Cosmic Encounter Duel

This game captures the feel of the OG game, but less meta-gaming. Is there chaos like the bigger gamer? Sure, but in a fun way, not in a curb stompy, back stabby kind of way.

It's a 2p version of Cosmic Encounter. Sets out to accomplish what it does, lacks the sheer chaos of its big sibling.

no negotiation :(

I love Cosmic Encounter, but I heard this one wasn't as good so I bought it on a severe markdown from Miniature Market. It's better than I expected. It is completely chaotic, involves a lot of gameplay I like like bluffing and gambling. I'll be honest, this isn't the most amazing game I've ever played. But that said, with all of the hate it got online, I was expecting this to be a complete waste of time and money but I've had a lot of fun playing it. It's quick to teach, the mechanics are just simple enough to jump into quickly, but complex enough that they were able to put in tons of chaos and unpredictability. The game will have you laughing occasionally just from the weird stuff that happens that throws a wrench into the game. This game is best if you're just looking to kill 30-45 minutes with only two players, you just want a little chaotic fun, and you are more about the experience of the game than being super competitive and worrying about who wins or loses or optimizing strategies. I will definitely keep this one in my collection, it is juuuust fun enough that it'll be good to mix into the rotation every now and again when the mood strikes. My only real complaints are that it goes on just a little bit too long for how simple it is. It feels like it should end maybe ten minutes earlier. But you could fix this by only playing up to 4 colonies. It also hasn't felt very balanced. I know that's a draw of Cosmic Encounter generally, but of the 3 times I played it, I felt like I knew who was going to win about halfway through and I was right. Maybe with more plays it will balance out. I tried ignoring the rule that says players get to pick their aliens, cos random sounded more fun, but I would recommend letting players pick so things don't get too unbalanced. If you can find this on a markdown, I would consider picking it up if you are open to the kind of chaotic game this is. At full price, it might be a little bit of a stretch unless you are really sure you want it.

Fun, wacky, and strategic Dueler. I've never played the original, but there is strategy as well as a bit of humor behind your decision making.