Xia: Legends of a Drift System

I absolutely love this game. I did receive it missing a piece and the company has been more than accommodating on that front. Xia is a great game mechanically, it is heralded as a sandbox game, but I don't think sandbox is the best term use as it gets confused with the video game concept of sandbox or games like myth. You really only have one goal, to be the most famous ship captain in the drift system, and how you go about it is up to you. The various mechanics can provide complex and various paths to victory, but they are implemented in a simple streamlined fashion that is very easy to teach. And the game is certain to be different every time you play. The game is a little pricey, but you truly get what you pay for with this package. The components are top notch, FarOffGames went above and beyond, with having unique models for each ship, metal chips for currency, plastic pieces instead of the generic painted wood, and they even put good thought into their insert for storing your game which is not seen nearly enough in the industry. Also the models are prepainted which I love as I hate painting minis, but I hate having colorless minis even more. Now there are a few ships that model painting enthusiast will freak out about and have to pull out their brushes but they are better than the star trek attack wing paint jobs, and it really adds to the game. FarOff could have made the game cheaper, but after having played it, Higher quality components really add to a good game and is worth every penny. With Xia being on the pricier side, I looked at a lot of video reviews on YouTube, and I recommend you do as well before purchasing, this game will not be for everyone. If you are the type that hates randomizers, then you may have some issues in the game, the dice and random cards can be unforgiving in some play throughs. Some of the reviews I looked at complained everyone goes the merchant route because it was a guaranteed path to victory and the game got stale. I personally disagree, my group tried to test that theory and we had somebody go pirate and made a warship and messed with the trading route and won, if you always play the same way and not try and innovate and adapt to the dynamic board than I could see it getting stale, but if you play freeform like the game is designed to be played I think you have an interesting experience every time. This game screams for expansions and I hope the designers will give us more. Honestly if this game looks interesting to you, you like playing games where you have multiple paths to victory, get it, you will not be disappointed.

NOTE: If you don't care for dice rolling/luck games, this might not be the game for you. If you like not knowing the future and live in a reality where anything is possible, carry on.. This game is simply fantastic. I got my copy. I unboxed it. I "ooh'ed" and "ahh'ed" at the superb quality of everything from the tiles to the miniatures. Then I started reading the rule book. The first thought that went through my mind was "Dear gawd, what did I just get myself into?". It's confusing at first and there's a lot to take in what with the rolling for chance, rolling for damage, rolling for defense, or figuring out when you can take certain actions. Honestly, once you get past the initial shock it's actually quite simple. My group sat down for our first go with Xia and fumbled our way through it, pausing every few minutes to re-read rules to make sure we were playing correctly. After 5 or 6 rounds it started to click. We made it to the 5th fame point to finish the starter game (by "we" I of course mean me, the ultimate and glorious winner of the Universe) and decided unanimously to move the marker up to the 10 point spot (which I won at again, btw) to continue playing only to move it up again. It was about an hour later that the marker was at the 20 point spot (It was a while before this that I was humiliated by more than one death at the hands of my counterparts for being an utterly sore winner). We couldn't stop playing. Everyone was having too much fun. I've read in others' reviews of this game that down-time in between turns is an issue for some. We really didn't notice, as part of the game - as it should be in any tabletop multiplayer experience - is the story you build as you play. Granted, this is also a group that will play 5-6 hour long 6 player Magic: The Gathering games with horribly wrong house rules, so we're probably acclimated to downtime anyway. Oh and then there's alcohol, but that's another adventure. As for the game play, the one thing you might notice missing is narrative or story. This game does not tell you a story. It won't educate you on it's canon (it has none). It won't even suggest how you should play - you decide this completely. If you want to be the mad marauder that hunts down anyone with the purple cargo cubes just because that was your ex's favorite color - that's the law and you can live by it. If you choose to set the parking break and admire the view for a few turns smugly atop the one sector your opponent needs to sell his full cargo hold just 'cause, do it. This game is truly sandbox, with well defined rules of engagement, but you make the story. I love this aspect of it. Starting out I would recommend that if you move from 3 players to more, be sure at least one or two people understand the rules and turn steps. If you jump in with a bunch of new players it will take a while to catch them up and get the game moving smoothly. Once you get up and running and everyone understands the mechanics enough to start forming strategies, you can then introduce the NPC and Title mechanics - these only add to the value of the game by making more happen in the system. I can't wait to see what comes out in the way of expansions - so many possibilities to add to this already awesome game. There is an excellent video on Youtube that describes the majority of the games mechanics in under 12 minutes. http://youtu.be/k3nhdrBKZ1E Pros: - Every piece of artwork, miniatures, cards, credits, all of it is absolutely beautiful. You are most definitely getting your money's worth in the quality alone. - Randomized sectors during play makes the strategies change from game to game - a "can't lose" strategy doesn't work the next game. - Every ship has unique ability - you keep the old abilities at tier 3 ships - makes for many different combinations of specialization - Flexible game duration - Modding community encouraged by the games designer - make your own ships/abilities/missions Cons: - The ship mats warp when you unwrap them - not a game stopper but definitely annoying. It's said pressing them under heavy books will sort them out - Downtime - for people used to fast games, they'll notice it. For people used to alcohol induced humor, maybe not - Only one set of the several dice needed to play - it's a little annoying to pass them all around or lose track of one, but dice are cheap at least.

