variable player powers

In this game the players are ancient gods that are trying to make their chosen tribes prosper and conquer the land. The twist is that the gods/players don't know all their chosen tribes at the beginning of the game, these are given to them only every other round.

There are 24 different tribes which start on predefined spaces on the board. These tribes are divided into four different levels and have as many counters on the board at the beginning of the game as their level indicates (1, 2, 3 or 4 tokens).

The biggest part of the game are the battles between the tribes. The funny part is that the players are not restricted to use their tribes in the fighting, they can make other tribes fight among themselves.

If you read French, check out the link to the official web site in the links section.

Each player chooses one of eight characters that spoof popular spy/action-movie characters or actors: James Blonde, Emma Shell, Austin Flowers, Indiana Smith, Jackie Chang, Dirty Larry, Shift, or Arnold Weissenmeiner. They wander around a sort of super-generic indoor area with corridors, rooms, and safes (somebody's HQ? no villains are in evidence), trying to wipe each other out with their character abilities and the weapons and specials they find in the safes. Obviously enough, the last man (or woman, or team) standing wins. Reminiscent of "Frag," but with more complicated mechanisms.

The modular boards are square grids on the same scale as most of Jolly Roger's other games; in fact, the boards for "Orcs at the Gates" and "Maul of America" can be used with this game.

Approximate playing time is totally arbitrary; it will vary depending on the number of players, the size of the playing area, and so forth. Two hours at least matches the standard length of Jolly Roger's timed games.

Online Play

Ludoholic (no longer available)

A Japanese racing and sports competition game using athletes with special powers. The game is consistent with other games in the Grimpeur series in that it comes in a colorful small box and has modest components.

Game Summary
Players all start with seed money, used to draft a team of racers. The racers come out in random order, and each have a unique power (mostly modifying movement rules, sometimes giving extra pre- or post- race abilities). The draft is as follows: shift any unbought racers down one step on the board (decreasing prices as they shift), then add a new card to the display. If all spaces full, must buy one. After players have their racers (a few will remain out of game), there will be 4 or 5 races. For each race, players secretly simultaneously choose a racer. Then, in turn order, simply roll d6 and move your racer. Of course, special powers modify movement throughout the race.

The first 2 finishers score VP (more VP in later races); most VP after all races wins!

Game description from the publisher:

Cosmic Alliance, the third expansion set for the Fantasy Flight Games version of Cosmic Encounter, brings 20 alien races, both original and classic, exploding onto your tabletop. Players will now stand petrified by the hideous Gorgon, be baffled by the puzzle of the Schizoid, and feel obsolete before the bionics of the Cyborg.

Cosmic Alliance also makes the Cosmos even bigger, adding another player (white) as well as rules for large eight-player games (if you own all three expansions). Finally, Cosmic Alliance introduces a new variant – team rules, which allow steadfast allies to dominate the Cosmos together!

This optional Team Cosmic variant places players in randomly determined teams of two, in which they'll attempt to conquer the Cosmos cooperatively. Without discussing their race selection in advance, partners sit opposite each other at the table, where they can occasionally offer a helping hand; whenever a player gains a new foreign colony, he can choose to instead gift that colony to his partner.

Players control one of the great scientists during the 17th century Scientific Revolution in Europe. Use your limited time and energy to make discoveries, test hypotheses, publish papers, correspond with other famous scientists, hire assistants into your laboratory and network with other people who can help your progress. Discoveries follow historical tech trees in the key sciences of the age: Astronomy, Mathematics, Physics, Biology and Chemistry. The scientist who accumulates the most prestige will be appointed the first President of the Royal Society.