HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
Date: Sat, 26 Sep 1992 20:10:36 -0400 
From: Elliott Conan Evans <ee0r+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Cavalry & Virus Combo

Using the Eon Virus and Mayfair Cavalry.

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

We decided "no", not becasue the rules are against this,
but because it was too gross to think about.

Note: the Virus power says something like
"when you play an attack card, it is multiplied
 by your tokens plus your allies."

------
Eeyore
"Hey baby, wanna see my Codex Seraphinianus?"
From: jl8e+@andrew.cmu.edu (Julian D Lighton)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
Subject: Re: More Cosmic review (Very Long!!)
Date: 27 Sep 92 17:07:17 GMT
Organization: Sophomore, Math/Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA

I forgot a few things in the review.

Flares: about normal for the one-shot flares. There's nothing as
powerful as the Void wild. Supers are still incredibly pathetic.

Reccomendation: I would say that it's worth getting, although
overpriced. If you are not interested in lucre or moons then it's a much
worse buy.

For those of you who don't know, lucre is money that you get at the
beginning of your turn and you can spend on cards from the deck, tokens
from the warp, or increasing your challenge total. There are also lucre
powers that accumulate lucre, must be paid lucre to stop them, or are
paid lurce for them to help you. Moons are like extra planets in your
system that don't count as a foreign base for anyone, but occupying them
causes an effect to happen.

_______________________________________________________________________________
|Julian Lighton     jl8e@andrew.cmu.edu |   :-)   | 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: bicker@cbnewsi.cb.att.com (The Resource, Poet-Magician of Quality)
Subject: Re: FAQ list (was Re: Order of play)
Reply-To: Brian.C.Kohn@att.com (The Resource, Poet-Magician of Quality)
Organization: The Internet
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 22:39:52 GMT
Followup-To: rec.games.board.ce

In article <1992Oct6.152018.1226@wuecl.wustl.edu> kcc@wucs1.wustl.edu (Ken Cox) writes:
>njs@cbnewsh.cb.att.com (nicholas.j.sauer) writes:
>[ Lein on the hand question ]
>>Was someone going to make a FAQ for this group and, can we put this in it?
>>It seems like I or someone else answers this question at least once a month.
>I have started one -- I sent out the first version about a month ago.
>The questions on it were:
>Q) ...
>Q) ...
>Q) ...
>Q) ...

I maintain the Monthly Posting and FAQ.  If you want please submit your
questions with answers that represent the consensus view of the
newsgroup (after significant discussion) and I'll include it in the
posting and in the README on the ftp-server. 


-- 
Brian Charles Kohn               using !bicker's account
Poet-Magician of "Quality"       E-MAIL: bicker@hoqax.ATT.COM
    'Hope, not fear, is the most positive advocate of action.' - S.R. Lawhead
                   Stamp Out "SO": "RP" = "Romantic Partner"
Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
Subject: Re: Multi-power Games
From: cwes1@cs.aukuni.ac.nz (Clare West)
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 02:39:35 GMT
Organization: Dept of CompSci, U of Auckland

woodhams@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Michael Woodhams) writes:
>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.

We also usually play deal 8, pick 4 (surprise surprise, Michael and I
used to be in the same cossies playing group). Occasionally deal 6, 
pick 3 (if we are introducing a new player). 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.)

once played with deal 10, pick 5. Each power was 'attached' to one of
your home bases. When you lost that base you lost that power. And if 
you regained the base you regained the power.

hope that gives you a couple of ideas.


-- 
Oh, why didn't I listen when they said "Never do a   |  cwes1@cs.aukuni.ac.nz 
 masters and try to have a life at the same time"?   |  clare west
                 BigSis to Chris, Eric and Kristiina
                    Official Welcomer of the RFA
From: gt7804b@prism.gatech.EDU (Wayne Edward Sheppard)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
Subject: MCE
Date: 28 Sep 92 03:06:57 GMT
Distribution: atl
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology

I am looking for More Cosmic Encounter.  If anyone has seen
it in any store, please Email me.

Thanks

-- 
Wayne Edward Sheppard
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
uucp:	  ...!{decvax,hplabs,ncar,purdue,rutgers}!gatech!prism!gt7804b
Internet: gt7804b@prism.gatech.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
From: gellenb@rainbow.ecn.purdue.edu (Brian K Gellenbeck)
Subject: wanted
Organization: Purdue University Engineering Computer Network
Distribution: all
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 1992 21:09:10 GMT

 I would like to purchase an original set (eon) of cosmic encounters , hopefully with all the expansions.  I am willing to pay a good price for it.  If anyone has one write to Boxholder   222 W. Wood St. Apt. 8   W. Lafayette, IN 47906 or call (317) 743-5053 and ask for Sean or Brian.  Thank YOU!!!
Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
Subject: FOR SALE: Cosmic Encounter 2nd Ed. MINT
From: oberland@vax.sonoma.edu
Date: 1 Oct 92 18:04:02 -0800
Organization: Sonoma State University

I have the following for sale:

Cosmic Encounter(New edition)
MINT
unpunched, no nicks or dents.