What makes "Xia: Legend of a Drift System" such an immersive game? Is it the tight rules that are simple, yet flexible enough for diverse play options? Is it the tiny details, such as the intricate spaceships, or is it the audible 'thunk' of the metallic currency? Is it the gameplay elements that have an atmosphere of tense struggle? to all the above; yes. Yes, and then some. The Good: Right off the bat this game feels like a project made with love and care. The attention to detail had me giddy; like a kid getting his first lego kit. "What attention to detail", you ask? Well, how about: -Tiny model ships, each representing a different playable craft. Each one colored and matching it's designated board. Each ship has their special play mat and play card, giving each ship a unique feel. -Metal currency! The currency has weight and polish to it, making the game feel like you're in for a galactic ride. -Ship stands and player markers! Clear ships stands give the spaceship illusion of 'floating'. The player markers fit snug on the base, allowing players to easily pick each other out, and pick each other off. -Combat! Combat has a good risk/reward system. Do I sacrifice defense for more firepower? Or do I forgo all modern weaponry and go full viking, with maximum engine power and ramming myself into my opponents? The selection of items: shields, engines, lasers, and missiles are simple, yet allow for numerous builds for each ship. -Ship customization! Customizing your ship is pretty entertaining in it's own right (think Galaxy Road Truckers). Having to puzzle piece your ship parts together, while trying to weigh want you want to do adds to a certain tension in gameplay. -Exploration! Ship exploration allows you to form the map, letting no two games look the same. The risk of blasting as far as you can, collecting Fame Points (Victory points), money, or nothing, can get you jumping or swearing entertainingly. And then there's the risk of blind jumping. do you spend precious energy to scan the sector first, or go balls-out and simply fly into the sector blindfolded? Will it pay off, or will you end up like poor Icarus, flying right into the newly explored sun, christening it like a molten bottle of champagne? -Different wincons! There are many ways to win and you just need to choose. Will you be the merchant who travels the galaxy buying and selling your way to victory? Will you be the explorer, cementing your name in with the likes of Magellan? Will you fly missions and win through hard labor? Or will you put on the guise of the villain, going full blackbeard and vaporizing the aforementioned fools? Or you just happened to roll that hard 20 and win... You bastard... -Expandable! The creator released the developer kit for the game, allowing you the player to make their own expansions! Will you make or proxy your own ships, or use some from familiar universes? The Bad: -Long downtime. When you play with 5 players, the time between turns can be immense. Now get a better ship and proceed to die. Now twiddle your thumbs as your opponents skip your turn, merrily trading that last bit of spice in to win. There will also be times that you'll be asking "Are you done?" as your opponents will be looking down at the board, figuring out what to do for their turns. -Long setup/scrap time. It takes a while to setup the game itself and even more so to put it all away. Good thing they gave us all these handy bags, eh? -Difficult to grasp for newer gamers. The game can be overwhelming for people whose board gaming experience is Milton Bradley. Overall, this is a game that can't be missed. This has been, hands down, one of my favorite board games to date. If you even have an inkling for a board game that is diverse, free roaming, and a blast to play, do yourself a favor and get it. Now. Why are you still reading?? Just get the damn game already!

