Cosmic Encounter - PBP: Deep Space Water

Good hello!

My other Cosmic Encounter game on chocpi is almost over (a week at most), so I decided to prepare for a new game in advance.

But first: What is Cosmic Encounter? An ancient game of negotiation, strategy and bluffing. The first alien to gain five foreign colonies wins. Shared victories are possible, and might be the best way to win.

Although, the heart of the game is not about winning but doing amazing and memorable moves deals.


The game setup shall be 5 players, 5 planets to win, and aliens solely from Cosmic Dominion the expansion crafted by fans. Watch out, it will be.... terrifying. Behold, the rulebook

We'll be using revisions from the COSMODEX, which also means i don't have to copy paste cards and you can look them up anytime. You can search in there by looking for "cardname wrote".

Differences that are needed for PBP:

• Once aliens are selected, all Flares will be known, so a script of actions can be written, which should speed up the game a bit.
  
• I will always wait a bit after events which can be reacted to by cards, in case someone wants to use something evil.
  
• Negotiates instead of having a one minute limit, will have a limit of six posts, but the seventh post may be a Deal Accepted.
  
• "Player to your left" should be read as "Player after you on the player queue".
  
• I'll give you all a quicktopic, in which I will tell you about the current cards in your hand. Much better than having to send a million private messages.
  
• Please state clearly which planets you are moving ships from, and where to.
  
• You may submit conditionals about how you want to use your cards and powers, so time zones will be less of a trouble.
  

RPing as your alien is not required but is encouraged because it is fun.

Pick a colour from the following: red, green, blue, yellow, purple, orange, white, black. Your aliens will be sent to you when all slots are filled. Choose.... wisely...

Player1: Granolaman, the Voyager
Player2: Gatr, the Yin-yang
Player3: Coldblooded, the Laser
Player4: Robust Laser, the Reactor
Player5: Jacquerel, the Tourist

1. Start of turn
1.1. If Offense has no Encounter Cards, they discard hand and draw eight cards.
1.2. Voyager may journeys planets, Super Voyager

2. Regroup
2.1. Mobius tubes
2.2. Wild Aristocrat
2.3. Plague
2.4. Offense retrieves one ship from the Warp.

3. Destiny
3.1. Offense draws Destiny card
3.2. Defense is determined.
3.3. Cruise liners moves, hazard resolved
3.4. Super Tourist, Tourists may disembark or send a postcard if possible

4. Launch
4.1. Offense sends one to four ships the the Gate.

5. Alliance
5.1. Laser blinds
5.2. Offense invites allies.
5.3. Defense invites allies.
5.4. In turn order (starting after Offense), players accept up to one invitation and send one to four ships.
5.5. Yin-yang may ally with both sides, may hand out yin-yang tokens.
5.6. Wild Laser and Super Laser
5.7. Force Field
5.8. Wild Muckraker

6. Planning
6.1. Wild Whirligig
6.2. If Defense has no Encounter Cards, they discard hand and draw eight cards.
6.3. Main players secretly choose Encounter Cards.

7. Reveal
7.1. Main players reveal cards.
7.2. Emotion Control
7.3. Wild Lizard
7.4. Main players and allies may play Reinforcements.
7.5. Winners are determined, or a deal is attempted.
7.6. Reactor hands out/takes/discards flares

8. Resolution
8.1. Wild Reactor and Super Reactor
8.2. Ionic Gas
8.3. Loser's ships and loser's allies' ships (or three ships from each main 8.4. player in an unsuccessful deal) go to Warp.
8.5. If Offense wins, Offense and their allies land on planet.
8.6. If Defense wins, their allies gain rewards.
8.7. Super Yin-yang
8.8. If a deal was made, its terms are carried out. -or- Quash
8.9. If one player played Negotiate, compensation is gained.
8.10. Non-Flare cards played are discarded.

9.Post-encounter
9.1. One of the following events occur:
9.1.1. If a deal was not made, the Offense loses, the Offense wins their second encounter, or the Offense does not want a second encounter, play passes to next player.
9.1.2. If Offense has just won their first encounter, they may have a second encounter; return to II. on this list.

