Sim Guy’s Firefly House Rules (so far…)

I like House Rules, at least for non-Wargames. The more I play some games and the more comfortable I get
with them, the more I want to throw in new wrinkles to keep things fresh. For some games it’s enough to wait
for an expansion to add a new twist. For others I get a sense that something might be missing, or something else
might make more sense, or add more of the flavor that I’m looking for. Firefly is a game that is fun on its own
merits, even more so as the expansions are added. The BGG files for this game add tons more features that can
add everything from extra Stories, to new Gear and Crew and Ships, new Decks for all manner of ideas that
BGGer’s fertile imaginations can concoct.

You have to be careful, or at least mindful, of the fact that every time a new rule is added, the game becomes
more complicated. The more things that are added the more things there are to think about and potentially
forget. Striking a balance between complexity and playability (and enjoyment) is an art. My suggestion is that
players pick and choose from the House Rules and Variants found here and elsewhere. Add one or two at a time
and use what makes the game more fun for you. Every Player has their own comfort level with respect to
complexity – I like a little more complexity than most and can’t seem to keep from tinkering with a game I like.

These rules variants do add complexity and certainly will lengthen the game, but most aren't really used that
often, and the ones that are seem (to my group anyway) to be logical extensions to the actions at hand. Most
were formulated with the expressed intent of making the game harder. We felt that in the later stages of the
game, when we had a full, highly capable, and well equipped Crew, there was very little chance that
Misbehaving would be much of a challenge at all. This, to us, took some of the suspense and fun out of the
endgame.

These rules variants are some of the ideas that I’ve come up with when I’m playing and I’m wondering “why
can’t I do That? Or, it would makes things more interesting if This could happen. Try them out, use them,
change them, steal them – I grant permission to anyone who cares to have them. Comment freely, I look
forward to any feedback.

Also, the rules without any extraneous notes appear on two pages at the end of the file.
Trading Rules
I’ve always thought that there should be a market for those Parts and Fuel you pick up from Salvage actions,
less a small merchant’s fee. I’ve also thought that Parts and Fuel would probably be in high demand on the
Minor Planets although it might be a problem for the locals to get all that much money together on short notice.
So I came up with a couple of ideas to cover minor sales. It also occurs to me that if a Captain has space
available they may be amenable to giving some poorer folk a lift off of the planet, for a small fee, and as long as
the Hitchers aren’t too particular about where they get dropped off.

 Excess Parts and Fuel can be sold at face value -$100 (from the total sale) on any Supply Planet.
 Treat the BUY Action as a BUY/SELL; during the Action the Player may both Buy and sell Parts and Fuel
along with hiring Crew and buying Gear.

Minor Planets Trading

 Use a BUY/SELL Action to sell limited amounts of Parts and Fuel on minor planets for 150% of face value;
up to a d6 roll’s worth of total units (Parts + Fuel) in any combination. The total sale is rounded down to the
nearest $100.

 On a d6 roll of 6, d6/2 rounded down Passengers may approach the ship for passage to next (any) Supply
Planet. These Passengers are basically Hitchhikers who are just looking to get back to 'civilization, and will
earn you $100 when you reach the next Supply Planet and drop them off. They do not count as Passengers
or Fugitives that can be used to fulfill a Job requirement, but are treated as Passengers and Fugitives in
every other respect. [Consider making a Hitchhiker token]
 Once the ship lifts, a roll is made for each ‘Hiker and, on a roll of 6, the ‘Hiker turns out to be a Fugitive.

Crew Oriented Rules

It bothered me a little that anyone in the Crew could employ any of the Gear that was procured. It seems to me
that you need some skill to use or operate some of the equipment properly, and gain the full benefit of the Gear.
I feel that the more complex items should require a little experience in order to get the most out of them. This
can be a little complicated to keep track of. I use it for solo games and don't really recommend it for games of
more than two players.

