- For the similar variant in Cosmic Odyssey, see: Lux.
- This article or section uses Eon and Mayfair terminology ("token" for ship, "base" for colony, etc.).
Lucre (pronounced like "Luke-er") was a gameplay variant added in Eon's 6th expansion and reintroduced in an expanded form in Mayfair's More Cosmic Encounter. It introduces Lucre, a form of Cosmic currency that is kept track of with counters. Main players can use Lucre to purchase benefits such as cards and tokens, and it can be traded as part of deals.
Eon rules[]
Each player starts the game with 4 Lucre. At the start of each player's turn, he or she receives 1 Lucre from the bank. Lucre is kept on a player's Star Disc[1] until it is spent.
A main player may buy as many items with Lucre as he or she wants to and can afford:
- At the beginning of a challenge, the offensive player may buy additional tokens back from the Warp for 1 Lucre each.
- Before allies are invited, both players may buy cards to their hand (i.e. draw them from the deck) for 1 Lucre each. Each player may buy a maximum of four cards per challenge in this manner.
In addition, during a challenge, the Lucre on each main player's Star Disc is added to his or her side's Challenge total when playing an Attack card. Regardless of the outcome, this Lucre is not lost as a result of adding to the challenge.
Players may also trade Lucre as part of a deal.
Mayfair rules[]
Each player starts the game with 3 Lucre plus his or her position in turn order (i.e. the player going first starts with 4, the player going second starts with 5, and so on). At the start of each player's turn, he or she receives 3 Lucre from the bank plus 1 more for each base he or she has in his or her home system (including on moons, if in use).
A main player may buy as many items with Lucre as he or she wants to and can afford, at the appropriate time:
| Item | Phase | Cost (Lucre) |
|---|---|---|
| Retrieve an additional token from the Warp. | 
|
3 |
| Add 1 point to the player's Challenge total. | 
|
3 |
| Add 1 point to the player's Challenge total. | 
|
6 |
| Draw a card from the deck. |    
|
4 |
| Choose and discard a card from the player's own hand. |
|
10 |
| Draw a random Flare from those not in use. |
|
7 |
Players may also trade Lucre as part of a deal.
Lucre aliens[]
- Main article: Category:Lucre aliens
Several aliens in the Eon edition had powers that utilized Lucre. These aliens fall into two general categories: some, such as Ethic, are still reasonably usable in games not using Lucre, while others, such as Dragon, are entirely dependent on Lucre and have no use without it.
FFG has not introduced Lucre into its version of the game. Many Lucre aliens have been rereleased in the FFG edition, but in each case their powers were reworked to no longer make use of Lucre. The Lux variant from FFG's Cosmic Odyssey expansion can be considered a replacement for Lucre, but it is also perfectly possible to use either the Eon or Mayfair rules for Lucre with the FFG edition without requiring any changes to the rules (as long as substitute Lucre counters can be provided).
Notes[]
- ↑ Star Disc: Large round token with one side in monochrome and the other side in a player color. In the Eon edition, the planets were all printed in monochrome, so each player kept a Star Disc of their color in their home system to indicate ownership.