I played the original game over a year ago and while it had some nice ideas, it seemed to come down to whether or not you drew the best cards (where the best cards changed slightly depending on which alien you got). To me at least it seemed like Negotation was kind of a balance to that but losing a fight on purpose just didn't gain you anything.

I was wondering if this would somehow change in the latest iteration however after reading the rules for the latest version of Cosmic Encounter, I still don't see the point in using a Negotiate card to gain compensation. In fact compensation seems to help my opponent more than hurt them as when they run out of cards to use they will get 8 more. Since I usually have no idea what cards my opponent has, nor does it usually matter as whatever random cards they were given are the same as what they are likely to draw once they run out of cards again.(totally unknown to me and completely random)

Am I missing something completely? (I know there are some aliens that make cards useful but I would think all cards should be useful if all players had no powers)

The negotiation card has lots of uses depending on the circumstances. Let's say you face a tough opponent on his first encounter who threatens to win the game with his next two colonies. If you play N and take the rest of his hand, he does not get that second encounter, and you've therefore prevented him from winning on his turn, giving you more time to catch up with him.

In other circumstances, if playing N means giving a player a new hand, it might be a bad idea. But if a player has just gotten a new hand, you can pretty much count on him having something good, so why not take a few of those cards for yourself?

With the new 8-card hand in the FFG game, your opponent will have to work a little more to get to that new hand after being N'ed, too.

You should generally have a good idea of if it is possible to win your encounter or not based on alien powers, your own hand, and your opponent's previous plays. If he has been playing 8's and 6's, maybe N isn't the best play for you. But if on the other hand YOU have only 8's and 6's to play, you'd be better off playing N so you at least get something out of it.

And if you suspect your opponent plans to N for any of the above reasons, you can always play N yourself and hope for a deal. If I am on my first encounter and have two colonies left to win, I will sometimes play N in the expectation that my opponent is trying to stop my turn by draining me of cards.

Another strategy that has become somewhat popular in the online game is if you know you can't win a battle on offense, attack a planet you already have a colony on. This doesn't threaten the defensive player at all, so he will generally refrain from inviting allies and giving them easy rewards, and he'll probably play an N or a low card, so it is easy to entice a deal.

The N is a very versatile card, far from pointless. Just got to use some creative thinking, winning the encounter is not always the best plan of attack in this crazy game.

Kamakaze said:

... honestly? Yes, it seems like it.

I think if you play a few more times, you'll see that the cards are the heart and soul of CE. It's not the alien powers; those come and go ... one game, you're Trader; the next game, you're Virus; tomorrow, you're Calculator. But those pesky cards will be with you in every game of CE you play. And playing an N is a simple way to manipulate who has what cards.

Many excellent reasons for slapping down an N are listed above, with ending an opponent's turn early being the most important. I'll add a few more thoughts:

1. Sometimes, you know your opponent has a pretty good hand. Maybe you're playing Mind, so you've seen most of the cards ... or maybe Trader just traded for a sweet hand. In such cases, it might be worth it to sacrifice a planet by playing an N and going fishing for some of those juicy cards.

2. A number of alien powers find the N very useful: Pacifist, Loser, Hacker, and some of their friends all come to mind immediately.

3. Sometimes, you're just going to flat-out lose an encounter ... so why not get something out of it? If you're staring at Virus and his four ships, and you know your own hand currently sucks muddy bay water, why throw out a numbered card at all? At least with the N, you might pick up some better numbers or maybe even a juicy flare or artifact.

Anyway, I think you'll start to see it more clearly after a few games. Sometimes playing an N is great strategy; sometimes you just have to grit your teeth and play one, knowing you're going to lose. Either way, the N is a key component to CE. Without those cards, it's not even the same game, really.

Sometimes you can play this card, collect compensation, and hose your allies both at once! This works better on your second ncounter or defending a weak planet you are prepared to lose. And of course with lots of (preferably strong) allies!

Cards can be hard to get - and your opponents hand isn't entirely random. There are lots of ways to get information about what your opponents hold...

Flares are going to be a major factor in whether or not you want to play a Negotiate... you'll quickly learn who has what Flares, and if you'd rather have them yourself... you'll also know if your Flare is at risk when you first play it, and who else might risk playing a Negotiate to try and get it.