 If an item of Gear adds multiple bonuses of any particular Skill (2 or more Fight/Tech/Negotiate), only
Crew members that possess a Skill that matches at least one Skill enhancement on a Gear card may use that
Gear to its full potential. For example, if a Weapon adds 2 Fight bonuses, but is handled by a Crew with no
Fight Skill, the bonus is reduced to one.
 No matter what Skills the Crew possess, they may always get at least one Skill bonus for every Skill type
enhanced by a piece of Gear.

Rules to use While Working Jobs

During the course of the game, as you collect more Gear and better Crew, the Jobs get easier and easier until
toward the end of the game Misbehaving carries almost no risk, especially when the entire Crew and their
equipment are being used. Why wouldn’t you use everybody? After all you might need them, you never really
know what the Misbehaving may entail; and if you do lose a Crew, you get to pick which one dies. And
everyone gets paid the same anyway, on the job or not, right? Well what if there was a real risk and real costs?
I remember a western movie where a hired gun was being paid $10 a day, plus $100 every time he used his gun.
It seems to me that something like this was a bone of contention in the show when Jayne showed up for the first
time. It also came back to haunt the Crew when they left the ship unattended while planet-side a few times.

These rules are definitely not for everybody; they will add considerably to the length of the game, especially
when the free Crew on the Job is severely limited, and the additional Crew take full bonus shares. If you like a
quicker game, do not use this variant. Also, moderate the rule to suit your sensibilities; adjust the number of
free Crew (I like two, plus the Captain) and vary the bonus share to be paid out (I prefer a flat $100 each).

 When working a Job, in addition to the Captain, one member of the Crew can be assigned to a Job without
affecting the payoff.
 For every extra Crew used, deduct an amount, equal to each extra Crew’s pay level, from the payment for
the Job. (This is bonus money over and above the cut that all Crew receive from the Job. If this seems too
severe just make it $100 per extra Crew.)
 On a Botched Job where fatalities are incurred, the killed Crew is/are selected at random.
 OPTION: In order to help select an effective team for a Job, the player may draw and examine all but one of
the Misbehave cards, which must be passed to succeed on the Job. After all, in the show the Crew mostly
knew what they were up against, and were able to plan for the job, maybe even gathering some necessary
Gear as well. But there were always some surprises, hence the final hidden card.

Guarding the Ship

Someone must stay with the ship when the rest of the Crew is on a Job, otherwise, if the ship is empty:
 Sometime during the Job, on a d6 roll of 6, there is an attempt to break into the ship while the Crew is busy;
 All Cargo not part of the Job, and d6 x Parts, and d6 x Fuel are looted.
 Cargo in the Stash is ignored
 Any Passengers/Fugitives are assumed to be planet-side and therefor unaffected.
 The presence of a Crew member eliminates the looting roll.

If a PILOT stays with the ship, there is a chance that the ship can be used to assist passing a Misbehave:
 Case 1 – We almost pulled it off: If the Misbehave roll results in a number 1 less than a successful number,
add the Skill bonus (any Skill) of the Pilot to the result, if the Pilot makes a roll of 6+.
 Case 2 – Emergency bugout: On any Botched fighting result, where Crew are Killed, one Crew can be
reduced to Wounded (if using Wounded rule, otherwise one Crew is saved), if the Pilot makes a roll of 5+.
 Case 3 – The ship can be used to fill a TRANSPORT requirement if the Pilot makes a 4+ roll

Killed and Wounded Crew

This rule is intended to give the Player's a reason to leave certain Crew back on the ship; they can't be killed if
they aren't on the Job. Perversely, it also gives the Player a reason to send extra Crew on a Job in order to
spread the risk. In a Solo game it adds an element of variability to deal with. For Jobs where the ship is actively
employed, the non-working Crew are assumed to be keeping out of the way, possibly even confined to quarters.