Any phase:
Cosmic Zap
Card Zap
Give Reactor Flare to the Reactor if you have it in your hand and you use a super flare
Reactor collects discarded matching flares
Wild Host
Wild Voyager
Wild Yin-yang
Wild Tourist

If you see these in the discard pile, you know all of that kind has been used: Card Zap x2, Cosmic Zap x2, Emotion Control, Force Field, Ionic Gas, Mobius Tubes x2, Plague, Quash, any specific flares

Remember, you can only zap powers when they are used, some effects can not be zapped.

Player powers:

SpoilerShow

:Voyager: Alien power, Cosmic Dominion, designed by Gerald Katz (as Gith), revised by Jack Reda, illustrated by Felicia Cano. Retooled Gameplay: Katz's Gith was written prior to FFG's introduction of moveable planets; it treated the player's ships in the warp as a foreign colony that could be encountered, and thus did not have the ability to neutralize opponents' colonies invading its own system. Katz's Wild Gith was completely different; it forced another player as the offense to encounter the warp colony.Can Have a Colony in the Warp (Y) You have the power to Journey. At the start of your turn, you may use this power to move one of your home planets into the warp if you do not already have one there, or to exchange one of your home planets with one of your planets in the warp. Ships on that planet are both on a colony and in the warp, and may/must leave through all the usual ways for both. Ships sent to the warp do not land on the planet, but ships returning to colonies may go to a colony already on the warp-world.

Your colony on a warp-world counts as both a foreign and home colony, but other players' colonies there count as neither. If this sheet is lost or turned facedown, return the warp-world to your system.
(Offense Only) (Optional) (Start Turn)

Fearless adventurers, the Voyagers traveled to the far reaches of the Cosmos, seeking answers to questions long forgotten. Hungry for new revelations, the Voyagers discovered how to access the unfathomable depths of the warp itself, establishing a presence there. With the entrance to the warp breached, others have followed the Voyagers, but none have had the same success conquering its mysteries.

Wild: You may send one card from your hand (except this flare) to visit the warp, facedown. Return any of these visiting cards to your hand later at any time(s). If you lose this flare, your visiting cards are discarded.
(As Any Player) (Any Phase)

Super: You may move a second one of your home planets into the warp.
(Offense Only) (Start Turn)
--

:Yin-Yang: Alien power, Cosmic Dominion, designed by George Membreno, history by Jack Reda, illustrated by Felicia Cano. Special component: Yin-Yang has 2 yin-yang tokens.
Yin-Yang wrote:
Allies with Both Sides (Y) You have the power of Balance. When you are invited to join both sides of an encounter, you may use this power to ally with both sides. If you ally with both sides and the defense loses, for each ship you have allied with the offense, the defense may keep one of his or her losing ships on the planet instead of sending it to the warp. If you ally with both sides and the offense loses, for each ship you have allied with the defense, the offense may receive one reward.

When a main player declines to invite you to ally, you may give that player one of your yin-yang tokens. Each main player who has a yin-yang token when his or her opponent loses ships to the warp from the encounter must lose an equal number of ships from his or her colonies. At the end of each encounter, place both yin-yang tokens on this sheet.{}
(Not Main Player) (Optional) (Alliance)

For as long as intelligent life has existed, the mysterious aliens known only as the Yin-Yangs have garnered influence and control over the positive and the negative, the masculine and the feminine, and the meek and the bold aspects of the Cosmos. Through their efforts in balancing power, they are certain to maintain equilibrium with their enemies.

Wild: When you lose ships to the warp, you may choose another player who, in your opinion, caused you to lose those ships. That player loses the same number of ships as you did.
(As Any Player) (Any Phase)

Super: When you are allied on both sides of an encounter, you may return your losing ships to any of your colonies instead of sending them to the warp.
(Ally Only) (Resolution)

--
:Laser: Alien power, Cosmic Dominion, designed by Future Pastimes, revised by Jack Reda, wild flare by Warren Denning, illustrated by Andrew Olson. Retooled Gameplay: Eon's Laser forced the opponent to play one of his encounter cards completely at random. Eon's Wild Laser was completely different; it forced the opponent to play an encounter card before inviting allies.
Laser wrote:
Blinds Opponent to Part of Hand (G) You have the power to Blind. As a main player, before allies are invited, use this power. If your opponent will need to draw a new hand to obtain encounter cards, he or she does so now. Then, you select at random a number of cards in his or her hand (without looking at them) up to the number of ships he or she has in the encounter. Your opponent must set the selected cards aside for the rest of the encounter.

