Rules Clarifications

Rules Clarifications Suggested clarifications for FFG aliens. Most entries are from Bill Martinson's Cosmodex. Ace Four Planets variant: Under this variant Ace still follows his Game Setup text, so he will end up with three planets and 12 ships. Other unique system setups: In a multiple-power game, if a player has Ace and another alien that also does something special with its planets or ships, Ace should always purge one planet and a fair share of ships for that planet. Thus Ace+Pygmy purges two ships, Ace+Worm should purge four, and Ace+Symbiote purges eight. In other words, when a player must perform two or more of these Game Setup texts the sequence should be Pygmy, Symbiote, Ace, Worm. Alchemist All discard piles are potentially available for transmutation, as long as you have a card of the appropriate type in your hand to discard. Examples: You may discard a Negotiate to the regular discard pile and retrieve a Negotiate (Faulty Translator) from the reward deck discard pile (or vice versa). If there are flares in the unused flare deck discard pile because of something like Aristocrat, Wild Chrysalis, Host, Pentaform, or Alien Outpost, you may retrieve one of them after discarding a flare to the cosmic deck discard pile (this will gradually increase the number of flares in circulation). Alchemist is purposefully absolute in this regard; when playing some kind of homebrew variant that puts other types of cards in your hand such as hazards, tech, or space stations, you may similarly transmute those card types, discarding them to the appropriate discard piles based on the variant. Amoeba FAQ rulings: Amoeba may ooze all of his ships into the hyperspace gate if he wants to; this is considered a single action, so Amoeba would not lose his power until just after the ships were placed in the gate. Wild Amoeba may be used by the defense to bring in more ships even if he has none on the planet to begin with. Retooled gameplay: Eon's Wild Amoeba did not limit the player to 4 ships added or removed. Anti-Matter FAQ ruling: When Wild or Super Anti-Matter prevents another flare, it returns to the player's hand and cannot be played again that encounter as that particular Wild or Super effect. However, it does not count against the player's limit of one flare per encounter, and (in theory) it could be played again in the same encounter for its other effect (the Wild if the Super had been prevented, and vice versa). See flares for more discussion on this. Changeling Swapping powers: If an alien power specifies that it cannot be stolen, then it also cannot be traded, loaned, etc.; this and other related leaks have been patched on the relevant aliens (Horde, Pygmy, and Symbiote) by adding that they cannot be separated from their player color. The reference to the powers' facets going along with those powers should be considered a general rule (see facets of powers for more information). Chosen FAQ ruling: When using Super Chosen, the player may look at the cards drawn for divine intervention before deciding whether to play the Super flare. Zap timing: A player who wishes to zap Chosen must do so before cards are drawn. The Claw You may never sawp in a negotiate card as your claw. Clone FAQ ruling: If Sorcerer switches cards, the one Clone ends up with is the one he may return to his hand. FAQ clarification: Clone prevents his card from going to the discard pile, so it takes effect before powers like Filch and Fido that wait for cards to be discarded. Cyborg Playing from discard pile: When Wild Cyborg plays a card from the discard pile, that card is actually picked up and played normally, and subject to the same effects as any other played card, including being zapped, stolen, converted, etc. Wild Cyborg and other flares: Under the standard rules, Wild Cyborg cannot target a flare because this would require playing more than one flare during the same encounter. Using the Freewheeling Flares variant, however, this would be allowed. In this case, the recovered flare follows the rules normally and thus returns to the player's hand unless it is zapped or its text says to do something else with it. Deuce One encounter card: If Deuce is reduced to exactly one encounter card as the defense, he draws a new hand (according to his power text). If he is reduced to exactly one encounter card as the offense, however, he continues the encounter normally but just doesn't use his power. The text requires proceeding as if out of cards only when "checking to see if you draw a new hand," not when "checking to see if you must end your turn." Self-modifying encounter cards: When Deuce uses a Morph, a Retreat, or a variable attack card as his second card, it will modify itself upon being revealed (as appropriate, based on the opponent's encounter card or the current hazard warning status). However, Deuce's text limits the ways in which the second card can influence the encounter. When his second card is a Retreat and the opponent reveals an attack, Deuce's text does not allow the Retreat to take part in determining the encounter outcome, and thus it cannot force him to lose; but it also cannot save his side's ships if he loses anyway because of his actual encounter card. If Deuce reveals a Retreat as his regular encounter card and an attack as his second card, the Retreat either loses or deals (as usual) and is kept, while the attack card is discarded. (Note that it is not possible to play an intimidate card for Deuce's power, since the intimidate is not an encounter card at the time it would have to be played.) Which negotiate to apply or discard? When Deuce has revealed two different negotiate cards (such as a regular one and a Crooked Deal, or a negotiate and a Morph/Retreat that "went green"), the Cosmodex recommends letting the player choose which one applies to the encounter. He should then discard that same card, since it was actually used and the other was not. A Retreat that becomes a negotiate is a candidate for discarding like any other negotiate, but one that remains a Retreat will be kept since Deuce's text allows only for attacks and negotiates to be discarded. In the profoundly unlikely case that Deuce reveals two Retreats and the opponent reveals an attack, Deuce would lose the encounter and keep both of his cards. Which attack to discard? When Deuce has revealed two attack cards, both will apply to the encounter and the higher one must be discarded. If they have the same numeric value but are actually different in some significant way (such