Space? Check. A western vibe? Check. Drama? Luck? Check, check. Mix that all together, throw in some dice, and you’ve got Firefly: Shiny Dice.
Okay, maybe I don’t always have luck, but it’s the only thing you can depend on in this game from Upper Deck. Based on Joss Whedon’s epic one-season space western science fiction series, Firefly (which may have been cancelled too soon—you decide), this game made its debut earlier this summer, and is finally out on store shelves.
Firefly: Shiny Dice takes place on the fastest spaceship in the ‘verse, Serenity. It’s all about completing missions, keeping your crew safe, gathering supplies, collecting points, and defeating your foes. Fans of the show will appreciate that the box and game feature artwork from the show and the “Mission” cards include screenshots and quotes from the characters (River Tam lives on!). It comes with 15 die, two play mats, 100 cards, victory point tokens, bystander tokens, and player screens.
This game is perfect for players who don’t have a forte in strategy, because rolling the dice and picking random cards determine your path. The included player screens (which also hide how many points you have from the other players) really help move the game along. The front of each screen features the Firefly logo, characters from the show, and Serenity, while the back has a quick summary of the rules of the game.
You can ride solo or play with up to four other players. I would recommend playing with two players, or two teams with two players on each team, to keep the game exciting and competitive. The game is made up of three rounds and four steps in each round, some with multiple phases. But, players can use their discretion to play with fewer or additional rounds.
Players take turns rolling 15 dice to pick a crew, get supplies, and see which foes they are up against (Badger, Saffron, or Niska). There are seven crew dice, three supplies dice, and five foe dice. So, it’s only natural that you can potentially get doubles, triples, or sometimes even four of one of the categories, but don’t worry because some of the missions require multiple icons of each to complete. Since some characters have special abilities, players may have the option of rerolling dice.
Once players have their crew, supplies, and foes set, the next step is to get a mission. There are five types of missions, and each has a different role in the game and takes a different amount of dice icons to complete. The first mission I got was an Escape card, which let me add 200 Victory Points to my temporary score pool and gain two supplies if I had two Mal and two Zoe.
Step three has all the action—it’s where players have a chance to complete their missions and fight the foes. Since I did have the two Mal and two Zoe icons in my Crew dice, then I was able to complete my mission. If I didn’t have it, then I would be either forced to end my turn, forced to take an additional turn, or be affected in some other way that will change up the game.
After revealing and resolving a mission, the bad guys strike. Then, players must use their remaining dice to defeat the foes. They can score points, clear their turn, opt to take another turn, or fail the mission. If you fail to defeat the foe when you choose to continue your turn, then you lose all of your Victory Points. The player with the most Victory Points at the end of the three rounds wins.
There are tons of cards to make repeat play fresh and exciting, and definitely enough twists to keep players on their toes. If you’re a fan of the TV show, I know you’ll have a blast playing this game (if you’re not, get on Netflix right now and watch all of it). You’ll want to play over and over again to be the “Best in the ‘Verse!”
