CE NEWSGROUP/MAILING LIST/ARCHIVES SOMEWHAT MONTHLY POSTING
(last updated: Wed Nov 20 11:21:33 EST 1991)
The CE Newsgroup, rec.games.board.ce, is intended for the discussion of
Cosmic Encounter, a board game first developed by Eon Games, then
briefly distributed by West End Games, and now is being distributed
by Mayfair Games. The newsgroup includes discussions of rules
questions, new powers and game variations, and game materials.
The newsgroup is linked to a mailing list, which has been operating for
about 2 years, so that people who cannot gain access to the newsgroup
can still participate. An archive of important information and
materials related to the game is also maintained.
Cosmic Encounter
================
The Game itself is rather simple: Each player has a "home system" with
5 planets in it, and 20 tokens, which start the game evenly distributed
across the 5 home planets. The object of the game is to establish
bases on 5 foreign planets. A base is any number of tokens on a single
planet. Opposing players may both have a base on the same planet.
Cards are dealt and the order of play is established. Then the first
player is directed by a colorcard to the system in which s/he must make
her/his first attack. S/he designates which of the home bases there
s/he'll attack and deploys 1-4 free tokens to a cone representing the
attack field. Each side in the challenge can ask other players to ally
with 1-4 free tokens.
Then each main player plays a challenge card faced down (challenge
cards include attack cards numbered from 1 to 40 and compromise cards.)
After cards are revealed the card number is added to the number of main
player's and allies' tokens on that side of the challenge...higher total
wins. If a compromise card is played it indicates that that side
loses, but the player who played a compromise card takes consolation
cards from her/his opponent's hand. If both players play a compromise,
the have 1 minute to make a deal.
Winning tokens on the offense get to establish a base on the planet
attacked. Winning allied tokens on the defense gain their owner
rewards, either new cards or free tokens. Winning main player tokens
on the defense get nothing. All losing tokens go to the "warp" where
they're not free for use.
Each player is entitled to a second challenge if their first challenge
is successful. Then play continues around the board.
However that's not it...each player has an alien power which lets
her/him break a rule in a particular way to her/his benefit. There are
cards in players' hands that grant temporary or instantaneous powers,
such as freeing tokens from the warp, re-establishing home bases, etc.
There are cards that act to multiply an attack card played. And many
more game extensions that give CE it's character and it's
unpredictability...that's what makes the game so exciting!
Furthermore, there are many game extensions that add additional twists
to the game (moons, lucre, alternate hexes, praw, flares, ...) Many
additional powers and new game extensions have been invented by CE
players, some of which are available through this archive (see below).
Mailing List
============
The newsgroup is linked to a mailing list, so those without access to
rec.games.board.ce can participate in discussions as well as those who
do. To subscribe to the mailing list, email your request to:
cosmic-encounter-request@gnu.ai.mit.edu or
ce-request@gnu.ai.mit.edu
To post a message to the mailing list, email your submission to:
cosmic-encounter@gnu.ai.mit.edu or
ce@gnu.ai.mit.edu
or email it to bicker@hoqaa.att.com with the following magic words somewhere
in your message:
Submission: CE
Note that the capital S in Submission must apprear in column one, not
on the subject line. Also, make sure you keep the spacing correct.
Messages posted to the mailing list are posted to the newsgroup, then
all messages posted to the newsgroup are sent to them members of the
mailing list.
Archives
========
The CE Archives can be accessed through anonymous FTP on
gate-2.gnu.ai.mit.edu. To get a file from the archive enter the command:
ftp gate-2.gnu.ai.mit.edu
At the login name prompt enter "anonymous". Then at the password prompt
enter your email address.
Then, at the ftp> prompt enter:
cd ~ftp/ce
Then use ftp commands to list (ls), download (get) and upload (put)
files. A guide to using ftp is available elsewhere.
To access the CE Archives via email, send email to ce-request@gnu.ai.mit.edu
with the magic words somewhere corresponding to the file you want
somewhere in your message in your message. Make sure that you
reproduce them exactly as is, with the capital R in Request in column
one, and make sure your spacing is exactly as shown. One request per
email message.
