From: macquivr@bigwpi.WPI.EDU (John Todd)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
Subject: New Variant
Date: 25 Jan 93 14:24:04 GMT
Organization: Worcester Polytechnic Institute
NNTP-Posting-Host: bigwpi.wpi.edu

Some friends of mine have come up with a new to play Cosmic, I have revised it
a little but the Specific details are up to who ever is running it as to
how they want to play.

The basic idea is that there is a moderator who doesn't actually play but
he is only one who knows what everybody elses powers are.  When you make
a challenge, after cards are revealed he tells you who wins and any side
affects that happen as a result of the challenge.  I.E.  he would tell Zombie
that his tokens go home instead of to the warp and so on.  
So what about optional powers you say? The variant (called Blind CE) uses only
a small subset of all the powers.  The rule is that optional powers happen
unless you have successfully guess that you have that power then you don't
have to use it.  Once per challenge you get to make a guess at who you are.    
Granted some powers like changeling are extremely easy to determine however 
other powers like insect and beserker take a long time to figure out.  If
Insect is in the game, it confuses people to no end.  I.e. just before 
Anti-mater guesses he is Anti-mater, he loses because the other person 
anti-matered as well.  Reincarnator is a great power to have in game too
because the person will guess that he is something and the moderator says yes
then the person loses and unknowningly changes powers.  Sucks to be that
person if he was Zombie, cause he goes into a challenge fully confident he
 won't die and does.  
If anybody is interested in trying it out, here are some helpful hints for
the moderator:
  1)  Use Pencil, if the changeling is in the game or somebody plays the 
reincarnator flare or the sorcerer flare, people's powers are going to 
switch.  
  2)  label the players by color instead of the name of the player.  That way
there's never any confusion as to who is what color.  
  3)  use a full sheet of paper to record the powers, you'll need the bottom
portion of the sheet for Math breaks, i.e. when virus is attacking calculator
to name an extreme example.  
  4)  Declare "GM fuckups" as soon as they are detected.  If you make a mistake
let them know right away otherwise it'll get them interpreting the results
wrong and that's not fair and besides bitter arguments might ensue after the
game if you don't.

  How much you want to hide from the players is up to you.  In the original
version that my friends came up with.  The only thing the players got
to know and see was the results of a challenge.  I think that's too confusing. 
The way I play, each player has his powers face down in front of him and all
game actions are revealed, i.e. you see the sorcerer switch cards, you see
the changeling change powers, and you see the attack card your opponent played.
Another thing I've added is that every player plants terrorist bombs and
writes a schizoid condition.  The players are responsible for says "BOOM"
when one of their bombs goes off or "I WIN" when they meet their schizoid
condition.  
  Hidden moons are very cool, you land on a moon and the moderator tells
you what happens.  If the effects of the moon are not immediate he/she usually
says "nothing happens."  
  if you're interested and are in the worcester area, we play in the Wedge
at WPI most nights.
- Q