I bought this to play, read the rules, and it has been sitting in the closet
for 6 months.
My friend moved away, and so I never got a chance to play it, even once.

Make me an offer.
Joe
From: cs161feu@sdcc10.ucsd.edu (Anthony Minkoff)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
Subject: Re: Lots of questions...
Date: 3 Oct 92 02:15:26 GMT
Article-I.D.: sdcc12.38910
Organization: University of California, San Diego

gkatz@csws4.ic.sunysb.edu (Gerald W Katz) writes:
>jl8e+@andrew.cmu.edu (Julian D Lighton) writes:
>>I prefer Silencer-Gambler. They can't call your bluff.
>How about Silencer/Skeptic?
>Your opponent cannot double doubt you.  Therefore, you win the
>challenge without playing challenge cards.

Oy, are we going to go through all this again?  Neither of those
combinations works.  In the case of both the Gambler and the
Skeptic, the challenged party *must* either agree or
call/double-doubt.  The Silencer can not prevent the latter action
any more than it can prevent the former.


How about Silencer with a Butler in the game?  As defensive player,
your opponent forfeits his turn, because he can't tell the Butler
what to do.  Hence, you'll never be attacked.  :-)

Silencer/Wrack-- your opponent can't refuse your deal.   Hence he
always gives you a base, without your even having to play cards.  :-)

Silencer/Seeker-- your opponent can't answer your question, hence he
is automatically TFATOOTG.  Pretty soon, you're the only player
left, and win by default.  :-)

Silencer/Smiley-- your opponent can't say, "That was a dumb joke, no
matter how many @%$^&! smileys you put after it."  :-) :-) :-) :-)

Tony
Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
From: njs@cbnewsh.cb.att.com (nicholas.j.sauer)
Subject: Prophet (was Re: More Cosmic review)
Organization: AT&T
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 1992 14:21:38 GMT

In article <wemqAp600Vp90Hw0xn@andrew.cmu.edu>, "Joseph E. Beck" <jb8n+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
>
>Some people think that a power that requires the teamwork of everyone
>else in the game to stop is too powerful.  I tend to agree.  I want
>to match my powers up against everyone else's.  Not see if all of us
>working together can stop someone (like Prophet, above).  I don't like
>having my thinking dominated by 'having' to hose someone or I'll just
>lose.  To me this is a sign someone is wrong.

This is exactly the issue I was addressing in my response when I talked
about CE being a dynamic strategy game.  I like having to think differently
(on a strategy level) with each new game of CE.  It keeps the game from
becoming boring for me.  I can see how this would get on some people's
nerves, however.

So, in my opinion this is not a sign that someone is wrong, just that 
different groups of CE players have different play styles.  Different 
strokes for different folks.  If you don't like a power then, by all means, 
pitch it from your games.  I know that we are in the minority as a group 
because we don't do this.  

As a side note, one of the things I love about reading other people's views 
on CE is just to see which powers their group thinks are "too powerful".  
Actually, what I have always wanted to do is make a list of the Eon 75 and 
cross off the list every power that some group felt was "unbalanced".  Based 
on what I have read from various groups so far I bet the final list would be 
about 10 powers long.

>I stand by my Prophet prediction.  Unless everyone teams up  to stop
>him (see my above paragraph about this not being a fun game), there is
>no reason prophet should be less than 50%.  

Even if the Prophet is 50% he is backpeddaling.  Remember, every time he 
guesses wrong the winner throws two of the Prophet's tokens into the warp.
He will lose one external base (assuming he put four tokens on it) after
his second wrong guess.  He cannot add tokens to this base easily unless
he stops guessing and starts allying (which effectively halts his power).
So, even at a 50% guess rate the Prophet will gain external bases at an
extremely slow rate (i.e. probably slower than if he had just allied in
each challenge anyway).

Ultimately, I tend to fall on a "proof by wins" approach to powers.  Unless
a power is winning an overly large number of games relative to the rest of
the powers then I don't think it is "unbalanced".  Powers like Virus, Mesmer,
Schizoid, Pacifist, Prophet, etc. do not win every time they are played and,
therefore, to my mind are not overly powerful.  Connoiseur concerned me for
awhile because it did win in almost every game it was in.  Then, as I stated
before, we learned how to debug it.  Now the Connoisseur has fallen into the
average win ratio just like all the other powers.  So, unless a power wins
every game (or more than 50% of the games) it is in I do not consider it to
be "overpowered".

