SPOILER Set-Up
Ends The Game
You have the power to party poop. At game set up, select any card in
the bottom half of the challenge deck and turn it face up, leaving it
in the challenge deck. During the game, when any player gets that
card, the game ends and you win, despite the Schizoid. When any
player is entitled to cards from the deck but not from the top of the
pile, he may not select that card. If zapped or somehow don't have
your power when someone gets that card, select another card from the
bottom half of the remaining deck when you get your power back. The
challenge deck cannot be reshuffled for any reason.
HISTORY: It never fails that when everyone is having fun, there is
always someone who has to leave right in the middle because "it's
getting late". This ruins the fun for everyone else, but the Spoiler
doesn't care.
FLARE
Phase 7
Wild: When not involved in a challenge, you may look at one of the
main players' Challenge Card and truthfully announce what it is. His
opponent may then change his card, still subject to any applicable
powers.
Interphase
Super: You may move the turned over card in the challenge deck 20
cards upwards.
PULSAR
Infinity
Con: The first player who is not Spoiler to get this card moves the
upturned card in the challenge deck 20 cards lower. This effect can
only be played once per game.
Infinity
Pro: You do not have to play this card. The game is over. There is
no winner.
Alternative Con Pulsar inspired by Gregory George:
Infinity
Con: If you draw the spoiler card, you share the win with Spoiler.
Eon/Avalon:
Power
No Changes
Flare
Super: At the beginning of each challenge the top card of the deck
goes to the discard pile. If the card is the upturned card, the game
is over and you win.
Pulsar
No Changes
Experience Rating: Expert
Cosmic Monopoly
If the game is not over within 90 minutes of game start, you win the
game. In long version, there is an upturned card as per the cosmic
power. Extend time limit to 2 hours.
Commentary: This is a rules power created by me. I created this power
as a private joke to myself. The history says it all. Many, many
times a game I'm in has to stop because a player has to leave. "It's
getting late" is a common excuse I've heard in college by students who
lived on campus on a Friday night, and it's only 9pm. I understand
there are legitimate reasons for leaving and it's only a game
(whatever game we happen to be playing), but often times the reasons
given are rather lame. Sometimes the game night can continue. More
often, when one person leaves, other people decide to leave as well.
Perhaps I'm being (partly :-) selfish and immature, but it is rather
annoying (a bad annoying) that when a particular gaming night is set
up in advanced, a player "just has to be somewhere early" the
following day.
Addendum: I do not hold this annoyance nor have the feeling at all
when it comes to Matt Stone's parties. I'm the guest. I have the
luxury of the free time and kindness of being there the entire weekend
where as 99.9% of other guests live in the area and have families to
take care of, work to attend to, and other life circumstances of which
naturally attending the party is not of highest priority. The
Spoiler inspiration has only ever been about circumstances in college,
when you could say I was selfish and immature :b. Truth be told, even
I have been the Spoiler from time to time, though not during college.
Even nowadays with my D&D group sometimes games are rescheduled
because I can't make it or someone else can't make it. We recognize
real life happens, but now I'm psychoanalyzing myself, and that's not
helpful here.
Anyway, that's the inspiration of the power. A minor inspiration is
that sometimes Cosmic Encounter games can go on for hours and hours.
Spoiler ensures a time limit. However, the Spoiler player is at one
less power in the game. It's Spoiler's job to have everyone go
through the challenge deck as fast as possible. Remember those
commentaries where I disdained powers that "wasted" cards by putting
lots of challenge deck cards into the discard pile? Spoiler loves
those powers. It doesn't matter if the player has it in a multi-power
game or someone else has it. Spoiler wants that power used over and
over again.
If a particular effect that calls for the challenge deck to be
shuffled has another distinct effect as well, such as Wild Aristocrat
Flare, the other effect does take place. It's only the reshuffling
that does not. Wild Queue Flare is permissible. It's a general
reshuffle that's no longer available. If some game effect causes
challenge deck cards to be removed from the game (it would happen
through a home made effect), the Spoiler card is immune.
Gerald Katz
Don't forget to tip the Butler!
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