In Cosmic Encounter, you play the leader of a colonization effort whose ships are traveling throughout the Cosmos to prove their worthiness for Cosmic leadership. Each player is a race that has the ability to bend or break certain rules in the game. You will use force, cunning, and diplomacy to win success for your unique form of alien intelligence. Battles are determined through the use of cards in addition to assistance from other players around the table. The winner(s) will be the first player(s) to have FIVE COLONIES on any planets outside his or her home system. This is an updated version of the original Cosmic Encounter (1977). Major differences between this version and the Eon version: Terminology was changed for many components and rules: Compromise to Negotiate; Consolation to Compensation; Edicts to Artifacts, etc. Both the Eon version and Mayfair Games' version used tokens to represent players' forces. Avalon Hill changed them to plastic ships, and changed the system pieces as well, and the Hyperspace Cone became a Ship carrier. Mayfair's version used cardback art similar to Eon's, so the two could theoretically be combined. Avalon Hill used all new art on the cards, and the stock is much thinner.