This game is so utterly fantastic I felt Universally compelled to leave my first ever product review. Not necessarily because I want more people to play with, which in the case of this game, is not particularly welcome (the additional player count)...but rather in a selfish attempt to attract a level of attention that will hopefully translate directly into an indefinite stream of future content. Firstly, acclimating myself to this game was epiphanic in a way similar to reaching adulthood and realizing that my favorite foods aren't actually lasagna, macaroni & cheese, and black & bleu bacon burgers but rather simply cheese itself. Sure, I enjoy board games in general but this one, this one comes with extra cheese at no additional cost. Now that I understand what my favorite type of game actually is, I can proceed accordingly by actively fostering an online campaign of discussion, shameless promotion, and continued development. Other current favorites: Scythe, Isle of Skye, Ghost Stories, Viticulture, Hostage Negotiator, Bunny Kingdom, Nemo's War So why is this game great? 1. Sandbox, 'nuff said 2. Theme, oozing and pungent 3. Components, fanciful and supreme 4. Gameplay, wonderfully fun 5. Community passion, massive 6. Developer presence, continued 7. Table appearance, EPIC 8. Customization potential, high 9. Time commitment, variable Why you may not like this game: 1. You are averse to dice rolling, randomness, or unexpected results 2. You are sensitive to moderate to severe downtime 3. You have a strict, new game budget of < $85 4. You dislike space, sci-fi, or the 4x genre as a whole 5. You hate reading FAQs, BGG, or seeking rule clarifications 6. You must buy the expansion (debatable but not by many) 7. You have very limited or awkward table space 8. You wish to or must remain relatively stationary 9. You know me personally and dislike what I like out of spite There are plenty of video and other reviews online so I won't wax poetic. I find most to be spot-on. The number one complaint by far is likely the time between turns at the higher player counts. I have only played solo and two-player thus far. I do not have the expansion yet (backed it on KS last month) but have been playing with amended rules, the economy board (printed), some mods using dev kit blanks, and some extra/reclassified exploration tokens. I would probably not choose to play with more than 3 players, viewing the game as more of a 1-3 player experience. However, I would try 4 veteran players. I think the expansion is essential, mostly for the tokens, economy board, errata'd abilities, and solo rules/cards. The extras are certainly nice and expand the world in a welcome manner. A clear cut case of more is better. Finally, the accoutrements. The game (like most) could use more dice. I ordered a set of d6/d8/d12/d20 in each player color with bags so each player can have their own set of color-coordinated dice. In addition, a starfield or nebula play mat (3'x3') really adds to the ambiance. The dev kits are also nice, when they are in stock at the BGG store, if you wish to customize any outfits, tiles, or tokens. Presently I am using a few extra blank tiles to add a bit more 'space' in space because a 90% chance of finding something useful seems rather unlikely. I find three tiles to be a good number without the expansion. I'd say if you're somehow on the fence definitely go and buy it. As if you’ve never purchased anything apprehensively before. I never wholly recommend anything but this game is literally out of this world. For maximum effect do yourself a favor and totally familiarize yourself with the Lore section of the rulebook(s). Lastly, special thanks to Cody/Far Off Games for making this fine game available with Prime shipping and Amazon credit points eligible. Capitalism FTW!

