I've poured more hours into Cosmic Encounter than any other board game to date. With the upcoming release of its second expansion, Cosmic Conflict, I'd like to take a moment and bring the uninitiated up to speed on what makes this game so rad. Cosmic has changed hands, and gone through several different iterations, since its initial release by Eon Games in the late 70s. Today, it's published by Fantasy Flight Games who has thus far done an excellent job of updating this classic for the modern era, while still maintaining the depth and complexity of the original.

Cosmic itself is a combination of split-second diplomacy, cunning, and strategy. I won't go into a full rules breakdown here--check out the very informative Board Games with Scott for that--but in brief you play as an alien race battling for control of a turbulent universe. Where things start to get crazy are the different powers each race has. Some alter exiting game rules, some break those rules completely, while others add whole new mechanics to the game.

The interplay between all these drastically different abilities (and there are a lot of them) is what makes this game so wild. You'll read one card and think "Wow, that seems way overpowered" only to pick up the next and have the exact same reaction. To use a tired phrase, no two games are ever the same.

Games of Cosmic are also quick to set up, last around 20 to 30 minutes, and require at least three people to play. The whole 'needing three people' requirement can get in the way at times, leading to a few fan-generated two player solutions, but Cosmic is really a game that shines the more players you have. This is due in large part to the aforementioned alien powers, but also to the heavy role of diplomacy.

In Cosmic, you battle for control of other people's planets. Each side can invite players not in the conflict to help attack or defend with them (and thus share in the spoils if victorious). You win once you've captured a certain number of enemy planets, and it is possible to have multiple players cross this threshold at once. Being able to sweet talk your competition, and not get left in the galactic dust, is key to victory.

Cosmic is a game in which you have to make your own luck. It does an excellent job of getting all the players invested, and soon everyone at the table will be laughing, talking, planning, and scheming. I can't recommend it enough for board game enthusiasts of all varieties; look it up and take to the stars.

Thanks for reading, now here's a silly comic.