Game Objective: Get a Job, Get a Crew, Keep Flying!

Welcome to the 'Verse, Captain! In Firefly: The Game, you and your friends will take on the role of ship captains, navigating the solar system, finding contacts, recruiting crew and gear, and taking on all sorts of jobs. Your main goal is to become the most successful and notorious captain in the 'Verse!

Each game of Firefly begins with the selection of a Story Card. These cards are the heart of your journey, detailing what each player needs to accomplish to win the game. Whether it's being the first to pull off a daring heist or escaping the Alliance's "justice," each Story Card requires a different strategy. Adapting to these different objectives is the mark of a great captain!

Setup: Get Your Ship in Order and Prepare for Takeoff!

Before taking off, we need to set up the board and your ship. Follow these steps to prepare for your adventure in the 'Verse:

1. Nav Decks: If there are 3 or more players, find the "Alliance Cruiser" and "Reaver Cutter" cards in the Nav Decks (the ones that say "RESHUFFLE DECK" at the bottom). Place them in their respective discard piles.
2. Position the Cruiser and Cutter: Place the Alliance Cruiser in the Sector containing Londinium (the Alliance capital) and the Reaver Cutter in the Sector with the "Firefly" logo.
3. Ship and Leader Selection:
   • Place the Setup Cards face up in the center of the board.
   • All players roll a die. The player with the highest result chooses a Leader, a Ship Card, and the appropriate starting Drive Core.
   • Selection passes to the left, with each player making their selections.
   • The last player to choose a Leader places their Firefly in any Sector on the map. Players then take turns placing their Fireflys on the map, in reverse order, ending with the player who chose the Leader first. You cannot place your Firefly in an already occupied Sector.
   • The last player to place their Firefly takes the first game turn, and play proceeds clockwise.
4. Game Objective: After choosing Leaders, choose a Story Card. The remaining cards will not be used in this game. The chosen Story Card may affect the rest of the game setup. For your first game, "The King of All Londinium" is a good choice.
5. Starting Supplies: Each player receives 3000 Credits, 6 Fuel, and 2 Parts. Place the Fuel and Parts in empty Cargo or Stash areas on your Ship Card. Each Fuel and Part occupies half a space, so you can have one of each in the same space.
6. Starting Jobs: After choosing the Story Card, each player draws one Job Card from each Contact Deck. You cannot have more than 3 Job Cards in hand. Discard any Jobs you don't want and reduce your hand to three cards. (For the first few games, only draw cards from the Harken, Amnon Duul, and Patience Contact decks).
7. Priming the Pump: After choosing the Starting Jobs, flip over the top 3 cards of each Supply Deck, placing them in their discard piles. Pay close attention, as the revealed cards may influence where you want to go on your first turn!

The Game Turn: Your Actions in the 'Verse

On your turn, you can perform 2 Actions, in any order you prefer. You cannot perform the same Action twice. Additionally, you can interact with other players in your sector. After completing your 2 Actions, play passes to the player on your left.

Types of Actions:

• Fly: Navigating the 'Verse is essential and, at times, dangerous. You can choose between Full Burn (fast flight) or Mosey Along (slow and careful flight).
  • Full Burn: Spend 1 Fuel token. Move your Firefly to an adjacent Sector, then draw and resolve a Nav Card from the appropriate deck (Alliance for Sectors with a blue border, Border Space for Sectors with a yellow border). You can continue to move to new Sectors, drawing a new Nav Card for each, up to your ship's maximum Drive Core range.
  • Mosey Along: Move your Firefly 1 Sector, slowly and carefully. Do not spend a Fuel token. Do not draw from the Nav Decks.
  • Resolving Nav Cards: Most Nav Cards have two options. Some are simple instructions, others are Skill Tests. Results can be Keep Flying (continue moving), Full Stop (your ship stops), or Evade (move to an adjacent Sector and stop).
  • Special Encounters:
    • Alliance Cruiser: If you are in the same Sector as the Alliance Cruiser, you must resolve the Alliance Contact Event. This does not use an Action. If you don't have funds to pay fines, all available credits are confiscated, but Warrants are cleared.
    • Reaver Cutter: If you start your turn in the same Sector as the Reaver Cutter, resolve the Reaver Contact Event. This does not use an Action. If the Reaver Cutter moves into your Sector as a result of "Reavers on the Hunt," do not resolve the Reaver Contact immediately. No ship can move into a Sector occupied by the Reaver Cutter.
• Buy: Allows you to acquire Supply Cards (Crew, Gear, and Ship Upgrades) and refuel Fuel and Parts. Alternatively, you can use your Buy Action for Shore Leave.
  • Buying Supply Cards: You can "Consider" 3 cards, but can only "Buy" 2. Look at the discard pile and choose up to 3 cards to consider. For each card less than 3 you take from the discard, you can draw 1 face-down card from the Supply Deck. Pay the cost (on the purple tab of the card) for up to 2 of them. Unbought cards return to the discard.
  • Buying Fuel and Parts: At a Supply Planet, you can buy Fuel for $100 each and Parts for $300 each, in addition to Supply Cards.
  • Shore Leave: In a Sector with a Supply Planet, you can use your Buy Action to give your Crew Shore Leave. Pay $100 for each Crew member (disgruntled or not) and remove all Disgruntled tokens.
• Deal: Talking to Contacts opens up new job opportunities.
  • If your Firefly is in a Contact Sector, you can Deal with them. You can "Look" at 3 and "Take" up to 2 Jobs from the Contact Deck.
  • If you are Solid with the Contact, you can also sell Cargo and Contraband to them as part of your Deal Action.
  • Taking Jobs: Just like buying supplies, you can "Consider" 3 Job Cards, but can only "Take" 2. Look at the discard first, then draw from the deck if necessary. Untaken cards return to the discard. You cannot have more than 3 inactive Jobs in hand.
• Work: Performing Jobs is how you earn Credits. Some are legal transports, others require "Misbehaving" under the Alliance's nose.
  • Starting a Job: Your Firefly must be at the Pickup Location (for Deliveries) or Target Location (for Crimes). Place the Job Card face up to the left of your Ship Card, making it an Active Job. You can have up to 3 Active Jobs.
  • Steps to Work:
    1. Equip Crew: Commit to the Gear your Crew is carrying. Each Crewman and Leader can carry 1 Gear Card.
    2. Confirm Needs: Your team must meet the requirements on the Needs tab of the Job Card. If the needs are not met, the job cannot proceed.
    3. Do the Job / Misbehaving:
       • Legal Jobs: Follow the instructions on the Job Card. Delivery Jobs require a Work Action at the Pickup Location and the Delivery Location.
       • Misbehaving: Illegal Jobs require "Misbehaving." Draw Misbehave Cards one at a time, working through them. Most have 2 options. You cannot choose an option with a need you cannot meet.
         • Ace in the Hole: Some Misbehave Cards have an "Ace" (Specific Person, Profession, or item) in the bottom right corner. If you have this "Ace," you can automatically proceed.
         • Misbehaving Results: Proceed (proceed with the job), Attempt Botched (attempt failed, but can try again), or Warrant Issued (warrant issued, job discarded, you become an Outlaw Ship).
    4. Result:
       • Success: Receive Payment: Take Credits from the bank equal to the payment listed on the Job Card. Your reputation becomes "Solid" with the Contact who issued the job.
       • Job Bonus: If the job has a bonus tab and you have a Crewman with the listed profession, receive the bonus.
       • Paying the Crew's Share: Pay each Crewman the amount listed on their card. If you choose not to pay, they become Disgruntled.
  • Make-Work: If you have nothing to do and your Firefly is in a Sector with a planet, you can use a Work Action to take $200 from the bank.

Skills and Skill Tests:

There are three types of Skills: Fight, Tech, and Negotiate. You find Skill Points on Crew Cards and Gear Cards. To make a Skill Test, roll a die and add your Skill Points of the appropriate type. Compare the total to the target number on the card. The die has a Firefly in place of the 6; if you roll a Firefly, count it as 6 and make a Bonus Roll, adding the result to the total.

• Kosherized Rules: In some "Kosherized" Fight Tests, you cannot add Fight Skill Points from Gear.
• Bribes: In some "Bribes" Negotiate Tests, you can pay $100 to the bank to add +1 to your total before rolling the die.

End of Game and Scoring: The Story Comes to an End

The game ends when a player completes the Objectives detailed on the Story Card chosen at the beginning of the game. Story Cards may have numbered Objectives that must be completed in order, or a single Objective to win.

Working Objectives:

You must use a Work Action to advance an Objective. Upon completing an Objective, take an Objective token to mark your progress. If the Objective requires "Misbehaving," do so before following other instructions. Working an Objective is different from working a Job; special abilities applied during Jobs do not apply to Objectives, and you do not pay your Crew after completing an Objective.

• Botched Objective Attempts: If a Skill Test from a Story Card results in "Attempt Botched," you can attempt the test again on your next turn.
• Warrant Issued: If you receive a Warrant while working an Objective, place a Warrant token on your Ship Card. You can attempt to work the Objective again on your next turn.

The first player to complete all Objectives on the Story Card wins the game and becomes the most legendary captain in the 'Verse!

Tips for Winning: Keep the Ship Flying!

The 'Verse is a dangerous place, but with a little wit and a good crew, you can thrive. Here are some tips to help you win:

1. Versatile Crew is Key: A Crew with a good mix of all three Skills (Fight, Tech, and Negotiate) will be well-equipped to handle the dangers of the 'Verse. Weapons are great, but you can't solve every situation by shooting... and they're almost useless when your ship breaks down! Look for Pilots and Mechanics early in the game, as they can be the difference between life and death, and between reaching your destination or being stranded.
2. Always Have an Escape Plan (and Extra Fuel): If you're going to "Misbehave" (commit illegal acts), it's best to have an escape plan in reserve. Find Transport – like Fast Horses or a 4WD Mule – to get you out of a tight spot when things go wrong. Also, never underestimate the importance of Fuel. Running out of gas means being stranded. Always carry a little more Fuel than you think you need for a trip, to handle emergency course changes or unexpected opportunities.