Homebrew Techs - Researching Chaos

By Messianic, in Cosmic Encounter - Fan Variants

A simple topic idea.

The new addition of Techs into the game has brought many cool and useful ideas into the game that nicely added some strategy and a whole lot of randomness without overshadowing any Alien Powers or being uselessly underpowered.

This thread is dedicated to good ideas for new Techs for a future expansion and should be formatted by category as follows:

Name of Tech: Super Tech

Brief Synopsis of What It Does: Makes Owner Happy

Full Explanation: When this Tech is used the owner is pretty much the winner, discard after use

Number of Ships needed to Research: 1000

Phase Played In: Whenever

Of course that Tech idea was completed facetious but you get the idea. I'll add my own as time goes on.

These are the extra Techs I created for my homemade set:

Macroscope

View Cards . When you complete this Tech, take the Macroscope token and place it in your system. While this Tech is in play, you control the Macroscope, which always moves to the system indicated by destiny. As a main player, you may look at one type of card in the hand of whoever’s system the Macroscope is in: Attack cards, Flares, Compromises, Edicts, Reinforcements, Kickers.
(5 )

Dampening Field

Flares Are Discarded . Once completed, this Tech stays in play. While it is in play, any time any other player plays a flare card, it must be discarded after use.
(8)

Energizer

Have a Third Encounter . Once complete, give this Tech to another player when you successfully complete a second encounter. You may then have a third encounter.
(4)

Auto-Nova

Nullify Power with Flares . Once completed, this Tech stays in play. While it is in play, whenever you hold the flare of an alien in the game, you may discard it to nullify the effects of its power for that encounter. It does not count as a Cosmic Zap, and does not need to be done when the power is activated.
(6)

Gamma Converter

Discard to Add to Total . Once completed, this Tech stays in play. While it is in play, as a main player or ally, after cards are revealed in an encounter, you may use this Tech to discard any number of cards at random from your hand to add +1 to your total per card.
(5)

Seismic Pulse

Move The Hyperspace Gate . Once completed, discard this Tech after cards are played in an encounter, but before they are revealed to move the Hyperspace Gate, pointing it at any other planet in the same system. Conclude the encounter with the new target.
(6)

Corona Radiant

Play Multiple Flares . Once completed, this tech stays in play. While it is in play, you may play more than one flare card per encounter. You may only play a particular flare once per encounter.
(4)

Primordial Ark

Redeal Aliens . Once completed, discard this Tech at the start of any encounter to collect all players’ aliens and redeal them at random. Each player keeps the new alien(s) and play continues.
(9)

Transmogrifier

Copy Any Tech Each Encounter . Once completed, this Tech stays in play with all researching ships still on it. While it is in play, during each regroup phase, you may copy any other revealed Tech. To activate the Transmogrifier, you remove one of your ships from this Tech. The Transmogrifier will remain the copied Tech until you activate it again. Once you have removied all six ships on this card, you must discard it.
(6)

Axlotl Tank

Retain a Lost Ship . Once completed, this Tech stays in play. While it is in play, whenever you lose more than 1 ship to the Warp, you may use this Tech to retain 1 ship, sending it to any colony where you already have ships.
(6)

Destiny Holo-flux

Reflip Destiny . Once completed, discard this Tech at the start of any Destiny phase to cancel the flip of the Destiny pile and flip again.
(2)

Emulator

Copy a Revealed Tech . Once completed, this Tech copies any revealed Tech in play. The number of ships researching this Tech must be equal to or greater than the number of the copied Tech. This Tech is treated as the copied Tech in all respects.
(X)

These first wave of Techs are a throwback to the cool names of attack cards from the Avalon Hill version of CE: As for the flavor text of them, I am going completely off memory, if anyone actually has the real flavor text of those cards please let me know so they will be more accurate. Some will be new.

Tech: Nuclear Missile

Destroy target colony. When using this Tech, chose a colony belonging to any player on any planet and completely wipe it out, sending all ships on a planet belonging to that one player to the Warp. Use at a Discard after use. (3)

Old fashioned from fission technology. Crude. Messy. Efficient.