If your opponent has no encounter cards after being blinded, he or she loses the encounter. Otherwise, the encounter proceeds normally. At the end of the encounter, your opponent retrieves the cards that were set aside.
(Main Player Only) (Mandatory) (Alliance)

Descended from an ancient sun-worshipping cult, the modern Lasers have learned to focus stellar power accurately enough to bedazzle any opposition. They have now embarked on a plan to spread confusion and fear among their enemies, before stepping in to build a coherent Cosmos in their own image.

Wild: As a main player or ally, during the alliance phase, you may discard up to three cards from your hand. Select up to the same number of cards at random from any one player's hand (even your own). That player must set aside the chosen cards and cannot use them until the end of the encounter.
(Main Player or Ally Only) (Alliance)

Super: You may use your power as an ally after alliances are formed, targeting either one of the main players.
(Ally Only) (Alliance)

--

:Reactor: Alien power, Cosmic Dominion, designed by Jack Reda, illustrated by Felicia Cano. Unusual format: Reactor's flare has extra text below the Super effect. This mandatory text is always in effect, and following it does not count as playing the flare. Flares for extra aliens: When a game effect such as Alien Outpost, Wild Chrysalis, or Pentaform brings aliens into the game, Reactor puts their flares on his sheet. The extra aliens for Pentaform and Alien Outpost appear at game setup time, and Reactor's own Game Setup text requires taking all flares that match other players' aliens. Wild Chrysalis happens mid-game, but since it discards the flare to the unused flare deck discard pile (by default), then Reactor's last-paragraph use clause would apply. (This would not work, however, with mid-game effects that put their matching flares into a hand or the deck, such as Chrysalis and Wild Pentaform, since Reactor's final paragraph takes flares only when they are discarded.)
Reactor wrote:
Makes Aliens Super ® Game Setup: Before flares are added to the deck, take the flares that match all other players' alien powers and place them faceup on this sheet. Cards on this sheet are not part of your hand. The other flares are shuffled into the deck as usual.

You have the power of Radiation. As an ally, if the main player on your side wins the encounter and his or her matching flare(s) are on this sheet, use this power to give that player his or her matching flare(s).

If neither main player invites you to ally and one of them loses the encounter, you may add the losing main player's matching flare(s) to your hand from this sheet, discard that player's matching flare(s) from your hand, or add your own matching flare(s) to your hand from this sheet.

When any player's matching flare is discarded by a player other than you, use this power to place that flare faceup on this sheet.
(As Any Player) (Mandatory) (Start Turn)(Regroup)(Destiny)(Launch)(Alliance)(Planning)(Reveal)(Resolution)

Originally an environmentally conscious race of peaceful activists, the Reactors sought to turn themselves into a source of sustainable energy. Yet the awesome power of Cosmic radiation and its mutating properties transformed the Reactors into radioactive freaks, eager to spread their sickness to other power-hungry cultures.

Wild: As the winning defense, you may establish one colony on any foreign planet. Give this flare to the Reactor after use (or discard it, if the Reactor isn't playing).
(Defense Only) (Resolution)

Super: If your side wins an encounter and you have no other flares in your hand or on your sheet, you may use this flare to win the game.
(Main Player or Ally Only) (Resolution)

If at any time you play any other super flare and the Reactor is playing, you must give him or her this flare.

