249
people found this helpful, as of 2023
ranked #115,086 most helpful
out of 571,544,897 reviews
★★★★☆
Thematically great, but takes some time to get the hang of
Preface: I have only played 1 game so far and it took 4 hours. BUT, much of that was just getting the hang of things. Towards the end, we were flipping and resolving cards very quickly.
Quick rundown: You take jobs, you do jobs, you get paid for the jobs. And keep your boat in the sky. Take some nice cushy legal jobs in the Alliance areas? Take something riskier or worry about getting caught by an Alliance patrol? Or really go out into the boarders, make some real money but risk the wrath of Reavers?
Buy some gear. Vera? The Mule? How about a Cunning Hat? Hire some crew. Inara can help you talk your way out of some situations. Kalee can keep your boat in the sky. Did you pick up Saffron? Well she just jumped ship to work on another ship as Yolanda.
The Good: I felt like I was in the show. I could take risks for big pay, but get caught. I could play it safe and stay out of major space lanes and hope not to run out of gas. When Reavers were nearby, we crapped our pants. And in terms of game mechanics, we felt like when bad things happened it was our choice. And once you learn what to do, things flow nicely. Also, all of the parts are decent quality at worse, with some (like the money) being wonderful. Also, did I mention that my Captain, Monty, wore a mighty cunning hat till the end of the game.
The Bad: Lots and LOTS of bits and baubles. There are 13 separate decks, each with their own discard piles. 5 piles of tokens. And 5 stacks of very well printed money. Add to that a big board and each player needing real estate for their ship, crew, gear, jobs, and money...this game takes some serious room to play. This wasn't really a concern to me, but I know it may be for some folks. Also, there were w few niggling rules issues we weren't sure about. Or how or when you can cancel an active job. Hopefully a FAQ will clear them up.
The Ugly: Doing jobs for Niska. Yeah, I didn't have to...but I wanted to be Solid with him. And he made me pick up (read: Capture) some slaves and deliver them. Yeah the pay was damn good...but I still felt dirty.
