Is this game worth its value?

By aurax, in Cosmic Encounter

Hey!

I was planning to buy "Cosmic Encounter" but I was a bit surprised of its price (considering it is a card game)… in amazon/ebay costs about 42 pounds/50 euros/60 dollars, so it is between 50%-75% more than other interesting games like "Android:Netrunner" and "Blood Bowl: Team Manager" that are also on my Christmas radar. 42 pounds is also dangerously close to bigger games like "Descent 2" (50 pounds), that seem to do a lot more than Cosmic Encounter to justify its price.

Judging this game itself (not comparing it to others), is the price justified?

Thanks, your opinions are really appreciated :)

There is more to this game than cards. There are also planets and well-made plastic ships that stack on each other.

The game is definitely worth the money. There are fifty powers, so each game is different from the game before, especially because the value of a power in a game might depend on what other powers are in the game.

Although some powers are better than others, this can be mitigated by a good player or by the fact that if someone is doing too well, it is usually not too difficult for other players to gang up on that player. There is a lot of interaction between players, with alliances being important, especially in a game with more players.

I forgot to mention that I like the game so much I have purchased all three expansions. The game is still enjoyable and worth the money without the expansions.

Thanks PJslavner! Last question: is this game wife friendly?? :)

You are welcome. I am happy my comments are useful.

My wife has played it, even though she does not like to play longer games with many people.

I recently gave Cosmic Encounter as a gift to an old friend from college that I used to play the Eon version with way back then, and his wife loves the game.

If your wife does not mind you ganging up on her when she is ahead and she likes games with strategy and a lot of interaction with other players, she should like it.

I have one caveat. There is a lot of randomness and fortunes can change quickly, which some people do not like.

Cosmic Encounter is, in my opinion, the most approachable game in the "nerdy board game" genre, second only to Settlers of Catan. It is an incredible game, I've played it with people who have never played more than monopoly and everyone has loved it. It's pretty much the best board game, period. My wife loves it, some of her friends enjoy it as well.

Absolutely worth it. As stated above, it's a large board game first of all, although cards play a big part.

It has earned legions of fans, who like myself tend to buy every version that has come out (and expansions). Yes, it's that good.

As to FFGs treatment; I would give it high marks all around.

They got hold of a proven great game, were smart enough to keep the changes minimal (and not kill what people love about it), and kept the production quality very high.

I had high expectations for a game I loved for years, and was not disappointed. Some minor complaints on editing and rules needing more detail, but a read through the FAQ (both official and on forums) solves that.

Well worth the price.

Just keep in mind that about half of the FAQ is wrong/misleading. If you read anything in it that seems like it isn't right, go with your instinct. That document is full of blatant contradictions, misstatements, halfway answers, and incomplete errata.

If you want to know how to play Cosmic Encounter, boardgamegeek.com is a good resource. You'll get quicker, better, and more thorough answers to your questions there as well. FFG completely ignores their own forums (which is probably a good thing because their answers tend to not consider all the ramifications), as do most of the core players. BGG is where most of the veterans and experts hang out.

If you go to boardgamegeek.com, make sure you go to the thread titled "The Cosmodex 2.0". It is thorough, well thought out, should answer most questions you have, and is easy to find. If you Google cosmodex, it is the first site listed.

I own over 500 board games and this is my #1. I love it. I also own all 4 expansions but they're not required to enjoy the game. It's most enjoyable with 5 people (this is the max without expansions), but some people think it can get a little long (as in over 3 hours).

It depends...My wife does not like the game, and perhaps will never play it again. It's too "out there" for her, but I saw another post where a husband plays it a lot with his wife.

The value decreases, as I can't find people to play the game with. It's an awesome game, but I'm finding it very difficult to find people who are willing to peel away from their electronic devices.

Edited by Kuk

Cosmic Encounter is *absolutely* worth its value, if you (and the people you play with) like games with a huge amount of variety, lots of social interaction and a heavy emphasis on alliance and betrayal.

From a component standpoint, there are more than just cards in the box. You've also got a good bit of cardboard (the Hyperspace Gate, the Warp, the Planets and the various tokens), the 50 Alien Sheets and also 100 plastic ships. But CE isn't a game to have its value judged by its bits. The value of the game is in the incredibly diverse gameplay. For those that enjoy its style, the variety is endless and you could play 100 games of CE and never have the same experience. Add to this the fact that CE is, by nature, a game that gets better and more interesting the more times you play it and it really has great bang for your buck.

That said, if you don't have a group of friends that would enjoy the kind of high-energy, duplicitous, laugh-out-loud style of game, you may not be able to get the full appreciation out of it.