Tech: Reyuban Rod

Force opponent to discard cards in hand. When using this Tech, you may chose a player who will then discard as many cards at random as ships you have researching this. Discard after use. (X)

The Reyuban learned early in their civilization's history that the best defense is nullifying their enemy's offense.

Tech: Quark Fork

Attack two adjacent planets simultaneously. Use this Tech only during after the Destiny Phase but before the Launch Phase. When using this Tech, place the gate between two planets of the color flipped in Destiny. You are now attacking both of them simultaneously, whether or not that player has ships on the second planet. You must play two different encounter cards, one for each attacked planet; your opponent must play two different encounter cards for each planet. If he cannot play an encounter card for one of his planets, count his unplayed card as an attack 0. If you opponent cannot play an encounter card for any of his planets he discards his hand and draws a new one, then plays. When when winning with allies they may only colonize one of the planets should you win both, and upon losing a planet some of your side's ships must be sent to the Warp, half for each player on your side rounded up. Your opponent may ask for allies for both of his planets, allowing a single player to send up to 4 ships for each defending planet. Discard after use. (6)

After discovering how to manipulate the very infinestismal fabrics of matter, the most intelligent powers have developed this technology to bend time and space in preparation for war.

Tech: The Positron v5.1

Keep normally discarded cards. Use this Tech when you are forced to discard your remaining hand due to needing to take a new hand for a lack of encounter cards. You may instead set these cards aside, draw a new hand of 8 cards, and add these cards to it. Discard after use. (4)

It is a well-known fact that positive thinking is conducive to success in all areas of life, therefore Positron technology is being modified to keep spirits up and morale of troops in check. The latest model v5.1 is set to give unlimited yet temporary confidence to the intreped commander.

Tech: Hawking Catapult

Attack without using ships. When revealing this Tech is stays in play permanently as long as ships remain to fuel it. Use this Tech during your offensive encounter to attack with a default attack value of 4, without committing any ships to the encounter. If you win the encounter, you may then place up to 4 of your ships on the planet attacked. Each time this Tech is used remove one of your ships from it and place it in the Warp. (X)

Radiation is found in abundance throughout the cosmos, even within most alien ship technology. With enough energy sending ships into overdrive and a good knowledge of space geometrics, scientists have used this radiation as a deadly far-reaching weapon. The only downside is that is takes well-maintained ships to power it and even then the ships often suffer critical damage as a result.

Tech: Dark Matter Beam

Target player loses a turn. Use this Tech only when a player is about to take a second encounter or a new Tech. When using this Tech, that player loses their second encounter or their opportunity to gain a new Tech. This ends Machine's turn. Discard after use. (4)

In times of great peril an ancient yet vastly superior race created technology able to create massive walls of pure dark matter. Crushing the fragile psyche of would-be attackers, this beam is a sure-fire way to live to fight another day.

Tech: Quasar Spear

Add +35 to an attack. When using this Tech, treat it as a Reinforcement +35 an play it as such. Discard after use. (6)

Found in most advanced weaponry of alien armies, the Quasar Spear is reliable as an artillery weapon. Sending out massive pointing radio waves mimicking quasars, an enemy fleet can easily be disintegrated by the sheer force.

Tech: Nu'x'xian Orb

Gain immunity to Wild Flares. When revealing this Tech is stays in play. As long as you have this Tech revealed, no Wild Flare can be directly used against you. (7)

Say what you will about the Nu'x'xian Orb. Maybe something like, "AAAAEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!"

Tech: Galactose Intolerance

Degenerate opponents. When using this Tech each enemy player is forced to discard all non-encounter cards and also 2 ships of their choice to the Warp. (8)

A last resort technology that has sometimes been known to wipe out all lifeforms around a small galaxy radius in 3.5 picoseconds.

Now for some that aren't based off of the old Avalon Hill attack cards:

Tech: Warp Breaker

Free your ships from Warp. When using this Tech free all of your ships from the Warp. Discard after use. (3)

The Illithid race were the first to learn how to make teleportation devices enabling them to recover defeated ships and return them to their worlds for repairs. Ever since that milestone, Warp Breaker technology has been advancing steadily.

