Firefly: The Game – First Impressions

We recently got the anticipated and kick-started game, Firefly: The Game. We got a chance to play it a couple of times, and I thought I would report on some of our impressions. It seems this can be a fairly long game; we finally had to call our first game after two days of trying to finish it, over six hours. I think we were close to the end…

In terms of gameplay, someone remarked that it plays like Munchkin: you collect gear, upgrades, and helpers, to kick in the door, or do missions you have selected. Strategically, the game reminds me of Dominion. You spend the early majority of the game building up your deck – or in this case, ship, crew, and gear – and then at the end, everyone begins a race to get the victory conditions. Going too soon can lead to failure, and put you behind.

However, the thing that this game is most referential to is Firefly itself. Between all the various elements of the game, they invoke not only nostalgia for the show, but the feel of the show. The rules, the activities you undertake – they make it feel like you are doing the same thing Mal and his crew were doing, with the same difficulties. Unfortunately, this can be frustrating, as you deal with having to pay your crew while undertaking jobs, or when your engine gives out in the middle of Alliance space, with an Alliance Cruiser hot on your tail.

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