a hazard card is drawn before allies are invited, regardless of whether that destiny card is used or redrawn. Hazard warnings beyond the first drawn in an encounter have no effect.
- Hazard cards that are drawn take effect for the current encounter only, and then most are discarded to a special hazard deck discard pile. This discard pile cannot be affected by any effect that affects the discard pile; only the normal discard pile can be affected by such effects. Hazard cards that say "This Card Remains in Play" are not discarded after the current encounter.
- Should the hazard deck run out, shuffle its discard pile to make a new hazard deck. The hazard deck cannot cause a cosmic quake.
Hazard Card Effects
Hazard cards have a variety of effects that are explained on the cards themselves. As an example, the Energy Fields hazard card reads "Each main player draws two cards, showing them to the other players, before allies are invited."
Hazard Card Types
There are two types of hazard cards: temporary and permanent. Temporary hazards are discarded at the end of the current encounter, while permanent hazards have a red bar on the bottom that reads "This Card Remains in Play" and are not discarded unless a condition on that card or another card says to do so.
Hazards and Other Variants
Hazard cards are completely compatible with all other published variants, including technology, 4-planet games, and the reward deck. No changes need to be made to those variants to allow for the use of hazards.