I’m a huge fan of Xia. I missed out on the first two Kickstarter campaigns, but I caught up in time to back the Missions and Powers campaign. My brother and I regularly play 20-point epic two-player showdowns.
On the other hand, I’ve been pretty vocal about my disappointment with the solo AI rules in the Embers expansion. It forces the human player to play very efficiently instead of enjoying the breadth and depth of the space sandbox that the game offers in multiplayer. I’d argue that a more satisfying narrative experience in Xia is to play two-handed against yourself, because you are still given that room to explore.
When Outer Rim was announced, the comparisons to Xia were inevitable. Here’s a sandbox-ish pick-up-and-deliver game, but with the official Star Wars license all over it. Can it be a Xia killer? Let’s compare the two in a variety of aspects:
Player Characters
<PERSON> : You are... well, yourself, I guess. You’re never given a name or archetype unless you want to create one yourself.
Outer Rim : You are one of eight characters, recognizable from various parts of the Star Wars galaxy. Your character includes a starting approach to the game (more on that later), a special ability, and a way to gain 1 fame by completing a goal. If you plan on fulfilling your goal and/or using your special abilities, you may be naturally inclined toward a specific path, but there’s no hard restriction on what you do.
Starting Ships
Xia : You have a unique ship, complete with a painted miniature and special ability. Similar to Outer Rim’s character abilities, it may encourage you to follow a specific path but does not limit what you can do.
Additionally, you get a small handful of money to purchase ship outfits. This allows you to build a variety of starting approaches. You can invest in fast or slow engines, include or exclude two different types of weapons, and include or exclude shields. With the expansion you can add modifications to those outfits to make for even more varied approaches.
Outer Rim : You have one of two generic ships, with slightly different stats. Setup can end with everyone in the same vehicle, and even if it doesn’t, there’s not much difference to begin with.
Movement
Xia : Much has been made of the “drift system” setting. 697
Buying d12 engines just means it’s all the more disappointing when you roll a 1. The expansion modifications include some stabilization of the engine rolls, but even then it’s something of a crap shoot.
Outer Rim : Your ship has a specific movement value, usually in the 5-7 range. It can be modified further, and obstacles can sometimes get in the way, but generally speaking it’s a consistent distance.
The Board
Xia : Here’s where we get to see some drastic differences. The Xia board is modular and unfolds as you explore. With few exceptions, you can move your ship from any point A to any point B in a straight line, if you wanted to. There are plenty of obstacles that will slow you down or damage your ship, but with the right rolls you can do virtually anything. Sometimes the downside is trying to find the right destination, though. (More on that later, too.)
Outer Rim : There are six pieces to the board, each with two points of interest (11 planets, 1 anomaly). The rules say you can randomize them as an optional advanced rule, but caution against it for possible balance concerns. There is a “right way” to assemble the board, so certain planets are always close or far apart. Going from one planet to another is a matter of following the well-marked trail. Sometimes there are two paths side-by-side, but they eventually reconnect and usually one path is a lot faster. Expect all players going from one far end of the board to the other will take virtually the same route, unless a patrol is in the way. Being on a very narrow movement path chips away a bit at the sandbox feel, though it’s not too bad in and of itself. I never found myself saying “why can’t I just cut through the middle?”, though some players might.
Cargo/Goods
<PERSON> : There are five types of goods, and they form a circuit between the five major planets. One planet buys a good, and produces the next good you need to go to the next planet. If all five planets are out, you can run a trade route of sorts to turn a little money into a lot of money, and pick up some fame while you’re at it. 403