Cosmic Encounter

Cosmic Encounter is the original Eon edition of the landmark game of alien diplomacy and asymmetric powers. Each player controls a species trying to establish five colonies in other solar systems. A turn begins with a challenge against another player, but the confrontation rarely remains private: attacker and defender invite allies, commit ships, and choose encounter cards before totals and special effects are resolved. Negotiation can replace battle, and shared victories are possible, so every promise and betrayal matters. The defining idea is that each alien power changes a fundamental rule. The Virus multiplies instead of adding, the Zombie refuses to lose ships permanently, and the Oracle sees an opponent’s card before choosing its own. The 1977 base game introduced fifteen such powers, while Eon’s numbered expansions grew the system dramatically. This ABG record preserves the historical BGG identity for the original Eon game and links it to the separate 2008 Fantasy Flight reimplementation already in the catalog. Its physical design is unmistakably of its era, but the social engine—alliances, leverage, surprise, and rule-breaking personalities—still feels radical.