Description from BGG:
I backed this game the minute I read the description, and saw the components. A Merchants and Marauders type game in space? Sold! You can tell from the descriptions and the video that Cody (the creator) is really in love with his game, and has put a lot of time, and thought, and design into it. He also has some great ideas about making the game almost an "open source" game where he's going to send out with the $100 level of the game a "dev kit" where you get blank templates for the space sector hexes and ship outfits for your own use. He's also going to make the templates used for the cards available to all, as well as encouraging 3D printing of ships to use with the game, and sharing of those designs.Xia: Legends of a Drift System is a 3-5 player sandbox style competitive space adventure. Each player starts as a lowly but hopeful captain of a small starship.
Players fly their ships about the system, completing a variety of missions, exploring new sectors and battling other ships. Navigating hazardous environments, players choose to mine, salvage, or trade valuable cargo. Captains vie with each other for Titles, riches, and most importantly Fame.
The most adaptive, risk taking, and creative players will excel. One captain will rise above the others, surpassing mortality by becoming Legend!
Customize: Each player begins the game by choosing and customizing a Tier 1 starship. Invest all your money in engines and be a rapid, yet fragile, explorer. Put all your credits into an uber missile and watch other players flee in terror. Get a small engine and save space and credits to invest in buying and selling cargo. Or create a well rounded ship, ready for anything. In Xia, the choice is always yours.
Adapt: The goal of Xia is to become the most famous captain. Completing missions, besting ships in combat, purchasing higher tier ships, selling Cargo Cubes and claiming Titles are all ways that players can earn Fame Points. The best pilots will adapt to their surroundings, making snap judgments and changing plans on-the-fly. If you can think on your feet, you'll do well in Xia!
Sandbox: The real fun of Xia is that each game will be different. There is no set direction of play, players may choose to be peaceful traders, fierce pirates, workers, miners, opportunists, etc. The game board is randomly laid out and explored each time you play. Players might choose not to explore at all, creating a tiny arena for swift and deadly combat, or explore all 19 sectors and have a large play-scape to exploit. It's up to you!
Based on everything I'm reading, and seeing from gameplay videos and reviews, this game is almost a grail game for me. It seems like it's everything that I had hoped Eclipse would be but wasn't (for me, at least).