Freebooter's Fate

Freebooter's Fate is a tabletop Skirmish game made by the German company Freebooter Miniatures. Freebooter Miniatures makes a small number of minis not used in Freebooter's Fate for use as proxies in other games (so mostly Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40000), but the range is mostly for their namesake game.

Said minis are designed by Werner Klocke, and have become very popular for their stylized and wild appearances (so mostly as Warhammer proxies).

The game itself runs approximately $80-$100 to get what's needed to play (barring mini-painting). You need a crew (and the cards they come with) consisting of some specialists, characters, and redshirts as well as a deck of the cards required to play any faction. The company sells two kinds of starter kits for each faction; one consisting of the core deck and manual, plus a small crew you'll most likely always need plus one character or the same thing minus the core deck and manual. Additional characters run an average of $12 each.

The rules are relatively straightforward, leaving most of the rulebooks dedicated to fluff and background information.

Fluff

Typical fantasy world, but set early in the Age of Exploration rather than Dark Ages or Renaissance.

You have an Empire that straddles between Conquistador and Napoleonic, Goblins (plus a few Orcs) who are a very mistreated (often enslaved) race who pull the same kind of batshit insane explosive-related shenanigans greenskins in current popular media are known for, typical pirates, Voodoo Cultists representing colonials, Assassin's Creed-wannabe insane nobility from the Old World, and with the first expansion Amazons who dress like animals and insects then fight like their fursona spirit beast. The first expansion also added mercenaries who can be fielded by any army (although individual characters usually have a faction who can't field them).

The storyline of the core game involves a string of islands in the middle of the ocean. The furthest west consists of dense, dangerous jungles while the easternmost boasts a large port established along the main trade route by the Imperial interests. The small islands in the middle have a number of isolated colonies producing different goods. The natives of these island, a cute Pygmy-like version of the Ottomans Orcs from Freebooter's Fate version of Europe (typical Fantasy stuff here, except Orcs are at the same technological level as their flintlock-toting pink neighbors) were discovered. The colonists enslaved them, with the most intelligent ones becoming house negroes pets. The port city became fabulously wealthy, winding up as a giant stationary Rogue Trader more than anything else. However, a new route was discovered to the middle colonies and the city's economy suddenly fell out from the bottom. The armada which protected the colonies from pirates suffered major losses from the sudden loss of revenue, and in the wake pirates had an opportunity to establish dominance in the seas. Each attack from pirates weakened the navy and emboldened the raiders, while every loss of taxed supplies from the colonies caused another unpaid crew to mutiny and turn their warship into a pirate vessel. Eventually, the pirates became bold enough to launch an attack on the city itself, taking control of half the port and converting it into a pirates den. This was followed by a Goblin uprising, lead either from the house pet Goblins who self-educated in secret or slave Goblins taught by Orcs. The aristocracy, determined to maintain their lifestyle at all costs, militarized their secret society (because of course they had a secret society) to control the situation. From Guy Fawkes wannabes attacking the Imperial Navy to powdered Queens of Hearts with Goblin guards dressed as cards convinced they're following a pink Goblin matron, The Brotherhood pays, plays, then slays all of the other factions.

The first expansion,Deep Jungle, progressed the story; pirates and Goblins split the port, booting the Navy to the western island where they encountered Amazons, warrior women of mysterious origins. The Amazons pattern their dress and behavior tribe by tribe after creatures in their environment such as spiders, mantises, gorillas, and jaguars. After skirmishing with the Navy, the Amazons found that the pirates had begun launching raids on their holy sites. Meanwhile, the Brotherhood has been split between those hiding within the port among pirates and those with the Navy. They are manipulating political strings world-wide for their next mysteriously mysterious mysteryness and blah blah blah, cloak and dagger shit. From the old world, mercenaries have begun to arrive to make names for themselves; from Goblin explorers to Rat Catchers using armies of rodents they will work for (almost) any faction who will pay them.

In the most recent expansion, Mystic Spirits, the Navy has finally received reinforcements from home ("Thanks Brotherhood!") and has begun fighting the pirates, pushing them back island by island. Said pirates have united into a criminal fleet to oppose them. The Goblins have consolidated their gains, freeing slaves and uniting the vastly diverse groups of their kind together bringing new strengths and eccentricities with them. The Amazons have begun their assaults, looking to claim the region and establish themselves as rulers over the foreigners and greenskins. The Brotherhood has stepped up its political assassinations, pushing the conflict in the direction they want. Calling for unity among all tribes, the Amazons prepared for full scale war and a great ceremony to begin it (requiring lots of sacrifice of course). But now the colonists, abandoned long by the Navy and mistreated by the pirates, have begun worshipping Voodoo Loas and following a mysterious woman. Members from all factions have flocked to the Cult to learn the magics of ancient and very real gods, of animating life from the non-living, and to find advantage over their former allies.

Crunch

The game relies on cards rather than dice to win. You build your "army " with points, and get to fightin'. Movement is very important in the game.

According to many reviews, the game is unique in it's approach to playstyle.