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Cosmic Encounter: 42nd Anniversary Edition

#313010BGG ↗

2018 · 3-5 players · 120min · weight 2.51 · 1,819 ratings

v2 v3 v4 wide v4 deep

BGG raw

ID
313010
Name
Cosmic Encounter: 42nd Anniversary Edition
Year
2018
Rank
1137
Min players
3
Max players
5
Playing time
120
Min playtime
60
Max playtime
120
Avg weight
2.5098
Num weights
51
Bayes avg
6.58234
Average
8.14186
Users rated
1819
Num owned
4273
Wanting
92
Wishing
792
Num comments
324
Fetched at
Sat May 02 2026 15:53:35 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
Mechanisms (11)
AlliancesCard Play Conflict ResolutionHand ManagementInterruptsNegotiationPrisoner's DilemmaRaceSimultaneous Action SelectionTake ThatTradingVariable Player Powers
Categories (4)
BluffingNegotiationScience FictionSpace Exploration
Description (1744 chars)

Cosmic Encounter 42nd Anniversary Edition welcomes new players to the game of infinite possibilities with a freshly revised rulebook and a beautifully illustrated Quick-start Guide that captures the nostalgia of the original game and makes it easy for anyone to learn. The Quick-start Guide’s comic book style throws readers back to the 1970s, providing vital insight into the core rules of the game while embracing the fun of a cosmic conquest filled with wacky aliens and outrageous abilities. What's more, with the beautiful translucent ship pieces (as shown above), spreading your colonies across the galaxy has never been more stylish! A newly discovered species joins the classic line-up of aliens. You can, of course, play as old favorites such as Mite or Remora, or you can try your hand at leading the ruthless Demon to victory. Previously only released at Cosmic Con, this species was exiled from their original galaxy for unprincipled opportunism. Now they seek cosmic vengeance, using their power to possess other players’ hands to bolster their own strength and sap others’ will to win. In addition to this monstrous newcomer, Cosmic Encounter 42nd Anniversary Edition offers you new ways to customize your games with the introduction of Cosmic Combo cards. These carefully assembled cards offer a list of alien species with a brief description of their powers to create themed matchups and explore different types of games. You may find yourself among some Big Time Clubbers or Cellar Dwellers, that can be integrated into three, four, or five-player games. Every card spins a new challenge, and with these new options for customization, no two games are ever the same. —description from the publisher

LLM v2 (wide)

Core verb
negotiate alien encounter
Decision shape
social
Reward schedule
immediate
Aesthetics
["Fellowship", "Fantasy", "Challenge"]
Core loop pitch
Each turn launch ships at a rival's planet; both sides invite allies, play encounter cards, and your alien power breaks a rule.
Translation difficulty
Hard
Difficulty reason
Game IS the negotiation and rule-breaking aliens; no AI captures the table-talk and bluffed deals.
Direct digital port
Port kind
Closest loop translation
none yet
Primitive tags
["rule_breaking_alien_powers", "encounter_with_allies", "shifting_alliance_negotiation", "establish_colonies_win_condition"]
Confidence
0.85
Extracted at
Sun May 03 2026 12:07:06 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
Raw v2 JSON (888 chars)
{
  "game_id": 313010,
  "name": "Cosmic Encounter: 42nd Anniversary Edition",
  "core_verb": "negotiate alien encounter",
  "decision_shape": "social",
  "reward_schedule": "immediate",
  "aesthetics": [
    "Fellowship",
    "Fantasy",
    "Challenge"
  ],
  "core_loop_pitch": "Each turn launch ships at a rival's planet; both sides invite allies, play encounter cards, and your alien power breaks a rule.",
  "mobile_translation_difficulty": "Hard",
  "translation_difficulty_reason": "Game IS the negotiation and rule-breaking aliens; no AI captures the table-talk and bluffed deals.",
  "direct_digital_port": null,
  "direct_digital_port_kind": null,
  "closest_loop_translation": "none yet",
  "primitive_tags": [
    "rule_breaking_alien_powers",
    "encounter_with_allies",
    "shifting_alliance_negotiation",
    "establish_colonies_win_condition"
  ],
  "confidence": 0.85
}

LLM v3 (deep)

Not yet enriched at v3 (deep pass).

LLM v4 wide (controlled-vocab primitives)

Not yet enriched at v4 (wide pass).

LLM v4 deep (archetype fit)

Not in the v4 deep-pass top-20% slice.