HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
Organization: Penn State University
Date: Sun, 4 Oct 1992 23:12:10 EDT
From: Tony R. Marasco <TRM900@psuvm.psu.edu>
Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
Subject: Multi-power Games

I remember reading threads a while back on multi-power games.  Usually, my
group plays with more than a single power.  We take turns selecting the
number of flares to distribute and how many you want the players to keep.
I've found a "take 5 keep three" decision works well.

To mix it up stipulations like, "take 6 keep two and the person on your
left will choose the third" were tried. Of course, you can be sure you'll get
Seeker over Virus.  We've also tried choosing a pair and randomly
selecting a third.  I got stuck with Aura and Mind...

The most powers we've tried was 6.  This became quite confusing with
the Vacuum, Filch, and Vulch missing out on opportunity.  This game
took about an hour.  After I lost tokens 15 and 16 to the Void, everyone
resigned.

Has anyone tried varying the power selection process?  Large number of powers?
Just curious...
-------
| Tony Marasco                 |  "Questions are a burden for others.     |
| Penn State University        |   Answers are a prison for oneself."     |
| Schuylkill Haven, PA 17976   |     - The Prisoner                       |
| trm900@psuvm.psu.edu                                                    |
Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
From: njs@cbnewsh.cb.att.com (nicholas.j.sauer)
Subject: Re: A few questions...
Organization: AT&T
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 11:56:29 GMT

In article <39038@sdcc12.ucsd.edu>, cs161feu@sdcc10.ucsd.edu (Anthony Minkoff) writes:
> 
>Consolation is described as "one card from his
>opponent's hand for every token he loses" (or something to that
>effect).  Pacifist loses no tokens and so takes zero consolation.
>(Some people-- including Jack Kittredge-- go so far as to say that
>Zombie doesn't collect consolation either.  I disagree with JK about
>the Zombie-- differing interpretations of the word "lose" is what it
>comes down to-- but agreement is pretty universal that Pacifist
>collects no consolation.)

Actually, Jack Kittredge has always said that Zombie collects Consolation.
It was Jim Musser who said he doesn't get it.  Since Kittredge was one of
the principle designers, I would go with his answer.

Nick Sauer
From: woodhams@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Michael Woodhams)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
Subject: Re: Lots of questions...
Date: 26 Sep 92 23:47:36 GMT
Organization: Princeton University Observatory
Originator: news@nimaster

In article <QekodbG00awO1f4mw2@andrew.cmu.edu> "Joseph E. Beck" <jb8n+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
>
>>More CE is already out?!!!  Hmmm, better get me one of 'em! =)
>>
>After playing a few games you'll probably want to throw out some of
>the powers.  As someone in our group put it "whoever who more shiny
>powers will probably win." (the new powers are on shiny cards).  

I take it you play with multiple powers? (The shiny powers sounds
unfortunate, especially if you play with hidden powers.)

>Just curious, what does everyone think of just removing the following
>powers?
>
>Prophet (the only way to stop her is cosmic zap or if silencer is in
>the game)

Really not a problem. To be safe from losing bases when they make an
incorrect prediction, they need 3 tokens per base. They can only get
to 4 overseas bases plus 3 home bases before predictions risk losing
a base, even if they have all their tokens. Prophet-Zombie is
unpleasent. Magnet can neutralize them by forcing them along on attacks.
>
>Sting

I don't know this one.
>
>Virus

Definately one of the best attack powers. But visionary, loser,
pacifist, empath, wrack, insect, sorcerer can all work well against Virus.
>
>Pacifist (this is in the original but still reall gross)

Also pretty good, but a long way from unbeatable. You can run out of
compromises, people can out guess you and play a compromise when you do...
>
>Machine (it gets really nasty in multi power games)

No problem as long as they don't have a decent attack power too, or
worse Wrack/Zombie...
>
>Dictator (removes a lot of the fun for everyone else, attacking
>oracle-sorceror over and over again isn't my kind of game...)

It does have this potential, but generally I've not seen a problem. It
is really hard to attack their home system though.
>
>Diplomat

Yes, I always throw this one out. However, if everyone else agreed
that whenever diplomat butted in they would refuse to deal, the
diplomat wouldn't have tokens for long.

Diplomat, Aura and often Schizoid I throw out because they are just
too damned irritating, Witch because it is poorly defined, and
Silencer because it is too powerful (especially in multipower games.
It is like having a couple of cosmic zaps every turn.)

