Hey, folks.
First off, thanks for the review, Colin! I really appreciate the time you spent going through the game.
In response to the simple, factual questions,
FLFS has six attributes (Acumen, Brawn, Coordination, Intellect, Leadership, and Savoir-Faire) and thirty skills. The skills are very broad, like "Steam" and "Athletics." The book describes Venerians and Martians, hints at Selenites (on the Moon), and leaves the door open for playgroups to add in others if they want a higher alien count. I'll leave others to answer on the quality of their presentation.
As far as similarities with
Space: 1889, you are very correct. The basic premise is very similar. In fact,
FLFS in part grew out of my dissatisfaction with the steampunk titles that were out there. It seemed to me that a lot of these games focused on weird tech and alien planets but either treated the characters with dismissive detail or fetishistic historical "accuracy." If there's one big difference between
FLFS and
Space:1889, it's that characters are placed directly in the center of the game, and players are given as many tools as possible to craft and play the vibrant characters they want to.