Cosmic Encounter: Cosmic Storm
Cosmic Encounter: Cosmic Storm Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Using this Expansion
This section describes how to incorporate the Cosmic Storm expansion into the Cosmic Encounter base game.
Prior to game setup, follow the steps listed below.
- Alien Sheets: Add the new alien sheets to the stack of available alien sheets.
- Flare Cards: Shuffle the new flare cards into the existing deck of flare cards.
- Space Stations: Return the space station cards and markers to the game box unless using the Space Stations variant below.
New Rule: Cosmic Quakes
If a player must 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 and shuffle the discard pile to form a new deck. Then, deal eight cards to each player.
Game Components
The Cosmic Storm expansion includes:
- 25 Alien Sheets
- 35 Cards, including:
- 25 Flare Cards
- 10 Space Station Cards
- 1 Sloth Token
- 7 Swindler Tokens
- 10 Space Station Markers
All cards from this expansion are marked with the Cosmic Storm expansion symbol to distinguish these cards from those in the base game.
Component Overview
This section describes the components included in this expansion. All component types included in the base game are not described in this section, and function as described in the base game's rulebook.
Space Station Cards and Markers
These space station cards are used when playing with the Space Stations variant. Each card corresponds to a space station marker and includes a unique ability.
Sloth Token
This token is only used when playing with the Sloth alien. It marks which side the Sloth player has chosen during an encounter, before he commits his ships at the end of the planning phase.
Swindler Tokens
These tokens are only used when playing with the Swindler alien. Six of these tokens are blank and one is marked with an "X" on its front to indicate which player is the Swindler's "mark." Their use is completely described on the Swindler alien sheet.
Space Stations Variant
In this variant, each player controls a space station that provides him with a special ability. Space stations can impact the game in a variety of different ways. Before starting the game, all players must agree to use this variant.
Setup
Set up the Cosmic Encounter game as normal, performing the following additional steps during step 6.
6a. Shuffle the space station deck and deal one card to each player. Then, each player places his or her space station card faceup in his play area.
6b. Each player then takes the space station marker that corresponds to his space station card and places the marker so it fits snugly against one of his or her planets. This space station is now attached to that planet.
Return all unused space station cards and markers to the box. They will not be used during this game.
Gameplay
This variant uses all of the standard rules and victory conditions, with the exception of the following rules.
- Each space station has a special ability that can impact the game as described on the space station's corresponding card. Space station abilities are not considered alien powers. They are not affected by game effects that copy, steal, or cancel alien powers, such as Cosmic Zap.
- As long as a player maintains a colony on the planet with the attached space station (i.e., he has at least one ship of his color on that planet) the player receives the benefit or has access to the ability listed on his corresponding space station card. The planet to which a space station is attached does not have to be involved in an encounter in order for the player to use his space station's ability.
- If a player has no ships on the planet that is attached to his space station, he loses access to his space station ability and flips his corresponding space station card facedown.
- If a player's alien power is zapped, lost, or affected in some way, he still has access to his space station ability as long as he has at least one ship on the planet attached to his space station.
- If a planet with an attached space station is destroyed or otherwise removed from the game for any reason, the attached space station is also destroyed and removed from the game.
- Space stations can be traded for as part of a deal, either in addition to cards and/or colonies, or by themselves. A player receiving a space station attaches the newly acquired space station to any planet in his home system which does not currently have an attached space station.
Space Stations and Other Variants
Space stations are completely compatible with all other published variants, including the Four Planets, Technology, Hazards, Reward Deck, and Team Cosmic variants. No changes need to be made to those variants to allow for the use of space stations.
Space Stations Variants
Space stations can be incorporated into Cosmic Encounter in a variety of ways. Below are two additional variants players may wish to try.
Multiple Space Stations
This variant provides players with multiple space stations and abilities. It can only be used when playing with five or fewer players.
During setup, deal each player two space station cards. Each player then takes the corresponding space station markers and attaches each of them to a different planet in his home system.
Each player has access to the abilities on both of his space station cards as long as he has at least one ship on the planet with the corresponding space station. A player may lose access to one space station's ability while maintaining the other, based on where that player has ships present. Aside from these distinctions, this variant follows all of the normal rules for space stations listed above.
Space Station Conquest
This variant allows players to acquire other players' space stations for their own use.
When a player wins an offensive encounter against a planet outside his home system which has a space station attached, that player conquers that space station. At the end of the resolution phase, the winning offensive player takes the space station card and its corresponding marker from the defending player. He then attaches the conquered space station to any planet in his home system which does not currently have an attached space station.
In this variant, space stations may be traded as part of a deal as normal.
A player has access to every space station ability he controls as long as he has a colony on the attached planet.
If a player acquires at least five space stations (four if playing with the Four Planets variant), that player wins the game! This victory condition is only available if enough space stations are in play.