When you celebrate the pirate life in Windrose, a counterpart to Warhammer 40,000 perfectly captures the mood

The new pirate game Windrose is currently the talk of the town. Over 200,000 players went on a digital pirate adventure at release. If you can’t get enough of Caribbean beaches, thundering muskets, and tough pirates, MeinMMO author Linda Baumgartl has a perfect alternative for you.

I love pirates. Whether in documentaries, film classics like Pirates of the Caribbean, or the absolutely best pirate series, Black Sails. Even while gaming, I am equally thrilled by seafarers. Windrose managed to captivate me, for example, for 10 hours in the demo.

However, my personal highlight is not available on Steam. Instead, it’s live and in color – at least if you take up the brush yourself. We’re talking about Freebooter’s Fate, a German tabletop system with miniatures, measuring tapes, and all the bells and whistles.

I know, this might sound a bit strange. At least if you think of the dark science fiction world of Warhammer 40,000 when you hear “tabletop.” But Freebooter’s Fate has very little to do with that. Instead of armored Space Marines, there’s a lot of pirate action here, arrr!

What is tabletop, actually?

Tabletop games are strategy games played with physical miniatures on a tabletop surface. Unlike classic board games, figures are freely moved across the game board. Movement range is determined with measuring tapes and may be influenced by terrain.

Another part of the hobby involves crafting and painting figures and terrain pieces. As long as the figures are somehow playable, the artistic aspect is, of course, optional.

In Freebooter’s Fate, even goblins can be pirates

Freebooter’s Fate takes us to the fictional city of Longfall, a former trading city that has been occupied by pirates. Here, not only the aforementioned seafarers gather, but also numerous adventurers, scoundrels, and … other creatures.

Each player takes command of a crew. There are ten different factions to choose from, including classics like pirates and the Imperial Armada. Those who have no issues with a bit of fantasy can also take goblin pirates or ghostly undead into battle. They already make excellent pirates in Warhammer.

Freebooter’s Fate combines versatility with a coherent basic setting. Instead of serious historical battles, there’s miniature cannon fire with quirky figures and surprisingly much storytelling, if you’re willing to indulge in a bit of pirate role-playing.

If you enjoy model building, you also get the opportunity to craft really cool pirate cities here. There are special building sets for structures, matching game mats, and other accessories. This also includes boats, which should not be missing in a pirate game, of course. In this case, boats refer more to smaller rowboats. They have their own rules and can also be equipped with cannons. Nevertheless, the battles on land are more in focus.

Every single figure is important here

Freebooter’s Fate is a so-called skirmish system. This means that few individual figures are used instead of huge armies. Each player controls about 4-12 characters, depending on prior agreement.

The manageable number of figures has several advantages: It makes the game very clear and comparatively fast-paced, which is great for beginners. A standard game lasts about 2 hours.

It also makes the ongoing events feel much more personal. I know each of my crew members and have grown quite fond of my old landlubbers. When a small, stinky goblin comes by and shoots my wooden leg off, I can guarantee nothing.

The terrain can be optimally utilized with the individual figures as well. I can have a wild battle in the tavern, take opponents in a crossfire from the balcony, or sneak around dark corners with assassins.

Last but not least, this also benefits the wallet. The starter boxes with four figures each go for about 35 €. So you don’t have to invest an incredible amount if you want to try out another faction. In Warhammer, you can save a lot too, but it’s generally more expensive.

Thanks to Freebooter’s Fate, I trust none of my friends anymore

One of the biggest unique features of Freebooter’s Fate is the fact that it does not use any dice. Dice are, after all, almost as essential to tabletop as the figures themselves. Instead, Freebooter’s Fate relies entirely on playing cards.

The difference might not seem so exciting at first glance. However, the system is quite brilliant and adds depth to the otherwise rather blunt chance elements.

For most situations where you would normally roll a die, there are the so-called fate cards. They are similar to classic playing cards with numbers, suits, and symbols. Depending on the situation, additional effects such as drawing an event card can be triggered.

However, the more interesting ones are actually the hit zone cards. Each player has six such cards, one for each body zone. When you want to perform an attack, you covertly select a certain number of hit cards. The defender can, however, defend themselves with their cards. A hit only occurs if the attacker has chosen at least one body zone that the defender has not protected.

But it’s not just about generally landing hits. Additionally, there is a possibility of causing critical hits to hit body zones. Each body zone is associated with a corresponding attribute: legs for movement, head for attack, and so on. These values are severely reduced if the corresponding body part suffers a critical hit. And it gets worse: if a body zone is critically hit twice, the figure is immediately removed from the game.

Each exchange becomes a small poker game. Psychological warfare is at least as important as chance.

• For example, if I was hit in the head, I should urgently protect it. Otherwise, I run the risk of losing the figure due to a second crit immediately. My opponent knows that. Will they attack there to exploit my weakness? Or do they reckon that I will defend myself there, and therefore prefer to attack my shooting hand?

I constantly have such considerations while playing. After a match, I no longer trust any of my friends – especially not when they slyly urge me to take a little risk.

The dilemma of choice: Which crew should I start with?

Since you’ve landed on this article, you probably want a good dose of pirates. So you can simply do it like I do and grab the pirate crew without much thought. You definitely can’t go wrong with that.

However, if you’re still curious about the other crews, here’s a brief overview, roughly sorted by difficulty:

For beginners

• Pirates: The classic. Cannons out and let’s go.
• Imperial Armada: They maintain law and order. Or at least try to. Rely on discipline and firearms.
• Goblins: Small, green, and pointy-eared. Alone, they may not be particularly strong. But in large groups, they are extremely dangerous. Occasionally work with orcs.

For advanced players

• Brotherhood: A secret organization in Venetian style. The typical assassins.
• Mercenaries: Always on the hunt for quick doubloons. Very different individuals who can often be integrated into other crews.
• Amazons: Fearless jungle warriors. Nature-connected and experts in close combat.
• Debonn: Known for wine, pastries, and large hats. Rely on combat-ready formations. Like the Imperial Armada but with a smaller budget.
• Tianyu: An Asian-influenced culture dedicated to the cosmic balance of light and darkness. The crew must also always be kept in balance.

For experts

• The Cult: Mystics who can summon beings from a parallel world. Weaken their opponents and strengthen their own crew.
• The Shadows: Half-mad revenge spirits. Can unleash shadow powers and resurrect.

Freebooter’s Fate offers much more than just pirates. In addition to the actual game, you can also unleash your creativity with the miniatures. If you need tips on how to make the figures look better without much skill, MeinMMO editor Caroline Fuller has just the thing for you: With simple means, your miniatures will look even prettier without much money or skill