This game is so awesome I almost don’t know where to being praising it. It’s a “sandbox” game which means it’s pretty much up to you what you want to do with it and how you want to play it. You can even choose your own endgame point (i.e. how many Fame points you need to win). If you want to focus on exploration, you can buy big engines and spend your turns revealing map sectors. If you want to specialize in buying and selling cargo, you can get rich and famous doing that. If you want to be famous for blowing up other ships, you can load your ship up with blasters and missiles and be a space pirate the other players will fear. The game is very customizable. For example, if you want a friendlier game you can take out the mission cards that have players attacking each other. If you don’t want to have the more dangerous map tiles available, you can leave them out too. The game comes with beautiful sturdy sector tiles, the money in the game consists of actual metal coins (!), and there are fistfuls of wonderful spaceship miniatures that come ALREADY ASSEMBLED AND ALREADY PAINTED (are you listening, Gale Force Nine?). The only warning I would provide is that when you look at the rules manual for the first time, it makes the game look overwhelmingly complicated, but honestly every component in the game is designed with common sense in mind, especially if you’re a fan of sci-fi TV shows/movies. For example, if you’ve used up your engines for this turn, you can only drift along on impulse power, a concept sci-fi fans should find familiar. Once you grasp how all the individual components work together into a unified whole, this becomes a very addictive game. There are only two design flaws with the game, one of which is there aren’t enough planet sectors in the game especially considering how important planets are. The other is that because the map is revealed one sector at a time, most of the mission cards you draw will be for sectors that haven’t been revealed yet, but this is easily homebrewed by allowing players to keep drawing cards until they get one with available sectors, rather than being stuck with one and waiting for that sector to turn up. There are some expansions for the game, the best of which is “Embers of a Forsaken Star,” which has even more stand-alone elements that you can mix and match into your Xia sandbox however you like. Out of all of the sci-fi board games I’ve played, I can’t think of any that I would rather play over this one.

There are a lot of science fiction-themed games out there, but none are quite like this. Unlike most space games, in this game you command only your own ship, and combat makes up only as much or as little of the game as you like. You can win through trade, piracy, bounty hunting, mining/harvesting/salvaging, completing random missions, exploration, or a combination of the above, and ultimately, every player ends up having to adapt to whatever opportunities present themselves so most players will use more than one path to victory. Basically, it's a board game version of the classic computer game series Elite. As for game mechanics, although the rulebook seems a little long, the rules are not terribly complex. Eurogame fans will probably dislike that there is a fair amount of luck (dice rolling, shuffled cards, randomized board, etc), and that there is some downtime between player turns. However, as a nominal simulation of a dynamic universe, the role luck plays in the game makes sense, as it forces players to adapt to the unexpected, and player downtime can be put to use dealing with other players (which is encouraged in the rules). The game moves relatively quickly from turn to turn, and waiting players often get drawn into the active player's activities (especially during combat), so the downtime isn't a huge detriment. The components are top notch. Everything feels well-made and substantial. The ships are all painted in detail, and stand on clear plastic posts which makes them "feel" like they are floating in space (and makes it easier to fit them on the board, since the larger ships on their own would be too big to fit in an individual board space). Colored collars are provided to hook around the bases to indicate who owns what ship. The game money is in the form of heavy triangular metal coins, which are easy to handle and have a satisfying clack to them when stacked. Player markers for the fame point scoreboard and ship boards are small wooden polygonal prisms with flattened sides, so they won't roll off the table if dropped on their sides. Cards are well-made but easy to shuffle. Damage and goods markers are plastic; damage markers are irregular chunks of bright transparent orange and communicate the idea of damaged components nicely, while the goods markers are all cubes but in contrasting shades so it is easy to tell the different types apart. Board sections, ship boards, the victory scoreboard, ship components and some other markers are made of thick cardboard with designs on both sides. The ship boards come precut and wrapped in plastic, while the other cardboard components are all on counter sheets which are easy to punch and hardly leave any flash. The ship boards do have a slight tendency to curl a little bit but flatten back out with a little gentle bending. The box easily fits all the components without forcing them (even with all the ships still on their bases), and plastic compartments and ample baggies are included to keep the different components separated. The box itself is well-decorated and made of sturdy cardboard which has held up to the weight of a very fat sleeping cat without distorting. If you're a fan of video games like Elite, Hardwar, Freelancer, or X2, or a fan of space-themed board games, or you just like board games with nice bits, this game is well worth the price.

