Cosmic Encounter Duel Coming Soon From Fantasy Flight
Fantasy Flight Games has announced Cosmic Encounter Duel, a new standalone, two player game set in the same universe as the classic board game Cosmic Encounter. In Cosmic Encounter Duel, two new alien species have been selected by the Cosmic Citizenship Council to join the international community - the problem being is the only one filing form is available (the other probably got misplaced in a filing cabinet stored inside a disused lavatory with a sign on it saying 'Beware the leopad'). Naturally, the only way to settle this is for the two races to go head to head, with the winner becoming a Certified Citizenship while the loser fades into obscurity!
The object of Cosmic Encounter Duel is to be the first to control five planets by using colorful ships, hidden tactics, and your alien species' unique abilities. Twenty-Seven new alien civilizations are included for players to choose from, each with their own unique abilities. Each player also receives twenty spaceships that can be used to control planets and to fight in duels. Envoys from existing species in the Cosmic Encounter universe are also available to help an alien species in their quest for Certified Citizenship.
Gameplay consists of simultanesous turns where the players draw and resolve Destiny cards. Unlike in the original game, in Cosmic Encounter Duel Destiny cards fall under three different types: Discovery, Event and Refresh cards. Discovery cards have you and your opponent discover a planet and duel for control. Event cards feature challenges and cosmic calamaties that will test the players. Refresh cards allow players to recharge their faction by recovering ships and gathering allies. Duels feature the players' fleets contesting for control of a planet, with the surviving fleet or the one with the most clout at the end of the duel able to claim control of it. At the beginning of a duel, players secretly decide how many ships to send to the planet and what envoys to call upon, followed by the players secretly selecting and playing tactics and other cards from their hand to attempt to claim control of the planet.
In addition to the base game, Fantasy Flight will also be offering a gamemat for Cosmic Encounter Duel. The map is 26" by 36" and features original art from the game on a high quality rubber base.
Both Cosmic Encounter Duel and the playmat are available for pre-order from local retailers or directly from Fantasy Flight. Both products are expected to ship and be directly available from retailers in April 2020. More information can be found here.