--

Tourist: Alien power, Cosmic Dominion, designed by Jefferson Krogh, illustrated by Felicia Cano. Special component: Tourist has 1 cruise liner token. Wild Tourist may peek at any card on the top of any deck, as well as a wide variety of cards that are face down in play, such as intimidates, kickers, encounter cards before they are revealed, the extra card used by Cavalry or Deuce, any tech being researched, Schizoid's schizoid card, The Claw's claw card, the encounter card under the Quark Battery, or a card on the sheet of an alien like Miser, Cryo, or Host. It also may peek at a card set aside by Wild Doppelganger, Laser, Wild Laser, or Wild Voyager since those cards are on the table long enough for other actions to take place before the set-aside cards are picked back up again. However, cards that are face down on the table because of Wild Cryo, Gambler, Magician, Wild Magician, Wild Miser, Usurper, Whirligig, or Wild Whirligig cannot be peeked at, since placing them down and pickup them up is all part of a single action that Wild Tourist cannot interrupt. Finally, it appears that Wild Tourist cannot peek at Merchant's hired ships; Merchant's text implies that these are ships and not cards while on the table.
Tourist wrote:
Travels on Cruise Liner (Y) Game Setup: Place the cruise liner token in your system. Now and each time the cruise liner enters your system, you may move up to four of your ships from your home colonies onto it, or vice versa.

You have the power to Sightsee. At the end of the destiny phase, if any hazard warnings were drawn during this encounter, use this power to send one of your ships to the warp from the cruise liner.

If no hazard warnings were drawn, use this power to move the cruise liner one system clockwise or counterclockwise. Then, if the cruise liner is in the defense's system and you do not already have a colony in that system, you may use this power to disembark all of your ships from the cruise liner to any one planet there. If for any reason you do not disembark, you may use this power to send a postcard home. Return one ship from the cruise liner to any of your colonies, and then take a card at random from the hand of that system's player.
(As Any Player) (Varies) (Destiny)

Among the most curious of all the races in the Cosmos, the Tourists have no interest in conquest. They'd rather see everything, though sometimes their visits stretch on for millennia. Their neighbors often mistake these visits for invasions. Rest assured, those really are flashbulbs and loud floral prints, not explosives and camouflage!

Wild: You may look at the top card of any deck, or any facedown card or alien sheet, without showing it to anyone else.
(As Any Player) (Any Phase)

Super: After your cruise liner finishes moving, you may move some of your ships onto it from a colony in the same system, even if it's not your home system.
(As Any Player) (Destiny)

I was once in a game that was won in 3 hours after one round of turns.

I had another game where another player over-committed ships to my side of a battle so I, The Gambler, opted to lose the fight to The Antimatter, marking the only time I've seen a 9,000,000 power encounter card successfully used in play.

I'd like to sign up as Orange please.

sure. i'll be blue.

Out of the purple planet, out of the purple planet we are.

yo sup red me

I like cosmic encounter, I'm expecting to get another expansion this christmas .o
I'll be green, obviously

Alrighty! We won't start the game proper until my other cosmic wraps up, but there is no harm in selecting the aliens. I'll PM the two species out to you, and select one of them. You can check out the [booming voice]COSMODEX[/booming voice] for what the powers do, and the flares.

Results are in!

Player1: Granolaman, the Voyager
Player2: Gatr, the Yin-yang
Player3: Coldblooded, the Laser
Player4: Robust Laser, the Reactor
Player5: Jacquerel, the Tourist

I still have to conclude the other game but it should be soon, after that I'll craft The Script and reveal the rest of the flares too. Stay tuned!

Request to trade with coldblooded

I don't even know what the laser does but I know I want it

Fun fact: The other option I had to pick from was the Lizard, so I got to choose between being confused for another player or being confused for the GM.

Fun fact: My other option was The Aristocrat, which I didn't pick partially because the functioning of its power (allowing you to draw unused flares) would have required PL to expand his flare priority index to include literally every flare card in the game.
But also because the Tourist is funnier.

Also: Gatr's other option was the Host, which would had the same issue regarding flares, so I was doubly terrified.

Current game state:

Granolaman, the Voyager
Hand: 6
Foreign colony count: 4
A: 1
B: 1,1
C:
D: 1
E:

Gatr, the Yin-yang
Hand: 9
Foreign colony count: 4
A: 1,1,1,4
B: 8
C: 4,1
D: 5,1
E: 8

Coldblooded, the Laser
Hand: 8
Foreign colony count: 4
A:
B: 3
C: 3
D: 3,1
E: 3,1

Robust Laser, the Reactor
Hand: 5
Foreign colony count: 4
A: 1,1
B: 1,2
C: 4,1,1,1
D: 2
E: 4

Cards on the reactor sheet:
None!