as cosmic-back 10 + reward-back 10, 12 + 12/21, or Morph + any attack card that matches the opponent's card), the Cosmodex recommends letting the player choose which attack card to discard and which one to keep. Wild Deuce and card modifications: Player consensus is that Wild Deuce must match another card's value after any modifications by other effects, rather than its original, printed value, since the flare's effect is directly relevant to the encounter outcome. Disease Three-ship requirement: The way in which this power was rewritten caused players to debate whether it is required to have three ships together on a single colony or just three ships anywhere within the system; presumably FFG did not intend to change the gameplay. Explorer Discovered planets: Explorer begins with four discoverable planets on its sheet even if you are using the Four Planets variant, or playing multiple powers with something like Ace. In every way, discovered planets are normal home planets in the systems in which they reside. Extortionist Classic Wild Filch: Extortionist cannot extort cards stolen using Wild Filch; as soon as he becomes aware of the Filching, the other player is caught and must return the cards. Zombie: Based on rulings in the FAQ about Zombie using effects that require ships to be lost, it would seem that Zombie is immune to extortion. Filch FAQ ruling: If Sorcerer switches cards, the one Filch's opponent ends up with is the one Filch may steal. FAQ ruling: Using Classic Edition Wild Filch does not count as playing a flare card until you are caught. >Error in FAQ: Filch cannot take Gambler's unrevealed card, because Filch thieves cards only from the discard pile and Gambler does not discard his card unless it is challenged and revealed. Playtester clarification: Filch is allowed to retrieve cards from the reward deck discard pile (there is a "grace period" during which grabber effects can take discarded reward-back cards immediately after they are discarded). Filth Ally clarification: Filth uniquely relies upon a reciprocal interpretation of the word "allies," meaning that the offense is considered an "ally of his allies." Thus, the phrase "your allies in a winning offensive encounter" actually means "any other players on your side when you are the offense or an offensive ally and your side wins." Fungus Fungus vs. Wild Fungus: When Wild Fungus captures a fungoid stack, the stack remains together (until lost to the warp) but counts as only a single ship because "Captured ships do not have special characteristics." Transferred power: When the Fungus sheet is traded (Changeling, Psychic Switcheroo, Wild Sorcerer), stolen (Plant, Wild Plant), or lent (Wild Philanthropist), the fungoid stacks do not transfer to the new player (in spite of a couple of these effects saying that all facets of the power are handed over). To attempt to do so would simply be too messy and ambiguous. Gambler Error in FAQ: Filch cannot take Gambler's unrevealed card, because Filch thieves cards only from the discard pile and Gambler does not discard his card unless it is challenged and revealed. FAQ ruling: When facing Oracle, Gambler must either play his card face up or use his power during the Planning phase to make a declaration about it before Oracle chooses an encounter card. (This restores the way the two powers originally interacted under Eon gameplay.) Grudge FAQ ruling: If a player chooses to ally and subsequently leaves or is removed from the encounter (e.g., because of Force Field, Gluon Mines, or Super Amoeba), he is still credited with choosing to ally and thus does not receive a grudge token. Hate FAQ rulings: When using his power, Hate may be zapped before or after showing which card he intends to discard; in either case, he keeps his card. If Hate discards a morph card, any player who does not also discard a morph must lose ships as usual. Hand refresh: According to Kevin Wilson, when Hate is out of encounter cards at the start of his turn, he must collect a new hand before using his power. Super Hate: When Hate plays his Super flare, that flare is on the table waiting to resolve while he chooses which card to show the other players; thus the flare itself cannot be that chosen card because it is not in his hand at the time. Healer FAQ ruling: Healer operates just after ships are sent to the warp or out of the game, so game effects like compensation and Remora still occur, and things like Zombie will preempt Healer. Human FAQ rulings: Human can be zapped regardless of the types of encounter cards played by both players. When Human and Pacifist are supposed to auto-win at the same time (Pacifist reveals a negotiate; Human reveals an attack and is zapped), use the Timing Conflicts rule. Error in FAQ: If Human zaps himself to win when both players have revealed negotiate cards, his opponent does not receive compensation (because Human did not reveal an attack card). Invader Invader vs. Will: When Will draws an Invasion! destiny or the Invader's color, Invader can use his power to draw an extra hand as usual. Will can then use his power if the destiny was Invader's color, but cannot if it was an Invasion! (because in this case he immediately becomes the defense). Optional hand refresh: When another player draws an Invasion! card, Invader is not required to use his power to get a new hand if he's out of encounter cards; thus in this case he can dodge the Invasion! encounter. Laser Because Laser uses his or her power before allies, aliens like Trader benefit from the set-aside aspect, as those cards go into their new hand, rather than also being traded. Leviathan Ships in gate: According to designer Jack Reda, using a worldship is supposed to be instead of launching ships normally in the hyperspace gate. Ends successfully: The successful encounter decreed by Wild Leviathan is simply that: a success. It does not count as a "win" for the player or a "loss" for the opponent. Trading planets: When you play Wild Leviathan, you get to choose the two planets that are trading places. Because Laser uses his or her power before allies, aliens like Trader benefit from the set-aside aspect, as those cards go into their new hand, rather than also being traded. Lightning Extra Encounter: Lightning does not provide for a free hand refresh, so the extra-encounter effect can be used only if you already have an encounter card in your hand. Locust Repeatability: The fact that Super Locust says "once per encounter" (and the base power does not) implies that the base power can