Cosmic Encounter has gone through a conga line of publishers since first being released in 1977 (that's the Avalon Hill version pictured below). Each publisher altered the rules slightly and introduced various expansions. Fantasy Flight is creating a game for 3-5 players that will last one or two hours. The game board is highly variable - the planets are not hex shaped, so players can set them up however they prefer, and designer Kevin Wilson is leaving lots of room for expansion sets.
Players compete to form alliances and acquire five colonies outside their home system. Each battle or trade deal can result in a strange effect or new power for an alien species, and the shifting alliances keep everyone on their toes. With a release date set for "late 2008," I am definitely putting this on my Christmas list. Images by: Fantasy Flight Games and boardgamegeek.com.

Each player takes on the role of one of the characters from the series, with the skills, abilities and drawbacks inherent to each character. Players also get a secret loyalty card that reveals whether or not they are truly human. Unrevealed Cylons may be subtly working against the other players. Worse still, players who thought they were human may find out later in the game that they were Cylons all along. The game board depicts the Galactica and nearby space, which may contain Cylon ships or other vessels.
The entire two to three hour game is set up for maximum tension. Not only are you unsure if your allies are truly your allies, but there's the twin impending dooms of Cylon Centurion invasion and dwindling resources. If the human players can navigate the maze of deception, space battles and shipboard intrigue long enough to make the final jump to Kobol, they win. I'm betting on the Cylons. Fantasy Flight has posted pdf version of the rulebook and FAQ already. Images by: Fantasy Flight Games.

Dust is actually two different games. The "Premium Rules" allow each player to control an established superpower in world that has been divided by the battle to acquire and use alien technology. The "Epic Rules" start each player with a meager power base that gradually expands as the game goes on. The epic version can take up to six hours, compared to the three or four hours for the shorter version.

Each game plays out on a large map of Earth, and has some similarities to Axis & Allies - you produce units, move existing units and then fight your battles. The turn order is determined by an innovative mechanic in which each player secretly chooses a card. The cards set the order of battle along with production and combat limits. On any given turn, you're forced to compromise with yourself and hope your cards fit in with your plans for conquest. The coolest part of Dust is the mix of WWII flavor with alien tech. The mechs look like walking Sherman tanks, and the air units are strange, boxy machines. You can read both versions of the rules online. Images by: Fantasy Flight Games.

Shortly after the release of Dark Heresy, the role-playing game based on their Warhammer 40k miniatures game, Games Workshop closed down subsidiary Black Industries, which produced all their RPG products. Although Dark Heresy garnered strong reviews, it seemed like the system would never see any supplements to expand players' optons. Enter Fantasy Flight Games.

FFG now holds the rights to Dark Heresy, and they're putting out all the handbooks and adventures fans have been waiting for. The Inquisitor's Handbook fills many of the gaps in the system, offering a ton of new character options and paths, and an equipment section that is worth the price of the book by itself. The production values are top notch and the book is filled with stunning art. The coolness factor can pretty much be summed in two words: Metallican Gunslingers. Plus, this makes the perfect companion piece for Dark Heresy: Purge the Unclean, a trilogy of adventures set in the Calixis Sector.

Dark Heresy still only explores a narrow slice of the 40k universe, that of the Imperium Inquisition. No space marines, and not a lot of aliens. But if you're not interested in that other major RPG game released last week, it's worth a look. Image by: Fantasy Flight Games.

The Inquisitor's Handbook [via Amazon]