Michael W.
From: cs161feu@sdcc10.ucsd.edu (Anthony Minkoff)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
Subject: Re: Cosmic Hearts
Date: 3 Oct 92 06:16:22 GMT
Article-I.D.: sdcc12.38919
Distribution: na
Organization: University of California, San Diego

jlb@aal.itd.umich.edu (Jeffrey Lawrence Bailey) writes:
>Anybody out there get the third issue of Encounter 2?

Yes.  *Awesome* issue.  Cosmic Hearts was hysterical to read, and
looks like it would be fun to play.  (I haven't yet had the
pleasure.)  Disadvantages also look great.  I don't have the issue
in front of me, but recall that there were also other things that
really impressed me.  Considering that it's $1.25/issue, that issue
was one hell of a value.

Tony
From: cummings@carson.u.washington.edu (Michael Cummings)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
Subject: Distributing powers
Date: 6 Oct 92 22:00:35 GMT
Article-I.D.: u.1992Oct6.220035.6699
Organization: University of Washington


	To all you who play with hidden powers:  How do you distribute
them?  If you deal out flares and have people fish their powers out of the
pile of power cards, the person who goes last can see what powers were
remaining and thus has information no one else has.  If you just deal out
the powers, how do you make sure the appropriate flares get into the deck?

	Thanks in advance.


-- 
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
Michael Cummings   			|  Edgar Martinez -
cummings@u.washington.edu		|  The only *moral* choice for
cummings@mailhost.hsas.washington.edu	|  AL MVP
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
From: phil@miracle.com (Phil Hill)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
Subject: Re: A few questions...
Date: Mon, 05 Oct 92 17:03:00 EDT
Organization: Miracle Computer Consultants

dvc@eagle.hr.att.com (David Van Cleef) writes:
>>>>>> On 3 Oct 92 01:33:25 GMT, phil@miracle.com (Phil Hill) said:
>PH> Article-I.D.: miracle.02Oct92213325
>
>PH> dvc@eagle.hr.att.com (David Van Cleef) writes:
>>NF> On 2 Oct 92 16:46:25 GMT, nick@kiwi.ucsb.edu (Fong) said:
>>NF>    [Q2: Given that in this Loser situation, the side playing the Attack 
>>NF>         card loses to the side playing the Compromise, who gets 
>>NF>         consolation cards, if any?]
>>
>>The player playing the Compromise.
>
>PH> You ONLY get consolation if you play a Compromise and LOSE.  If the Loser
>PH> calls "upset" and one player has no Attack cards, he can play a Compromise.
>PH> He will get no consolation since he will win the challenge.
>
>I quote from the Mayfair rules:
>
>All of the losing side's tokens still go to the warp, but the player
>                                                      --------------
>who played the Compromise Card gets consolation because he was willing
>-----------------------------------------------
>to compromise and his opponent attacked him.

Mayfair again takes a liberty with the rules phrasing!  This wording is
unclear, and misleading.  We have always played that you only get consolation
if you lose.  I don't have them handy, but I beleive that the Eon rules make
this clear.

I'd hate to play that if you play a Compromise and win, you get consolation.
That would make the Pacifist even more powerful.

Besides, look up the word consolation in your dictionary.  It logically
should not apply if you are the winner.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Phil Hill                     | "All you people in TV land,           |
| Miracle Computer Consultants  |   I will wake up your empty shells.   |
|                               |  Peak time viewing blown in a flash,  |
|                               |   as I burn into your memory cells.   |
| Email: phil@miracle.com       |  'cause I'm alive." - Peter Gabriel   |








Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
From: snurmela@polaris.utu.fi (Sami Tapani Nurmela)
Subject: Finnish Cosmic Encounter (and questions)
Organization: University of Turku
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 92 10:15:22 GMT

Hello from Finland!

I recently bought a game called "Universumin Valtiaat" (that is, "Masters of
the Universe" :) by a Finnish game company.  After closer inspection I
found a small copyright text on the box lid: (c) BRIO AB 1987, (c) West End
Games Inc.  And after seeing the stuff inside the box, I realized I had 
a Finnish translation of Cosmic Encounter (apparently the WE version) in
my hands!

Well, now I would like to know how much the game has been scaled down:
it looks quite a simplistic set with 16 Powers (Empath, Philanthropist,
Mutant, Clone, Amoeba, Anchronite (Chronos?), Bluff (Gambler?), Laser,
Machine, Brains (Mind), Parasite, Seeker, Trader, Vacuan (Void), Vulch,
Zombie [names translated fron Finnish to English], 11 Edicts (no Finder,
Warp Break or Un-Zap), 41 Attacks (from 4 to 30), 12 Compromises and
5 hexes + a Warp hex.  I have considered making my own (larger) set using 
the archives at gnu.ai.mit.edu but missing rules present a problem (most
of the powers are understandable, but how am I supposed to use Lucre,
Kickers, Flares etc.?)
I know these rules are copyrighted material, so maybe I should try to 
find the 'real' game.  Who (if anybody) is making CE sets presently ?
How complete the set currently in print is (i.e. are the original expansions
included or are they sold separately) ?