devour any number of appropriate planets each regroup phase. Sniveler: The player consensus is that Sniveler counts Locust's devoured planets when determining if he can whine about colonies, but those planets are not at risk; if Locust has no regular (ship-based) foreign colonies, then he is free to torpedo the vote on Sniveler with impunity. Loser Affected cards: Loser's requirement to play attack cards applies only to the main players' normal encounter cards, not to extra cards such as those of Deuce or Cavalry. If an upset Loser faces Magician or Wild Magician, playing at least one attack card satisfies this requirement. Compensation: If the winner of an upset encounter revealed a negotiate, he does not collect compensation because he did not lose the encounter and his ships were never sent to the warp. Ties: During an upset, a tie ultimately causes the offense to win. Loser vs. Wild Loser: Playing the Wild flare after an upset does not cause both sides to win. Wild Loser short-circuits the encounter, jumping from the Planning phase to the Resolution phase; since the upset would have occurred during the Reveal phase but that phase gets skipped, the upset is prevented by Wild Loser and both players simply lose. (Another way of looking at it: An upset cannot affect the outcome until "after cards are revealed," but when Wild Loser is played we not only don't reveal any encounter cards, we don't even select them to begin with.) Lunatic Clarification: Lunatic makes his decision before any other players accept or decline invitations. (Main players precede non-main players under the Timing Conflicts rule, and if Lunatic had been intended to go last then the standard timing phrase "after alliances are formed" would have been used instead.) Machine FAQ ruling: The FAQ states that if a player draws a new hand because of Wild Machine, the flare sits on the table while he discards his hand and draws a new one, and then returns to his (new) hand. Because Wild Machine is played during the Resolution phase of the previous encounter (and should return to the player's hand immediately), this ruling that the flare remains on the table into the second encounter, returning to hand after the hand refresh, is an erratum. Tech: As stated in the rulebook under the Technology variant, Machine may forego his second or later encounter in order to get a new tech card (as long as he is eligible to do so, meaning he must still have an encounter card in hand). This ends his turn because his power to continue works after having an encounter, not after drawing tech (and also because drawing tech has no Resolution phase). This principle would seem to apply to other encounter-adding game effects as well, such as Infinity Drive and Wild Machine. In the case of Wild Machine, the player would still need an encounter card in hand to convert the encounter to a tech draw because the hand refresh allowed by the flare would not occur until after the encounter had started. Magician Early play: If Magician is required to play his card early (say because of Wild Magician), the player consensus is that he must do so. He then still uses his power, but may not change the card he has already played. Mercenary Reverse Rewards: When the Reverse Rewards hazard is in effect, Mercenary receives double rewards if he is an offensive ally (and of course no rewards if he is a defensive ally). Timing clarification: Super Mercenary does not have to be played before cards are drawn; thus if Mercenary draws his own flare as a reward, he can play it to discard any of the other cards drawn. Mesmer Scope: Mesmer can name any official artifact card that exists in this edition of Cosmic Encounter, even if it's part of a reward deck that is not in the current game. Miser The hoard: FFG's language choices imply, and Kevin Wilson has ruled, that the hoard is not actually a hand. This means, among other things, that the hoard is not subject to effects that target hands, such as a cosmic quake, and that an encounter card in the hoard is not sufficient to allow Miser to begin a second encounter (which was also specifically ruled by Mr. Wilson). Mite Ends successfully: The successful encounter decreed by Mite is simply that: a success. It does not count as a "win" for the player or a "loss" for the opponent. Mutant Deals and allies: Although Wild Mutant looks like it lets you take cards from allies after a successful deal, it does not. When a deal situation arises, allies are sent away from the encounter in the reveal phase, before the dealmaking begins; so by the time this flare is playable in the resolution phase, there won't be any allies left. Super flare playability: Super Mutant's use of the phrase "before using your power" indicates only the flare's timing; it is not a requirement to subsequently use the power. Thus Mutant can play his Super regardless of whether he will be able, or even willing, to use his power afterwards. (To try to force the power use would lead to questions about such things as whether he can play the flare if it cannot even get his hand under eight cards, what happens if another effect immediately bumps him back up to eight, etc. Best to keep it simple.) Observer FAQ ruling: The FAQ entry on Observer is confusing, but it appears to be trying to clarify that when Observer is an ally he must – during the Resolution phase – protect all of his ships, whether part of the encounter or not (and similarly must as a main player protect all of his allies' ships). This means that, as an ally, when Observer receives a grudge token he does not lose 1 or 4 ships to the warp but instead picks up the appropriate number of his ships and then places them back on any of his colonies. Oracle FAQ ruling: When facing Oracle, Gambler must either play his card face up or use his power during the Planning phase to make a declaration about it before Oracle chooses an encounter card. Wild Oracle remains on the table waiting to resolve while the hands are mixed together; afterwards, it returns to the hand of whoever played it. Pacifist FAQ ruling: If Pacifist reveals a negotiate card and ends up losing to an attack card (for example, by being zapped or because Loser declared an upset and Pacifist had no attack cards), then Pacifist collects compensation normally. When Pacifist and Human are supposed to auto-win at the same time (Pacifist reveals a negotiate; Human reveals an attack and is zapped), use the Timing Conflicts rule. Parasite FAQ ruling: Parasite may ally with the defense even if Energy Cloak is