FFG CE

The new FFG version of Cosmic Encounter is out, but there are already plenty of good reviews of it, so I'm not going to bother with my own. I do, however, have a few comments.

1) Despite Scott's statements (see the link above) to the contrary, this version is still subject to rules debate and confusion. When I talked to the FFG guys at GenCon, I was assured that there would be a FAQ. But I'm still waiting.

2) It only supports 5 players. I was going to make my own 6th system, but there simply aren't enough cards to support 6 players. 6 players times 8 cards each equals 48 out of the 72-card deck (84 once you add in the 12 flares). Sure, it's doable (though certainly worse with Miser in the game), but I don't like the idea of dealing over half the deck at the start of the game.

3) They used my idea of Dictator. I don't know if they actually got the idea from me, but I'm taking credit for it. :D

Update (January 14, 2009): I got an email from Jack Reda today and he wrote:

I wanted to let you know I pushed for your change to Dictator, so by all means take the credit! It's a great, thoughtful improvement.

4) The components are definitely nice, as you would expect from FFG. I like the planets, but I don't care for the new saucers (though they're certainly better than the Avalon Hill ships).

5) The new technology rules look interesting. The idea of allocating ships to R&D presents a challenging resource-management problem, especially if you end up with too many ships in the warp.

I look forward to trying to the new edition, but I am a bit worried. After getting totally frustrated with the online version (I won't even put a link), I really soured on Cosmic. I am hoping that playing face-to-face again will rekindle my original affection for the game.