Nick Sauer





Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
From: brandon@aardvark.ucs.uoknor.edu (Garland Operator 7-G)
Subject: Players Resigning in Mid-Game...
Originator: news@midway.ecn.uoknor.edu
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 1992 23:56:00 GMT
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: The Anime Doujou

What do you do if a player in Cosmic Encounter needs to leave the game in the
middle of it (reasons due to work, getting late, someone's persistent
girlfriend :-P, et al.)? They don't mention in the rules a way to handle this.

Here is what we decided on the spur of the moment:

The player resigns and all his tokens are removed from play. His tokens
which are under "control" by another player (eg. Vampire, Fungus) remain that
way until freed, in which case they are removed from play.

The players system is still "open" to attacks directed there from the destiny
pile, but attacks are made only at players who have a base on one of the worlds
there. In other words, you attack another player's BASE in that system.
If a time comes where there are no tokens on a planet in that system, the
home system is removed from play and any future destiny flips of that color are
ignored and the card removed from the destiny pile.

The "terrorist" power automatically blows up any world in the resigning players
home system where there are no tokens (where he may have placed a bomb) because
noone will ever go there now. He may put a bomb onto another world for each
one that goes off in this manner.

What do you think about this? Do you think it is fair? Is there a better
way in your opinion?

Domo. Ja na.

Brandon Freels (Garland Operator 7-G)
brandon@aardvark.ucs.uoknor.edu  -or-  brandon@uokucsvx.bitnet
"I'm witty naturally, I don't need quotes."
Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
Date: Sun, 27 Sep 1992 20:08:34 -0400 
From: "Joseph E. Beck" <jb8n+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: Lots of questions...
	<1992Sep26.234736.25156@Princeton.EDU>


>The Pacifist isn't that bad. We even had a game where the Pacifist never had
>a compromise card. If you think the Pacifist is too dangerous in a game, don't
>ask them to be an ally when they would get a base out of it. That should
>more than equalize things.

The way we feel around here is that sorceror should be about as
powerful as a combat power gets.  And pacifist thrashes sorceror (in
general).  


>I take it you play with multiple powers? (The shiny powers sounds
>unfortunate, especially if you play with hidden powers.)
We don't use hidden powers, so this isn't a problem.

>Really not a problem. To be safe from losing bases when they make an
>incorrect prediction, they need 3 tokens per base.
It's usually not that difficult to tell who's going to win (certainly
much better than 50%).

>Magnet can neutralize them by forcing them along on attacks.
So if Magnet or Silencer is in the game, prophetess can be stopped
easily, otherwise she just wins the game.  If she guesses right 2/3 of
the time (2/3 seems about right)  that's an average loss of 1 token
for each external base.

>>Sting
>I don't know this one.
It's kind of like zombie except you designate someone else to lose the
tokens for you (I'm fairly certain they pick where from).  In return
they get 1 card from your hand for each token lost (if you don't have
enough cards they get as many as are in your hand).

>>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...
So if they're lucky they get to make a deal.  Compare this power to
empath...

>>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...
You only need Machine/Wrack to be almost unstoppable.  Put 1 token in
the cone, and make the deal "base for a base".  If they accept, great.
If they refuse put your token (and one of theirs) in the warp.  Take
your next challenge, *remove a token of your from the warp*, and
proceed.

	joe
Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
From: kcc@wucs1.wustl.edu (Ken Cox)
Subject: FAQ list (was Re: Order of play)
Organization: Washington University, St. Louis MO
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 15:20:18 GMT

njs@cbnewsh.cb.att.com (nicholas.j.sauer) writes:

[ Lein on the hand question ]
>Was someone going to make a FAQ for this group and, can we put this in it?
>It seems like I or someone else answers this question at least once a month.

I have started one -- I sent out the first version about a month ago.
The questions on it were:

Q)  Can you summarize the actions in the challenge outcome?
Q)  When do I get to draw a new hand?
Q)  Can I play cards when there is a lien on my hand?
Q)  Can I Cosmic Zap someone if they aren't using their power?
Q)  Can I pass my turn?
Q)  What do I do when I flip someone else's color?
Q)  What do I do when I flip my own color?
Q)  May I make a challenge on a planet where I already have a base?
Q)  What can my opponent and I do in a deal?

There was some discusssion about some of my answers (Mayfair's rules,
for example, imply that you can pass your turn, but this may just be
poor wording) and I incorporated the responses.  I think I'll add a
few more questions, like this consolation business, and send it out
again in a week or two.

If anyone has any other suggestions, please mail them to me and I'll
add them.  Two things, though:

1)  If you can, send me both the question and the answer.  A pointer
    to the source of the answer ("Eon set 9 rules, section IV", "Jack
    Kittredge said it one night while we were playing Cosmic Shooters",
    "Encounter v2.2", etc.) would also be nice.

