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.