One for Firefly fans – being able to play this TV series as a board game! You get to captain your own Firefly class transport ship transporting cargo and travellers across the Verse, whilst cause mischief along the way! Each player selects a ship and a captain, then their starting position within a sector that has no other ships in it. There are 6 story cards that set up the scenarios and tasks to play the game. Each player on their turn has 2 different actions they can undertake e.g.
- Buy – there are 5 supply planets where you can hire crew, allow them to go on leave to keep them happy and/or purchase gear, fuel and parts as needed
- Deal – there are 5 contact locations where you can acquire your next job from. Plus if you have a good reputation with that contact (by completing jobs assigned by them successfully) you can do business with him/her, which maybe handy when wanting to clear warrants, ignore custom inspections, sell contraband etc. Each contact has their own special service, which is worth bearing in mind as you play the game
- Fly – here you can move one space or go at full burn; this burning your fuel whilst also drawing cards as you go through each sector – Alliance Territory and Border Space. You’ll need to act upon these, similar to story events in the TV series
- Work – pay time! Undertaking jobs for you and your crew to get paid (once completed). There are a different types of jobs you can undertake:
- Needs – a list of needs you’ll have to undertake before you can begin the job
- Legal – picking up cargo/passengers and transporting them to a destination
- Illegal – here comes the misbehaving bit we know so well from the TV series and often the jobs here relate to story events taken from this show. This is where the fun really kicks in as there are 3 outcomes from these cards, which will add twists and turns to your gameplay:
- Proceed – allowing you to continue and complete the job assigned
- Attempt Botched – something went wrong and you get to try again later
- Warrant Issued – not good, something went badly wrong and now the authorities are after you and you’ve lost your good reputation with the contact that assigned you the job
- Action – where there are no jobs on hand to the sector you’re in, you can find work on the planets to earn credits to keep the money coming in
Be aware of your crew’s morale, keeping the money rolling and paying them their cut will help. Also the type of jobs undertaken, the more legal jobs the better, whereas illegal jobs can lower their morale (but you may not always have a choice on this). If they become too unhappy they can be hired by other Captains or just walk out if it gets really bad.
Just as in the TV series you need to be wary of encountering Alliance ships (particularly when carrying contraband or fugitives otherwise they will be ceased and yourselves fined), Reavers never good to encounter, breaking down and getting stuck somewhere so unable to make deliveries, as well as running into trouble plus watch out for double dealings. The game is won by the first player to complete the story goals.
It is for 1 to 4 players ages 12 upwards and can take 2 to 3 hours to play. One of the story cards covers how to play solo, with the rest for playing with friends. This allowing you to mix up the game play each time when playing with friends. One definitely for Firefly fans as you get to relive the TV series within the board game play; it may even inspire you to re-watch it.
If you’ve not yet see this TV series and into sci-fi well worth checking this out (it can take 2 or 3 episodes to get in to) plus the corresponding movie Serenity and consider playing this game as well. The movie was even voted above Star Wars, which we’re not so sure of ourselves in being big Star Wars fans but not definitely up there as a sci-fi film.
Are you ready to misbehave and cause havoc across the Verse as captain in Firefly: The Game? Available to buy here
A demo of the game can be watched here
For the latest board game news and releases follow us on Twitter and or Facebook. Plus you can subscribe to receive our latest blogs via RSS feeds.
Like our blogs? Please Retweet, Like or G+