I have also a few questions about powers, as the Finnish power descriptions
are not very complete:

1. May Amoeba have more than four tokens in Cone ?
2. May defensive Amoeba move tokens (the power description refers only to
   tokens in Cone) ?
3. When exactly Mind gets to look at main player's cards: before his decision
   to ally or after ? (My rules says before the challenge cards are played, 
   which doesn't help much)
4. If Vulch has nothing but Edicts in his hand when his turn begins
   does he keep them and draw seven additional cards from Challenge deck or
   does he discard/play the Edicts (like the other powers do) ?
5. Where does Zombie put his lost tokens: to any of his bases or to any
   of his _home_ bases ? (The text in my card says "to own planet")
6. As part of a deal, how many other player's tokens Zombie may release
   from the Warp ?

Questions about Edicts:
7. Do I play Mobius Tubes at the start of any challenge or at the start
   of _my own_ challenge ?
8. Does Stellar Gas deny defensive ally rewards too ?
9. What does a Plagued player lose: my rules state "3 tokens, 1 Challenge
   card, 1 Compromise card and 1 Edict" (note _Challenge_, not Attack,
   making it possible to lose two Compromises).

Thanks!

Sami Nurmela  (snurmela@utu.fi)
Univ. of Turku, Finland



Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
From: dvc@eagle.hr.att.com (David Van Cleef)
Subject: Re: More Cosmic review (Very Long!!)
Originator: news@cbnewsb.cb.att.com
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 17:40:46 GMT

>>>>> On Mon, 28 Sep 1992 14:12:44 GMT, dvc@cbnewsb.cb.att.com (david.a.vancleef) said:

>>>>> On Sun, 27 Sep 1992 04:48:27 -0400 , Julian D Lighton <jl8e+@andrew.cmu.edu> said:

JDL> Berserker: can challenge everybody on a planet at once, instead of just
JDL> one player, and all his compromises are attack 15's. I've never seen it
JDL> used, so I don't know how good it is.

dvc> I liked the (totally different) version from Spartan magazine issue 12
dvc> much better.

Oops, Nick Sauer has pointed out to me that this was from Space Gamer
issue 57.
--
David A. Van Cleef			AT&T Bell Laboratories
internet: dvc@eagle.hr.att.com		Red Hill Facility, Middletown, NJ
					+1 908 615 4906
Organization: Sophomore, Math/Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
Date: Fri,  2 Oct 1992 10:58:40 -0400 
From: Julian D Lighton <jl8e+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: Vampire and Fungus as allies...

You use the timing conflict rules. If Vampire goes first, he gets one
from each of the losers and Fungus gets the rest. If Fungus goes first,
he gets everything and Vampire sulks.

_______________________________________________________________________________
|Julian Lighton     jl8e@andrew.cmu.edu |  fnord  | It is not I who is crazy, |
|---------------------------------------|---------| it is I who am MAD!!!!!   |
|"Sleep my friend and you will see, that dream is | --Ren                     |
|my reality. They keep me locked up in this cage, |---------------------------|
|can't they see it's why my brain says rage-Metallica-Welcome Home(Sanitarium)|
|_____________________________________________________________________________|
Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
From: nick@kiwi.ucsb.edu (Fong)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
Subject: A few questions...
Summary: Questions about a past challenge
Date: 2 Oct 92 16:46:25 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of California, Santa Barbara

Hi!
My CE friends and I are relatively new to the Mayfair game.  (I played 
the Eon version a couple times years ago.)  Each time we play, we 
have more disagreements that are never wholly resolved.  (Doesn't 
everyone? :-) )  I'd like to have some input in hopes of clearing some 
of those up.

   In one game, I was challenging Loser with 1 token to his 2.  I had 
   the Chosen Flare (Attack +/- 10) and an 8 challenge card, and with 
   the big Attack cards already out, I was pretty confident I would win.  
   He declared "Loser" and played his only Challenge card - a Compromise 
   card - and lost (read: won) to my 9 attack...
   
   [Q1: The Loser power is a little ambiguous here.  If either challenger 
        has no attack card, what happens?  Are players then allowed to 
        play Compromises?  The power seems to imply this, but doesn't 
        explicitly state it: (loosely quoted) "Players must play Attack 
        cards if possible.  After _Challenge_ cards are resolved..."]

