I'd be shocked if FFG prints Lucre but doesn't let you buy from the reward deck. I suspect it will be moderately more costly than buying regular cards.

What I'm getting at is Lucre gives an excellent opportunity to expand the reward deck. Just promote the idea of buying these cards so it fits the theme of the Lucre set. Maybe even don't include the rule wherein you can draw these as defender rewards. But, if you have Incursion, you can shuffle the reward decks together. Even if you don't use Lucre in your game, you can still use the so cards.

So I'm not so much thinking of a special Lucre deck, but rather of a second reward deck disguised as a Lucre deck..

This is a very good idea, and I would not be surprised if it happens in a Lucre-themed expansion.

Two different reward decks with different rules, both called the Reward Deck, that can also be shuffled together? You don't think that would be confusing to explain (and correctly reference on other cards)?

Let's not even think about a second one until they've answered all the gameplay questions about the first . ;-)

I don't see why it would need different rules. Just call it the Rewards deck. Add the rule that you can purchase cards from the Rewards deck with Lucre, and mention that it can be mixed with other Rewards decks as you please.

A Lucre deck would fit FFG's expansion model better though if we are to assume there is a pattern from just two expansions. I could even see them using a Rift-like card that causes Lucre loss when stolen or Lucre gain when played. Of course, that might seem too derivative to expand the card pool solely through separate decks using the same basic mechanism.

I just want more cards, whatever kind of deck FFG decides to put them in. I have been looking forward to Hazards since the base set mentioned them, but it seems odd to expand the number of players but not the deck size.

I rather like the idea of another Rewards deck. I wouldn't have them separated. If you happen to own both, you'd just combine them. Having a lucre-themed Rewards deck is very interesting, and I expect I'll start creating some cards for my version to play around with the idea. It's hard to say whether or not FFG would bother with lucre-aliens (I'm certainly fond of the idea, but I concede that most of the existing ones aren't that great).

In fact, I'm actually thinking about some Cosmic Stars that are lucre-themed, so you'd have the effects but still have an alien power to play that isn't dependent on lucre. As it is, we never play a game with lucre aliens unless it's a two (or more) alien per player game, and only one of them is lucre.

Back to the lucre deck rewards cards... I love the idea. However, I would still be inclined to prevent players from buying anything from the reward deck.

The way we've been playing lucre of late (and sadly, not that often in the last two years), is players start with very little, and only "earn" more by forgoing the released ship during Regroup. There's a lot less lucre in circulation, so people are more careful about how they spend it. And, we're only using it to buy cards and ships.

I think you could have a special type of card in the reward deck that allows you to spend lucre on other things. "Spend 1 lucre per point to add to your encounter totals". "Spend x lucre to buy a card from the Reward deck". "Spend x lucre to buy a flare from the unused flare deck". And so forth.

@Just A Bill-

In practice a Lucre based Reward deck would not confuse anybody. The description would be almost identical to the one in Incursion:

In this variant, players may draw from a special, slightly more powerful deck when purchasing cards with Lucre. This variant makes use of the reward deck.

And another note later:

If playing with the Cosmic Incursion expansion, shuffle the reward decks together.

Somebody who does not own Incursion couldn't possibly be confused. Somebody who does can shuffle the reward decks together, and use either or both variant(s) for reward deck access. I think this is a nice way to expand the reward deck whilst keeping in theme with the set theme and maintaining stand alone status. But I'm not really a game designer; just a geek who likes games.

@The Warp -

It seems odd that you would only aqcuire Lucre by forgoing ships from the warp, and then spend it to get ships from the warp anyway. How does that work?

As for not allowing the purchase of reward cards, I think you should be able to buy anything (that might otherwise have come into play). Unused flares, reward cards, etc. The trick is careful pricing and control of Lucre circulation. I have complete faith in the FF team!

@Adam -

Regarding adding more players but not more cards - as it stands the Cosmic deck is the same size whether you play with three players or with five, and only two cards bigger if you play with six. Adding new cards to the main deck would increase the deck size even if you don't use the seventh player, and this might not be desired.

I have yet to see a Cosmic Quake. If they happened too much it would get a little tedious and annoying, but as an occasional occurrence I think it's a good mechanic. It helps break overly powerful hands and card combos and adds to the chaos. Seventh player or not, extra cards or not, there are always going to be more Quakes in games with more players, and there probably should be.

That said, a Lucre set might do well to include extra cards from all decks - Cosmic, Tech, Reward, Hazard (inflation perhaps), Destiny, all having Lucre themed mechanics. This wouldn't work as stand alone though, so it might not be the best plan.

You earn two lucre instead of freeing a ship from the warp. So, you can potentially buy 2 ships out... however, the ships you buy out return to colonies, rather than being added to the encounter (unless it's the defense buying the ships and adding them to the targeted planet), and lucre is only spent in the Planning Phase. It's a small distinction, but of course the ship you normally release in Regroup can always just go right into the gate.

The reason I shy away from allowing players to buy ANYTHING with lucre is because of tracking all the costs. We just keep it simple... one lucre per whatever, and no limit to how much you can spend. But all you can buy are cards and ships, and not anything from the Reward deck. It's called the Reward deck for a reason!

Instead, we have a lot of new aliens (and soon Cosmic Stars or Lucre Reward cards) that let you spend lucre on other things. So, instead of letting all players spend lucre to add points to their encounter, we have an alien whose ability that is. I think limiting the general use of lucre allows for more interesting lucre aliens (and would likewise allow for more diversity in reward cards or other kinds of effects, like moons, etc).

I never played or heard of Lucre until now, I am a new player. Lucre is an awesome idea to have some kind of currency in the game, but it doesn't make sence to add it anyway when their is already reward cards introduced. If Lucre is pushed for a new expansion, i think cosmic tokens might take place. I guess if a third is introduced, I honestly think FF would come up with something totally differnt not introduced in previous cosmic editions. like crimhead said before, I didn't realize the glowing globes in the upper left corner of the destinay cards, i think it's a misprint, but is their a possibility in the new Hazard deck to do something with the flash? Seeing this could do something more in a brand new deck. I was thinking at first Lucre was a type of alien, or what I thought, an alien with a whole new deck of cards exculsive for use! I can imagine if new aliens are produce, they would be the best the in whole game.

It has been confirmed since the base game was released that those "flashes" are for Hazards.

Lucre would not be done with Cosmic tokens for the same reason Grudge doesn't use Cosmic tokens. It would be too easy to mix it up with Cosmic tokens used for other purposes.

Adam said:

uhh, sorry about my english, i just re-read the cosmic conflict expansion page in quote what I've misread... FF said..

"Harzards are special game-aletering condtions that brings exciting effects to your Cosmic Encounter experience. Special Destiny Cards, drawn during the destiny phase, displays a "hazard warning" in the upper left corner; this indicates the hazard card should be drawn ."

.. why did i miss that?