| Gambler |
|---|
| Power to bluff |
| Bluffs about card |
|
| Eon |
| Reveal |
| Wild As a main player, before cards are revealed you may call out any number as a "spread". If the 2 cards are revealed to be different from each other by that number or more, you add that "spread" number to the card you have revealed. |
| Super When declaring what your card is, you can also "up the ante" by saying how many extra tokens (1-20) are at risk. The penalty for lying or calling a non-bluff is now as many extra tokens as you declared. |
| Gambler |
|---|
| Power to bluff |
| Bluffs about card |
|
|
| Mayfair |
|
| Wild As a main player, before revealing cards, you may call out any number as a "spread". Then reveal the Challenge Cards. If the two cards are different by the spread or more, you can add the spread number to your Attack Card. |
| Super When declaring what your card is, you can "up the ante" by saying how many extra tokens (1-20) are at risk. This penalty applies to whichever side loses the bluff calling. |
| Gambler |
|---|
| Power to bluff |
| Bluffs about card |
|
| FFG |
|
| Wild As a main player, before cards are revealed, you may call any number as a “spread”. If the encounter cards are different from each other by that number or more, add the “spread” to your card. |
| Super When stating what your card is, you may “up the ante” by saying how many extra ships (1-20) are at risk. The penalty for lying or calling a non-bluff is now as many extra tokens as you declared. |
Gambler is an alien with the power to Bluff.
Instead of Gambler's encounter card being revealed, it is kept face down and Gambler says what it is. If the opponent accepts Gambler's claim, the encounter is concluded as if the claim were true, and the card is placed at the bottom of the deck without being revealed. If the opponent calls Gambler's bluff, the card is revealed. If Gambler was bluffing, it loses (from outside the encounter) as many ships as were in the encounter. If there was no bluff, the opponent loses as many ships as he had in the encounter. Then the encounter is concluded as normal.
Strategy[]
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Strong at mindgaming opponents | Can be a disadvantage if not played well |
As Gambler[]
Gambler's main strength is that it can look at the opponent's card before declaring what its own card is. Combined with banter and bluffing ability, a good Gambler can draw the opponent into making the wrong call. For example, talking about waiting to get compensation can cause opponents to believe a 00 is a N , while boasting about having the 30 can win two or three encounters before actually playing it (hopefully having someone call the bluff the last time).
With Gambler, it is very easy to make negotiations with other players who want to negotiate. Even if you are out of negotiate cards, if your opponent reveals a N , you can claim that your card is a N ; your opponent will be unlikely to challenge you, as they are certain to lose if your card is an attack card. If your opponent goes back on their word and reveals an attack card, you can claim that your card is an attack card instead with no loss to you.
Against Gambler[]
Opposing Gambler is difficult. Success against Gambler will usually come from being able to recognize when the player is lying more so than trying to guess what card was actually played, and being able to keep track of cards that have been played or seen.
Matchups[]
Seeker can completely shut Gambler down, and Mind can make it much more difficult for him to use his power. When facing other prediction-based powers such as Mirror or Calculator, it becomes much more difficult for either side to work the outcome.
Text[]
| Edition | Power Text | History |
|---|---|---|
| Eon | You have the power to bluff. Instead of revealing your card in a challenge, you keep it face down. Now declare what it is. You may lie about it. If your opponent accepts your declaration, the challenge is concluded as if your card were revealed as what you declared. When discarding it, you may bury the card in the pile to prevent exposing it. If your opponent calls your bluff, however, you reveal the card. If you lied, you must lose to the Warp as many tokens as you had in the challenge. If you did not lie, your opponent loses as many as he had in the challenge. These lost tokens may not be tokens involved in the challenge. Conclude the challenge normally from the exposed cards. | Arising in an era of geologic turmoil, the Gamblers trusted only to their own audacity. The faint of heart soon perished, but the most daring rose to even greater effronteries, and now launch a contest for Cosmic stakes. |
| Mayfair | You have the power to bluff. After your opponent reveals his Challenge Card, you keep yours face down and declare what it is (lying if you like). If your opponent accepts your declaration, conclude the challenge as if your declaration were your actual card. When discarding, you may bury the card in the discard pile to avoid revealing it. If your opponent calls your bluff, however, reveal your card. If you lied, you lose to the Warp the number of tokens you had in the challenge. If you told the truth about your card, your opponent loses to the warp the number of tokens he had in the challenge. The player losing the bluff chooses which tokens to lose. After taking the penalty tokens from other bases on the losing side of the bluff, resolve the challenge normally. | Arising in an era of geological turmoil, the Gamblers trusted only their own audacity. The faint of heart soon perished, but the most daring rose to even greater effronteries and now launch a contest for Cosmic stakes. |
| FFG | You have the power to Bluff. After your opponent reveals his or her encounter card, you may use this power to keep yours facedown, instead stating what it is (and lying if you like). If your opponent does not challenge your claim, conclude the encounter as if your statement were true, then place your encounter card facedown on the bottom of the deck instead of discarding it. If your opponent challenges your claim, reveal your card. If you lied, you lose as many ships to the warp as you had in the encounter. If you told the truth, your opponent loses as many ships as he or she had in the encounter. These lost ships may not be ships involved in the encounter. Afterwards, conclude the encounter normally using the revealed cards. Do Not Use with Sorcerer |
Arising in an era of geological turmoil, the Gamblers trusted only their own audacity. The faint of heart soon perished, but the most daring rose to even greater effronteries and now launch a contest for Cosmic stakes. |
House rules[]
While Gambler's FFG sheet states "Do not use with Sorcerer", the Cosmodex suggests a relatively simple house rule to use both aliens together. If Sorcerer decides to switch cards, Gambler reveals its new card that it ends up with (the one Sorcerer initially played), while Sorcerer's new card (Gambler's original card) stays face down, Sorcerer may not look at it and Gambler may now bluff about it.
Notes[]
- According to the 2018 FAQ, if Oracle forces Gambler to play its card faceup first, Gambler may use its power at that time to play its card facedown and bluff about it. Oracle then gets a chance to call the bluff before playing its own encounter card.
- Gambler's power appears to be mandatory in the Eon and Mayfair versions, but it is explicitly optional in the FFG version. This is somewhat puzzling, as Gambler has no apparent advantage to foregoing a use of its power, as it can just tell the truth and not lose anything if the opponent calls its bluff.