 In any instance where Crew are Killed/Wounded, casualties are selected at random
 A Wounded Crew is one who has been saved by the Medic, they receive a Disgruntled token and a
Wounded marker.*
 The Captain can be Wounded but not Killed.
 Wounded Crew may not leave the ship, but they can protect it (if using Guarding the Ship)
 While a Crew is Wounded, each Skill bonus they may possess is reduced by one level.
 In the event that a Wounded Crew is Killed (and saved by the Medic) or Wounded again, make another
Wounded roll. Wounds are cumulative: if the Wound marker roll added to the remaining Wound exceeds 6,
the Crew dies of Wounds.
 Wounded Crew that permanently leave the ship, for any reason, disappear dockside and are of no more
concern to the Player, except if they jump to another Player's ship, they then take their Wounds with them.

*A Wounded marker is a simply a six sided die; roll it when it is received and it signifies how many turns the
Crew is in recovery. Reduce the number by one each turn, remove it the turn after it reaches 1. You can use
other dice (d8, d10, d12, d20…) for longer Wound durations if you like. There isn’t anything in the rules about
how much time passes during a turn, but I’ve settled on a week, give or take a day or two. A five or six week
recovery period for a bad Wound seems reasonable to me. If you see time differently, modify the duration
accordingly.

Reaver Encounters
I liked some of the house rules I saw here, resolving Reaver encounters as Showdowns, and made a few mods to
suit my own preferences. I can’t remember who came up with them originally, if it was you, Thanks! As bad as
the Reavers are in the game, they just don't strike the terror into the Players as I think they should. I wanted to
make the Reavers into something really scary from a Player's standpoint, and should leave a lasting impression.
I want the Players to feel the apprehension that should come from moving away from the relative safety of the
Core to work out towards the Rim. A losing encounter with the Reavers will be devastating to a Player in a
game, practically forcing them to start over with a little Gear and some money, but little else. They may want to
quit. It would be like... like being attacked by Reavers. Reaver encounters might also incur some reputation
effect as well, both bad and good.

So why go anywhere near Reaver space? The increased danger with the use of these rules doesn't really seem
proportional with the increased reward of taking Jobs that take you there. Since even the game doesn't really
reflect the risk/reward aspects of operating in close proximity to Reaver space, consider paying a bonus on any
successful Job completed in Rim space, I suggest a bonus payoff of 2d6 x $100.

Reavers!
 If the Reavers enter your ship’s sector through Nav Card movement, and you fail to Evade or cannot play a
Crazy Ivan, resolve a Reaver Attack! immediately.
 Crazy Ivan requires making a Tech Skill roll, using only the Pilot and one Mechanic, of 5+.
Reaver Attack!
 Reaver attack is resolved using the Showdown mechanics.
 The Reavers are assumed to successfully pass Boarding checks, proceed directly to a Showdown.
 In the Reaver Showdown the rules are:
o The Reavers attack with a Fight strength of 8
o The non-Reaver player cannot select Negotiate as the skill to use in the Showdown.

If the Reavers win the Showdown:

 Roll a d6 to determine the number of Crew killed.
 Roll a d6 for each other person on-board Passenger, Fugitive, or captured character under bounty:
o 1-5 = Reaver Food
o 6 = Alive, Roll again:
 1-2 = Unscathed
 3-4 = Wounded
 5-6 = Wounded, if Medic makes Save roll, otherwise Dead
 The Reavers destroy one random upgrade on the ship and steal 1/2 (round up) of all Parts and Fuel.

