Hi all, I'm interested in some advice from folks used to facilitating board games.

So I acquired a copy of Cosmic Encounter and its Incursion expansion earlier this year. Tomorrow I'm having some folks over for dinner and board gaming so I was excited to learn the rules and see what this game was all about. I heard it's really good!

For those unaware, Cosmic Encounter is a space strategy game with a ton of potential for goofy interactions. When players have an encounter, they can choose to play cards indicating whether they want to fight or negotiate. If two players play a negotiate card, then they have a chance to exchange territory and resources.

Today I realized a potential issue in the form of a 1-minute timer during the Negotiation phase. Apparently, if two players end up in a Negotiation, they have one minute to make a deal. If they can't conclude the deal in one minute the negotiation "breaks down" and both players end up losing three of their ships.

My players love board games but I can think of at least three of them who won't like playing with a timer and will probably suggest we ignore it.

I don't want to alienate my players and I picked this because it seemed like a fun and fairly accessible experience so I would feel bad for insisting on something that made them uncomfortable.

On the other hand, I'm concerned that analysis paralysis will make the game take forever when players can take as long as they want to make deals. I've played Bullet with the same people and, since we have agreed not to use timers in that game, it can take a long time for players to finish placing their last pieces, leading to 1-2 hour games (when the playtime estimate is 15 minutes).

So I want to know what you think, especially if you have experience with Cosmic Encounter or introducing new games to people. Can we still get a good experience out of the game without using timers for a first time run? Should I recommend a compromise such as more time and/or removing the ship destruction punishment (choosing, instead, to just cancel the deal if it takes too long)?

Edit: thanks for your suggestions! I think I know how to approach this when we do play the game. Sadly we didn't end up playing it last night 🤷

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My spouse and I have been doing some restructuring of our finances now that they have a new job as of a month ago. We've been doing an equitable split of our finances based on income which involved us taking inventory of everything we're paying every month.

This led to me really taking a closer look at all of my debt and that has me really bummed out. My best friends just bought a house and I'm in the hole for 84k US worth of student loans, credit cards, medical debt and a refinance loan I took for my previous credit card debt while I was getting my second degree.

A big motivator for going back for a second Bachelor's in Computer Science was knowing I could make more money and be able to pay off my debt sooner. However currently I'm getting paid a little less per year than I owe back. Also, my work life is having a negative impact on my mental health so I'm also looking for other jobs when I can.

It feels like I'm doing all I can but it's barely enough to make a dent in my debt each month. If I fall apart and lose my edge I'll get fired and then I'll end up accruing more debt. I'm also worried about being discriminated against by future employers as a trans person (being misgendered daily at my current job is a reality). But my stamina bar is super low and it's hard to take further action when I feel so powerless.

I built a fightstick the other week! Mostly for Street Fighter 6, though I have played some other 2D games including Hades and River City Girls with it as well.

Parts:

-Brook UFB Fusion board for compatibility with PS4/5, XBOX 360 and above, Switch, Wii U, PC and more

-Crown 309 Helpme K ST35 lever

-Qanba Gravity KS buttons for the top and Seimitsu standard for the sides

-Custom enclosure kit from Eternal Rival

It's Pride and you're beautiful. Post em if you got em.

that's me on the right