   [Q2: Given that in this Loser situation, the side playing the Attack 
        card loses to the side playing the Compromise, who gets 
        consolation cards, if any?]
   
   ...At this point, I attempted to play my Chosen Flare, reducing my 
   attack to -1.  Here we argued whether a Compromise lost to any Attack, 
   positive OR negative.  I lost again.  I wanted a Compromise to count 
   as a zero, but they wouldn't go for it.

   [Q3: Does a Compromise card lose to negative attacks?]

I have the feeling the answers won't swing the decisions my direction,
but I wanted to have some unbiased opinions from other players.
Thanks!

Nick Fong
nick@cs.ucsb.edu

BTW, Philanthropist/Trader multi-power is FUN!  "Here, have my super 
power flare.  Now give it back along with the rest of your hand."  And
I was playing against Vulch - Edicts galore!
From: ratinox@splinter.coe.northeastern.edu (Richard Pieri/Stainless Steel Rat)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
Subject: Re: Cavalry & Virus Combo
Date: 27 Sep 92 00:44:37 GMT
Reply-To: ratinox@meceng.coe.northeastern.edu
Organization: 3WA, Boston Office. Or Nu Meta Chi. Take your pick.
In-reply-to: ee0r+@andrew.cmu.edu's message of 27 Sep 92 00:10:36 GMT
X-Get-A-Clue: Have two, they're small.
X-Signature-Virus-Protection: Version 1.51
X-Posting-Software: GNUS 3.14.1 [ NNTP-based News Reader for GNU Emacs ]

>>>>> "ECE" == Elliott Conan Evans <ee0r> writes:

ECE> Using the Eon Virus and Mayfair Cavalry.

ECE> If you are using this combination, does the
ECE> Cav. card get mutiplied by the tokens?

I need to ask because I don't remember, but does the Cavalry get to
add his tokens, or just the card? If it's the latter, then no, Virus
doesn't work; if it's the former, it does (this would be the only time
that Virus/Cavalry could use both Powers simultaneously). Now, because
Cavalry is an ally, he would only multiply his own tokens, not the
tokens of the other allies or the player he's allied with.

--Rat
Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
From: snurmela@polaris.utu.fi (Sami Tapani Nurmela)
Subject: Re: Finnish Cosmic Encounter
Organization: University of Turku
Date: Mon, 5 Oct 92 13:06:44 GMT

I said:
>>I wonder if the 
>>West End representative you talked to was referring to sales of their 
>>_English_ version of CE selling only via the few special game shops rather 
>>that the (poor, IMO *) sales of the Finnish (BRIO) version.

Nick Sauer replied:
>That might have been it.  Or it might have been the Swedish version of CE
>(if there is such a thing).  I didn't really write it down at the time, so
>my memory is pretty bad on it.  It was either Sweden or Finland that CE had
>sold well in (I had been pretty sure it was Finland but, now I'm not so 
>certain) and, this was the country they were planning to release the
>expansion set in. 

In fact, the Finnish version has its roots in Sweden, as the game company 
BRIO (Alga) who released the game in Finland is actually a Swedish
company.  CE may be more popular in Sweden, making expansion sets worth
publishing.  


/sami
From: woodhams@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Michael Woodhams)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
Subject: Re: Multi-power Games
Date: 5 Oct 92 18:13:36 GMT
Organization: Princeton University Observatory
Originator: news@nimaster

In article <92278.231210TRM900@psuvm.psu.edu> TRM900@psuvm.psu.edu (Tony R. Marasco) writes:
>Has anyone tried varying the power selection process?  Large number of powers?
>Just curious...

I usually play deal 8, pick 4. For a while we played deal 6, pick 3.
Once, however, a party I was at wound down about 3 am, and two of us
couldn't get home at that hour and didn't feel like sleeping on the
floor, so we played 2 player Cossies for several hours. Two players is
NOT the optimal number, and after a couple of games, we started going
for incresingly exotic power selection methods. I remember deal 10,
keep 10 (!), deal 4 in a queue, each turn one power falls off the end
of the queue, and a new one is added at the begining, and even (the
most exotic method yet) deal 1, keep 1. 

Choosing other people's powers you have already mentioned. An
interesting varient would be to choose your own powers, but have the
person opposite you control them. (e.g. they choose what token you
assasinate, if you are profit and not in the challenge, they make your
prediction for you, if you are mind, they choose which hand you get to
look at, etc. etc.) Obviously, gambler would be a bad power to have
under these circumstances, and hands-off powers like laser, void,
zombie, virus would be comparitively more powerful. If you control the
powers of the same person who controls yours, this leads to natural
alliances or enmities.

