Discussion on rec.games.board.ce of the differences between the Eon
and Mayfair editions of Cosmic Encounter in August, 1998
From: shade@cix.compulink.co.uk ("Adrian Barritt")
Subject: Re: Differences
Organization: Compulink Information eXchange
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 08:32:33 GMT
Off the top of my head, these are the main differences in the Mayfair
edition:
1. You discard flares after use
2. The alien artwork is very poor
3. The destiny pile is a deck of cards and the hexes are coloured
4. The card design is also poor
5. It goes too far IMO by adding negative cards and reinforcements
6. The counters are very pale and don't have the lovely richness of the
original
7. The hexes work like a jigsaw, urg!
8. The cone artwork again, is poor
9. It has some useful multiple alien power information in the More Cosmic
manual
10. It changes the way lucre works so you can do more things with it
11. The reverse hexes are different in some cases
12. Overall it has a cheap and tacky feel compared to the Eon editions
13. Finally, there are many many little tweaks, which you may or may not
like
Editor's Additions - ADF
14. Added Alternate Destinies and Comets to Destiny deck.
15. Added Reinforcements, Kickers and negative Attack Cards.
16. Lucre no longer add to challenges.
17. Divided moons into Full, Half, Crescent and Cheese types by effect strength.
18. Added timing symbols to specify for all powers/cards when they can be used.
19. Removed the Praw and replaced it with the Fan (which is generally hated).
Cheers,
Ade.
From: gardner@silas-1.cc.monash.edu.au (Steve Gardner)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
Subject: Re: Differences
Date: 17 Aug 1998 01:17:52 GMT
Adrian Barritt (shade@cix.compulink.co.uk) wrote:
: In article <35D09BB3.1E66@Mendyke.com>, Donna@Mendyke.com (Donna Mendyke)
: wrote:
:
: Off the top of my head, these are the main differences in the Mayfair
: edition:
:
: 1. You discard flares after use
: 2. The alien artwork is very poor
: 3. The destiny pile is a deck of cards and the hexes are coloured
: 4. The card design is also poor
: 5. It goes too far IMO by adding negative cards and reinforcements
: 6. The counters are very pale and don't have the lovely richness of the
: original
: 7. The hexes work like a jigsaw, urg!
: 8. The cone artwork again, is poor
: 9. It has some useful multiple alien power information in the More Cosmic
: manual
: 10. It changes the way lucre works so you can do more things with it
: 11. The reverse hexes are different in some cases
: 12. Overall it has a cheap and tacky feel compared to the Eon editions
: 13. Finally, there are many many little tweaks, which you may or may not
: like
I can't dispute most of the above, but you are unfair to the Mayfair
version, because you omit the most important difference between the
two sets, namely the addition of the timing icons and the timing rules.
In clarifying the enormous of amount of amibiguity in the descriptions
of how the Alien Powers (and other effects) work in the Eon version, the
designers of the Mayfair version have performed an invaluable service to
Cosmic players everywhere, one that does a lot to make up for the
artistic shortcomings of the Mayfair set, which I'll be the first to
concede.
Steve Gardner | "If it's not worth doing,
Dept. of Philosophy, Monash Uni. | it's not worth doing well."
gardner@silas.cc.monash.edu.au | -- Donald Hebb --
From: "Bryan Bowe" <animal@worldnet.att.net>
Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
Subject: Re: Differences
Date: 17 Aug 1998 03:25:51 GMT
Steve Gardner wrote:
> ... [Y]ou are unfair to the Mayfair version, because you
> omit the most important difference between the two sets,
> namely the addition of the timing icons and the timing
> rules.
Actually, if by "the timing rules" you mean Mayfair's timing conflict
resolution rule, it was lifted almost verbatim from Eon's Expansion Set #9
rulebook. That's not a difference between the two sets.
It _does_ seem to be invoked by Mayfair players a heck of a lot more often
than Eon players, though--or maybe that's just a peculiarity of the folks
I've played with. In the 15 years Expansion Set #9 came out, I can't recall
using the timing conflict rule more than twice...if that. By contrast, when
playing Mayfair at conventions and such, every issue--even if it has
nothing whatsoever to do with timing--is immediately branded a timing
conflict and adjudicated accordingly.
That's not an indictment against Mayfair, since, as I pointed out, exactly
the same timing conflict resolution rule appears in both versions. It's
merely a curious observation. Anyone else experience this?
Timing icons, on the other hand, _are_ a Mayfair innovation. As for whether
they qualify as important, well...I suppose it's a matter of taste. Me, I
prefer descriptive text.
> In clarifying the enormous of amount of amibiguity in
> the descriptions of how the Alien Powers (and other
> effects) work in the Eon version, the designers of the
> Mayfair version have performed an invaluable service to
> Cosmic players everywhere...
Remember, Mayfair also _changed_ how many of the Alien Powers and other
effects work. Whether the changes were for the better or for the worse is
debatable, but I think it's fair to say Mayfair's version is every bit as
rife with convolution and ambiguity as Eon's. And, frankly, that's a good
thing.
The invaluable service I do credit Mayfair with is helping to keep the game
alive--albeit in a mutated form--and providing a few more years of exposure
to entice new players into the fold. Now, if they'd only learn to play by
the _right_ rules... ;)
- Bryan Bowe
From: wwwdotjack@aol.com (WWWdotJACK)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce
Subject: Re: Differences
Lines: 23
Date: 17 Aug 1998 03:50:03 GMT
Some of the differences I have found worthwhile in the Mayfair edition are:
- Lucre markers are thicker, and have the numerical increments (too bad we
don't play with it very often)
- Simply Cosmic has the nice colors with names and symbols. It seems every
group I have played in has at least one player that is color blind, and
confuses the other tokens. On the down side, the backs of these tokens are
different (black) from the others, and when we have the color blind moon in
effect, it eliminates some of the fun.
-The Wild destiny, and special destiny cards and comets are a nice addition.
- The moon categories are also very handy, as we can decide just how wacky a
game we want to play, simply by choosing Full moons or Cheesey moons. AND the
entire moon effect is right on the moon. Much better than having to flip
through the booklet and find your moons.
-I have found many of the power modifications to be better or more interesting
(Doppleganger, Grudge, Schizoid, etc) in the Mayfair set.
Everyone won't be pleased (I certainly prefer the Praw over the bizarre Fan
Warp), but as a die-hard player, I had no problems making the shift, and I
always induct new players with the Mayfair version (and I have both).
Jack Reda