Cosmic Encounter

Cosmic Encounter is a science fiction strategy board game originally published in 1977 by Eon Games, designed by the team known as Future Pastimes, comprising Peter Olotka, Jack Kittredge, Bill Eberle and Bill Norton. Three to five players in most editions, and up to eight in official variants, each take on the role of an alien species with a unique special power that bends or breaks one of the game's normal rules, such as the ability to steal cards, blur the definition of an ally, or plant hidden agendas. Players attempt to establish colonies on planets belonging to the other species' home systems, and combat between two opposing forces is negotiable, meaning any other player may be invited to join either side of a conflict as an ally in exchange for a reward, encouraging constant negotiation, alliance-forming and betrayal. The game is often praised for how its combination of asymmetric alien powers and social maneuvering produces a different play experience nearly every session.