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Cosmolancer

Cosmolancer

1994·Reiner Knizia

Videos
10
Creators
10

Mainly reviews and how-to-play. Cosmolancer is covered on BoardGameVideo.com by 3 reviews, 2 how-to-play guides, 2 recorded sessions, 2 unboxings, and 1 other video.

2 - 4 players
45 min
Light weight: Learn it in minutes

From BoardGameGeek

Auf Heller und Pfennig takes participants to a medieval marketplace. Each turn, players place tiles onto the grid board that modify (either positively or negatively) the amount of money to be made by the shops that share that tile's row or column. Three times the board is filled with tiles and shop money is earned, after which the player with the most money wins. In Kingdoms, the first English-language version of Auf Heller und Pfennig, players try to collect the most gold by establishing castles in the richest regions of the realm while avoiding hazards like dragons, swamps, and trolls. The 2011 edition includes detailed plastic castles, a streamlined rulebook, and the addition of a wizard tile - one that increases the rank of adjacent castles, multiplying their scores - previously available only at game conventions. As of 2024, Cosmolancer is the newest version of this design, with players taking the role of freelance photographers in space! As in the other versions, the game lasts three rounds, and to start a round, each player draws a random tile and keeps it secret. On a turn, you either: • Draw a tile and place it in an empty space on the 6x5 grid. • Place the tile in your hand. • Place one of your tokens, which are numbered 1-4, in an empty space. When all of the spaces are filled, you score each of your tokens, multiplying the number on the token by the sum of the tiles in its row and column, with some special tiles nullifying positive values or splitting a row into two segments. You retrieve all of your 1 tokens, but the others are now out of play. After three rounds, whoever has the highest score wins.

Cosmolancer

Watch first

Learn to play

Auf Heller und Pfennig - Playing With Friends1:13:17

Auf Heller und Pfennig - Playing With Friends

Getting Games

Getting Games

Review

Cosmolancer Review: Kosmic Krill13:58

Cosmolancer Review: Kosmic Krill

The Dice Tower

The Dice Tower

Watch it played

Cosmolancer 3 Player Playthrough42:59

Cosmolancer 3 Player Playthrough

Board Gaymes James

Board Gaymes James

Which Cosmolancer video should I watch?

Cosmolancer has 10 videos from 10 creators: 3 reviews, 2 how-to-play guides, 2 playthroughs, 2 unboxings and 1 other video. They date from 2023 to October 2026.

To learn the rules, start with "Auf Heller und Pfennig - Playing With Friends" by Getting Games, which runs 1 h 13 min. For a quicker teach, "COSMOLANCER in Focus: Example of Play" by Legendary Tactics runs 10 min.

For an opinion before you buy, start with "Cosmolancer Review: Kosmic Krill" by The Dice Tower. 3 creators have reviewed it. To see it played, watch "Cosmolancer 3 Player Playthrough" by Board Gaymes James, one of 2 playthroughs.

If you like it, try Ra, Rebirth, The Quest for El Dorado and My City, also by Reiner Knizia.

All videos

Cosmolancer Review: Kosmic KrillReview13:58

Cosmolancer Review: Kosmic Krill

The Dice Tower

The Dice Tower

Auf Heller und Pfennig - Playing With FriendsHow to play1:13:17

Auf Heller und Pfennig - Playing With Friends

Getting Games

Getting Games

Cosmolancer Review | Avalon Hill Give Reiner Knizia's Kingdoms a Space-themed Makeover | SponsoredReview10:37

Cosmolancer Review | Avalon Hill Give Reiner Knizia's Kingdoms a Space-themed Makeover | Sponsored

Always Board Never Boring

Always Board Never Boring

Kingdoms AKA Auf Heller und Pfennig — Side-by-Slide Comparison7:56

Kingdoms AKA Auf Heller und Pfennig — Side-by-Slide Comparison

Board Gems

Board Gems

Cosmolancer 3 Player PlaythroughPlaythrough42:59

Cosmolancer 3 Player Playthrough

Board Gaymes James

Board Gaymes James

Cosmolancer Playthrough | Shadow of the GamePlaythrough42:54

Cosmolancer Playthrough | Shadow of the Game

Shadow of the Game

Shadow of the Game

COSMOLANCER in Focus: Example of PlayHow to play10:25

COSMOLANCER in Focus: Example of Play

Legendary Tactics

Legendary Tactics

Knizia in 5 Minutes. 97 KingdomsReview7:53

Knizia in 5 Minutes. 97 Kingdoms

Doug Adams

Doug Adams

Cosmolancer: UnboxingUnboxing3:08

Cosmolancer: Unboxing

Long Distance Gamers

Long Distance Gamers

Cracking Open...Cosmolancer (2025) @hasbroUSUnboxing4:11

Cracking Open...Cosmolancer (2025) @hasbroUS

Haphazard Humanity

Haphazard Humanity

8 of 10

Creators who cover this

All channels
Always Board Never Boring
Always Board Never Boring
1 video of this game
Board Gaymes James
Board Gaymes James
1 video of this game
Board Gems
Board Gems
1 video of this game
Doug Adams
Doug Adams
1 video of this game
Getting Games
Getting Games
1 video of this game
Haphazard Humanity
Haphazard Humanity
1 video of this game
Legendary Tactics
Legendary Tactics
1 video of this game
Long Distance Gamers
Long Distance Gamers
1 video of this game

Games like this

All games

Ra

1999·Reiner Knizia

Videos
124
Creators
84
Mainly reviews

2 - 5 players·45 - 60 min·Medium weight

Rebirth

2024·Reiner Knizia

Videos
93
Creators
70
Some reviews

2 - 4 players·45 - 60 min·Light weight

The Quest for El Dorado

2017·Reiner Knizia

Videos
81
Creators
61
Mainly reviews

2 - 4 players·30 - 60 min·Light weight

My City

2020·Reiner Knizia

Videos
75
Creators
59
Mainly reviews

2 - 4 players·30 min·Medium weight

About Cosmolancer

From BoardGameGeek:

Auf Heller und Pfennig takes participants to a medieval marketplace. Each turn, players place tiles onto the grid board that modify (either positively or negatively) the amount of money to be made by the shops that share that tile's row or column. Three times the board is filled with tiles and shop money is earned, after which the player with the most money wins. In Kingdoms, the first English-language version of Auf Heller und Pfennig, players try to collect the most gold by establishing castles in the richest regions of the realm while avoiding hazards like dragons, swamps, and trolls. The 2011 edition includes detailed plastic castles, a streamlined rulebook, and the addition of a wizard tile - one that increases the rank of adjacent castles, multiplying their scores - previously available only at game conventions. As of 2024, Cosmolancer is the newest version of this design, with players taking the role of freelance photographers in space! As in the other versions, the game lasts three rounds, and to start a round, each player draws a random tile and keeps it secret. On a turn, you either: • Draw a tile and place it in an empty space on the 6x5 grid. • Place the tile in your hand. • Place one of your tokens, which are numbered 1-4, in an empty space. When all of the spaces are filled, you score each of your tokens, multiplying the number on the token by the sum of the tiles in its row and column, with some special tiles nullifying positive values or splitting a row into two segments. You retrieve all of your 1 tokens, but the others are now out of play. After three rounds, whoever has the highest score wins.

Designer

Reiner Knizia

Artists

Kevin Childress, Hugo Cuellar, Anders Finér, Charlie Layton, Eric Lofgren, Henning Ludvigsen, Jim Pavelec, Peter Tikos and 1 more

Publisher

Hans im Glück

Categories

Abstract StrategyFantasyMedieval

Mechanics

Tile Placement
View on BoardGameGeek ›
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