Jacquerel, the Tourist
Hand: 5
Foreign colony count: 4
A: 1
B: 1
C: 2
D: 4,1,1
E: 1


Cruise Liner: Green system; 1

HYPERSPACE GATE
Offense: 4 + allies: 4+ 4
Defense YingyangB(8) + offense: 4

THE WARP:
2


Cosmic Deck: 37 cards
Cosmic Discard: 12 cards

SpoilerShow

20
06
04
Love Flare
Negotiate
Plague
Mobius Tubes
Negotiate
30
Quash
Emotion control
Negotiate
09
Cosmic Zap
Negotiate
15

Destiny Deck: 15 cards
Destiny Discard: 5 card

SpoilerShow

Wild
Green
Blue
Special(most foreign)
Blue(hazard)

Encounter #1
First player is selected. Red, like the Reactor.

Regroup phase.
If anyone wants to use a thing, alert me, otherwise we'll continue to Destiny.

You may diplomatise freely, with threats and offers just don't turn it into full negotiations.

Once in the midst of our Voyages, I happened upon a strangely dressed man floating through the warp seemingly under his own power. When we took him aboard he spoke to us in strange ancient anachronisms that conveyed more his history of influence and power than any particular message he meant to speak. Though we could not understand each other he treated us amiably enough. We shared a friendly cup of tea in mutual incomprehensibility before he gathered up his things, tipped his hat and walked back out into the warp. As I pondered our peculiar meeting I realized he'd left something behind. A gift perhaps, from his own journeys in the warp. One day, after we conquer the galaxy, I hope to find him again so that we may return the favor.


USE WILD ARISTOCRAT

As nobody played a card Zap, Granolaman gets some time to look at the deck, pick a card, and the flare gets discarded (not on the Reactor as there is no Aristocrat in play). I have sent the contents of the deck to your QT.

Oh wait I forgot: Jacquerel do you want to place ships on your cruise liner, and if yes, from which planets?

I'll resolve the aristocrat flare after you picked the ships (and update the game state with them, as I should have let them aboard during the game setup).

I would like to move four eager tourists onto our luxury cruise liner, one from each of planets A, B, D, and E.

Thank you. Carry on selecting, Granolaman.

I have identified the Aristocrat's gift, carry on with the turn.

Carrying on, Destiny Phase.

Purpleis drawn! The Reactors will have an encounter with the Laser.

Tourist Cruise Liner
No hazards were drawn, so the cruise liner must move either counterclockwise (Reactor system) or clockwise (Voyager system). You can not disembark in those system, but you can still use your power to send postcard home!

To the outside universe, it may strange that a species with no sentience or physical form somehow managed to achieve FTL space travel all on its own. But if you're well versed on the multiverse theory, you of course know that nothing is truly impossible, just mindbogglingly unlikely. Scientists agree that the Lasers statistically had to exist somewhere, but why oh why did it have to be this universe of all places?

Strange lights begin to dance around the Reactor ships, like an interstellar aurora borealis. Slowly but surely, the lights morph into letters in the night sky spelling out a message by complete coincidence.

"Greetings fellow Laser. You are welcome here, as long as you come in peace. Please meet us at the negotiating table, and we can work out a deal that benefits the both of us."

Let's set sail counter-clockwise, rumour has it that the Reactor fleet is assembling for a warp voyage and that's surely a sight to behold.
It's a bit early for postcards though!

Destiny phase completed, proceed to Alliance.

First the Reactor invites, then the Laser. After that, you may accept/decline in turn order, starting with Jacquerel. Yin-yang may use their power when it is their turn to accept/decline.

Open invitation to anybody that wants to join me in a fight. We'll have a laugh, shoot some spaceships, stand dangerously close to a highly radioactive and perhaps unstable warp engine, maybe grab a drink or two... it'll be great.

There'll be three ships joining you, from planets A, B, and D. Planet C has something going on, they're busy. And, well, you know planet E.