used, because Parasite does not need an invitation. Force Field error: The reference to Parasite being prevented by Force Field is incorrect; this is a holdover from the Eon/Mayfair version of the power. In the FFG edition, Parasite has to use his power during his normal turn to ally, which would always be before the Force Field is playable (it comes "after alliances are formed"); thus it is impossible for that artifact to prevent Parasite's power. Force Field can of course cancel Parasite's alliance afterwards, regardless of whether or not he used his power to obtain it, but in no way does the artifact preclude the use of this power. Plant Stealing powers: When an alien power is stolen, traded, loaned, etc., all of that power's special features, such as Miser's hand or Warrior's tokens, go with it; see facets of powers for more information. Relic New hand: Having your hand scrambled by something like Trader, Wild Oracle, Cosmic Upheaval, or a cosmic quake is not "drawing a new hand" and thus does not trigger Relic's power. Remora Reward deck: The phrase "the deck" refers to the cosmic deck unless the reward deck is also mentioned, and thus Remora would not activate when another player draws from the reward deck. Some players house rule Remora to work that way, but there is no general rule that all references to "the deck" automatically include the reward deck. Remote Fungus: If Remote turns a fungoid stack into a remote, the entire stack sits on the Remote alien sheet until activated. In this way Remote could potentially keep a large number of ships out of circulation. Macron still sends only one ship. Power changing hands: If Remote comes under the control of a different player (e.g., due to Changeling, Wild Sorcerer, etc.), its new owner could have ships of his own color on the sheet. Although the text forbids using a remote of the opposing main player, it does not forbid using one of your own (which is fortunate, since otherwise you would not be able to get your ships back). In this case, you would have the ability to ally with yourself, in much the same way that Lunatic allies against himself. Seeker Intent: It is legal for Seeker to ask about a player's intent to win or lose the encounter, but of course this can be difficult to verify. Timing: Seeker's timing window is unusual and unnecessarily complex, and its two timing indicators are essentially redundant with each other. Some alien powers act "after alliances are formed" in the Alliance phase, and others act "before encounter cards are selected" in the Planning phase, but Seeker is the only power which redundantly specifies both of those adjacent timing windows. Either one by itself would have been sufficient, and more consistent with the other powers. Given the existence of both timing icons on the sheet, it is puzzling and unfortunate that the power doesn't allow Seeker to operate before alliances as the original Eon version did. Considering the number of similar kinds of mistakes in this edition, there is an implication here that an earlier design stage of the power may have in fact worked as Eon intended it to, and was then unintentionally nerfed at editing time. Shadow FAQ ruling: If the offense draws more than one destiny card, Shadow may execute one ship for each. Rulebook error: The rules state that Shadow can cause the loss of a ship that is researching a tech card, but this is impossible since the power says "choose one of that player's ships from any colony." Sniveler Sniveler may not whine about something when he or she is tied with another player for whatever is being whined about. Tick-Tock FAQ ruling: Tick-Tock may participate in a joint win if he discards his last token during resolution of an encounter in which other player(s) achieve victory (for example, if two other players make a colony-for-colony deal for the win). Trader FAQ ruling: Trader cannot trade a hand that contains no encounter cards to his opponent (he must draw a new hand before trading). Rifts: When using his or her power, if the hand Trader gets from the other player has Rift cards in it, they do detonate. However, and Rifts in Trader's hand before using his or her power do not detonate in the opponent's hand. Void FAQ ruling: Void trumps other powers that affect ships headed to the warp, such as Zombie. Error in FAQ: Void cannot eradicate ships during a failed deal, because the power indicates it only works when Void wins the encounter. Vulch Salvaging cancelers: Vulch/Super Vulch cannot salvage a canceler (such as a Card Zap or the Anti-Matter flare) quickly enough to use it against itself or another card currently involved in a "cancellation war." Flares and artifacts remain on the table until they have had their effect and all cancellation attempts are resolved, so by the time Vulch gets his hands on the canceler, it is too late to use it against anything in that group of related card plays. Playtester clarification: Vulch is allowed to retrieve cards from the reward deck discard pile (there is a "grace period" during which grabber effects can take discarded reward-back cards immediately after they are discarded). Warrior Error in FAQ: Warrior was officially errata'd with the intent of letting him earn tokens when zapped. However, the errata did not actually move the token accrual into the next encounter, which means a zap still shuts it off. Will FAQ ruling: Will must encounter an actual colony of ships unless he is encountering a player in that player's home system. Wild and Special destiny: Wild Will (unlike Disease and Shadow) does not specifically state that it works with wild or special destiny cards. The rulebook says, "For purposes of game effects (such as the Shadow's execute ability), specials are treated as though the card showed the player color of the player designated as the defense", and thus Wild Will does work with special destiny. However, there is no such rule for wild destiny, so this flare does not work on a wild. (It is unfortunate that the rulebook used as its example an effect that already specifically says how it works with specials, rather than one such as Wild Will that does not.) Winner Super Winner's multiple-colony scheme works in place of, not in addition to, Winner's base power; if you play the Super flare after winning by a margin between 20 and 29 points, for example, you get two free colonies, not three. Worm A Legal Encounter for Worm means One of the defense's home planets, home colonies, or foreign colonies ("in any system" allowing the latter). Zombie FAQ rulings: Zombie does not collect compensation when his ships do not go to the warp. According to the FAQ, Zombie can also use game effects like Wild Kamikaze, Wild Philanthropist, Wild Shadow, Super Tick-Tock, Wild Void, and Wild Locust without losing ships to the warp (which seems to contradict the logic on not getting compensation). When Zombie is supposed to lose ships from colonies, he (or whoever gets to make the choice) must pick up the total number of ships required, and then Zombie re-places them on his colonies. Because of this, it is sometimes possible for Zombie to lose one or more colonies even when he is not actually losing ships. The following is a compilation of general rules clarification for play, powers, moons, and cards, etc. for the Eon and Mayfair versions of CE. Destiny pile signifies home system of player you must challenge. Challenge must be made in the system indicated, and the system owner must defend the base (even if no tokens are present to defend). If challenging your own system, you may only attack a player that has a base in the system, and not your own unoccupied planet). EON POWERS AMOEBA ANTI-MATTER Yes, the Anti-Matter and his opponent ADD Lucre to their totals. EON ARISTOCRAT ASSASSIN On occasion, the Assassin player is faced with a Destiny Card that leaves some ambiguity about who is defensive main player. The Wild Destiny Card allows the Assassin to pick anyone as his target, regardless of who is chosen by the offensive main player. Similarly, when the offensive player is faced with a decision (i.e. "Make a Warp challenge...") the Assassin may choose a victim based on the choices at hand. For example, in the above special destiny, if there is a tie between red and yellow for the most tokens in the warp, even if the offensive player chooses red as the defensive main player, the Assassin may target either red or yellow to lose a token. MAYFAIR ASSESSOR When against the Boomerang, the Boomerang challenge precedes the offensive Assessor's tax deal. EON If you have no tokens on bases, you need not pay the Assessor, since it specifies "from base." EON AURA Does NOT reveal the Miser's hoard. (Aura specifies regular hand.) No, the wild Aura may NOT "shuffle the deck as often as he likes in order to get a card he likes on top." He must shuffle, THEN reverse. (Eon style) BOOMERANG When against Assessor, Boomerang challenge precedes Assessor's tax deal. (Eon style) If you attack Boomerang, and during his pre-emptive attack on your system you use your power, it is still considered the same challenge when you resume your attack on him. Therefore, if you have a power that can only be used once per challenge, you may not use it again after Boomerang attacks you (if you use it during his attack). For example, if you are Trader, and trade hands with Boomerang when he attacks you during your turn as offensive player, then you may not trade hands again when resuming your portion of the challenge as offensive player. BULLY Can't force co-occupancy of a moon. BUTLER DOES count as "any other player" when flipping for the Dictator. CAN position the cone where the deadbeat offender already has a base; so long as a legitimate challenge can be made there (i.e. so long as there is another player there if it is the offender's home system, or there are tokens of the player whose system it is there). CALCULATOR Calculator power precedes Wild Calculator, Excise Moon, etc., due to the "revealed as" wording. (But Wild Calculator-Excise conflicts are resolved by the conflict resolution rules, based on the position of the players). Against Deuce, Calculation is performed on Deuce's first card, and his side card is figured in afterwards. Insect w/ Wild Calculator vs. Calculator: Whether the Insect's Calculation by power or by flare occurs first depends upon the order in which he plays them. CAVALRY Can NOT play a Kicker when using his power, but the main player's Kicker DOES affect the Cavalry's Challenge Card. When playing the Cavalry Wild or Super Flare, any Kickers affect eacy Attack Card played by allies of the player who played the Kicker. CHOSEN When drawing for "divine intervention", if a Kicker is drawn before a Challenge Card, the first Kicker drawn applies to the Challenge Card eventually drawn. When playing the Super Flare, the Chosen player may also keep any Reinforcements drawn. CHANGELING Yes, the Changeling's change is "permanent." (i.e. does not revert at challenge's end) Decides which power to take when playing with multiple powers for each player. CHRONOS Chronos' victims' kickers are put aside with their challenge card, and returned with the challenge card at the challenge's end. Against Deuce, only the Deuce's first card is put aside. The second may be picked up and played again as the first or second card. Yes, the Visionary can tell Chronos what to play the second time around. The Wild Chronos affects only the first PHYSICAL flip of the disc, so if someone flips his own color and passes and flips again, the Chronos can't affect that flip. (Eon style) CLONE Does NOT keep any Kicker played. CRYSTAL The Crystal can force the Macron to bring 1-4 tokens. A challenge cancelled by the Super Crystal's arrangements does not count as one of a player's two challenges. The Crystal acts on each player as or after he or she enters the cone (it's option) and affects the Wild Doppleganger players similarly (as to number). DELEGATOR Involved in challenge, includes as ally. DEMON If Victory Boon is played after an attack with the Wild Demon, only the defensive player picked is rewarded. No, the Wild Demon never lets you pick yourself as the defensive player. DEUCE Against Chronos, only the first card is set aside. The second may be picked up and played again as the first or second card. The Laser selects only the first card. The Deuce's Kicker affects only the main card. The other is then added to the kicked first card. When the Deuce only has one challenge card, and thus must draw a new hand, the one challenge card is discarded with the rest. The Sorcerer may not switch the side card. It must be an attack (if possible) if the Loser has called an upset. The Oracle may NOT look at it. The Visionary MAY perceive it. Against Calculator, the Deuce's side card is figured in after the totals (including Calculation) are arrived at. Witch's curses affect the side card as appropriate (e.g. All your attack cards are worth 2.) If a player's turn ends due to lack of challenge cards, he MAY use the Wild Deuce to take another challenge, at the beginning of which he discards his old cards and takes a new hand. DICTATOR Yes, the Dictator may force a player to attack where he already has a base, so long as there is another player there to defend; any other player if it's the Dictator's victim's home system; or the player whose system it's in if it's any other system. Yes, the Butler counts as "any other player" even when flipping FOR the Dictator. Alternate version of Dictator. DIPLOMAT DISEASE DOPPLEGANGER House rule suggestion: If you want to let Doppleganger keep Flares/Kickers normally, make super Can buy 2 cards for 1 lucre (4 card maximum) (Eon style) May keep Kickers. If Doppleganger's defensive victim runs out of challenge cards, he must draw a new hand; the Doppleganger may not force the card he rejects back upon him to prevent him from doing so. If his offensive victim runs out of challenge cards, that victim's turn ends, and Doppleganger discards those cards. When Silenced, the Doppleganger is required to draw from the deck, unless another player offers and he accepts. (Eon style) The Crystal affects the Wild Doppleganger normally. DRAGON You do not receive an extra 4 Lucre for becoming the Dragon later in the game than the beginning. EMPATH ETHIC Stellar Gas stops Ethic's consolation. EXTORTIONIST The Extortionist may never profit from another player's Wild Filching. Either he catches him and all the cards go back, or he doesn't, and thus can't extort. (Eon style) This also applies to Subterfuge cards. The Miser's Hoard, but not his regular hand is immune. FILCH The Negator may negate another's decision to catch him Wild Filching, as can the Silencer silence another player trying to catch him. The Extortionist can't profit from another's Wild Filching, as, if he admits to having caught the Wild Filch, all the Wild Filch's acquisitions return to the deck. No, Wild Filch may NOT steal Lucre. (Eon style) Filch does NOT take opponent's Kicker Card. FILTH Wild Filth may not be used against moons; super may. When the Filth Power changes hands, everyone sharing bases with the new Filth must evacuate, of course. FORCE May limit, but not negate powers. FUNGUS If the Wild Fungus is used against the Fungus, any Fungus stacks count as one for the Wild Fungus player (and the stacks return to the Fungus if the Wild card is lost). Likewise, if the Wild Schizoid is used against the Fungus, any Fungus stacks count as one for the Wild Schizoid (and remains a stack until broken in the warp). GAMBLER The Gambler sees his opponent's card before bluffing. Yes, the Super Gambler may put more tokens at risk than he has out of the Warp. Gambler may also keep his Kicker secret with his Challenge Card, and he may lie about them both. The spread in the Gambler Wild Flare is figured after the effects of Kickers. GRUDGE HEALER The Healer can heal tokens from the Void. HURTZ When the Hurtz leases a moon, it is put in the leaser's system. Since it will go away at the end of the challenge, Immediate moons are probably more useful than others. Yes, Hurtz can advertise, but no, he may not let others look through the deck(s) or read things over before renting them. The deck is shuffled after he looks through it; he gets no special knowledge of what's coming up -- he's no Aristocrat or Wild Mind. Officially, in a single-power game, a power rented from Hurtz becomes your sole power. For example, if you were the Mutant, and rented the Reincarnator, and you lost, you'd draw a new power and keep that, discarding the Reincarnator and the Mutant. INSECT Insect will cause power effects to take place more than once. Therefore, if Insect calls "time travel" against Chronos, the Chronos player must set aside the challenge card, and may not use it. Additionally, Chronos may call "time travel" on the subsequent play. In another example, if Skeptic doubts Insect will win, Insect may also doubt Skeptic will win, causing the losses to be doubled twice (or tripled). The Super Insect has total flexibility. If he wants to go first, no problem. He flashes the Flare and goes ahead. If he wants to go second, he simply waits for his opponent to go first (flashing the Flare if he is the offensive player and would normally go first) and then follows him. Even if the opponent doesn't use his power when he has the chance, the Super Insect can then go ahead and use it anyway since it is still 'before' his opponent has used his power. Finally, the Super Insect isn't forced to use the power if his opponent does and the Insect has declared he will do so afterwards. The Flare specifies he 'may' use the power and affects only the timing of his option, not his free will to decide. (Besides, it's more fun that way, and you don't get to be a Super Insect very often.) The Wild Insect must be discarded despite the Keeper. (Eon style) Insect vs. Butler: defensive player performs for the offensive player. Insect w/ Wild Calculator vs. Calculator: The precedent by which the Insect's use of the Power Calculator and the Flare Calculator is determined is by the order in which he plays them. JUDGE LASER When against the Miser, the Miser chooses which hand is lased. May use the Wild Magnet to have cards separated from those to be lased. Selects only the first of the Deuce's cards. Laser's opponent may play a Kicker before the Laser draws a Challenge Card for him to play. The Laser Wild Flare also forces, by implication, the victim to select his Kicker, if any, before asing for allies. LLOYD The Wild Lloyd does NOT need money to spend money. The Wild Lloyd MAY be used to pay, for example, the Extortionist or the Ethic, whose powers aren't such that you're explicitly "required" to pay them. LOSER If the Witch makes the Flare Loser into something else, it CAN be discarded. A zapped Super Loser does NOT lose a base, as the Flare Loser isn't considered to enter his hand. If an upset has been called, BOTH the Deuce's cards must be attacks, if possible. (Likewise, I would rule that if the Witch made the Flare Loser into something else for more than one player, and it moved from one of the cursed players' hands to another's during the spell, the recipient would not be affected.) If a tie occurs in an upset challenge, offense wins. If the Loser wins with a Compromise, he collects no consolation, as no tokens were lost. (Likewise for his opponent). Players may play Kickers after the Loser has declared an upset and before playing Challenge Cards. MACHINE CAN be stopped by Wild Pacifist. The Machine's Timegash is only good for one challenge. When the Wild Machine