If the Reavers lose the Showdown, roll a d6:

 1 = Your crew was able to break the boarding seal before the Reavers breached your airlock.
 2-3 = Roll d6/2 (round down) for Wounded Crew
 4-5 = Roll d6/2 (round down) for Wounded Crew, Roll d6/3 (round down) for Killed Crew
 6 = Roll d6 for each Crew & Captain: 1-3 = Unscathed, 4-5 = Wounded, 6 = Dead (Medic may save)

Reaver Fights and Reputation: First the Bad News

 The survivors of a Deadly Reaver Encounter (one resulting in fatalities) are Disgruntled (Traumatized).
 If the entire Crew is killed-
o A Reaver token is placed on the ship card – only one to a customer
 o A surviving Captain may only Mosey until reaching the nearest Supply Planet, after which
movement is normal
 A ship with a Reaver token-
o Pays double to recruit new Crew “There’s Reaver stink on that ship”
o May remove the Reaver token upon the successful completion of a Job

Reaver Fights: The Good News

 For every Reaver encounter successfully Evaded, award the ship a ‘Lucky’ token (I use Pennies).
 For every five Pennies, award the ship a Nickel.
 For a ship with a Nickel, new Crew may be hired for $100 less.
 For a ship with a Dime (two Nickels), new Crew may be hired for $100 less and all Crew will work for
$100 less.
 All Lucky tokens are lost following a Deadly Reaver Encounter
Trading Rules

 Excess Parts and Fuel can be sold at face value -$100 (from the total sale) on any Supply Planet.
 Treat the BUY Action as a BUY/SELL; during the Action the Player may both Buy and sell Parts and Fuel
along with hiring Crew and buying Gear.

Minor Planets Trading

 Use a BUY/SELL Action to sell limited amounts of Parts and Fuel on minor planets for 150% of face value;
up to a d6 roll’s worth of total units (Parts + Fuel) in any combination. The total sale is rounded down to the
nearest $100.
 On a d6 roll of 6, d6/2 (rounded down) Passengers may approach the ship for passage to the next (any)
Supply Planet. These Passengers are basically Hitchhikers who are just looking to get back to 'civilization',
and will earn you $100 when you reach the next Supply Planet and drop them off. They do not count as
Passengers or Fugitives that can be used to fulfill a Job requirement, but are treated as Passengers or
Fugitives in every other respect. [Consider making a Hitchhiker token]
o Once the ship lifts, a roll is made for each ‘Hiker and, on a roll of 6, the ‘Hiker turns out to be a Fugitive.

Crew Oriented Rules

 If an item of Gear adds multiple bonuses of any particular Skill (2 or more Fight/Tech/Negotiate), only Crew
members that possess a Skill that matches at least one Skill enhancement on a Gear card may use that
Gear to its full potential. For example, if a Weapon adds 2 Fight bonuses, but is handled by a Crew with no
Fight Skill, the bonus is reduced to one.
 No matter what Skills the Crew possess, they may always get at least one Skill bonus for every Skill type
enhanced by a piece of Gear.

Rules to use While Working Jobs

 When working a Job, in addition to the Captain, one member of the Crew can be assigned to a Job without
affecting the payoff.
 For every extra Crew used, deduct an amount, equal to each Crew’s pay level, from the Job’s payoff.
 On a Botched Job where fatalities are incurred, the killed Crew is/are selected at random.
 OPTION: In order to help select an effective team for a Job, the player may draw and examine all but one
of the Misbehave cards, which must be passed to succeed on the Job.

Guarding the Ship

Someone must stay with the ship when the rest of the Crew is on a Job, otherwise, if the ship is empty:
 Sometime during the Job, on a d6 roll of 6, there is an attempt to break into the ship while the Crew is
busy;
 All Cargo not part of the Job, and d6 x Parts, and d6 x Fuel are looted.
 Cargo in the Stash is ignored
 Any Passengers/Fugitives are assumed to be planet-side and therefor unaffected.
 The presence of a Crew member eliminates the looting roll.

