Void

Alert

Destroy

Type

Power to Eradicate

Vaporizes Enemy Ships

As a actor, during payoff after winning an encounter, use this power to vaporize the enemy’s committed ships as a penalty instead of destroying them.

Legacy: When ship(s) would be destroyed as casualties, they are vaporized instead.

The Void seek nothing and want nothing. They crave nothing and demand nothing. They love nothing more than anything, and they will finally feel at peace once everything is nothing.

Actor: Payoff

Mandatory

Wild Flare

When an artifact is used by another alien, you may discharge this flare to negate that artifact and vaporize it.

Any: Any

Super Flare

As a bystander, during payoff after an encounter, you may discharge this flare to use your power on the losing enemy fleet.

Bystander: Payoff

Modifications

Original Void is leader-only. I expanded the power to be actor-only, making it more of a threat to compensate for a win-based nature that doesn’t directly benefit itself.
Modified Void’s Wild flare to also vaporize the artifact, to fit the theme. The original only negated the artifact.
My version of Void has no mercy rule. There is no statement setting a maximum number of vaporized ships, as my elimination rule slides naturally into it. If an alien doesn’t have enough ships remaining to win, they are automatically eliminated.
Original Super Void can use its power as a sponsor. Since I expanded this effect to its main power, I made Super Void usable as a bystander.
Cosmic Odyssey released a retrain of Void with the power to “absorb”. It is a capture-based alien that absorbs enemy ships into it when it wins as an actor. It can give back those ships as a special offer and lost ships are permanent otherwise unless Void’s power is removed from the game, such as via Reincarnator’s power. I wanted to keep Void’s aspect of permanence, but I liked the idea to make it actor-only.
Void’s legacy turns every encounter into permanent losses, making every ship a precious resource. Aliens may be wise to negotiate and send few ships to avoid suffering major losses. Aliens that specialize in ship revival despise this legacy, while Observer becomes a godsend during it.

Tips

Void eradicates ships from the entire enemy fleet, not just the opponent. Side against Void at your own risk.
No compensation is gained from Void inflicting a massacre, as none of the ships involved go to the warp. This makes it very difficult for Void to successfully negotiate, unless an emotion control is involved.
If Void does manage to negotiate, they naturally have more leverage, as all lost ships on the enemy side will be vaporized, while theirs will simply go to the warp.
Fighting against Void isn’t statistically more difficult than fighting another alien. However, the stakes are much higher, especially when opposing them. Sending a small fleet can be wise to cut your losses when you think you will lose. A large fleet can help overcome Void’s might, but it carries a high risk. If Void wins, those ships are gone for good except in the rarest of circumstances. Tread carefully.
Since Void’s power is so intimidating, many aliens will choose to save their best pods for encounters against it. Because of this, it can be difficult for Void to win consistently without sponsorship, so it may wish to save its own best pods for encounters with the biggest threats.
Be wary of Void obtaining its flare. A Void as a sponsor is still a potential threat, and you never know which side they will join as a bystander. Be careful about sending too many ships at once during any encounter unless you’re allying with Void.
Void doesn’t have to win to activate its power. Be wary about aspects which make both sides lose.

Development Notes

Void brings a much welcome aspect of permanence to the game of Cosmic. There are only a small handful of effects that can undo Void’s damage, so most of the time its power will be absolute.
I ultimately decided to make Void actor-only, as opposed to leader-only. While I like the Void becoming a major threat when it takes center-stage, I think it is more fitting to the theme for Void to always destroy ships whenever it participates. Even though Void hits all enemy ships that can never be retrieved, I actually think leader-only effects like Brute or Cudgel are more punishing. The former can destroy bases while the latter can destroy up to 8 of the opponent’s ships at once, plus sponsor ships. Void is commonly considered an underwhelming power, so I wanted to give it a little boost to make it more impactful. As one of the Eon 15, I think it should have the power to warrant its legacy.
The original game has a mercy rule, preventing Void from vaporizing more ships if it would prevent an alien from winning. This is done to be in keeping with Cosmic’s general rule that a player cannot be eliminated prematurely. My Cosmic does allow such eliminations, however, as I think such an upset is more interesting than letting a player with four ships and no home colonies limp along to the end with no real chance of victory. I’m considering a form of “ghost” mechanic, that allows the eliminated alien to participate more actively despite no longer having the chance to win. Maybe warpfall could grant more ships for each eliminated alien.
Had a tough time determining the conditions that should allow Void to utilize its power. In the case of a tragedy, does Void’s power still proc? It makes sense that Void still needs to have presence in the system to suck everything into the Void, and it also doesn’t make sense for Void to use its power if there are no casualties. The “casualty” mechanic was invented for powers like Void and Bully, who specifically target ships other than committed ones. Having a term for it makes things much more efficient.