makes you stack your hand, you don't have to let people see how many non-challenge cards you have if you're sufficiently dexterous. Kickers are stacked with challenge cards when you're stacking. If cards are to be drawn from a stacked hand, he may NOT shuffle in his challenge cards, but should put his non-challenge cards on either or both ends. (He should be able to stick in his non-challenge cards; let it be drawn from, and restack.) MACRON Yes, the Macron IS mandatory, and can't bring more than one token into the cone. The Crystal can force the Macron to bring 1-4 tokens. Moon Boon is worth 5 to the Macron; Mini Mac Moon makes his tokens worth 2. Alternate version of the Macron MAGNET Wild Magnet can stop an Edict, Flare or Kicker,.but it must be a specific one, e.g. Cosmic Zap. and can be circumvented in its attempt to prevent a player from playing a compromise by the Wild Mesmer, as it can repel either the Wild Mesmer or the compromise, but not both. MESMER May change edicts into "play at any time" edicts and use them even when there is a lien on his hand. When a player tries to use a Wild Flare at the same time the Super Mesmer does (e.g. Wild Dictator) conflict resolution rules are in effect. Yes, the Wild Mesmer can circumvent the Wild Magnet, which may dictate that a player can't play a compromise or that he can't play the Wild Mesmer, but not both. MIND Mind CAN look at both the Miser's hand and his hoard in one challenge. MIRROR Reverses digits after figuring the effect of Kickers. MISER Miser's hoarded hand is determined before cards are dealt out -- no picking between the two. Chooses which hand Laser lases. No conflict with a 6-player game if you have all the expansion sets. (Eon style) Mind CAN look at both the Miser's hand and his hoard in one challenge. "The hoard is not subject to loss because of other powers, but a look, yes." The Miser's hoard but not his hand is immune to the Extortionist. MUTANT Super mutant discards the Flare Mutant when its used. NEGATOR If decider is specific in his decision, he may make a different decision, if general, he may not. If the Negator is caught Wild Filching, he may negate a player's decision to catch him. Yes, the Negator can negate another's decision to pass upon flipping his own color, and could negate the decision of a player attacking in the player's own system as to which color to attack. A 'Between challenges' event comes at the end of the previous challenge, so certainly the Negator can affect those events. ORACLE The Flare Oracle, when invoked, is shuffled in, too. The Oracle does NOT look at his opponent's kicker. Against Deuce, only his first card is seen. PACIFIST Wild Pacifist CAN stop Machine. No, the Pacifist does NOT collect consolation when he wins with a Compromise; he loses no tokens. PARASITE A player isn't considered to have lost his power due to the Wild Reincarnator, nor does a Wild Witch user ever lose his power. Yes, a person can use Flare Parasite despite losing his own power(s). PENTAFORM Other than Moon Base Omega, moons do NOT count for changing the Pentaform's life stage. PHANTOM Upon receiving Phantom (even mid-game), invert five tokens from bases and put them on your star. If you lose your power, you cannot use ghost tokens or create more, but you may still convert them to regular tokens by moving them from the star to the cone. PHILANTHROPIST The Philanthropist CAN give away the card the Visionary told him to play. PIRATE Pirate victims can use most challenge affecting powers (e.g. Mind, Chronos, Seeker), save those that would be inappropriate (i.e. alliance or token affecting powers (e.g. Virus, Anti-Matter, Macron). Yes, he counts his Lucre in a raid. (Or can buy points in Mayfair style). Yes, the Wild Pirate can hint. No, if he loses the card the treasure no longer exists. He may choose whether to announce that he is planting the treasure. (Eon style) PLANT PROPHET REINCARNATOR One isn't considered to have lost his power due to the Wild Reincarnator. Reincarnator must lose before he gets a power. The Reincarnator represents a multiple power of sorts, his current incarnation, and his Reincarnator power. Thus, either or both powers could be zapped during one challenge. (It would take two zaps to zap both.) If the Reincarnator is zapped, it doesn't get a new power (or, if it's zapped the first time it loses, it doesn't get one.) SCHIZOID May include loss of power in victory condition (Keeps itself from victory until it loses its power), and then normal victory rules apply). If you want a minimum number of required external bases, set a house rule. (Eon style) When the Schizoid's terms become invalid (e.g. the condition was occupy 2 moons, and Vanish eradicates the moons) the game can only be won through the normal conditions upon the Schizoid's loss of his power. And "does not require memory of previous events" allows memory up to and including the beginning of the challenge, so if the condition is 4 bases and plays a Mobius Tubes, a player can win by playing a Tubes and taking his fourth base later that challenge. Examples of Schizoid Win Conditions. SEEKER It is legitimate for the Seeker to ask about, for example, "intent to win," (and his victim must answer immediately), but, it is, of course, difficult to prove or disprove "intent to win." It is also legitimate to ask "Will you win with a solo victory", and though the victim must attempt to abide by your answer, circumstances beyond your control may force you to break your word. MAY ask questions about the Miser's hoard, or the Schizoid's win conditions. SILENCER If the Silencer is caught Wild Filching, he may silence a player who attempts to catch him. (Eon style) When the Doppleganger is silenced, he must draw from the deck unless a player offers him cards and he accepts. (Eon style) The Gambler's card declaration is given despite Silencing (And the Skeptic and Seeker are impotent). Powers affected by Silencer. SIREN The Siren can lure even if her color was flipped. If more than one of the cards the Wild Siren lured is drawn, she gets all of them. SKEPTIC Offensive Skeptic can't doubt in a moon challenge (as card specifies "planet"). Yes, the Super Skeptic may put at risk more tokens than he has out of the Warp. SNIVELER Sniveler "bases" can either be home, foreign, or combined. SORCERER Against Deuce, only Deuce's first card may be switched. No, the Sorcerer does NOT switch kickers. TERRORIST Can NOT mine moons. (Eon style) A Cosmic Zap stops a Terrorist Bomb! (Even if the terrorist is out of the