First of all, I want to thank Gale Force 9 for posting my first article in this series on their Facebook page. They also opened up a fancy new website just for the Firefly board game. Check it out. They added a new story card that I think will make a great first game. Also, the game should have hit store shelves by now!
In this third strategy article, I want to dissect the Misbehave deck. Out of the several games I have played, nothing strikes more fear in a player than having to flip several of these cards in order to complete a mission. Crew members will die, goods will be lost, and rarely will a good opportunity to come from it. If you’re asked to flip three cards and if you fail one, you fail the mission. Success with these cards is crucial to many of the story cards and the high paying missions.
The first thing to keep in mind is that there are several key words that will grant you an automatic pass on the misbehave cards. Proper management of these key words can maximize how often your crew will walk away successfully. There are 40 total cards in the deck. Eleven of them have very manageable options that will let you pass with little harm. Some will even let you load a few cargo or contraband if you have a transport on your ship.
These keywords can get you through 14 more cards out of the deck: Sniper Rifle, Companion, Hacking Rig, and Fake ID
It is worth every penny to get these four aboard your ship. At that point you will be able to safely pass 25 of the 40 cards in the deck without breaking a sweat. Firearms, Fancy duds and Transport will get you through a few more. It is also essential to bring along transport in order to keep your crew alive. You won’t pass the check, but you’ll live to be bad guys another day.
There are a few unbeatable cards unless you have River Tam. The downside to taking along River is that she is wanted. Even if you have a way to hide her during the Alliance contacts, you’ll still be stopped, slowing your travel in Alliance space. Even if you have a transport or “Hide in the vault” you will have your attempt botched. Which means you’ll have to start over from the beginning next turn. River is the only way to pass these two cards and keep misbehaving.
For the remaining cards that you can’t automatically pass, you will need skills. A little bit of everything is important. Tech, Negotiation, and Gun skills are all necessary to pass these cards. Gun skill can go a long way keeping your crew alive in a tight spot. Come up short and you could be needing to refill your empty bunks in order to try the job again.
Always keep a “redshirt” or two. You don’t want to have to lose an important crew member like Jayne or Wash to a bad Guns check. The best redshirts come from the out of the way port of Silverhold. Hill Folk don’t really do much for you unless you get them in a mob, but they cost nothing to hire or pay on jobs. Excellent fodder.
Don’t forget that jobs are where you are likely to gain a warrant. Warrants can be worse than initially expected. First of all, you will be stopped by the Alliance cruiser next time you fly by. Second, you will lose the job you are on. You won’t be able to finish it at all. It’s gone forever. Third, you will lose any rep you have with Harken, which means you’ll have to suffer the obnoxious “Customs Inspection” again. Lastly, if you’re on a Niska job, you will also have to kill a crew to keep him happy. Not a good deal at all for one measly warrant.
The misbehave deck can be a lot of luck, but you should be able to manage it pretty well with those four keywords and a balanced crew. Just remember to keep a transport aboard your ship when the Reavers or Alliance agents show up!