2)  I would like to restrict it to general rule questions, not questions
    about the effects of specific Powers, Flares, etc. -- I wouldn't
    want "What happens if the Wrack tortures the offensive player out
    of the Cone", but the more general "What happens if the offensive
    player has no tokens in the Cone" is OK.


Ken Cox
kcc@wucs1.wustl.edu
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
	<39038@sdcc12.ucsd.edu>
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 14:28:33 GMT

>>>>> On 5 Oct 92 21:27:10 GMT, cs161feu@sdcc10.ucsd.edu (Anthony Minkoff) said:
AM> 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.

AM> Keep reading.  Consolation is described as "one card from his
AM> opponent's hand for every token he loses" (or something to that
AM> effect).  Pacifist loses no tokens and so takes zero consolation.

Zero-consolation is different from no consolation at all.  For
instance, the Will wild could be used to view your opponent's hand at
this time, or a theoretical flare which allows modification of
consolation could be used.
--
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: Vampire and Fungus as allies...
Date: 3 Oct 92 05:45:25 GMT
Organization: University of California, San Diego

(Garland Operator 7-G) writes:
>Who gets the tokens? Do they divide them 50/50?

Has this been asked enough times to qualify as a FAQ?

(Speaking of which, where is the quasi-monthly posting?  I haven't
seen it for a while.)

Tony
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
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 1992 18:58:30 GMT

>>>>> On 2 Oct 92 16:46:25 GMT, nick@kiwi.ucsb.edu (Fong) said:

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

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

You may play Compromises iff you don't have attack cards.

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.

NF>    ...At this point, I attempted to play my Chosen Flare, reducing my 
NF>    attack to -1.  Here we argued whether a Compromise lost to any Attack, 
NF>    positive OR negative.  I lost again.  I wanted a Compromise to count 
NF>    as a zero, but they wouldn't go for it.

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

Yes.

--
David A. Van Cleef			AT&T Bell Laboratories
internet: dvc@eagle.hr.att.com		Red Hill Facility, Middletown, NJ
					+1 908 615 4906
Organization: Junior, Math/Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
Date: Thu,  1 Oct 1992 16:44:37 -0400 
From: "Joseph E. Beck" <jb8n+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: More Cosmic review (Very Long!!)
	<1992Sep30.135237.10293@cbnewsh.cb.att.com>



>My response to this is that your group (and Julian's) are playing far too
>predictably.  In one of our games I have seen the Prophet guess wrong for
>five challenges before he finally predicted one correctly and, I believe
>that was the only correct guess that he made for the entire game (I 
>recall the Prophet having the most tokens in the Wrap/Praw fairly constantly
>that game).
If prophet keeps picking the attacker then no one is getting bases as
long as prophet is incorrect.  It just isn't possible to throw all of
the challenges.  

>Even Virus, which is one of the tougher powers to halt, has a weakness.  
>His power is token centered so keep him as token poor as possible.  Plague
>him and never, ever play a Mobius Tubes if he has tokens in the Warp.  If 
>he has only one token per base and gets no allies he has no power.  Like
>I said, he is tough to debug but, even he can be hindered if you know how.
Some people think that a power that requires the teamwork of everyone
else in the game to stop is too powerful.  I tend to aggree.  I want
to match my powers up against everyone else's.  Not see if all of us
working together can stop someone (like prophet, above).  I don't like
having my thinking dominated by 'having' to hose someone or I'll just
lose.  To me this is a sign someone is wrong.


> If you don't do this each of
>your challenges will be way too predictable and powers like the Prophet will
>walk away with the game.
I stand by my prophet prediction.  Unless everyone teams up  to stop
him (see my above paragraph about this not being a fun game), there is
no reason prophet should be less than 50%.  


>Anyway, I guess I've rambled on long enough here.
Nah, this is kind of interesting...

	joe
From: purtill@idacrd.UUCP (Mark Purtill)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
Subject: Gambler vs. Sorcerer (was Re: Laser vs. Deuce)
Date: 29 Sep 92 13:30:45 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: idacrd, princeton, nj

fallah@rwja.umdnj.edu (Mazzar Fallah) writes:
>	I do have a question of Gambler vs. sorcerer:
>	They both choose cards.  Now sorcerer switches.  No point
>in gambling, but the description in the power doesn't have the
>'may' or  'can'.  Gambler is hosed because he's just guessing, right?
	When this showed up in a game I was in, we decided that
Gambler bluffed on the card he played, whether or not it was the card
in front of him.  Perhaps not strictly correct, but it did make for
some interesting situations.

^.-.^ Mark Purtill, purtill@ccr-p.ida.org || purtill%idacrd@uunet.uu.net
((")) \@_: IDA/CCR-P, Thanet Road, Princeton NJ  08540;  (609) 924-4600.
Alternate email: purtill%idacrd@princeton.edu UUCP: uunet!idacrd!purtill
Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce