By Amanda, @swansongwriter
This weekend, I spent my time roaming around London Comicon cosplaying a circus character from a fabulous book called The Night Circus. There were many highlights but one of the main ones, was my new board game purchase – the Firefly Board Game. I was so excited to play this as I had had my eye on it for some time and every stall we went to, there was someone who commented on how amazing it was which added to my excitement.
(Image courtesy of tristategamers.org)
First things first, it will take a while to get your head around and you’ll find there is always something new to learn. For the first time you play, I would allow a couple of hours to get your head around the rules and a couple of hours to play the game. For the rest of the time, the quest card you choose will have a time estimate on the bottom; for instance the 1 player game is estimated at an hour long. I recommend playing as you learn so set the game up as you read through the rules and keep the rule book handy when playing for the first time (and maybe the next few after that).
(Image courtesy of monkeyswithfire.com)
The game is 1-5 players which I love because there isn’t always someone else or a group of people you can play with. It basically allows you to get the most out of the game as there’s more playability. I haven’t played the single player campaign yet but if the 2 and 5 player games are anything to go by, it’s awesome!
(Image courtesy of gnomegames.com)
So, you pick your ship and your pilot and you’re good to go. Each pilot and ship is different with different abilities/perks etc. As you fly round the Firefly universe, you pick up jobs and in doing so, become ‘solid’ with others which basically means that you’re on good terms and you can sell fuel and parts etc. You can also pick up $200 jobs easily so if you’re low on cash, it’s easy to come by. There is also a Wash’s stegosaurus which gets passed around to whoever’s go it is (‘curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal’).
(Image courtesy of gameskinny.com)
In the game I played, there were 3 goals; become solid with 2 people, obtain $6000 cash and fly back to a specific location on the board. Each time you complete a goal, you get a goal token so it’s easy to keep track. For some jobs, it’s pretty straightforward – no skills needed. For others, your pilot and crew will need certain skills such as charisma and mechanics for example. But, if you don’t have these skills and picking up crew and market places is an issue, you can pick up new jobs at specified places on the map.
(Image courtesy of pressxordie.com)
All in all, this is one of my all-time favourite board games. It the words of Captain Reynolds, it’s shiny! The cards are beautifully decorated with quotes from the show on the front and back of them. The different game modes give variety and the beginners mission is awesome for getting started. And what’s even better, is one you have the hang of the overall game, there are expansions so more Firefly fun to be had. I genuinely think that even if you haven’t seen Firefly, this is a game you can enjoy. So, what are you waiting for? Go out and get this game. It’s flipping awesome!
References
Firefly.wikia.com
Fireflythegame.com
BoardGameGeek.com (feature images)
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