Who—or what—is out there?
Eons ago, your ancestors searched the black void of space for intelligent life. The search proved fruitless; they were alone. Desolate, they used their technology to send the seeds of life to inhabitable planets. They waited, but gradually over the millennia they faded into nothingness. However, over millions of years, alien races slowly evolved.
To aid their children, your ancestors left behind a legacy of advanced technology and hyperspace gates. They meant these gifts to encourage communication and harmony between their children. Now, without the guiding touch of an elder hand, you and your distant alien cousins must learn to communicate, negotiate, and coexist.
Welcome to the Cosmic Age. The open skies of countless worlds are filled with speeding spaceships, and a panoply of alien races is competing to populate the galaxy. In the quest to colonize as many planets as possible, there are as many paths to victory as there are alien races seeking it. Peace, war, negotiation, betrayal—you never know what will happen in the next encounter.
Colonize the Galaxy
Cosmic Encounter is a game of interplanetary colonization and cunning negotiations. Each player takes on the role of the leader of an alien race seeking to colonize as many planets as possible. The first player to colonize five planets in other players’ systems wins. But even planets that are not yet colonized are still defended, and in order to establish a settlement, you’ll need to win over the race that controls that planet—through negotiation, partnership, or war.
The core set includes fifty alien races, each with its own history and powers. You may be the leader of the genteel and thieving Filches, sensitive and oozing Amoebas, sneaky, infesting Parasites, or self-sacrificing Kamikazes. Your powers may enable you to quickly travel through space, prevent your defeated ships from falling into the Warp, or let you to look at another player's hand before you decide your next move. Each alien has individual strategic tools and a specific play style that shapes all of its encounters.