game) A Cosmic Zap also stops the Terrorist from planting more bombs, for a challenge. Yes, the Terrorist can set off his own bombs. Terrorist Paper. TRADER Yes, with Trader vs. Vulch, the following scenario is possible: "Trader Plagues Machine. Vulch picks up Plague. Trader plays Finder on Plague, and Plagues Machine again. Vulch picks up Plague and Finder. Trader trades hands with the Vulch and Plagues Machine. Vulch picks up the Plague and the Trader finds it again. He now plagues Machine for the fourth time. Vulch picks it up, and Plagues Machine himself." Trader may only trade once per challenge. VACUUM The Wild Vaccuum gets two tokens if two attack cards were played. Because power loss is immediate upon the loss of the third base, the Vaccuum can't suck tokens corresponding to those he lost defending his third base. Yes, the Super Vacuum CAN prevent a win if it's fast enough. VAMPIRE The Wild Flare is not meant to restrict the player to a planet base; you may switch tokens with a player on a moon base. VISIONARY Yes, the Visionary CAN tell the Chronos what to play the second time around. "At the appropriate time(s)" means that the vision is cancelled if the victim loses the card, even due to Philanthropic gift. Against Deuce, the side card MAY be perceived. Has no power over Kickers, and he specifies which Challenge Card his opponent must play AFTER players have committed themselves on playing Kickers. VIRUS VOID The Zombie IS exempt from the Void. Despite the fact that the Force could conceivably get a player with > 15 eradicated tokens back into the game, unless the Force acts immediately, he IS out of the game. The bases [in the eradicated player's system] remain but have no further challenge possibilities against the Void. The Wild Flare was not intended to take out only planets. You may take a moon out of the game instead. VULCH The Wild Vulch vs. the Vulch CAN create an 'endless' loop if the Vulch offers an edict, the Wild Vulch refuses it and discards it; the Vulch picks it up; the Vulch offers an edict... One of them has to give up. (Eon style) The Vulch CAN pick up a rebirth and play it immediately (between challenges). The Vulch CAN play any other edict immediately upon picking it up (if it can be played). Yes, with Trader vs. Vulch, the following scenario is possible: "Trader Plagues Machine. Vulch picks up Plague. Trader plays Finder on Plague, and Plagues Machine again. Vulch picks up Plague and Finder. Trader trades hands with the Vullch and Plagues Machine. Vulch picks up the Plague and the Trader finds it again. He now plagues Machine for the fourth time. Vulch picks it up, and Plagues Machine himself." WARPISH Yes, Warpish gets moons. WARRIOR WILL WITCH An alteration to the Wild Loser is binding, and if it's turned into something else, it can be discarded normally. The Wild Witch holder is never considered to have lost his power. When the Super Witch loses his power, he becomes the Wild Witch, which restores his power, and makes him the Super Witch again. He can use the Flare like this every challenge. (Eon style) When witch is zapped, all active curses cease. Witch's curses affect Deuce's side card as appropriate. Examples of Witch Curses. WORM The Wild Worm can't be used to move another's tokens. The Worm can't point the cone at a moon in his system; the power specifies planet. The Worm CAN reposition the cone where his opponent already has a base (so long as the worm has a base there too). WRACK If a defensive Wrack tortures the offender out of the cone, he's used up his tortures and loses, the offender doesn't get a base, having no tokens with which to occupy. It is considered a successful challenge regardless. Yes, the Wild Wrack can "turn off" a mandatory power. It's like a ransomable zap. If the defensive Wrack tortures all of the offender's challenge cards out of his hand, the offender's turn ends immediately. If this is done on the Wrack's last torture, the offender wins and occupies, but his turn still ends. The Wild Wrack automatically becomes unusable after challenge resolution, as there will be zero tokens in the cone. (Presumably any time the defender against an Offensive Wrack ran out of challenge cards, he'd draw a new hand.) No, the Wrack may not change his deal offer between tortures. ZOMBIE IS exempt from the Void. DOES get consolation despite not losing tokens to the Warp. (He loses tokens, just not to the Warp.) The Zombie is relatively immune to the Wild Wrack, as he loses tokens to other bases instead of the warp, so won't lose his power due to it. EDICTS You MAY Cosmic Zap yourself to use the Wild Flare of a Super you hold. You MAY play "play at any time" edicts even when there is a lien on your hand. There is no limit to the number of times an edict can be played during a challenge. A player can play and discard an edict, the Vulch may pick it up and play it, the Vulch's opponent, the Insect may pick it up, etc. Finder: May not be used to find a kicker that's been played down; may not be kept when it finds the Flare Clone. Insanity Requires players to also use moon effects, and all of their powers in a multi-power game. Keeper Allows you to also hold on to Kickers, Reinforcements (Subterfuge, Theurgy, etc). Plague Also forces a player to lose a Kicker, Reinforcement (Subterfuge, Theurgy, etc). Rebirth: As it must be played before a player's opportunity to take a token out of the Warp or play a Break or Tubes, if a player has no more than one token on all his bases, he would have to vacate a base to play a Rebirth. Sanity: Should be played before the flip of the disc (or Destiny pile). Also voids moon effects, and limits each player to using only one power in a multi-power game. Stellar Gas: Stops even the Ethic's consolation. Timegash: When played by Machine is still only good for one challenge. Victory Boon: If played after an attack with the Wild Demon, only the defensive player picked is rewarded. Can be played before or after consolation. MOONS You may NOT "cycle" Immediate (Intermittent) moons, i.e., attack it with tokens removed from the same moon for the attack, and gain its effect again. You may reoccupy a moon to regain its effects on the challenge AFTER it was vacated. Moon Boon: Can be put in the cone; only counts as 1 of 4 tokens, but is still worth 5, even to the Macron Big Bang: Lucre does not precipitate it. Mini Mac Moon: Worth 2 even to Macron. REVERSE HEXES Worldships If he holds a Comet in his special hand, he can apply it to any challenge. Compiled by Mark Amidon and Jack Reda