Will
Alert
Control
Type
Power of Choice
Immune to Destiny
As the invader, after destiny, use this power to choose any alien to be the defender, ignoring destiny. When selecting the target planet, you may target any planet in any system where the defender has a base, targeting that base.
Legacy: After destiny, invaders may ignore destiny and choose any other alien to be the defender.
Ever since escaping the titanium clutches of Dictator’s all-encompassing grip, the rebellious Will developed an affinity for defying destiny. Now, they set their sails for new lands, and they will let nothing stand in their way.
Invader: Destiny
Mandatory
Wild Flare
As the invader, after launch, you may discharge this flare to target any base the defender owns in any system. That base’s planet becomes the target planet.
Invader: Launch
Super Flare
Before using your power, you may discharge this flare to probe the cache of any one alien.
Invader: Destiny
Modifications
- Minor rephrasing to the power to be less wordy. Effect is identical to the original.
- Will’s legacy makes destiny meaningless, effectively perma-zapping Dictator. While aliens cannot target any base in any system like Will can, it becomes possible for every alien to target a single system for the remainder of the match, making it more likely to eliminate that alien. Original Cosmic has no legacies.
Tips
- Will’s power is invader-only, which means it only gets to use its power twice per cycle at most. The more opponents there are, the less powerful Will becomes, so Will will need to find alternative means of gaining those victory points that don’t rely on its power.
- Will’s power allows it to encounter any base in any system, or an empty planet it the defense’s system. This allows Will to target enemy foreign bases while creating its own foreign bases, gaining progress while taking it away from someone else.
- Since Will is not controlled by destiny and can target any planet in any system, defensive powers are effectively worthless against it, unless Will chooses to engage. Aliens like Squee, Citadel, and Macron can do little against Will, so they may wish to focus their efforts on other aliens.
Development Notes
- If I were designing a story with the Cosmic aliens as characters, Will would be my first pick as a protagonist. It is so fitting for it to play the good guy in contrast to Dictator’s bad guy, and the simplicity of the power allows it to be splashable into virtually any scenario.
- Since Will ignores destiny outright, if participating alongside Dictator, Dictator will choose destiny, and then Will can ignore it. Dictator’s decision is more about which destiny card to burn, so Dictator may wish to use this time to pull its own destiny.
- Normally, I like invader-only powers to have bombastic, game-changing effects, to compensate for how little use they get. Aside from Spiff and Locust, Will may be the most mundane of all the offense-only powers, but I like the “boring but practical” aspect it brings to the table, especially in terms of theme.
- This power is a lesser known base-destroyer, as it can simultaneously work toward gaining dominion while taking it from other aliens.
- I needed to specify in my rules that Will cannot choose to invade the system of eliminated aliens. If it could, it could receive two free bases during its own turn that no one could prevent without a Cosmic Zap. I find it too punishing to aliens like Patriot, who are designed to eliminate other aliens.