Tech: Wormhole Generator

Swap colonies. When using this Tech chose a colony of any player on any planet and swap it with another colony of any player on any other planet. You may also swap a colony with an uninhabited planet, simply placing it on the uninhabited planet. Discard after use. (6)

This machine has taken years of research in order to perfect, and countless lives have been sacrificed in pinpointing the place where the wormhole should lead to. Time will tell if the amount of crew lost in dimensional flux will be worth the investment of this device.

Tech: Pulsar Power Plant

Take more and give less cards. When revealing this Tech it stays in play. When using this Tech you receive an additional card from the Deck when drawing cards or from an opponent when collecting compensation. When being forced to discard or give away more than one card, you may discard or give away one less card. This does not effect having to discard your entire hand to draw a new one due to lack of encounter cards. (7)

Some say the Plant violates interstellar economic sanctions on energy usage and natural resources abuse, but most powers utilizing such technology like things just the way they are. After all, with the raw energy being harvested due to pulsar radio waves, who is to say what a simple bribe can bring to the table?

Tech: Mass Driver Armor

Lost offensive ships send winning defensive ships to Warp. Use this Tech when losing an enoucnter as the offensive main player. When using this technology you may send 1 enemy ship from the defending planet to the Warp for each ship you lost in this encounter. (3)

This ship armor is programmed to self-condense when sustaining critical damage. If you're going down, take as many with you as possible they say.

Dampening Field, Energizer, Corona Radiant, and Emulator would go very nice with the current Techs in the game. Corona is my fav.

I've made a bunch of techs for my set, but I included Lucre in some of the rules for how they work (you can invest in techs), as my set is based on Eon. Here are some of my favorites though, that don't reference Lucre. Pretty much everyone I regularly play with loves The Party Ship above all others.

THE PARTY SHIP
Tech Cost: 4
When you complete this Tech, place the Party Ship token on any of your bases. It is now treated in every way as one of your tokens. Once per challenge, after allies are in but before cards are played, if the Party Ship is involved in the challenge, you may cause all players involved in the challenge as main players or allies to draw a card from the Deck.

STARGATES
Tech Cost: 6
When you are the defensive player, after the cone is pointed but before cards are played, you can move up to four of your tokens from any base to the challenged planet.

WEAPONS REPLICATOR
Tech Cost: 5
When you complete this Tech, place an Attack Card from your hand face up on top of it. During any challenge in which you are a main player, add the number on all Attack Cards on this Tech to your attack total. If you lose a challenge in which you played an Attack Card, place it face up on this Tech. If you win a challenge, discard this Tech and all Attack Cards on it.

MUTAGENIC SERUM
Tech Cost: 5
When you complete this Tech, discard one of your alien powers and draw a new one, redrawing if you draw a game setup power. You now have this power instead of the old one.

TACTICAL HYPNOTIZER
Tech Cost: 5
As a main player in a challenge, after Challenge cards have been revealed, you may discard this Tech in order to take the tokens of one of your opponent's allies and move them to your end of the cone. The ally's tokens are then treated just as if the player had allied with you. That is, the tokens are added to your total, the ally is rewarded if your side wins, the tokens go to the warp if your side loses, and so on.

TEMPTATION FRUIT
Tech Cost: 6
Before cards are revealed in a challenge in which you are a main player or ally, you may tempt any one other player in the challenge, including allies. You may offer him a base on any planet where you have a base or 1 to 4 of any combination of the following: tokens from the warp, Lucre from the bank, or cards from the deck. If he accepts, he takes his reward, moves his own tokens back to bases and sends all other tokens from his side to the warp. This includes all defensive tokens on the challenged planet, but he must leave a single token of the offensive player. Then play out the challenge normally. If a temptation is accepted, discard this Tech.

PLASMA ROCKETS
Tech Cost: 4
When this Tech is completed, send any one token on any base to the Warp. Discard after use.

METALLICIZER COMPOUND
Tech Cost: 6
You can complete this Tech any time you are a main player, after cards are revealed but before the outcome is determined, if you played a Compromise Card. When you do, proceed as if you had played an Attack 19 instead. Discard after use.

ASTRAL ANOMALY RELOCATOR
Tech Cost: 5
When this Tech is completed, draw a Flare from the Flare Deck into your hand. Discard after use.