CE NEWSGROUP/MAILING LIST/ARCHIVES SOMEWHAT MONTHLY POSTING (last updated: Wed Nov 20 11:21:33 EST 1991) The CE Newsgroup, rec.games.board.ce, is intended for the discussion of Cosmic Encounter, a board game first developed by Eon Games, then briefly distributed by West End Games, and now is being distributed by Mayfair Games. The newsgroup includes discussions of rules questions, new powers and game variations, and game materials. The newsgroup is linked to a mailing list, which has been operating for about 2 years, so that people who cannot gain access to the newsgroup can still participate. An archive of important information and materials related to the game is also maintained. Cosmic Encounter ================ The Game itself is rather simple: Each player has a "home system" with 5 planets in it, and 20 tokens, which start the game evenly distributed across the 5 home planets. The object of the game is to establish bases on 5 foreign planets. A base is any number of tokens on a single planet. Opposing players may both have a base on the same planet. Cards are dealt and the order of play is established. Then the first player is directed by a colorcard to the system in which s/he must make her/his first attack. S/he designates which of the home bases there s/he'll attack and deploys 1-4 free tokens to a cone representing the attack field. Each side in the challenge can ask other players to ally with 1-4 free tokens. Then each main player plays a challenge card faced down (challenge cards include attack cards numbered from 1 to 40 and compromise cards.) After cards are revealed the card number is added to the number of main player's and allies' tokens on that side of the challenge...higher total wins. If a compromise card is played it indicates that that side loses, but the player who played a compromise card takes consolation cards from her/his opponent's hand. If both players play a compromise, the have 1 minute to make a deal. Winning tokens on the offense get to establish a base on the planet attacked. Winning allied tokens on the defense gain their owner rewards, either new cards or free tokens. Winning main player tokens on the defense get nothing. All losing tokens go to the "warp" where they're not free for use. Each player is entitled to a second challenge if their first challenge is successful. Then play continues around the board. However that's not it...each player has an alien power which lets her/him break a rule in a particular way to her/his benefit. There are cards in players' hands that grant temporary or instantaneous powers, such as freeing tokens from the warp, re-establishing home bases, etc. There are cards that act to multiply an attack card played. And many more game extensions that give CE it's character and it's unpredictability...that's what makes the game so exciting! Furthermore, there are many game extensions that add additional twists to the game (moons, lucre, alternate hexes, praw, flares, ...) Many additional powers and new game extensions have been invented by CE players, some of which are available through this archive (see below). Mailing List ============ The newsgroup is linked to a mailing list, so those without access to rec.games.board.ce can participate in discussions as well as those who do. To subscribe to the mailing list, email your request to: cosmic-encounter-request@gnu.ai.mit.edu or ce-request@gnu.ai.mit.edu To post a message to the mailing list, email your submission to: cosmic-encounter@gnu.ai.mit.edu or ce@gnu.ai.mit.edu or email it to bicker@hoqaa.att.com with the following magic words somewhere in your message: Submission: CE Note that the capital S in Submission must apprear in column one, not on the subject line. Also, make sure you keep the spacing correct. Messages posted to the mailing list are posted to the newsgroup, then all messages posted to the newsgroup are sent to them members of the mailing list. Archives ======== The CE Archives can be accessed through anonymous FTP on gate-2.gnu.ai.mit.edu. To get a file from the archive enter the command: ftp gate-2.gnu.ai.mit.edu At the login name prompt enter "anonymous". Then at the password prompt enter your email address. Then, at the ftp> prompt enter: cd ~ftp/ce Then use ftp commands to list (ls), download (get) and upload (put) files. A guide to using ftp is available elsewhere. To access the CE Archives via email, send email to ce-request@gnu.ai.mit.edu with the magic words somewhere corresponding to the file you want somewhere in your message in your message. Make sure that you reproduce them exactly as is, with the capital R in Request in column one, and make sure your spacing is exactly as shown. One request per email message. (All files are shell archived. Use /bin/sh to unpack. Files are compressed on the ftp server so there'll be a .Z appended to the file name. Use unix's uncompress to uncompress. If you don't have uncompress send for the files using the mailserver.) Archive Contents ================ filenames magic words description ----------------------------- ------------------------------------------ MANIFEST Request: CE MANIFEST will get you this file NonEonAl.ps.sh Request: CE NonEonAl.ps.sh will get you the PostScript version of the Non-Eon Alien Power Cards that Darin put together for us NonEonFlares Request: CE NonEonFlares will get you the text of the flares for the powers in NonEonAl.ps.sh WashU.1.raw WashU.2.raw WashU.3.raw Request: CE WashU.1.raw Request: CE WashU.2.raw Request: CE WashU.3.raw will get you a cleartext description of many Non-Eon alien powers, complete with histories, flares, and comments. CE-convert.sh Request: CE CE-convert.sh will get you the shell archive containing the program that reads Cosmic Encounter powers and flares in a "raw text" format and produces alien power cards and flare cards in PostScript format PS-headers.sh Request: CE PS-headers.sh will get you PostScript files which print materials for Cosmic Encounter (card backs, cards, cones, hexes, lucre, moons, power cards) PS-examples.sh Request: CE PS-examples.sh will get you a set of prototype PostScript files demonstrating the use of the templates found in PS-headers.sh PS-tutorial.sh Request: CE PS-tutorial.sh will get you an introduction to (some of) the PostScript headers and their use. Takes the reader through the generation of a small CE set -- cone, hexes, destiny deck, challenge deck, and powers (the latter through ce-conv). EncounterV1.sh Request: CE EncounterV1.sh will get you the powers that appeared in Encounter Magazine Volume 1 in ce-convert format EncounterV2.sh Request: CE EncounterV2.sh will get you the powers that appeared in Encounter Magazine Volume 2 in ce-convert format NickPowers.sh Request: CE NickPowers.sh will get you powers submitted by Nick Sauer: Ken Cox/Washington U powers, mostly Lucre-based Modified versions of Mayfair powers Prisoner-based powers Powers from Space Gamer #57 Powers from Spartan #12 Hazards Request: CE Hazards will get you a summary of Matt's add-on hazard cards asteroids.sh Request: CE asteroids.sh will get you the rules and PostScript files to create the game extension "asteroids" created by Andrew Plotkin Prisoners.sh Request: CE Prisoners.sh will get you the rules for playing CE with Prisoners, Prisoner-related powers, and a PostScript file to print prisoner rulings RulesClar Request: CE RulesClar will get you a summary of rules clarifications Digest1 Request: CE Digest1 will get you a digest of the neatest stuff to come from the mailing list over its first 19 months, except the other stuff in the archives SOME NOTES ABOUT GAMING IN GENERAL (Rod Pullman) ================================== What are the purposes of gaming? These include: * To have fun -- a recreational diversion from the "serious" affairs of life. * To win -- to exercise one's prowess and, aided by circumstance, to gain satisfaction in having defeated one's fellow competitors. * To not lose -- to not be squashed by one's fellow competitors. The "unwritten contract" includes certain tacit principles, ideas that we collectively term "sportsmanship". These include: * Each game starts with a "clean slate" -- unless there are teams, all players are created equal in competitive regard, i.e., no grudges from past games. * It is very poor style to whine or downplay another's victory when losing. * It is very poor taste to gloat or rub the losers' noses in it when winning. * Although fun is a major objective of gaming, unless real world demands intrude, it is destabilizing and disruptive to abort a game simply because it has faded in personal fun content (unless there is unanimous agreement to do so). * All things being the same it is better to win than to lose. * Remember, it's a game. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you have any additions/corrections to this file, please email them to ce-request@gnu.ai.mit.edu.