Deep in the farthest reaches of space, a clash of cosmic proportions is taking place, where teams of contenders face off against one another in a bid to claim planets and power, when the dust settles, will you be the conqueror or the conquered? This is Alpha Clash: Cosmic Conquest. Launching tomorrow on Kickstarter, Cosmic Conquest, published by Rising Empire Studios, was kind enough to send me a prototype copy to check out. As this was a prototype, components, and rules are all subject to change and improvement between now and the final release.
Set in the same universe as the Alpha Clash TCG, comic book, and novel, Cosmic Conquest pits 2–4 players in a race to collect enough victory points—referred to as Gambit Points in this game—in order to claim victory. Players have a large variety of methods to explore for obtaining those points, including dealing damage and taking out rival contenders, holding down planets, or even healing during their turn. (This last option was a particularly nice surprise, as I can’t recall another game that actively rewards healing like this. Healers matter too.) Each of the 18 contenders offered in the base box falls under one of three classes—Sentinel (the Tank), Destroyer (DPS), and Savior (Healer)—with skills tailored to that specific role.
Each contender has two forms: their Unrivaled and Awakened forms. Always starting on the weaker “Unrivaled,” you initially have access only to a unique passive ability. However, by spending experience tokens, you can awaken any of your given contenders, unlocking additional special abilities (each with a cooldown) to help turn the tide in your favor during fights. I especially appreciate the work the team has done to give each contender their own flavor and personality, with each board including details on that particular character’s lore, physical traits, and unique, dynamic artwork for both their Unrivaled and Awakened sides. Little touches like this go a long way in fleshing out a game.
For players who love rolling dice, Cosmic Conquest will speak directly to your soul, as this is a dice-chucking game through and through. Combat sees both the attacker and defender rolling a bunch of dice, counting and comparing symbols, and then using their powers or equipment cards—bought from the Armory—to augment and adjust their rolls. To add further spice, planets that players can conquer (nine were included in my prototype) provide passive bonuses to any team holding them. For instance, Synthoria hinders opponents’ Awakened contenders by limiting the number of dice they can reroll while defending against your attacks. This all culminates in quite the action-packed skirmish game that fans of Ameritrash games will gravitate toward.
What grabbed my attention right away with Cosmic Conquest—before I dove into the mechanics or gameplay, before I even opened the box—is the game’s fantastic art. It comes as no surprise, considering the team at Rising Empire Studios is building off an IP that includes a comic book, among other things, but the bright and dynamic look of all the contenders and 80+ Armory cards really stands out and grabs the eye. I would put the visuals up against any of the other heavy-hitter comic book houses—it’s that impressive.
Luckily, though, Cosmic Conquest doesn’t just rest on its good looks. At its core, it’s a dice-chucking skirmish game that scratches the itch for rolling a bunch of dice to see what happens. It does all this without bombarding players with overly complex rules or bogging down the flow of the game, meaning that by the end of the second or third round, my friends and I had a great grasp of how the game worked. We could start formulating our strategies to win instead of just trying to figure out how to play.
Most of the strategy in Cosmic Conquest, I found, came less from the gameplay itself and more from contender drafting (picking the three characters on your team from the 18 included in the base game) and optimizing your methods to build Gambit Points. With so many characters to pick from and cards to pull from the shop, the game does a great job of keeping each play session distinct and exciting. I can see a meta evolving around the contenders, with optimal party compositions and counter-picks aplenty. That said, a lot of your success in Cosmic Conquest will rely on luck, so players who prefer strategy-based outcomes may find it less appealing. Even with the ability to modify or augment your rolls, much of the game comes down to the will of the dice and the cards available in the Armory. Cosmic Conquest is a fun time, though, if you know what to expect going in.
As much as I enjoyed Cosmic Conquest, I have a few small critiques I’d love to see addressed in the final release. One is more of a curiosity than an issue with the game’s systems. The game includes representations of the various contenders (my prototype contained lovely acrylic standees, though the final release will also offer plastic miniatures), which are slotted into little boards that are moved around the planets on the game board. However, outside of just showing the various parties, there’s no current reason for these to exist. They almost feel like an excuse to include miniatures in the campaign (and who doesn’t love a sweet-looking mini?).
You never split up your team or drop off single heroes on different planets. When one contender “dies,” they immediately come back to life, and the trays or standees seem to exist simply for aesthetics. I’d love to see mechanics that allow individual contenders to hold planets or give a strategic reason for moving them around. Otherwise, a simple plastic token could serve the same purpose and save space, especially compared to 18+ miniatures. That said, the back of the rulebook promises additional game modes in the final release, so perhaps one of those will give them more purpose.
My larger complaint has to do with contenders “dying”—or rather, the lack thereof. When I hear a name like Cosmic Conquest or the term “contender,” I picture large-scale clashes. In most contests, if someone gets knocked out, they’re out. Here, however, contenders only lose any equipped items and revert to their weaker “Unrivaled” state before returning to the fight with nearly full health. Even this downgrade feels inconsequential, especially in the late game, since it costs the same five experience points to awaken them again. While combat is fun, this system makes it feel anticlimactic, as it lacks real risk or danger. At worst, you’re doing your opponents a favor by removing the cooldown from their skills. I’d love to see a variant with permadeath for contenders or a mechanic akin to Magic: The Gathering’s “Commander Tax” where you would have to pay an increasing cost to revive them each time they come back.
Final Thoughts
Final ThoughtsAlpha Clash: Cosmic Conquest—even in its prototype phase—is a game I’d happily reach for during a game night with my crew. It’s perfect for when we just want to have some drinks and roll dice. While it relies heavily on luck, there’s still enough depth—thanks to the variety of heroes and planets—that I found myself wanting to set it back up immediately. I look forward to seeing what the final ruleset offers, from additional game modes to tweaks to contender death and maybe even more planets for variety. Overall, I think Rising Empire Studios has a solid skirmish game on its hands that expands the Alpha Clash property in an exciting new way.
You can back your own copy of Alpha Clash: Cosmic Conquest when it launches on Kickstarter tomorrow (2/25/25)!