I came into this game not knowing much about it. Amazon just suggested it to me one day and I thought it sounded fun enough to take a chance on it. Overall I think the game is amazing. It's fun and there's lots of ways to win from being a pirate to helping stranded players to being a merchant. This is because you aren't winning because you're building a fortune or anything; you win by becoming famous. If I had to describe the game in 3 words that would be "Firefly the game". You start out by picking one of the 6 tier one ships. The amount of free space and the layout of that space varies from ship to ship, and each ship has a special ability associated with it that you can use once per round. You then get 3k credits and a chance to buy outfits before the game starts. These outfits are Engines, Shields, Blasters, and Missiles. Each outfit comes in 3 different tiers and they all vary in size and shape with the higher tiers being larger. You buy your upgrades and fit them into the free space on your ship mat. Whatever spaces you don't fill with outfits can be used to store cargo for selling. As you complete missions, buy/mine cargo and sell it, claim bounties on other players for their nefarious deeds, or earn money by exploring the map you build up money and can eventually upgrade to a larger ship. There are a total of 3 tiers of ship and every time you upgrade, you get to keep the ability of the previous ship. Quality The quality of the materials in the game really made it stand out to me upon opening the box. The tiles are a thick and sturdy cardboard that isn't going to just fall apart any time soon. The game currencies are real metal chips. This may not seem like much, but when you're holding a handful of credits, it feels like you're really holding money; it just feels good and shows a real strive towards quality. The miniatures could be painted better, but the quality of them is good. They don't feel fragile like in a lot of other games I've played. And if you don't like the paint jobs you can always repaint them yourself. Your resources consist of small colored plastic cubes, very reminiscent of the viruses in Pandemic. I think it's easier than dealing with a bunch of cardboard tokens that could fray at the edges due to all the handling. Attention to Detail As a fan of board games and miniature games in general, there were a few small things that I noticed which really made the game appear to be made by someone who has a true love of board games. Slots in the in-box insert to store your credit chips. A baggie of extra baggies so that you could divvy up your markers however you wanted to speed up setup and tear down of the game and make organization more to your liking. A ton of extra flight stands which your ship sits on when you're playing. These things aren't the most fragile things ever, but it's still possible that you could accidentally break or lose them considering they're clear plastic. There are so many extra flight stands included, that I don't see how you could ever possibly lose enough of them by accident to not be able to play. Learning Curve There is a lot you can do in this game and when it's your turn you can keep taking actions until you run out of things to do. There are also several ways you can win. As a direct consequence of this, it can be a little overwhelming at first as to what you should do. Especially when someone who has never played before is outfitting their ship before the game starts and has no idea what to buy. However, in the games that I've played, it only takes a few rounds for everyone to become comfortable with the rules so that play speed starts to pick up. Randomness This keeps the game fresh and re-playable along with the different ship configurations and roles you can play. However, the randomness can also make things feel unfair sometimes. The game board consists of a series of tiles, and as you explore the map, you place new tiles. So you don't know how the map will be laid out until it's revealed. This can also more easily lead to situations where a planet that is selling one cargo which is directly next to a planet that is buying that cargo. As selling cargo is one of the ways to amass Fame Points which are needed to win the game, this can lead to a situation that some might see as unfair. But if it bothers your group, then simply make a house rule amending the situation. Summary I can't recommend this game enough. The length is variable as you can simply agree on how many Fame Points are needed to win the game. With a group of people that know how to play, a low point game could be over in 30 minutes. Or you could play a full 20 point game and have a few hours of fun with friends.

I have had this game on my wish list for over a year. But, it is a hard game to find. No sooner does it come in stock than it's gone again. My friend and I each got one. The expansions are also really necessary. Well, the Sellsword is not so much, but the others are. Every time you play the map and gameplay are really different. The ships were done amazingly well. I am speaking of every aspects. The miniatures are painted and high quality. The ship stories and abilities are unique and interesting. And the sandbox experience allows winning in a variety of ways. Cons: the NPCs are not my favorite part. They are unintelligent and from what I can see, exist to slow the game down and offer another way to make cash fast; by attacking the merchant late-game or the enforcer. Honestly, it makes no sense that the Enforcer is a cash cow because it destroys the scoundrel. My final complaint is about trade. The system is anything but dynamic. A planet buying a good shouldn't see it stay in demand. A player can easily become a freighter and rake in the dough and points quick if two planets show up next to each other in the right way. Basically, the best way points are earned are not the same game to game and trading seems to be the best way to do it every game. I know that sounds like too much bad for the game, but some simple house rules can fix those problems. NPC rules can be adjusted and there are player-made rules already out there to fix the trading glitch.