“We are approaching a weakened colony,” a whirling cybernetic voice announced over the ship’s rumbling engines. “There does not seem to be any resistance.”

The ship increased its thrusters and advanced on the planet at full speed. Various allies answered the call, and together the fleet descended upon its prey. Meanwhile, a lone ship watched from afar. Inside the cockpit, an alien appendage hovered over a detonator. What appeared to be a smile spread across its heinous face...

In our last preview for Cosmic Conflict , we looked at Hazard cards and the despicable stench of Filth. Today we will continue dissecting the contents of this latest expansion for Cosmic Encounter by looking at the Saboteur and his devious traps.

In the warring cosmos, many seemingly docile planets might be more than dangerous you’d expect. Saboteur tokens add a whole new level of danger for potential colonizers. The backs of these tokens are identical to each other, but their fronts may or may not represent a booby trapped planet. Player’s will not be able to reveal these tokens until they land on a planet. And then it might just be too late...

Any token that is revealed to be a trap will instantly wipe the planet of all its ships, sending them back to the warp.

(Saboteur tokens - left to right - Back, Decoy, and Trap)

And who wields these deceptively destructive tools of planetary sabotage?

None other than the Saboteur . This resourceful alien race works in devious subterfuge to lay waste to its enemies. By planting various decoys around the cosmos, their real traps need only be used sparingly. Fear of annihilation may work out to be more effective than annihilation itself.

Check back next time for more information on Cosmic Conflict !

Cosmic Encounter is a classic board game that puts players in charge of the fate of an alien race. Three to five players each strive to be the first to conquer five enemy colonies and establish themselves as the dominant life form in the galaxy. With over 50 alien characters to choose from, no two games are ever the same.