If a PILOT stays with the ship, there is a chance that the ship can be used to assist passing a Misbehave:
 Case 1 – We almost pulled it off: If the Misbehave roll result is 1 less than a successful result, add the Skill
bonus (any Skill) of the Pilot to the result, if the Pilot makes a Skill roll of 6+.
 Case 2 – Emergency bugout: On any Botched Fighting result, where Crew are Killed, one Crew can be
reduced to Wounded (if using Wounded, else one Crew is saved), if the Pilot makes a straight roll of 5+
 Case 3 – The ship can fill a TRANSPORT requirement if the Pilot makes a straight roll of 4+
Killed and Wounded Crew

 In any instance where Crew are Killed/Wounded, casualties are selected at random.
 A Wounded Crew is one who has been saved by the Medic, they receive a Disgruntled token and a
Wounded marker.*
 The Captain can be Wounded but not Killed.
 Wounded Crew may not leave the ship, but they can protect it (if using Guarding the Ship)
 While a Crew is Wounded, each Skill bonus they may possess is reduced by one level.
 In the event that a Wounded Crew is Killed (and saved by the Medic) or Wounded again, make another
Wounded roll. Wounds are cumulative: if the Wound roll plus the current Wound exceeds 6, the Crew dies.
 Wounded Crew that permanently leave the ship, for any reason, disappear dockside and are of no more
concern to the Player, except if they jump to another Player's ship, they then take their Wounds with them.

*A Wounded marker is a simply a six sided die; roll it when it is received and it signifies how many turns the
Crew is in recovery. Reduce the number by one each turn, remove it the turn after it reaches 1.
Reaver Encounters

Reavers!
 If the Reavers enter your ship’s sector through Nav Card movement, and you fail to Evade or cannot play a
Crazy Ivan, resolve a Reaver Attack! immediately.
 Crazy Ivan requires making a Tech Skill roll, using only the Pilot and the Mechanic, of 5+.

Reaver Attack!
 Reaver attack is resolved using the Showdown mechanics.
 The Reavers are assumed to successfully pass Boarding checks, proceed directly to a Showdown.
 In the Reaver Showdown the rules are:
o The Reavers attack with a Fight strength of 8
o The non-Reaver player cannot select Negotiate as the skill to use in the Showdown.

If the Reavers win the Showdown:

 Roll a d6 to determine the number of Crew killed.
 Roll a d6 for each Passenger, Fugitive, and captured character under bounty:
o 1-5 = Reaver Food
o 6 = Alive, Roll again:
 1-2 = Unscathed
 3-4 = Wounded
 5-6 = Wounded, if Medic makes Save roll, otherwise Dead
 The Reavers destroy one random upgrade on the ship and steal 1/2 (round up) of all Parts and Fuel.

If the Reavers lose the Showdown, roll a d6:

 1 = Your crew was able to break the boarding seal before the Reavers breached your airlock.
 2-3 = Roll d6/2 (round down) for Wounded Crew
 4-5 = Roll d6/2 (round down) for Wounded Crew, Roll d6/3 (round down) for Killed Crew
 6 = Roll d6 for each Crew & Captain: 1-3 = Unscathed, 4-5 = Wounded, 6 = Dead (Medic may save)

Reaver Fights and Reputation: First the Bad News

 The survivors of a Deadly Reaver Encounter (one resulting in fatalities) are Disgruntled (Traumatized).
 If the entire Crew is killed-
o A Reaver token is placed on the ship card – only one to a customer
o A surviving Captain may only Mosey until reaching the nearest Supply Planet, after which
movement is normal
 A ship with a Reaver token-
o Pays double to recruit new Crew “There’s Reaver stink on that ship”
o May remove the Reaver token upon the successful completion of a Job

Reaver Fights: The Good News

 For every Reaver encounter successfully Evaded, award the ship a ‘Lucky’ token (I use Pennies).
 For every five Pennies, award the ship a Nickel.
 For a ship with a Nickel, new Crew may be hired for $100 less.
 For a ship with a Dime (two Nickels), new Crew may be hired for $100 less and all Crew will work for $100
less per Job.
 All Lucky tokens are lost following a Deadly Reaver Encounter