Hi Doc000! I just ran a quick test in Poser Pro 11 using 3 area lights. They do work in FireFly.

The sample scene I set up generated soft and moderately dark shadows.

Try setting the intensity of your area light(s) higher and also scale them larger to get soft shadows while maintaining relative brightness. Move it/them further or closer to the objects you want lit to further "tune" the intensity and/or softness of the shadows.

The Shadow dial doesn't do anything that I can tell with respect to area lights. I believe you need to adjust the area light intensity and size of the area light.

It's been a while since I've rendered with Firefly, so you might want to start with a simple scene using my suggestions to see how it works.

I'm sure others with more experience and knowledge will come along with a lot more useful information.

Hope this helps some!

Lee