I don't recommend any of the bizarre varients except for silly games. 

Michael W.
From: daves@vtucs.cc.vt.edu (Dave Sisson)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
Subject: Re: Players Resigning in Mid-Game...
Date: 5 Oct 92 13:50:29 GMT
Organization: Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA


     We play during lunch time and we regularly put a 1 1/2 hour limit on our
games.  We just came up with a scoring strategy so we can determine who wins
over time.  Everyone gets 1 pt. per external base at the end of the time limit.
If someone actually wins, they get a 5 pt. bonus (splitting it with other
players if a joint win).

Organization: Junior, Math/Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
Date: Tue,  6 Oct 1992 15:42:21 -0400 
From: "Joseph E. Beck" <jb8n+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: Multi-power Games
	<1992Oct6.023935.22759@cs.aukuni.ac.nz>


> Another group here often
>plays deal 8, pick 2, pass 1 to the left and 1 to the right. Means some
>of the less often used powers come into play. Might give that a try when
>I next play. (exam time right now so few oppurtunities.)

We found a similar method to bring more of the powers into play.  If
there are 5 players we deal each person 10 cards, and they keep 2 and
pass 2 to each other player.  When this is done everyone turns their
cards over so everyone can see them.  Then you go around the table and
everyone eliminates a power from each person's list (so in the 5
person example, each person is left with 6 powers to choose from).
This way if you don't like a power, think one is too powerful, or see
an ugly combination in the making (silencer-gambler) you can head it
off.  You still have 6 powers to choose your 3 from so it's unlikely
you'll have a pathetic selection.  

This causes some of the less used powers to be taken, this is by
necessity, since there's no chance you'll be left with 3 good powers
(the definition of good varies from group to group), and any power
that a lot of people find annoying (some groups hate terrorist) is
painlessly eliminated.

	joe
Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
From: dvc@eagle.hr.att.com (David Van Cleef)
Subject: Re: A few questions...
Originator: news@cbnewsb.cb.att.com
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Date: Mon, 5 Oct 1992 15:09:09 GMT

>>>>> On 3 Oct 92 01:33:25 GMT, phil@miracle.com (Phil Hill) said:
PH> Article-I.D.: miracle.02Oct92213325

PH> dvc@eagle.hr.att.com (David Van Cleef) writes:
>NF> On 2 Oct 92 16:46:25 GMT, nick@kiwi.ucsb.edu (Fong) said:
>NF>    [Q2: Given that in this Loser situation, the side playing the Attack 
>NF>         card loses to the side playing the Compromise, who gets 
>NF>         consolation cards, if any?]
>
>The player playing the Compromise.

PH> You ONLY get consolation if you play a Compromise and LOSE.  If the Loser
PH> calls "upset" and one player has no Attack cards, he can play a Compromise.
PH> He will get no consolation since he will win the challenge.

I quote from the Mayfair rules:

All of the losing side's tokens still go to the warp, but the player
                                                      --------------
who played the Compromise Card gets consolation because he was willing
-----------------------------------------------
to compromise and his opponent attacked him.
--
David A. Van Cleef			AT&T Bell Laboratories
internet: dvc@eagle.hr.att.com		Red Hill Facility, Middletown, NJ
					+1 908 615 4906
From: cs161feu@sdcc10.ucsd.edu (Anthony Minkoff)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
Subject: Re: A few questions...
Date: 5 Oct 92 21:27:10 GMT
Organization: University of California, San Diego

dvc@eagle.hr.att.com (David Van Cleef) writes:
>PH> You ONLY get consolation if you play a Compromise and LOSE.  If the Loser
>PH> calls "upset" and one player has no Attack cards, he can play a Compromise.
>PH> He will get no consolation since he will win the challenge.
>
>I quote from the Mayfair rules:
>
>All of the losing side's tokens still go to the warp, but the player
>                                                      --------------
>who played the Compromise Card gets consolation because he was willing
>-----------------------------------------------
>to compromise and his opponent attacked him.

Keep reading.  Consolation is described as "one card from his
opponent's hand for every token he loses" (or something to that
effect).  Pacifist loses no tokens and so takes zero consolation.
(Some people-- including Jack Kittredge-- go so far as to say that
Zombie doesn't collect consolation either.  I disagree with JK about
the Zombie-- differing interpretations of the word "lose" is what it
comes down to-- but agreement is pretty universal that Pacifist
collects no consolation.)

Tony