What could possibly make Firefly: The Game any better? More cards! In case you were not happy with the 250 cards in the base game, Gale Force Nine has released another 50 cards as a ‘Game Booster.’ This should not be confused with an expansion, which is on the way (Pirates and Bounty Hunters, due out later this year). This booster, Breakin’ Atmo, is simply to add more of a good thing. Or is more less in this particular case?
Overview:
This booster contains twenty five contact cards and twenty five supply cards. Each contact from the base game gets five new jobs that introduce a new, scalable pay mechanism. The payout of the job is proportional to the number of skill points you have when you complete the job. If you have a bunch of mechanics, you are going to want to jump on those Amnon Duul jobs for a big boost. We also see the addition of a job with a variable location! I am not sure why this was not included in the base game, but there is a job that takes place at the Alliance Cruiser, wherever it may be.
The supply cards are far more interesting. Each port gets an additional five cards to add to the deck. These cards add some interesting personalities and even more useful equipment. There are no new ship upgrades, only crew and equipment. Some of the highlights include the Cortex Uplink that allows a player to ‘deal’ with a contact, regardless of where the player’s ship is. In addition, we also see the first use of the Misbehave Deck’s suits with the Gambling card. This equipment allows the player to pay some money to flip five misbehave cards. If a subset of these cards are matching suits, they get a sizable return. The sweet thing about the card is that it is a zero cost card, that when used, is added to the discard pile it came from. This means that any player can pick it up and roll the proverbial dice again.
Things and bits:
There are really no new ‘rules,’ and the cards are all easy to understand in the framework of the game. Physically the cards are not 100% the same as the cards from the original game. These cards are a little stiffer, and have slightly different coloration. This did not cause any game play issues, as most of the time you are looking at face up cards anyway. After they are shuffled into the base decks, everything still fits nicely in to the box.
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From Trading in the Mediterranean to FPS, I love games. While I grew up in a house without consoles, PC gaming and board gaming were a large part of my formative years, and continue to influence my life. In this golden age of board gaming, I have jumped in headfirst in to anything table top. As a ludilogical student, I love thinking about how games work, their mechanics, their elegance and most importantly, enjoying how fun they are.
Favorite Board Game (at the moment): Twilight Struggle
Favorite PC Game (base solely on play time): Tie between WoW and DII
Fell free to email me: comments, concerns, questions, feedback, rants, and/or suggestions.
A Game Booster is the best classification for Breakin' Atmo. There is nothing game changing in this pack of cards. This is not a 'must have' expansion. However, that should not discredit them. The new cards are an enjoyable addition to the game. How many times have we all thought: "Man, I wish there was more of this!" Breakin' Atmo fits this niche like a glove. For people who did not like Firefly: The Game, this is not going to change their minds. But for those of us who really like the base game, Breakin' Atmo is a great addition to an already great game. Good work Gale Force Nine.
PROS
- More cards!
- Misbehave suits finally have purpose
- Simple to integrate
CONS
- Small add-on
- nothing game changing
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