So I have been intrigued with this game ever since it was announced, and I took the time to watch the entire session that was streamed on FFG Live's twitch account last week. I wanted to put in some thoughts for the game and what it looks like or how it plays, in case people are curious but didn't want to watch the stream or don't have too much time to look into it. Maybe like a cliff notes version. A lot of people thought it was a remake of a board game called FireFly, based on the initial similarities from the first preview. I actually haven't played Firefly so I can't comment on that but actually while watching it played it made me think distinctly of another board game, Merchants & Marauders.
Now I will say that I think Outer Rim flushes out the M&M mechanics and theme and makes them more compatible with the Star Wars setting and I think that is great. However, what does this mean?
Merchants & Marauders is a board game set in the Caribbean during the golden age of sailing and piracy. You play a young captain out to make a name for yourself. The goal of the game is to get 10 fame. You can do this any number of ways. Most of your turns you will be sailing from port to port, and there are a number of things you can do in port. From selling/buying trading goods to visiting a tavern to hear rumors, recruiting crew for your ship, upgrading your ship or even buying a new ship, or taking on missions. The missions and rumors, if completed successfully, will earn you fame points. Selling enough cargo goods at a port where they are in high demand will net you fame too. What's the final way to gain fame? Piracy and naval combat. However, you have to watch out as these actions can earn you bounties, meaning the automated warships of the Dutch, French, Spanish and British might hunt you in addition to the notoriety another player could get by taking you down.
It's a very neat game, albeit a bit slow at first until you get used to the flow of it. Why do I bring all of this up? This is exactly what Star Wars: The Outer Rim feels like. You are starting off with a young fringe character on an unnamed ship somewhere in the galaxy. You are looking to gain 10 fame points and make a name for yourself. A turn will see you moving your character around the galaxy and once you get to a planet you can do one of several actions: You can interact with the planet and purchase upgrades, cargo, weapons, bounties for NPC characters, and ships. If you have a job (Mission) you can attempt to complete it, rolling dice in a "push your luck" skill check mechanic. After you have done these actions, you have an "encounter" based on where you are at on the map. If you are at a planet, you can draw from that planet's specific encounter deck, or you can encounter an NPC character whose token is face down on the planet. You can go after these characters if they are your bounties or you can even attempt to get them to join your crew, giving you additional skills for jobs. In addition to gaining fame from those jobs, your character has a personal goal and you can buy a generic ship with a ship goal - completing your personal goal makes your character better and completing your ship goal transforms your generic ship into one of the famed ships we know and love from the Star Wars universe, from the Millennium Falcon to the Slave I.
Also, as you purchase cards from the various shop decks you will flip new cards, and many of these trigger patrols. Also on the galaxy map are four factions (Rebel, Imperial, Hutts, Syndicate) and their patrols also roam the galaxy. You have reputations with each of these factions and you want to be careful. If you encounter a patrol of the Hutts, for example, and you have negative reputation with the Hutts, they will try to attack you in space combat.
It sounds like a lot to keep track of, but Outer Rim has done a really good job stream-lining it and making it very manageable. The game presents a real "sandbox" approach in that there's no set way to gain fame. In fact, if you are playing a bounty hunter like Boba Fett, even though you are better suited for bounty hunting there might still be a job available or a quick cargo run that can net you some easy cash and quick fame and you'd be silly to avoid it, especially if you can do it while heading towards where you think your bounty is. You might even be Lando and decide to go after a Hutt patrol while on your way to deliver illegal cargo since you have the ship for it. The possibilities are vast and players will get to carve out their own story with a character while they play.
I hope that helps explain the game a little. While both games feel very similar I still think they are different enough that they can provide a unique and different experience. Some things Merchants does better and some things Outer Rim looks like it will do better. Two ducks yes, but two different ducks. I really felt while watching the stream was that the game was dripping with Star Wars theme. The people playing the game laughed and cracked jokes, making a lot of star wars references while on their adventures. The devs have done a good job putting this game together. I couldn't help but notice FFG is still exploring their latest mechanics (numbered encounter deck and random result skill checks) but it makes sense and the way they have incorporated them into this game are solid.
Thanks for sticking it out if you read this far and I hoped this helped if you have any questions. I know I'm looking to pre-order the game and I'm sure I'll be around these forums to discuss questions, strategies and other fun things about this game as they come up.
