So I was playing cosmic a few days ago, and for the first time I faced one of that decisive moments when you need to outsmart your opponent or lose.
It was a 5 player game; I was the Reserve while the other players were Remora, Sniveler, Oracle and Virus. Everybody had 3 colonies except Remora which had 4, and it was his turn. He drew the destiny: Wild, and he was deciding between me and the Oracle. I tried to persuade him to attack the Oracle because I had only one card in hand, which meant I would probably draw a fresh new hand when if he attacked me.

Unfortunately my planets were weaker (they only had 1or 2 ships) so he pointed the Hyperspace Gate at me, and I tough "oh great, now the game is over" for the only card that was in my hand was a negotiate.

If I didn’t do nothing I was surely going to lose so I made a desperate move. He sent four ships and asked for any allies knowing that he wouldn’t get anyone. I called everybody to help me. Some put only one or two ships so I told them that if they didn’t put 4 we were going to lose. The maximized they help and I got all the help that was possible. The first step of my plan was ready.

Then came the bigger problem: the cards. Luckily I saw that Remora became a bit intimidated by the amount of power I had gathered, he looked a bit troubled. Maybe he couldn’t outnumber me, but still, I had only a negotiate.

 
I wasn’t sure that this would work but I had to take the risk. I turned to him and said  “look is probable that the card in my hand is a morph and I  have more ships than yours, so if you don’t want to lose you better play a negotiate. He said okay and played his card then I played mine, and I still was thinking that wouldn’t work, but when the cards were revealed he really played a negotiate card. I gave him some cards when I got a new hand and it was done.
I had never been so close to losing and miraculously recovering, it was a wonderful sensation.

Guess that is this that makes Cosmic Encounter so fantastic.
 

That's a good story.  The occasional bluff is a great tool.

That's fun times.  How did you give him cards, though?  You can only trade stuff as part of a deal while the deal is being made, and you wouldn't get a new hand till your next turn.

Oops... We thought that the deal should consist in tarding cards or colonies but that you could fullfill your part of the deal later if agreed.

Oops... We thought that a negotiation should consist in trading colonies or cards but that you could fullfill your part of the deal later if agreed.