Cosmic Encounter 42nd Anniversary by Fantasy Flight Games

Players choose from dozens of alien races, each with its own unique power to further its efforts to build an empire that spans the galaxy. Many classic aliens from earlier editions of this beloved game return, such as the Oracle, the Loser, and the Clone. Newly discovered aliens also join the fray, including Remora, Mite, and Tick-Tock.

This classic game of alien politics returns from the warp once more. It features 51 alien races, flarecards to boost their powers, 100 plastic ships, a host of premium components, and tech cards that let players research and build extraordinary technological marvels!

No two games are the same!

Included in Cosmic Encounter:

  • Rulebook

  • 1 Warp Token

  • 1 Hyperspace Gate

  • 25 Player Planets (5 per player)

  • 100 Plastic Ships (20 per player)

  • 50 Alien Sheets

  • 162 Cards

  • 56 Tokens

  • 1 Genesis Planet

  • 1 Alternate Filch Flare

In the far reaches of space, the aliens of the cosmos vie for control of the universe. Alliances are constantly forged and broken in the pursuit of power as starships journey from planet to planet, ready to build colonies and battle foreign powers, ensuring the survival of their people as they spread throughout the stars. Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce the upcoming release of Cosmic Encounter 42nd Anniversary Edition!

Now is the perfect time to return to Cosmic Encounter or to experience the classic game of intergalactic colonization for the first time. Cosmic Encounter 42nd Anniversary Edition is the new standardized version of the game and it remains compatible with all existing Cosmic Encounter expansions.

 
 

Designer's Diary by Bill Eberle and Peter Olotka

Cosmic Encounter was reimagined by Fantasy Flight’s designer Kevin Wilson in 2008. His standardization and display of the game phases became an important improvement for the logical glue that held everything together and allowed the game to expand to 165 aliens. Thank you Kevin! Interesting fact, among the 50 aliens FFG chose for the basic game of Cosmic Encounter were two aliens, Mite and Tripler, invented for the now defunct Cosmic Encounter Online flash game.

When we first designed Cosmic Encounter in the early seventies, we played the pre-published prototypes with only six aliens for several years. Plant, Machine. Virus, Diplomat, Mind, Crystal. We didn’t know there were any other aliens. When we formed Eon Products and published the first edition in 1977, the game had 15 aliens. By the time we got out of the production business Cosmic had 9 Expansion Sets and 75 aliens. Cosmic Encounter had so many features in a game that had never been done before that it didn’t fit into anyone’s idea of a game. It wasn't really a board game (no board). It wasn't just a card game, it had all kinds of pieces and parts. Not a dice game. No dice. It wasn’t a role playing game because there were no roll playing guides and charts. Nevertheless, the alien identities changed how players played and how they felt about themselves and other players. Players enjoyed “being” specific kinds of aliens. The tongue in cheek alien identities enhanced the social gaming experience. Playing Cosmic Encounter was and is fun and funny. Cosmic Encounter changed the world of board gaming forever.

Want to know the whole Cosmic Encounter story?

Foundation Gaming: Encountering the Cosmos
Posted by HaiKulture, avid gamer

We believe this to be the most definitive article ever written about Cosmic Encounter, including archival photos and insider designer commentary.