Tips cosmoctopus

Cooperative mode:

The goal is to not let the inspector reach 13 more than one time, else you will have very few times to get 8 tentacles. To do that, you want to focus one color early on, reaching 13 pretty early (even without synergies having 8/8 of that ressource, gaining +3 of that ressource, and discarding two cards of the color is enough). Once you did that, you can keep one or two cards of that color on the row which will just make the inspector goes much slower to reach 13 on others colors.

When playing solo, you want to have a plan. Usually with the starting you have two main possibilities: - either you can do nothing good with your hand, and your goal will be to plan carefully your first color to be around 8~12 when you get the forbidden knowledge. - or either you play for a slower game, if you got a way to generate more ressources that's usually really good to play it and then do that color first. If you got some yellow card which make you win a ressource (or worst make you draw), you could play them, and so decide do that color later on, since after you will get your first forbidden knowledge that effect will happen twice, and after your second forbidden knowledge, that will happen twice again. If the card give you +3 black, you will generate +12 black that way.

The red card which give you a boost of ressources of +5 or +8 are great to use right before taking the knowledge token. The red card in first contract can give an extra +1 above 8 to get a forbidden knowledge. The black card which reduces the cost of a color can be good if you got too much black, if you need one or two extra ressource of one type (above 8), or if you can use multiples cards with that effect. I would advise (even if I need to try them more) to not play around green cards much. With the red card on the first contract, that can help a lot to do one green, or if your plan of moves goes directly to one green. But you will need to plan two greens, and that let you have one color you could ignore. You still want to get the forbidden knowledge of the three others colors.

Don't be scared of using multiples turns to get some +3, to discard sometimes 4 cards to get your forbidden knowledge. Controlling the ressources the inspector gain is primordial: you want to be safe even if the top card of the deck is the worst color you expect.

Try to have a plan. Per example if you have a red card which add +8 yellow, then you know you will most likely do your yellow with it, which mean you either want to do yellow immediately and keep yellow cards on the row, or you want to keep that card for later, and when yellow will goes too high, you can get the yellow forbidden knowledge. Knowing which one of the two to goes for depend mainly of the color of the cards on the row, and the layout of the board, if you can get yellows easily or not. Then, you want to choose your first color which depend mainly of the layout, the color of the card in the row visible, and the amount of cards of each color you got. And then sometimes you want to carefully count your turn until you will get your first forbidden knowledge. You want at best to be at 11~12 when you do it (or don't waste any ressource moving).