A long time ago – back in 2002 – a TV show came out that prompted an extraordinary response. Combing the best of science fiction and the wild west, Firefly captured the imagination of millions of people around the world. It’s cast had a rarely found chemistry that brought episodes to life like no other show before it. Combined with inspired direction, effects and a compelling future world Firefly seemed to be destined for great things. Until Fox cancelled it after 13 episodes. The response was remarkable. Fans of the show took out a full-page ad begging Fox not to drop the axe but to no avail. Three years later fans prayers were answered when Serenity was released, a movie sequel to the cancelled show. The fact that the movie existed at all was a miracle. Cancelled shows don’t get made into a features yet somehow Firefly had. This was entirely down to the passion of the creator, Joss Whedon – yes the guy who wrote and directed Avengers Assemble – the cast and the fans. Sadly despite topping box offices in the UK, Europe and local markets in the States it wasn’t a commercial success but, to coin the Boss ‘we did the impossible, and that makes us mighty’.
Now, 11 years after the show aired, Gale Force 9 has announced that they will be releasing a game which is testimony to the richness of the universe and the loyalty of its fans – myself included. Although we may never see Serenity and her crew on our screens again, we can at least keep her flying on dining tables around the world. I can live with that.
The below is lifted from the Gale Force 9 website…
“After the Earth was used up, we found a new solar system and hundreds of new Earths were terra formed and colonized. The central planets formed the Alliance and decided all the planets had to join under their rule. There was some disagreement on that point. After the War, many of the Independents who had fought and lost drifted to the edges of the system, far from Alliance control. Out here, people struggled to get by with the most basic technologies; a ship would bring you work, a gun would help you keep it. A captain’s goal was simple: find a crew, find a job, keep flying.”
Firefly, the popular television series created by Joss Whedon, comes to life in a new boardgame from Gale Force Nine and Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products. Compelling characters, great storytelling and an evocative universe has made Firefly a fan-favorite for the past ten years. Now fans of the television show and board games can chart their own course with Firefly: The Game, arriving on store shelves Fall 2013.
In Firefly: The Game, players captain their own Firefly-class transport ship, traveling the ‘Verse with a handpicked crew of fighters, mechanics and other travelers. As a captain desperate for work, players are compelled to take on any job — so long as it pays. Double-dealing employers, heavy-handed Alliance patrols and marauding Reavers are all in a day’s work for a ship’s captain at the edge of the ‘Verse. Firefly: The Game is a high-end thematic tabletop boardgame from Gale Force Nine (GF9). It will be the first in a series of tabletop hobby boardgames and miniatures games from GF9 set in the Firefly Universe.“Building on the success of Spartacus: A Game of Blood and Treachery, we’re thrilled to be making a game that evokes the heart and themes of Firefly - the best ‘gorram’ show in the ‘Verse.” said John Kovaleski, CEO of Gale Force Nine, “With challenging game play, fantastic production values and compelling narratives, you and your fellow captains will want to head out into the big black again and again”.
“We’re pleased to be working with Gale Force Nine to bring a new board game to the devoted fans of Firefly.Firefly: The Game is innovative and remains true to the spirit of the popular series” stated Jeffrey Godsick, President of Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products.