(All files are shell archived. Use /bin/sh to unpack. Files are
compressed on the ftp server so there'll be a .Z appended to the file
name. Use unix's uncompress to uncompress. If you don't have
uncompress send for the files using the mailserver.)
Archive Contents
================
filenames
magic words description
----------------------------- ------------------------------------------
MANIFEST
Request: CE MANIFEST will get you this file
NonEonAl.ps.sh
Request: CE NonEonAl.ps.sh will get you the PostScript version of
the Non-Eon Alien Power Cards that Darin
put together for us
NonEonFlares
Request: CE NonEonFlares will get you the text of the flares for the
powers in NonEonAl.ps.sh
WashU.1.raw
WashU.2.raw
WashU.3.raw
Request: CE WashU.1.raw
Request: CE WashU.2.raw
Request: CE WashU.3.raw will get you a cleartext description of many
Non-Eon alien powers, complete with histories,
flares, and comments.
CE-convert.sh
Request: CE CE-convert.sh will get you the shell archive
containing the program that reads
Cosmic Encounter powers and flares in a
"raw text" format and produces alien
power cards and flare cards in
PostScript format
PS-headers.sh
Request: CE PS-headers.sh will get you PostScript files which
print materials for Cosmic Encounter
(card backs, cards, cones, hexes,
lucre, moons, power cards)
PS-examples.sh
Request: CE PS-examples.sh will get you a set of prototype PostScript
files demonstrating the use of the templates
found in PS-headers.sh
PS-tutorial.sh
Request: CE PS-tutorial.sh will get you an introduction to (some of) the
PostScript headers and their use.
Takes the reader through the generation
of a small CE set -- cone, hexes, destiny deck,
challenge deck, and powers (the latter
through ce-conv).
EncounterV1.sh
Request: CE EncounterV1.sh will get you the powers that appeared in
Encounter Magazine Volume 1 in ce-convert
format
EncounterV2.sh
Request: CE EncounterV2.sh will get you the powers that appeared in
Encounter Magazine Volume 2 in ce-convert
format
NickPowers.sh
Request: CE NickPowers.sh will get you powers submitted by Nick Sauer:
Ken Cox/Washington U powers, mostly Lucre-based
Modified versions of Mayfair powers
Prisoner-based powers
Powers from Space Gamer #57
Powers from Spartan #12
Hazards
Request: CE Hazards will get you a summary of Matt's add-on
hazard cards
asteroids.sh
Request: CE asteroids.sh will get you the rules and PostScript
files to create the game extension
"asteroids" created by Andrew Plotkin
Prisoners.sh
Request: CE Prisoners.sh will get you the rules for playing CE
with Prisoners, Prisoner-related powers,
and a PostScript file to print prisoner
rulings
RulesClar
Request: CE RulesClar will get you a summary of rules clarifications
Digest1
Request: CE Digest1 will get you a digest of the neatest stuff
to come from the mailing list over its first
19 months, except the other stuff in the
archives
SOME NOTES ABOUT GAMING IN GENERAL (Rod Pullman)
==================================
What are the purposes of gaming? These include:
* To have fun -- a recreational diversion from the "serious" affairs of life.
* To win -- to exercise one's prowess and, aided by circumstance, to gain
satisfaction in having defeated one's fellow competitors.
* To not lose -- to not be squashed by one's fellow competitors.
The "unwritten contract" includes certain tacit principles, ideas that we
collectively term "sportsmanship". These include:
* Each game starts with a "clean slate" -- unless there are teams, all
players are created equal in competitive regard, i.e., no grudges from
past games.
* It is very poor style to whine or downplay another's victory when losing.
* It is very poor taste to gloat or rub the losers' noses in it when winning.
* Although fun is a major objective of gaming, unless real world demands
intrude, it is destabilizing and disruptive to abort a game simply because
it has faded in personal fun content (unless there is unanimous agreement
to do so).
* All things being the same it is better to win than to lose.
* Remember, it's a game.
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If you have any additions/corrections to this file, please email them to
ce-request@gnu.ai.mit.edu.